TTW Staff When COVD threatened to put coal in a Joliet youngster’s stocking this year, Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) Lodge 94 made sure the young man was still able to enjoy a happy holiday season. A young man named Dylan was scheduled to participate in the Lodge 94 Shop with a Sheriff event on December 4 but was heartbroken when a family member’s positive COVID test meant he would not be able to take part. Dylan’s mother knew how much the event meant to her son, so she reached out to Morningstar Mission, the event coordinator, to see what might be done.
COVID
Posted inTimes Weekly News
Will County CED to unveil Annual Report to Investors this Friday in Bolingbrook
The Will County Center for Economic Development will present its Annual Report to Investors on Friday, Dec. 3 at the Bolingbrook Golf Club. The event is “back in person in 2021,” officials said. Last year’s event had to held virtually due to the COVID pandemic.
Posted inTimes Weekly News
Enjoy Thanksgiving safely Minimize the risk of a holiday spike
Families in surrounding suburbs will gather to enjoy the Thanksgiving feast and give thanks for all that they have – most of all each other. While the impact of the pandemic has been greatly reduced as more people and now children get vaccinated, there are still risks of spreading the virus. Health experts warn the holiday gatherings could be breeding grounds for spreading the virus. According to the Centers for Disease Control, the best way to minimize COVID-19 risk and keep family and friends safer is to get vaccinated. Many health experts this year also suggest if unvaccinated family and friends plan to attend holiday gatherings, they should get a rapid COVID test just before they show up. Here are some safe ways to celebrate the holidays from the CDC.
Posted inTimes Weekly News
Will County, still no decision on doling out second round of stimulus
Many have inquired about how to get a piece of the $134 million Will County received earlier this year from the federal American Rescue Plan. County officials, however, have yet to dole out any of that second round of COVID relief funding and, as they did with the CARES Act funding, they plan to once again hire the same consultant to assist in the process of distributing funds.
“Although we have not made an official determination on how the funds will be disbursed, we have received quite a few requests from our Will County residents, businesses, municipalities, local governments, non-profits, county board members, department heads and other customers,” said Will County Board member Ken Harris (D-Bolingbrook). Harris is chairman of the county board’s Finance Committee.
Posted inTimes Weekly News
Illinois daycare workers mandated to get COVID vaccines
UPDATED STORY
Daycare workers in Illinois will soon face mandatory COVID vaccines or weekly COVID testing if not fully vaccinated by early January 2022. There are 175 daycare facilities in Will County, according to countyoffice.org.
To prevent further spread of COVID-19 and to protect the health and safety of Illinois’ youngest residents, Gov. JB Pritzker joined Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike, Department of Human Services Secretary Grace Hou, and Department of Childhood and Family Services Director Marc Smith Friday to announce new vaccination or weekly testing requirements for individuals who work in licensed day care centers.
Posted inTimes Weekly News
Pritzker issues Executive Order mandated daycare workers to get COVID vaccines or face weekly testing
Daycare workers in Illinois will soon face mandatory COVID vaccines or weekly COVID testing if not fully vaccinated by early January, 2022. There are 175 daycare facilities in Will County, according to countyoffice.org.
To prevent further spread of COVID-19 and to protect the health and safety of Illinois’ youngest residents, Gov. JB Pritzker joined Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike, Department of Human Services Secretary Grace Hou, and Department of Childhood and Family Services Director Marc Smith Friday to announce new vaccination or weekly testing requirements for individuals who work in licensed day care centers.
Posted inTimes Weekly News
African American COVID vaccine increases in Will County
Getting the word out to Blacks and Hispanics in Will County about the safety and efficacy of COVID vaccines has been a priority, according to county health department officials. A campaign involving reaching out to various community groups about the vaccine has been ongoing almost since the vaccines first became available. In March, the Illinois Department of Public Health reported 144,149 had received the COVID vaccine in Will County. Black people in Will County accounted for 9,685 (6.72 percent of the total population) vaccines and 3,180 (or 6.87 percent of the total population of Blacks) received both doses of the vaccine. Hispanics in Will County accounted for 15,009 (10.4 percent) and 4,488 (9.69 percent) of Hispanics received both doses of the vaccine, according to the IDPH.
Posted in#NNPA BlackPress, Black Experience, Black History, Community, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Featured, Health, National, News, NNPA, NNPA Newswire, Stacy Brown
Study Shows How Medical Community Neglected African Americans with Covid
NNPA NEWSWIRE — The report noted that hospitalization rates for Black and Latinx patients who have tested positive for COVID-19 are approximately three times higher than those of similar White patients. “It is therefore unsurprising that of the 216,635 COVID-19–related deaths in the United States to date for which we have race and ethnicity data available, 29.3% have been Black (34,374) or Latinx (29,063), which correlate with US population norms,” the authors continued.
Posted in#NNPA BlackPress, Black Experience, Black History, Business, Community, Economy, Featured, National, News, NNPA, NNPA Newswire, Stacy Brown
U.S. Black Chamber Prez Talks Loss of African American Businesses and a Global Future for the Black Dollar
NNPA NEWSWIRE — Data culled from multiple studies revealed that Latinx business owners fell by 32 percent and Asian business owners dropped by 26 percent. Meanwhile, the number of White business owners fell by 17 percent. While the current climate has exacerbated the wealth gap and unveiled the unimagined financial straits of Black and other minority companies, studies also revealed that about 58 percent of African American-owned businesses were at risk of fiscal distress even before the outbreak of the pandemic in February 2020.
Posted inTimes Weekly News
State reaches two new union agreements on vaccinations for COVID
Two more union groups in Illinois have reached agreements to ensure 1,300 more state employees are protected with the COVID-19 vaccines, according to state officials.
