Building Foundations
What do legendary NFL quarterbacks Steve Young, Dan Marino and Warren Moon have in common? They have all…
Home 〉 COVID-19 vaccination
By CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS SPRINGFIELD – In the wake of a July 4 mass shooting in Highland Park that left seven people dead and dozens more injured, Gov. J.B. Pritzker […]
Donors make Woodstock July 4 fireworks possible Woodstock’s Fourth of July Fireworks will light up the skies at dusk Monday, July 4, at Emricson Park. To park inside the park, […]
Staff Report news@thewoodstockindependent.com Everyone 6 months of age or older is eligible to receive a vaccination to protect against COVID-19, the McHenry County Department of Health is announced Thursday. The […]
Staff Report news@thewoodstockindependent.com Local health officials are recommend people in McHenry County resume wearing face masks as the community level of COVID-19 has risen from medium to high. According to […]
Staff Report news@thewoodstockindependent.com The McHenry County Department of Health is offering COVID-19 booster doses at its clinics to anyone who is 5 years of age or older. According to a […]
Staff Report news@thewoodstockindependent.com Health officials are warning people who live and work in northern Illinois that COVID-19 case rates are rising and now is the time to work to avoid […]
By PETER HANCOCKCapitol News Illinoisphancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Public school, community college and public university employees who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 are now entitled to paid administrative leave for any […]
The McHenry County Department of Health is announcing that people who might be at higher risk of severe outcomes from COVID-19 are most likely to benefit from an additional booster […]
By PETER HANCOCKCapitol News Illinoisphancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois House passed a bill Tuesday that would give teachers, professors, and other educational employees paid leave if they miss work for COVID-19-related issues, but only if they’ve been fully vaccinated. The House voted 70-28, with only Democrats voting in favor, to advance House Bill 1167, which would make the benefit retroactive to the start of the 2021-22 academic year. The bill is similar to one that lawmakers passed with broad bipartisan support during last year’s fall veto session, but which Gov. J.B. Pritzker vetoed in January because it did not include a vaccine requirement. “Well over 90 percent of teachers and staff would see a great, positive impact from this bill, and I know they would all appreciate your support to pass this bill,” Rep. Janet Yang Rohr, D-Naperville, said during floor debate on the proposal. But the vaccine requirement turned the new bill into a harshly partisan issue, with Republicans calling it an unfair “vaccine mandate.” “This does nothing to stop the spread of COVID in schools,” said Rep. C.D. Davidsmeyer, R-Jacksonville, who noted that he contracted the virus despite being fully vaccinated and that he caught it from someone else who also was fully vaccinated. “So, the idea that vaccine is stopping the spread of COVID in schools is absolutely nonsense. The reality is this is a mandate.” The bill would apply to vaccinated K-12 and higher education employees who take time off because they or a family member contracts COVID-19. It would also apply to employees who miss work because the school where they work is forced to close because of a COVID-19 outbreak, unless those days are later rescheduled. Rep. Katie Stuart, D-Edwardsville, argued that Illinois is already suffering from a shortage of teachers and that passage of the bill would send a message that the state values the work they do. “Legislation like this that shows the respect for the profession, and understanding the nature of the work that they do is how we are going to help fight our teacher shortage crisis,” she said. “We have to show that we respect teachers. We want teachers to be supported in their classrooms.” Republicans, however, argued that the bill unfairly discriminates in the way employee benefits are provided to educators on the basis of vaccination status because it provides a greater benefit to a vaccinated worker than an unvaccinated one even if neither contracts the virus. “If the teacher is fully vaccinated and her kid is ill, she can take the admin days,” said Rep. Mark Batinick, R-Plainfield. “But if the teacher is unvaccinated in that same situation, the kid’s ill, he or she does not get the benefit of those admin days.” The bill will head to the Senate for further consideration before it can head to Gov. JB Pritzker. Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service covering state government and distributed to more than 400 newspapers statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Wednesday that he was “cautiously optimistic” that the recent surge in COVID-19 cases spurred by the omicron […]
Larry Lough is editor of The Independent and reports local news.
Janet Dovidio has been a freelance correspondent for The Independent for eight years.
Susan W. Murray wrote for The Independent, covering various beats, from 2005 to 2008.
Tricia Carzoli is a freelance writer and photographer that on community news.
What do legendary NFL quarterbacks Steve Young, Dan Marino and Warren Moon have in common? They have all…
Within the next month, Barrington resident Doug McConnell will attempt to accomplish something that only 47 people older…
Woodstock resident Bob Will is like many of us. He worked hard all his life, raised a beautiful…