SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Toi Hutchinson (D-Chicago Heights) announced the release of a $1.8 million grant to help reopen the Kankakee River State Park’s campgrounds to visitors.

“This is welcomed news for Kankakee residents who have missed the opportunity to enjoy these public lands for the last three to four summers,” Hutchinson said. “I am excited to see families and visitors at the Chippewa and Potawatomi campgrounds again.”

The money for the campgrounds was included in the FY19 budget and is a part of more than $14 million in capital improvement projects at state parks and recreation areas managed by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

The Potawatomi campground closed before the 2015 season for planned improvement and the Chippewa site closed after the 2015 season due to a failed water well. These closures have been cited as a reason for recent attendance decline at Kankakee River State Park.

The campgrounds are expected to reopen in spring 2019.

State Senator Toi Hutchinson released the following statement ahead of the verdict in the trial of Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke, who was charged with murder in the shooting death of Laquan McDonald:

"In thinking about the coming Laquan McDonald case verdict, we know that the fight for civil rights has a long and storied history.

"For those that weren’t directly part of the struggle, the memories of the pain, bloodshed, death and hope that a new day was coming have been sanitized by distance and time. But they are still etched in the souls of those who have died or lost loved ones to allow us to claim our space and continue the fight. 

"Remember that what we fight for has to be bigger and bolder than what we fight against. In light of all of our frustrations, we must move from being dissatisfied to being proactive. Register to vote and actually show up and do it. Find a non-profit directly engaging in the delivery of services that you are passionate about.
 
""Stony the road we trod, bitter the chastening rod..." We sing, we march, we pray, and we gather because we know our work is not done. We know our voices matter, even when it appears that our very lives do not.

"In the coming days, the voices of the disenfranchised will be heard: “no justice no peace.” It is time for us to decide what piece we play in moving toward justice. Every single one of us. No matter what this verdict brings."

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Toi Hutchinson (D-Chicago Heights) urges caution and preparedness to avoid tick bites in light of a Kankakee resident testing positive for a tickborne virus.

The positive test was for the Heartland virus, the first reported case in Illinois. Heartland virus was first identified in 2009 and almost all afflicted individuals have been hospitalized.  Although most people infected have fully recovered, a few have died.  There are no vaccines to prevent Heartland virus infections. 

“We have to continue to be very careful. While we are entering fall, these threats still exist because of the warmer weather we are experiencing,” Hutchinson said. “It’s important to be aware of the symptoms and to take measures to prevent tick exposure.”

Signs and symptoms of infection can include fever, headaches, fatigue, muscle aches and diarrhea.  Most people have reported becoming sick about two weeks after being bit by a tick. While there is no treatment, doctors can treat some of the symptoms. 

If you have been bitten by a tick and think you may have Heartland virus or another tickborne illness, visit a health care provider. 

Ways to avoid tick bites include:
• Wearing light-colored, protective clothing—long-sleeved shirts, pants, boots or sturdy shoes, and a head covering. 
• Applying insect repellent that contains 20 percent or more DEET, picaridin, or IR3535 on exposed skin for protection that lasts several hours.
• Walking in the center of trails so grass, shrubs and weeds do not brush against you.
• Checking yourself, children, other family members and pets for ticks every two to three hours.
• Removing any tick promptly by grasping it with tweezers, as close to the skin as possible and gently, but firmly, pulling it straight out. Wash your hands and the tick bite site with soap and water.

SPRINGFIELD – Illinois farmers will now have the ability to cultivate industrial hemp under a proposal by State Senator Toi Hutchinson (D-Chicago Heights) that was signed into law over the weekend.

“Illinois has some of the best farmland in the Midwest, with fertile agricultural land across all regions of our state,” Hutchinson said. “This new law ensures our farmers have the ability to produce a product that is already available in our stores.”

Hutchinson’s new law, contained in Senate Bill 2298, creates the Industrial Hemp Act and allows farmers to apply to the Illinois Department of Agriculture for a license to cultivate and process industrial hemp.

In 2014, the federal farm bill for the first time allowed universities and state departments of agriculture to develop pilot programs to study the cultivation and marketing of industrial hemp. Illinois passed legislation in 2015 allowing state universities with four-year agriculture degrees to research hemp.

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