Boone County Watchdog: February 2019

Tuesday, February 26, 2019

Mumps in McHenry County will Boone County be next?

Mumps outbreak reported in McHenry County

POSTED 4:44 PM, FEBRUARY 26, 2019, BY WGN WEB DESK

MCHENRY COUNTY — The Department of Health in McHenry County is investigating an outbreak of mumps.

According to the health department, eight cases were reported in two locations; six at Crystal Lake church and two at the McHenry County Correctional Facility. Health officials are working to determine if the two locations are related.

Health officials said mumps usually starts with fever, headache, muscle aches, tiredness, and loss of appetite. Swelling of salivary glands, which causes puffy cheeks and a tender, swollen jaw, can follow. Symptoms usually appear 16-18 days after infection, but this period can range from 12-25 days.

Mumps is contagious viral disease that spreads through saliva or mucus from the mouth, nose, or throat when infected people cough or sneeze.

Healthcare providers throughout McHenry County and the surrounding areas have been notified of these cases.

Anyone who thinks they may have been exposed to mumps and/or are experiencing symptoms, should contact a healthcare provider.

Above is from: https://wgntv.com/2019/02/26/mumps-outbreak-reported-in-mchenry-county/

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Outbreak-Related Questions and Answers for Patients

Questions and Answers

Q: I got the vaccine but still got mumps. Does this mean the vaccine doesn’t work?

A: MMR vaccine prevents most, but not all, cases of mumps and complications caused by the disease. People who have received two doses of the MMR vaccine are about nine times less likely to get mumps than unvaccinated people who have the same exposure to mumps virus. However, some people who receive two doses of MMR can still get mumps, especially if they have prolonged, close contact with someone who has the disease. If a vaccinated person does get mumps, they will likely have less severe illness than an unvaccinated person.

Before there was a vaccine, mumps was a common childhood disease in the United States. In some cases, the disease caused complications, such as permanent deafness in children and, occasionally, swelling of the brain (encephalitis), which in rare cases resulted in death. From year to year, the number of mumps cases can range from roughly a couple hundred to a couple thousand. In some years, there are more cases of mumps than usual because of outbreaks. See Mumps Cases and Outbreaks for more information.

Q: Is mumps a serious disease?

A: Mumps can be serious, but most people with mumps recover completely in a few weeks. While infected with mumps, many people feel tired and achy, have a fever, and swollen salivary glands on the side of the face. Others may feel extremely ill and be unable to eat because of jaw pain, and a few will develop serious complications. Men and adolescent boys can develop pain or swelling in their testicles, which rarely results in sterility. Inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord (meningitis) and loss of hearing can also occur, and in rare cases, this hearing loss can be permanent. The most serious complication is inflammation of the brain (encephalitis), which can lead to death or permanent disability.

Q: I’ve been told that I need to stay away from people while I’m sick with mumps. What does that mean and why does it matter?

A: When you have mumps, you should avoid prolonged, close contact with other people until at least five days after your salivary glands begin to swell because you are contagious during this time. You should not go to work or school. You should stay home when you are sick with mumps and limit contact with the people you live with; for example, sleep in a separate room by yourself if you can. Staying home while sick with mumps is an important way to avoid spreading the virus to other people. People who are infected with mumps don’t get sick right away—it can take 2 to 4 weeks for them to show signs of infection

Q: What else should I do to prevent mumps from spreading?

A: In addition to staying away from others when you have mumps, you can help prevent the virus from spreading by

Covering your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, and put your used tissue in the trash can. If you don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve or elbow, not your hands.
Washing your hands often with soap and water.
Avoiding sharing drinks or eating utensils.
Disinfecting frequently touched surfaces, such as toys, doorknobs, tables, counters.

Q: What should I do during a mumps outbreak?

A: Make sure you are up to date on your MMR vaccine. Visit the Mumps Vaccination page to see recommendations for different groups. Let your doctor know right away if you think that you or someone in your family may have mumps.

In any situation, including when there is a mumps outbreak, washing hands often with soap and water and having good health practices are the most important steps you can take to avoid getting sick and spreading germs to others.

Q: What is CDC’s role in responding to mumps cases and outbreaks?

A: State and local health departments have the lead in investigating mumps cases and outbreaks when they occur. CDC helps and supports health departments in these investigations by—

communicating with public health officials from states with reported mumps cases and providing technical assistance.
gathering data reported by states on confirmed mumps cases and evaluating and monitoring these data from a national perspective.
testing clinical specimens from suspected mumps cases when requested by states.
using molecular methods to determine mumps virus genotypes.
providing technical assistance and answering questions related to mumps molecular and serologic laboratory testing.
providing rapid assistance on the ground during outbreak investigations, often through a formal request by the state health department.
investing in state and local health departments for public health infrastructure and laboratory capacity to support front-line response to suspected and confirmed mumps cases.
alerting clinicians, healthcare facilities, and public health officials around the country about current outbreaks and providing vaccine policy and clinical guidance for healthcare providers.
providing information to public and healthcare providers through a variety of media including the CDC website.

More information about the surveillance of vaccine-preventable diseases, like mumps

Above is from: https://www.cdc.gov/mumps/outbreaks/outbreak-patient-qa.html

Should Rep Kinzinger have spoken about WI Governor’s decision?

Kinzinger: Border remarks were freedom of speech

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- A spokeswoman for an Illinois congressman who doubles as a Wisconsin National Guard pilot says he shouldn't face any discipline for criticizing Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers for withdrawing troops from the U.S. southern border because he was off duty when he made his remarks.

Republican U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger criticized Evers on Twitter and on Fox News on Monday for an executive order pulling Wisconsin National Guard troops out of Arizona. Wisconsin statutes prohibit a commissioned officer from using "contemptuous words" against government officials, including the president and Wisconsin's governor.

Guard officials and Evers' office are looking into whether to discipline Kinzinger.

Kinzinger's spokeswoman, Maura Gillespie, tells the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that Kinzinger was exercising his freedom of speech rights off duty, just as he has done when he has criticized President Donald Trump and former President Barack Obama.

Above is from: https://www.nbc15.com/content/news/National-Guard-looking-into-reps-criticism-of-Evers-506385651.html

Kinzinger rips Evers for withdrawing troops

By Todd Richmond / The Associated Press

Posted Feb 25, 2019 at 7:39 PMUpdated Feb 25, 2019 at 8:02 PM

MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers ordered the state’s National Guard troops to withdraw from the border with Mexico Monday, drawing the ire of U.. Rep Adam Kinzinger who says he serves in the Wisconsin National Guard and the border mission is honorable.

Former Republican Gov. Scott Walker ordered troops to Arizona in June to assist with administrative duties along the border. Evers, a Democrat, issued an executive order Monday withdrawing them. Evers announced the order late Monday afternoon.

The governor said about 112 troops are currently serving in Arizona but keeping the borders safe and protecting immigrants seeking asylum is the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol’s job. He said there’s not enough evidence to support Republican President Donald Trump’s declaration that a national emergency exists and there’s no justification for Wisconsin troops to remain.

“I cannot support keeping our brave service men and women away from their families without a clear need or purpose that would actively benefit the people of Wisconsin or our nation,” Evers said.

Kinzinger, a Republican congressman from Illinois, tweeted on Monday that he is a member of the Wisconsin National Guard and criticized Evers for his decision. In a series of tweets, he said he was sent to the border as a member of the Wisconsin National Guard and his crew caught a man crossing the border with 70 pounds of methamphetamine.

“Wonder the damage that would do in Milwaukee ...” he tweeted.

He went on to claim that he and his crew “captured a few coyotes, who prey on desperate migrants” and he came across a woman alone in the desert and helped the border patrol rescue her.

He tweeted that stopping illegal immigration is an honorable mission and asked Evers whether his decision to withdraw was a political one. He also asked Evers to reconsider.

Kinzinger echoed those sentiments during an appearance on Fox News, criticizing Evers for not visiting the troops on the border. He accused the governor of lacking the courage to announce the withdrawal earlier in the day.

A Wisconsin National Guard spokeswoman didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking to confirm whether Kinzinger is a Wisconsin National Guard member and whether he would face any military discipline for criticizing Evers, the state National Guard’s commander in chief.

A Kinzinger spokeswoman in Washington, D.C., also didn’t immediately respond to an email.

Above is from: https://www.rrstar.com/news/20190225/kinzinger-rips-evers-for-withdrawing-troops

Adam Kinzinger‏Verified account @RepKinzinger Feb 25
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Before returning from my Air Guard mission in Tucson this weekend, I learned @GovEvers is pulling Wisconsin Guard forces out of Arizona effective March 3rd.
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Adam Kinzinger‏Verified account @RepKinzinger

FollowingFollowing @RepKinzinger

As a member of the WI Guard, I saw firsthand the amazing work by my fellow guardsmen. Stopping illegal immigration is quite an honorable mission, but since @GovEvers doesn’t agree, let me share a few more things his Guard did this week:

6:00 AM - 25 Feb 2019

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1. Adam Kinzinger‏Verified account @RepKinzinger Feb 25
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  His crew found and directed @cbp to a man crossing the border with 70 lbs of meth. Had we not been there, that deadly drug would be on the streets. Wonder the damage that would do in Milwaukee...
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2. Adam Kinzinger‏Verified account @RepKinzinger Feb 25
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  On the mountains, we captured a few coyotes, who prey on desperate migrants & charge them hefty sums to guide them to the border. Often times, they desert those migrants if they fear getting caught. Coyotes also commit assaults, rapes, & murders to these vulnerable individuals.
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3. Adam Kinzinger‏Verified account @RepKinzinger Feb 25
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  One such example came midweek when I found a woman alone in the rugged AZ terrain and through our coordination, @CBP was able to rescue her from dying alone in the desert.
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4. Adam Kinzinger‏Verified account @RepKinzinger Feb 25
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  .@GovEvers, your guardsmen saved many lives and protected our country on this mission. Did you go visit them on the border to see for yourself? Or did you make your decision based solely on politics?
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5. Adam Kinzinger‏Verified account @RepKinzinger Feb 25
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  I’m grateful to my fellow Wisconsin Guard members, and I’m deeply disappointed you won’t let them do what they are trained to do for the good of the country. @GovEvers, I hope you’ll reconsider.
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Partial Layoff at FIAT/Chrysler Belvidere

By Georgette Braun
Staff writer

Posted at 11:51 AMUpdated at 2:14 PM

BELVIDERE — The Belvidere Assembly Plant will lay off up to 1,371 employees indefinitely starting May 2, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles said Tuesday, but local economic development officials say workers should be able to find other jobs.

The company said a slowing global market is causing the reduction.

Starting May 6, the plant will return to a more traditional work schedule, with employees working two shifts. Now, three crews work 10-hour days four days a week.

The company “will make every effort to place indefinitely laid-off hourly employees in open full-time positions as they become available based on seniority,” spokeswoman Jodi Tinson said.

The plant is among the region’s largest employers. In June, it employed 5,430 people. The plant assembles Jeep Cherokees. Models include the Latitude, Latitude Plus, Limited, Trailhawk and Overland.

Assembly of the Cherokee started in Belvidere in June 2017, having moved from Toledo, Ohio.

“This is certainly a disappointment,” said Belvidere Mayor Mike Chamberlain. In 2016, 4,400 jobs were created in Belvidere, and 3,000 of those jobs “had to do with Chrysler and suppliers. So, if we’re losing 1,300 ... it’s never a good thing.”

The layoff has the potential to ripple to other employers, but it’s unclear right now how it will affect jobs at the plant’s largest suppliers such as Magna and Yanfeng Automotive Interiors. Growth Dimensions, which works to create jobs and grow the economy in the Belvidere and Boone County region, has reached out to those suppliers as well as FCA as it looks to help keep as much of the area’s workforce employed as possible after the layoffs. Growth Dimensions has asked FCA to identify where those who will be laid off live so they can try to connect them with new jobs.

Above is from: https://www.rrstar.com/news/20190226/belvidere-assembly-plant-to-lay-off-up-to-1371-workers-may-2An

And what else is FIAT/Chrysler doing?

Business

Fiat Deepens SUV Bet With $4.5 Billion for Jeep, Ram Plants

Gabrielle Coppola

Bloomberg•February 26, 2019

Fiat Deepens SUV Bet With $4.5 Billion for Jeep, Ram Plants

(Bloomberg) -- Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV plans to invest $4.5 billion to produce new Jeep models and boost Ram truck output, as it banks on selling more high-margin sport utility vehicles even as U.S. sales lose steam and a slew of rival offerings hit the market.

The Italian-American automaker is putting $1.6 billion into its Mack Avenue engine plant in Detroit to produce the next-generation Grand Cherokee, plus a new full-size three-row Jeep with an optional plug-in hybrid engine, Chief Executive Officer Mike Manley said on a call with reporters. It’s also spending $1.5 billion on its Warren, Michigan, truck plant to bring back the Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer nameplates, and continue production of its Ram 1500 Classic truck through this year.

Those models will hit the market at a time when crosstown rivals General Motors Co. and Ford Motor Co. are relaunching storied nameplates including the Ford Bronco and Chevy Blazer. An unexpected spike in inventory of Jeep’s iconic Wrangler already is stoking concern that the American SUV boom fueling Detroit automakers’ profit growth is reaching its limits. In an early sign of this potential strain, Fiat Chrysler said later Tuesday that it’ll cut a shift at its Jeep plant in Illinois to align production with demand.

Manley downplayed these concerns on a call with reporters. Entering segments where the company doesn’t have an offering -- such as with the three-row SUV and the Grand Wagoneer -- will allow Fiat Chrysler to keep growing, he said. The automaker’s U.S. shares dipped as much as 0.7 percent after the announcements.

“Even if we see mitigation in the industry in the coming years, entering white space” will expand the addressable market, Manley said. “Notwithstanding the fact that the industry is going to be, in total, slightly down year-over-year, the economic indicators as we see them are still strong.”

Fiat Chrysler was the only one of Detroit’s three automakers to increase sales in a flat U.S. market last year, thanks to record deliveries for its Jeep and Ram brands. The company is looking to build on that momentum in 2019 with redesigned heavy-duty Ram trucks and the new Jeep Gladiator pickup being introduced in the first half of the year.

Still, Fiat Chrysler hasn’t been completely immune from the broader auto market’s slowdown. It started this month with 166 days’ supply of Jeep Wranglers on dealer lots, almost double the inventory of cars and light trucks in stock industrywide. The company said its Jeep Cherokee plant in Belvidere, Illinois, will move to two shifts, from three, starting May 6, leading to indefinite layoffs for 1,371 workers.

The National Automobile Dealers Association expects industrywide deliveries to dip to 16.8 million cars and trucks this year, down from about 17.3 million in 2018. As the market shrinks, showrooms are getting more crowded with new models. Researcher LMC Automotive projects automakers will offer 191 different SUVs by 2024. That’s up from just 100 in 2014.

Fiat Chrysler is filling out its Jeep lineup to bolster profits after margins in North America fell short of investors’ expectations in the fourth quarter, prompting a stock plunge and slew of analyst downgrades. The company is counting on U.S. sales to sustain earnings while it seeks partners to help cut costs for its ailing European business. It’s also struggling to find its footing in a slowing Chinese market and shore up the Maserati luxury brand.

“They’re more reliant than ever on the good mix in the U.S. and North America in general to offset the foreseeable weakness in Europe and China,” said Pierre Quemener, an analyst at MainFirst Bank AG. “If they falter here, that’s going to be a big issue for them.”

Before today’s announcement, the company had spent $4.9 billion on truck and SUV assembly in the U.S. since 2009, compared with $1.3 billion on passenger cars, according to the Center for Automotive Research.

The investments have helped Fiat Chrysler curry favor with President Donald Trump. The White House has attacked GM for its plans to close factories as it kills off some sedans and frees up resources to invest in electrification and autonomous vehicles.

Fiat Chrysler won plaudits from Trump in January 2017 when it announced a $1 billion investment to build three new Jeeps and shift production of the heavy-duty Ram pickup from Mexico. But Manley said Tuesday the truck’s planned exit from Mexico has been scrapped.

Still, the United Auto Workers praised the move to create more jobs at Fiat Chrysler’s U.S. factories.

“At a time when the Detroit area and our communities have seen auto plants without work and companies continue to ship vehicles into the U.S. from Mexico, China, Korea and other countries, it’s exciting to see now that we can have good union jobs here,” Cindy Estrada, a UAW vice president, told reporters at a press conference.

Here’s a breakdown of Fiat Chrysler’s investments in detail:

Retooling of the Mack Avenue plant will start in June, with the three-row model coming off the production line by the end of 2020 and the new Grand Cherokee debuting in the first half of 2021Production of the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer models will start at the Warren plant in early 2021 Investments to enable plug-in hybrid and other electrified variants of new Jeep models will be made as demand develops in the U.S. market, Manley saidFiat Chrysler confirms production of all-new Ram heavy-duty will continue in Saltillo, Mexico, reversing an earlier decision to shift output to the U.S.Fiat Chrysler also will spend $900 million to retool another Detroit plant, Jefferson North, to continue production of the Dodge Durango SUV and make the next-generation Jeep Grand Cherokee The company is also earmarking $400 million in upgrades for stamping plants in Warren and Sterling Heights, Michigan

(Updates with reference to eliminated shift starting in third paragraph. An earlier version of this story was corrected to reflect that the company didn’t identify the full-size three-row SUV model by name.)

--With assistance from Daniele Lepido.

To contact the reporter on this story: Gabrielle Coppola in New York at gcoppola@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Craig Trudell at ctrudell1@bloomberg.net, Chester Dawson

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com

Above is from: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/fiat-plans-4-5-billion-163123411.html

NO SMOKING = No Vaping in Boone County

Boone County expands tobacco ordinance to include vaping, e-cigarettes

6:15 pm
February 25, 2019

BOONE COUNTY (WREX) – Whether it’s cigarette smoke or a vape cloud, it’s no longer allowed in Boone County’s non-smoking areas.

“Now, what we’re discovering is with these electronic cigarettes is that the vapor that cloud, if you will, is not harmless,” Illinois tobacco-free communities coordinator for the Boone County Health Department Ellen Genrich said.

The Boone County Board has changed its tobacco ordinance to make sure e-cigarettes and vape pens are also banned in areas where smoking is already not allowed.

“So, just like you don’t want to exposed to secondhand smoke because someone wants to smoke near you, we want to protect the public’s health by not being exposed to that vape cloud,” Genrich said.

But it’s not just the public the health department is trying to protect; it also wants to send a clear message to young people.

“I think when you clearly lay it out for them that using this products especially in public where you’re not allowed to use traditional products that might make them think twice about what they’re doing,” Boone Conty Drug Prevention Coalition Program Director Alyssa Lazzerini said.

It’s an important message for health officials who say more and more teens are joining this dangerous trend.

“It’s increased 78 percent among high schoolers all across the nation and in our community alone it’s doubled among in numbers,” Lazzerini said.

While it’s illegal for anyone under 18 to buy or use an e-cigarette in the state of Illinois, it’s now also illegal for minors to possess it in Boone County.

“Except for these products, all of these have been confiscated from one of the three high schools we have here in Boone County,” Genrich said.

The Boone County board passed these changes unanimously on Thursday, February 21. They go into effect immediately.

Above is from: https://wrex.com/category/2019/02/25/boone-county-expands-tobacco-ordinance-to-include-vaping-e-cigarettes/

Saturday, February 23, 2019

Manafort sentencing document

SEE: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/5747652-Mueller-s-Sentencing-Memo-In-Manafort-s-Case.html

Sunday, February 17, 2019

Why Nauert withdrew from consideration for UN Position?

Heather Nauert withdraws her name from consideration for UN ambassador job

BY ARIS FOLLEY AND JOHN BOWDEN - 02/16/19 07:41 PM EST 1,286

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State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert withdrew her name from consideration for the nomination of U.S. ambassador to the United Nations on Saturday.

The State Department made the announcement in a release.

"I am grateful to President Trumpand Secretary Pompeo for the trust they placed in me for considering me for the position of U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations," Nauert wrote Saturday. "However, the past two months have been grueling for my family and therefore it is in the best interest of my family that I withdraw my name from consideration."

It wasn't clear from the release whether Nauert would continue on serving as the State Department's spokeswoman.

"Heather Nauert has performed her duties as a senior member of my team with unequalled excellence," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo added in the press release.

A State Department spokesperson said the department had nothing more to add about future personnel changes, and referred back to the the statement released by the agency.

"Her personal decision today to withdraw her name from consideration to become the nominee for United States Ambassador to the United Nations is a decision for which I have great respect," Pompeo added. "I wish Heather nothing but the best in all of her future endeavors and know that she will continue to be a great representative of this nation in whatever role she finds herself.”

Sources familiar with Nauert's bid to represent the U.S. at the United Nations told The New York Times that her withdrawal centered around her employment of a nanny who was in the country legally but was working without proper authorization for employment in the U.S.

Nauert joined the Trump administration in 2017 following a career as a journalist at Fox News and ABC News. She joined the State Department under Pompeo's predecessor, former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

She was nominated to the post of U.N. ambassador in December following the surprise resignation of U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley in October.

“It’s been eight years of intense time and I’m a big believer in term limits,” Haley said at the time. “You have to be selfless enough to know when you step aside and allow someone else to do the job.”

The move comes as Nauert, who moved from Fox News to the State Department in two years, has continued to face questions about her qualifications for the position following Trump's decision to nominate the spokeswoman for the role last year.

This article was updated at 9:15 p.m.

Above is from: https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/430369-heather-nauert-withdraws-her-name-from-consideration-for-un

Saturday, February 16, 2019

Hispanics, Not Trump, Are the Biggest Engine Of U.S. Economic Growth

Mayra Rodriguez ValladaresContributor<?XML:NAMESPACE PREFIX = "[default] http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" NS = "http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" />

Banking & Insurance

Over the medium-term horizon, Hispanic labor will become an ever more important source of US economic growth. GettyGETTY

In ground breaking research that has significant implications for U.S. policymakers and financial institutions, Peterson Institution for International Economics (PIIE) researchers found that “The Hispanic community in the United States has contributed significantly to US economic growth in recent decades and will continue to do so over the next 10 to 20 years.”

Gonzalo HuertasPIIE

Research Analyst Gonzalo Huertas and Senior Fellow Jacob Funk Kirkegaard, in their recently published working paper, The Economic Benefits of Latino Immigration: How the Migrant Hispanic Population’s Demographic Characteristics Contribute to US Growth, present an incredible diversity of quantitative analysis that proves that “The outsized contribution of Hispanic immigrants to US economic growth results from the quality of the workforce, not just quantity.” Moreover, in what goes against numerous unfortunate, negative stereotypes “Hispanic arrivals have exceeded contemporary native-born Americans and some other migrant groups in their entrepreneurial capabilities and integration into economically relevant parts of the workforce.”

Jacob F. KirkegaardPIIE

Given the growth of Hispanics in the U.S. workforce, they represent significant market opportunities for every type of financial institution, including banks, insurance companies, asset managers, and fintech. Unidos US, a non-partisan Latino civil rights and advocacy organization projects that in five years, Hispanics will account for about 20% of the U.S. workforce and over 30% by 2050.

NIU student among victims of Aurora shooting

Victims identified in Aurora shooting; gunman had prior felony conviction

POSTED 11:06 AM, FEBRUARY 16, 2019, BY WGN WEB DESK

AURORA, Ill. — Police have identified the five people gunned down by a co-worker at an Aurora industrial complex Friday.

The shooting began about 1:25 p.m. Friday at Henry Pratt Company, a 29,000-square-foot manufacturing warehouse at 641 Archer Ave. in west suburban Aurora, according to Aurora Police Chief Kristen Ziman.

The alleged gunman, 45-year-old Gary Martin, was being fired. He had a prior felony conviction in Mississippi for aggravated assault; he was not licensed to own or carry a gun. Police fatally shot Martin.

The deceased victims are:

Clayton Parks, of Elgin, Ill., a human resources manager
Trevor Wehner, of DeKalb, Ill., a human resources intern and student at Northern Illinois University
Russell Beyer, of Yorkville, Ill., a mold operator
Vicente Juarez, of Oswego, Ill., a stock room attendant and fork lift operator
Josh Pinkard, of Oswego, Ill., a plant manager.

A sixth employee, a man, was shot and wounded with non-life-threatening injuries. Five Aurora police officers were also shot and wounded in Friday’s attack; all are expected to survive.

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A life long friend of my boys, was a young man starting his first day on the job at Henry Pratt and was an HR intern sitting in, on the termination of the shooter!

Each and every one of us have had a “First Day” on the job, his should have never ended this way

He was one of the victims! He was going to be 22 on April 22nd, on what would have been his golden birthday!

His name was Trevor Wehner!

He and his brother Thomas were like sons to me and every other parent in our community! He was big brother to many, many boys in our tight knit community Including my boys and was a great role model!

He loved his family, his beautiful girl Winter Lane and life, always wore a smile and his legacy will live on forever!!!

I want HIS name and picture shared not that of a cold calculated killer!! Our little town of Sheridan is rocked to its very core!

Pray for his Dad Tom Wehner, Mom . Bonnie, the boys and family!!!

PSALM 23:4
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

Let’s share and make Trevor the focus!!

RIP Trevor Wehner
YOU ARE LOVED!!!

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The entire incident Friday lasted roughly 90 minutes. Police said Martin retreated into the building to hide after his initial exchange of gunfire with officers.

Vitalant blood centers are asking people to donate blood in coming days. Centers across the country shipped 70 “blood components” to the Chicago area Friday. Blood drives are scheduled for Saturday in Bolingbrook, and Monday in St. Charles. For more information, visit vitalant.org.

Kane County’s SWAT team, the U.S. Marshal’s Task Force, the ATF, the FBI and local police departments responded to the scene Friday.

Above is from: https://wgntv.com/2019/02/16/victims-identified-in-aurora-shooting-gunman-had-prior-felony-conviction/

Thursday, February 14, 2019

Byron nuclear plant could close in 3 years

By Georgette Braun Tribune News Service

Exelon's Byron Station is located on German Church Road, between Oregon and Byron.

BYRON – Exelon’s Byron nuclear generating station could close as early as mid-2022 because of financial risk, some 2 decades earlier than its planned retirement.

The company said in a Feb. 8 filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that the Byron plant and two others – Braidwood and Dresden – are showing “increased signs of economic distress which could lead to an early retirement in a market that does not currently compensate them for their unique contribution to grid resiliency and their ability to produce large amounts of energy without carbon and air pollution.”

Crain’s Chicago Business said the earliest the Byron plant could close would be mid-2022, the same for Braidwood, and as early as 2021 for Dresden.

Paul Dempsey, communications specialist for the Byron station, said the Byron plant’s prices were too high for a transmission company to pay in an August bidding process. He said Exelon is working at the “state, regional and federal levels” to emphasize the “benefits of nuclear energy.”

Above is from: https://www.saukvalley.com/2019/02/14/byron-nuclear-plant-could-close-in-3-years/as9aoxg/

Laquan McDonald’s slayer beaten up in prison

Jason Van Dyke beaten after being transferred out of Illinois prison

POSTED 9:18 PM, FEBRUARY 13, 2019, BY JULIE UNRUH, MELISSA ESPANA AND ERICA DEMAREST, UPDATED AT 09:50PM, FEBRUARY 13,

Jason Van Dyke beaten after being transferred out of Illinois prison

CHICAGO — Former Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke, who was convicted of second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of Laquan McDonald, has been moved out of an Illinois prison and taken to Connecticut.

Van Dyke, 40, is in the low security Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, Conn., about an hour outside of New York City, as he serves his six-year and nine-month sentence for the fatal shooting.

Those close to Van Dyke said he was beaten up at the Connecticut facility. Sources said the beating happened within three hours of him arriving at the facility. No further information was immediately provided on the incident.

WGN has not been able to confirm why the former officer was transferred to Connecticut.

Since October, Van Dyke was being held at Rock Island County Jail near the Illinois-Iowa border. At the time, Cara Smith, the chief police officer for Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart said he was transferred after it was “determined this was the best housing assignment for him and the jail compound as a whole.”

While Van Dyke has long been considered a "high profile detainee" there have also been other notable inmates who have spent time in a Danbury prison cell.

Leona Helmsley, the hotel tycoon who got 21 months for tax evasion back in the 90s, was an inmate at the prison. In 1985, Sun Myung Moon, the founder of the Unification Church, was there for under a year for tax troubles. Grammy award winning singer and actress Lauryn Hill got three months at the FCI Danbury for not filing taxes at all at one point.

About 1,000 inmates reside at the Danbury facility.

Van Dyke's wife, Tiffany Van Dyke, said her greatest fear was that her husband would not survive the prison system, and that he would be targeted, potentially by other inmates, because he was a white cop who shot a black teen 16 times.

A press conference will be held Thursday with more information about the incident.

Van Dyke was convicted in October 2018 of second-degree murder and 16 counts of aggravated battery in the October 2014 slaying of McDonald.

He was the first Chicago police officer in 50 years to be charged with murder for an on-duty incident. He shot McDonald 16 times after a truck driver called 911 to report McDonald in a locked truck lot near 41st Street and Pulaski Road. The 17-year-old was armed with a 3-inch knife and high on PCP.

Video of the shooting, which was released via court order in November 2015, sparked massive protests and prompted federal and local investigations.

Above is from: https://wgntv.com/2019/02/13/jason-van-dyke-beaten-after-being-transferred-out-of-illinois-prison/

Wednesday, February 13, 2019

Rock River Valley awaits solar lottery results to learn where panels will go

By Susan Vela
Staff writer

Posted Feb 12, 2019 at 5:54 PMUpdated Feb 12, 2019 at 7:53 PM

BELVIDERE — The Boone County Board has approved at least 15 solar farm proposals, but a lottery could decide which are built.

Similar situations are playing out across the region and state because of the Future Energy Jobs Act, a state law that went into effect June 2017. It demands Illinois utilities get 25 percent of their retail power from renewable sources such as solar and wind by 2025.

An unexpected consequence was how many companies jumped to build. So far, Stephenson County has approved approximately 40 special-use permits for the companies submitting proposals; Ogle County, about 5; Winnebago County, nearly 10; and Rockford, about 5.

Since there isn’t enough tax money to go around, a lottery will decide who gets the tax incentives and, essentially, where solar farms get built.

“This lottery is going to limit how many projects get approved,” Boone County Administrator Ken Terrinoni said.

In Boone County, developers that include Borrego Solar Systems Inc., Hendricks Solar LLC and Terra Navigatoralready have received special-use permits, which means they are set to meet the lottery’s Wednesday deadline.

The Illinois Power Agency will review their proposals and then choose the lottery winners by April.

Power Agency Director Anthony Star said a lottery was needed because there have been more solar proposals getting approved than anticipated. To provide tax incentives to all, the state would need five times the dollar amount it expects to have available for such projects.

Solar developers are expected to pay close attention to the lottery, since winners will move one step closer to breaking ground on their projects.

Alexander Farkes, Borrego’s project development director, said the upcoming lottery “is one of the key criteria for having a viable community solar project in Illinois.”

He’s concerned about the randomness of a lottery.

″(But) I think the state went through a lot of time putting together the process,” Farkes said. “What we’re most interested in is the most viable projects getting selected. We’re really looking forward to the future of Illinois and what’s going to happen next.”

Boone County projects that have received approval range from 12 to 200 acres. The largest is a 200-acre, $36.4 million proposal at Genoa and Reeds Crossing roads. Board members approved Hendricks Solar’s request for a special-use permit Oct. 17.

Chairman Karl Johnson is looking forward to the lottery determining which projects get built. Until then, the board keeps having to review every proposal that gets placed before them.

“That’s the biggest frustration for me,” he said. “We’ve spent a lot of man hours on solar farm issues. It’s a waste of taxpayer dollars to continue to do this work over and over.”

Susan Vela: 815-987-1392; svela@rrstar.com; @susanvela

Above is from: https://www.rrstar.com/news/20190212/rock-river-valley-awaits-solar-lottery-results-to-learn-where-panels-will-go

Tuesday, February 12, 2019

Here is how the US uses its land

relates to Here's How America Uses Its Land

Above is from: https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2018-us-land-use/?srnd=premium Go there for further information.

Monday, February 11, 2019

Was El Paso One of the ‘Most Dangerous Cities’ in U.S. Before a Border Fence Was Built?

<?XML:NAMESPACE PREFIX = "[default] http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" NS = "http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" />

Claim

El Paso was one of the U.S. most dangerous cities before a border fence was built there.

Rating

FalseAbout this rating

Origin

On 5 February 2019, President Donald Trump delivered the annual State of the Union address and made an appeal in his ongoing effort to deliver on a campaign promise to build a border wall.

In his speech, President Trump stated that the city of El Paso, Texas, “used to have extremely high rates of violent crime — one of the highest in the country, and [was] considered one of our nation’s most dangerous cities. Now, with a powerful barrier in place, El Paso is one of our safest cities.”

Following that remark, El Paso Mayor Dee Margo took to Twitter to dispute its accuracy:

El Paso was NEVER one of the MOST dangerous cities in the US. We‘ve had a fence for 10 years and it has impacted illegal immigration and curbed criminal activity. It is NOT the sole deterrent. Law enforcement in our community continues to keep us safe #SOTU
— Mayor Dee Margo (@mayor_margo) February 6, 2019

We looked at crime data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Uniform Crime Report (UCR) to weigh which public official’s statements were accurate. The FBI’s UCR project compiles and analyzes data from “more than 18,000 city, university and college, county, state, tribal, and federal law enforcement agencies voluntarily participating in the program.”

Crime data do not support the president’s claim either that El Paso was one of the country’s “most dangerous cities” or that the barrier built between El Paso and Juarez, Mexico, had the effect of dramatically reducing crime on the U.S. side of the border.

Instead, UCR data show that violent crime in El Paso generally followed a national trend. It spiked to its highest level in 30 years in the early 1990s and has steadily declined since. The following graph compares crime data from the El Paso Police Department with nationwide figures from 1985 to 2015.

Source: Uniform Crime Report.

In that 30-year time frame, El Paso was never one of the “most dangerous cities” in the United States. When compared to cities with similarly-sized populations, El Paso’s violent crime rate consistently fell well below locales such as Boston, Baltimore, Detroit, and Memphis, according to UCR data (which can be found online).

In 2018, US News & World Report ranked El Paso number 11 in “best places to retire,” citing in part the community’s relative safety and thriving economy. This ranking was not new, as El Paso had regularly been ranked one of the country’s safest cities for its population size going as far back as 2005 — three years before the border fence there was built.

Construction on the barrier between El Paso and Juarez began in 2008 under President George W. Bush and was completed in 2009 as part of a larger border security plan known as “Operation Hold the Line” which was launched in 1993. UCR data drawn from the El Paso Police Department shows that violent crime, already trending downward, continued to drop fairly consistently in the five years leading up to fence construction, from a high of 6,109 incidents in 1993 to an all-time low in 2006 of 2,422:

Source: Uniform Crime Report.
During the fence construction and in the years immediately afterward (2008 to 2012), violent crime incidents rose very slightly.

Source: Uniform Crime Report.
In a 5 February 2019 interview with El Paso television station KDBC, Border Patrol Sector Chief Aaron Hull credited the sharp decline in violent crime that started in the early 1990s to the increased presence of border agents:

El Paso’s violent crime was at its peak in 1992. What did make a difference was a flood of Border Patrol agents, who began Operation Hold the Line in 1993.
Hundreds of agents were stationed every few feet along the border.
Violent crime in El Paso drastically reduced in the years following.
“We’ve played a big part of that,” said Border Patrol Sector Chief Aaron Hull.

We can’t determine whether crime in El Paso fell as a result of increased Border Patrol presence, the dynamic that caused crime to drop nationwide, or some combination of both. But what can be determined from crime data is that over the previous three decades, border wall construction hadn’t shown a positive impact on reducing violent crime in that community, and El Paso was far and away notone of the most dangerous cities in America.

The 2019 State of the Union wasn’t the first instance during which the Trump administration made this false claim, and it wasn’t the first time that claim had been debunked. In their own fact check, the El Paso Times reported that Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton had also promoted the claim, along with White House press secretary Sarah Sanders:

In January 2018, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders tweeted “Ask El Paso, Texas (now one of America’s safest cities) across the border from Juarez, Mexico (one of the world’s most dangerous) if a wall works.”
She linked to an opinion piece published in the New York Post that was titled “This town is proof that Trump’s wall can work.” The piece, written by a conservative political commentator based in Washington, D.C., argued that El Paso’s border fence is the reason for the city’s low crime rate and decreased illegal border crossings.
At the time, local leaders rejected the article’s findings and argued that it did not mention the police-community relations and cooperation between law enforcement agencies that contributed to the city’s safety before border fencing was put in place.

On the 2016 campaign trail, Donald Trump promised supporters that if elected, he would build a border wall that Mexico would pay for. As time went by and it became clear Mexico would not finance the construction of such a wall, Trump waffled on how it would be funded, resulting in the longest partial shutdown of the federal government in U.S. history when he and Congressional Democrats reached an impasse over the issue.

Sources

Mekelburg, Madlin. “Fact Check State of the Union: Trump Says El Paso Among Most Dangerous Cities Until Fence.”
El Paso Times. 5 February 2019.
Mekelburg, Madlin. “Did Construction of a Border Fence Cut Down on Crime Rates in El Paso?”
El Paso Times. 10 January 2019.
ABOVE IS FROM: https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/el-paso-border-barrier-crime/

Sunday, February 10, 2019

12 Things We Should Have Known About Illinois’ New Private School Scholarships

WBEZ News

12 Things We Should Have Known About Illinois’ New Private School Scholarships

Linda Lutton

August 16, 2018

4 MIN ADD TO QUEUE

An illustration of a swirl of money with the words "taxpayer dollars" flowing into a school building labeled "private schools"

Paula Friedrich/WBEZ

Kids are about to head back to school, and for the first time ever, thousands of Illinois students will be using state taxpayer money to attend private schools.

Last August, with almost no public vetting or debate, Illinois passed a massive school choice program, making it the 18th state to add a “tax credit scholarship” program. Now, at least 5,600 Illinois students are headed to private school with taxpayer help, according to data compiled by WBEZ. Tens of thousands of kids tried for the scholarships, which can pay up to $12,793.

Tax credit scholarships aren’t technically vouchers, but for families and schools, there’s little difference. Opponents call them “neo-vouchers.”

The $100 million “Invest in Kids” program was insisted on by Gov. Bruce Rauner in as part of a fix to the state's broken public school funding system.

Now that it’s up and running, key details of the scholarship program are emerging, including its groundbreaking size compared to other states and the fact that many students who aren’t poor are receiving scholarships.

Here are a few things the public might have learned had the plan gotten more scrutiny before it passed:

No other state has started off with a bigger program.

Illinois’ program allows up to $75 million in taxpayer money to be diverted to private schools each year. For comparison, Indiana’s program is $18 million; when it began in 2010, it was $14 million. Today, Florida has the biggest tax credit scholarship program in the country — last year they gave out $698 million in tax credits and 107,095 scholarships. That program began in 2002 at $50 million.

EdChoice, a school choice advocacy group, says Illinois’ giant first-year program should be put in perspective: “The $75 million credit cap, while seemingly large, is a small fraction of what Illinois spends on K–12 education.”

While Illinois’ program allows for $75 million in tax credits ($100 million in total donations), just $31.5 million in credits have been claimed. Advocates say taxpayers are still finding out about the program.

$31.5 Million
Tax dollars diverted so far to private school scholarships in Illinois
Source: Illinois Department of Revenue, Aug. 1, 2018

Illinois law prohibits sending public money to religious schools. This program gets around that.

With vouchers, states pay private schools directly from taxpayer funds. But with tax credit scholarships, the state never actually takes control of tax money. Instead,

Taxpayers donate to a nonprofit “scholarship granting organization.”
Those groups award scholarships and distribute the money to schools.
The state then issues taxpayers a “credit” toward their tax bill.

In Illinois, taxpayers get a 75-cent credit for every dollar they donate. Because it’s all voluntary, state supreme courts have repeatedly upheld tax credit scholarship programs. Declining to hear a challenge in 2011, the U.S. Supreme Court said in a 5-4 decision that when “taxpayers choose to contribute to [scholarship organizations], they spend their own money, not money the State has collected.”

$1 Million
Maximum amount an individual taxpayer can divert to private school scholarships

Illinois taxpayers get a huge tax credit.

First off, a tax credit is worth much more than a deduction, which is what people usually get when they make a donation to a charity. (A deduction reduces a taxpayer’s income, lowering the amount they’re taxed on. A credit erases actual taxes owed.)

There are about a dozen credits Illinois taxpayers could possibly take. None comes close to giving back 75 percent of a donation or expense.

What’s more, Illinois allows individuals to claim a huge credit, far more than other states. In Arizona, where tax credit scholarships began, credits are capped at $2,213 for a married couple or $1,107 for a single filer. In Illinois, individuals can get up to $1 million dollars in tax credits.

Stay up-to-date with the latest news, stories and insider events.

The scholarships aren’t just for poor kids.

Early figures show 28 percent of the scholarships are going to kids who don’t qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. A family of four can make up to $73,800 and get one or more scholarships; once they’re selected they can make up to $98,400 without losing their tuition help. While poor kids are supposed to get priority under the law, that doesn’t necessarily happen. Kids who live in a low-performing school district also get priority. And donors can designate funds to specific schools. If scholarship groups can’t find enough free-lunch kids at that particular school, they can give the designated funds to non-poor applicants (more on this below).

Some school choice advocates are fine with this; they’re pushing for the middle class to be included in tax credit scholarship programs. Enrollment of middle-income studentsin private schools has been falling.

28%
Percentage of scholarships going to kids who are not considered low-income
Source: WBEZ analysis of data provided by scholarship granting organizations

It looks like many scholarship winners were already attending private school.

This has also happened in other states. Many Illinois private schools made sure to get the word about the scholarships out to their families; some held application events so their students would have a better shot at the new first-come, first-served scholarships. At St. Mary Star of the Sea School on the Southwest Side, 30 kids are getting tax credit scholarships. According to Principal Candice Usauskas, two-thirds were already students there. All seven kids who will attend Frances Xavier Warde with taxpayer help were already students at the school, according to the group that awarded their scholarships.

We may never know how many scholarship winners were already attending private schools because scholarship groups aren’t required to report that information.

0
Number of scholarship granting organizations subject to Illinois’ public records law

Transparency is a problem.

The scholarship groups must report certain information annually beginning Jan. 31, including the names of schools benefiting and the grade, race, gender, income level, and zip code of scholarship students. But other info, like the schools that students originally attended, remains hidden. Donor names are also kept private under the law. So far, eight wealthy Illinois taxpayers have made donations of at least $1 million. Their contributions make up 24 percent of the program funds. Scholarship groups submit an audit of their accounts and records completed by a CPA, but no one can watchdog or regulate the scholarship granting process as it plays out.

As the first students head to private schools with taxpayer help, WBEZ collected as much data as possible (viewable here), but scholarship groups had no obligation to share it. And some declined giving more detailed information. For instance, Empower Illinois, which controls 73 percent of all scholarship money and is the only active scholarship group operating in the entire state, declined to say where scholarship recipients live.

Scholarship groups are not subject to Illinois’ open records laws. That’s in contrast to Illinois charter schools, which are privately managed but receive taxpayer dollars, and are subject to FOIA.

$12,973
Maximum scholarship amount

Illinois scholarships pay up to $12,973.

That covers full cost of tuition and fees at most Illinois private schools. Vouchers are sometimes criticized for not giving students enough money to actually attend all but the lowest-cost private schools. Illinois’ scholarship amount is tied to the average operational expense of public schools. It’s the most generous scholarship amount in the country.

The nonprofits that administer the scholarships take 5 percent of all donations.

Empower Illinois, the group that controls 73 percent of all scholarship funds, wrote and lobbied for the tax credit program and is now benefiting from it financially. The group has accepted $30.8 million in contributions, which entitles it to $1.5 million.

5%
Amount “scholarship granting organizations” can take in administrative fees

There are no limits to the number of nonprofits that can administer scholarships.

Nine groups have been approved by Illinois as scholarship granting organizations. Of those, five actually raised money and distributed scholarships. In some states, scholarship organizations have become a cottage industry. Georgia has 30 SGOs. Arizona has 62. In Pennsylvania, where the scholarship groups can take up to 20 percentof contributions as an administrative fee, there are 189 groups administering one tax credit scholarship program; 258 groups ad minister another, making oversight a challenge.

School choice is limited by donors.

When proponents talk about Invest in Kids, it sounds like a way for low-income kids to go to the private school of their choice. But it turns out donors have a big say in shaping which schools kids can attend. That's because they’re allowed to designate that their contribution go to a single school or set of schools (think Wheaton Academy or Chicago Archdiocesan schools).

Kids can apply to any school they like, but if there aren’t enough funds designated to that school, they’ll be out of luck. So far, according to the scholarship organizations, the majority of funds they’ve received are designated. Business donations are all undesignated, but those contributions have lagged.

Donors’ ability to designate funds also allows for higher income children to move faster to the front of the scholarship line. At schools with lots of donor-designated funds (typically schools with powerful alumni or well-developed donor networks), the scholarship granting organizations can start handing awards to higher income kids once they’ve exhausted applications from priority students.

An example: All funds donated to Children at the Crossroads scholarship organization were designated to one school, Frances Xavier Warde, known in part for the politically connected families enrolled there. Only two of Frances Xavier Warde’s seven scholarships will go to kids who qualify for free lunch. (Children at the Crossroads was a pre-existing foundation that became an official state-approved scholarship organization after the Invest in Kids program was passed.)

Scholarship groups and school choice advocates say allowing people to channel their money to to a particular school or set of schools makes them more likely to contribute. But some states prohibit scholarship granting organizations from benefiting a single school.

Archbishop of Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich pushed for this program, and early numbers show Catholic schools winning big.

Schools with the most tax credit scholarship recipients include elite college prep schools like St. Ignatius in Chicago, Loyola Academy in Wilmette, and Fenwick High School in Oak Park. Also on the list of top beneficiaries are Waukegan’s Cristo Rey St. Martin College Prep and Chicago Jesuit Academy on the city’s West Side. In fairness, Catholic schools make up the majority of private schools in the Chicago metro area. The top non-Catholic beneficiaries appear to be Solomon Schechter Day School, a Jewish school in Northbrook, and the Islamic Universal School in Bridgeview.

No state with a tax credit scholarship program has ever repealed it.

Illinois’ program sunsets after five years, which means lawmakers will have to pass legislation to extend it. This year, donations to the program only reached half what they’re allowed to. But with each additional donation — and every scholarship granted — the number of supporters and invested families grows, making repeal less likely. Supporters are already organizing parents and schools to win greater support from Democratic lawmakers, many of whom opposed creating this program. A bigger school choice program has never passed in a blue state, and advocates want to keep it alive. Democratic gubernatorial candidate for governor J.B. Pritzker has said he would endthe private school scholarship program.

Linda Lutton covers education for WBEZ. Follow her @WBEZeducation and @lindalutton.

Monday, February 4, 2019

University of Illinois—Champaign—Measles Alert

illinois public media news

Second Measles Case Reported In Champaign-Urbana

February 03, 2019

BY JIM MEADOWS.

Champaign-Urbana Public Health District office building.

Offices of the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District in Champaign.

CU Citizen Access

A second case of measles has been reported in Champaign-Urbana. Like the first case announced in January, this second case involves a member of the University of Illinois campus community.

“What we have right now are two college-age unvaccinated persons, who are infected with measles,” said Champaign-Urbana Public Health District Administrator Julie Pryde. “And we know that right now that it’s not into the school-age population, the K-through-12 or the younger children.”

Measles is more likely to result in potentially life-threatening complications among children under 5 and adults over 20, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control. Complications can include pneumonia and encephalitis (swelling of the brain).

Campus Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Provost Andreas Cangellaris says the university is working with its own McKinley Health Center and the Public Health District to try to identify and warn anyone susceptible to measles about the local presence of the highly infectious disease. That includes anyone who has never had measles and who has never been vaccinated for it.

The C-U Public Health District says the second measles patient was infectious when visiting the following locations around the following times (two hours have been added to the time after the patient left the following locations):

1/28/19, 9 AM-Noon & 2:30-5:30 PM: MTD #22 Bus (weekday daytime Illini or Illini Limited bus)

1/28/19, 9:30 AM – 4:15 PM & 1/29/19, 3-6 PM: University of Illinois School of Social Work, 1010 W. Nevada St., Urbana, IL

1/31/19, 7:30-9:30 PM: Carle Hospital Emergency Department, Urbana IL

1/27-31/19: Maywood Apartment Building, 51 E. John Street, Champaign IL

Pryde says the two people diagnosed with measles had not been vaccinated or had measles before. She says it’s fortunate for the general population that the measles vaccination rate in the Champaign-Urbana area is high.

“Champaign is highly immunized, and we definitely have the herd immunity going on right now,” said Pryde. “That is one of the things that we need to be vigilant about and maintain.”

Immunization against measles is included in the MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella) vaccine. The vaccine is delivered in two doses, with the first dose typically given to children at the age of one. But Pryde says the level of protection from the measles virus is up to 93 percent with the first dose alone, and 97 percent with two doses.

Pryde says anyone who has not been vaccinated for measles should contact their healthcare provider or the Public Health District at 217-531-4255. She says anyone who feels they may have the measles stay home and call their healthcare provider first before going into see them, so that precautions can be taken against exposing others to the virus.

Symptoms of measles include rash, high fever, cough, runny nose and red, watery eyes. The disease is easily spread through the air via coughing or sneezing. Contact with mucus or saliva from an infected person can also spread measles. Pryde says people with measles can spread the virus for four days before showing symptoms, and be contagious for another four days once symptoms appear.

Once a common childhood disease, measles was all but eradicated in the United States with the development of the measles vaccine. But small outbreaks of measles have returned in recent years, attributed to a drop in vaccination rates. More than 40 people have been diagnosed with measles in an ongoing outbreak in parts of Oregon and Washington state.

In Illinois, the last measles outbreak of any size was 17 cases in 2015. In 2018, there were just four cases as of December 5th, no cases reported in 2017, and two cases in 2016. Pryde says that before this year, the last measles case reported in Champaign-Urbana and Champaign County was in 2006.

Above is from: https://will.illinois.edu/news/story/second-measles-case-reported-in-champaign-urbana McKinley Health Center

Measles Alert

McKinley Health Center is working with the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District regarding a recent measles case. Measles is a highly contagious disease to persons who are unvaccinated and exposed. The MMR vaccine (Measles/Mumps/Rubella) provides protection against measles in most situations. The MMR is a routine immunization in many countries and is a requirement at the University of Illinois.

Measles is spread to others through the air after someone coughs or sneezes. Measles symptoms include: fever, cough, runny nose, red-watery eyes, and a rash.

https://www.cdc.gov/measles/about/signs-symptoms.html

Public Health considers a person protected (immune) from measles if they have had one of the following:

Two doses of measles containing vaccine (MMR or measles).
A laboratory confirmed positive measles antibody result.
Born before 1957.

McKinley is working with Public Health to identify at risk individuals and will be notifying these individuals as identified.

If you are unsure if you meet the above immunity standards, you may:

View your immunization history on the MyMcKinley Student Health Portal.
Call McKinley Health Center at (217)333-2700 to review your vaccination history.
If you think you have symptoms of measles, stay home, stay away from others and contact McKinley immediately.

Additional information on measles can be found at: https://www.cdc.gov/measles/index.html

Tuesday, February 26, 2019

Mumps outbreak reported in McHenry County

Outbreak-Related Questions and Answers for Patients

Q: I got the vaccine but still got mumps. Does this mean the vaccine doesn’t work?

Q: Is mumps a serious disease?

Q: I’ve been told that I need to stay away from people while I’m sick with mumps. What does that mean and why does it matter?

Q: What else should I do to prevent mumps from spreading?

Q: What should I do during a mumps outbreak?

Q: What is CDC’s role in responding to mumps cases and outbreaks?

Kinzinger: Border remarks were freedom of speech

Kinzinger rips Evers for withdrawing troops

By Todd Richmond / The Associated Press

Fiat Deepens SUV Bet With $4.5 Billion for Jeep, Ram Plants

Boone County expands tobacco ordinance to include vaping, e-cigarettes

Saturday, February 23, 2019

Sunday, February 17, 2019

Heather Nauert withdraws her name from consideration for UN ambassador job

Saturday, February 16, 2019

Hispanics, Not Trump, Are the Biggest Engine Of U.S. Economic Growth

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Jason Van Dyke beaten after being transferred out of Illinois prison

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Monday, February 11, 2019

Was El Paso One of the ‘Most Dangerous Cities’ in U.S. Before a Border Fence Was Built?

Claim

Rating

Origin

Sources

Sunday, February 10, 2019

12 Things We Should Have Known About Illinois’ New Private School Scholarships

No other state has started off with a bigger program.

$31.5 Million

Illinois law prohibits sending public money to religious schools. This program gets around that.

$1 Million

Illinois taxpayers get a huge tax credit.

The scholarships aren’t just for poor kids.

28%

It looks like many scholarship winners were already attending private school.

0

Transparency is a problem.

$12,973

Illinois scholarships pay up to $12,973.

The nonprofits that administer the scholarships take 5 percent of all donations.

5%

There are no limits to the number of nonprofits that can administer scholarships.

Archbishop of Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich pushed for this program, and early numbers show Catholic schools winning big.

No state with a tax credit scholarship program has ever repealed it.

Monday, February 4, 2019

Second Measles Case Reported In Champaign-Urbana

Measles Alert