Homewood Public Library closes building, continues drive-thru. HPL announced on Friday that the library building will be closed to the public starting Nov. 14. Online and drive-thru services will continue to be available. Drive-thru hours are Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m.
Flossmoor Public Library launches text service. “In an effort to be more accessible to our patrons, we can now be reached via text message!” Patrons can send text messages to 708-798-3600 any time during library open hours, Monday through Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m. Anyone who wishes to speak to a staff member should call the regular library phone number, 708-798-3600.
Homewood Village Hall and Municipal Service Center closed. In an effort to keep residents and staff safe, Homewood has closed village hall and public works buildings to the public for the rest of the year. See our Nov. 13 story and an earlier story for more information about how to conduct business with village government. Flossmoor Village Hall remains open, but officials urge residents to use remote means of conducting business whenever possible. Visit flossmoor.org for more information.
Exponential case trend. On Friday, Nov. 13, Homewood surpassed 700 cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began in March. The village hit the 600 mark on Nov. 6, meaning more than 14% of all cases were tallied in the past week. Flossmoor surpassed 300 cases on Nov. 11. The village added 44 cases in the past week, about 13.6% of the total since March.
State and Region 10 numbers continue upward trend. The state set a new record on Friday, with 15,415 new cases. That’s nearly four times the number on the worst day of the spring surge, which was 4,014 cases on May 12. Region 10, which includes all of suburban Cook County, continues to see an increasing positivity rate and hospitalizations due to COVID-19.