•July 14, 2021•
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) is encouraging new Illinois hunting and trapping license buyers to apply early during application periods for a number of IDNR permits for the 2021-22 hunting seasons. Read More

•July 14, 2021•
By Jim Baumann
NP Guest Writer

I don’t mean to sound defensive. In fact, you’ll see me fall on my sword so readily when I do screw up that you probably wonder whether I need a weekly transfusion.
But sometimes I’m just ... right.

Oh, you’re one of them
Reader Jan Gollberg questioned my verb agreement skills in a recent column.
“You wrote, ‘I’m one of those people who love to visit unfamiliar places.’” she wrote. “I think that the verb should be ‘loves,’ not ‘love.’ Why? Shouldn’t the verb in that long subordinate clause agree with ‘one,’ not ‘people’? Here’s a test: Remove the prepositional phrase, and you would say, “I’m one who loves to ...” Read More

Photo by Crystal Reed
Mike McDaniel (center) receives a certificate from Chris Smith, Operations Engineer Region 4-District 7 (left) and Doug Rudolphi, Maintenance Field Engineer (right). The certificate recognized McDaniel for 34 years of service with the Illinois Department of Transportation as a highway maintainer.

•July 14, 2021•
On Wednesday, June 30, Mike McDaniel, who worked in highway maintenance for the Illinois Department of Transportation in District 7, retired. He spent 34 years with the department. At the time he retired McDaniel was the longest highway maintainer in District 7 which is made up of 16 counties. He will be missed by his bosses for his experience in knowing the county and during his time there he was only on two snow routes. McDaniel said that he will miss plowing snow and that it didn’t bother him when he was assigned to do so. His least favorite part of the job was washing the truck in a wash bay without enough ventilation and too much pressure on the wand in extremely cold weather. During retirement he plans to continue looking after his 89-year-old mother, mow yards and deer hunt.

•July 14, 2021•
By Jerry L. Ginther
NP Guest Writer

What should you do if a swarm of honeybees should happen to land in your yard?
Let’s start with safety first. If you don’t want them, leave them alone. While it is true that honeybees are more docile and less likely to sting while they are swarmed, it does happen. However, if left undisturbed they will usually depart for their new home within a few hours, but may stay two or three days while scout bees search for a suitable location to start their new colony. The latter situation is rare.
It is amazing, though, how often they land on a bush or small tree close to the ground where they are easily accessible. That being the case, if you know a beekeeper and you feel the need to be rid of them sooner, rather than later, give that person a call. Beekeepers will often come to your aid whether they really want the bees or not. Some beekeepers may be reluctant to hive a swarm due to the possibility that they could be infected with foulbrood, a disease that destroys the larva stage of the developing brood. This possibility exists whether the bees have escaped from a local apiary or are a swarm of wild bees. Read More