Frozen river threatens housing

Students from Olivet Nazarene University look over Warner
Bridge to the frozen tundra of the Kankakee River.

On February 24, Warner Bridge closed between Illinois Route 113 and Illinois Route 102. 


The bridge is left desolate. The quiet atmosphere makes one think they are walking through a peaceful wood, not across a major road. The frozen water around the bridge creates a landscape similar to how a giant would view the Rocky Mountains. 

Water swirls across the top of the thinner ice, being pulled down and up again, hypnotizing the viewer. 
Ice is piled up next to the bridge, putting pressure on the structure, and spilling over the river banks, threatening the resident's homes. 


A couple strolls across the bridge, taking in a sight that hasn't been seen in 30 years.


Blocks of ice piled on on the river create a 

dangerous environment for residents.

Mellisa Rathbun, although not a local, traveled this bridge to and from work for two years. Joined by her neighbor, Rathbun came to the bridge to experience the stalled river firsthand.


"It's sad for all those homeowners who do live along the river because they're obviously going to have to be displaced if this continues to build up and where is this all going to go when it all melts?" Rathbun said.

Will County Emergency Management Director Harold Damron told CBS is keeping watch on two major ice jams that could cause problems when the river begins to melt. "They can cause water levels to rise and fall, literally within a matter of minutes sometimes," he tells CBS Chicago.

Story Ideas for February 27

1. Chemical water is gross. No one wants to drink the water around Bourbonnais anymore. Why did they change it? Was there something "bad" in it before? I don't have a problem with the new taste or smell, but everyone seems to be complaining about it. Maybe there's a filtration system people can use to make it not taste like metal.

2. There have been even more healthy food rules forced upon schools by the Obama administration. According to an article published on ABC7 Chicago, New rules limit marketing unhealthy food in schools, scoreboards in high school gyms aren't even exempt from promoting "unhealthy" foods. New rules announced by the Obama administration Tuesday said that scoreboards are only able to advertise healthy foods. I'm not sure how this would relate back to Olivet, but I do not think the government should be able to regulate what comes out of our vending machines. The good thing about all these health food rules is that with them comes the child nutrition law which is expanding feeding programs for students who quality for free and reduced meals.

Drug used to prevent meningitis

A vaccine created by the Swiss drug maker, Novartis, is being used on college campuses in the U.S, AP reports.

The drug is a preventative against meningitis B. The University of California Santa Barbara is using the vaccine Bexsero until March 7 to help protect 20,000 students and staff after an outbreak, according to Novartis. 

The Food and Drug Administration approved the use of Bexsero twice in response to outbreaks of meningitis on U.S. college campuses.

The vaccine, which is a shot used for the B strain of the meningitis bacteria, is approved for use in Europe, Australia, and Canada, but has not yet been approved for general use in the U.S. 

Read the full story here: Novartis meningitis vaccine used at 2nd US campus 

Discomfort of living with digital eye strain

Your eyes allow you to gawk at that funny hat your aunt got you, smile at the rays of sunlight peaking through the clouds, and give you that first impression of the person with whom you’re going to spend the rest of your life.

These days your eyes also look at a lot of new things, such as the screen you are staring at to read this article.

Technology enables us to get answers with a click of a button, but according to a new study, looking at a screen for hours at a time can cause digital eye strain.

Digital eye strain is the temporary discomfort you get after staring at a computer, smartphone, TV screen, or other electronic device screen for two or more hours, according to The Vision Council, a global voice for vision care products and services. Digital eye strain causes red, dry or irritated eyes, blurred vision, and eye fatigue, along with general body aches and headaches.

“Demanding office hours and technological advances have increased the amount of time my patients are spending in front of digital devices. But the daily grind is exhausting on more than just the mind; it strains and fatigues eyes,” vice chairperson of the board of directors of The Vision Council, Raanan Naftalovich, wrote in an article on the council’s website.

Lisa Jeziorny, optometrist at Drs. Long and Dunlap Optometrists, said she often sees patients who complain about “tired eyes,”  especially after a long workday According to Jeziorny, the tiredness is sometimes caused because people need corrective lenses. But at other times, frequent breaks is all they to let their focusing system relax.

Junior Dan Strasser can talk of experience. A film studies major, Strasser spends four to five hours in front of a screen every day.

According to The Vision Council, 33 percent of people spend three to five hours in front of a digital device, 32 percent spend six to nine hours, and 28 percent spend 10 or more hours in front of digital devices throughout the day. Of those people, 70 percent of adults in the U.S. said they experienced digital eye strain.

It is not always easy to reduce the time you have to spend in front of a screen, but there are ways to make it easier on your eyes.

“I heard that you should try and match the brightness of a computer screen to the brightness of the room,” Strasser said. “I've found that has helped with the eye irritation that comes with staring at a computer screen for a long time.”

Dry eye is also an easily correctable problem. Jeziorny said an easy solution is artificial teardrops.

The computer is part of our lives now, so we need to figure out ways to combat the system, Jeziorny said. “It’s just making sure you’re blinking more often and taking frequent breaks so that your focusing system doesn’t get locked up.”

Open-meetings act needs flexibility

The open-meetings act that was revised Jan. 1, 2010, is a law that allows the public to sit in on school district meetings that discuss how the school district is handling academics, teachers, and student affairs; however, there are some aspects of school that should remain a mystery to the public such as the security of a school.

Although there are some exceptions to the open-meetings act (OMA) that allow for closed meetings such as negotiations, purchase of property, student discipline, and teacher discipline, one of the most important policies regarding the safety of children, teachers, and faculty must remain in an open-meeting setting.

According to Rob Rodewald, president of the local school board, when the school board discusses the safety and security of a school building they have to be careful about how many details they explain and negotiate because of the open meeting policy. Rodewald said anyone can walk into these meetings including "bad guys" who could, therefore, learn more about the security faults in a school.

Even when discussing security problems there is no way around the OMA. Schools have one-way entrances for visitors and mandate that visitors scan their drivers license for background checks, but if there are any security faults spoken about in a board meeting, it's news for all ears.

The OMA is a good thing. Parents and community members who are investing their tax dollars and sending their children to these very institutions should be allowed to hear how the school is handling their affairs. But the mandate on OMA needs to be more flexible. It's more important to protect the life and learning of students than create an atmosphere where anyone is allowed to walk in on a meeting concerning the well-being of children.

Story Ideas for February 20

1. Everyone has a smartphone nowadays, and part of having a smartphone is all the cool little apps you can download. An article by CNN talks about fitness apps, "5 fitness apps that actually get results." What apps to Olivet students use. Do they think it's useful/helpful in maintaining a healthy lifestyle? Is it possible to go over the edge when using fitness apps. I use a calorie counter app and sometimes all it does is drive me insane!

2. There have been several studies done on how too much sitting is bad for your health. An article by NBC News said that sitting even just for one extra hour a day can give you a higher risk for disability, such as confinement to a wheelchair later in life. Even those who work out vigorously have this risk. How can Olivet students get up and moving? How much is too much sitting?

Kankakee housing to improve

The motion to accept and execute a grant agreement from the Illinois Housing Development Authority for the Trust Fund Emergency Repair Program was carried on Feb. 18, during a Kankakee Council meeting.

This grant agreement allows for emergency repairs, providing more flexibility to repair more homes and bring them up to housing standards. The Illinois Housing Development Authority is a self-supporting state agency that strives to preserve affordable housing for residence. According to the Kankakee Council, the city fronts the money and is then reimbursed through this program.

This program offers low-income homeowners emergency repairs through a $20,000 grant. A press release from the Illinois Housing Development Authority from Sept. 30, 2013, said that the launch of the Illinois Emergency Repair Program will help over 200 low-income homeowners and allow them to continue living in their homes by keeping them habitable. This grant will be especially beneficial for seniors and those living with disabilities.

The Illinois Emergency Repair Program lets those who quality to apply for grants for repairs. Repairs could include roof repair, HVAC systems, and electrical and plumbing systems. Not only will the grant allow for improved housing in the community, it will also generate 50 jobs and an estimated $3.5 million in local income and wages and $290,000 in local taxes, according to the press release.

The Illinois Emergency Repair Program will work with the residence of Kankakee to provide better housing for low-income families. The Illinois Affordable Housing Trust Fund, which is generated from half of the state real estate transfer fee, is funding this program.

Number of U.S.-born test-tube babies in 2012 sets record

According to an annual report from the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART), more test-tube babies were born in the United States in 2012 than in previous years, CBS News reports.

Since the technology was introduced in the 1980s, test-tube babies born in 2012 were more than the total births of in vitro fertilization at any time since, said the report by SART, an organization of medical professionals. 

Miriam Zoll, author of the 2013 book "Cracked Open: Liberty, Fertility and the Pursuit of High Tech Babies,​" said, "These treatments have consistently failed two-thirds of the time since 1978," when the first test-tube baby was born in England.

The growing number of in vitro fertilizations is due to the increasing average age women give birth for the first time.

Read the full story here: "Number of test-tube babies born in U.S. sets record" 

Story Ideas for February 13

1. GMO's in our food. What are we being served here at Olivet? How does it affect our ability to function and focus? Thirty states are considering labeling laws for GMO's, and Connecticut is the first to pass legislation requiring special labels. Are there any labeling laws being considered in Illinois?

2. Stress is something that affects pretty much everyone, everyday. According to a recent survey, teens feel more pressure than adults. Why do we let ourselves become so stressed all the time? What are students at Olivet doing to keep themselves from being too stressed? How does it affect our body and mind in both the short and long term?

Uncle Ben's rice recalled

A recall has been made on Uncle Ben's rice products by the Food and Drug Administration, ABC7 Chicago reports.

Five- and 25-pound bags of the rice have been recalled by the Mars Foodservices of Rancho Dominguez after children in three states had skin reactions and other symptoms linked to the rice. Most of the bags were sold to food service establishments. The Uncle Ben's ready-to-eat products sold in grocery stores have not been recalled.

According to the FDA, there was an excess of niacin, or vitamin B3, found in the rice. Similar reactions occurred in 25 children in Morgan County, Illinois in December. Most reactions lasted 30 to 90 minutes after eating the rice, the reactions being burning, itching rashes, headaches, and nausea.

There are no long-term or serious health consequences caused by the levels of niacin found in the Illinois rice samples.

Read the full story here: "Rice recall for Uncle Ben's after 67 sickened, 25 in Illinois"

Chick-fil-A serving meat without antibiotics

Chick-fil-A's goal in the next five years is to serve chicken that was not raised with the help of antibiotics, AP reports.

Chick-fil-A suppliers will begin working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to make sure that antibiotics aren't given to the chickens with which they are supplied. Along with Chick-fil-A, Chipotle has also begun serving meat raised without antibiotics.

The company is supplied chicken from Tyson, Purdue, and Pilgrim's Pride. Chick-fil-A said they will have to make changes from the hatchery to the processing plant in order to ensure the meat they are supplied with wasn't given antibiotics.

Spokesman for the Humane Society of the United States, Paul Shapiro, said that even though Chick-fil-A's decision is a positive step health-wise, it doesn't really affect the conditions the chickens are raised in.

Chick-fil-A's executive vice president of operations, Tim Tassopoulos, said that the company is planning to keep customers updated on its progress.

Read the full story here: "Chick-fil-A to use chicken without antibiotics"

Subway pressured to remove chemical from bread

Subway is pressured by a health activist into removing a chemical from their bread known to increase elasticity in yoga mats and shoe rubber, USA Today reports.

For years, Subway has been adding Azodiacrobamide to their doughto work as a dough conditioner, according to Vani Hari, who runs the site FoodBabe.com.

In a statement, Subway said that they are in the process of removing the chemical, even though it is USDA and FDA approved as an ingredient.

Azodiacrobamide has already been banned in the UK, Europe, and Australia. Hari warns people to refrain from eating Subway until the ingredient has been removed.

Read the full story here: “Subway to remove chemical from bread”

Study finds parents underestimate their child's weight

Parents of overweight or obese children think their children are at a normal, healthy weight, according to studies, CBS News reports.

Half of parents with overweight children thought their child was underweight or normal, researchers found when looking at 69 studies of more than 15,000 children. 

Alyssa Lundahl, researcher who led the study at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, said that parents need to recognize their children are overweight otherwise they won't take steps to address it.

"Previous research has found that when parents' perceptions are corrected, they do start to take action and encourage their children to become more active and maybe turn off the TV and go outside and play," Lundahl said. 

According to Lundahl, parents can check their child's weight by talking to the child's pediatrician about the normal weight-to-height range.

Read the full story here: "Half of parents of overweight children don't think they have weight issues: Study" 

Story Ideas for February 6

1. Runners World published an article "Biomechanics Expert Debunks Treadmill-Running Myths." Running season is soon here, especially with students beginning to train for the half and full Chicago marathon in a little over a month. How is treadmill running different/similar to street running? How should you run differently on a treadmill? How can you prepare yourself for a long treadmill run when it's too cold or rainy to run outdoors?

2. Again with the flu season. What impact did it have in Illinois this year? ABC 7 published a story on January 31 about the virus slowing down, but vaccination is still important.

3. What effects do pain killers such as Aleve or Ibprophen have on our bodies? Recent article "FDA: Aleve may be safer on heart than rival drugs" says that using pain killers could increase your risk for heart attack and stroke. With that, how do students at Olivet take their drugs? It's easy to complain of a headache and get in the habit of taking a couple pain killers several times a week, especially with sleep loss and bad eating habits. What should we know about the pain killers we frequently pop and how should we combat headaches and muscle aches differently?