The Illinois Department of Public Health said Friday they’ve confirmed Illinois’ first mosquitoes testing positive for West Nile virus this season. The positive mosquitoes were collected Tuesday in the village of Wayne. No human cases have been reported so far in 2019. The first mosquitoes that tested positive for the virus last season were collected on May 25, four days later than this year. Health department records show 74 Illinois counties reported West Nile virus positive mosquitoes or birds or a human case in 2018. (Herald & Review)

A long-running test program in which employees at certain hog plants perform tasks similar to those done by federal inspectors is catching criticism. Several food safety lawyers, Democratic members of Congress and a former agriculture official say that the USDA is using sleight-of-hand tactics to get around legal mandates that have been in place for more than a century. When plant employees perform various food safety work under the program, the USDA says they are “sorting” and “removing” or “disposing” of the meat, not inspecting or condemning it. The shift in language is central to the USDA’s efforts to make

Are pork chops on the grilling menu this holiday weekend? New research from University of Illinois meat scientists finds that pork enthusiasts can improve taste, juiciness and tenderness by cooking chops to the new USDA standard: 145 degrees Fahrenheit. “Pork cooked to 145 degrees is absolutely safe,” says Dustin Boler, associate professor in the Department of Animal Sciences at U of I. “And our results show that everyday consumers strongly prefer pork chops cooked to 145 over the old standard of 160 degrees.” (ACES Illinois)

Any Illinois resident affected by recent flooding may find a variety of services at flooding resource centers in Hardin, Calhoun County. Supplies and services offered will include a flood cleanup kit with a bucket, mop, gloves and cleaning supplies. Important flood safety information will be distributed. (FarmWeekNow)

“Across the state, Missouri’s first responders once again responded quickly and with strong coordination as much of the state dealt with extremely dangerous conditions that left people injured, trapped in homes, and tragically led to the death of three people,” said Missouri Gov. Mike Parson. Parson confirmed damage to state buildings and that power was out in some areas. Parson had previously declared a state of emergency earlier this week due to the repeated rounds of severe weather and the ongoing flood threat. (Accuweather)  

Ameren Illinois crews are continuing to work to restore power to thousands of customers after a severe weather system moved through Central Illinois early Thursday morning. The Ameren outage map shows nearly 7,300 customers in Champaign, Iroquois, Macon, Piatt, and Vermilion counties without power. (News-Gazette)