•September 13, 2023•

The Decatur Audubon Society invites Audubon members and other interested persons to its monthly General Meeting at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, September 17, at Rock Springs Conservation Center located on the southwest side of Decatur. Allison Bryant, a Field Scientist with the Illinois Natural History Survey through a partnership between the University of Illinois and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, will share her experience working with Prairie Chicken to restore their habitat and monitor the health of these endangered birds.

•September 6, 2023•

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) today issued a call for nominations for the 2024 Those Who Excel & Teacher of the Year Awards, the program that recognizes outstanding teachers, administrators, school personnel, and volunteers. These awards honor individuals who have made significant contributions to Illinois’ public and nonpublic preK-12 schools.  

Any person or organization may submit nominations for outstanding school personnel in their lives. Nominees complete an application after they have been nominated. Candidates also can apply directly for an award without being nominated. Applications opened today and are due by Oct. 15 to be eligible for award. 

ISBE will honor the 2024 Those Who Excel & Teacher of the Year award winners at the 50th annual banquet in May 2024.  

“Everyone has a teacher or other school staff who has made an impact in their own or their child’s life. Nominating someone for a Those Who Excel or Teacher of the Year Award tells that person how much you care and what a difference they have made,” said State Superintendent of Education Dr. Tony Sanders. “When you nominate an outstanding educator, or encourage them to apply for the awards directly, you are starting off this upcoming school year with gratitude. We encourage everyone to help us honor the vital and impactful work of their colleagues, supervisors, and community members by submitting a nomination for the 2024 Those Who Excel & Teacher of the Year Awards.”  

A team of reviewers will consider the applications submitted statewide and select the 2024 Teacher of the Year from the group of finalists, consisting of at least 10 Regional Teachers of the Year and the Bilingual, Special Education, and Early Childhood Teachers of the Year. ISBE will also recognize an Outstanding Early Career Educator with less than five years of teaching experience.  

“It is the honor of a lifetime. I have been fortunate to travel far and wide as Illinois Teacher of the Year and see, hear, and marvel at the magic done for and with students in every community across our great state,” said 2023 Teacher of the Year Briana Morales. “When I was first nominated for recognition, I was deeply honored and humbled to have my work and impact acknowledged by my colleagues. The life-changing educators I have gotten to meet across the state deserve that same feeling.” 

ISBE’s Those Who Excel & Teacher of the Year Awards honor excellence in several professional categories:   

Teacher (five or more years of teaching experience, including the current school year) 

Early Career Educator (teachers with less than five years of teaching experience, including the current school year)  

Administrator (superintendent, principal, assistant principal, etc.) 

Community Volunteer (individuals not employed by the school/district, who positively contribute time and energy to their school/district)  

Student Support Personnel (school nurse, psychologist, social worker, school counselor, or speech/language therapist) 

Educational Service Personnel (aides/paraprofessionals, cafeteria workers, custodians, administrative assistants, bus drivers, resource officers)  

Team (a group of individuals from any of the above categories that positively contributes time and energy to their school/district)  

Please see this application overview to review all eligibility criteria.  

ISBE accepts nominations year-round, but nominations should be submitted by Sept. 15 to give interested nominees enough time to complete the subsequent, required application.  

Learn more about both the Those Who Excel and Teacher of the Year program requirements and submit a nomination on the ISBE program webpage. Nominators, external relations staff, and potential applicants are all encouraged to attend ISBE’s TWE & TOY Awards informational webinar on Wednesday, Sept. 6, to learn more about the agency’s awards process and discover how their school communities can participate in ISBE’s awards program.  

•September 6, 2023•

James and Laura Rainey will be in concert on Saturday, September 9 at 6 pm at Allenville Christian Church, 201 Allen Street in Allenville. Following the concert there will be finger food fellowship. A love offering will be collected.

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Echoes of Grace will be performing at Bethany Cumberland Presbyterian Church on Sept 10th at 6:00 p.m. This concert is open to the public and a love offering will be taken.

•August 30, 2023•

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) is reminding waterfowl hunters of key dates and other information regarding the 2023-2024 waterfowl seasons.

Season update

This is the third year of a five-year waterfowl season plan that was developed in 2020. Early Canada goose and teal hunting will kick off statewide in all zones, with seasons opening Sept. 1 and Sept. 9 respectively.

In the north and central zones, the daily bag limit for Canada geese during the September portion of the season is five birds, with 15 in possession. In the south-central and south zones, the daily bag limit for Canada geese during the September portion of the season is two birds, with six in possession. The daily bag limit for teal is six for all teal species combined, with a possession limit of 18.

Additionally, rail season (sora and Virginia only) will be open statewide in all zones from Sept. 9 until Nov. 17, with a daily bag limit of 25 and possession limit of 75. Snipe season will be open statewide in all zones from Sept. 9 to Dec. 24, with a daily bag limit of 8 and possession limit of 24.

As temperatures fall and migration proceeds, Illinois will open the regular duck, Canada goose, and snow goose seasons on Oct. 21 in the north zone, Oct. 28 in the central zone, Nov. 11 in the south-central zone, and Dec. 2 in the south zone.

White-fronted goose (specklebelly) seasons will open Oct. 23 in the north zone, Nov. 5 in the central zone, and on the same dates as duck season in the south-central (Nov. 11) and south (Dec. 2) zones.

The daily limit is six ducks of any species; however, daily limit can consist of no more than four mallards (of which no more than two can be hens), three wood ducks, two redheads, two canvasbacks, two black ducks, one pintail and one mottled duck.

Scaup (bluebills) will have a daily limit of two for the first 45 days of the season in each zone and one for the last 15 days of the season in each zone.

The daily bag limit of mergansers is five, only two of which may be hooded mergansers. The possession limit for ducks and mergansers is three times the daily bag limit (18 and 15, respectively) by species and sex.

During the regular season, Canada goose daily limits will be three with a possession limit of nine. White-fronted goose daily bag limits will be two with a possession limit of six. The snow goose daily bag limit is 20 birds, with no possession limit, during the regular hunting season.

The spring Light Goose Conservation Order will open Jan. 19 in the north zone and Feb. 1 in the central, south-central, and south zones, ending April 30 in all zones. There is no daily bag or possession limit on snow, blue, and Ross’ geese during the spring conservation order.

Duck and goose permit lotteries currently open

The first lottery for the public duck and goose hunting area permits is open through Aug. 31. The second lottery will be open Sept. 1-15, with the third lottery application period open Sept. 16-28. For more information or to apply, visit https://dnr.illinois.gov/hunting/waterfowl/onlinepermitapplication.html

Additional details on waterfowl seasons can be found in the Illinois Digest of Hunting and Trapping Regulations 2023-2024, available online at https://dnr.illinois.gov/hunting/hunttrapdigest.html.

The Illinois waterfowl hunting zone maps and anticipated season dates for the 2021-2025 seasons are available online at https://bit.ly/ILwaterfowlzones.

Note that sunrise and sunset times are not included in the Hunting and Trapping Digest again this year. Hunters should refer to their preferred weather application or website for local sunrise and sunset information.

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) reminder

In coordination with other state and federal agencies, IDNR continues to monitor for outbreaks of the H5N1 strain of HPAI that was observed in Illinois during spring 2022. Similar mortality events may occur as waterfowl arrive in Illinois from northern breeding grounds during the fall migration.

IDNR reminds waterfowl hunters to take precautions and thoroughly cook game meat to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Avoid handling sick or dead waterfowl found in the field. Do not allow dogs and other pets to consume waterfowl that died from unknown causes. Further guidance for hunters can be found at https://bit.ly/USDA_HPAI.

•August 30, 2023•

Eastern Illinois University has announced students who were named to the Spring 2023 deans list. Students were Abby Abercrombie, Emma Lee, Zackary Woodard and Kaylee Yeakel, all of Arthur; Kaylee Taylor and Mikhayla Ward, both of Bethany; Heather Totten and Sophie Zimmerman, both of Findlay; Liam Hortenstine of Gays; Sierra Creek, Seth Mayberry, Adalee Nichols, Madison Wall, all of Sullivan and Nikki Trussell of Windsor