•June 8, 2016•

Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs today visited the Carver Community Center to highlight the nearly $19,000 the center received through the unclaimed property division.

Frerichs occasionally visits unclaimed property recipients to show the public that the program is legitimate and is not a scam. The treasurer’s office never charges money to reclaim cash or property.

“The Carver Center serves a niche in the Peoria community, and I am happy that we are able to assist its mission to help youths and families,” Frerichs said. “Money in our unclaimed property division belongs to the residents of Illinois. It should be in their bank accounts rather than the state’s safe.”

Ken Hinton is the executive director at the Carver Center. “This unexpected surprise will help us serve our community and further our mission,” Hinton said. “The unclaimed property program is real and claiming the money was a simple, straight-forward process. Ours is a perfect example of not knowing there was a gift simply waiting for our claim which will result in us being able to serve and help our community in multiple ways.” Read More

Photo furnished
Pictured are: (back row, left to right) SBL Golf Committee members, Sam Adair and Tim Kastl; CoBank Regional Vice President, Cliff Bolstad; Coles-Moultrie President & CEO, Kim Leftwich; and CoBank Vice President, Aaron Johnson.
(front row, left to right) SBL Golf Committee members, Patty Hedges, Debbie Boldig, Becky Taylor, Kim Lockart and Cindy Foster. Not present: SBL Golf Committee members, Chris Kessler, Linda Neeley and Larry Tojo.

•June 8, 2016•

Coles-Moultrie Electric Cooperative and CoBank recently donated $8,000 in sponsorship funds to Sarah Bush Lincoln’s 27th annual golf benefit scheduled for Friday, June 10, at Mattoon Golf & Country Club. Net proceeds from the event will benefit the construction of Sarah Bush Lincoln’s new Regional Cancer Center.

“We are delighted to support Sarah Bush Lincoln in its efforts to enhance cancer care for community members with a new modern facility,” Coles-Moultrie President and CEO Kim Leftwich said. “Coles-Moultrie’s $4,000 donation was matched dollar-for-dollar by CoBank, as part of its ‘Sharing Success’ program designed to benefit cooperatives and the charitable groups they support throughout rural America,” Leftwich said.
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•June 8, 2016•

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) has confirmed the first human case of West Nile virus reported in Illinois for 2016. An adolescent in west central Illinois became severely ill in late May.

“We typically don’t start to see human cases of West Nile virus in Illinois until the end of July or beginning of August,” said Illinois Department of Public Health Nirav D. Shah, M.D., J.D. “This first human case is much earlier this year, reminding us that it’s important to protect ourselves against mosquito bites now and not wait until the hotter months of summer.”

Surveillance for West Nile virus in Illinois includes laboratory tests on mosquito batches, dead crows, blue jays, robins and other perching birds, as well as testing sick horses and humans with West Nile virus-like symptoms. People who observe a sick or dying crow, blue jay, robin or other perching bird should contact their local health department, which can determine whether the bird will be picked up for testing.

West Nile virus is transmitted through the bite of a Culex pipiens mosquito, commonly called a house mosquito, which has picked up the virus by feeding on an infected bird. Common symptoms include fever, nausea, headache and muscle aches. Symptoms may last from a few days to a few weeks. Four out of five people infected with West Nile virus will not show any symptoms. However, in rare cases, severe illness including meningitis or encephalitis, or even death, may occur. People older than 50 and immunocompromised individuals are at higher risk for severe illness from West Nile virus. Read More

•June 8, 2016•

Renters must earn $19.98 to afford a two-bedroom apartment in Ill., while nearly $225 million in emergency state funding for affordable housing is being held up to due to state budget impasse

In order to afford a modest, two-bedroom apartment in Illinois, renters need to earn $19.98 per hour. This is Illinois’ 2016 Housing Wage, revealed in a national report released today. The report, Out of Reach 2016, was jointly released by Housing Action Illinois, a statewide coalition that fights to protect and expand the availability of quality, affordable housing throughout Illinois, and the National Low Income Housing Coalition, a Washington, DC- based research and advocacy organization.

Nearly $225 million in state funding that would help alleviate the shortage of affordable housing was just included in a larger emergency funding bill for human service programs that the General Assembly recently passed with bipartisan support. The bill, SB 2038, includes funding for homeless shelters, supportive housing, rental subsidies, and housing construction. This funding—as well as additional funds for affordable housing—would have been available 11 months ago if not for the state budget impasse. On May 18, the bill was sent to Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner for his consideration. Read More