CHICAGO – An Illinois resident and cancer survivor was recognized as the Chicago Bears’ special guest during the Bear Down Flag Ceremony Thursday night.

Sally Wagner, of Round Lake, was invited by Advocate Health Care and the Bears to help unfurl the flag at Soldier Field during pregame introductions for the Bears vs. Seahawks game.

Wagner’s family joined her on the field before they returned to the stands to watch the game. The event marked the one-year anniversary of Wagner completing chemotherapy treatment.

In the spring of 2023, Wagner sought treatment for painful fibroids and opted for a routine hysterectomy, health officials said.

During the procedure, her gynecologist found suspicious tissue. A biopsy confirmed Wagner had non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Wagner said the diagnosis was a shock to her as she has no family history of the disease.

Besides feeling more fatigued than usual, Wagner said she didn’t experience typical symptoms of lymphoma, like swollen lymph nodes, fever or night sweats.

Her diagnosis required immediate treatment, and Wagner stayed at Advocate Condell for 92 hours of continuous chemotherapy every two weeks for six rounds, with additional rounds later in the year. 

“I got really close to the team while I was there. From the very first night of treatment, I felt at ease. Everyone was so positive and kind, and the care was excellent,” said Wagner. “I never looked forward to chemo, but I looked forward to seeing the team who cared for me.” 

The doctors and nurses said they admired Wagner’s strength, resilience and sense of humor throughout her chemotherapy treatment.

“I felt blessed to have met Sally and to be her nurse administering chemotherapy during her stay,” said Rodgers, a charge nurse in the Advocate Infusion Center. “Sally handled her diagnosis with such grace; she remained positive and focused on healing. Sally’s fun and upbeat personality won the hearts of everyone on our unit.”

Wagner said she stays connected with her care team, and now that cancer is behind her, she is embracing the present and looking forward to the future.

SPRINGFIELD (WGEM) – Illinois’ Human Rights Act will soon protect people’s reproductive health decisions thanks to a new law taking effect Jan. 1, 2025.

“It amends the Human Rights Act to protect an individual’s reproductive health decisions from discrimination or retaliation in the context of employment, housing, public accommodations, education and financial credit,” said state Sen. Laura Fine, D-Glenview, the legislation’s Senate sponsor.

She said under the law, reproductive health decisions aren’t limited to pregnancy-related choices. Yes, someone’s past decision whether to get an abortion will be covered, but so will family planning choices like whether to take birth control, sterilization, whether to seek fertility treatments, or use holistic medicine or alternative medicine.

“It would be a violation, for example, for an employer to terminate an employee for seeking in vitro fertilization, a housing provider to refuse an apartment rental because a person had an abortion or a bank to deny a loan because it is going to be used for fertility treatments,” Fine said.

The law’s opponents fear it could limit people’s First Amendment rights. Though it has exemptions for religious organizations, it does not exempt groups like nonprofits that may have a faith-based mission but are not directly affiliated with a denomination.

“There is a right of association under the First Amendment and it allows the freedom to associate with other who have similar political, religious and cultural beliefs, and I fear that is exactly who this bill is targeting is organizations that aren’t affiliated with one religion but they are formed for a purpose and to associate with those who have a similar religious belief,” said state Sen. Jil Tracy, R-Quincy, citing a previous U.S. Supreme Court decision.

She said crisis pregnancy centers are an example of organizations that could be affected by the new law.

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DIXON — The Illinois Tollway Board of Directors has approved a new seven-year capital plan to support ongoing infrastructure projects and bridge the gap between the “Move Illinois” program and the agency’s next long-term capital plan, “Bridging the Future.”

The $2 billion “Bridging the Future” capital plan will help modernize the Illinois Tollway’s infrastructure to help support future projects while addressing maintenance issues along the five roadways on the Tollway system, including the Tri-State Tollway (I-94/I-294/I-80), the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90), the Reagan Memorial Tollway (I-88), the Veterans Memorial Tollway (I-355) and the Illinois Route 390 Tollway.

‘Bridging the Future’ overview

• Connecting infrastructure – $258 million will be spent on interchange work, including the I-355/I-88 interchange, state Route 390 Tollway at County Farm Road and the I-88 at York Road/22nd Street interchanges. Improvements will also be made to the Lake Cook Road Bridge over I-94.
• Improving mobility – $725 million will be spent on bridge reconstruction and widening projects, including local crossroad and mainline bridges on I-294, railroad bridges on I-294 and I-88 and crossroad bridge reconstruction at the north end of I-94.
• Modernizing the system – $532 million will be spent on system upgrades and maintenance systemwide, including bridge repairs, pavement rehabilitation and funding for improvements to toll plazas and tollway facilities.
• Preparing for the future – $485 million will be allocated for technology investments in active traffic management, upgrades to back-office systems and support for pilot programs and studies.

“The Bridging the Future capital plan is a smart and balanced approach that ensures the completion of critical improvements as we continue the engagement necessary to advance our long-term capital planning process,” Board Chairman Arnie Rivera said. “The Illinois Tollway Board has a fiscal responsibility to prioritize strategic regional projects with system upkeep to leverage funds efficiently.”

No changes to the tollway’s current tolling structure or any further debt financing are expected to fund “Bridging the Future” outside of what is already planned for the “Move Illinois” program, according to a news release.

“Throughout the past year, we’ve been gathering stakeholder and community input as part of our long-term strategic and capital planning process, and one thing we’ve heard across the board is that customers, communities and contractors don’t want to see a pause in progress or wait for the next capital program to begin,” Executive Director Cassaundra Rouse said. “The Bridging the Future plan will help keep our regional economic engine primed, delivering jobs and contract opportunities and also ensuring our planned infrastructure improvements remain on track.”

“Move Illinois,” the tollway’s current $15 billion capital program, is expected to finish by the end of 2027. The program has already accomplished several milestones, including the 2017 completion of state Route 390, the rebuilt Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90) with its SmartRoad corridor and the 2022 interchange connecting I-294 to I-57.

Construction of the new I-490 Tollway, including reconstruction and widening of the Central Tri-State Tollway (I-294), is on schedule for completion.

The Illinois Tollway is a user-funded system without federal or state funding for its maintenance and operations. It oversees 294 miles of roadways across 12 counties in Northern Illinois.

For more information, visit illinoistollway.com.