Illinois
Evergreen Park, Illinois, mayor has warning after harrowing battle with West Nile virus
With all the rain that fell in the Chicago area on Wednesday, standing water can become a breeding ground for mosquitoes.
With that in mind, Illinois state health leaders have sounded the alarm about a spike in cases of the West Nile virus.
Southwest suburban Evergreen Park is one of many villages and cities that spray for mosquitoes in the summer. It is one way communities get a handle on West Nile.
Former Evergreen Park Mayor Jim Sexton caught the virus, and had a warning Wednesday — especially with the virus already having been reported in 17 counties.
“I would never wish this on anyone,” Sexton said.
Sexton fell ill with the West Nile virus 13 years ago, and ended up losing feeling in his right arm.
“I had a glass in my hand, and it just went,” said Sexton.
He said the virus was attacking his system.
“The whole system,” he said. “it was in there and attacking it.”
In the summer of 2012, the then-mayor of Evergreen Park found himself in the ER at Advocate Christ Medical Center in neighboring Oak Lawn.
“This 60-year-old man in great shape, still very active,” Sexton said, “and a little mosquito gets you.”
That one mosquito was carrying the West Nile Virus.
“I was just out of it,” Sexton said. “I mean, almost like you would be having a stroke, or you couldn’t communicate.”
It took doctors two weeks to figure out what left Sexton bedridden.
“I did 45 days in Christ Hospital — two weeks in intensive care,” he said. “There was a lot of encephalitis.”
The inflammation on Sexton’s brain left him speechless. His wife, Karen, never left his side.
“Get me up and got me going,” Sexton said.
Sexton underwent months of physical therapy. That is why when he hears of West Nile already present in 17 Illinois counites this year — including Cook, DuPage, and Will — he wants everyone to take heed to the warning from the Illinois Department of Public Health.
“So you can take precautions — fix the screen, wear repellent, wear long-sleeved clothing,” he said.
Evergreen Park is, again, of many communities that take the steps to spray for mosquitoes. Sexton, before retiring as mayor, worked hard to make sure the village was proactive in protecting residents.
Meanwhile, 13 years after he was infected, he is still sometimes hesitant to be outside. And with so many people venturing out this summer, the former mayor of Evergreen Park is living proof of how anyone can catch the virus.
“We think we’re still making progress, but I’d hate to find out otherwise,” said Sexton.
West Nile virus is spread to people from infected mosquitoes, most commonly in the summer. Eight out of 10 people infected do not develop symptoms, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
When it comes to the West Nile virus, the Illinois Department of Public Health stresses the three R’s — reduce your exposure, repel using insect repellent, and report any standing water seen longer than a week, which can breed the virus.
The public is advised to wearing loose-fitting clothing, and, if possible, avoid peak mosquito feeding times, typically around dusk and dawn.
Severe illness from the West Nile virus can occur in about one in 150 people and is most likely to occur in people over age 55 or with weakened immune systems.
The suspension of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits due to the federal government shutdown could impact nearly 1.9 million Illinois residents, according to a community announcement.
The Illinois Retail Merchants Association (IRMA) is working to ensure consumers are prepared for the planned suspension, which is set to begin at midnight on Nov. 1. The suspension was announced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service. It means that SNAP recipients will not receive new deposits unless Congress reaches an agreement to end the shutdown. However, recipients will still be able to use any remaining benefits from October.
The Women, Infants & Children (WIC) program will not be affected, and recipients can continue to redeem their benefits as usual.
Retailers are expecting confusion at check-out counters and are coordinating closely with Gov. JB Pritzker’s office, the Illinois Department of Human Services and organizations like the Greater Chicago Food Depository to share important information and updates, according to the announcement.
IRMA has compiled resources for SNAP recipients and retailers, including how to locate local meal programs and food distribution centers, on its website.
This story was created by reporter Abreanna Blose, ablose@gannett.com, with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct.
CHICAGO (WLS) — Governor Pritzker signed an executive order declaring an agricultural trade crisis in Illinois on Wednesday.
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“This order directs our state agencies to take immediate action, promoting domestic markets for agricultural commodities and expanding health resources for our rural communities,” Pritzker said.
Before the scheduled signing, Pritzker visited the Curtin Family Farm in Taylorville, Illinois.
His office said he joined farmers to discuss how Trump tariffs are impacting the Illinois farming community.
The executive order signing was expected to gin at 10:30 a.m.
READ ALSO | Pritzker creates ‘Illinois Accountability Commission’ in executive order amid federal deployments
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ILLINOIS – Illinois has joined 25 other states in suing the Trump administration over its decision to suspend Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits amid the ongoing federal government shutdown.
The shutdown began Oct. 1 after lawmakers failed to reach a funding agreement.
What we know:
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced Tuesday that he joined a coalition of 26 attorneys general and governors in filing the lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Secretary Brooke Rollins. The suit accuses the agency of unlawfully suspending SNAP, which helps more than 40 million Americans buy food.
While the federal government funds and sets the monthly allotment for SNAP benefits, states are responsible for administering the program.
On Oct. 10, the USDA warned state SNAP agencies that if the shutdown continued, it would not have sufficient funds to pay full November benefits.
Two weeks later, on Oct. 24, the agency notified states that SNAP benefits would be suspended beginning Nov. 1, according to Raoul.
The lawsuit argues that the USDA’s claim of insufficient funds is false, noting the agency has access to billions in SNAP-specific contingency funds. It also claims the USDA has used emergency funds to support other programs during the shutdown but “has refused to fund SNAP.”
According to the filing, the suspension of benefits is “contrary to law and arbitrary and capricious under the Administrative Procedure Act.” The coalition also argues the USDA lacks authority to halt SNAP payments because Congress has already appropriated funding for the program.
The full lawsuit can be viewed below.
What’s next:
Raoul said he and other attorneys general plan to seek a temporary restraining order requiring the court to immediately restore SNAP benefits.
The lawsuit was also joined by the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin.
Governors from Kansas, Kentucky and Pennsylvania also signed on to the complaint.
The Source: The information in this article was provided by the Illinois Attorney General.
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