Illinois Summary - 10/11/11

Look Out For Farm Vehicles On Roads

(Springfield, IL)  --  Drivers on rural roads are encouraged to keep their eyes open for farm vehicles.  The farmers are busy harvesting their crops and transporting them from one location to another.  They usually travel around 25-miles-per-hour on the roads, significantly slower than commercial vehicles.  Drivers should slow down and keep a safe distance when they're near farm equipment, only attempt to pass the vehicle if it's legal to do so and remember, most farm vehicles don't have turn signals so use caution and watch for the vehicle as it makes left turns.

Electronic Health Records

(Springfield, IL)  --  The state one step closer to having an electronic database for healthcare information.  Governor Quinn has chosen the InterSystems Corporation to develop the technology infrastructure for the Illinois Health

Information Exchange.  The Exchange will connect physicians and hospitals electronically, which will allow them to access patient health records statewide.  Quinn says the new database will improve health and save lives because it puts vital medical information at the fingertips of healthcare professionals when it is needed most.

New VA Clinic Headed To Carbondale

(Carbondale, IL)  --  A new Veterans clinic is heading to Southern Illinois.  That means at least 25-hundred veterans will have access to medical care closer to their homes.  The VA Community based outpatient clinic will be based in Carbondale but will serve veterans in Jackson Randolph, Perry, and Union counties.  The clinic will have both medical and mental health care services along with women's health care and home care services.

Community Petitions To Keep Prison Open

(Lincoln, IL)  --  Logan Correctional Center is one of the biggest economic drivers in Lincoln but it's slated to close by the end of the year.  Mike Maniscalco [[ MAN-ih-SKAL-koh ]] with the Lincoln Logan Economic Development Partnership says the prison offers the best paying jobs around and the economy will suffer if they're eliminated.  He says more than three thousand people have signed a petition to keep the prison from closing.  The economic development partnership will also host a march Thursday to raise awareness of a state hearing on the prison, scheduled for October 26th.

EIU To Partner With U of I Ag Research Department

(Charleston, IL)  --  Eastern Illinois University is looking to partner with the U of I to help fuel its new renewable energy center.  EIU's Energy and Sustainability Coordinator Ryan Siegel says the U of I Ag research department is looking at several types of fuels, including that from fast growing willows, corn stovers, and miscanthus giganteus.  Siegel says the partnership with U of I should be in full swing by this time next year.