New Regions for Reopening Plan
Governor J.B. Pritzker has changed the regional map of Illinois under his reopening plan, shifting from the original four regions to 11. The governor says this will allow a more focused approach by health officials in battling the COVID-19 pandemic. Chicago has been separated out from the collar counties, with Will County now in the South Suburban region, and DuPage County in the West Suburban region. The governor also laid out new metrics for guiding whether a region needs additional mitigations. Those include a sustained increase in the 7-day rolling average in the positivity rate, accompanied by either a sustained 7-day increase in hospital admissions for a COVID-19 like illness or a reduction in hospital capacity, threatening surge capacities. Action would also be taken if a region had three consecutive days of a positivity rate averaging 8 or higher.
Proposed Cannabis Dispensary Zoning
Any future adult-use cannabis dispensaries in Naperville may need to be 250 feet away from a residential zone. That was the 7-2 decision made last night at the Planning and Zoning Commission meeting. The group also ruled that dispensaries would need to be 250 feet away from a primary or secondary school, and 1,500 feet from another adult-use cannabis business. There was no distance requirement set for childcare centers. Commissioners also recommended the hours for a dispensary be 9 a.m. to 7 p.m; city staff is looking into whether those hours can be controlled. The recommendations will now go to city council for its consideration. Though council originally voted to opt out of recreational cannabis sales, it is revisiting the matter after a referendum on the March ballot showed 53 percent of Naperville voters were in favor of recreational marijuana sales.
League of Women Voters Election Forum
The League of Women Voters of Naperville, National Council of Jewish Women and the NAACP of DuPage County held their third and final forum for voters ahead of the November 2020 General Election. DuPage County Clerk Jean Kaczmarek and Will County Clerk Lauren Staley Ferry addressed concerns over the security of mail-in votes. Both expressed confidence in the process despite misinformation disseminated over social media. COVID-19 precautions are also still being discussed. Both clerk offices have ordered PPEs and disinfectants and will monitor announcements from state officials before finalizing procedures. There will also be no polling sites in nursing or long-term facilities.
Horse Baby Shower
The Friends of the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County is throwing a virtual baby shower for the Danada Equestrian Center’s new colt Duke and his mother Daisy. Duke is the first horse born at Danada in 10 years, with a birthday of May 25. The shower is meant to help raise $3,000 to cover training, veterinary care and other costs over Duke’s first year. Any extra money raised will support the other horses at Danada. Those who would like to saddle up their support can do so on the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County’s website from August 1 to September 7. If you give $20 or more, you’ll get a hand drawn portrait of Duke or other Danada horse in return.
If you have a story idea, we want to hear from you!
