Photo of the Day - December 8, 2020

Unity defense yields win over SJO

Unity's Ana Deters [right] and Dani Gooch trap St. Joseph-Ogden's Brittani Master at the half court line during their non-confernce basketball game on December 2, 2008. The Rockets defeated St. Joseph-Ogden at home, 44-38. [Photo: PhotoNews/Clark Brooks]

On the fence about getting vaccinated? You might not have a choice

With at least two Coronavirus vaccines available on the near horizon, many Americans may face a new dilemma in the way of a mandated Coronavirus vaccination.

Just as in Star Trek: The Undiscovered Country, General Chang asks, "To be or not to be? That is the question which preoccupies our people...", to vaccinate or not to vaccinate? That is the question that will occupy the minds of millions of Americans, especially those who feel the process to create and supply the COVID-19 to the population was too hurried or those who feel their personal liberty will be infringed upon if mandated by the government to take it.

Unlike Australia, Iceland, New Zealand, South Korea and Vietnam, all countries that have successfully lowered their Coronavirus positivity rates without the need of a pharmaceutical solution, the United States and European nations are banking on vaccinating most of the population in order to attain herd immunity. According to experts, the U.S. will need about 70% of the population vaccinated in order to effectively put an end to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a Gallup poll completed between October 19 and November 1, 58% of Americans who responded said they would be vaccinated before Moderna and Pfizer released their preliminary results. The survey suggested that about four in 10 respondents to the most recent survey said they would not.

The Gallup results were nearly identical to The Sentinel's online poll where 38% of the respondents said would not be vaccinated as well. Polls completed by PEW also reflect the same level enthusiasm.

Fortunately for politicians, they will not have to create and vote on legislation that could endanger their political careers. Instead, the government can get the job done by proxy through the workforce.

In most cases, employers can, and most likely will in the months ahead, legally require employees to vaccinated as a condition of employment. Spearheaded by brick-and-mortar business and educational institutions, who desperately want to return to pre-pandemic profitability, an immunized workforce is paramount to make up for losses over the past nine months, to protect employees' and customers' health, reduce the likelihood of transmission on the job and a return to normalcy.

There might be a little wiggle room for those adamant about not getting a shot or two according to Michael LeRoy, an expert in labor law and labor relations at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

"This area holds some possibilities for vaccine objectors," he told the University of Illinois News Bureau. "However, it’s not as simple as saying, “I won’t vaccinate because of my religion.” The burden of proof is on the employee to show how their religious belief is violated."

The conundrum ahead is similar to that of Hamlet, who at the beginning of Act 3 of the Shakespearean play, contemplated death while lamenting over the suffering and unfairness of life.

"To be, or not to be, that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take Arms against a Sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them: to die, to sleep;"

Could being unvaccinated be a far more unpleasant choice?

Photo of the Day - December 7, 2020

Growing into greatness

Champaign Dream's Kohlten Johnson, of St. Joseph, winds up for a pitch at the First Pitch Father's Day Hardball Tournament Saturday on June 14 in 2008. He and the 9-and-Under traveling baseball team went down swinging losing to Steffen Heating and Air Conditioning, 19-2. Eight years later, Johnson grew into a 6-foot-1, 170-pound, right-handed Spartan hitter that help the program to its first IHSA Baseball State Finals in 2016. He was also a member the St. Joseph-Ogden basketball team that brought home a Class 2A state title months earlier in March.

[Photo: PhotoNews/Clark Brooks]

Guest Commentary: The best part of Christmas is everyone coming together

By Glenn Mollette, Guest Commentator

---

---

Christmas has different beginning times for most everyone.

For some it's when you put up the Christmas tree and decorations. For others it's when you wrap some presents and put them under the tree. While for others it's about the Christmas music. When they first start hearing Christmas songs on the radio then Christmas has begun for them.

Christmas may begin for you when your family arrives home to share in your celebration. Or your Christmas celebration may really begin when your family finally leaves.

When I was a child Christmas started for me when everything came together. The big fresh tree was hewn down from the hillside. Once it was decorated, I started watching for Santa. But it still was 't Christmas until I came up with a big package of firecrackers, cherry bombs and other noisy fireworks. I always loved putting firecrackers and cherry bombs under cans to see how far they would fly through the air.

My mother would make cookies, cakes and pies. My dad would always buy a big box of apples and oranges. It seems like they lasted a week.

Christmas really began when family came home. When we all got together that's when it seemed Christmas really started. The excitement came by us all being together. Sharing gifts was fun and provided moments of laughter. Eating my mother's delicious meal was always a stable holiday treat we always enjoyed.

The best past part was everyone being together for a couple of days. With social distancing, this may be one element of Christmas that many will not get to enjoy in 2020.

So many thousands of people have died from Covid-19 and they will be missed at the Christmas table. If this is you please cling to the hope of life beyond this world and that you will see your loved one again.

I believe throughout our planet that seeing our sick friends get well would make Christmas for all of us.

Christmas is different this year. We must enter Christmas this year with hope. You have to have hope to live. Life without hope is like a car with no fuel. A vaccine for Covid-19 is coming. We are praying this will spare lives in 2021. We have hope that by next Christmas we can all get together and celebrate.

Keep in mind there has never been anything normal about Christmas. Mary and Joseph and the baby spent their first Christmas in a barn which was like a cave for animals. The baby was laid in a cow's trough for a bed. Christmas always has the potential of being very different.

Remember Christmas is in your heart and that's where your main celebration and hope lie. May hope and Christmas be bright and rekindled anew and afresh.

May you within your spirit hear the bells on Christmas day. And, may you hear the angels sing, "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to all men on whom his favor rests."

-----------------------------------------------------------

Dr. Glenn Mollette is a syndicated American columnist and author of American Issues, Every American Has An Opinion and ten other books. He is read in all 50 states. The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily representative of any other group or organization.

-----------------------------------------------------------

This article is the sole opinions of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of PhotoNews Media. We welcome comments and views from our readers.

-----------------------------------------------------------

St. Joseph resident creates fund to help front-line, essential workers

A St. Joseph resident is on a mission to help others. Kelly Miller-Skinner, owner of Soul Care Urban Retreat Center in Urbana, has created a Pay It Forward Grant campaign on GoFundMe. Her goal is to raise at least $2,500 that will allow front line workers to spend to spend an hour in quiet rest or attend programs about spiritual wellness practices.

"I don't know about you, but during these last nine months, there have been numerous people who have helped me and my family and made sure that we have managed through this challenging time," Miller wrote in a post on Facebook. "All these folks pouring out of themselves day after day without hesitation. But they also have loads of extra stress and anxiety. And they don’t always have the money to do something to take care of themselves. They always put others first."

So far, donors have contributed $205 toward Miller-Skinner fundraising effort that will benefit educators, first responders, healthcare workers, civil servants, pastors and ministers, social workers, counselors and mental health providers, retail and restaurant workers.

"All these people are pouring out of themselves day after day without hesitation," she said. "Won’t you pay it forward by making a contribution?"

For more information contact Miller-Skinner at Soul Care Urban Retreat Center by phone at (217) 996-1752 or by email at info@soulcareexperience.com. Donations can be made online with GoFundMe at Pay It Forward Grants.

Photo of the Day - December 6, 2020

Spartans win Leader Classic Title

St. Joseph-Ogden seniors Matt Foreman, Mitch Blair and Ryan Barnes hold the 2005 Leader Classic Holiday Basketball Tournament team award in 2005. The Spartans posted its third consecutive title after defeating Monticello at the annual basketball tournament sponsored by the weekly print newspaper published and owned by St. Joseph resident Scott Hunter. The name of the tournament changed after The News-Gazette, who purchased The Leader from Hunter, shuttered at the end of August in 2018. Not wanting to see the tournament's run end, Toyota of Danville stepped up to become the title sponsor. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)

Photo of the Day - December 5, 2020

NBA Style

Rocket's Seth Gooch and Spartans' Visar Arslani battle for possession of a loose ball during fourth quarter action of their non-conference game played at Indianapolis' Conseco Fieldhouse. Now called Bankers Life Fieldhouse, the two Illinois rival programs took advantage of the opportunity to play in the NBA arena back on December 7, 2008. Unity went on to defeat St. Joseph-Ogden, 53-49. [Photo: PhotoNews/Clark Brooks]

We have an obligation to our heroes

Op-Ed by Darren Bailey

---

---

More than two dozen Illinois veterans residing at the LaSalle Veterans’ Home have died from COVID-19. If this seems familiar, you are correct. We’ve been down this road before.

"The obligation we have to these heroes and to their families is sacred and to have that obligation so thoroughly neglected is an unconscionable moral failing. This is incompetence. It is gross mismanagement. This is what happens when a governor refuses to take charge."

This statement isn’t being made by me. It was made more than two years ago by J.B. Pritzker, who was commenting about then-Governor Bruce Rauner and the Legionnaire’s Disease outbreak at the Quincy Veterans’ Home.

To date, 30 veterans have died due to the COVID-19 outbreak at the LaSalle Veterans’ Home, with 89 percent of the residents infected. Apparently, state government hasn’t learned its lesson.

We have a moral obligation to our veterans and Governor Pritzker is failing to live up to that obligation. As J. B. previously pointed out, the buck stops at the Governor’s office.

A recent report by the U.S. The Department of Veterans Affairs, cited by the online news site The Center Square, indicated the home’s problems included ventilation problems, ineffective hand sanitizer and a Halloween party staff reportedly attended. Where were Governor’s Pritzker’s mitigation rules?

According to media reports, staff who showed positive virus test results were also allowed to work in the home’s COVID wing. It’s also been reported, it took 12 days before the Illinois Department of Public Health responded to the LaSalle Veterans’ Home outbreak. Another media report by the Associated Press indicated the outbreak first began in late October when one staff member and a resident tested positive for COVID.

Given past experience with Legionnaire’s Disease, how quickly it spread at the Quincy Veterans Home, and the rapid increase in the number of positive COVID cases statewide, state government should have been on red alert.

In fact, it was known by late May that half of the COVID deaths were in nursing homes. If these congregate living arrangements would have been a priority, the elderly vets at LaSalle Veterans’ Home could have been better protected.

I join my legislative colleagues, Senators Sue Rezin whose district is home to the LaSalle Veterans’ Home and Paul Schimpf a Marine Corps veteran of the Iraq War, who are calling for additional legislative hearings to get to the bottom of this crisis that threatens the lives of our heroes. Lessons learned could help protect other Illinoisans at nursing homes around the state.

Our veterans deserve better than the failed leadership Pritzker has showed. Real leadership is more than just lecturing people, it is about real results.

"After fatally mismanaging the Quincy Veterans’ Home, @BruceRauner is letting persistent health issues jeopardize the wellbeing of our nation’s heroes. This is a shameful display of failed leadership." – J.B. Pritzker, March 30, 2018, Twitter

Governor Pritzker is bold enough to hand out advice, following it is apparently a different challenge.

Darren Bailey is an Illinois State Representative from the 109th District.

Pandemic keeps Secretary of State offices closed until next year

The Illinois Secretary of State announced today that offices closed November 17 will now remain closed until week of January 4, according to a news release issued by Jessie White.

"As the health and safety of employees and the public are paramount, we decided to extend the closure of Driver Services facilities until Jan 4, 2021, due to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic," White said in the statement. "Unfortunately, face-to-face transactions potentially increase the further spread of the virus, and protecting the health and safety of our residents is my top priority."

Offices around the state have been closed since November 17 in anticipation of a surge in COVID-19 infections.

Locally, the Titon and Rantoul offices will remain open with limited services. The Tilton office, located at 5 Southgate Drive, and the Rantoul office at 421 S. Murray Road will continue to have drive-through license sticker renewals. In addition, the inside office will be open for commercial driver’s license (CDL) applications, and new drivers can also register at the facility.

White has expanded online services for the public, which they can take advantage of by visiting www.cyberdriveillinois.com. Some of these services include:

• Renewing a license plate sticker;
• Renewing a valid driver’s license for qualifying drivers;
• Renewing a valid ID card for those age 22-64 (seniors 65 and older have free, non-expiring IDs);
• Obtaining a driver record abstract;
• Filing Business Services documents, such as incorporations and annual reports; and
• Customers with issues involving administrative hearings may contact adminhearings@ilsos.gov.

White said expiration dates of driver’s licenses and ID cards have been extended until June 1 of next year.

Photo of the Day - December 4, 2020

SJO gives up plus-40 to visiting Cardinals

Head coach Dick Duval, on the left, and Casey Hug (middle) escort injured Eli Marlow off the field before halftime during St. Joseph-Ogden's home game against Stillman Valley on September 5, 2008. Marlow suffered game-ending trauma to his left shoulder. Later, the visiting Cardinals handed the Spartans a sour 44-25 loss. The last time a SJO team allowed an opponent to score over 40 points in the regular season was to Clifton Central in 2002. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)

Local business: The Sentinel wants help your holiday sales

Are you a local small business owner looking to increase your holiday sales during this holiday season? Let the Sentinel help. Starting Monday we are creating a local gift guide for shoppers who live in the communities we serve.

Did you know nearly two-thirds of shoppers are looking for curated gift lists online? Yeah, neither did we until we started doing the research on how to create a successful guide for our readers.

The Sentinel Holiday Gift Guide is designed to increase the visibility of your business and products. We want to help as many small businesses that we can ring in some extra sales over the next three weeks. Here's another fact: Gift guides are shown to more than double conversion rates and increase engagement by 76% especially for online retailers.

Like other small business ventures, the pandemic has kicked our virtual news tushy. With over 500 readers a day and plenty of time on our hands, we figure we can lend a helping hand to area small business with lots of free publicity. Sixty-six percent of holiday buyers plan to shop more at locally this holiday season and we want to make it easy for them by shining a light on products and services from area small businesses.

So what is this going to cost to be featured? Nothing. Zilch. Nada. We are looking highlight and share awesome gift ideas to our readers. Hopefully, our guide will keep people buying local and rebuild the local economy.

If you have a product or service you would like featured in the gift guide, simply copy the section below, paste it into a new email message to and advertising@oursentinel.com after you have answered the questions. Owners are welcome to submit as many items as they wish. We will select only one item every seven days to feature.

If you have any questions don't hesitate to email us at advertising@oursentinel.com or call 217.778.2197.

Name of Business:

Contact Name:                                               Contact Phone Number:

Website Address:

Link to featured item on your website:

Description of the product or service:

 

Choose a category:
Category options: • Gifts under $25 • Gifts Women & Girls Will Love • Gifts for Men & Boys • Food • Gifts for Everyone
• Art & Home Decoration • For Newlyweds • Gifts for Students • Stocking Stuffers

Retail Price:                     Sale Price:
(Enter Sale Price if the product/service is being offered at discount)

Please attach a photo of the featured item or service. Make sure it is a sharp, well-exposed image will do your product or service justice. The better the photo the better your odds at attracting buyers. Photo should be no smaller than 400 pixels on the longest side at 96 DPI.

Questions? Email us at advertising@oursentinel.com or peck 217.778.2197. Holiday gift guide features will be processed on a first come, first serve basis until December 23. Featured items will appear on The Sentinel website and shared on our social media platforms.