Author: Joe Mason

The number of COVID-19 patients in U.S. hospitals hit 40,000 for the first time since August on Wednesday, according to a Reuters tally, as the nation battles a surge in infections led by Midwest states. Hospitals have seen a 36% rise in coronavirus patients over the past four weeks and Midwest hospitals are setting new records every day. So far in October, 16 states have reported their highest daily numbers of hospitalized COVID-19 since the pandemic started, including the Midwest states of Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin. Hospitalizations of virus-stricken patients have set records in…

President Donald Trump gets a final chance to make his case for re-election before a vast audience of Americans when he squares off against Democratic rival Joe Biden on Thursday in their last debate before the Nov. 3 vote. The televised meeting comes as Trump badly needs to alter the trajectory of the race. He trails Biden significantly in national polls less than two weeks before Election Day, though the contest is much tighter in some key battleground states. Opinion polls show there are relatively few undecided voters. A record 42 million Americans have already cast ballots ahead of the…

CHICAGO (Reuters) – Six U.S. states reported record day-over-day increases in COVID-19 deaths on Wednesday, according to a Reuters analysis, as infections rose across the Midwest and elsewhere, prompting new clampdowns on residents, schools and businesses. Deaths attributed to COVID-19 hit daily records in Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Kansas, Hawaii and Wisconsin, Reuters found. Wisconsin, Illinois, Kentucky, Colorado and Ohio reported record daily increases in new infections, the tally showed. The number of patients in U.S. hospitals suffering from the virus hit 40,000 for the first time since August on Wednesday, according to the analysis. “Folks, please stay home,” Wisconsin Governor…

PHILADELPHIA/GASTONIA, N.C. (Reuters) – Former President Barack Obama returned to the campaign trail on Wednesday with a blistering attack on Donald Trump with less than two weeks to go before the Republican president’s Election Day face-off with Democratic nominee Joe Biden. Speaking at a drive-in rally in Philadelphia on behalf of Biden, his former vice president, and Democratic running mate Kamala Harris, Obama offered his fiercest critique yet of his successor. He took aim at Trump’s divisive rhetoric, his track record in the Oval Office and his habit of re-tweeting conspiracy theories. “With Joe and Kamala at the helm, you’re…

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe has accused both Russia and Iran of trying to interfere with the 2020 presidential election, drawing swift denials from Moscow and Tehran. The announcement two weeks before the Nov. 3 election showed the level of alarm among top U.S. officials that foreign actors were seeking to undermine Americans’ confidence in the integrity of the vote and spread misinformation in an attempt to sway its outcome. Ratcliffe made the announcements at a hastily arranged news conference on Wednesday that also included FBI Director Chris Wray. “We have confirmed that some voter…

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – California theme park executives said on Wednesday that legal action was among the options they were exploring to hasten the reopening of the industry in the state. “I think that all options are open at this point. We are going to continue to explore our options,” Erin Guerrero, executive director of the Californian Attractions and Parks Association, told a news conference when asked whether legal action was being considered. Guerrero was responding to guidance by California health officials on Tuesday that pushed the reopening of Disneyland and other large parks months down the road. The news…

(Reuters) – Imagine that the polls have closed in Florida, counties are beginning to report early vote counts, and it looks like former Vice President Joe Biden is way ahead. An hour later, Pennsylvania counties begin to report and it seems to be a slam dunk for U.S. President Donald Trump. Don’t be fooled, voting experts and academics say. Early vote counts in the most competitive, battleground states can be particularly misleading this election because of the surge in mail-in or absentee ballots, and the different ways that they are processed. The states that count mail-in votes before Election Day…

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Republican-led Senate Judiciary Committee is set to vote on Thursday on President Donald Trump’s nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to a lifetime U.S. Supreme Court post, with Democrats boycotting the proceedings after fiercely opposing her confirmation. FILE PHOTO: Judge Amy Coney Barrett, U.S. President Donald Trump’s Nominee for Supreme Court, meets with Senator Martha McSally (R-AZ) on Capitol Hill in Washington DC, U.S. October 21, 2020. Jim Lo Scalzo/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo Barrett, a federal appeals court judge whose confirmation would expand the top U.S. judicial body’s conservative majority to 6-3, was poised to win the…

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Supreme Court’s deadlock this week in a key election case illustrates the power President Donald Trump’s nominee Amy Coney Barrett could wield and reveals why Republicans are hurrying to install her as a justice, Democrats said on Wednesday in their latest pitch to block her U.S. Senate confirmation. Judge Amy Coney Barrett, U.S. President Donald Trump’s Nominee for Supreme Court, poses for a photo before a meeting with Senator Roy Blunt (R-Mo) on Capitol Hill in Washington DC, U.S. October 21, 2020. Anna Moneymaker/Pool via REUTERS Chief Justice John Roberts broke with the four other conservative…

The White House on Thursday released raw footage from an interview that U.S. President Donald Trump did with “60 Minutes” reporter Lesley Stahl, breaking an agreement to keep material from the highly-anticipated clash private until an edited version could air this weekend. U.S. President Donald Trump walks from Marine One with first lady Melania Trump to board Air Force One as they depart Washington on campaign travel to Nashville, Tennessee to attend his second and final debate with Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S., October 22, 2020. REUTERS/Tom Brenner The footage shows Stahl, a veteran…

We all know that many people have trouble falling or staying asleep at night. The experts warn that this common problem can have a huge impact on their mood, energy, productivity and their health in general. People spend thousands of dollars to find the best solution for this type of health problem. If you suffer from sleeping problem, then you’ve tried different solutions as well, such as: better mattress, sleeping teas and other natural remedies, medications or relaxation techniques. But, if you haven’t found the best solution, then you are in the right place. In this post we are going…

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued a warning to state residents on Tuesday, saying that some healthcare regions in the state have seen more than triple the number of coronavirus hospitalizations than they did during the first wave of the virus earlier this spring. According to data provided by Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health, Region 3, located in west and central Illinois and including Springfield, is seeing 3.2 times as many hospitalizations as it did during its previous peak in early April. Region 6, which includes Champaign, is seeing a staggering 3.5 times as many hospitalizations as it…

Johnny Newton didn’t experience training camp the way most freshman do. The defensive tackle wasn’t even on the field when it started in August. “I felt pretty bad being away from my team,” Newton said. “Not being able to help my team and I just wanted to get back out and do anything I could to help my team be better.” Newton tested positive for COVID-19 when he got to campus in August. He had to quarantine in a hotel room and sit out for cardiac screening, missing three weeks of his first training camp.

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 12,623 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 in Illinois, including 79 additional deaths. Four of the 79 individuals who passed away were from Champaign County. The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District announced the four COVID-19 deaths included a female in her 70s, two males in their 80s and one 90-year-old male. The county death toll is now at 37. Yesterday, Governor J.B. Pritzker hinted that a statewide stay at home order is back on the table after ruling it out four days earlier as the state wrestles with bringing the…

House of ‘Paign captured the attention of Illinois basketball fans this summer in its run to the quarterfinals in The Basketball Tournament. The tournament itself, of course, captured the attention of sports fans across the country in July as the only sporting event happening. Illini basketball fans followed along as alums like Malcolm Hill and Andres Feliz teamed up for the first time ever and former star South Dakota State Mike Daum — a TBT “grad transfer” — led the way. House of ‘Paign knocked off War Tampa and then reigning champions Carmen’s Crew before falling to Red Scare in the…

With two weeks until Thanksgiving, a long winter ahead and new restrictions on the University of Illinois campus, officials are hoping people don’t develop pandemic fatigue. Unlike humans, “the virus doesn’t get tired,” said Marty Burke, the chemistry professor leading the UI’s testing effort. “We all have to recommit ourselves to staying very safe.” With an increase in COVID-19 cases on campus, the UI is encouraging students and employees to limit their activities and increasing how often grad students, faculty and staff have to get tested. An average of more than 50 cases are being detected each day on campus,…

The University of Illinois is spearheading a $2 million project for cybersecurity. A team there is creating a cybersecurity education program for the Critical Infrastructure Resilience Institute. There’s a national shortage of cybersecurity professionals in the U.S. The program will teach people about the workforce to hopefully gain more momentum in the field. The team will research and develop an academic standard curriculum that will be implemented in colleges and schools across the nation. It will focus mainly on rural, minority, and gender inclusivity to build a more comprehensive and diverse workforce. “What this project is addressing is a skill…

Champaign County Crime Stoppers is asking for the public’s help with investigating the fatal shooting of an Urbana man last month. Police responded just after 2 a.m. on Oct. 8 to a shooting at William and Duncan streets in Champaign. Officers found a 29-year-old man who was lying in the middle of the street and was unresponsive. He had been shot multiple times. First responders took him to an area hospital, but he died a short time later. Coroner Duane Northrup later identified the shooting victim as Martin D. Morrow, of Urbana. Crime Stoppers say detectives are actively investigating all…

A personal finance website ranked Illinois colleges and universities and gave the state’s top spot to Northwestern University. WalletHub compared higher education institutions using 30 metrics, including cost and financing, student to faculty ratio and graduation rate. WalletHub also analyzed post-attendance metrics, the student-loan default rate and the share of former students earning more than students who graduated from high school but didn’t get a bachelor’s degree. Institutions were considered colleges if they provide only undergraduate, or baccalaureate degrees and programs, and universities if they offer undergraduate, including masters and/or doctoral degrees and programs. WalletHub Analyst Jill Gonzalez said the top…

Two Urbana men found in possession of a gun Sunday were charged Monday with Class X felonies. Keonte Fletcher, 24, and David Banks, 52, who each listed addresses in the 1400 block of Lierman Avenue, were charged with being armed habitual criminals and for unlawful use of a weapon by a felon. Assistant State’s Attorney Alex Boyd said the pair was arrested about 9 a.m. Sunday after a friend of Fletcher called police to report he had damaged her car. As officers spoke to her, she told them he had a gun and that he had given it to Banks…