•April 9, 2025•

Windsor Junior/Senior High School has announced their “Students of the Month” for March:

Mattie Kasey is the daughter of Blake and Amy Kasey. She is currently an 8th-grade student and is involved in dance, cheer, track, and volleyball. In her spare time, she enjoys playing club volleyball. Mattie plans to one day be a Physical Therapist.

Aubrey Carter is a senior, the granddaughter of Rick and Sheila Fritts. She is the Senior Class president, a member of the yearbook staff, and is involved in FFA. In her free time, she works and enjoys spending time with her family and friends. After graduation, she plans to attend Eastern Illinois University, majoring in Elementary Education.

Eligible Illinois taxpayers can use IRS’s Direct File program this year

•April 9, 2025•

The Illinois Department of Revenue (IDOR) is reminding taxpayers that the Tuesday, April 15th deadline is quickly approaching for filing 2024 state individual income tax returns. The agency began accepting and processing individual income tax returns on January 27, the same date the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) began accepting federal returns. “We encourage taxpayers to file electronically and choose direct deposit in order to ensure the fastest processing and issuance of any refunds,” IDOR Director David Harris said. 

Illinois is participating in the free IRS Direct File program this year at https://directfile.irs.gov/. Eligible Illinois taxpayers can use the program to file their 2024 federal returns directly with the IRS. Federal return information can then be transferred into MyTax Illinois, to file Illinois individual income taxes at no cost. Direct File eligibility can be confirmed by visiting https://directfile.irs.gov.

•April 9, 2025•

In April, all the veterinarians in the state of Illinois are celebrating Healthy Pet Month. As part of this celebration, Kaskaskia Valley Animal Hospital would like to recognize the important role that the Pet Owner-Veterinary Bond plays in the wellness of your pets. This includes the gratitude we have for our many clients and their pets, as well as our thanks to our entire staff for the responsibility they bear to ensure the quality of care for your animal. The oath of ensuring your pet is healthy takes a multi-faceted approach. These can include preventative care such as wellness exams, vaccines, parasiticides, dental exams and cleanings, or emergent medical treatment and care for those with unexpected illnesses. The importance of the relationship veterinarians share with their patients and pet owners is paramount in ensuring the best outcomes of the health of any companion animal. 

The health and wellness of your pet can be accomplished in many different ways. Preventative health screening such as annual wellness exams, necessary vaccines, and heartworm testing are a great start to maintaining the health and wellness of your pet. The safety and efficacy of these vaccines are so remarkable that we rarely see many of the diseases we vaccinate for. Parvo virus and Leptospirosis, as well as Distemper are still very much present in the wild canid and raccoon populations. This poses challenges for the complete eradication of these diseases, unlike the success we have had in our human counterparts.