Coronavirus has highlighted the digital divide among low-income as well as rural students. Schools that don’t send students home with laptops rushed them equipment so they could do their homework online. School administrators say some parents claim to have internet access, but it may only be through a phone plan. Districts have distributed hot spots for families without a plan or where service is undependable. Particularly in rural communities like Montmorency, reliable internet connectivity is a major hurdle. Montmorency is a K-8 district in Whiteside County with around 230 students. Alex Moore is the superintendent. “On a good day, I get four megabytes per second download speed, so I knew that was going to be an issue. About half of our families probably have decent internet,” said Moore. Even that “good day” download speed doesn’t meet the FCC’s minimum recommendation for e-learning. For many younger students, remote learning has to be pencil and paper. Schools like Somonauk set up

The coronavirus crisis has changed the way we congregate but it hasn’t changed the way we come together. The DeKalb community is supporting nonprofits that provide much needed services to the community. The Give DeKalb County campaign, a 24-hour fundraiser, takes place May 7. Ben Bingle is the director of the DeKalb County nonprofit partnership. He said they’ve had to cancel their walk-in donation option due to COVID-19. This option was replaced with a mail-in one. Bingle said this change hasn’t impacted the generosity of the community. “We’ve seen a really strong response so far through the mail,” he said. “And so, we believe we’re going to have a very strong turnout.” Bingle said donors can also support by using the Give DeKalb County website or their mobile phones. He said the website will include profiles for each organization. Bingle suggested that the community may not even know what services are out there for them and the profiles allow them to see what’s available. “It’s

Illinois U.S. Representative Cheri Bustos is pushing for expansion of health insurance enrollment during the Covid-19 pandemic. She made the comment after leaving a House hearing Wednesday regarding the successor to the CARES Act. “I believe it’s shortsighted of the Trump administration not to reopen the enrollment period for the Affordable Care Act when we’re in the middle of a worldwide pandemic.” Bustos cosponsored a bill in April that would create this very enrollment period. It is currently in committee. Also after the hearing, she said a key area that needs to be included in future legislation is contact tracing of people who have been exposed to an individual with COVID-19. “If we don’t get a plan figured out for that, not just the money, but a plan, it is going to be very difficult for our country to get back into some state of normalcy," she said. "And that was clear in the hearing that we held today that that will be absolutely critical for our nation’s future.” Bustos also

Running is more than exercise, it’s therapy. That’s what Jonah Garcia says. So he’s training now harder than ever. Garcia’s a senior distance runner on Auburn High School’s track & field team in Rockford. Like so many spring athletes, Jonah had his final high school season stolen by the COVID-19 pandemic. He says he was feeling good about the season and had personal records he figured he could easily break. “I was hoping to go Division-1 and maybe try and get a scholarship based off of my times this year,” he said. But, luckily, this isn’t the end for Garcia. He’ll be running at Iowa Central Community College next year. And running and talking to his coaches and teammates has been a salve, he says, as his high school journey winds down in the most unpredictable way possible. “Basically, people are saying just something along the lines of control that which you can control,” said Garcia. Many spring athletes aren’t continuing to the collegiate level. They took their last swings and

Coronavirus testing will continue at a drive-thru testing site in Rockford this morning, after the state health department and the Governor’s office intervened in a problem with receiving test results. Winnebago County Board chairman Frank Haney asked for help from the state, saying 2,100 tests taken at the site at the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford were “missing.” Haney said test results were not available after nearly two weeks when they should have taken only a few days. He announced Wednesday evening that testing would be suspended at that site. However, the state determined the tests were never missing, but the laboratory the state had contracted with to process the samples used a paper system to report results, significantly delaying them. The site will now be served by a different lab, which can report results to the county electronically. The Illinois Department of Public Health told the Winnebago County Health Department late Wednesday it developed a

Attention bibliophiles! If you like e-books, but have missed holding and reading real books, the Rockford Public Library is providing curbside pick-up by appointment at all of their branches. Bridget Finn is the marketing director for RPL and she says customers can reserve items through the website or by phone. "After that," Finn said, "the staff will pull the items -- if they're available -- sanitize them, call the customer, set an appointment for them to come pick up the items, and get them ready for retrieval." Customers will get called up to the door and asked to show their library card or State ID through the window. Once the staff verifies the customer's identity and items, they will ask that person to step back six feet. The staff member will then place the items on a cart and roll it outside. When the staff member is back inside the building, the customer may retrieve the items. Customers may also reserve DVDs and CDs. To reserve items from the library and learn more about

We have a winner. "Stay Home Songs" is a songwriting contest sponsored by Rockford Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. It was launched in April to provide a creative platform for musicians to highlight the resiliencey of Rockfordians amid the coronavirus pandemic. Nick Povalitis is the vice president of marketing and sports development for the RACVB. He says there were 25 entries comprised mostly of individual songwriters, but, he said "a couple [of] bands, a couple [of] mother/daughter combos and a high school" also competed. Entries were reviewed by a panel of five judges comprised of local musicians Jodi Beach, Vince Chiarelli, Duntai Mathews, Miles Nielsen, and Antonio Ramirez. They selected Rockford native Clark Kelly's song "Up, Up, Up" as the winner. "It's really an awesome song," said Povalitis, "And we're super proud of the songwriting contest, the whole experience, and what the end result thus far is. It's really a fantastic song to show the community." Kelly won a $200 gift

We are living through historic times: How are you documenting them? Art? Poetry? Photos? Music? We’d love to see what you’ve been creating during our stay-at-home order. Send us your original poems, essays, and photos! Take pictures of your painting, drawing, sculpture, or whatever visual medium you’re working in. Send us a link to your performance of an original song. We’ll share them on our website. Email your submissions to WNIJpix@niu.edu If you have a statement about your work you’d like to include, send it along. Give us your name and the city or town where you live. We’d like our virtual talent show to represent how our community is dealing with the COVID-19 crisis. It’s not a contest or a place for critiques: It’s a place to show off your talent and see what everyone else has been up to these past few challenging months. Work from kids is welcome, too! A few simple rules: The work must be your own. No cover songs, no memes ripped from Facebook, no plagiarizing! Shorter is good!

Around 60% of DeKalb students qualify as low-income, according to the Illinois Report Card . That means they also qualify for reduced or free meals. When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, schools scrambled to keep providing food for students who rely on their district for much more than education. Pansy Oderio is DeKalb’s food services director. Her team serves around 700 meals a day. They have 10 locations either at schools or mobile sites in the community. She says it’s mostly a combination of fruit, cereal, sandwiches and milk, but they try to offer more variety when they can. The program is also largely run by dozens of volunteers. “It's community members. It's teachers, our administration, they all can sign up and pick time slots to help distribute the meals,” she said. Soon they’ll also be offering boxes with a week’s worth of meals at DeKalb High School. Oderio says that’ll double the number of meals they give out. They’re also exploring ways to get more pre-cooked options for

The Illinois State Police on Friday made an announcement about the May 6 arrest in Iowa of Clark Terry Baldwin. He was wanted for the 1991 Tennessee murders of Pamela McCall and her unborn son, and the murders of two unidentified women discovered separately in Wyoming in 1992. In the ISP announcement, titled "Illinois State Police Announce An Update to the Tammy Zywicki Case," the ISP indicated that "at this time, Baldwin does not appear to have been involved with the murder of Tammy Zywicki." Zywicki, a 21-year-old college student, was abducted and killed by an unknown assailant after experiencing car trouble on I-80 near LaSalle, IL in August 1992. Reports at the time that she had been picked up by a trucker led nowhere. Baldwin was a long-haul trucker and suspected serial killer operating during the same time frame. He fit the profile of Zywicki's murderer and it was reported that authorities were investigating whether he might be involved. The ISP said it was continuing to

I write this as news breaks that deaths from coronavirus in Scotland are nearing the four-figure mark, so it is with the proviso that everything in sport, and I mean everything, is an inconsequential matter of trivia at this time that I venture to suggest that some sports in Scotland, and especially rugby union, could do with a little image boost.

RICHARD COCKERILL believes that a full programme of Guinness PRO14 play-offs would be a fairer way to end the current season if possible, even though his own Edinburgh team would be one of the beneficiaries if the league went straight to a final.

IT’S becoming a real bore that our main sporting authorities, particularly the Scottish Football Association, the Scottish Professional Football League and the Scottish Rugby Union, continue to get in a fankle over the way to end the 2019-20 season.

SHEILA Begbie, the SRU’s director of rugby development, has urged more clubs to apply to the Club Hardship Fund for help before the end-of-month deadline.

DAVE Rennie believes that Leinster deserve to be awarded the PRO14 title, and is convinced that such a solution would be better for player welfare and the integrity of the competition than dragging this season on into late summer or autumn.

WITH the usual proviso that nothing, but nothing, in sport is in any way important when human lives are at stake due to coronavirus, nevertheless I do think it is time for some realism to surface in rugby – and other sports I could name.

FORMER X Factor star Nicholas McDonald has announced he is covering Mariah Carey's hit hero with other singers to raise money for the NHS Covid-19 appeal.

A Glasgow spoken word artist released an album of whole archive, recorded live in Glasgow's Hug and Pint.

ONE of Glasgow's biggest music venues has announced that all shows will be postponed until May 7 but insist they will do their best to reschedule performances.

WET WET WET singer Marti Pellow has performed a song in tribute to carers who are raising money for personal protection equipment (PPE) in his hometown of Clydebank.

SMITTEN Paige Turley has been feeding her hunky Love Island boyfriend Finn Tapp with the finest of Scottish cuisine while in lockdown - and it seems he can’t get enough of haggis.

Armed Robbery off campus at 2701 SW 13th St, Board Walk Apartment. Avoid area or secure in place if nearby. Details to follow.

Suspect: black male armed with a black hand gun, medium build, wearing black pants. Suspect last seen heading towards the back of complex.

Suspect not located. Police have cleared scene. No need to avoid area or secure in place. Call 352-955-1818 or 911 with any info.

Armed Robbery off campus at 1206 W. University Ave. at McDonalds. Avoid area or secure in place if nearby. Details to follow.

Armed Robbery suspects, 2 black males, small build, dressed all in black, one with a handgun. Fled out back door on north side on foot.

Armed Robbery suspects, both wearing black hoodies, one was taller and had a rifle. Both suspects fled on foot from 1206 W. University Ave.

Suspects not located. Police have cleared scene. No need to avoid area or secure in place. Call 352-955-1818 or 911 with any info.

Shots Fired at Vet Med. Avoid area or secure in place if nearby. Details to follow.

Suspect is a white male, 5’9, blue eyes, short brown curly hair, pale skin wearing a grey shirt, khaki pants and possibly armed with a 9 mm.

Suspect is approximately 20 years of age, wearing a leather bracelet on right wrist.

This IS NOT an active shooter. Suspect was last seen in rear of Vet Med in the wooded area possibly target shooting.

Suspect not located. Police clearing scene. This WAS NOT an active shooter, target practicing only. No need to avoid area or secure in place.

The Gainesville Police Department is currently investigating two separate attacks on women that have occurred in the past week. Due to the close proximity of at least one of these incidents to University of Florida properties, the following information is provided.

On Monday, February 10th, 2020 at
approximately 11:00 P.M., a woman was walking in the 2500 block of SW 35th Pl when she was attacked by a male and dragged into the wood line. The female victim was able to fight off her attacker and call for help. On Wednesday, February 12th, 2020 at approximately 7:00 A.M., another woman [...]

The following information was reported to the Gainesville Police Department (GPD) and is being distributed to the campus community due to the crime’s close proximity to the University of Florida campus:

Gainesville Police Department is working a reported robbery in the vicinity of the Campus Walk Condominiums, 914 SW 8th Avenue. At approximately 3:40 a.m., the victim was approached by the suspect outside of his apartment. After a brief encounter, the victim was physically knocked down by the suspect. The suspect then took the victim’s wallet and cash and fled on foot in an unknown direction travel. [...]

Robbery off campus at 1620 W. University Ave. Larry's Giant Subs. Avoid area or secure in place if nearby. Details to follow.

Suspect, black male, medium build, 5 foot 10 to 6 foot 1 inch tall, blue shirt, khaki shorts, white shoes on foot east bound on University Ave.

Suspect in custody. Police have cleared scene. No need to avoid area or secure in place. Call 352-955-1818 or 911 with any info.

The Gainesville Police Department is currently investigating a sexual battery that possibly occurred near campus. Due to the close proximity of this incident to University of Florida properties, the following information is provided.

On Saturday, March 28, 2020 at approximately 6:15 P.M.., a woman was attempting to get a ride from Boardwalk Apartments at 2701 SW 13th Street, where she was offered a ride from an unknown black male. After getting inside of the vehicle the woman was taken to an unknown location, where she was sexually battered by the suspect. After the sexual battery occurred the suspect then drove [...]

Shots Fired off campus at Bivens Cove, 3301 SW 13th Street. Avoid area or secure in place if nearby. Details to follow.

Suspect vehicle is a silver car, no additional information at this time.

Suspect not located. Police have cleared scene. No need to avoid area or secure in place. Call 352-955-1818 or 911 with any info.

The UFPD is currently investigating a sexual battery that was reported to have occurred Friday, sometime between 8:15 pm and 10:50 pm on the University of Florida campus. According to the victim, a male suspect approached him near the Bat House on Museum Road, introduced himself and tried to hug him. The sexual battery occurred after the subject got aggressive and pulled him into the bushes. The subject was last seen heading west from the area. [...]