Dec. 2

ILLINOIS STATE

Conference to focus on wind energy

PEORIA - The Illinois State University-based Illinois Wind Working Group will host a conference on wind farms later this month in Peoria.

The event, "Siting and Taxing Wind Farms in Illinois," will be 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 13 at the Pere Marquette Hotel downtown.

Sessions will focus on the duties of county boards and zoning boards regarding wind development and the taxation of wind farms. Another session addresses opposition to wind energy projects.

Government employees, county board members and zoning board members may register for the conference at no cost. For all others, the registration fee is $35.

The event is possible through a U.S. Department of Energy grant. A complete list of conference topics and speakers along with registration information is available at www.wind.ilstu.edu.

NORTHERN ILLINOIS

Rural health project to connect hospitals

NAPERVILLE - By 2011, a doctor at a rural hospital in downstate Illinois should be able to get a real-time consultation from a specialist at a large Chicago hospital by using a fiber optic communication network linking health-care providers and universities throughout the state.

The fiber optic project, called Illinois Rural HealthNet, was announced at a news conference at Northern Illinois University's Naperville campus last week. The network will be built using a $21 million grant from the Federal Communications Commission and will extend from Galena to Metropolis.

NIU's Broadband Development Group spearheaded the initiative. The group is a department within the university that specializes in broadband technology.

Rural health-care providers often face a lack of resources and specialists. Using a standard hospital Internet connection, it would take five days to send a CT scan image to another hospital. Images transmitted on the high-speed fiber-optic network can be received in less than five minutes.

WESTERN ILLINOIS

University theme to center on wellness

MACOMB - One of Western Illinois University's four core values - personal growth - encompasses wellness. To recognize this essential component in our personal lives as well as in the world around us, the 2008-09 universitywide theme will be "Global Challenges and Personal Responsibility, Health and Wellness."

"Next year's theme calls on every member of the university community to think not only about their personal health and wellness, but also about how they can improve the well-being of others in their communities and the world as a whole," said Matt Blankenship and Ann Comerford, co-chairs of the university theme committee.

"Health and Wellness" will be incorporated into multiple experiences throughout the academic year, including the First Year Experience program for incoming freshmen, the university theme speakers series, group discussions, readings, films, fine arts and cultural events and other programming.

The university theme was initiated six years ago during the inaugural year of Al Goldfarb's tenure as Western's 10th president, as a call to action, to challenge the entire WIU community to join in common dialogue, activities and events.

Michele Steinbacher of the Pantagraph, Dana Herra of The Daily Chronicle and Western Illinois University contributed to this report.