Day: November 17, 2020

Midwest governors urge precautions on pandemic

By Peter Hancock A bipartisan group of governors from seven Midwest states, including Illinois governor JB Pritzker, issued a joint plea Tuesday for residents of their states to take precautions against the spread of COVID-19 over the upcoming holiday weekend, even if that means avoiding travel and family get-togethers. “This

Four Sangamon County restaurants ordered closed temporarily for violating COVID-19 mitigations

By Sarah Mansur Four restaurants in Sangamon County that continued to offer indoor dining in defiance of governor J.B. Pritzker’s COVID-19 mitigation plan were ordered to shut down temporarily Tuesday. The order from a Sangamon County judge states that the four restaurants, Charlie Parker’s Diner, D&J Cafe, Sweet Basil Cafe,

Fox Valley Mall plan: Demolish empty Sears, build apartments

By Jason Crane At the Aurora city government Committee of the Whole meeting Tuesday, through the Zoom video conference platform, City Council members viewed a proposal of phase 1 of the Fox Valley Mall redevelopment plan. Centennial Real Estate Company in Dallas, Texas, owners of the Fox Valley Mall propose

Congresswoman Underwood offers thanks

Congresswoman Lauren Underwood released the following statement after Associated Press announced November 12 its projection in the IL-14 Congressional race candidate Jim Oberweis: “I am honored to be reelected to represent Illinois’ beautiful 14th District in Congress. This was a tough race under some very difficult circumstances, and I want

Federal funds would help cultured meats

November 6, 2020Dear editor; As the pandemic continues to ravage the country, now is the time for senators Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin of Illinois to support federal funding for cultured-meat research. For those who don’t know, cultured meat is grown from cells. Because animals are removed from the process,

Bill in D.C. Council to allow 11-year-olds to decide on vaccines

First of a two parts The following article was printed in the Defender Children’s Health Defence News & views. Proposed D.C. law would give vaccine decisions to kids 11 or older without parents’ knowledge or consent: “Children could consent to vaccines without parents’ permission, while insurance companies, vaccine providers, and

InterFaith Aurora Thanksgiving virtual

InterFaith Aurora’s 13th annual community Thanksgiving celebration will be virtual from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 22. The public is invited to participate at us02web.zoom.us/j/85258914409.Faith communities scheduled to participate are Wesley United Methodist Church, St. John AME, Sikh Community, St. Joseph Catholic Church, St. John United Church of

Veterans’ homes under COVID-19 scrutiny

By Sarah Mansur Republicans on the Illinois House Veterans’ Affairs Committee called for a hearing last week to investigate a COVID-19 outbreak at the LaSalle Veterans’ Home where at least nine residents have died after testing positive for the virus. In a letter to the House’s committee chairwoman representative, Stephanie

One Spirit seeks to assist Lakota Native Americans daily

In many of these difficult times, accelerated by COVID-19 and resultant economic and health situations, banning together in groups is helpful. Native Americans grapple with similar situations continually. (See The Voice November 5 and 12 on Native American voting challenges.) One Spirit is an organization which seeks to address the

Recipe of the Week: Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake

Ingredients3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened1/2 cup sour cream1/2 cup white sugar1 teaspoon vanilla extract3 eggs1 (10 inch) prepared graham cracker crust1 cup pumpkin puree3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon1 pinch ground cloves1 pinch ground nutmeg1/2 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed Directions1. Preheat oven to 325 F. 2. In a large