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Published in the Washington County News on July 10, 2025
By Todd Marver
The Okawville Village Board allegedly violated the Open Meetings Act (OMA) by not publishing a notice in the media prior to changing meeting locations in May.
Former Okawville Village Board Trustee Heather Todd's resignation from the Okawville Village Board was approved by the board at its June 30 meeting.
In a resignation letter from Todd to Okawville Mayor David Jasper dated June 17 obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, she said it is with regret that she informed Jasper about her decision to resign from the Okawville Village Board effective immediately. She said she appreciated the opportunity to serve the residents of the Okawville community, but she does not feel that she is a good fit for this position due to conflicting viewpoints on several procedures currently in place, the numerous alleged violations of the Open Meetings Act, as well as issues decided before board discussion/decision making has taken place. She said she wishes the board and its members the best in the future.
The newspaper alleged an Open Meetings Act violation by the Okawville Village Board in a Request for Review filed with the Illinois Attorney General's Public Access Bureau regarding the Village not publishing a notice in the Washington County News prior to the location change of its regular Village Board meetings.
Beginning with the May 19 Okawville Village Board meeting, the regular Village Board meetings were moved from the Washington County Senior Services building to the conference room in the rear of Okawville Village Hall. The Village did not publish a notice in the Washington County News at least 10 days in advance of its first regular meeting at its new location.
According to subsection (e) (4)(C) in Section 3002.410 of the Illinois Administrative Code regarding Open Meetings Act compliance, if a regular meeting is cancelled or if a change is made in a regular meeting date, at least 10 days' notice of the change shall be given by publication in the official State newspaper or newspaper in general circulation in the area in which the Board functions. Notice of the change shall also be posted at the principal office of the Board. A regular meeting of the Board may be cancelled or changed by the Chair.
Subsection (e)(4)(d) in Section 3002.410 states the Chair may change the location of any regular meeting. Notice of the change shall be given in the same manner as a cancellation or change in a regular meeting as set forth in subsection (e)(4)(C). If the location change is only a change in the room number of the same public building, then no notice is necessary other than a posted notice placed at the originally scheduled room no later than at the time of the beginning of the scheduled meeting. The location change was not a change in room number of the same public building, as the meetings were moved from one building (Washington County Senior Services) to another (Okawville Village Hall).
The Attorney General's Office issued a binding opinion last year with regard to notice of a change in regular meeting dates. The Attorney General's Office findings indicated that on June 3, 2024, the Marissa Village Board voted to move its regular meeting date from the third Monday of the month to the third Wednesday of the month starting last July until further notice. The office said the Board subsequently followed that schedule for the months of July and August, meeting on July 17, 2024, and August 21, 2024. The office said the Board did not give at least 10 days' notice of the changed meeting dates before the July 17, 2024, meeting. The office said a County Journal news article written about the schedule change does not constitute notice by publication in a newspaper as required by section 2.03 of OMA. Accordingly, the Attorney General's Office concluded the Board violated section 2.03 of Open Meetings Act. Because the Board subsequently published a legal notice in the County Journal of its changed regular meeting dates, no further action was required to remedy the Board's violation of section 2.03 of OMA. The Board was directed by the office to fully comply with the requirements of section 2.03 if it makes future changes to its regular meeting dates.
The Village of Okawville will have seven business days to respond upon receipt of the Request for Review from the Attorney General's Office.
Additionally, the Village didn't update the new meeting location on its website until the morning of June 30, which was the day of the second Okawville Village Board meeting at the new location. Prior to the morning of June 30 when it was changed, the website stated, "Village board meetings are held in the conference room of the Senior Center (305 N Nashville St) at 7:00pm on the last Monday of each month." After the website was updated, it states, "?Village board meetings are held in the conference room at the rear of Village Hall, 304 N Front St at 7:00 PM on the last Monday of each month. Entrance is from the rear; park in the senior center parking lot (305 N Nashville St) and enter through the double doors at the back of Village Hall."
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Aug. 26, 2026 Media Contact Information: Cartwheel Emily Paisner (888) 500-2067 emily.paisner@cartwheelcare.org
$1 million grant from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois will help Cartwheel scale access to care in rural and underserved communities through 2028
CHICAGO — August 26, 2026 — Cartwheel Care, a telehealth mental health provider for K-12 schools, today announced plans to expand access to care for up to 100,000 students across Illinois, supported by a $1 million grant from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois (BCBSIL). The additional funding builds on an existing partnership between Cartwheel and BCBSIL, following a year of strong engagement and clinical outcomes. Cartwheel currently serves 40 Illinois school districts, and the grant will help expand services further into rural and underserved communities across the state through 2028. Mental health needs among Illinois students remain high. According to data from Lurie Children’s Hospital, approximately 50% of Illinois youth (ages 2–17) have experienced worsening mental health symptoms in recent years. At the same time, access to care has not kept pace: more than 80 of Illinois’ 102 counties have no practicing child psychiatrist, and the shortage is most acute in rural areas, where families often wait months for an appointment or travel significant distances for care. Cartwheel’s telehealth model is designed to remove the access barriers rural families face, like long waitlists and the need to travel to see a provider. By partnering with schools, Cartwheel provides licensed, Illinois-based clinicians with no waitlist, accepts all major insurance plans including Medicaid, and reaches kids and families where they already are, without requiring them to find or travel to an outside provider. “Every student experiences mental health challenges differently, and there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to supporting them,” said Dr. Juliana Chen, chief medical officer at Cartwheel. “Our goal is to meet students and families where they are, with practical support that helps them build skills, strengthen relationships, and feel more confident navigating challenges at school and at home. BCBSIL’s support is what allows us to bring that care to more Illinois communities.” “Supporting the health and well-being of Illinois youth is critical to building stronger communities,” said Brian Snell, president of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois. “The results we’ve seen through our partnership with Cartwheel demonstrate the impact that timely, accessible mental health services can have for students and families. This investment will help bring those services to even more communities across our state.” To date, four Illinois districts have received Cartwheel’s services through this grant: Steger SD 194 in Cook County and Will County, Troy CCSD 30-C in Will County, Mattoon CUSD 2 in Coles County, and Wolf Branch SD #113 in St. Clair County. In the first year of the program, more than 200 students were referred for care and completed more than 1,000 telehealth sessions. Appointments were scheduled in the same week with no waitlist. Sixty-eight percent of students served were covered by Medicaid or uninsured. Overall, 73% of students showed meaningful improvement in anxiety and depression symptoms on standard clinical screeners (GAD-7/PHQ-9). Additional districts where Cartwheel services are launching this fall include Litchfield CUSD #12, Panhandle CUSD #2, Leyden High School District #212, and Regional Office of Education #40. With the support of this grant, Cartwheel expects to expand into another 30 to 50 school districts, bringing access to care to a total of 100,000 students across Illinois. “Before this partnership, getting a student connected to care could take months,” said Jeffrey Peterson, director of student services & records at Troy CCSD 30-C. “Now our counselors can refer a student, know they’ll be seen within days, and are seeing real improvements as a result.” Through the grant, Cartwheel provides individual and family therapy, parent guidance, psychiatric evaluation and medication management, and specialized care programs for challenges like school avoidance, social media use, and intense emotions and behavior challenges. As reported in Illinois Policy, in 2025 about 25% of Illinois students missed at least 10% of the school year and this was more severe among low-income students, with 35.1% in that group chronically absent. Cartwheel’s school avoidance program delivers evidence-based care designed specifically for students struggling with school avoidance. In partnership with Cartwheel, Peoria Public Schools saw a 62% reduction in absences per student, along with decreases in suspensions and symptoms of depression and anxiety. Illinois school districts that want to learn more about this opportunity for the upcoming school year should visit: www.cartwheel.org/illinois. About Cartwheel Cartwheel is the nation’s largest and most trusted telehealth provider for K-12 schools, students, and families. Cartwheel partners with 350 school districts across 15 states to deliver comprehensive mental health services to students, families, and school staff. Founded in 2022 by educators and clinicians, Cartwheel combines evidence-based clinical care with technology to ensure every child has access to high-quality mental health support. Cartwheel accepts all major insurance plans including Medicaid and provides care at no cost to uninsured families. For more information visit: www.cartwheel.org. About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois is the largest health insurer in Illinois, serving nine million members and operating in all 102 Illinois counties. BCBSIL is a division of Health Care Service Corporation, a Mutual Legal Reserve Company and an Independent Licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Learn more at bcbsil.com and follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Aug. 24, 2026 Media Contact Information: Mather Institute Cindy Droog, president, Sabo PR (616) 717-8654 cindy@sabo-pr.com
Free online tool by Mather Institute supports local planning, partnership and investments
EVANSTON, Illinois – Chicago has a new tool to help understand where neighborhood conditions support social wellness among older adults – and where thoughtful investment and partnership may expand opportunities. Mather Institute launched a first-of-its-kind free Social Wellness Map, which scores the 77 community areas in Chicago on social wellness – a measure of feeling connected with others and with a community – for adults 55 and better. Previous research shows strong social ties are one of the most important predictors of a happy and long life, and that neighborhoods and communities shape how people interact, support one another and build shared identity. Mather Institute developed the map in partnership with NORC at the University of Chicago. Designed as a planning and advocacy resource, the interactive map can help policymakers, community organizations, funders, planners and service providers explore local patterns, identify assets and consider where new investments may have the greatest benefit for older adults. “Social wellness is a crucial, yet often overlooked, part of healthy aging,” said Cate O’Brien, MPH, Ph.D., chief transformation officer at Mather Institute. “Because every community contains diverse histories, people and experiences, the map is intended to inform – not replace – local knowledge. The most useful next step is conversation. When organizations bring this data together with resident voices, they can better understand what is already working and what could be most beneficial to older adults and their communities.” The map is based on a new survey of more than 4,000 Chicago residents age 55 and better, combined with public data on community conditions, including walkability, economic factors and access to gathering places such as libraries, churches and community centers. Factors such as crime, lack of local businesses and poverty can hinder social wellness, but don’t tell the whole story. Users can view a side-by-side comparison of communities to explore how social wellness relates to health, happiness, income and other factors. Key findings include:
“Community leaders often have deep local knowledge, but need data to support the case for programs, funding and partnerships,” said Jennifer L. Smith, Ph.D., vice president of Mather Institute. “The Social Wellness Map offers another lens for understanding older adults’ experiences and for turning local insight into action.” High social wellness scores were not confined to one part of Chicago or to its wealthiest areas, suggesting that other factors such as neighborhood identity, belonging and longstanding social ties are also important to connection. Chatham emerged as a notable example, with a social wellness score of 8.14 out of 10, illustrating social wellness reflects aspects of community life beyond economic and safety indicators alone. Beverly received the highest community connectability score: 100 out of 100. Beverly is notable for its low crime rates, a strong family culture and several longstanding community gathering places. Jefferson Park stood out for having community conditions that support connection such as accessible transit, retail activity and established cultural gathering places. The map is free to use and does not require user registration. It can be explored at: https://www.matherinstitute.com/social-wellness-map/
About Mather and Mather Institute
Based in Evanston, Illinois, Mather is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1941 that is dedicated to a vision of changing the way society views aging. Mather creates Ways to Age Well℠ through programs, places and residences for today’s older adults. These include developing and operating communities that support older adults in pursuing wellness and fulfillment; sparking creativity and connections for older adults in Chicagoland and beyond; and through Mather Institute, conducting research and incubating innovation to help all live and age well.
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