Anemic roster fuels Tigers' conference loss to Wildcats

NORMAL -- Taking the court with a seriously depleted roster, the Urbana girls basketball team dropped their fifth conference game of the season on the road on Saturday, January 8. The Tigers, with just six players available players, suffered a 52-10 loss at Normal West.

Gabrielle Mboyo-Meta led Urbana's scoring effort with six points. Junior McKenzie Sprague and freshman Jasmine McCullough rounded out their team's side of the scoreboard with two points apiece.

Though there were limited opportunities between numerous turnovers, neither team was able to score until there was 4:28 left in the opening quarter. Megan Williams sank a trey to put the Wildcats up 3-0.

Normal West then capitalized on an overthrown Tigers' pass to go up 5-0 thanks to a bucket in the paint from Meredith Bertsche. With a little more than three minutes to play in the quarter, Ashley Wilcox added two more points from under the basket to give the Wildcats a 7-0 advantage.

Urbana responded by stepping up their defensive effort. Next, the squad put their first points on the board with a free throw from Mboyo-Meta. A minute and 45 seconds later, the Tigers were back in the game down, 7-4.

The understaffed Urbana team was limited to just eight first-half points.

It was Normal West's Monie Howard and her two-quarter, ten-point run and the inability to rotate players in that sealed Urbana's fate.

The Wildcats had three players reach double figures. Williams had 11 points, Howard was good for 10, and Wilcox drained another 10 points in the Big Twelve Conference victory.

Mboyo-Meta and the Tigers are scheduled to play on the road for the next three contests starting Thursday at Danville, Saturday at St. Teresa in Decatur, and at Rantoul next Tuesday. Urbana's next home game will be against Mattoon on January 20.

Box Score

Final: Urbana 10 - Normal West 52

	1	2	3	4	F
Urbana	4	4	0	2	10
Normal West	7	16	21	8	52

Urbana --
Mboyo-Meta 1 (1) 1-2 -- 6, Sprague 1 (0) 0-0 -- 2, McCullough 1 (0) 0-0 -- 2, T. Hall 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Edwards 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, J. Hall 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0

Normal West --
Kobel 1 (2) 0-0 -- 8, Wilcox 4 (0) 2-2 -- 10, Wertheim 0 (0) 0-0 -- 0, Gale 1 (1) 1-1 -- 6, Wilson 1 (0) 0-1 -- 2, Howard 5 (0) 0-0 -- 10, Williams 1 (3) 0-0 -- 11, Tinsley 0 (0) 1-3 -- 1, Bertsche 1 (0) 0-0 -- 2, Patton 1 (0) -9 -- 2

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High School hoops tonight | Unity hosts Tuscola, Tigers square off with Ironmen at home

Tonight's Live NFHS Broadcasts

January 11, 2022

URBANA HIGH SCHOOL 6:00 PM Boys Sophomore Basketball vs Normal Community 7:30 PM Boys Varsity Basketball vs Normal Community

UNITY HIGH SCHOOL 5:30 PM Boys Junior varsity Basketball vs Tuscola 7:00 PM Boys Varsity Basketball vs Tuscola

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New invention may reduce need for mask in classrooms

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It makes sense that these particles can be easily pulled by the room’s HVAC system or larger air purifier.

(NAPSI) -— A new approach to indoor ventilation has been developed that can significantly decrease the risk of COVID and influenza outbreaks in schools, offices and other indoor environments, and even speed a reduction in mask wear.

The innovative invention captures and cleans individuals’ breaths within seconds, before potential viruses have a chance to be dispersed throughout a room, improving overall indoor air quality. Current methods, including upgrades to existing HVAC systems, have proven somewhat ineffective as COVID outbreaks continue to create disruptions in indoor settings throughout the United States.

"Existing ventilation systems in schools, offices and elsewhere were not built for virus control. Not only does better ventilation decrease the risk of catching COVID, it has been shown to also improve work productivity and school performance," said Larry Schoen, P.E., Fellow ASHRAE, Principal Engineer for Schoen Engineering Inc. "And even after upgrading a traditional HVAC ventilation system with better filters, it still allows virus-laden air to affect others in a room, creating the potential for contagion."

According to Dr. Rama Rao Amara, Emory University School of Medicine: "We know that COVID, as well as many other viruses, are airborne, meaning they spread through the air in microscopic, aerosolized particles. So, it makes sense that these particles can be easily pulled by the room’s HVAC system or larger air purifier. To stop COVID and other pathogens, such as influenza or even the common cold from spreading in indoor environments, it is vital to capture an exhaled breath before these aerosols have a chance to journey around a room. We need to re-evaluate how indoor air quality is managed."

Called Air-Clenz, the new technology has been customized for classrooms so teachers can see students as they did in pre-COVID settings. The size and positioning of the unit on the desk or cafeteria tabletop let students place their computers, textbooks or lunch trays within the air collection unit, so exhaled air is captured and cleaned of viruses or other pathogens while a student studies, eats or works.

"Capturing exhaled air close to the face before it becomes dispersed has been totally overlooked," said Stuart Sheldon, CEO of Air-Clenz Systems. "Except for a face mask, which most individuals would not want to wear for the rest of their lives, there is no known system in the world that captures even 50 percent of one’s exhaled air without also cleaning 100 percent of the air in a room or enclosed space. There are literally hundreds of different commercial air purifiers and HVAC system options, but none come close to achieving what Air-Clenz can achieve."

The technology adds to the HVAC system for even cleaner air.

Dr. Anita Broach, Air-Clenz’s Chief Scientist, adds: "Research demonstrates that Air-Clenz’ technology typically captures and cleans more than an estimated 85 percent of a person’s exhaled breath in approximately three seconds. The captured air is then cleaned to a 99.9 percent level before being recirculated."

Food | A tasty traditional steak taco recipe you will want to try

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(NAPSI) -— Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men, women, and people of most racial and ethnic groups in the United States—about 655,000 Americans die from heart disease each year, according to the Centers For Disease Control And Prevention — but you can protect yourself 3 ways.

Three Steps To A Healthier Heart

1. Don’t smoke. If you do smoke, quit. See your doctor, the can help.

We all know smoking can cause cancer, heart disease, stroke, and lung diseases. It has also been known to also increase the risk for tuberculosis and problems of the immune system, including rheumatoid arthritis.

2. Get regular exercise. The Surgeon General recommends 2 hours and 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise week.

Start with walking and work your way up to fun social sports like golf, doubles tennis, or pickleball. Lap swimming and biking are great low, impact activities that can help you lead a healthy life.

3. Eat right. Choose plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables and foods high in fiber and low in saturated fats, trans fat, and cholesterol. Avoid eating large snacks before bedtime and avoid sugary snacks, too.

To help, Mazola® Corn Oil has come up with a number of recipes that are delicious and support heart health. The all-purpose cooking oil is a heart-healthy choice for baking, grilling, sautéing, stir frying or mixing up a marinade.

Very limited and preliminary scientific evidence suggests that eating about 1 tbsp (16 grams) of corn oil daily may reduce the risk of heart disease due to the unsaturated fat content in corn oil. FDA concludes there is little scientific evidence supporting this claim. To achieve this possible benefit, corn oil is to replace a similar amount of saturated fat and not increase the total number of calories you eat in a day.

Mazola is known to have a high smoke point of 450° F. All cooking oils have a smoke point that, once exceeded, negatively affects the way food taste.

Here’s a heart-healthy recipe, popular with Latinx cooks, that’s delicious for everyone:

Steak Tacos

Ingredients

1 pound flank or skirt steak, frozen for 30 minutes
4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) Mazola® Corn Oil, divided
3 tablespoons tamari or reduced sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 teaspoons chili powder
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
8 taco-sized flour tortillas heated on skillet lightly coated with Mazola® Corn Oil until lightly charred.

Toppings:

Cotija cheese
Chopped cilantro
Pickled jalapeno
Lime wedges

In large bowl, combine soy sauce, lime juice, 2 tablespoon Mazola® Corn Oil, minced garlic, chili powder, cumin and oregano.

Remove steak from freezer and slice thinly across the grain. Place in bowl with marinade. Stir to cover. Marinate 45 minutes to 2 hours.

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in large skillet over high heat. Add steak to hot oil. Sear on both sides for about 1 minute. Immediately reduce heat to medium high.

Add reserved marinade. Cook, stirring often, until marinade has reduced to half, about 3-4 minutes. Divide steak among warmed tortillas.

Top with a sprinkling of chopped cilantro, crumbles of cotija cheese and pickled jalapeño. Enjoy the feast by immediately with a squirt or two from lime wedges.