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Mirror Images to Present Resilience at LTOTS

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photo by Crystal Reed
Mirror Images to Present Resilience at LTOTS
Sullivan High School’s Prevention Theatre group, Mirror Images will present their self-written play “Resilience” at the Little Theatre On The Square on Friday, January 26 at 6:00 pm. Students met twice a week from September-December to write the script for this production. Pictured above are some of the students involved in the production. The cast list is Kaitlyn: Jasmine Duncan, Jason: Logan Hill, Lloyd: Logan Brinkman, Theo: Elora Mast, Charlie: Anna Durdel, Sa’rai: Kikyo Brent, Quinn: Lilium Betts, Stella: Avery Hopper, Josephine: Cora Emel, Tony: Aston Johnson, Taylor: Jaiden Beckwith, Lainey: Claire Kursell, Michael: Clark Freese, Teacher: Gracie Lynch, Coach: Trey Grimm, Mom: Abagail Dean. Stage Managers are Ann Cameron, Arianna McKee and Backstage Crew are Alexia Tull, Diannah Booker, Keylee Jean, Jade McKee.

IDNR seeking Summer Instructors for 2024 Urban Fishing Program Clinics

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•January 24, 2024•

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) is accepting applications now for instructors for 2024 summer fishing clinics through the department’s Urban Fishing Program.

Fishing instructors are the department’s boots on the ground at free clinics hosted in communities throughout Illinois. These are temporary positions not to exceed six months, making them perfect for teachers, retirees, students, and others who are eager to help people learn about fishing skills and ecology. Read More

2024 Conservation Cropping Seminar

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•January 24, 2024•

Attention Illinois Farmers: the annual Conservation Cropping Seminar will take place Jan. 31, 2024 with virtual attendance available for a $15 registration fee. The event will be held from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and soil and water CEUs will be available.

This event will cover how to improve soil health, cover crops, adopt new technologies, improve root health, manage nutrients and provide the latest agronomic research. A question-and-answer session with an Illinois farmer panel will be offered, as well as access to helpful resources.

Topics and speakers for this year include:

Alternative Farming Methods

  Greg Thoren-Stockton, Illinois farmer Read More

Master Gardener Spring into Gardening Event Offers Guest Presenters, a Silent Auction, Sales Booth, and More

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•January 24, 2024•

Gardeners across the community can get excited about the 2024 growing season at the 14th annual Spring into Gardening event. The mini-conference offers expert presentations on industry-relevant topics, a silent auction, and a sales booth to get gardeners excited to “Spring” into gardening.

This year’s event will be held from 8:00 am to 12:30 pm on Saturday, March 2 at Wesley United Methodist Church, 2206 4th Street, in Charleston. Check-in will begin at 8 am. The cost of the event is $25 for those who pre-register and $30 at the door. Cost includes door prizes, resources, and refreshments.

Master Gardeners of Coles, Cumberland, Douglas, Moultrie, and Shelby counties are excited to have Illinois Botanizer, Chris Benda as the keynote speaker. Benda will present topics on Wildflowers for the Home Garden. Native wildlife needs native plants to survive and there is a lot the average person can do to create habitat for these organisms in their yards. Botanist Chris Benda will take the audience on a tour of Illinois by region, highlighting the many showy and interesting wildflowers that can be found in each region of the state. Emphasis will be on easy-to-grow species that are available in the nursery trade. Read More

State of Illinois Combats Human Trafficking and Supports Survivors

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•January 24, 2024•

On Thursday, January 11, the State of Illinois recognized Human Trafficking Awareness Day, part of the larger Human Trafficking Awareness Month, in an effort to raise awareness about one of the most under-reported and under-identified crimes. Human trafficking involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to control another person for labor or commercial sex act purposes.  Every year millions of men, women, and children are trafficked worldwide, including in the United States and in Illinois. Read More

Know Your Osteoporosis Risk

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•January 24, 2024•

Bone is living, growing tissue that changes as a person ages. Although healthy bone can naturally diminish as a person gets older, seniors in particular are at elevated risk of osteoporosis, a bone disease marked by rapid bone deterioration. 

Osteoporosis occurs when bone mineral density and bone mass decrease, or when the strength and structure of bone changes, according to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. Bone is constantly being broken down and replaced. When a person has osteoporosis, creation of new bone cannot keep up with the loss of old bone. Read More

Back Wages Totaling More Than $5 Million Owed to Illinois Workers

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•January 24, 2024•

By Alex Abbeduto

Capitol News Illinois 

abbeduto @ capitolnewsillinois.com 

The U.S. Department of Labor is currently holding more than $5 million in wages owed to more than 7,000 Illinois workers, and the department has launched a new website in an effort to return it.

When an employee is underpaid for the work they do, the DOL’s Wage and Hour Division can launch an investigation. If it finds that the employee is owed money, known as back pay, the department collects the unpaid wages and attempts to distribute it to the employee. 

The new Workers Owed Wages website attempts to connect workers with potential unclaimed back pay.

“As you can imagine, sometimes the workers have moved or their addresses aren’t known and therefore, those are the workers, we term unlocatables, that we search for based on the best information we can. But sometimes we are unable to locate them,” Tom Gauza, district director of the U.S. Department of Labor, said.  Read More

Obituaries 1-24-2024: Dennis Johnson

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Dennis Johnson

Dennis E. Johnson, 91, of Sullivan, passed away at 6:05 a.m. Thursday January 18, 2024 in St. Mary’s Hospital, Decatur, Illinois.

Memorial services will be at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday April 13, 2024 in the Reed Funeral Home, Sullivan. Military Honors will be conducted after the service by the Sullivan American Legion Post #68. Visitation will be from 1:00 p.m. until service time. Memorials are suggested to the Elizabeth Titus Memorial Library or to St. John’s Lutheran Church in Mattoon. Online condolences may be sent to the family at reedfuneralhome.net. Read More

Illinois Ranks as No. 1 Soy, No. 2 Corn Producing State for 2023

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•January 24, 2024•

by Daniel Grant

FarmWeek

Illinois once again produced some of the largest crops of any state in the nation despite drought and other weather challenges last year, according to USDA’s crop production report re-leased Jan. 12.

Prairie State farmers produced 648 million bushels of soybeans in 2023 (down from 2022 but the most of any state nationwide) and 2.27 billion bushels of corn (up slightly from the previ-ous year and the second-most nationwide behind Iowa).

Statewide, yields averaged 206 bushels per acre for corn in 2023 (up 3 bushels from the No-vember estimate but down 8 bushels from the 2022 record) and 63 bushels for beans (up 2 bushels from November and even with last year). Read More