More than 72,000 Illinoisans filed for unemployment benefits last week, but Republican lawmakers said they’re still hearing for out-of-work constituents frustrated with the state's unemployment office.
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Thursday release of job numbers reported that of the 2.9 million people who filed across the country last week, 72,993 claims were filed in Illinois.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker has said that the state’s unemployment office has been doing its best to handle the record number of unemployment applications, but Republican state lawmakers said there are many others who have been waiting for months to get their benefits.
“We have had 90 to 95 percent of the calls we have received have been about the Department of Employment Security,” said state Rep. C.D. Davidsmeyer, R-Jacksonville. “States like Texas and even Iowa right next door have been sending out checks to these folks for weeks.”
State Rep. Avery Bourne, R-Raymond, echoed the complaint volume issues.
“This is the most frustrated I have ever seen people,” she said. “The fact that the governor is defending any of that system is really disappointing because it is failing a lot of people.”
The Illinois Department of Employment Security opened its expanded unemployment benefits program on Monday to temporary, part-time, contract and gig workers, but some applicants have said they’re not able to navigate the process to get their benefits.
The expanded benefits come from the federal government under the Pandemic Unemployment Act, or PUA. The act allows workers who would not normally qualify for state-allotted benefits to get some weekly pay in the light of the economic upheaval caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jobless Illinoisans have taken their complaints to social media.
“I did everything I was told to do,” said Koy Cook, a Charleston barber who was been laid off amid the pandemic. “I applied and was denied and I waited for May 11. Then the system told me I wasn’t eligible for PUA because I still had funds available. Which they have already denied me. Now they are saying that I have to file an appeal and wait for that to go through before I can apply for PUA. Which I could have done weeks ago if they had just told me. We were given no guidance. I have not been able to work since mid-March with zero income. It’s a nightmare and it’s impossible to speak to anyone about it.”
NIU Economics Professor Cites Comparisons of Spanish Flu/COVID-19
Just over 100 years ago, America was dealing with a pandemic similar to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Spanish influenza ravaged the nation and shuttered businesses, schools and many events.
In recent months, the U.S. and Illinois have already seen some of the economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, including sky-high unemployment and many businesses being forced to close their doors.
Carl Campbell, an economics professor at Northern Illinois University, said there is one key difference between the two pandemics.
“Back in 1918-19 there was very little intervention, probably none, by the federal government where in the current situation we’ve had tremendous fiscal stimulus,” he said.
Campbell points to a paper on the economic impact of the Spanish flu that concluded it’s pandemics themselves, not the public health interventions enacted to mitigate them, that hurt the economy. In fact, the study found that cities that swiftly implemented public health measures such as lockdowns helped their economies recover more quickly.
“I saw a statistic that intervening ten days earlier resulted in a 5 percent increase in manufacturing employment after the pandemic,” Campbell said.
During the Spanish flu, Philadelphia is frequently cited as an example of what not to do during a pandemic. In September 1918, despite the arrival of the flu in the city, officials went ahead with a parade to raise money for the war effort. The event drew around 200,000 people, and within days, there were hundreds of new flu cases. More than 12,000 Philadelphians died within six weeks.
Campbell said for the U.S. economy to fully rebound once the pandemic ends, people need to feel safe before they head out.
“I think it all depends on when there is a cure or an effective treatment,” he said. “In the next several months I think we’ll bounce back quickly but I don’t think we will bounce back fully until we find some kind of medication that will greatly reduce the death rate.”
Pipe Replacement Scheduled for SR 162 in Ferdinand
DUBOIS COUNTY, Ind. – The Indiana Department of Transportation announces a complete road closure for a pipe replacement project for State Road 162 near Ferdinand.
Beginning on or around Monday, May 26, crews will close S.R. 162 between County Road 700 South and C.R. 815 South to excavate and replace a drainage pipe. During this operation, the road will be completely closed to through traffic with detours marked at S.R. 264 and S.R. 64.
Local traffic will have access up to the point of closure but all traffic should use the official detour following I-64, U.S. 231 and S.R. 64. Work is expected to last until the end of May depending upon weather conditions. INDOT urges drivers to slow down and stay alert near crews.
Disturbance call leads to arrest of Princeton man on multiple charges
On May 13, 2020, at 10:04 p.m. Gibson County Central Dispatch received a report of a disturbance in Caniff Trailer Court Located in the rural Princeton area. Upon arriving at the residence Deputy Bryce Jutzi separated the parties and began an investigation into the incident. After speaking with all parties involved and concluding his on scene investigation he placed 28 year old Alexander Sparks into custody and transported him to the Gibson County Jail. Upon arriving at the jail Mr. Sparks was charged with Battery in the presence of a child, Resisting Law Enforcement, Battery with Injury on a Law Enforcement Officer, and Disorderly Conduct. Mr. Sparks remains in custody on a $750 bond
Assisting Deputy Jutzi in his investigation were Deputies Zach Lienemann, Loren Barchett, and Michael Rose. Also assisting in the investigation was Fort Branch Officer Jeff Beck and Indiana DNR Officer Ryan McIntyre.
All Criminal defendants are to be presumed innocent until, and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Princeton man arrested on DUI charge after two vehicle accident
On May 14, 2020, 8:20 a.m. Gibson County Central Dispatch received a report of a possible intoxicated driver traveling Northbound on US 41 in a Black Chevy SUV. While officers were enroute to intercept the vehicle it struck another motorist on US 41 near State Road 168. Upon arriving at the scene Deputy Jennifer Loesch began an investigation into the incident. While speaking with 42-year-old David M. Smith the driver of the Black 2004 Chevy Trailblazer she suspected that Mr. Smith may be under the influence of an unknown intoxicant. At that point Deputy Loesch began a roadside DUI investigation. During that investigation illegal drugs were seized from Mr. Smith. At the conclusion of her investigation Deputy Loesch transported Mr. Smith to the Gibson County Jail where he was charged with Operating a Motor Vehicle While Intoxicated with a Prior Conviction as well as Operating a Motor Vehicle While Intoxicated Refusal and Possession of a Controlled Substance. He remains in custody on a $750 bond.
Assisting Deputy Loesch in her investigation was Fort Branch Chief Darrell Parker.
All Criminal defendants are to be presumed innocent until, and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
TMMI Workers Returning To Gibson County Plant
PRINCETON, Ind. (NI)-- Many Hoosier companies are slowly getting back to work. That includes the Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indiana plant in Gibson County.
The plant stopped operations on March 23. On Monday, about 2,000 employees returned to work. The other 5,000 employees will come back on Friday.
TMMI President Leah Curry says some auto production has started this week, but most of the time has been dedicated to going over the new safety guidelines that have been put in place.
"We've had, probably, about 100 new protocols put in place," Curry told Inside Indiana Business. "Our team has been working very hard over the last several weeks putting those in place."
For example, she says employees will have to follow the six-foot social distancing procedure. They've also installed automatic hand sanitizing pumps.
"And then we have thermal imaging cameras in some of our entrances that takes the temperatures on 100% of the people," she said.
Employees will be required to wear masks at all times, unless they're on break for lunch.
"Knowing how to wear a mask, how to put it on and how to take it off. There are probably ten different things you need to know about just wearing a mask," Curry added.
Curry says production volume will be slowly ramped up over the next four to five weeks. She says production on Highlanders, Siennas and Sequoias will not return until later this summer.
The plant also started making its own masks, already producing more than 100,000.
Photo: toyota.com
Update On July 2019 Verizon Wireless Armed Robbery
The three men charged in connection to last summer’s armed robbery of the Verizon Wireless store in Mt. Carmel are still awaiting court hearings in federal court in Benton.
19-year-old Jaylen Davis and 19-year-old Latrell Coe have both changed their pleas to guilty to the federal charges. Coe is scheduled to be sentenced on May 26th while Davis’s sentencing date is June 17th. Under federal sentencing guidelines, Davis is expected to be sentenced between 10 and 12 years in prison.
The third defendant, 25-year-old Anthony Suber, was supposed to be in court this past Monday for a change of plea hearing, but that was delayed until next Wednesday. The hearing will be held via video due to COVID-19 guidelines.
All three men are from the Indianapolis when they came to Mt. Carmel last July and allegedly stole just under $26,000 worth of merchandise from the Verizon Wireless store at 9th and Cherry Streets. The three were originally charged in Wabash County Circuit Court, but those charges were put on hold after the federal charges were filed. A status hearing on the local charges is set for July 20th.
Jaylen Davis
WSJD FILE PHOTO: Latrell Coe.
Anthony Suber
Holiday World Targets June 14th For 2020 Opening
Message to our Guests on COVID-19
During his twenty-some years serving Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari as park president, my dad—Will Koch Jr.—never missed an opening day. Especially not when a new attraction was on the line. We do everything in our power to uphold his same standard—though circumstances this year kept us from our originally scheduled opening day.
We’re now excited to share that in accordance with Gov. Holcomb’s Back on Track Indiana Plan, we intend to open our gates on June 14.
You may have a lot of questions, and we’re going to do our best to answer them below, but just know that if this alters your plans, we’re still going to take care of you.
We’re also changing our operations in ways you may or may not notice. We’re going to have hand sanitizer readily available all over the park, and we may ask your patience while we sanitize our rides. We’re even likely to limit park attendance while we figure out how to operate as safely as possible. Keep checking in at this page as we’ll be posting our official safety and sanitization procedures in a few short weeks. After all, we’ve been the cleanest park in the world for two decades. We’re going to do our best to keep the park as clean and as safe as possible.
Our small-but-mighty team is now excitedly working hard to get ready. As a family-owned park, we’re feeling the pressure, but we’re also proving how mighty we are when we work together. And now that we have a target date to work toward, we’re moving full-speed ahead.
We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us to be ready to welcome Guests, but in the meantime, please keep following guidelines from the CDC and your state. Summer is within our grasp if we can just be patient a little while longer.
See you in June, friends.
-Leah Koch,
Fourth-Generation Owner and Director of Communications on behalf of the Koch Family
Wabash District #348 Board Agenda
WABASH COMMUNITY UNIT SCHOOLS BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING
MT. CARMEL GRADE SCHOOL CAFETORIUM
MONDAY, MAY 18, 2020 REGULAR BOARD MEETING- 7:00 P.M.
In following the CDC and ISBE guidelines, Wabash #348 Board of Education meeting on May 18, 2020 is suspended to the public. In order to meet the requirements of the Open Meeting Act, the public may view the proceedings as it is streamed on Facebook Live. The link to access the meeting via Facebook Live is: Wabash District 348 FACEBOOK
AGENDA
1. Call to order/Roll Call
2. Pledge of Allegiance
3. Consent Agenda
a. Board Minutes (April 20, 2020 Regular Board Meeting)
b. Monthly Bills
c. Financial Report
d. Correspondence
e. Administrative Reports
4. Reports
a. Superintendent Report on End of School Year Progress
5. Executive Session pursuant to Section 2(c)(1) of the Open Meetings Act: “The appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance, or dismissal of specific employees.”
6. New Business
a. Amended Budget
b. Employment of Personnel
7. Adjournment
Allendale School Board Notes
At the May 2020 Allendale School Board meeting held in the science room of Allendale School, the board:
Approved the 2019-2020 tentative amended budget which will be on display in the main office for the next 30 days.
Set the date of June 17, 2020 at 6:10 pm for the budget hearing on the amended 2019-2020 budget.
Approved to work with St. Mary’s School to expand the athletic co-op for the next two years.
Approved the dates and time for the 2020-2021 School Board Meetings.
Approved to abate $15,000 from Capital Projects Fund to the Debt Service Fund.
Approved the Superintendent to work with the local Health Department on ideas and scheduling an 8th Grade Graduation Ceremony. Date and Time will be set at a later date.
Approved the resignation of Rich Casburn as Head Boys Basketball Coach and Track Coach effective the end of the 2019-2020 school year.
Approved Mackenzie Thread as Special Education Teacher for 2020-2021, contingent upon obtaining an Illinois Teaching License prior to the school year beginning.
The board was informed that 95% of K-8 students participated in the drive-thru Grade Card/Award Day event Wednesday.