Wabash Valley College’s 58th Commencement

Wabash Valley College’s 58th Commencement will be a virtual ceremony. The commencement has been pre-recorded and will be made available on Aug. 3 at 11 a.m. on the college’s YouTube channel, social media accounts and website.

There will be 254 Associate degrees and certificates awarded for 2020.

There also will be a Degree of Bachelor of Science in Marketing from Franklin University awarded to Tegan Ann Henne.

The Invocation will be delivered by Tyger John Clodfelter, Student Senate Board Member. Tyger is receiving an Associate in Science Degree with a focus on Ag Business Economics. He is a graduate of Edwards County High School the son of Kenny and Terri Clodfelter of West Salem, Ill. In addition to serving on Student Senate, Tyger is a member of Phi Theta Kappa, the Ag Technology Club and the Collegiate Farm Bureau. He was recognized as a recipient of the President’s Academic honor award. Tyger plans to transfer to Southern Illinois University of Carbondale to study Ag Business Economics.

Presenting the degree and certificate candidates to Illinois Eastern Community Colleges Board of Trustees Chairman Dr. G. Andrew Fischer will be Dr. Matt Fowler, President of Wabash Valley College. Trustee Fischer will confer the degrees and certificates to the graduates. Kyle Peach, WVC Broadcasting Director, will announce the graduates.

Jaylyn Wease, a Student Senate Board Member, will give the Student Response. Jaylyn is a graduate of Lawrenceville High School and is the daughter of Leroy and Terri Wease of Saint Francisville, Ill. She is receiving an Associate of Applied Science degree in Marketing Business Management. Jaylyn is a member of Student Senate, the Business Club and the Bowling Club.

She was the recipient of the Robert and Norma Bethards’ Scholarship and was named to the CEO’s, President’s and Dean’s Honors Lists. Jaylyn plans to transfer to Franklin University and major in Management

Graduates are invited to come to campus Aug. 5 and 6 to get their picture taken in their cap and gown. A photo backdrop will be set up in Main Hall 101 from 12 p.m. until 4 p.m. on Aug. 5 and from 3 p.m. until 8 p.m. on Aug. 6. Graduates will be able to pick up their diploma during cap and gown photos.

Graduates are asked to contact Student Services (618-262-8641) to set up a time to have their picture taken and pick up their diploma. Graduates can call to set up a time starting Monday, Aug. 3. In order to pick up diplomas, graduates must present a valid student ID or driver’s license.

For students who do not want a photo, no reservation is needed; graduates not wanting a photo can simply come to Student Services and present a valid student ID or driver’s license to pick up their diplomas.

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work to honor our graduates in this unique time. For more information, please call (618) 263-5535 or (618) 262-8641.

I-64 Crash In Wayne County Sends St. Louis Truck Driver To Hospital

ISP TRAFFIC CRASH ALERT

The Following Preliminary Information is Being Released by Illinois State Police

District 19

WHAT:                      Commercial Vehicle Personal Injury Traffic Crash

WHERE:                   Interstate 64 Westbound Milepost 95 ½, Wayne County

WHEN:                      July 29, 2020 at 11:23 a.m.

VEHICLE:                Unit 1- 2006 Yellow Freightliner Truck Tractor Semi Trailer Combination

DRIVER:                   Unit 1- Abdiwahab Noor, 42 year old male from ST. Louis, MO – Transported by ambulance to an area hospital with minor injuries

PRELIMINARY:       A preliminary investigation indicates the following occurred:  Unit 1 was traveling west on Interstate 64 near milepost 95 ½ in Wayne County when the front left tire blew out. The driver of Unit 1 lost control and traveled across the center median, across both eastbound lanes and came to rest upright off the south side of the roadway. The driver of Unit 1 was transported by ambulance to an area hospital with minor injuries. The roadway remained open during the crash investigation.

Study Says Illinois Schools Among Best In The Nation

A new study ranking school systems across the country put Illinois among the best in the nation.

The website WalletHub analyzed 33 metrics – including test scores, dropout rate, pupil to teacher ratio, and statewide school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Illinois ranked 13th in the nation, boosted by median ACT scores, which were tied for 4th best in the country. Illinois scored poorly in the category of threatened or injured high school students and incidents of bullying.

The rankings also took into account the number of Illinois schools appearing in U.S. News and World Report’s “Top 700 U.S. Schools” list. Payton College Preparatory High School in Chicago was ranked at the top in the state and ninth in the country.

The report said the quality of public school systems varies widely from state to state and is often the question of funding.

Analyst Jill Gonzalez said if a state establishes a preschool program without using taxpayer dollars, it will lead to better school systems.

“Illinois does have one in place, but I think that making sure that is getting not necessarily getting more funding, but funding that is particularly paid attention to without raising taxes,” said Gonzalez.

The top three states with the best school systems were Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Jersey. The bottom three were Arizona, Louisiana and New Mexico.

https://wallethub.com/edu/e/states-with-the-best-schools/5335/#main-findings

Focus On Suicides During Pandemic

With high unemployment and an economy ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic, some first responders said calls for suicide attempts are becoming far too familiar.

The number of deaths among Black people in Cook County has already matched the total for all of last year. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot says the numbers are grim.

“The reality is this is a very difficult time in our city,” said Lightfoot. “There are many, many people, before COVID but certainly since, that are suffering from trauma.”

The Illinois Department of Public Health reported preliminary numbers that show there have been 601 suicides in Illinois in 2020, but that does not include a month-to-month breakdown. There were 1,400 suicides in all of 2019, the department said.

In Peoria, first responders said they are getting more calls reporting people threatening to jump off bridges into the Illinois River. It happened twice recently, and in one of those incidents, the outcome was fatal. Battalion Chief Jim Bachman with the Peoria Fire Department said in some cases, a senior member of the department, who has encountered the situation many times, will make contact with the person.

"Years of experience in talking with people who are suffering from depression and just kind of listening to what they have to say and letting them know that people care about them,” Bachman said.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned the pandemic could be stressful for people. Fear and anxiety about the virus and what could happen can be overwhelming and cause strong emotions in adults and children. Psychiatric Times reported once the pandemic ends, the psychological after-effects will likely linger for years to come.

“Historically, increases in rates of severe mental illnesses have often followed in the aftermath of national crisis," Dr. James Lake wrote. "For example, during the decade of the Great Depression from 1929 to 1929, the suicide rate rose from 13.9 to 17.4 per 100,000.”

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255.

Ahead Of IHSA Decision, Pritzker Restricts Youth Sports In Illinois

CHICAGO – Governor JB Pritzker announced today guidance for youth and adult recreational sports, including, but not limited to, school-based sports, travel clubs, private leagues and clubs, recreational leagues and centers, and park district sports programs. Collegiate sports and professional leagues are not impacted by these restrictions. The guidance was developed by the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO), and the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) following consultation with a number of stakeholders including the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) and the Illinois Elementary School Association (IESA). The complete guidelines are available online at the state COVID-19 website: https://coronavirus.illinois.gov/s/.

“I know our hearts break when we hear the word ‘restrictions,’ especially when it comes to our children’s love for their sports. Whether this year is their first time on the court or it’s their senior season – this isn’t the news anyone wants to hear,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “But with rising rates of spread of the virus, with rising positivity rates throughout Illinois and the United States, this is a situation where the toughest choice is also the safest one. Therefore today, my administration is releasing new guidance restricting youth and adult recreational sports in Illinois. We have worked in consultation with the governing bodies of many of these organized sports programs, and collectively we hope that, when metrics and risks improve measurably, we will be able to restart these sports.”

The newly released guidance categorizes sports into three risk levels, lower, medium, or higher, based on the amount of contact between athletes and their proximity during play. The guidance sets four levels of play allowed based on current public health conditions. In level 1, only no-contact practices and training are allowed. In level 2, intra-team scrimmages are allowed with parental consent for minors but there can be no competitive play. In level 3 intra-conference, intra-EMS-region or intra-league play is allowed and there may be state- or league-championship games allowed for low-risk sports only. In level 4, tournaments, out-of-conference/league play, and out-of-state play are allowed. Championship games would also be allowed in level 4.

This guidance takes effect Saturday, August 15th. Based on current conditions, lower risk sports can be played at levels 1, 2, and 3. Medium risk sports can be played at levels 1 and 2, and higher risk sports can be played at level 1.

“Daily physical activity is an important part of staying healthy,” said IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike. “The COVID-19 pandemic has upended many of our activities, including sports.  Some sports carry an inherently higher risk of exposure because of direct contact, like football and wrestling, while others have a lower risk, like golf and bowling.  As we learn to coexist with COVID-19, we must be smart and measured in how we go about it.  We want to encourage people to be physically active, but to be safe and understand the risks that come with certain activities.” 

Similar to other guidance, sports organizations should make temperature checks available and participants and coaches should monitor for symptoms of COVID-19 and should not participate if they are experiencing illness.  If multiple individuals have symptoms or test positive, coaches or organizations should alert the local health department.  Sports organizers or coaches also must maintain attendance logs of participants for contact tracing purposes. 

“Extracurricular activities and sports are an important part to a well-rounded education,” said State Superintendent of Education Dr. Carmen I. Ayala. “This guidance is not meant to be a one-size-fits all approach and takes into account the inherent risk level of each individual sport and current public health conditions.”

Athletic equipment such as bats and hockey sticks should be cleaned between each use.  Other equipment, including personal gear such as hockey, football, lacrosse, or other sports using helmets, pads, or gloves should only be used by one person and not shared.

“This latest guidance builds on our ongoing efforts to partner with businesses, public institutions and communities across Illinois to ensure a safe return of key activities and the reopening of our economy,” said DCEO Acting Director, Michael Negron. “Informed by the latest guidance by our public health officials, the updated youth and recreation sports guidelines will allow us to partner with recreational and competitive sports industry leaders on reducing risk and protecting our communities. Doing so will allow us to make not only a faster health recovery, but also a faster economic recovery from COVID-19.”

Illinois first issued guidelines for youth and recreational sports in late May, when every region in the state advanced to Phase 3 of the Restore Illinois plan, marked by return to work, the reopening of retail as well as the return of specific recreational activities. The latest guidelines make adjustments to temporarily halt competitive play for most higher to medium-risk sports pending further health progress, as well as to provide additional clarity on capacity limits and high school sports.

WGH CEO Offers COVID-19 Update

At Monday night’s board of directors meeting, Wabash General Hospital President and CEO Karissa Turner offered an update on COVID-19 testing and the results at WGH…..

Turner said in-house PCR COVID-19 testing at Wabash General has been a big benefit for elective surgeries as the turn-around time for test results has been greatly reduced. In addition, WGH offers in-house anti-body testing for those with a physician’s order. Turner again praised hospital staff for their work during the pandemic.

Judge Fights For State To Release $300,000 For City

A trip to Waukegan to an Illinois Municipal League meeting revealed in some disappointing news for Mayor Joe Judge and the City of Mt. Carmel. Judge explained the city is due to receive $300,000 in CURE federal stimulus money, but the state has decided that only cities or counties with a population of 500,000 or more gets to decide how to spend their funds. Instead for the vast majority of Illinois cities, they are made to wait for the release of money from the state’s department of economic opportunity who told municipalities to spend the money and then send them the receipts at which time a decision will be made whether the spending is approved. Judge said he felt progress was made during last week’s meeting….

Judge said an exact plan on how the money will be used hasn’t been set yet, but he pointed to Gibson County where money there was used to give 26 businesses almost $9,400 each to help get them back on their feet during the pandemic.

Mobile Home Taxes Due Monday In Wabash County

Wabash County Treasurer Beverly McBride, would like to remind everyone that Monday, August 3, 2020 is the due date for the Wabash County mobile home tax bills.  After that date a $25.00 per month penalty will be added.  To avoid a late penalty, please pay your taxes by August 3rd.  You may mail your payment to P.O. Box 428, Mt. Carmel, IL. 62863 or use our convenient drop box located in front of the courthouse.  If you have to come into the courthouse, please note that a face mask is required for entry and you will have to call our office at 262-5262 to enter the building.  The penalty of $25.00 will be added starting Tuesday, August 4th, so please get your payment in before then.  If you need further information, please call 262-5262 and we will be glad to assist you.

No End Soon To Illinois Mask Mandate

Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Illinoisans could be wearing face coverings in public for months to come.

The governor stopped in Quincy on Monday, one a several Illinois regions that have seen an increase in coronavirus cases. Adams County, which has seen an increase in cases for 7 straight days, has been put on “warning” by the Illinois Department of Public Health.

“Folks, this is very serious,” Pritzker said. “Infections are rising across the nation, in our neighboring states and right here in Adams County.”

The governor was joined by health officials who urged Illinoisans to wear face coverings when out in public. 

Dr. James Daniels, Adams County health department director, said wearing a face covering has nothing to do with politics. Rather it is common sense.

“You are seeing folks from both sides of the aisle reach across and give you the same message. That’s how important it is,” said Daniels. “Wear the mask. It doesn't just protect your neighbor, it protects you.”

Other Illinois counties put on a warning level include Peoria, LaSalle and Randolph counties. State health officials said outbreaks around the state are associated with “business and risky behavior.” Some of the risky practices include holding large social events, traveling to coronavirus hot spots, not wearing face coverings or social distancing, and crowding into bars and parties.

Pritzker, who also made a stop in the Quad Cities, said life as it was before COVID-19 will not be returning anytime soon.

“We are not going to be able to take off the mask and go about everything we were doing 7-8 months ago for a few more months, maybe 6-plus months,” Pritzker said.

On Campus Or Remote Learning Being Debated For Some Illinois Colleges

As some unionized faculty and staff push for remote learning this fall at Illinois colleges and universities, there are others who want to get back into the classroom.

Faculty and employees represented by 40 unions around the state, including 7 of the 12 public universities, have voiced concerns about returning to campus during the COVID-19 pandemic.

John Miller, president of University Professionals of Illinois, which represents more than 3,000 members, said online learning may not be ideal for every student, but there are risks with in-person instruction.

“With so much still unknown about COVID-19, this is not the time to rush to reopen our institutions,” said Miller. “Science must guide our decisions.”

The union coalition contends all classes should be remote, except ones where distance learning is not possible, such as labs, music and dance courses.

Most schools have outlined reopening plans for the fall semester, including Illinois State University, calling it “Redbirds Return”. Ben Saad, an associate professor of infectious disease ecology at ISU, has confidence in their plan.

“We can simply lock ourselves away now and come out when this is all over, however, this is unlikely to be the best option in the long run and for our students, who would suffer,” Saad said.

Billy Hung, associate professor of microbiology at Eastern Illinois University, says he wants to see his students, but the risk is too great

“All the indicators about public health, about how people behave and the amount of resources that each campus devote to maintaining safety, all of these signs point to a very high likelihood that we’re going to have outbreaks if we open face-to-face,” said Hung.

Jeff Helms, associate professor in the microbiology department at Illinois State University, said students are at a disadvantage with online learning.

“How can they gain the foundational knowledge and hands-on experience that they need if everything is online?” Helms said. “They can’t.”

Things are going down to the wire. The first day of classes for many schools is August 19.