NEWS NOTES opn WGFA for Monday, April 27, 2009 >
High-speed crash kills motorist…. Swine flu outbreak alerts emergency responders…. Livingston County troubled by unemployment….
Weather > Showers and T-Storms likely this afternoon, high near 77. Wind gusts could reach 20-30 mph with some gusts near 45 mph. Occasional showers and T-storms tonight and tomorrow too.
* An Aroma Park man was killed Saturday night when his car left Route 45 and struck a tree at an estimated speed of 100 mph. State Police report 35-year-old Todd Vickery lost control of his car on U.S. Route 45/52 just north of Otto Road. The car ran through a ditch and then hit the tree. Vickery was prounounced dead at bthe scene. A 15-year-old passenger was critically injured.
Kankakee County Coroner Bob Gessner said an autopsy was scheduled. Gessner said the driver was buckled up, but the car sustained severe damage. The un-identified passenger was ejected. He was not wearing a seat belt. Kankakee Township and Otto Township Fire answered the call along with Riverside EMS.
* Although swine flu has not been reported in Illinois, the Illinois Department of Public Health is working with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention to monitor the outbreak and protect residents. Emergency management officials have been encouraged to meet with their local health officials to review response plans. As of Saturday, the CDC has found 11 human cases of swine influenza A in California, Texas and Kansas. Illinois Director of Public health Dr. Damon Arnold said “we are working with local and federal health officials to limit the impact of this outbreak and safeguard the health of the people of Illinois. Although there are no known cases of swine flu in Illinois, there is an ongoing investigation into the source and until that can be determined we must remain vigilant.” Swine flu is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza virus. Human cases typically involve people who have had direct contact with pigs, but the CDC has established human-to-human transmission among these recent cases. www.cdc.gov/flu/swine or call 1-800-CDC-INFO.
* Poor numbers reflect the latest unemployment figures in Kankakee and Livingston counties. While no reasons were noted by the state for any particularly high unemployment rates, Livingston County did not fair well in the recent statistics released by the Illinois Labor Force Report on rank ratings of the state’s counties.
During March, Livingston County had an unemployment rate of 11.2 percent. The statistics rated Livingston as 14th in the state for unemployment for the month. This was also an increase from the 10 percent rate of unemployment in the county during February. One year ago in March, Livingston County had an unemployment rate of 5.9 percent and was ranked 68th of the state’s 102 counties. Kankakee County-Bradley area was 11.9%. Neighboring counties seemed to be fairing much better than Livingston County. The unemployment rate for McLean County in March was at 6.3 percent, ranking it 101st in the state. For nearby Ford County in March, there was a 9.1 percent rate and a ranking of 58th in the state. This was an increase of 3 percent from Ford’s 6.1 percent in March 2008. It also meant that Ford moved up in the state rankings from 62nd from a year ago. Grundy County surpassed Livingston with a 12.5 percent unemployment rate for March and was ranked fifth in the state. It also had increased dramatically from its 7.9 percent in March 2008 and that ranking of 16 percent. Putnam County, located to the west of LaSalle County, is ranked No. 2 in the state 13.7 percent unemployment.
* Pontiac Township High School was represented in a historic event for inter-scholastic competition. The Indians had a team at the bass fishing sectional Friday at Evergreen Lake.
The IHSA-sponsored event is the first of its kind to be held in the United States. PTHS head coach Jerry Newkirk announced the squad.
“The top four qualifiers are Jake Dixon, Tom Russow, Aaron Hatzer and Joel Newkirk,” the coach said. “Fishing out of boat one was Jake Dixon and Tom Russow. The two fishermen fishing out of boat two were Aaron Hatzer and Joel Newkirk. Two alternates were Justin Burgess and Luke Telford.” In preparing for the tournament, the team members received some tips from semi-pro bass fisherman Jason Waldschmidt last week. Waldschmidt told the team about the importance of using a map and reminded them to talk to one another because communication is important in this sport.
