Two people in eastern Wisconsin and one person in northeastern Illinois have died of West Nile virus, according to health officials.

A third person in Wisconsin also has been hospitalized because of the mosquito-borne illness, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services said in a release.

That state’s cases involve residents of Outagamie, Fond du Lac and Brown counties.

In Lake County, Illinois, three people tested positive for the virus over the last seven days, the Lake County Health Department and Community Health Center said in a release.

One of the victims experienced symptom onset in mid-August and died shortly thereafter.

West Nile virus is commonly spread through the bite of an infected mosquito. While most people don’t experience symptoms, about 1 in 5 can develop a fever, headache, body aches, vomiting, diarrhea or rash, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 1 out of 150 infected people develop a serious, sometimes fatal, illness.

An average of 18 cases of West Nile virus are reported in Wisconsin each year, and the virus has been detected this year in mosquitoes, animals and healthy blood donors whose blood screened positive for West Nile virus, the state said.

West Nile virus was first reported in the U.S. in 1999 in New York. It gradually spread across the country. In 2003, there were nearly 10,000 cases.

Illinois will accept submissions for a new state flag design after Labor Day as commissioners decide whether to change the flag.

The measure creating a 20-member Illinois Flag Commission (IFC), was signed into law by Gov. JB Pritzker last year. The commission is currently deciding whether to change the flag.

“History is living, breathing, and ever-evolving,” said Democratic state Sen. Doris Turner, a co-sponsor of the legislation that started this effort. 

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In a statement, Turner said, “We need to ensure government is evolving with the times, so people are engaged and a part of what is going on across the State. To start the conversation, I led the initiative to create the Illinois Flag Commission….[It] is tasked with deciding whether the current State flag should be replaced with a redesigned State flag. We need a flag that truly represents Illinois – a state with a strong workforce, an agriculture champion, and so much more.”

Turner of Springfield and Democratic state Rep. Kam Buckner of Chicago created the legislation to allow officials to “evaluate if a new State flag would better represent the state’s diversity of urban, suburban and rural communities and inspire renewed state pride among Illinoisians,” the Illinois secretary of state’s office said in a press release.

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Illinois will accept submissions for a new state flag design after Labor Day as the commissioners decide whether to change the flag. (Fox News)

The IFC will select ten designs based on how they reflect the identity of Illinois. On January 1st, 2025, the commission will host an online public survey for residents to vote on their favorites and on whether to keep the current flag.

The development comes as several other states also have been redesigning their flags, including Utah, Mississippi, Michigan, and Maine.

Minnesota approved a change to its flag in January earlier this year.

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A final Minnesota flag design is on display Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023 St. Paul, Minn. The new state flag should feature an eight-pointed North Star against a dark blue background shaped like the state, with a solid light blue field at the right, a special commission decided Monday as it picked a replacement for an older design that many Native Americans considered offensive.  (Glen Stubbe  /Star Tribune via AP)

Minnesota in May unveiled its flag to reflect its motto of being the North Star State. The flag replaced an old flag that pictured a Native American that some critics argued was racist.

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Similar to Illinois, Minnesota state officials formed a committee and allowed entries from members of the community before voting and ultimately adopting a new flag design in December that included two blue shapes with a white star.

Fox News’ Lawrence Richards contributed to this report.

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Big Ten college football is back, and one of the early prime games of the season is #25 Iowa hosting the Illinois State Redbirds out of the Missouri Valley Conference today. Kickoff is slated for noon Eastern on the Big Ten Network.

If you don’t have cable but would like to watch college football, you can utilize free streams from Fubo, DirecTV Stream. Each offer a free trial to new users. Sling has promotional offers as well.

Iowa is coming off a heck of a season, specifically their third season with 10 wins in the last five seasons. The Hawkeyes ranked as high as No. 16 last season, and ended their season with a loss in the Citrus Bowl to Tennessee.

Illinois State comes into the season off back-to-back 6-5 seasons, and will suit up vs. Iowa without head coach Kirk Ferentz and wide receivers coach Jon Budmayr, due to them serving self-imposed one-game suspensions due to a recruiting violation.

Here’s more details on how you can watch today’s matchup.

What: #25 Iowa vs. Illinois State

When: Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024

Time: 12:00 p.m. Eastern

Where: Kinnick Stadium | Iowa City, Iowa

Channel: BTN (Big Ten Network)

Best Streaming Options: FuboTV (free trial), DirecTV Stream (free trial). Sling (half off first month)

Channel finder if you have cable: Verizon Fios, Comcast Xfinity, Spectrum/Charter, Optimum/Altice, DIRECTV and Dish.

Here is more background ahead of the Iowa-Illinois State game from the Associated Press:

Series record: Iowa leads 1-0.

WHAT’S AT STAKE?

Iowa got all it could handle the last time it played an opponent from the Football Championship Subdivision, winning 7-3 over South Dakota State in the 2022 opener. The Hawkeyes will be without coach Kirk Ferentz and wide receivers coach Jon Budmayr. They’ll serve self-imposed one-game suspensions for committing a recruiting violation. Seth Wallace will be acting head coach. The Redbirds last played a Big Ten opponent in 2022, losing 38-0 at Wisconsin.

KEY MATCHUP

Iowa fans get their first look at the offense under new coordinator Tim Lester, who takes over for the fired Brian Ferentz after the Hawkeyes ranked last and second-to-last in yards per game the last two years. QB Cade McNamara, whose season ended in the fifth game because of a major knee injury, returns as the starter. The Redbirds bring back nine of their top 11 tacklers from the defense that allowed 20.5 points per game to rank 22nd in the FCS.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Illinois State: LB Amir Abdullah is one of the most disruptive defenders in the FCS. Last season he had 9.5 sacks and 14 tackles for loss among his 64 total stops. He also had three quarterback hurries and two forced fumbles.

Iowa: TE Luke Lachey passed on declaring for the NFL draft and returns from the knee injury that knocked him out for the season in the third game.

FACTS & FIGURES

Iowa has been ranked in the preseason five straight years, matching the longest streak in program history (1957-61). … Kamari Moulton is listed as the No. 1 running back on the Iowa depth chart ahead of veterans Leshon Williams and Kaleb Johnson. Ferentz said Williams has been battling a nagging injury and Moulton merits the job for being consistently sharp at practice. … The Hawkeyes have allowed fewer than 20 points per game in eight consecutive seasons, the longest active streak in the nation. … Illinois State had not named a starting quarterback as of midweek. It will be either 2023 backup Tommy Rittenhouse or Kansas State transfer Jake Rubley.