COVID
SPRINGFIELD – In the earliest days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Gov. JB Pritzker recalls being handed a report from researchers at the University of Illinois. The analysis was written by scientists and mathematicians who were trying to estimate how many deaths and hospitalizations would occur under different scenarios – one if the state took no…
Read Full Article 
There are few entertainment experiences that outshine live theater. The Quincy Community Theatre again proved this with its superb production of RENT and outstanding performances by Trey Ehrhart, Lance Frederick and other cast members. I saw RENT on Broadway years ago in the throes of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The medical progress in confronting HIV/AIDS has…
Read Full Article 
Meet me at the Scoreboard. It’s more than just a slogan – it’s a way of life for some locals, myself included. Tucked inside a south side neighborhood, across from the Cenex station, sits a cozy little bar on the corner of 8th and York. Their claim to fame is that they serve the Best…
Read Full Article 
CHICAGO — Illinois Governor JB Pritzker announced the state’s public health emergency will end on May 11, aligning the state with the federal government’s decision to end the national public health emergency. Ensuring Illinois’ and the federal government’s health emergencies were linked brought in additional federal funding and expanded healthcare access for residents across the state.…
Read Full Article 
CHICAGO — After being notified of several close contacts testing positive for COVID-19, Gov. Pritzker received a positive test result during his routine COVID testing regimen. The Governor is experiencing mild symptoms and has been prescribed the anti-viral medication, Paxlovid. He will follow CDC guidelines by working from home. The Governor is fully vaccinated and…
Read Full Article 
The Administrator of IVH talks about going from Legionella to COVID and all of the new construction that will help the facility endure for years to come. Muddy River News This Week is furnished by Harvey’s.
Read Full Article 
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Public school, community college and public university employees who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 are now entitled to paid administrative leave for any days they miss this school year due to coronavirus-related issues. Gov. JB Pritzker on Tuesday signed House Bill 1167 into law, which provides those employees as many days off as needed…
Read Full Article 
Quincy Public Schools Superintendent Roy Webb released a statement Saturday evening saying District 172 would no longer enforce masking requirements for students and staff and would cease testing of unvaccinated staff. This comes on the heels of Friday’s ruling by a Sangamon County Circuit Court Judge Raylene Grischow that “deemed null and void” Governor J.B. Pritzker’s…
Read Full Article 
Students attending one of the 145 schools across Illinois who are part of a sweeping lawsuit won’t have to wear a mask if they don’t want to, unless they’re given due process. Same goes for certain school staff who don’t want to take weekly COVID-19 tests for not being vaccinated. They must also have due…
Read Full Article 
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Just as he had promised earlier in the week, Attorney General Eric Schmitt unveiled a slate of lawsuits against Missouri schools Friday in an effort to halt their mask policies. “School districts do not have the authority to impose, at their whim, public health orders for their schoolchildren. That is doubly true when the public…
Read Full Article 
IDOC Pauses County Intakes to Protect Staff, Individuals in Custody from Latest Covid-19 Surge SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) is temporarily pausing intakes from county jails as it responds to COVID-19 outbreaks at correctional facilities. These facilities include the Graham, Logan, Menard and Northern Reception and Classification Centers where county jails transport new…
Read Full Article 
Gov. JB Pritzker and other health officials from across Illinois on Monday identified unvaccinated people as the cause for healthcare systems stretched to their limits as the state experiences a fifth COVID wave driven by the virus’ extremely contagious Omicron variant. Five-hundred new COVID patients were admitted to Illinois hospitals between Sunday and Monday —…
Read Full Article 
Court decision has no effect on vaccine mandates applying in healthcare settings or to federal contractors and subcontractors On Thursday, November 4, 2021, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published an Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) that establishes minimum COVID-19 vaccination and testing requirements for private employers with 100 or more employees throughout the United…
Read Full Article 
There are times when a State’s Attorney has discretion in enforcing laws. School districts also have discretion as to who they allow into their buildings for certain reasons. Quincy and Adams County are suffering because of both of these facts. Adams County Public Health Administrator Jerrod Welch has done what he has thought is right…
Read Full Article 
The Quincy School Board Wednesday voted unanimously to make masks optional, for the most part, for the upcoming 2021-22 school year. On the day after QPS Superintendent Roy Webb released the district’s COVID-19 precaution plan, the School Board passed it 7-0 following more than 90 minutes of public comment before a packed house at the…
Read Full Article 
Blessing Hospital now is allowing non-COVID inpatients to have two visitors at a time in their room between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., and the Blessing Hospital Cafeteria and the Tea Room are now open to visitors. COVID positive patients may have one visitor per day between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. if the visitor…
Read Full Article 
By: Ted Dabrowski – WIREPOINTS Illinois institutions, both public and private, continue to cut back on their mask mandates in light of increasing vaccinations and collapsing case numbers. Illinois’ schools are a notable exception. The Illinois State Board of Education says it expects mandated mask-wearing to continue in the fall. But is it time for the masks…
Read Full Article 
UPDATED from sun-times.com: Illinois residents who got their vaccine shot can now get a shot — or a beer or other alcoholic beverage of their choice — under a bill Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Wednesday signed into law. Pritzker said the bill, which takes effect immediately, offers “our hardest-hit businesses another lifeline as we recover…
Read Full Article By SARAH MANSURCapitol News Illinois SPRINGFIELD — Gov. JB Pritzker issued a new executive order Monday that allows fully vaccinated residents to not wear masks inside and outdoors. The updated rules for mask wearing are nearly identical to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s updated guidance, which was released Thursday. The CDC guidance permits fully…
Read Full Article 
