New claims for unemployment benefits continued to fall last week while overall unemployment remained at historically high levels.

The Illinois Republican Party Central Committee on Saturday named Springfield attorney Don Tracy as its new chairman, replacing Tim Schneider, who had held the post for more than six years.

First-time unemployment claims in Illinois dropped sharply in the last week of January as most regions in the state slowly began reopening following the latest wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The state will soon start ramping up the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines as part of its effort to further limit the spread of the disease.