•October 21, 2026•

Cheri Burcham

Extension Educator, University of Illinois Extension                    

Are you looking for a simple daily practice that can improve your health and well-being? Illinois Extension Educator Sara Attig says the answer may be as close as a short list, and it might not be what you think.

Research suggests that taking time to notice and write down things we are grateful for can lead to meaningful improvements in overall well-being. In her article, Sara explains: 

According to a University of Rochester Medical Center article summarizing a 2021 review of research, “keeping a gratitude journal can improve heart health by lowering blood pressure and regulating breathing and heart rate.” The article also noted that “by focusing on positive outcomes in our lives, we increase positive emotions and train our brain to be more sensitive to the experience of gratitude.” Over time, this practice may improve mental health and strengthen resilience to stress.

A 2025 article from the American Brain Foundation highlighted several potential benefits of practicing gratitude, including:

Blessings from the Irish Potato Famine

•October 21, 2026•

by Janet Roney

How can there be any blessing found in the death of a million Irish by starvation during the devastating Irish potato famine from 1845 to 1851? Those famine deaths were tragic and awful, but it caused another million Irish to emigrate to the United States, including Edward Bresnan who found his way to Dora Township, Moultrie County, Illinois by 1858. Bresnan was a professional peat digger in Ireland, but he soon discovered the “swamp monster” lurking below Dora’s surface that I wrote about a couple of weeks ago. Here’s a part of “Dora’s Vitality”, a story I wrote about Dora Township and Bresnan fifty years ago for the Moultrie Heritage, the historical society’s quarterly publication. I was really waxing eloquently back then, even though my one-year-old daughter Cynthia was sitting in my lap and helping me type!

•October 21, 2026•

On Friday, October 23, the Lake Land College Creative Arts Club is hosting a free Trunk or Treat and Haunted Trail event for the community. The event will begin at 5:30 p.m. in Lot E of Lake Land College’s campus in Mattoon.

The event will begin with a family-friendly Trunk or Treat for guests of all ages. Trunks will be decorated by Lake Land College students, staff and faculty, who will pass out candy and other giveaways to community members in attendance. The Trunk or Treat portion of the event will run until 7:30 p.m.

Following the Trunk or Treat, attendees will have the opportunity to participate in a Haunted Trail, a thrilling outdoor walk across Lake Land’s campus featuring costumed actors, special effects and other scares. The Haunted Trail will feature frightening imagery, and adults should use discretion in allowing children to participate.

Both the Trunk or Treat and Haunted Trail are free for all Lake Land College community members. Registration is not required to attend.

To learn more about the Lake Land College Truck or Treat and Haunted Trail event, contact Mercury Bowen, Coordinator for Student Development, at 217-234-5244 or mbowen@lakelandcollege.edu.

Simple steps can help prevent one person’s illness from becoming a full family event

•October 21, 2026•

by Angela Hogan

When one person in a household gets sick, it can be difficult to keep the illness from spreading to everyone else. Respiratory viruses such as influenza, COVID-19, and RSV can spread through the air and through close contact with an infected person. Germs can also spread through our hands after touching shared surfaces. Fortunately, families can help keep the illness from spreading throughout the household with a few simple steps.

Give the Sick Person Some Space

When possible, individuals with a respiratory infection should stay away from other household members, especially those at greater risk for serious illness.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends staying home and away from others when experiencing respiratory-virus symptoms such as fever, chills, fatigue, cough, runny nose, or headache. Creating some distance within the home can also reduce exposure.

Complete separation may not always be practical, particularly for parents caring for sick children. The goal is simply to reduce unnecessary close contact when possible.

Wash Hands Often

Photo courtesy Windsor High School

Brody Barnard and Clarissa Johnson were named Windsor High School Homecoming King and Queen during the October 3 coronation ceremony.