(Springfield-jm) -- State officials warn that some areas of Illinois may soon be facing new restrictions. For 15 days in a row now, there have been more than 900 new cases per day. Governor J-B Pritzker says the trend is concerning…

 

 

Illinois Governor J-B Pritzker. Under the Governor’s new mitigation plan, more restrictions go back into place if hospital capacity becomes an issue or the positivity rate for a particular region hits 8 percent or more for three days in a row. The Metro East area is currently at seven point six percent. Wednesday, 1,393 new cases were reported with 18 additional deaths bringing the state’s total number of cases to 175,124 and total deaths to 7,462.

 

(Undated-jm) -- Locally, Iroquois County reported 2 new cases Wednesday bringing their total to 243. Ford County reported 3 new cases bringing their total to 49. Champaign County reported 46 new cases bringing their total to 1,413. Vermilion County reported 5 new cases bringing their total to 165. McLean County reported 14 new cases bringing their total to 486. Livingston County reported 2 new cases bringing their total to 81. Kankakee County reported 10 new cases bringing their total to 1,712.

 

(Undated-jm) -- As for active and recovered cases, in Iroquois County 184 have been released from isolation with 46 in isolation and 6 hospitalized. In Ford County, 43 have been released from isolation and 5 remain in isolation. In Vermilion County, 119 have recovered, 42 remain in isolation and 2 hospitalized. In McLean County, 405 have recovered, 63 remain in isolation and 3 hospitalized. In Livingston County, 68 have been removed from isolation and 11 cases are active. In Kankakee County, 1,195 have recovered, 447 cases are active and 12 are hospitalized. In Champaign County, 1,183 have recovered, 212 cases are active and 14 are hospitalized.

 

(Springfield-jm) -- Governor J-B Pritzker is announcing new guidelines for youth and adult recreational sports. The restrictions apply to rec leagues, school sports, club sports and more, and are based on the risk of spreading the Coronavirus. The Governor says he knows this is heartbreaking for kids and their families…

 

 

Illinois Governor J-B Pritzker. The guidance places each sport in a risk category of lower, medium or higher. For example, tennis is lower while football is higher. Then there are four levels of play allowed based on current infection rates, ranging from only no-contact practice allowed to tournament play.

 

 

(Hoopeston-jm) -- The Vermilion County Housing Authority has received a quarter of a million dollar grant for Parkview Court in Hoopeston. The money will fund security cameras at the facility. The grant comes from the U-S Department of Housing and Urban Development.

 

 

(Cissa Park-cf)-- Cissna Park students will in large stay in classrooms at the Jr. High level. However, the school district has allowed a few minutes between classes for a passing period. Superintendent Dan Hylbert has the details… 

 

Cissna Park Superintendent Dan Hylbert. 

 

 

(Ford County-jm) -- A portion of Loda-Lake Iroquois Road will be closed starting next week. The Ford County Highway Department announced Wednesday the road will be closed between Route 115 and 1400 E starting August 3rd to replace a bridge. The closure is expected to last through the beginning of August.

 

 

(Washington-jm) -- The USDA is increasing benefits for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, by more than five percent for next fiscal year. Stephanie Ho reports…

 

 

 

 

(Gibson City-jm) -- The Illinois Department of Transportation unveiled their 6 year road construction plan. 106th District State Representative Tom Bennett of Gibson City says there are several projects planned in the area…

 

 

106th District State Representative Tom Bennett of Gibson City.

 

 

(Undated-jm) -- Four OSF HealthCare hospitals were ranked among the best in the nation in U.S. News & World Report's 2020-2021 Best Hospitals rankings. U.S. News & World Report ranks these facilities by evaluating data on nearly 5,000 hospitals in 16 adult medical specialties, nine adult procedures or conditions, and 10 pediatric specialties. OSF HealthCare Sacred Heart Medical Center in Danville achieved high performing status in caring for patients with COPD. OSF Healthcare Little Company of Mary in Evergreen Park also achieved high performing status in caring for patients with COPD, as well as providing cardiovascular care for people with heart failure. In addition, OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria was ranked at 12th in Illinois. The facility was noted as high performing in colon cancer surgery and lung cancer surgery. Finally, OSF HealthCare Saint Anthony Medical Center in Peoria was ranked at 23rd in Illinois. It achieved high performing status for caring for people with COPD, providing cardiovascular care for people with heart failure, and knee replacements within the orthopedics category.

 

 

(Paxton-jm) -- The Paxton Area Chamber of Commerce has a new member to their group. Leah Moore introduces herself…

 

 

Paxton Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Secretary and Treasurer Leah Moore.

 

 

(Ludlow-jm) -- Registration dates for Ludlow Grade School have been set. Sign up for returning students is August 4th.  Sign up for new students and kindergartners is August 5th. Registration times for both days is 1-5 pm.

 

 

(Washington-jm) -- Consumers in the U.S., Canada, Australia and the EU have been getting unsolicited packets of seeds from China. U.S. officials are investigating the situation. Gary Crawford reports…