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Tuesday, May 20, 2014
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Rawlings: No high alert MERS-CoV being monitored By Donna Barker dbarker@bcrnews.com
PRINCETON — Health officials across the country, state and Bureau County are continuing to monitor the appearance of
the Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in the United States. The first case of MERS in the United States was confirmed May 2 in Indiana and involved a traveler who had recently returned
from Saudi Arabia. A second imported case of MERS in the United States was reported May 11 in Florida and involved a traveler from Saudi Arabia who had no connection with the first case. The third case involved an Illinois resident who was considered to have had
close contact with the first case. On Monday, Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) Director Dr. LaMar Hasbrouck said the risk to the general public becoming infected with MERS-CoV still remains low. It was out of an abundance of caution
All aboard!
that the IDPH conducted a rigorous follow-up with the Illinois individual and have identified this person to have been infected with MERS-CoV at one time. Previous MERS-CoV illnesses have not shown to be spread easily from person-to-person in communities, Hasbrouck said.
“The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), working with our local health departments, will remain vigilant for any new MERSCoV infections and we are prepared with surveillance, guidance and
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Celebrating active senior lifestyles
IDOT continues with rail service from the Quad Cities to Chicago
May is Older Americans Month
By Donna Barker dbarker@bcrnews.com
By Donna Barker
WYANET — The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) is continuing its plans to develop passenger rail service from the Quad Cities to Chicago, which includes a connecting point near Wyanet. On Monday, IDOT spokesperson Jae Miller said IDOT would like to have the project completed in 2015, including the needed upgrades to the 53-mile railway tracks operated by the Iowa Interstate Railroad system from Moline to Wyanet. A construction and start schedule meeting will be held later this year, at which time more details will be available. Though the goal is to have the new service available to passengers in 2015, that date could have to be pushed back to 2016 in order to get needed upgrades completed, Miller said. As announced by IDOT in August 2013, funding is in place for the project. The needed work will include upgrading the existing track and ties, as well as adding a new signal system. The exact site of the new connecting point near Wyanet has not yet been determined, Miller said. The proposed Chicago to Quad Cities passenger rail service is expected to have two round trips per day from Chicago to the Quad Cities and other intermediate locations including Princeton, Mendota, Plano, Naperville and
Not only are there more senior citizens than ever before, they are also more active than ever before, according to the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Administration on Aging, as well as two area business women who interact daily with senior citizens. In recognition of senior citizens across the country, the month of May has been designated as Older Americans Month, with this year’s theme being “Unleash the Power of Age!” Communities across the nation will recognize older Americans as productive, active and influential members of society. Older Americans Month has been observed each year since 1963, under the leadership of the U.S. Administration on Aging. Bureau County Senior Center Director Denise Ihrig said the senior center is definitely seeing an increase in the number of senior citizens coming to the center. She’s been with the senior center for seven years, and some staff members have been there more than 10 years. “We believe that increase is because of seniors continuing to stay active longer,’ she said. Established in 1981 as a facility for senior citizens, the Bureau County Senior Center is always trying to provide more activities for seniors of all ages, Ihrig said. When there are
Rail Service Page 3 Year 168 No. 60 One Section - 20 Pages
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dbarker@bcrnews.com
BCR photos/Amelia Bystry
Bringing back the good ol’ days Above, a steam-operated thresher is just one of several antique machines and pieces of equipment brought back into use during Saturday’s annual Spring Preview sponsored by the Bureau Valley Antique Club at the rural Dover home of Harold and the late Margie Steele. Among the demonstrations given during the event were old fashioned broom making, loom weaving, wood sawing, sheep shearing and treadlepowered wood cutting. At right, Harold Steele (left) is shown with the event’s guest speaker Max Armstrong (center), who hosts the syndicated “Farm Progress America” and “Max Armstrong’s Midwest Digest” shows.
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