ILLINOIS STATE MEDICAL SOCIETY

May 26 2026POLITICS

State lawmakers and suicide discussions online: what’s really being said?

State lawmakers in the U. S. are posting more often about their work online, and some of those posts touch on sensitive topics like suicide. Given how common suicide is as a cause of death here, these discussions could matter more than many realize. But what exactly are legislators saying about it?

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May 22 2026SCIENCE

Checking if Medical Data is Good Enough for Research

Medical records are being used more and more in research and AI. But before we can trust them, we need to ask: are these records actually useful? Most people think of data quality like a test score—90% is better than 70%. But in medicine, it’s not that simple. Records might look fine at first glanc

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May 16 2026OPINION

Youth Voices Unite: A Call to Action for Safety and Support

Staten Island faces a growing problem: more teens are getting involved in shootings, even though overall city violence is falling. This trend shows that young people are slipping into dangerous situations faster and with fewer safeguards than before. The Canvas Institute has seen the hidden struggl

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May 16 2026WEATHER

New York prepares for quick weather flip

Staten Island will see some rain today, but not much. After a cool mid-60s Friday—a bit too chilly for mid-May—a big warmup is coming. The city’s temperature will jump from the comfortable 70s on Saturday to the low 80s on Sunday. By early next week, it could even hit the 90s, which is way above wha

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May 15 2026TECHNOLOGY

Making Medical Devices Better, Faster, and Safer

Medical device companies often struggle to meet strict rules while still getting products out quickly. ISO 13485 is a standard that ensures quality and safety in medical devices, but following it can slow things down. Some firms try to cut corners, risking mistakes. Others get stuck in paperwork, de

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May 14 2026WEATHER

Stormy Winds, Heavy Rains and a Heat Spike Hit Staten Island

Staten Island will see a mix of strong breezes and wet weather this week. In the afternoon, gusts may reach 40 miles per hour across much of the area. That same day, a slow‑moving cold front will bring widespread showers and possible thunderstorms from the evening into Friday. The heaviest

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May 13 2026ENVIRONMENT

Dust storms hit Illinois roads, raising safety concerns

Illinois is seeing more dust storms these days, and they’re not just an annoyance—they’re a serious danger. Strong winds can lift dry soil from farm fields, creating sudden walls of dust that reduce visibility to almost zero. These storms can appear quickly, turning highways into risky zones for dri

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May 12 2026HEALTH

Staten Island trains workers to spot suicide and overdose risks at the same time

Staten Island is tackling two big problems—overdose deaths and suicide—by teaching frontline workers how to handle both at once. Around 300 people have already gone through a six-part training that mixes mental health and drug-use screening. The idea is to catch warning signs early, whether someone

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May 02 2026POLITICS

A billionaire governor’s next big move

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker is no stranger to writing big checks for political battles. But if he decides to run for president in 2028, he won’t be footing the entire bill himself. That’s according to people close to his inner circle, who say he’s already testing the waters with national fundraise

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Apr 30 2026HEALTH

How AI Could Change the Future of Medical Research

Medical research has long faced a major challenge: diseases often remain a mystery because human cells are too complex to fully understand. For generations, scientists have simplified their work by studying small pieces of cells in controlled lab settings. This approach has given us useful knowledge

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