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Welcome to the Record Newspapers/Oswego Ledger Kendall County local government newsletter. Each Tuesday and Thursday, reporters Katie Finlon, Shea Lazansky and editor John Etheredge provide exclusive content and commentary on topics and issues involving Kendall County area governmental agencies and the communities they serve.

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Hey, Kendall County! This is news reporter Katie Finlon again, and I'm once again hoping this newsletter is finding everybody either safe, healthy or at the very least on the mend.

If it looks like my byline hasn't been as prevalent as it usually is since about Wednesday, your powers of observation are definitely up to snuff I've been feeling sick for more than a week and I reached a breaking point with symptoms from last Wednesday through Saturday morning. I'm talking cluster headaches/migraines, nausea, other less pleasant tummy troubles, an off sense of taste (like everything had a weird wax aftertaste), a little shortness of breath and the worst symptom for me to tolerate hives. The type of full-body hives that wake you up at least every two hours throughout the night.

Separately, these symptoms really aren't that unusual for me. Those who know me know I have some unique autoimmune health conditions never mind that I'm just an anxious human being by design and I finally got some decent relief in the last few years with a sharp eye on my sleep schedule, keeping tabs on my diet and a daily medication cocktail of omeprazole and various antihistamines. Still, I will have some off days on occassion, especially with my history of migraines.

Together, however, those symptoms which have been reported to be more secondary symptoms of COVID-19 started to kind of concern me, especially since they were breaking the threshold of my daily medication regimen for days on end and there weren't any noticeable changes made to my diet or sleep schedule otherwise. The symptoms definitely concerned my husband, especially after I mentioned the off sense of taste even though it wasn't a complete loss of that sense for me.

After my husband kind of talked me off of my stubborn high horse, we agreed it wouldn't do either of us any harm to get tested for COVID-19 sooner rather than later, especially with my sick day reserve I (thankfully) have at my disposal. So we opted to start with an Illinois Department of Public Health COVID-19 test from the Chicago Premium Outlets mall in Aurora, which opened April 22.

To start, the reason why I don't have my own photos of my actual experience from the drive-thru test site as a patron is that multiple Illinois National Guard officers kept telling cars in line ours included that taking photos of the site was prohibited. It appeared that order was to limit some gaper's block and to keep the car line moving along safely and to be fair, that approach seemed to be effective. I don't think we were there for longer than an hour, and we were allowed in line at about 9:15 a.m. Thursday, May 21 much to my relief, since I know the tests are given on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Since I've told people here and there about what's been going on with my situation up to this point, I've also been asked what the drive-thru testing experience was like. I've boiled it down to this: It felt a little dystopian and unnerving as a whole, but at least everything was well streamlined.

We were greeted by an officer wearing a cloth face mask toward the beginning of the maze, who asked who in the car was getting tested (both my husband and I). They wrote the number of tests to be administered on the driver's side window along with my husband's phone number on that same window and my phone number on the passenger side window and we were both given a small paper packet with information on what to expect from the testing procedure and how the state will follow up with test results via phone call.

After that, we were greeted by more officers with cloth face masks that asked us to hold our driver's licenses up to the windows which were only cracked about a half inch, per officers' instructions after my husband accidentally rolled his window down about an inch too far as they took down that information and whatever symptoms applied. We were then shepherded by a few more cloth face mask-clad officers into a tented area, where a sergeant with an N-95 mask, a face shield and a medical apron guided both of us through self-administered nasal swab tests.

As if receiving instructions from someone with that type of get-up yelling through a cracked window wasn't unsettling enough, let me tell you: The sensation of shoving a huge Q-tip about an inch up both of your own nostrils also is a weird one. If your eyes don't water and you don't feel the constant need to sneeze, you might have done it wrong.

As far as my own health situation goes, I ended up following up with my primary doctor via video call after all the day after I got tested. She seemed to be reassured that it would be unlikely that I'd test positive for COVID-19, since I didn't (and still don't) have a fever and a lot of these symptoms could be attributed to the horrid allergy season that's seemingly knocking everyone allergy-prone or not off of their feet.

However, she agreed it was appropriate for me to get tested regardless, considering what's happening in the world and what I do for a living, and that helped me personally feel a little less worry wart-y and not like I'm wasting state health time and resources. She also wrote another prescription and ordered me to take even more antihistamines to help me feel a little more human again in the following days.

Like my (correct, I begrudgingly admit) husband said: It's like it's almost always a good idea to follow up with your physician with any health concerns you may have, especially in this day and age.

As I write this from the comfort of my own couch on Sunday, it looks like the earliest I'll get my test results back is today (Tuesday). For now, I'm laying as low as I possibly can and trying not to scratch my skin completely raw until I get that health clearance to be able to run necessary errands and cover more assignments from a safe distance a little more freely.

Until then, it's good to be back at about 75% health-wise and I'm looking forward to seeing more of you soon, Kendall County!

Visit link:
Newsletter: What is it like to go through the Aurora COVID-19 testing site? - Kendall County Now

Getty

Since the first U.S. case of Covid-19 was confirmed Jan. 20, the coronavirus pandemic has dealt the nation a triple blow: afflicting our health, undermining our economy and tearing at our social fabric.

In recent weeks, the pandemic has taken tens of thousands of lives and millions of jobs. And, according to recent reports, deaths of despair, such as overdoses and suicides, are on the rise amid tight social restrictions.Amid these threats, many states have begun a phased reopening of businesses and public places.

Influential figures in healthcare, business and politics have played a significant role in plotting the path forward.

But rather than working together on a comprehensive plan for a safe and successful reopening, these groups have maintained competing interests, bringing to mind the parable of The Blind Men and The Elephant. Each touches only one area and describes that part as if it were the whole.

1. Public health experts fear more than anything the ongoing spread of disease and, therefore, insist restrictive steps must continue.

2.Small businesses, fighting for their own survival, have joined conservative news outlets in calling for an aggressive reboot of the economy.

3.And with rising levels of domestic violence, alcoholism, and depression, both mental health experts and elected officials fear the threat of keeping social restrictions in place.

Though there is merit in each fear, and wisdom in each approach, our nations leaders have blinded themselves to a disconcerting reality: Maximizing success in one area will inflict even greater damage on the others.

Continuing aggressive shelter-in-place orders, for example, will further aggravate mental health issues just as throwing open the doors to the economy will cause a resurgence of infection. To save lives, we need a more focused strategy that blends the best of all three approaches, and removes the greatest threats from each. The question is: How best to a accomplish this goal?

Calling Professor Pareto

In the 19th century, Italian engineer and economist Wilfried Fritz Pareto observed that 20% of Italians held 80% of the countrys wealth. Expanding on his law of the vital few, Pareto held that a multitude of different events and social structures follow this same principle.

Now known as the 80/20 rule or the Pareto principle, the theory has proven incredibly accurate and insightful across nearly every facet of human existence, helping organizations and institutions strategize for success the world over.

Today, it is responsible for the well-known business adage that 20% of your customers produce 80% of your sales. Though actual data may vary by industry and business unit, this helpful nugget of wisdom allows sales and marketing teams to target a small group of customers rather than diluting their investments by trying to reach everyone. Likewise, knowing that 80% of all healthcare costs are consumed by 20% of Americans allows insurance executives to pool resources and build health programs aimed at keeping their sickest enrollees out of the hospital.

Using The 80/20 Rule To Battle The Coronavirus

Applying the Pareto principle to our nations coronavirus response offers a much safer and more effective set of solutions, maximizing the number of lives saved while ensuring the cure isnt worse than the disease itself.

Our nations current approach to the pandemic fails to acknowledge the fact that 80% of coronavirus deaths have occurred among the 20% of the population that is 65 years and older. Similarly, a study in New York City, the epicenter of the U.S. outbreak, found that 88% of of hospitalized coronavirus patients had at least two chronic health conditions.

If we know that the vital few are being disproportionately affected by the coronavirus, then why do shelter-in-place and social distancing orders apply to everyone, regardless of age or health status? Why are offices and small businesses reopening their doors to all workers and customers, rather than beginning with the 80% of people least likely to die?

By treating everyone the same, our nations policies are overly restrictive of people who are relatively safe while providing not nearly enough protection for the individuals at greatest risk. Rather than shaping policies based on facts, weve applied a one-size-fits-all framework to the entire nation. As a result, weve not only failed to corral the virus but also inflicted excessive economic and interpersonal pain on everyone.

By applying the 80/20 rule now, we can reshape U.S. policies governing our health, economy and society in ways that better protect all of us from the virus.

1. Helping our health

For months, the media has obsessed over the national Covid-19 death rate, wondering: Is it as low as 0.66% or as high as 5%? It doesnt matter. What matters is that death rates vary considerably by demographic. Among children, the chances of dying are extremely low, less than 0.01%, while the mortality rate among the elderly can reach double digits.

Therefore, reducing deaths requires us to segment the nation into two groups: Those in the high-risk 20% (seniors and people with two or more chronic conditions who must avoid contact with infected persons at all costs) and those in the lower-risk 80% (everyone else).

To understand the need for such a policy, look at nursing homes, which house less than 0.5% of the U.S. population but account for approximately 25% of Covid-19 deaths. All facilities should, therefore, separate residents (all of which fall into the 20% group), test staff frequently and strictly limit visitation.

The 20-percenters who live at home should avoid contact with family members who are not regularly tested or proven to have antibodies. At the same time, we need solutions that help seniors and people with chronic illnesses avoid the psychological consequences of extreme isolation.For example, recognizing how difficult it has become for grandparents to stay away their grandkids, we should provide technological assistance and support to connect families during this time of great social need.

And until there is a vaccine, we must allocate significantly more resources toward providing the 20% with sufficient food, access to medical care and safe housing. Compared to the trillions of dollars were spending to address the consequences of our current approach, investing in proactive assistance and prevention would prove far more cost effective.

2. Bolstering our economy

The American public, which has been subjected to an abundance of pseudoscience and political disinformation, continues to hold on to the false hope that the coronavirus will magically disappearthe result of effective social distancing, warmer weather or a wonder drug like hydroxychloroquine or remdesivir. If any of these outcomes were likely, or even possible, we could afford to blunder along for a few more months.

The reality is that this disease wont go away until there is an effective vaccine, which will be no sooner than January 2021, even by the most hopeful estimates. And because this is a marathon, not a sprint, we cant afford to let our economy crumble or put vulnerable people in the virus cross-hairs.

For our nations economic well-being, the time has come to open stores, restaurants, schools and services to the 80-percenters. At the same time, we must maximize the health and safety of workers and consumers. In public places, all people should wear a mask or facial shield, observe the six-foot rule, wash their hands frequently, and be tested at the first sign of symptoms. We should also ramp-up contact tracing to quickly and safely alert and isolate those who have interacted with infected persons. These measures are far less restrictive and, yet, far safer than the rules currently in place.

3. Bringing society closer to normal

Some situations are still too dangerous for anyone, regardless of age or health status (see: Game Zero, the Champions League soccer match in Spain that epidemiologists refer to as a biological bomb).

Until there is a vaccine, in-person conferences, major sporting events, large summer festivals, and even packed dance floors should be outlawed.We must remember that the 80-percenters are not immune to the disease. They can transmit it even if asymptomatic.

Ultimately, the 80/20 approach doesnt ensure 100% protection, 100% economic revitalization or a 100% return to normal. But it gives us the best opportunity to maximize success in all three areas.

Of course, anyone who prefers to continue sheltering, even those in the least-vulnerable 80%, should be able to do so. Generous work-from-home policies should continue for those who wish to stay as safe as possible. And telemedicine should remain a legal and reimbursable alternative to in-person care.

Ultimately, some 20-percenters would rather risk their lives than remain under house arrest. A clear, comprehensive strategy, properly communicated to all, would allow these individuals to make an informed decisionfully aware of the potential consequences.

Theres a reason extreme diets fail. To lose weight and keep it off, people need a plan they understand and can maintain for the long term. Our current coronavirus crash diet is the worst of all extremes. By following the Pareto principle, we could define a new normal that everyone could live withat least until a vaccine arrives.

Full coverage and live updates on the Coronavirus

Go here to read the rest:
How The 80/20 Rule Can Save Your Life During The Coronavirus Reopening - Forbes

Photo credit: aldi.mademedoit - Instagram

From Delish

There's something about summer cocktails that just hit differently. Who wouldn't love sipping a light and sweet boozy drink in the sunshine? And if you can just crack open a bottle of said boozy drink? Even better! Enter Jack Daniels' Black Jack Cola, a bottled whiskey cola drink that will change your summer drink game for the better.

Black Jack Cola, as you may have guessed, is pretty similar to a whiskey cola with a lemon-lime twist. Each bottle in the six pack has a 4.8 percent ABV. This drink is part of the brand's Country Cocktails range, which essentially makes your favorite mixed drinks into convenient bottled beverages.

This drink seems to have been around for the past year or so, but we got a glimpse of it thanks to Instagram account @aldi.mademedoit. They spotted it at their local Aldi store this past weekend, and it seems like plenty of commenters now have plans to pick up a pack for themselves.

"Oh my stars I gotta try these!!!" one person wrote. "I need to try these," another person wrote.

Luckily for them (and, well, us) this drink has stellar reviews across the board and is not only available at Aldi, but also at major retailers like Walmart and local liquor stores. Do a quick search and chances are you can find a pack of these to pick up near you (or have delivered!) Then all you'll have to do is set up the lawn chair and prepare for a nice long afternoon of doing nothing but sipping whiskey and cola. What could be better?

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Read more here:
Jack Daniel's Makes Bottled Jack And Cola Drinks You'll Have In Your Hand All Summer Long - Yahoo Lifestyle

We shouldn't need to say anything for this post other than: The official Warner Brothers flick "The Batmobile Documentary" is now free on YouTube, and, "Enjoy." In case anyone's still here, the doc is like an hour-long behind-the-scenes featurette for a screen star that's used a fire-spitting turbine to combine the best of Lassie and the Terminator. The caped crusader's ride didn't start out that way, though, a series of luminaries opening the film by explaining the anonymous red sedan that began this whole road trip. From the time Batman first hauled around town in an unspecified two-door hardtop in Detective Comics #27 of May 1939, it took two years for someone to christen his ride "The Batmobile" and decorate it with the bat hood ornament, giant batwing fin springing off the back, and dark hue it deserved.

When Batman swung from comic books to movies in 1943, the Batmobile returned to its quotidian roots: Bruce Wayne drove a Cadillac convertible with the top down, Batman drove the same convertible with the top up.

It wouldn't be until 1950 that comic-book Batman, stuck in a hospital recovering from a broken leg, drew up a dedicated, gadget- and trick-laden Batmobile that would sprout bigger fins and far-reaching derivatives throughout the decade, including a Bat Saucer and a Bat Tank.

In 1966, the Bat-universe blew open with the "Batman" television series starring Adam West. Since Warner Brothers commissioned this documentary in 2012 and premiered it at San Diego Comic-Con in 2013, Adam West and George Barris were alive to tell the story of the car that established the Batmobile template. Barris said a show producer told him he had 15 days and $15,000 to build a car. Barris gave one of those dollars to Ford to buy the Lincoln Futura concept car Ford had debuted at the 1955 Chicago Auto Show, and we know the magic he made of it.

The documentary trail of directors, producers, and designers connects Barris' work to Tim Burton's just-as-famous, revamped, Chevrolet-Impala-based Batmobile that Michael Douglas drove in the 1980s, the lesser-favored Batmobiles that followed for Val Kilmer and George Clooney, and the literal mil-spec Tumbler Christopher Nolan blew us all away with in "The Dark Knight" trilogy. The trail ends before getting to Zach Snyder's rigs for Ben Affleck's Batman, which means we don't get insight into the mid-engined, muscle-car looking hootenanny Robert Pattinson will pilot in next year's "The Batman," either. That could be a good thing, but we'll just have to wait and see. The doc stands as a solid hour of the real definition of "infotainment," just a click away.

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See the article here:
70 years of Batmobiles get their due in Warner Brothers documentary - Yahoo Lifestyle

From Cosmopolitan

Meghan Markle may have a production deal in the works.

But no, this doesnt mean Meghan has plans to return to acting. 🙁

Once upon a time, Meghan Markle used to be an actress. But after becoming a literal royal and subsequently leaving the monarchy to pursue freedom with Prince Harry in America, everyone cant help but wish upon the nearest star for Meghans return to the big screen. Sure, we got Meghans narration on Disney+s Elephants, but lets be realwere greedy! We want more! But will we get more IMDb credits from Meghan? Short answer: Yesand no.

According to Katie Nicholl for the Sunday Times, Meghan apparently has no plans to resume life onscreen. But! Theres a silver lining here that makes this sad news a *little* less devastatingthank gawd.

Royal reporter Omid Scobie suggested that Meghans becoming more interested in operating behind the scenes and could even net a production deal. Think of a working model not too dissimilar to what the Obamas created after leaving the White House, when they set up their Higher Ground production company and later signed a multiyear production deal with Netflix to produce movies and documentaries that cover issues such as race, class, democracy, and civil rights, he told the Sunday Times.

On top of the possible production deal, Meghan might be working on an unspecified wellness project (move over, Gwyneth Paltrow and Kourtney Kardashian). You know, in addition to possibly working on some more cookbooks and relaunching her lifestyle blog, The Tig.

In the meantime, were just gonna have to keep waiting with bated breath for more Meghan appearances and news of her charitable endeavors. *sigh*

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See the rest here:
Here's the Deal with Meghan Markle Possibly Returning to Acting, Since You're Dying to Know - Yahoo Lifestyle