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Blood Shortage Due to Weather, Illness and Holiday Season

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Photo by Crystal Reed
Roger and Donna Walker donated blood at the drive held at Lovington Christian Church on Wednesday, January 4.

•January 11, 2023•
by Crystal Reed

There is a currently a blood shortage, and reasons being given for it are the holiday season, seasonal illness and weather causing drives to be cancelled. “This time of the year is challenging for collecting blood,” said Brian Williamsen, Communications Manager for the Illinois Regional American Red Cross. The American Red Cross supplies 40% of the nation’s blood.
January is National Blood Donor Month. Tina Fleenor, Territory Coordinator for ImpactLife said they try to have good promo vouchers for their donors to encourage them to come out to the blood drives in their areas as well as their donor centers across the four states they service. “The winter storms right before Christmas hit our region pretty hard with donors not able to get out due to the frigid temperatures,” she said. “Quite a few places we had drives set up closed the day of their drive so that left a lot of “promised” donations by the wayside.” Read More

City Council Awards Bid for Alley Improvement Project

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•January 11, 2023•
by Crystal Reed

The Sullivan City Council awarded a bid for alley improvement project during Monday’s meeting. Lee Beckman of Milano and Grunloh felt they should move forward on it as concrete will go up in price. He said they should take the bid they have and either do some of the work themselves or remove some of the work.
A motion was made to accept the bid from Fultz Contractors Company of Paris in the amount of $151,556.25 for an alley improvement project. Two bids were received for this project. The alley this will affect is behind G3, Sullivan Dance Studio and the pavilion on the square. Read More

Cravatta Comes in First at CrossFit Legends Championship in 55-59 Age Group

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Photo courtesy of Guy Cravatta
Guy Cravatta of Sullivan competed at the CrossFit Legends Championship in the 55-59 age group in Cookeville, Tennessee in December. He took first place in his age group.

•January 11, 2023•
by Crystal Reed

Guy Cravatta of Sullivan earned first place at the CrossFit Legends Championship in the 55-59 age group in early December. The competition was held in Cookeville, Tennessee. He entered the Legends Championship online, qualified in mid-August to qualify for the championship and had to finish in the top 10 worldwide. He had to perform six workouts over a three-week period.
“I told myself if I did not place in the top three, I would not go to the championship,” Cravatta said “I would only go if I had a chance to win.” Once the scores were posted, the leaderboard showed him with a second place finish and qualifying for the Legend Championship. He said he and the remaining top nine qualifiers, joined 14 other regional champions to compete for the Legends Championship in Cookeville, Tennessee. Read More

Foundation accepting applications

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•January 11, 2023•

Applications are being accepted by the Illinois Conservation Foundation for the 2023 Conservatoin Achievement Scholarship program.
The foundation annually awards scholarships to outstanding high school seniors in Illinois who demonstrate effective, voluntary, long-term dedication to the preservation, protection or enhancement of the state’s natural resources.
Four scholarships of $2,000 each are available for the current school year. One of the scholarships is reserved for a qualified applicant who is a dependent of a current employee of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
“The ICF Conservation Achievement Scholarship program rewards high school students interested in conservation stewardship with an eye toward encouraging them to focus their studies on enhancing and protecting our natural resources,” said Colleen Callahan, chair of the Illinois Conservation Foundation Board of Directors and director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
The ICF Conservation Achievement Scholarships have been awarded since 2005. Applicants must be an Illinois resident and a senior in an Illinois high school. Applications must be received by March 3, 2023.
Detailed instructions and the 2023 application form can be accessed through the ICF website at www.ilconservation.org.
Contact the Illinois Conservation Foundation at 217-785-2003 or info@ilconservation.org for more information or to make a donation to support the Conservation Achievement Scholarship program.

SIUE Announces Fall Graduates

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•January 11, 2023•

Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville has announced their Fall 2022 graduates. Graduates are Abigail Taylor of Arthur, Bachelor of Science in Nursing, cum laude and Matthew Pladers of Dalton City, Bachlor of Science in Business Administration.

Project H.E.L.P. Preschool Round Up

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•January 11, 2023•

It’s time to start thinking about preschool for the upcoming school year for your child. To find out what preschool options are available in your community, please schedule an appointment to have your child screened. Project H.E.L.P. and the Windsor School District offer free developmental screenings to provide parents the opportunity to discover how their child is developing in the areas of speech, language, concepts and motor skills. Vision and hearing screenings will also be provided free of charge. Free developmental screenings will be held on Friday, February 10 at Windsor Christian Church, 1100 Broadway in Windsor. Signed parent/guardian permission is required. Screenings are required for possible enrollment in the Project H.E.L.P. preschool classroom. For an appointment call Missy Hendrickson at 217-459-2447.

Clough Strong Live Auction

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•January 11, 2023•

Curt and Linda Clough were diagnosed with cancer within weeks of each other. Curt has been diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer. Unfortunately, Linda lost her fight with cancer in December. To show support, Part 2 of the benefit will be held on Saturday, January 21 from 7 pm-? at Jerry’s East End in Lovington. Beef raffle tickets will be for sale with drawing at 10 pm. There will also be a 50/50 drawing and live auction items. Auction items will be posted on Facebook Event Page. Proceeds will assist Curt in medical expenses and in honor of Linda, a portion of proceeds will benefit her grandchildren. All other inquiries contact Pam Anklam at 217-201-0662.

Ways to Maintain and Protect Your Health During the Cold, Winter Months

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•January 4, 2023•
The cold, winter months can pose a risk to our physical health –including our immune system, heart, balance, skin, body temperature and more.
As cold weather, snow and ice become part of our everyday normal in the Midwest, HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital offers the following information and guidance to help you protect and maintain your health this time of year.
“Winter weather and the extreme low temps that it brings can constrict your blood vessels and if you already suffer from certain conditions this could make that condition worse,” said Dr. Vinil Bhuma, chief medical officer at HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital. “Your immune system, heart, skin and potentially your musculoskeletal system are all at risk as we approach winter.” Read More

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

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•January 4, 2023•
Community members can get excited about the 2023 growing season at the 13th annual Spring into Gardening event. This event offers expert gardening speakers, a silent auction, and a sales booth to get gardeners excited about gardening.
This year’s event will be held from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm on Saturday, February 25 at Broadway Christian Church, 1205 S. Ninth Street, in Mattoon. 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 resources and refreshments throughout the morning. Read More