The Pantagraph from Bloomington, Illinois • A3

1 The PanTagraPh Tuesday, sepTember 8, 2020 A3 LOCAL STATE SIERRA HENRY sierra.henry@lee.net BLOOMINGTON The Mc- Lean County Health Depart- ment reported 46 new corona- virus cases Monday, bringing the total since the start of the pandemic to 2,600 cases. The department reported that eight people remain hospital- ized, with two people in inten- sive care. As of Monday, 1,295 people are isolating at home and 1,280 are considered recovered. There have been 17 COVID-related deaths in Mc- Lean County. Health officials had discour- aged holding gatherings over the holiday weekend and stressed that people should practice so- cial distancing and other pre- cautions at any events they did attend.

McLean County is among 29 Illinois counties placed on the Illinois Department of Public COVID-19 warning list Friday because of the number of new cases and having a positivity rate exceeding The rolling 7-day positivity rate in McLean County was re- ported at 11.2% through Sunday, a dip from a 12.5% positivity rate previously reported through Saturday. The cumulative positivity rate of the more than 54,400 tests conducting since March is 4.8%. The COVID test site at the McLean County Fairgrounds, run by Reditus Laboratories of Pekin, will reopen at 9 a.m. Tuesday. The facility is open daily 9 a.m.

to 5 p.m., but closes for holidays and for severe weather. Central Illinois The Illinois Department of Public Health reported Monday 1,381 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and eight additional deaths. That brings the state to a to- tal of 250,961 cases and 8,179 deaths since March. A LaSalle County woman in her 80s was among the COVID-related deaths reported. There have been 53 COVID-re- lated deaths in LaSalle County since the pandemic began in March.

LaSalle County reported Monday 11 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the county to a total of 1,411 cases. Twenty people have newly re- covered from the virus, bring- ing the county to a total of 817 recoveries. The new cases include two girls younger than 13; two girls in their teens; a man in his 20s; a woman in her 20s; a man in his 30s; a man in his 50s; two women in their 50s; a man in his 60s; and a woman in her 60s. The Logan County Health Department reported Monday 20 new cases of COVID-19. That brings the county to a to- tal of 318 cases, including 244 recoveries.

There has been one COVID-related death in Logan County. The patients include six individuals who were asymptomatic and symptom- said health officials. All six are isolating at home. One individual whose symptoms are unknown is also isolating at a residential facility. Contact sierra Henry at 309-820-3234.

Follow her on Twitter: McLean County sees 46 new cases JERRY A. VOGLER SR. Did you know? Urgent care The VA has long had emergency or walk-in care at its medical centers. However, the VA community based outpatient clinics like the ones in Blooming- ton, Peoria and Decatur do not of- fer that type of service. Recognizing the need for these services in the less urban ar- eas, the VA has a program called This benefit is of- fered as part of the VA mission act, which gives veterans greater choice in their health care and is in addition to the opportunity to receive care from a VA provider.

Urgent care is a type of walk-in health care for situations where you need help but do not have an emergency, such as colds, ear in- fections, minor injuries, pink eye, skin infections, and strep throat. There are two types of urgent care. Retail locations such as CVS or Walgreens are places where you can get care for minor ailments like a sore throat or earache. Urgent locations provide more comprehensive walk-in care for illnesses or injuries that are not life-threatening, like splinting, casting, lacerations, or wound treatment. If you are subject to co-pay- ments at a VA facility, those co-payments will probably ap- ply for urgent care visits.

The co-payments will be relative to the priority group that you have been assigned and the number of visits to the urgent care provider in the previous calendar year. A co-payment is not required for a visit consisting of only a flu shot. Visit https://www.va.gov/ur- or call 1-833-4VETNOW (1-833- 483-8669) for more information and urgent care providers. Emergency room use During a medical emergency that is life threatening, Veterans should immediately seek care at the nearest medical facility if you believe your life or health is in danger. You do not need to check with the VA before calling for an ambulance or going to an emergency department.

It is, however, important to promptly notify the VA after receiving emergency care at a community emergency de- partment within 72 hours. VA will assist local care providers in providing the necessary care for the veteran. Be aware that if you have not been seen at a VA medical facility within the last two years, payment by the VA for your non-VA emergency room care, will likely be denied. This is a further incentive for veterans to regularly visit the VA for their health care. Visit https://www.va.gov/ for more detailed explanation on emergency room care and the VA.

Suicide prevention September is Suicide Preven- tion month! The VA has many programs to help veterans who are having issues that may be pushing them to commit suicide. But many veterans have a difficult time taking that step to contact professional help, believing that they should be able to deal with their issues without help. Ad- ditionally, professional help can only go so far as the access to that help is not daily. As veterans we are reluctant to admit that we might benefit from seeking professional help and of- ten isolate ourselves at the most difficult moments in dealing with our problems. The VA has initi- ated a broad program called which reminds veterans and their loved ones that small actions can make a big differ- ence to veterans going through difficult times.

Be There wants veterans, community leaders and families and friends to know there is no special training needed to give a veteran hope. Simple actions like reaching out to veterans with a phone call, test message, or social media helps make a difference for a Veteran. Simply asking how they are do- ing goes a long way to make a Veteran feel better. Learning about the warning signs of suicide, which is found on the veterans crisis line website, can be very helpful to understand the actions that might help defuse an intense crisis for a veteran. The VA suicide prevention website provides written information, video presentations and infor- mation to help non-professionals be better prepared to assist Vet- erans during their time of need.

Visit https://www.va.gov/opa/ for more information on how you can be there! Vogler is superintendent of the mcLean County Veterans assistance Commission. VETERANS CORNER DAVID PROEBER BLOOMINGTON For a group of about a dozen veterans, maintaining the Prairie Aviation F-100 Super Sabre fighter plane is a labor of love. And what they did Labor Day morning as they began re- moving peeling paint from the old fighter jet parked near Cen- tral Illinois Regional Airport. The F-100 was billed as the first U.S. Air Force fighter jet to fly supersonic in level flight.

And it was a true warbird, hav- ing finished off its career bomb- ing enemy traffic along the Ho Chi Minh trail during the War in Vietnam, and defending U.S. troops by providing air support across South Vietnam, said Dick Briggs, a U.S. Marine and Viet- nam War veteran. Briggs, of Bloomington, said the pilots flying the old plane could always be depended upon to drop their bombs on the en- emy and not on his position. Briggs served in Vietnam from 1966 to 1967.

would listen for their Briggs said. was always a little scary when you heard them on their bomb run, but they always seemed to drop their bombs a hundred yards away from our Today, Briggs no longer carries a rifle, but instead deploys what he says are bayonets, little razor blades that were used by aircrews to carefully remove weathered paint from the wings and fuselage. The Super Sabre came from the Octave Chanute Aerospace Museum, the former air museum in Rantoul, where it had been painted the colors of the U.S. Air Thunderbird demonstration team. Research on the plane shows that it never actually flew with the Thunder- birds, although the precision aerobatic team did fly the F-100 for 13 years beginning in 1956.

Briggs said most of the paint on the plane will be replaced over time. One new surprise is that the silver paint that covered the canopy is being removed to reveal the inside of the cockpit. A peek inside shows that the gauges and throttle are still intact, and will be of in- terest to aviation buffs who visit the museum. With the exception of a few small, reserved tours, Briggs said the museum has been closed since the beginning of the pan- demic but it has given volun- teers an opportunity to do much needed maintenance. Volunteers, mostly veterans or aviation enthusiasts, usually meet at the museum on Wednes- days to work on projects, mostly restoring exhibits on the mu- seum apron.

just enjoy getting to- said Mike Herrin, a U.S. Navy aviation veteran who served with the Seawolves during the Vietnam War. The U.S. military demands that museums keep the planes it loans for exhibits in good condition. That proves to be a challenge as parts are no longer available.

Herrin spent his Labor Day morning helping Briggs after he replaced a corroding piece of metal on the trailing edge of the elevator. He said the plane would never fly again but the repair would keep the F-100 from looking worn and in good condition for exhibition. LABOR OF LOVE DAVID PROEBER, THE PANTAGRAPH dick briggs, a member of the prairie aviation museum in bloomington, scrapes peeling silver paint off a u.s. air Force F-100 super sabre fighter on monday. a crew of volunteers is restoring the old plane that was handed over from the former air museum in rantoul.

The plane had been painted in the colors of the usaF Thunderbirds, although it is believed the plane never served with the elite aerobatic team. The super sabre is the first u.s. fighter plane that was capable of breaking the sound barrier in level flight. Late in its career, it was used for ground support for troops during the Vietnam War. COVID LOCaL, sTaTe LABOR DAY 2020 Veterans work together to maintain air museum fighter jet MORE ONLINE: Historic fighter gets new coat of paint.

Pantagraph.com 2 reports of shots fired investigated BLOOMINGTON Blooming- ton police are investigating two shots fired incidents over Labor Day weekend. Police received a call of shots fired at about 7 p.m. Saturday near West Mill and South Ma- son streets, police said. Reports indicated a group of people were arguing outside near the street, they said. Responding officers found ev- idence of a shooting and said a vehicle was struck by gunfire.

No injuries were reported, and no arrests have been made. Anyone with information should call Detective Paul Jones at (309) 434-2548 or email him at Police received a second call of shots fired around 4:15 a.m. Sun- day in the 700 block of Fairmont Drive during an argument that oc- curred in a parking lot in the area, police said. Responding officers found ev- idence of a shooting and said an apartment was struck by gun- fire. No injuries were reported.

Anyone with information should call Detective Jared Roth at (309) 434-2379 or email him at SIERRA HENRY, sierra.henry@lee.net IN BRIEF.