WGFA NEWS for Tuesday, January 26, 2010 >
WX > A one-inch snowfall at WGFA. Areas of blowing snow and flurries before noon today, high near 21. Wind chills near zero. A breezy west wid at 15-20, some gusts near 30 mph.
> Another round of winter weather has lead to slick roads and poor visibility for area motorists. Snowfall, blowing snow, drifting, black ice, and a mixture of adverse conditions have made travel difficult. Road crews have been out throughout the overnight hours plowing and applying abrasive materials to the road surface. Blowing and drifting snow have created ever changing conditions that motorists must be prepared for. Interstates, state highways, county roads, and city streets all have the potential to be slick.
> A new three-year contract is in place for teachers in Kankakee School District 111. The school board last night approved the pact agreed on by the teachers union earlier. Terms of the new contract gives teachers a 3.2% pay increase the first year. The contract will be re-opened to consider insurance and salary in the third year of the contract.
A four-day teachers strike last week idled 5,500 students.
> In Iroquois Circuit Court Monday, Judge William Schmidt reversed his earlier ruling and now says convicted former Iroquois County Clerk Mark Henrichs is not entitled to a court-appointed attorney to appeal his conviction. Henrichs was convicted of eight felony counts, including Official Misconduct while serving his elected office. The conviction, under Illinois law, ousted him from office. He served a 30-day jail term in Kankakee, then filed an appeal to the Illinois Appelate Court at Ottawa.
The Illinois Attorney General’s Office prosecuted the case. Assistant A-G Mary Bucaro (Monday) successfully argued that Henrichs has enough personal assets to hire his own attorney to pursue any appeal.
> A Bloomington man accused of killing his 14-month-old daughter has been ruled unfit to stand trial. A McLean County judge ruled Monday. The man showed signs of mental illness and frequently heard voices, according to his mother.
Erika Meece was found inside the home of her father, Jeff Meece, on Aug. 20 with serious head injuries after police were called to the 600 block of South Madison Street for reports of a man swinging a baseball bat. The child died in a Peoria hospital the following day. Reports from two psychiatrists indicated Meece is unfit to stand trial on first-degree murder charges, Public Defender Amy Davis told Judge Robert Freitag. The 47-year-old defendant will be taken to McFarland Mental Health Center in Springfield.
> An increasing demand for services is fueling plans to expand medical facilities in both Hoopeston and Rossville. Residents got a chance last night (Jan. 25th) to hear about Hoopeston Regional Medical Center’s projects totaling $24-million dollars.
Harry Brockus, Chief Executive Officer for the medical center, says there has been a ten-percent increase in the demand for services in the Emergency Room at Hoopeston Regional Medical Center over the past two years. Brockus also notes a new surgeon’s affiliation with Carle Clinic will allow more procedures to be done in Hoopeston once a new surgical suite is completed.
Hoopeston Regional Medical Center is looking to build a new 75-bed nursing home in Hoopeston, add 8,000 square feet of space to the hospital, and a new medical clinic in Rossville. Brockus says the demand for service at the existing Rossville clinic has risen to 450 patients a month. The new facility there would include a new x-ray lab and physical therapy.
Brockus says all of the projects are pending approval of a low-interest loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He says hopes are to have construction underway on all three projects in August. They would take about 18-months to complete and create 15 new jobs. — {Vermilion County First}
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