•September 13, 2023•

C.E.F.S. Economic Opportunity Corp., as administrator of the Energy Assistance Program in Moultrie County, is pleased to announce that funds are available to assist income-eligible households with their natural gas, propane and/or electric bills and furnace assistance for inoperable heating systems.

The program will begin taking applications on October 2, 2023, for seniors, people with disabilities and families with children under the age of six years. 

On Wednesday, November 1st, households that are disconnected from their utilities, have a disconnection notice or have less than 25% in their propane tank can start applying for assistance. 

All other income eligible households can start applying December 1, 2023.  Read More

•September 13, 2023•

By Jim Baumann

NP Guest Writer

Sometimes — when I’m talking to myself, because, really, who else would listen to me for more than 20 column inches once a week? — I wonder whether words that are very similar are synonyms, whether they have minor differences or whether they have nothing to do with each other.

The following four pairings entered my inner dialogue: ineptness versus ineptitude, plenty versus plenitude, gentility versus gentleness, and dissemble versus disassemble. Read More

•September 6, 2023•

By Andrew Adams

Capitol News Illinois

aadams @ capitolnewsillinois.com

Farmers and residents of rural communities often face stigma when it comes to mental health challenges, but state leaders hope to change that.

Governor JB Pritzker announced Tuesday that chapters of FFA – the group once known as Future Farmers of America – will be eligible for $1,000 grants to fund mental health awareness programs in schools and rural communities. Up to 20 such grants will be available through the Illinois FFA Foundation starting this fall.

Pritzker and other state leaders made the announcement at the Farm Progress Show in Decatur, an annual exposition of farm technology and other agriculture industry advancements. Read More

•September 6, 2023•

By Cheri Burcham

Family Life Educator

Making family mealtimes happen

With many families in back-to-school busy mode, it can sometimes be difficult to enjoy having meals together. However, research shows that having meals together is beneficial for individuals as well as the whole family. Family members who eat together tend to eat healthier – they eat more fruits and vegetables and less fat overall. Family mealtimes foster more positive family interactions, teach good manners, and help youth practice communication and build their vocabulary and social skills. Research has also found that youth who participate in family mealtimes had higher academic performance and lower incidence of depression, substance use and other risky behaviors. If sharing meals together is so beneficial, why does it seem so difficult to make it happen? Read More

•September 6, 2023•

by Sarah Hudson Pierce

columnist

Rick Warren, best selling author of The Purpose Driven Life, said, “we shouldn’t hide mental illness.” His youngest son, Matthew, a mental illness victim, committed suicide in 2013, having battled mental illness for years.  

When Rick shared his tragedy, he said he received more than 10,000 letters of sympathy. Sharing our pain lifts the load making our loss more tolerable. I would like to talk about some of the benefits of writing.

Dr. Molly Harrower Gaines, psychiatrist and author of Therapy in Poetry wrote “Long before there were therapists there were poets and from time immemorial man has struggled to cope with his inevitable, inner turmoil. One way of so coping has been the ballad, the song, the poem. Once crystallized into words, all engulfing feelings become manageable, and once challenged into explicitness, the burden of the incommunicable becomes less heavy.” Read More