Scott County Times
75¢
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 30, 2021
WINCHESTER, IL 62694
VOLUME NO. 154 NUMBER 26
Serving our readers for more than 151 years
75¢
Better Newspapers Inc. will be closed Monday, July 5, in observance of Independence Day. Deadlines for news, ads, marketplace classifieds and legal notices are Friday, July 2, at noon.
your
Times NEWS
‘ZIP CODE DAY’
A HIT IN
BLUFFS
David Camphouse/Scott County Times
Dozens of residents turned out Saturday to celebrate Zip Code Day in Bluffs. The date, 6/26/21, coincides with the zip code in Bluffs. Following free food and a flag raising, residents gathered in front of the post office for a group photo. For more pictures of Zip Code Day see A8.
SCHD continues COVID-19 testing by appointment only; warns of virus variants Smith to retire as Winchester librarian effective July 31. See page A2
WEEKEND WEATHER FRIDAY, JULY 2
78 58 High
Low
SATURDAY, JULY 3
80 62 High
Low
SUNDAY, JULY 4
85 65 High
Low
Scott County Times &ODVVLILHGV $ /RFDOV $ 0DUNHWSODFH $ 1HZV $ $ 2SLQLRQ $ 3XEOLF 1RWLFH $
By DAVID CAMPHOUSE Scott County Times Scott County Health Department (SCHD) has announced that it will continue testing residents for the COVID-19 virus, at least through the end of July. “In terms of testing, we have discussed the need and have decided that for the month of July we are going to continue to offer testing,” SCHD RN Meghan VanDeVelde said. The decision to continue testing Scott County residents at the health department was prompted by the limited number of testing facilities available to residents in western Illinois. “We are one of the only testing sites in the area, outside of some larger pharmacies and doctors’ offices, where individuals can actually get tested,” VanDeVelde said. “We don’t want to take that away from rural communities.” While testing will continue, VanDeVelde said that walk-in or drive-through testing will no longer be available at the health department. “We will not be allowing drive-up testing, and an appointment must be made beforehand,” VanDeVelde said. “We have had several instances in the last couple of weeks where we had folks show up for testing and nursing staff was not available or have had to step away from meetings to conduct testing.” In order to best utilize staff time and department resources, SCHD asks only residents with a compelling reason to come to SCHD for testing. “We are strongly encouraging only those with symptoms or those who need testing for medical procedures to be testing,” VanDeVelde said. SCHD, VanDeVelde said, will continue to assess whether or not to continue providing testing later into the summer. “Come the end of July, we will reevaluate the testing need for our area,” VanDeVelde said. VanDeVelde went on to say that the Delta variant,
6&+' XUJHV UHVLGHQWV WR VLJQ XS IRU QHZ HPHUJHQF\ DOHUW V\VWHP
Submitted graphic
The latest COVID-19 data released by the Scott County Health Department on Monday shows four active cases of the virus among Scott County residents. Another five residents are currently under quarantine, because they came into close contact with someone with the virus. SCHD announced that it will continue providing COVID19 testing until at least the end of July.
believed to be more transmissible and dangerous, has so far not been detected in Scott County but has made its way to the state. “Yes, the Delta variant is in Illinois,” VanDeVelde said Monday. “There have been 84 confirmed in Illinois as of yesterday. To my knowledge thus far, none of the Scott County cases have been the Delta variant.” VanDeVelde explained that a number of variants of concern have been identified by public health authorities, but, to date, the three vaccines approved for use against COVID-19 appear effective against the variants. (See, TESTING, A2)
By DAVID CAMPHOUSE Scott County Times The Scott County Health Department (SCHD) is continuing to roll out its new public health emergency preparedness program this summer. The new program, called “CodeRED,” is designed to reach Scott County residents efficiently and effectively in the event of disasters and public health emergencies. SCHD RN Meghan VanDeVelde said a major focus of the department has been on making sure county residents are aware of the new alert system. “Trying to promote our CodeRED system that goes live one July 1 has been a big focus,” VanDeVelded said. “They key point is to get the word out there and inform everyone of the uses for the program and try to answer questions, since the system is no good if it is not utilized.” VanDeVelde said that many residents have already signed up for CodeRED notifications. “We have had a great response from it so far,” VanDeVelde said. “So, hopefully, continuing to talk about it and getting the word out there makes more folks sign up.” To date, VanDeVelde said that 131 residents have signed up for telephone notifications from the alert system, 124 for text messages, 25 for emails and 109 have signed up for CodeRED weather warnings. SCHD encourages all Scott County residents and businesses to sign up for the program. To sign up for the CodeRED program, residents are directed to visit public.codered.com/CNE/ BF6483022692, text SCHDIL to 99411 or call 217742-8203.
Bread of Love feeds Scott County seniors
© 2021
Scott County Times Obituaries listed in this issue: None. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Submitted photo
2021 WESTERN ILLINOIS FAIR QUEEN AND PRINCESS CROWNED
2021’s Western Illinois Fair Queen Anna May and Princess Maggie Schnake stop for a moment following the fair’s demolition derby. Other winners were: first-runner-up Raegan Stauffer, Speech and Congeniality winner Hannah Snow and Interview winner Jennifer Bingham.
By DAVID CAMPHOUSE Scott County Times Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Prairie Council on Aging’s Bread of Love program provided hot, nutritious mid-day meals to seniors in congregant settings in both Winchester and Bluffs. Since the state’s pandemic restrictions started in March of last year, the meals have still been served, but they have been delivered to residents’ homes. Home-delivered meals to shut-in seniors have always been available from the agency. According to Prairie Council on Aging’s Executive Director Nancy Thorsen, the pandemic restrictions and the health concerns of older adults have presented large logistical challenges to the agency as it seeks to serve older adults in need of hot, prepared meals. “Statewide there has been a huge increase in home-delivered meals,” Thorsen said. According to Prairie Council’s George Haley, who helps distribute the meals in Winchester, delivery of the meals is provided by church groups and other volunteers. “Today’s meals in Winchester are delivered by the United Methodist Church,” Haley said on Tuesday. Haley went on to add that the program is of great benefit to many of the county’s elderly who aren’t able or equipped to prepare meals at home. “It’s a really good program for people that can’t cook on their own,” Haley said. “There are a lot of people whose health won’t allow them to stand long enough to cook a meal. These are hot meals.” The Bread of Love meals are delivered Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday in Winchester and Monday and Thursday in Bluffs.
David Camphouse/Scott County Times
Prairie Council on Aging’s George Haley prepares to distribute meals in Winchester as part of the agency’s Bread of Love program. The program distributes meals to seniors in Bluffs and Winchester.
Suggested donation is $4 for a hot meal, however, meals are made available to seniors regardless of their ability to pay. “People pay what they can,” Haley said. “Some people pay the whole amount. Others don’t pay anything. It just depends on their income.” Thorsen said the agency is making plans to begin serving meals in congregant settings, once pandemic restrictions are lifted. Haley encouraged residents of all ages to get vaccinated against COVID-19 to help hasten the state’s further relaxation of mitigation efforts. “A lot of it comes down to people need to get vaccinated,” Haley said. “We always try to encourage people to get their vaccinations.” (See, BREAD OF LOVE, A2)