Leaving a Path 

•May 22, 2024•

by Janet Roney

Once upon a time, a long, long time ago…an ugly rock created a big stir when it was put on display in the window of Horn’s Insurance Agency in downtown Sullivan. It was a big brown oblong shaped thing with grooves and ridges covering one flat side. Folks doing their Saturday night shopping on the square crowded around the window to get a good look at it. I was among them.  

It was a mammoth tooth. It rolled out of a load of gravel from Welsh’s gravel pit when it was dumped onto Ed Dunphy’s feed store’s parking lot. When they searched for more pieces of the mammoth, the spot from where it likely came was too disturbed.      

Welsh’s Gravel Pit was in the middle of a big circular ox-bow in the Kaskaskia called Old Bend or Brushy Bend. The ox-bow was about three and a half miles around and only 70 steps between its beginning and end. Gravel was under the entire area because it was where the river cut through the Cerro Gordo Moraine.  Nelson Ford there was the best ford between Cooks Mills and Shelbyville.    Read More

•May 15, 2024•

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Lake Shelbyville and Friends of Lake Shelbyville is hosting a free fishing tournament for children 12 and under on Saturday, June 1, 2024 at Opossum Pond. The pond is located near the entrance to the Opossum Creek Recreation Area. Participants must pre-register by calling (217) 774-3951 ext. 2, or email lakeshelbyville@usace.army.mil. Information needed: name of participant, age of participant on event day, name of parent/guardian, and phone number for parent/guardian.  Read More

IDPH reports the first bird in Illinois to test positive in 2024 for the West Nile virus.

•May 15, 2024•

By Angela Hogan

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) has reported the first 2024 West Nile virus (WNV) positive bird specimen in Illinois was collected in Douglas County. The report of this first positive test among the bird population in Illinois follows a relatively mild winter and spring. People who see a sick or dead crow, blue jay, robin, or other perching bird should contact their local health department to determine if the bird specimen is eligible for testing.

What is West Nile Virus?

West Nile virus is transmitted through the bite of a Culex mosquito, commonly called a house mosquito, that has picked up the virus by feeding on an infected bird. The mosquito then transmits the virus by biting another host, such as a bird, horse, or human.  Read More

…And Remembering How to Go

•May 15, 2024•

by Janet Roney

“Grandma, did you know that numbers can go on forever and ever and never end?” asked our precocious 6 year old granddaughter in her chirpy little voice coming from the back seat of the car.  

“Yes,” I said.  “That’s called infinity.”

“And that’s just like God, isn’t it, Grandma?” asked our equally precocious 5 year old grandson. “He goes on for ever and ever, too…Right, Grandma?”  Read More