The Peoria County Health Department is holding two food safety classes entitled How to Prevent a Kitchen Nightmare during October. (Photo courtesy of Peoria County)

EAST PEORIA

Parents encouraged to attend car seat check

Learn if your child’s car seat is installed correctly at the East Peoria Fire Department’s car seat check. Firefighters certified as car seat technicians will check the car seats and answer questions about best practices.

The event will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 2 at the Central Fire Station, 201 W. Washington St., East Peoria.  There is no charge for participating in the program

PEORIA

Health dept. hosting kitchen safety program

What is the difference between ‘best by’ and ‘use by’ on food packaging? How ‘overripe’ is ‘too ripe’ for this fruit? Is it safe to buy those dented cans of food on the grocery store shelf? Our own kitchens can be a high-risk environment for foodborne illness.

Microscopic germs such as bacteria, viruses, and parasites can thrive in food that is improperly stored or handled. If ingested, these germs can make you, your family, and your dinner guests sick.

Join Peoria City/County Health Department environmental health coordinators as they explain the best practices for keeping your food, kitchen, and dinner parties safe during two public education programs at 6;30 p.m. on  Wednesday, Oct 2 and at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 24.
Registration is required for. To register, visit: https://bit.ly/2Z311il.

PEORIA

Big Table regional planning day

The Big Table is a day of regional community building through conversations designed to strengthen and connect communities. Through open, thoughtful conversations that focus on how strengthening the region, building new relationships and new ways for working together by deepening our understanding of each other and what the region needs.

The event will he held on from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 15 at the Peoria Civic Center, 201 SW Jefferson Ave., Peoria.

The cost is free to attend but participants must register in advance for the session(s) they would like to attend. Go to https://data.greaterpeoria.us/big-table/.

STATE

 IDPH urge residents not to vape during

As the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) continues to investigate respiratory illnesses associated with vaping, Gov. J.B. Pritzker and IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike are urging members of the public not to use e-cigarettes or vaping devices.

People who continue to use e-cigarette products despite this warning should not buy these products off the street, modify e-cigarette products, nor add any substances to these products that are not intended by the manufacturer.

The Center for Disease Control’s investigation has not identified any particular e-cigarette product or vaping device that is causing acute respiratory illnesses.

In addition to the general warning of the risks associated with vaping, IDPH is warning of the increased risks associated with vaping by adolescents and young adults. According to the CDC, nicotine found in e-cigarettes causes harm in the brain development of youth who vape, and those young people may be more likely to progress to traditional cigarettes.

IDPH is conducting a survey to try to understand if vaping habits are different among people who have become sick after vaping, compared to those who have not become sick. It is an anonymous survey that takes only a few minutes and asks basic questions about the individual’s vaping habits. The survey can be found here: https://is.gd/understanding_vaping_habits

In addition to these efforts, Gov. Pritzker supports moving forward this veto session with strong and effective legislation to ban flavored vaping products, which are particularly targeted at young people. Vaping products are illegal for anyone under 21 to purchase in the state of Illinois under legislation the Governor advocated for and signed into law this year.

If you have vaped or used e-cigarettes and are experiencing difficulty breathing, chest pains, cough, or other respiratory symptoms, seek immediate medical attention and let doctors know you have vaped.

No nicotine products are safe. If you need help quitting tobacco products, including e-cigarettes and vapes, contact your doctor or call the Illinois Tobacco Quitline, 1-866-QUIT-YES (1-866-784-8937).

Fall trout season opens statewide on Oct. 19

The 2019 Illinois Fall Trout Fishing Season opens Saturday, Oct. 19 at 57 ponds, lakes, and streams throughout the state.

An early opportunity at select trout sites —the Fall Catch-and-Release Fishing Season — will open Oct. 5 at locations marked with an asterisk (*) in the list below. No trout may be kept during the catch and release fishing period, but anglers can keep trout after the opening of the regular season beginning Oct. 19.

The Illinois catchable trout program is funded by those who use the program through the sale of Inland Trout Stamps and through the Illinois Fish Management Fund.

The IDNR has added one new site for Fall Trout Fishing in 2019, Kaufman Lake in Champaign, maintaining the stocking of rainbow trout to 67,000 fish in the fall season. Rock Springs Pond in Decatur will be temporarily removed from stocking due to a maintenance project at that site.

No trout may be taken from any of the stocked sites from Oct. 1 until the fall trout season opens at 5  a.m. Oct. 19. Anyone attempting to take (harvest) trout before the legal harvest season opening will be issued citations.

All anglers —including those who intend to release fish caught before Oct. 19 — must have a valid fishing license and an Inland Trout Stamp, unless they are under the age of 16, blind or disabled, or are an Illinois resident on leave from active duty in the Armed Forces. The daily catch limit for each angler is five trout.

Illinois fishing licenses and Inland Trout Stamps are available at DNR Direct license and permit locations, including many bait shops, sporting goods stores and other retail outlets. Check the IDNR website at: http://dnr.illinois.gov/DNRDirectMonitor/VendorListing.aspx

Fishing licenses and trout stamps also can be purchased by using a credit card through DNR Direct online via the IDNR website at www.dnr.illinois.gov.

The 57 locations that will be open for Fall Trout Fishing Season are listed here https://www.dnr.illinois.gov/news/Pages/Illinois-Fall-Trout-Season-Opens-October-19.aspx