•June 28, 2023•
The Catholic Health Association announced that HSHS President and CEO Damond Boatwright will be inaugurated as chairperson of the association’s Board of Trustees for 2023-24.
Boatwright’s investiture ceremony will take place at CHA’s annual national Assembly in St. Louis on June 13, 2023. His term begins July 1 and he will serve until June 30, 2024.
“I am sincerely honored to serve as the next board chair of the Catholic Health Association, and I pledge to represent the association to the best of my abilities,” said Boatwright. “The opportunity to be a servant leader during these complex and challenging times is truly a blessing.” Read More

•June 28, 2023•
By Jim Baumann
NP Guest Writer

I enjoy writing letters to readers.
Today, I’ll take a crack at writing a letter to our staff and share it with you.
Challenging ourselves to be better is good for the soul, whatever you pursue. In our case, when we’re better you’re the beneficiary.
With that in mind, I offer this up as an open letter to our staff as both the editor of the paper and its self-appointed spokesman for good writing.
Today’s topic: jargon.
You might recall I started my career as a police reporter, and police talk in a code that’s sometimes difficult to decipher.
Eventually, I became a decent translator of copspeak.
However, during my first week on the city staff, I made the mistake of writing about how a village was planning to install French drains.
I didn’t know what a French drain looked like or how it worked, and I didn’t bother to find out (pre-internet) before I turned in my story. Read More

•June 21, 2023•
On Tuesday, June 13 Governor JB Pritzker joined Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton, along with state and local officials at Maplewood School in Cahokia Heights to announce Illinois’ partnership with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. The recently signed FY24 budget allocates $1.6 million to the program, which is dedicated to improving the lives of children by inspiring a love of reading. The initiative includes a book gifting program that mails free, high-quality books to children from birth to age five, no matter a family’s income.
“Imagination Libraries are already working their magic at a few dozen locations around the state, and the teamwork of my administration and the Dollywood Foundation will make it possible to bring Dolly to every doorstep,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “As a longtime early childhood advocate, I’m incredibly excited for what’s to come. These are some of the most crucial years for learning of a person’s lifetime, and this initiative will connect low-income families to resources their children will need for lifelong success.”
“Every child deserves the opportunity to discover worlds beyond their imagination. Leaders who put education first make this possible. Thanks to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, children in every corner of Illinois can receive free books mailed directly to their home,” said Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton. “I applaud early childhood advocates like Dolly Parton, who are helping our children find joy in reading and creating future generations of avid readers.” Read More

photo submitted by Jason Fleming
Troop 39 held their Court of Honor recently. Troop 39 scouts are (left to right): James Conlin, Ivan Moxley, Idrees Al-Arab, Anderson Crouse, Josh Bailey, Beau Fleming, Charlie Conlin, Liam Coil, Gavin Finn, Will Flexser, Everett Finn, Grant Martin and David Ryherd

•June 21, 2023•
submitted by Jason Fleming

On May 22nd, Troop 39 held their Court of Honor in the Boy Scout Cabin at Wyman Park with family in attendance. In total, the Boy Scouts earned 52 merit badges since last July, and 9 of them advanced in rank.
Boy Scouts of America offers 138 different merit badges for Scouts to earn by completing prerequisites, demonstrating skills and applying themselves to learn about the subject. Badges earned and awarded at the Court of Honor were: Archery, Astronomy, Camping, Chemistry, Citizenship in the Community, Citizenship in the Nation, Citizenship in the World, Citizenship in Society, Communication, Emergency Preparedness, Environmental Science, Fire Safety, First Aid, Fishing, Forestry, Geocaching, Geology, Leatherwork, Mammal Study, Oceanography, Robotics, Safety, Search and Rescue, Wilderness Survival and Woodcarving. Read More

•June 21, 2023•
The Illinois Amish Heritage Center in partnership with the University of Illinois Extension presents “Let’s Learn about Bees” to be held on Saturday, July 8. The hours for the event are from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. This event is part of a new “enhanced Saturday” program that will be held periodically throughout the summer.
The purpose of the event is to educate on the importance of bees in our food system and show how you can create a bee friendly habitat. Many Amish have hives on their farms and have created bee gardens that attract pollinator insects. Honey is harvested from the hive and used in various recipes. Excess honey and related by-products are often sold. Read More