Latest news with #RespiratoryHealthAssociation
CBS News
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
"Flavors of Chicago" scavenger hunt is this weekend, with $1K top prize
If you want to spend some time getting to know Chicago with, perhaps, a big prize at the end, a three-day scavenger hunt is on across the city this weekend. The fourth annual eAtlas Scavenger Hunt, themed "Flavors of the City," returns from Friday through Sunday. eAtlas organizers teamed up with Chicago history and culture podcast "77 Flavors of Chicago" to plan this year's hunt, which benefits the Respiratory Health Association. This year's hunt is planned around the Loop and River North neighborhoods. The winning team gets a $1,000 cash prize, but there are also prizes for best team name, top fundraiser, most creative costume and more. You can stop and start the hunt as needed as long as it's completed between Friday at 10 a.m. and Sunday at 9 p.m. The winning team or person will have the best time and the most accurately completed challenges. Click here for more information or to sign up.
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Hustle Chicago Stair Climb raises $800K for respiratory health and lung cancer research
CHICAGO (WGN) — At 94 stories and more than 1,600 steps into the air, the Hustle has transcended what many still call the Hancock Tower for more than 20 years. 'We've done this crazy thing for the past 23 years and it's been freaking awesome,' said Steve Ferkau, a double-lung transplant recipient who is a constant presence at the Hustle Chicago Charity Stair Climb. 'I have cystic fibrosis and 25 years ago, I had a double lung transplant,' Ferkau said. 'My life was saved by a beautiful girl from Iowa. Her name was Kari.' 'My mom and dad didn't expect me to live beyond my teens and I'm 64-and-three-quarters,' Ferkau said. 'I never would have made it that far if it weren't for people like the people in the stairwells, events like this and money raised for research for problems I have.' More than 2,000 people took part in this year's climb, raising close to $800,000 in the process. 'People are out there in the stairwells from all different walks of life,' said Alex Rodriguez, digital communications coordinator with the Respiratory Health Association. 'We have people who have had double lung transplants we have people whose kids live with asthma. We have people who are trying to advocate for clean air policies. 'Everything we do today is to make sure we have a brighter future tomorrow.' Money raised at the event goes to respiratory health and lung cancer research, resources for long COVID and COVID-19 patients, and a program to get asthma rescue medications in Illinois Public Schools. For more on the Respiratory Health Association and the Hustle Chicago Charity Stair Climb, visit their website online: Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
24-02-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Hundreds climb thousands of stairs for Hustle Chicago at former John Hancock Center
Hundreds of Chicagoans got their blood flowing for a good cause Sunday morning. They took part in Hustle Chicago, formerly known as Hustle up the Hancock. The event was renamed because the iconic skyscraper at 875 N. Michigan Ave. where it takes place is not officially called the John Hancock Center anymore. In Hustle Chicago, each participant climbed 94 flights of stairs — 1,632 stairs in all. Some made half-climbs of 816 steps and 52 floors. The event raises money to support the Respiratory Health Association's efforts to prevent lung disease. "It's fun in its own way," said a Jill Paha, who took first place in the women's division for Hustle Chicago, "and we have a great community. We all love each other. We all kind of travel these races together." More than 2,000 people took part in the event Sunday. Manuel Kessel came all the way from Germany. "I like traveling and doing these climbs, and it's my first time in Chicago, and I really liked it," said Kessel. There was really good energy here at this event." The first Hustle event at the John Hancock Center was held back in 1998.
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Trump order freezes funding for Illinois EV charging network, raises questions about other clean energy projects
In its quest to get a million electric vehicles on the road by 2030, Illinois was counting on $148 million in federal funding to help build a statewide network of public EV chargers. Now that funding has been frozen — and targeted for possible reduction or elimination — under a wide-ranging executive order that President Donald Trump signed on his first day in office. Also in limbo: another federal program that was to provide Illinois with millions of dollars for public EV chargers. 'I'm very nervous right now that (the Trump executive order) is going to limit Illinois' ability to achieve its EV future,' said Brian Urbaszewski, environmental health programs director at the Chicago-based Respiratory Health Association. If the federal funding drops or disappears, 'it really puts that (1 million EV) goal that we have in Illinois in jeopardy,' he said. EVs and their chargers appear to be a prime target of Trump's 'Unleashing American Energy' executive order, but they are by no means the only Illinois clean energy projects that could be in for a bumpy ride as the president takes bold steps to reverse the ambitious clean energy policies of his predecessor. The executive order pauses funds coming from President Joe Biden's signature climate law, the Inflation Reduction Act, including incentives for solar and wind projects and a federal tax credit of up to $7,500 for EV buyers. The executive order also targets the opportunity for states to adopt California-style vehicle emissions rules that exceed national standards, an approach that Illinois is currently considering. The executive order sets up a 90-day review period for clean energy projects funded under the Inflation Reduction Act and the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, after which agency heads will submit recommendations. Illinois experts and advocates noted that there are still a lot of unknowns. Environmental Law and Policy Center Chief Executive Officer Howard Learner said Trump's power is limited in areas such as solar energy tax credits and EV tax credits, which were voted into law by Congress. 'No president in an executive order can willy-nilly overturn congressional legislation,' Learner said. The president can go to Congress with his preferred policies and ask for changes, Learner said, but solar energy tax credits and wind production tax credits already have strong bipartisan support. Funds for the Illinois EV charger network under the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program, on the other hand, are subject to more direct presidential control. 'Here the administration does have a degree of flexibility, and can decide, with regard to new expenditures, whether to move forward or not,' Learner said. 'If (the expenditures) have been congressionally authorized and appropriated, the administration has to follow what Congress has decided.' Of the $148 million in money for an electric charger network that Illinois was expecting from the EV formula program, the state announced $25 million in grants in September for 37 projects with 182 new charging ports. Applications are currently open for a second round of funding, expected to distribute about $24 million in grants. It's unclear how much of the money could be vulnerable under the Trump executive order, but Urbaszewski said the state has to first spend its own money and then get reimbursed by the EV formula program or the federal Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Grant Program. That reimbursement system means money stays in federal hands longer, which could be a disadvantage if funding is cut off. 'That, and the fact that those two programs are specifically called out in the executive order — specifically — makes me a little nervous,' Urbaszewski said. Asked about the effects of Trump's executive order on Illinois, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency issued a written statement saying, 'At this time, IEPA is not aware of any impacts to grants and will be monitoring the situation closely.' At the Union of Concerned Scientists, Midwest Policy Director James Gignac highlighted another issue for Illinois: the Inflation Reduction Act's solar and wind incentives. 'There's a lot of development that's underway, based in part on those incentives. If they were to be eliminated, reversed or taken away, that could have an effect for sure on this area,' he said. The executive order is not expected to have much impact on residential solar in Illinois, according to Illinois Solar Energy & Storage Association Executive Director Lesley McCain. The federal government currently offers a tax credit worth up to 30% of the cost to install a solar roof. 'The executive order does not impact (that tax credit), as it is part of the federal tax code, but we will keep a close eye on further developments,' McCain said in a written statement. Urbaszewski, who supports a bid to adopt the California-style clean car and clean truck rules in Illinois, said those rules could help Illinois meet its EV goals if federal EV-charger funding were cut. The rules, currently under consideration by the Illinois Pollution Control Board, would require that all new passenger vehicles sold in Illinois be zero emissions by 2035. During his first term, Trump tried to rescind a waiver that allowed California to pursue car emissions standards stricter than the federal government's. 'This is all going to end up in court, and it's going to take years to figure out whether the U.S. EPA under Trump actually has the authority to take back a waiver once it has been granted,' Urbaszewski said. In the meantime, he'd like to see Illinois adopt the California standards, which he said would accomplish the EV formula program goal of expanding the Illinois charging network. 'If there's a lot of (electric) cars that show up, businesses are going to smell opportunity, and they're going to build chargers,' he said. The Inflation Reduction Act has spurred economic growth in both blue states and red states, and Learner said that solar energy tax credits and wind power production tax credits have strong support on both sides of the aisle. Since the Inflation Reduction Act, companies have announced 751 new clean energy projects in the U.S., including battery manufacturing sites, new or expanded electric vehicle manufacturing facilities, and solar and wind manufacturing plants, according to a recent report from Climate Power, a strategic communications organization. More than half of those projects are in congressional districts represented by Republicans in the House of Representatives. Learner sees a parallel between the Biden climate plan and another high-profile piece of Democratic legislation: the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare. During his first term, Trump vowed to repeal Obamacare, but the program developed bipartisan support as a wide range of Americans started to experience its benefits. 'Today, Obamacare is in place,' said Learner. 'There have been some ways in which it's been cut back or changed by the first Trump administration, and by some of the Supreme Court decisions, but by and large, (24) million Americans are now covered by Obamacare and the program has been successfully implemented.' nschoenberg@
Chicago Tribune
27-01-2025
- Automotive
- Chicago Tribune
Trump order freezes funding for Illinois EV charging network, raises questions about other clean energy projects
In its quest to get a million electric vehicles on the road by 2030, Illinois was counting on $148 million in federal funding to help build a statewide network of public EV chargers. Now that funding has been frozen — and targeted for possible reduction or elimination — under a wide-ranging executive order that President Donald Trump signed on his first day in office. Also in limbo: another federal program that was to provide Illinois with millions of dollars for public EV chargers. 'I'm very nervous right now that (the Trump executive order) is going to limit Illinois' ability to achieve its EV future,' said Brian Urbaszewski, environmental health programs director at the Chicago-based Respiratory Health Association. If the federal funding drops or disappears, 'it really puts that (1 million EV) goal that we have in Illinois in jeopardy,' he said. EVs and their chargers appear to be a prime target of Trump's 'Unleashing American Energy' executive order, but they are by no means the only Illinois clean energy projects that could be in for a bumpy ride as the president takes bold steps to reverse the ambitious clean energy policies of his predecessor. The executive order pauses funds coming from President Joe Biden's signature climate law, the Inflation Reduction Act, including incentives for solar and wind projects and a federal tax credit of up to $7,500 for EV buyers. The executive order also targets the opportunity for states to adopt California-style vehicle emissions rules that exceed national standards, an approach that Illinois is currently considering. The executive order sets up a 90-day review period for clean energy projects funded under the Inflation Reduction Act and the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, after which agency heads will submit recommendations. Illinois experts and advocates noted that there are still a lot of unknowns. Environmental Law and Policy Center Chief Executive Officer Howard Learner said Trump's power is limited in areas such as solar energy tax credits and EV tax credits, which were voted into law by Congress. 'No president in an executive order can willy-nilly overturn congressional legislation,' Learner said. The president can go to Congress with his preferred policies and ask for changes, Learner said, but solar energy tax credits and wind production tax credits already have strong bipartisan support. Funds for the Illinois EV charger network under the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program, on the other hand, are subject to more direct presidential control. 'Here the administration does have a degree of flexibility, and can decide, with regard to new expenditures, whether to move forward or not,' Learner said. 'If (the expenditures) have been congressionally authorized and appropriated, the administration has to follow what Congress has decided.' Of the $148 million in money for an electric charger network that Illinois was expecting from the EV formula program, the state announced $25 million in grants in September for 37 projects with 182 new charging ports. Applications are currently open for a second round of funding, expected to distribute about $24 million in grants. It's unclear how much of the money could be vulnerable under the Trump executive order, but Urbaszewski said the state has to first spend its own money and then get reimbursed by the EV formula program or the federal Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Grant Program. That reimbursement system means money stays in federal hands longer, which could be a disadvantage if funding is cut off. 'That, and the fact that those two programs are specifically called out in the executive order — specifically — makes me a little nervous,' Urbaszewski said. Asked about the effects of Trump's executive order on Illinois, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency issued a written statement saying, 'At this time, IEPA is not aware of any impacts to grants and will be monitoring the situation closely.' At the Union of Concerned Scientists, Midwest Policy Director James Gignac highlighted another issue for Illinois: the Inflation Reduction Act's solar and wind incentives. 'There's a lot of development that's underway, based in part on those incentives. If they were to be eliminated, reversed or taken away, that could have an effect for sure on this area,' he said. The executive order is not expected to have much impact on residential solar in Illinois, according to Illinois Solar Energy & Storage Association Executive Director Lesley McCain. The federal government currently offers a tax credit worth up to 30% of the cost to install a solar roof. 'The executive order does not impact (that tax credit), as it is part of the federal tax code, but we will keep a close eye on further developments,' McCain said in a written statement. Urbaszewski, who supports a bid to adopt the California-style clean car and clean truck rules in Illinois, said those rules could help Illinois meet its EV goals if federal EV-charger funding were cut. The rules, currently under consideration by the Illinois Pollution Control Board, would require that all new passenger vehicles sold in Illinois be zero emissions by 2035. During his first term, Trump tried to rescind a waiver that allowed California to pursue car emissions standards stricter than the federal government's. 'This is all going to end up in court, and it's going to take years to figure out whether the U.S. EPA under Trump actually has the authority to take back a waiver once it has been granted,' Urbaszewski said. In the meantime, he'd like to see Illinois adopt the California standards, which he said would accomplish the EV formula program goal of expanding the Illinois charging network. 'If there's a lot of (electric) cars that show up, businesses are going to smell opportunity, and they're going to build chargers,' he said. The Inflation Reduction Act has spurred economic growth in both blue states and red states, and Learner said that solar energy tax credits and wind power production tax credits have strong support on both sides of the aisle. Since the Inflation Reduction Act, companies have announced 751 new clean energy projects in the U.S., including battery manufacturing sites, new or expanded electric vehicle manufacturing facilities, and solar and wind manufacturing plants, according to a recent report from Climate Power, a strategic communications organization. More than half of those projects are in congressional districts represented by Republicans in the House of Representatives. Learner sees a parallel between the Biden climate plan and another high-profile piece of Democratic legislation: the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare. During his first term, Trump vowed to repeal Obamacare, but the program developed bipartisan support as a wide range of Americans started to experience its benefits. 'Today, Obamacare is in place,' said Learner. 'There have been some ways in which it's been cut back or changed by the first Trump administration, and by some of the Supreme Court decisions, but by and large, (24) million Americans are now covered by Obamacare and the program has been successfully implemented.'
