Mosquitos can carry the West Nile virus. Stay away from them, cautions DeKalb County health officials, now that the virus is in the county.

DeKALB COUNTY

West Nile found; public urged to avoid mosquitos

County health officials urge the public to limit their exposure to mosquitoes and take precautions after a bird found in DeKalb last week tested positive for West Nile virus. The DeKalb County Health Department said the bird was the county’s first of the year to test positive for the disease.

West Nile virus is spread through bites from mosquitoes that have fed on an infected bird. The health department collects a limited number of dead birds a year to send to a state lab for testing, as long as they do not show any signs of decay, trauma, maggot or insect activity.

Most people with the virus do not show physical symptoms, although some become ill three to 14 days after being bitten. Symptoms include fever, headache and body aches; and serious illnesses including encephalitis and meningitis, and death is possible.

School physicals are part of health event 

The DeKalb County Health Department will host a Healthy Start to School event Aug. 11. Hours are 9 a.m. – 7 p.m. at the DeKalb County Health Campus, 2550 N. Annie Glidden Road, DeKalb. School and sports physicals and immunizations will be available. Call (815) 748-2460 to make an appointment or for information.

Medical cards (Meridian, Harmony and Illinois Health Connect) and most private insurance will be accepted. On-site dental services also will be available.

DeKalb

Artists, crafters needed for Artisan Market

The Kishwaukee Hospital Auxiliary invites artists and crafters to participate in the Artisan Market, which will be held in October. The annual event features a variety of unique handmade items, including jewelry, paper crafts, handcrafted candy and baked goods, fiber arts, knitted and crocheted items, home décor and artwork.

For an application and general information about the event, contact Deb Nier, volunteer services director, at dnier@kishhealth.org or (815) 756-1521, Ext. 15337. Applications also are available online at  www.kishhealth.org/artisanmarket, and are due by 4:30 p.m. Aug. 26.

The market will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 7 in the Roberts Conference Center at Kishwaukee Hospital, now part of Northwestern Medicine.

SYCAMORE

Estate, transition planning offered to farmers

What happens to the farm when the farmer has died? Luckily, there are steps farmers can take to ensure that the business they worked so hard to build and the family that they cared for their entire lives remain strong and vibrant.

Rick Morgan, division director of financial planning with Country Financial, and Andy Larson, small farms educator with the University of Illinois Extension, will conduct a one-day workshop that will introduce farm families to essential skills and topics that will help them make a success of farm succession. The discussion will include:

• Federal and state tax laws
• Avoiding probate through Revocable Living Trust
• Basic estate distribution techniques
• Effective communication in farm family businesses
• Strategies for smooth transition to the next generation

This workshop will be held 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Aug. 16, at the Conference Center in the DeKalb County Farm Bureau Building, 1350 W. Prairie Drive, Sycamore. The program fee is $10. To register, visit http://web.extension.illinois.edu/bdo/. Those who have questions or need a reasonable accommodation to participate in this program should contact the Extension office at (815) 758-8194, or email Andy Larson at andylars@illinois.edu.

DEKALB and SYCAMORE

Free back-to-school haircuts for children in need

Hair Cuttery salons in DeKalb ad Sycamore are joining a national effort to help local children in need get free haircuts for the upcoming new school year.

Until Aug. 15, one haircut for a local child in need will be will donated for every haircut purchased for children age 18 and younger.

The local salons are at 927 S. Annie Glidden Road, DeKalb; phone number (815) 787-6800, and 2350 Sycamore Road, Sycamore; phone number (815) 758-4697.

MALTA

College offers extensive leadership training

Kishwaukee College Business Development Department is offering its Leadership Development Program, titled True Leadership, in the fall semester at the college.

The program is comprised of seven, four-hour classes that, when taken in order, progress through the stages of leadership development.

Participants may register for select classes or the entire series. Each individual class costs $199. A 30 percent discount is available to employers who commit to sending four or more employees to all seven classes.

The course will be offered at two locations: CHS Inc, 1900 Steward Road, Rochelle and at Kishwaukee College. The first class at CHS begins Aug. 23 and the first class at Kishwaukee begins Aug. 30. One class will be held each month (except December) through March 2017.

The seven class modules are entitled Leading and Management: Leadership 101; Leadership That Works for Everyone; Emotional Intelligence; Conflict and Difficult People: Analysis, Communication and Resolution; Delegation/Employee Growth: Motivation and Coaching; Leading a Diverse Workforce and Recognizing and Rewarding Employees in Meaningful Ways.

The series is led by four experienced trainers, all of whom have years of learning and development experience in private and public industry. For more information or to register, contact Melissa Gallagher at melissa.gallagher@kishwaukeecollege.edu or (815) 825-9466.