The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) yesterday reported 8,039 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Illinois, with 109 additional deaths since a week ago on Friday, March 18th, 2022. Currently the state reports 3,061,224 cases of the virus with 33,307 confirmed deaths. To date Illinois reports 56,891,628 total tests performed, and 21,315,893 doses of the vaccine administered. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity rate from last week was 1.6 percent, slightly higher than the week before. Case positivity is at 1.4 percent. For more information on all the numbers and statewide statistics, logon at www.dph.illinois.gov or go to www.cdc.gov.
Fairfield Memorial Hospital has been awarded a three-year term of accreditation in mammography as the result of a recent review by the American College of Radiology (ACR). Mammography is a specific type of imaging test that uses a low-dose x-ray system to examine breasts. A mammography exam is used to aid in the early detection and diagnosis of breast diseases. Fairfield Memorial Hospital’s 3-D Mammography System provides the best possible mammogram with lower patient radiation dose and increased image quality. The ACR Gold Seal of accreditation represents the highest level of image quality and patient safety. It is awarded only to facilities meeting ACR Practice Guidelines and Technical Standards after a peer-review evaluation by board-certified physicians and medical physicists who are experts in the field. Image quality, personnel qualifications, adequacy of facility equipment, quality control procedures, and quality assurance programs are assessed. The findings are reported to the ACR Committee on Accreditation, which subsequently provides the practice with a comprehensive report they can use for continuous practice improvement. When choosing a facility that has gone through this rigorous review process you can rest assured that you are receiving the highest quality mammogram available. Fairfield Memorial Hospital has met and exceeded the review process. Fairfield Memorial Hospital Chief Executive Officer, Katherine Bunting, Ph.D., said, “The Registered Mammography Technologists, along with our Radiologists, at FMH are dedicated to providing quality breast imaging to meet the needs of our patients. Our program has been ACR accredited for over 24 years and this continuation of ACR accreditation is a confirmation of their dedication and efforts.”
Pictured are the FMH board certified mammography technologists: Malaney McWilliams, R.T. (R)(ARRT); Melinda Bunting, R.T.(R)(M)(ARRT)(RDMS)(RDCS), Michelle Ervin, R.T. (R)(M)(CT)(ARRT); and Rhonda Grinols, R.T.(R)(M)(CT)(ARRT). Not pictured: Melanie Perkins, R.T.(R)(M)(CT)(ARRT)(RDMS)
Illinois State Police (ISP) District 19 Commander, Captain Nathan Douglas, announces the results of a Nighttime Enforcement (NITE) patrol conducted in White and Hamilton Counties during March. This NITE patrol allowed the ISP to focus on preventing, detecting, and taking enforcement action in response to impaired driving and occupant restraint violations, especially between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. Violations Enforcement Activity included 1 Occupant Restraint Offense; Registration Offenses 10; Driver’s License Offenses 6; Insurance Violations 3; Speed Offenses 25; Totaling 15 Citations/Arrests and 42 Total Written Warnings. Alcohol and drug impairment is a factor in more than 30 percent of all fatal motor vehicle crashes in Illinois. Over half of all fatal crashes in Illinois occur at night. The NITE program allows officers to work even harder at removing dangerous impaired drivers from the road and making sure everyone is buckled up. This project is funded through the Illinois Department of Transportation.
Law enforcement and emergency personnel were called to deal with the aftermath of a single vehicle accident in rural Carmi yesterday. The accident happened around 7am on County Road 1200 North about a hundred yards east of County Road 1075 East. White County Sheriff’s Deputy Justin Spencer tells us the driver of the vehicle, Connor Allen fish tailed in gravel, lost control and the vehicle ended up flipping upside down in a ditch before catching fire. Both Allen and his passenger, Alyssa Dartt, also of Carmi were able to escape the vehicle and are uninjured.
A Carmi man and woman are behind bars following their arrest Thursday evening at a Sixth St apartment. Carmi Police responded to 614 Sixth Street to sort out a domestic battery situation between 25 year old Austin Ballard of Fairview Street and 31 year old Shela Brewster. Brewster was taken into custody and faces a misdemeanor charge of Domestic Battery. Ballard is facing 2 misdemeanors for Domestic Battery and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia along with a pair of felony charges including Possession of Methamphetamine and Unlawful Use of Property.
A 42-year-old Mt. Vernon man is being held in the Marion County Jail on an outstanding $50,000 warrant for burglary. The sheriff’s department reports Daniel Morton of East Oakton was wanted in connection with a burglary earlier this month to a detached garage at a home on Route 37 near Kell. The homeowners were asleep in the nearby house when the break-in occurred. They realized the garage had been broken into when finding some of their belongings in the roadside ditch outside their home the next morning. Some of the stolen tools have not yet been recovered. Morton was arrested on the outstanding warrant by Jefferson County Sheriff’s Deputies and then transported back to the Marion County Jail.
Marion County Highway Engineer Mike McCormick says there will be another delay in the replacement of the Church Road Bridge east of Route 37 on the south side of Salem. However, he doesn’t expect it to be a long one. McCormick says since first approving the plans for the bridge replacement, the Illinois Department of Transportation has updated their criteria and they are having to get the plans reapproved. He thinks this will be a fairly quick process. However, it has caused the county to miss the March date to bid the project and he’s now hoping for a May bid letting date. McCormick says that should allow for construction this summer. The bridge has been closed since it was found to no longer be safe for travel several years ago. In addition to the planning process, some additional right of way had to be secured from neighboring property owners. The right of way work has now been completed.
Farmers and others looking to do any construction projects can likely plan on higher costs through the rest of 2022. Lumber prices have been trending higher since last fall, although not quite to record levels that were experienced in May and June of last year, 2021. While the high cost for lumber is mostly led by the U.S. lumber industry trying to keep domestic production up with demand as housing and building starts last November reached the highest level since September of 2006, the supply chain issues and the spike in transportation costs, mostly in the price of diesel and gasoline, are all adding to the expenses. Many consumers are going ahead with their projects instead of waiting.
As promised earlier this week, Governor JB Pritzker has signed legislation that pays down some significant state debts. The bulk of the money, $2.7 billion, will help replenish the unemployment insurance trust fund, which was depleted by paying out benefits during the pandemic. Governor Pritzker and statewide Democrats say the bill also takes care of other state debt and funds the remaining College Illinois Tuition contracts. Critical of the measure, Republicans say leaving $1.8 billion in debt unfunded in the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund is both ill-advised and financially irresponsible.
In an effort to attract more electric vehicle-related companies to Illinois, a state agency is recommending making changes to the Reimaging Electric Vehicles Act, or REV Act. Approved last year, the program offers tax incentives to manufacturers of EV’s or EV parts that expand or relocate to Illinois. The legislation also allows local municipalities to abate property taxes for EV projects. The Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity (DCEO) says one stipulation in the Act should be removed, the requirement that defines EV’s as vehicles exclusively powered by electricity. The Act should also allow agricultural EV’s and those that use solar technology or hydrogen fuel cells.
The Illinois Supreme Court announced yesterday a new order which for the first time establishes Time Standards for Case Closure in the Illinois Trial Courts, effective July 1st, 2022, for cases filed on or after January 1st, 2022. Chief Justice Anne Burke says the purpose of the Time Standards order is to assist Illinois circuit courts in meeting their fundamental obligation to resolve disputes fully, fairly, and promptly. More information and details on the new order are available online at the www.illinoiscourts.gov website.
River stages as of this morning: the Little Wabash east of Fairfield stands at 21.79 feet, above the 17 ft. flood stage. Meanwhile, the Skillet Fork at Wayne City has a reading of 6.49 feet (flood stage is 15 ft.). The Little Wabash below Clay City is at 17.37 feet (flood stage is 18 ft.). Bonpas Creek at Browns reads 6.20 feet, and the Little Wabash at Main Street in Carmi reads 20.49 feet. The Wabash River at Mt. Carmel sits at 15.75 feet.