Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
Unity's Lauren Miller blocks a shot from St. Joseph-Ogden's Ashlyn Lannert during the first half of their Illini Prairie Conference game on Saturday. With home court advantage, the Spartans won the contest 49-27 to clinch the Illini Prairie Conference title. Miller finished the game with six points, five rebounds, and four assists for the Rockets.
Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
Unity head coach Dave Ellars reminds his players to keep their arms up during second quarter play against the Spartans.
Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
Keep the ball away from Unity's Erika Steinman, Addison Frick secures a loose ball for the Spartans during the first half of the game. The sophomore guard finished the game with six points.
Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
SJO's Ella Armstrong goes after the ball for a steal from Rockets' Addison Ray. Armstrong finished with a game-high 12 points for the Spartans. Ray, who went of 0-2 from the free throw line, contributed one field goal in Unity's loss and finished with a hard-fought five rebounds.
Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
Katey Moore hauls in a offensive rebound for the Rockets. The senior guard chipped in six of the team's 27 points.
Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
St. Joseph-Ogden senior Ashlyn Lannert tries to put a shot up over Unity's Katey Moore during the fourth quarter. Lannert finished the night with two points drained back in the first quarter of the contest.
Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
Spartans' Ella Armstrong puts up a fourth-quarter shot on Unity's Lauren Miller. Armstrong, a senior, was the only player to score in all four quarters of the game on Saturday.
Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
Rocket's Addison Ray looks to make a pass after coming up with a loose ball in the fourth quarter. Unity dropped to 20-8 overall and 6-3 in conference play after the loss to the Spartans. Ray and the Rockets hope to correct their three-game skid against 18-10 Monticello tonight at 7pm.
Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
Kaytlyn Baker drives past Unity's Erika Steinman into the paint. Baker came off the bench late in the final quarter contributing a free throw to the Spartan's cause. The St. Joseph-Ogden girls team is back in action tonight against the Panthers of Paxton-Buckley-Loda (11-16) in their final IPC game of the season.
Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
Unity senior Gracie Renfrow congratulates SJO players and staff on their win on Saturday.
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The Biden-Harris Lead Pipe and Paint Action Plan calls for $15 billion over the next decade to replace all the country's lead pipelines.
Angela Guyadeen, director of the Safe Water Initiative for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), said financing lead-line removal projects is a major barrier for most communities.
"What's really important to know is that money coming down from the state and also the feds is going to make this process a lot easier," Guyadeen explained. "Many states and communities across the country have said, 'Yeah, well, you know, we really want to replace lead service lines, but it's a really expensive project and there's a lot of other priorities we have to be thinking about.' "
The NRDC estimated as of last June, Illinois had between 700,000 and 1.4 million lead lines. Last summer, the Illinois General Assembly passed a separate measure to begin replacing the state's lead lines. The Chicago Sun-Times reports Illinois will receive $288 million to support the efforts via the federal plan.
The Metropolitan Planning Council noted lead lines are a serious issue in communities of color; 65% of the state's Black and Latin residents live in communities containing 94% of the state's known lead pipelines.
Guyadeen argued the state should ensure the funding to replace the pipelines is equitably distributed. She pointed out the state's current method for distributing such funds, the State Revolving Fund, can be difficult for smaller communities to navigate.
"If you are a mayor or a small-town mayor of a community, and you don't have a lot of resources or consultants, that can be a barrier to accessing these funds," Guyadeen contended.
A separate Metropolitan Planning Council report found replacing all the state's lead pipelines could generate up to 250,000 jobs and $23 billion in new economic activity.
Vice President Kamala Harris, visiting Wisconsin last week, touted the benefits the plan could have for organized labor.
"These investments will result in improved public health, the creation of more jobs, the infusion of support for important apprenticeship programs, and it's just simply the right thing to do," Harris stated.
Exposure to lead can cause several adverse health effects, including anemia, kidney and brain damage. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it also can damage the nervous systems of unborn children.
