Free H1N1 clinics while supplies last
DIXON – The Lee County Health Department, 309 S. Galena Ave., will offer free H1N1 flu shot clinics for the general public from 8 to 11 a.m. Wednesday, and from 9 a.m. to noon Jan 5, 7, 12 and 14.
Children 9 and younger who need their second dose (at least 28 days after their first dose) also are encouraged to get a shot.
Vaccine quantities are limited and shots will be provided as long as the supplies last.
For more information, go to www.lchd.com,www.facebook.com/LCHDIL or call 815-284-3371.
– Staff Report
Cab rides offered at no charge
CGH Medical Center and LRB Distributors are once again teaming up to provide free cab rides for holiday revelers in Sterling and Rock Falls.
D&L Cab Service will provide the rides, which will be available from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. today and Friday through Jan. 2.
Cab rides provided through the program have an $8 limit, or an $8 discount for those costing more. Rides will be given from local taverns and home parties to the rider’s home in Sterling or Rock Falls, not from bar to bar or party to party.
Beverage napkins with D&L’s phone number – 815-716-6623 or 815-625-0151 – will be provided at local bars and restaurants during the cab ride days.
– Staff Report
Cook County sheriff hiring
CHICAGO – The Cook County Sheriff’s Department says it is set to make hundreds of hires in coming months.
Sheriff Thomas Dart said his department is prepared to hire more than 500 correctional officers next year. The first class of recruits is to come in January. Dart’s office says the jobs pay about $45,000 a year and include health, dental and vision insurance and pension.
The jobs are available because of a federal mandate that more officers be added at the Cook County Jail.
Learn more at www.cookcountysheriff.com online.
– The Associated Press
Police increase traffic patrols
CHICAGO – Law enforcement officers in the Sauk Valley and around Illinois are increasing their traffic patrols in an end-of-the-year push to save lives on the roads.
The statewide effort focuses on the deadly nighttime hours when data show more people die in motor vehicle crashes than at any other time of day.
Over four years, 67 percent of the motor vehicle deaths in Illinois occurring from midnight to 3 a.m. involved an impaired driver.
More than 200 police agencies are participating in the push. The effort is called “Operation Save 100” because its goal is to reduce traffic fatalities by at least 100.
Seat belt and alcohol enforcement can help make Illinois roadways safer during the holiday season, Illinois State Police Director Jonathon Monken said.
– The Associated Press
Prepaid tuition deadline nears
SPRINGFIELD – Enrolling in a prepaid tuition program by the end of the year can reap benefits for taxpayers, the Illinois Student Assistance Commission says.
All payments received by Thursday qualify for state and federal 2009 tax year benefits.
Individuals can deduct up to $10,000 per year on their state income taxes for contributions made toward prepaid tuition program contracts. Married couples filing jointly can deduct up to $20,000 per year.
The College Illinois 529 Prepaid Tuition Program protects families from tuition inflation by allowing purchasers to lock in a price now to cover future tuition and fees.
Learn more at www.529prepaidtuition.org online.
– The Associated Press
