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WASHINGTON – The number of border apprehensions has dropped for the eighth straight month, following crackdowns by the Trump administration that include forcing asylum seekers back over the U.S.-Mexico border to wait out their claims, a Homeland Security official said Monday.

The official said the number of encounters with border officials over the past four months was 165,000. A year earlier during the same time it was about 242,000.

BEIJING – China said Tuesday that the number of infections from a new virus surpassed 20,000 as medical workers and patients arrived at a new hospital and President Xi Jinping said “we have launched a people’s war of prevention of the epidemic.”

Xi presided over a special meeting of the top Communist Party body for the second time since the crisis started, telling the Politburo standing committee on Monday the country must race against time to curb the spread of the virus.

WASHINGTON – Closing arguments Monday in President Donald Trump's impeachment trial were directed more toward history than to sway the outcome, one final chance to influence public opinion and set the record ahead of his expected acquittal in the Republican-led Senate.

The House Democratic prosecutors drew on the Founding Fathers and common sense to urge senators – and Americans – to see that Trump's actions are not isolated but a pattern of behavior that, left unchecked, will allow him to "cheat"' in the 2020 election.

The McHenry County Cutest Pet Contest and Cutest Kid Contest are going on right now. From February 3-16, submit a photo online in either contest. Then, from February 17-23 readers will vote for their favorites. One winner will be chosen in each contest (based on total number of votes) and will be announced online and in print. Enter now!

To enter the February McHenry County Cutest Kid Contest, click HERE.

To enter February's McHenry County's Cutest Pet Contest, click HERE.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh said he’s been diagnosed with advanced lung cancer.

Addressing listeners on his program Monday, Limbaugh said he will take some days off for further medical tests and to determine treatment.

Limbaugh called himself the “mayor of Realville” in announcing his illness.

The McHenry County Administrative Services Committee will take a second look at the possibility of eliminating mileage reimbursements and health insurance for county board members on Wednesday.

Board members Michael Vijuk, Kelli Wegener and Paula Yensen spearheaded resolutions calling for the immediate elimination of mileage reimbursements for attending regularly scheduled assigned meetings and for the elimination of health insurance benefits for County Board members starting Dec.

SEATTLE – The man who became the first U.S.

McHenry County College is hosting two informational sessions for its Engineering Pathways program on Wednesday, Feb 12 from 6-7 p.m. in Room A215 and Saturday, Feb. 15 from 10–11 a.m. in Room F108. High school and college students, as well as their parents, are invited to attend either session at the college, located at 8900 U.S.

A 33-year-old Wisconsin man has been arrested and is accused of robbing the Circle K gas station on Route 14 in Crystal Lake early Monday morning, Crystal Lake police said.

The suspect allegedly went into the store, told staff that he was armed and demanded money from the cashier. He then was seen leaving the store, located at 220 Virginia Street, on foot headed to the east, according to a news release from the Crystal Lake Police Department.

Police were then called to the store at 12:40 a.m.

Congresswoman Lauren Underwood's guest for Tuesday night's State of the Union address will be Karen Battaglia, the Trauma Coordinator for Emergency Services at Northwestern Medicine McHenry.

For over 20 years, Battaglia has worked to improve the health and lives of thousands of people in her community as a nurse. Along with her work to save lives, she has worked to improve community safety through coordinating community programs like SAFE Kids, poison prevention workshops, and bicycle helmet fittings for children.