Monthly Archives: October 2020
Read more about the article Beds in emergency hallways perilous during pandemic, experts sayGoogle Street View
OSF Heart of Mary as it appears on Google Maps Street View on October 16, 2020.

Beds in emergency hallways perilous during pandemic, experts say

Carle Foundation Hospital is routinely treating people in beds in the hallways of the emergency room at its Urbana facility on University Avenue, although the practice has come under criticism by health experts. The practice is generally done because a hospital is at overcapacity and does not have room for patients and is known as “boarding.” Boarding has been criticized because negative effects can include death, preventable disability, prolonged hospital stays and general discomfort.

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Read more about the article Jesus “Chuy” Garcia decreases campaign spending from last electionUS House Office of Photography
Jesus "Chuy" Garcia's most recent official photograph.

Jesus “Chuy” Garcia decreases campaign spending from last election

Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, Democratic congressman of Illinois 4th congressional district, significantly decreased his re-election campaign spending from $1 million in 2017-2018 to only about half million so far in the 2019-2020 election cycle. Andrew Mayersohn, committee researcher at the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonprofit organization that analyzes political spending, said Garcia is spending less since he doesn’t face any “serious threats” in this campaign cycle. His opponent Jesus Solorio has only raised $755.

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Read more about the article Brad Schneider donates over $50,000 to charitiesCongress Website
Rep. Brad Schneider of Illinois's 10th district.

Brad Schneider donates over $50,000 to charities

Congressional candidate Brad Schneider (D-IL 10th District) has sharply increased his donations to other groups from nearly $2 million in campaign funds as he seeks reelection in November. According to analysis of FEC records, Schneider gave $53,825.48 to charities and medical workers, and $400,110.3 to the Democratic Congressional Committee, which uses those funds to support other Democratic candidates.

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Read more about the article Campus crime reports significantly different; Some call for reform of federal Clery ActUniversity Housing
Campus crime locations include residence halls, such as Hopkins Hall, which had at least 13 incidents in the 2020 fall semester at the University of Illinois.

Campus crime reports significantly different; Some call for reform of federal Clery Act

Last year, 233 criminal incidents occurred on the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus according to the 2019 annual security and fire report, mandated by the federal crime reporting law for colleges known as the Clery Act. But the university’s daily crime log routinely reports many more incidents. Some law enforcement officials said the Clery Act guidelines can be confusing and unclear for crime reporting and can lead to ‘unintended harms’, especially in the wake of COVID-19, which may make campuses appear less safe than reality.

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Read more about the article State database reveals details of Covid-19 outbreaks in Champaign County
Rantoul Foods in Rantoul, IL on Sunday, May 17, 2020. photo by Darrell Hoemann/The Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting

State database reveals details of Covid-19 outbreaks in Champaign County

Previously confidential statewide data tracking coronavirus cases across Illinois shows that there have been at least 50 different outbreaks in Champaign County traced to restaurants, stores, churches, nursing homes, hospitals and in a county office. The internal database kept by the Illinois Department of Public Health has tracked case counts for nearly 2,600 separate outbreaks across Illinois. In Champaign County, the number of cases in individual outbreaks ranges from two at the Carle Clinic in Mahomet to 97 at Rantoul Foods in Rantoul, which CU-CitizenAccess has previously reported. The database also listed cases at Cunningham Children’s Home (8) , Plastipak (14) and the Champaign County Jail in Urbana (4). The data also includes the ‘unofficial prom party’ in Champaign County where there were 17 confirmed Covid-19 cases. That prom party has been reported as being in Mahomet.

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Read more about the article The University Of Illinois Dials Back Statements About FDA Authorization For Its COVID-19 TestPhoto: Christine Herman/Illinois Newsroom
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign requires students and employees get tested regularly for COVID-19, using a saliva-based test developed by its own researchers.

The University Of Illinois Dials Back Statements About FDA Authorization For Its COVID-19 Test

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s saliva-based COVID-19 test has never operated under emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, despite prior claims that it did, an FDA spokesperson tells Illinois Newsroom. So far, campus officials say the U of I has been contacted by 35 organizations, including other universities, expressing interest in adopting the campus’ Shield program, which involves testing, contact tracing and other mitigation measures.

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