Urbana Board of Education to hold special meeting on Tuesday
URBANA -- The Urbana District #116 Board of Education will hold a special meeting in the Board Room at 205 North Race Street in Urbana on Tuesday, March 29, at 7:30pm. The agenda includes four key topics for discussion with three related to the school's mask policy and Covid-19 mitigation.
The Board will hear a presentation from Dr. Ivory-Tatum, who will revisit previous discussions on the masking and metrics for the district. An updated or modified return-to-school plan will also be discussed.
The meeting will be live-streamed on YouTube here.
Members of the public can participate during the Public Comment portion of the meeting in person or by emailing their public comments to publiccomment@usd116.org by 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 29, 2022. A district administrator or board member will read comments submitted by email.
Meeting attendees are required to wear a mask. The Urbana School District currently follows a universal indoor masking policy. All students, teachers, staff, and visitors are required to comply with the policy, regardless of their vaccination status.
If you forget to bring a mask, lose it on your way into the building, or do not have one, a mask will be provided and must be worn during the meeting.
Bill to attract and retain volunteer firefighters and EMS personnel stalls in Illinois
Springfield —- Last week, fire officials and state legislators met at the Illinois state capital rallying for the approval of a bill designed to help alleviate the shortage of volunteer firefighters and EMS workers in the state.
Senate Bill 3027, which would provide a $500 state income tax credit for volunteer emergency workers who earn less than $10,000 in stipends for their service to the fire department, passed the Senate unanimously with 51 of the possible 58 votes on February 23. The tax credit would apply to EMS personnel who have worked for a fire department or fire protection district for at least nine months.
Unfortunately, the vote was essentially put on hold by the house after being assigned to the Revenue and Finance Committee on March 7. The proposed legislation is similar to those in New York, Iowa, and Maryland.
It is estimated the state would lose $20 million to $22 million in lost tax revenue annually if in enacted. Some lawmakers say it is a small price to pay to keep Illinoians safe.
"First responders are always at the forefront of each incident or disaster," said State Senator Meg Loughran Cappel (D-Shorewood). "The past couple of years have been very challenging for these individuals and it’s my hope that creating a tax credit will show our support to the people who keep our communities safe and incentivize more people to join our departments,"
Rep. Tom Bennett (R-Gibson City) added, "With the critical shortage of volunteers and the amount of taxpayer dollars they save us, we can’t afford NOT to pass this legislation, which will help encourage recruitment and retention who serve our communities selflessly."
Highland Fire Chief Kerry Federer said the shortage is a public safety crisis. The number of emergency and fire calls to departments around the state has tripled.
"This reflects a nationwide shortage of volunteers, contributing factors which include: the aging population of volunteers, increased training requirements, and newer policies, which prohibit full-time firefighters from volunteering in their own communities," Federer said in a statement from the Illinois Firefighters Association.
Senator Neil Anderson (R-Rock Island), who is also a fireman in the Quad Cities, said volunteer first-responders deserve the financial support from the state.
"People’s lives have changed, and volunteer department numbers are down," Anderson said. "If we can find a way to attract more volunteer emergency workers with a little incentive, it is something this small that could play a big role in saving someone’s home or their livelihoods. My hope is this bill will help increase and maintain retention rates for volunteer departments who already see greater challenges because of less resources."
Seven senators - one Republican and six Democrats - did not cast a vote after the third reading of the bill.
The legislation also removes provisions concerning volunteer fire protection associations and updates the definition of "volunteer emergency worker". Lawmakers behind the measure hope the legislation is approved before the legislature adjourns on April 8.
Senate Bill 3027, which would provide a $500 state income tax credit for volunteer emergency workers who earn less than $10,000 in stipends for their service to the fire department, passed the Senate unanimously with 51 of the possible 58 votes on February 23. The tax credit would apply to EMS personnel who have worked for a fire department or fire protection district for at least nine months.
Unfortunately, the vote was essentially put on hold by the house after being assigned to the Revenue and Finance Committee on March 7. The proposed legislation is similar to those in New York, Iowa, and Maryland.
It is estimated the state would lose $20 million to $22 million in lost tax revenue annually if in enacted. Some lawmakers say it is a small price to pay to keep Illinoians safe.
"First responders are always at the forefront of each incident or disaster," said State Senator Meg Loughran Cappel (D-Shorewood). "The past couple of years have been very challenging for these individuals and it’s my hope that creating a tax credit will show our support to the people who keep our communities safe and incentivize more people to join our departments,"
Rep. Tom Bennett (R-Gibson City) added, "With the critical shortage of volunteers and the amount of taxpayer dollars they save us, we can’t afford NOT to pass this legislation, which will help encourage recruitment and retention who serve our communities selflessly."
Highland Fire Chief Kerry Federer said the shortage is a public safety crisis. The number of emergency and fire calls to departments around the state has tripled.
"This reflects a nationwide shortage of volunteers, contributing factors which include: the aging population of volunteers, increased training requirements, and newer policies, which prohibit full-time firefighters from volunteering in their own communities," Federer said in a statement from the Illinois Firefighters Association.
Senator Neil Anderson (R-Rock Island), who is also a fireman in the Quad Cities, said volunteer first-responders deserve the financial support from the state.
"People’s lives have changed, and volunteer department numbers are down," Anderson said. "If we can find a way to attract more volunteer emergency workers with a little incentive, it is something this small that could play a big role in saving someone’s home or their livelihoods. My hope is this bill will help increase and maintain retention rates for volunteer departments who already see greater challenges because of less resources."
Seven senators - one Republican and six Democrats - did not cast a vote after the third reading of the bill.
The legislation also removes provisions concerning volunteer fire protection associations and updates the definition of "volunteer emergency worker". Lawmakers behind the measure hope the legislation is approved before the legislature adjourns on April 8.
Sound off: Do you think lawmakers should pass this bill? Tell us in the comment section below why they should.
ViewPoint | A case for a mixed-method fix to the US economy
Anyone entering the labor market or buying cars or property this year or next will be highly affected by inflation policies.
Throughout history, sometimes the Federal Reserve, or "Fed," has altered the federal funds rate in the same direction, up or down, over lengthy eras. The Fed has also often left interest rates constant.
An example of the first was raising them from approximately 1977-1980, or cutting them from 1968-1971. An example of the second was over the Great Recession (2010-2015) - which held near 0%. Predictability gives firms expectations, causing smoother shifts in supply and demand without smaller iterations.
However, keeping rates lengthily at the same level can lead to financial instability, from: "chasing higher yield;" savings and investments imbalances; or, from larger policy changes once “shocks” arise. With the pandemic “shock,” political-economic turbulence might still be ahead, and more inflation. The 1920’s economist Irving Fisher described inflation as butter (money) spreading too far over bread (goods).
Inflation today has several culprits: monetary policies of central banks; international conflict; fiscal policies of spending bountiful government money, much of it deficit-financed; labor shortages from workers fearing the virus; and online-bought goods causing trouble coordinating ships or truck entries into ports.
The Fed, while independent, must still align itself with President Biden’s policies, which called for two infrastructure bills. With the larger bill, even moderates have to compromise, and the newly-convoluted idea that lawmakers do not have to reveal their stances makes politics more dyspeptic.
The wealth tax (on unrealized capital gains) to pay for the bill may have been unconstitutional or could have shifted investments overseas. But, raising the top income bracket was rejected, and raising the payroll tax on upper-earners was not even considered. Spending proposals, such as “free” community college, or even scholarships, or my own proposed idea for an ice-breaker vessel for the Arctic’s infrastructure, were rejected ad-hoc in behind-the-scenes negotiations. Hyper-politicized parliamentary rules took precedent over actually voting on amendments.
Undernoted in this debate, and absent from modern economic texts, is the 1960’s "balanced budget theorem," promulgated by economist Paul Samuelson. Increasing taxes and spending by similar amounts can theoretically increase short-term growth, though never attempted, but permitting an inflation focus. Yet, bills sometimes die, and Mr. Biden has not even addressed healthcare yet.
Fortunately, last year’s annual end-of-year budget crises were averted. Perhaps the Republicans saw no need to add “insult to injury,” since inflation hit. As Fisher described, perhaps butter melts faster than bread expands, in our analogy, because money is more liquid than goods, which take time to produce.
Henceforth, Mr. Powell may have lowered rates too slowly before, too quickly during, and to be seen too delayed after the pandemic. Some economists have said these were the Fed’s worst historical mistakes.
With both inflation and held-back pandemic growth presenting challenges, it might benefit the Fed to follow a third course, of short-term changing rates incrementally, from meeting-to-meeting, or quarter-to-quarter, based on changing conditions "on the ground," as military leaders say. In essence, mix the ingredients differently. The Fed did so in the mid-1980s and mid-1990s. Instead of dubiously committing to raising rates indefinitely, it might be wise to keep an eye on growth, especially with the conflict overseas, as rate hikes could lead to recession- worse than the current climate.
The economy is now Mr. Biden’s, having re-nominated Mr. Powell for Chair, while nominating Lael Brainard for Vice-Chair, both now before the Senate amidst questions over Fed "insider trading," and whether the Fed should own environmentally-unfriendly assets.
Dr. Brainard could steer Mr. Powell within his newfound fixation on rate-raising. Once set, though, a mixed-method approach, as described here-to-fore, might prove most stabilizing, along with mixing policies between different tools. Also helpful for Fed policy, and for keeping rates low, would be if President Biden’s larger bill were to be revisited once growth slows, even if voted on in pieces. Parts, even those aimed at climate change, could stimulate the economy, especially if some revenues paid down debt.
A combination of all such approaches would ensure that the government gets the upcoming climate right and that the kids get their holiday baked goods just under a year from now, without a recession, but certainly with butter for everyone.
Dr. Todd J. Barry holds a PhD from the University of Southern Mississippi, and teaches economics, currently with Hudson County Community College in New Jersey, USA.
New AI technology detects sleep apnea while you snooze
NAPSI—- Roughly 20% of U.S. adults have sleep apnea, and as many as 90% of those cases go undiagnosed. The condition occurs when people stop breathing periodically throughout the night, potentially leading to severe health issues.
Conventional methods for diagnosing sleep apnea can get expensive and are known to be uncomfortable, requiring medical professionals to administer tests at a doctor’s clinic or hospital or needing the patient to purchase at-home monitoring devices.
With this knowledge, Mintal—a wellness-focused technology brand—developed Mintal Tracker (available to download for free on iOS and Android), an AI-driven sleep analysis app that doesn’t require any hardware or external devices to generate thorough sleep reports and detect warning signs for sleep apnea.
Detect Sleep Apnea From Home, Free
Leveraging industry-leading AI technology, the Mintal R&D team developed a sophisticated deep learning model that can maintain high accuracy with low hardware performance and storage requirements. Mintal Tracker can analyze your sleep sounds in real time, accurately identifying when you snore and/or display signs of OSAHS (Obstructive Sleep Apnea/Hypopnea Syndrome) to generate analysis reports in seconds and enable you to quickly understand your sleep habits.
Setup is easy; you just need to place your phone by your bed, and the app will record and analyze your sleep sounds throughout the night. Through testing, the app was found to be highly accurate in diagnosing moderate to severe sleep apnea, offering a starting point for further medical diagnosis. As such, users call this app “life saving”:
•“An excellent app. Did not expect the level of diagnosis provided. I was really impressed. I will be recommending this app to family and friends. I will also make sure my PCP is aware this app exist. Thank you for a very useful and possibly life saving app.”—Phillip M**, 12/05/2021, Google Play
•“This app help me see that I have issues when I sleep, especially with snoring, that I may have sleep apnea. This is a great app to have if you worry about why you are still tired when you wake up, you may not be getting a good quality of sleep.”—Nay N**, 12/06/2021, App Store
• “I love this because it is the alarm that has worked for me. It really knows when to wake me so I’m less moody... My sleep has only improved in all this time.”—Foran E** 12/23/2021, Google Play
After a night of sleep tracking, the app generates a summarized sleep report highlighting key metrics including how long and how frequently you snored and sleep talked, your risk of apnea and provides sleep cycle analysis and personalized sleep tips, which gives you or your doctor a whole picture of your sleep conditions. Moreover, you can listen to your snoring, dream talking and environment noises in the report.
Finally, Mintal Tracker goes beyond sleep tracking and sleep apnea detection—the app offers users hundreds of soothing sounds, anxiety relief exercises, a sleep encyclopedia and personalized advice for developing healthier sleep habits.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)