Illinois

Legislation classifying Illinois dispatchers as first responders clears legislature

Published

2 years ago

April 17, 2022

(The Heart Sq.) – A invoice that will give Illinois emergency dispatchers extra advantages and formally classify the career as first responders might quickly be despatched to the governor.

Senate Invoice 3127 was filed by state Sen. Neil Anderson and gives that emergency dispatchers at the moment are COVID-19 first responders.

If signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker, emergency dispatchers would qualify for further medical advantages, psychological well being advantages, and further funding for the business.

Anderson, R-Andalusia, defined throughout a information convention Wednesday why he thinks this invoice was vital to cross.

“Dispatchers are there to reply the preliminary name on what 99% of the time is somebody’s worst day of their total life,” Anderson stated. “These women and men take care of important conditions and they’re our eyes and ears for police, fireplace, and E.M.S.”

State Rep. Daniel Swanson, R-Alpha, is a Home sponsor of the invoice and echoed Anderson’s ideas on the significance of emergency dispatchers.

“These are important employees that assist residents and first responders by their most crucial moments,” Swanson stated. “They assist save numerous lives and assist folks from each stroll of life navigate by probably the most traumatic of instances.”

Swanson additionally stated classifying dispatchers as first responders might assist draw folks into the career throughout a state-wide labor scarcity.

“If we might help facilitate extra folks being interested by this sort of life-saving work with legislative motion, then we should always,” Swanson stated. “I’m proud to report that we’re taking these steps within the state of Illinois by passing this laws.”

Senate Invoice 3127 handed unanimously by each chambers of the Illinois Normal Meeting and may now be despatched to the governor.

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Illinois

Eagles' baseball late rally falls short as Northern Illinois edges Eastern Michigan 5-4

Published

7 hours ago

May 18, 2024

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Eagles' baseball late rally falls short as Northern Illinois edges Eastern Michigan 5-4

Bobby Jones (Loveland, Ohio/St. Xavier/Xavier) delivered the first complete game of his career and the third for the Eagles this season, but the Eastern Michigan University Baseball team’s late rally wasn’t enough as they fell to Northern Illinois University, 5-4, on May 16, at Ralph McKinzie Field.

The Eagles, trailing 4-0, put their first runs on the board in the fifth inning. Junior Logan Hugo (Essexville, Michigan/Essexville Garber) scored on a fielder’s choice by Blake McRae (Armada, Michigan/Romeo/Lansing C.C.), making it 4-1.

The Huskies extended their lead to 5-1 before the Eagles responded in the seventh inning. Sophomore Cooper Vance (New Waterford, Ohio/Mohawk) scored on McRae’s second RBI of the day, narrowing the gap to 5-2.

Eastern Michigan held Northern Illinois scoreless in the eighth inning. Further, it closed the gap to 5-3 in the bottom half, thanks to junior Brendan Kleiman’s (Olney, Maryland/Sherwood/Frederick C.C.) one-out solo home run, his second of the season.

Jones continued his strong performance by retiring the Huskies in order in the eighth inning, his second consecutive 1-2-3 inning.

In the ninth, the Eagles rallied again, as Hugo was driven in by Lucas Johnson (Hamilton, Ontario/Westdale Secondary/Wright State), bringing the score to 5-4. However, the comeback effort ultimately fell short, and the game ended with the Eagles losing narrowly.

Next, the Eagles and Huskies will face off again in the second game of their three-game series on May 17. The first pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. CT (3 p.m. ET).

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Illinois

Fundraiser, vigil held for children of Melissa Aud-Headlee, slain Joliet, Illinois woman

Published

14 hours ago

May 18, 2024

Press Room

Fundraiser, vigil held for children of Melissa Aud-Headlee, slain Joliet, Illinois woman

Vigil, raffle held for children of Joliet, Illinois murder victim

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JOLIET, Ill. (CBS) — A community in mourning united in Joliet Friday evening to help raise money to stop domestic violence.

As friends and family of Melissa Aud-Headlee came to terms with her death at the hands of her estranged husband, they sought to raise money for her three children.

They gathered outside Aud-Headlee’s home, collecting money for a raffle and a candlelight vigil.

A GoFundMe for Aud-Headlee’s children has raised more than $8,000.

Aud-Headlee was stabbed to death by her estranged husband in a murder-suicide this past Saturday morning.

Melissa Aud-Headlee’s older brother, Daniel Ronczkowski, told CBS 2 he was helping his sister plant flower beds on Saturday. When they ran out of mulch, he said he offered to run to the store.

He was only gone a few minutes when he got a call to come back. Melissa Aud-Headlee’s estranged husband, Michael Aud-Headlee, had been watching them from a distance, and confronted his estranged wife inside the home once her brother was gone.

Her family said she put down their 3-year-old son and told him to “run and hide.” After a struggle inside, she ran for a neighbor’s house.

But Joliet Police said that’s when Michael Aud-Headlee caught up to her in the middle of the street and stabbed her multiple times in the chest with a kitchen knife before turning the knife on himself.

Joliet police told CBS 2 they’d been called to the home for mostly domestic violence-related incidents nine times since 2021. Melissa Aud-Headlee had taken out two orders of protection against her then-estranged husband before he took her life.

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Illinois

New Illinois DCFS director Heidi Mueller reflects 100 days into role: 'Where I was meant to be'

Published

21 hours ago

May 17, 2024

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New Illinois DCFS director Heidi Mueller reflects 100 days into role: 'Where I was meant to be'

CHICAGO (WLS) — The new director of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services has been on the job since March.

Heidi Mueller was appointed by Governor JB Pritzker to head the department following the departure of its former director.

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The state agency, that has been criticized for past practices caring for children, is under new leadership, and Mueller spoke with ABC7 Friday.

To feel like you have helped a child find a forever home and find that love, it’s hard to put that in words. It’s so fulfilling and meaningful
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Heidi Mueller, Illinois DCFS Director

“I can’t imagine being anywhere else this is where I was meant to be,” Muller

Director Heidi Mueller is 100 days into the job with 24,000 children in care. As the former Director of the Department of Juvenile Justice, she said she wants to focus on prevention and offering support to struggling families Carefully considering the long term consequences of removing a child from a home.

RELATED | Marc Smith, DCFS Illinois director, steps down at end of 2023, Gov. Pritzker announces

“One of our core goals at DCFS is to support families temporarily in crisis and help get them to a place where they can be stable,” Mueller said.

Mueller said she will use new federal funds available to allow more family members to step up as guardians when needed.

“We see this as a incredible opportunity for better permanency for better outcomes for kids to be able to be in homes with family, because a lot of our kids just want to be in a home,” Mueller said.

Mueller said she started new contracts for more home-like placements for the children with complex medical or psychiatric conditions to keep children in state. She says there are currently 20 children statewide awaiting for that type of placement.

‘Those kids are still our kids, and they deserve the same level of love and care I would want for my own daughter,” Mueller said.

She said she has already seen the positive impact of when families are supported and when children find stability with an adoptive family.

“To feel like you have helped a child find a forever home and find that love, it’s hard to put that in words. It’s so fulfilling and meaningful,” Mueller said.

Mueller says the key to creating more positive outcomes is upgrading out dated technology and continuing to add more social workers. She hopes to add 360 more front-line workers next year.

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