•December 1, 2021•
Lake Land College student Kelly McGill, of Findlay, will be taking part in a week-long externship through Heartland Dental.
The program is designed to place second-year students alongside practiced dentists and teams to help the students develop professionalism, ethics, communication and knowledge.
“Lake Land College and Heartland Dental’s values are comparable, in that both of these affiliations want the students to gain hands-on experience through this externship,” Director of Dental Hygiene Program Kristen Holsapple said. “We are proud to have such a collaborative teamship with Heartland Dental.” Read More

•December 1, 2021•
Safety might not be the first thing people think of as the holiday season approaches. Faith, celebrations, decorations, and holiday dinners all come to mind when considering the holiday season. But that doesn’t mean safety should be left out of holiday planning.
Fire safety bears special consideration during the holiday season, when the prevalence of fire hazards like Christmas trees, holiday lighting displays and other decorative items increase the risk for home fires. Such tragedies can be averted with a few simple safety measures.
· Tend to your tree. Live Christmas trees are awe-inspiring, but they also pose a significant fire risk. The National Fire Protection Association urges celebrants to purchase only healthy trees with fresh, green needles that do not fall off when touched. Such trees are less likely to dry out, especially when well-watered throughout the season. Dry trees can catch fire more easily than healthy trees if embers from nearby fireplaces or candles drift in their direction. Read More

•December 1, 2021•
By Capital News Illinois

Lawyers for the General Assembly’s Democratic leaders filed documents in federal court Wednesday, Nov. 24, denying that newly drawn state legislative district maps amount to racial gerrymandering, instead accusing the plaintiffs in the three lawsuits of trying to use race to redraw districts for their own purposes.
Among other things, 2020 U.S. Census numbers showed Illinois had lost population overall since the 2010 census. But there had been a substantial increase in the state’s Latino population while Black and white populations both declined.
In separate suits, Republican leaders and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, or MALDEF, both argued that despite the growth in the Latino population, the new maps actually reduce the number of districts in which Latinos make up a majority, or a large plurality, of the voting age population. They argued that violates both the U.S. Constitution and the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965. Read More

•December 1, 2021•
By Jim Baumann
NP Guest Writer

I hope you like leftovers!
I write this with the promise of leftovers still a week away.
As you read this, I will be returning from a column-foraging expedition to Tennessee. I hope to bring home some souvenirs.
So please enjoy a couple of old favorites as you try to digest what’s left in the fridge.
Put away the apostrophe
If you’ve read this column for a while, you might remember my bringing up the subject of addressing holiday cards just before Thanksgiving. I apologize if you’ve lost your taste for leftovers, but if last year’s batch of Christmas cards delivered to Casa de Baumann is any indication, this subject bears repeating. Read More