Will County has reached the Severe Risk level for daily COVID infections and positive test rates, according to county health officials. The most recent figures show the rate of new cases at 192 per 100 thousand population (total population 690,000), with a positive test rate of 22%. The vaccination rate remains at just over 70% of all residents with 1 dose or more of COVID vaccine. Hospitalizations, cases and deaths have experienced a sudden spike over the past 30 days after a slight decrease.
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Posted inTimes Weekly News
Trees Forever community planting applications due February 25
Trees Forever is announcing a funding opportunity for Illinois communities to diversify their community forests or recover from natural or man-made disasters, particularly emerald ash borer (EAB). Trees Forever is accepting applications for Recover, Replant, Restore! tree planting grants February 1 through 25. Grants of $500 to $3,000 are available to plant more diverse disease-resistant and storm-resistant shade trees. Eligible projects include planting trees in public spaces, such as along streets and trails, community entryways, at schools, public buildings, parks and more.
Posted inTimes Weekly News
Hook Up of Black Women, Inc. Joliet Chapter receives Allen Award for service to the community
Thetimesweekly.com Project Acclaim has selected the National Hook Up of Black Women, Inc. Joliet Chapter (NHBW) to receive the 4th Quarter of 2021 Reverend James E. Allen Award for Service to the Community. This award recognizes individuals or organizations who show selfless devotion of community by direct action; perform actions that have a community-wide impact; perform actions that significantly improve the life or well-being of individuals; and perform actions that enhance the best interests of the community. The National Hook Up of Black Women initiatives and efforts in the greater Joliet area certainly match the criteria for this award. Project Acclaim was particularly moved by the NHBW’s efforts to promote literacy throughout our community by giving out free books at community events and making available after-school tutoring as well as the organization’s efforts to encourage vaccination against infection and the spread of COVID-19.
Posted inTimes Weekly News
U.S. Depart. of Energy kicks off recruitment in support of bipartisan infrastructure law
Washington DC. – The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced the launch of its Clean Energy Corps, which is made up of staff from more than a dozen offices across DOE – current staff and new hires – who will work together to research, develop, demonstrate, and deploy solutions to climate change.
DOE also announced that the Clean Energy Corps is ready to recruit an additional 1,000 employees using a special hiring authority included in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to help implement the Law’s historic infusion of $62 billion in funding and accelerate the nation’s drive to a clean energy future.
The Clean Energy Corps’ new hiring portal will help streamline the application process for the industry veterans, experienced technical experts, and the next generation of clean energy leaders it seeks to attract.
Posted inTimes Weekly News
MLK family urge lawmakers to pass Voting Rights legislation
Thetimesweekly.com
TTW Network
Prayer breakfasts, marches, parades, and an uptick in volunteer efforts to support the annual Day of Service have remained staples of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
But the late civil rights icon family had asked that observers strike a different tune in 2022.
King’s family requested no celebration unless federal lawmakers pass voting rights legislation, a task that appears out of reach as President Joe Biden and several Democrats have faced stiff Republican opposition.
Posted inTimes Weekly News
Joliet Region Food & Beverage Assoc. aid for hospital staff
TTW News Network
Thetimesweekly.com The Joliet Region Food & Beverage Association (JRFBA), a division of the Joliet Region Chamber of Commerce & Industry is eager to announce that the JRFBA will be kicking off a campaign to gather meal donations for hospital staff at Saint Joseph Medical Center and Silver Cross Hospital beginning Monday, January 17, 2022.
Posted inTimes Weekly News
Community urged to be cautious of pop-up COVID-19 testing sites
The National Covid Center opened at Cass and Eastern Ave. a week ago to provide urgent COVID lab services to the community. The Addison, Il based company has 1 site in Joliet and is affiliated with the Illinois Department of Health, according to Mr. Taki a senior executive for the center. They are CLIA certified and follow the CDC COVID-19 recommendations to provide a safe environment for all patients who wish to get tested. This information was posted on their website. Taki said, “the center is not a pop-up site,” and that they set-up sites in communities that don’t have access to testing.
Posted inTimes Weekly News
County implements project for residents facing eviction
The County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant and 12th Judicial Circuit Court Chief Judge Daniel Kennedy will implement their joint eviction-diversion program to help mitigate COVID-19 related housing impacts. The program, officially titled the Court-Based Housing Stabilization Program, was created to offer tenants facing eviction court one final opportunity to connect with state and local assistance. The initial pilot project was prepared ahead of the expiration of the Illinois eviction moratorium in October 2021.
Posted inTimes Weekly News
Construction worker families on public assistance costing taxpayers $28B to subsidize worker abuse
Thetimesweekly.com A report just released by the University of California Berkeley Labor Center reveals that 39 percent of construction worker families nationwide are forced to enroll in one or more safety net programs to make ends meet. That is higher than the 31 percent of all workers enrolled in such programs. The yearly cost to state and federal governments is a staggering $28 billion. Additionally, 31 percent of construction workers lack health insurance coverage, compared to 10 percent of all workers. Researchers attribute their findings to low pay, wage theft and illegal employment practices in the construction industry.
Posted inTimes Weekly News
Governor, hospital leaders urge hospitals to postpone non-emergency surgeries during Omicron Surge
To prepare for a likely surge of post-holiday Omicron COVID-19 cases and to prepare for a potential shortage of staffed ICU beds, Gov. JB Pritzker and the Illinois Health and Hospital Association are urging hospitals to take every possible measure to maintain and expand bed capacity, including postponing non-emergency surgeries and other procedures as needed and without risking patient harm.
