Latest news with #Itasca-based
Chicago Tribune
07-07-2025
- Health
- Chicago Tribune
Illinois-based American Academy of Pediatrics sues Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over vaccine changes
The Illinois-based American Academy of Pediatrics and five other prominent medical groups are suing Robert F. Kennedy Jr., over changes made to COVID-19 vaccine recommendations for children and pregnant women. The lawsuit, filed Monday in U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, alleges that a decision in May to remove COVID-19 vaccines from the federal list of recommended vaccines for healthy children and pregnant women was unlawful and 'endangering the lives of patients.' 'The Directive has put all (American Academy of Pediatrics) members (and, indeed, all other physicians in this country) in the untenable position of telling their patients that the country's top-ranking government health official's advice and recommendations are wrong and that we are right,' according to the lawsuit. 'This erodes trust, which is the foundation of a healthy physician-patient relationship and vital to the success of AAP members' medical practices.' Now, instead of recommending the vaccine for healthy children, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says healthy children may receive the vaccine after 'a decision process between the health care provider and the patient or parent/guardian.' The medical groups want the court to bar the federal government from enforcing and publicizing the new recommendations, and they want the court to declare the change unlawful and restore the previous recommendations. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which is also named as a plaintiff in the lawsuit, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday afternoon. But in a video posted to X in May announcing the change, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, director of the National Institutes of Health, said of the change, 'It's common sense, and it's good science.' In that same video, U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary said, 'There's no evidence healthy kids need it today and most countries have stopped recommending it for children.' Bhattacharya, Makary, the FDA, the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the head of the CDC are also named as defendants in the lawsuit. Other plaintiffs in the case include the American College of Physicians, the American Public Health Association, the Infectious Diseases Society of America, the Massachusetts Public Health Alliance, the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine and an unnamed pregnant doctor. The medical groups allege in the lawsuit that the change was against the law partly because Kennedy bypassed the usual process for making changes to the list of recommended vaccines. Normally, a committee called the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices (ACIP) makes recommendations to the CDC about vaccines. Kennedy has also faced criticism in recent weeks for firing all the members of ACIP and replacing them with others. 'This wasn't just sidelining science,' said Dr. Susan Kressly, president of the Itasca-based American Academy of Pediatrics, in a video posted to the group's website. 'It's an attack on the very foundation of how we protect families and children's health. And the consequences could be dangerous.' Since the change to the COVID-19 vaccine recommendations, pediatricians have had to spend more time talking with distressed parents about the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit describes one pediatrician's struggle, saying: 'The CDC's current emphasis on 'shared decision-making' for the Covid vaccine for children has put a chilling effect on her practice. Shared decision-making implies that the Covid vaccine is optional or suspect, making it harder to hold Covid vaccine clinics, limiting her practice's ability to order vaccines in bulk, and creating reimbursement challenges.' Because of the 'confusion and lack of evidence-based data' supporting the changes, the American Academy of Pediatrics has chosen not to endorse the CDC's current child and adolescent vaccination schedule and is instead endorsing the schedule as it stood before the changes, according to the lawsuit.
Chicago Tribune
25-06-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
New chief legal officer, sustainability director for city approved by Aurora City Council
Two new hires for the city of Aurora were approved by the Aurora City Council on Tuesday, including a new chief legal officer and the city's first-ever director of sustainability. Since Mayor John Laesch took office in May, the city has hired a number of new employees in upper management to replace those who resigned or retired when former Mayor Richard Irvin left office. Following Tuesday's City Council meeting, the latest hires are Yordana Wysocki, the city's next corporation counsel, and Alison Lindburg, who will be taking on a newly-created position as the city's director of sustainability. The two appointments were on the City Council's Committee of the Whole meeting agenda last week, but aldermen did not discuss the matter publicly at that time, according to past reporting. Both hires were approved unanimously by the council on Tuesday evening. Per her resume, Wysocki currently works at Hervas, Condon & Bersani, P.C., an Itasca-based law firm that specializes in local government law and litigation. A partner since 2016, she represents local governments as general counsel, conducts employee misconduct investigations and gives recommendations to local governments on employee discipline and employment policy changes, among other things. She's also the incoming chair of the Illinois State Bar Association's Local Government Section Council and has been involved with local bar associations and The Legacy Project, which promotes women leadership in local government, her resume says. As the new corporation counsel, Wysocki will lead the city's law department, according to past reporting. Per the job description from the city, she'll provide legal advice and counsel to elected officials and upper city management, review contracts and agreements, draft and negotiate agreements for the city and represent the city for legal actions, among other responsibilities. At Tuesday's meeting, Laesch noted that outgoing corporation counsel Richard Veenstra will help with the transition. As for the newly-created director of sustainability job, Alison Lindburg comes from the Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance, where she's currently the director of building codes and policy, according to her resume. In that role, she helps several states and their municipalities implement energy efficiency policies like energy codes, leads research on decarbonization and energy efficiency in buildings, among other duties. According to her resume, she also currently serves on the Illinois Energy Code Advisory Council, Illinois Building Energy Hub Advisory Board, Chicago Sustainable Development Policy Committee and the International Code Council Sustainability Membership Council, of which she is the chair. Per the job description from the city, her responsibilities are set to include, among a number of other things, developing and managing a city sustainability plan, creating a 'public bank or green investment mechanism' for sustainability projects and assisting in updating Aurora's vehicle fleet to 'a carbon-free standard.'
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Naperville Park District to hire consultants to help plan future indoor rec space, possible pool
Naperville Park District is hoping to chart a path forward on new indoor recreation space, including the possiblity of a new pool, with the help of a pair of consultants. Later this month, district staff will bring two professional services contracts to the Naperville Park Board for approval. The contracts are the next step in an ongoing effort to determine how the district should manage its indoor recreation needs in years to come and if a referendum will be needed to fund new or expanded space. District Executive Director Brad Wilson gave an overview of the focus and scope of the proposed contracts at last week's park board meeting. They are expected to go to the board at its May 22 meeting, Wilson said. Last fall, the district completed an assessment of its indoor recreational needs. Months in the making, the review was a product of interviews with stakeholders, focus groups, open house events and surveys. The resulting 266-page report offered a range of takeaways, from the demand for more aquatic facilities to the need for more enhanced seniors programs for seniors. The contract proposals 'really come off' that assessment, Wilson said. Under one of them, Itasca-based Williams Architects would be hired to assist the district in site and facility conceptual design and public engagement, he said. 'We've certainly gathered a lot of public input and feedback from the community as part of that indoor recreation needs assessment on the types of spaces that the community would like to see and feel is needed,' he said. 'Now, it's taking those elements and beginning to look at various sites. 'Where a building might be able to be located as well as what type of elements could be included in there and really the size of those to help with then determining what it might look like as well as what the cost estimate would be.' The other contract would have Beyond Your Base, a public affairs and pre-referendum consulting group, help the park board decide whether to seek voter approval through a referendum to help pay for new indoor rec space, Wilson said. As part of the district's recently completed needs assessment, residents were surveyed on their willingness to kick in their own tax dollars towards a new multipurpose activity center. Residents were surveyed on three bond issue scenarios: one that would fund a facility similar to the Fort Hill Activity Center with the addition of an indoor pool; a second calling for a center like Fort Hill with no pool; and a third under which a similar center would be built and include synthetic turf. All three would add anywhere from $60 to $85 to the park district's property tax bill annually for 20 years for a taxpayer with a home valued at $440,000, according to district estimates. In both statistical and public survey results, respondents indicated the highest willingness to pay for a center with a pool. Surveys also sought input on where residents would want new indoor recreation space to be built. South Naperville drew the highest level of support. Beyond Your Base, with offices in Colorado and Illinois, 'develops and implements comprehensive public engagement programs that incorporate voter analytics, public opinion research and strategic communications,' its website says. The consulting group recently assisted Indian Prairie School District 204 with its public engagement for a bond referendum that voters approved last fall, according to Wilson. Over the past couple of months, the district has started to work with both Beyond Your Base and Williams Architects on some initial steps 'to really begin taking a look at this a little bit further,' Wilson said. Each company has been paid $18,000 for the preliminary work, he said. If the new contracts are approved, Williams Architects would be receive $62,000 and Beyond Your Base would get $67,000. Should the board approve both agreements, 'later in the summer and in early fall, we would (expect to) have additional updates to … provide,' Wilson said. tkenny@
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Naperville Park District to hire consultants to help plan future indoor rec space, possible pool
Naperville Park District is hoping to chart a path forward on new indoor recreation space, including the possiblity of a new pool, with the help of a pair of consultants. Later this month, district staff will bring two professional services contracts to the Naperville Park Board for approval. The contracts are the next step in an ongoing effort to determine how the district should manage its indoor recreation needs in years to come and if a referendum will be needed to fund new or expanded space. District Executive Director Brad Wilson gave an overview of the focus and scope of the proposed contracts at last week's park board meeting. They are expected to go to the board at its May 22 meeting, Wilson said. Last fall, the district completed an assessment of its indoor recreational needs. Months in the making, the review was a product of interviews with stakeholders, focus groups, open house events and surveys. The resulting 266-page report offered a range of takeaways, from the demand for more aquatic facilities to the need for more enhanced seniors programs for seniors. The contract proposals 'really come off' that assessment, Wilson said. Under one of them, Itasca-based Williams Architects would be hired to assist the district in site and facility conceptual design and public engagement, he said. 'We've certainly gathered a lot of public input and feedback from the community as part of that indoor recreation needs assessment on the types of spaces that the community would like to see and feel is needed,' he said. 'Now, it's taking those elements and beginning to look at various sites. 'Where a building might be able to be located as well as what type of elements could be included in there and really the size of those to help with then determining what it might look like as well as what the cost estimate would be.' The other contract would have Beyond Your Base, a public affairs and pre-referendum consulting group, help the park board decide whether to seek voter approval through a referendum to help pay for new indoor rec space, Wilson said. As part of the district's recently completed needs assessment, residents were surveyed on their willingness to kick in their own tax dollars towards a new multipurpose activity center. Residents were surveyed on three bond issue scenarios: one that would fund a facility similar to the Fort Hill Activity Center with the addition of an indoor pool; a second calling for a center like Fort Hill with no pool; and a third under which a similar center would be built and include synthetic turf. All three would add anywhere from $60 to $85 to the park district's property tax bill annually for 20 years for a taxpayer with a home valued at $440,000, according to district estimates. In both statistical and public survey results, respondents indicated the highest willingness to pay for a center with a pool. Surveys also sought input on where residents would want new indoor recreation space to be built. South Naperville drew the highest level of support. Beyond Your Base, with offices in Colorado and Illinois, 'develops and implements comprehensive public engagement programs that incorporate voter analytics, public opinion research and strategic communications,' its website says. The consulting group recently assisted Indian Prairie School District 204 with its public engagement for a bond referendum that voters approved last fall, according to Wilson. Over the past couple of months, the district has started to work with both Beyond Your Base and Williams Architects on some initial steps 'to really begin taking a look at this a little bit further,' Wilson said. Each company has been paid $18,000 for the preliminary work, he said. If the new contracts are approved, Williams Architects would be receive $62,000 and Beyond Your Base would get $67,000. Should the board approve both agreements, 'later in the summer and in early fall, we would (expect to) have additional updates to … provide,' Wilson said. tkenny@
Chicago Tribune
15-05-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Naperville Park District to hire consultants to help plan future indoor rec space, possible pool
Naperville Park District is hoping to chart a path forward on new indoor recreation space, including the possiblity of a new pool, with the help of a pair of consultants. Later this month, district staff will bring two professional services contracts to the Naperville Park Board for approval. The contracts are the next step in an ongoing effort to determine how the district should manage its indoor recreation needs in years to come and if a referendum will be needed to fund new or expanded space. District Executive Director Brad Wilson gave an overview of the focus and scope of the proposed contracts at last week's park board meeting. They are expected to go to the board at its May 22 meeting, Wilson said. Last fall, the district completed an assessment of its indoor recreational needs. Months in the making, the review was a product of interviews with stakeholders, focus groups, open house events and surveys. The resulting 266-page report offered a range of takeaways, from the demand for more aquatic facilities to the need for more enhanced seniors programs for seniors. The contract proposals 'really come off' that assessment, Wilson said. Under one of them, Itasca-based Williams Architects would be hired to assist the district in site and facility conceptual design and public engagement, he said. 'We've certainly gathered a lot of public input and feedback from the community as part of that indoor recreation needs assessment on the types of spaces that the community would like to see and feel is needed,' he said. 'Now, it's taking those elements and beginning to look at various sites. 'Where a building might be able to be located as well as what type of elements could be included in there and really the size of those to help with then determining what it might look like as well as what the cost estimate would be.' The other contract would have Beyond Your Base, a public affairs and pre-referendum consulting group, help the park board decide whether to seek voter approval through a referendum to help pay for new indoor rec space, Wilson said. As part of the district's recently completed needs assessment, residents were surveyed on their willingness to kick in their own tax dollars towards a new multipurpose activity center. Residents were surveyed on three bond issue scenarios: one that would fund a facility similar to the Fort Hill Activity Center with the addition of an indoor pool; a second calling for a center like Fort Hill with no pool; and a third under which a similar center would be built and include synthetic turf. All three would add anywhere from $60 to $85 to the park district's property tax bill annually for 20 years for a taxpayer with a home valued at $440,000, according to district estimates. In both statistical and public survey results, respondents indicated the highest willingness to pay for a center with a pool. Surveys also sought input on where residents would want new indoor recreation space to be built. South Naperville drew the highest level of support. Beyond Your Base, with offices in Colorado and Illinois, 'develops and implements comprehensive public engagement programs that incorporate voter analytics, public opinion research and strategic communications,' its website says. The consulting group recently assisted Indian Prairie School District 204 with its public engagement for a bond referendum that voters approved last fall, according to Wilson. Over the past couple of months, the district has started to work with both Beyond Your Base and Williams Architects on some initial steps 'to really begin taking a look at this a little bit further,' Wilson said. Each company has been paid $18,000 for the preliminary work, he said. If the new contracts are approved, Williams Architects would be receive $62,000 and Beyond Your Base would get $67,000. Should the board approve both agreements, 'later in the summer and in early fall, we would (expect to) have additional updates to … provide,' Wilson said.
