Category Archives: News Briefs

IDOT Helps Local Schools Honor Earth Day

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Nonprofit Donates Thousands of Trees for Educational and Environmental Benefit

•April 27, 2016•

The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) is teaming up with the environmental organization Living Lands and Waters to distribute thousands of tree seedlings to schools throughout Illinois in observance of Earth Day. The trees were donated to IDOT as part of the Living Lands and Waters Million Trees Project.

“Through our partnership with Living Lands and Waters, we have delivered nearly 45,000 tree seedlings over the years to be planted in Illinois soil,” said Illinois Transportation Secretary Randy Blankenhorn. “As an agency that impacts every community in our great state, every day is Earth Day at IDOT. The trees planted this year will join the thousands of others to be appreciated and cherished by the generations to come.” Read More

Thinking About Health: Women in Small Town America Aren’t Living As Long As They Used To

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TrudyLieberman-Photo•April 20, 2016•

By Trudy Lieberman,
Rural Health News Service

Those of us who grew up in small rural communities in the 1950s and 60s, expected to have longer life spans than our parents.

The trends were in our favor. White women born in 1900 could expect to live, on average, just shy of 49 years; white men 46.6 years. Those were our grandparents and our neighbors.

By 1950, life expectancy had climbed to 72 years for white women born that year and 66.5 for white men. By 2000, life expectancy was still increasing, with female babies expected to live to nearly 80 and males to almost 75. America was on the rise, jobs were plentiful, antibiotics kept us from dying of strep throat, and polio vaccine kept us out of the iron lung. We thought things would only keep getting better.

So I was dismayed to read a story in the Washington Post in April that blew holes in those childhood expectations. The Post found “white women have been dying prematurely at higher rates since the turn of this century, passing away in their 30s, 40s, and 50s in a slow-motion crisis driven by decaying health in small town-America.”

That “small town America” was where I grew up. I contrasted the Post’s findings to the claims made by all those politicians who have told us we have the best healthcare in the world and who point to gobs of money lavished on the National Institutes of Health to find new cures and to hospitals promoting their latest imaging machines. The Post found that since 2000, the health of all white women has declined, but the trend is most pronounced in rural areas. In 2000, for every 100,000 women in their late 40s living in rural areas, 228 died. Today it’s 296. Read More

DPH Recognizes National Infant Immunization Week

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 •April 20, 2016•

Each year, thousands of children become ill from diseases that could have been prevented by basic childhood immunizations. Countless more miss time from daycare and school because they are under-immunized or inappropriately immunized. During National Infant Immunization Week, April 16-23, 2016, the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) wants to raise awareness about the importance of childhood immunizations.

Illinois saw a measles outbreak in February 2015 in which 15 cases were associated with a daycare in northern Illinois. Of those 15 cases, 12 were infants too young to be immunized.

“While some babies are too young to be protected by vaccination, others may not be able to receive certain vaccinations due to severe allergies, weakened immune systems from conditions like leukemia, or other reasons,” said IDPH Director Nirav D. Shah, M.D., J.D. “To help keep them safe, it is important that you and your children who are able to get vaccinated are fully immunized. This not only protects your family, but also helps prevent the spread of these diseases in your community.” Read More

ID Theft Workshop to Be Offered

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•April 20, 2016•

The Prairie Association of Home and Community Education and University of Illinois Extension will host the workshop “ID Theft, Scams and Fraud” at 1 p.m. Friday, April 22 at the extension office at 122 S. Walnut in Arthur. Read More

Windsor’s March Students

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Photo Submitted Windsor’s March Students Autumn Bennett, daughter of Lori Bennett and Matt and Tiffany Bennett, has been named Windsor High School’s March Student of the Month. A senior, she is involved in volleyball, student council, FFA, Spanish Club, Physics Club, Pep Club, WYSE, DARE Role Model, Team Quest, class officer, 4-H, American Legion Junior Auxiliary, youth group, and club volleyball. She plans to attend college at The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina where she will continue to play volleyball and study criminal justice. Megan Colclasure (left), daughter of Jake and Connie Colclasure, is Windsor Jr. High School’s March Student of the Month. She is a seventh grader and participates in track, volleyball, and cheerleading.

Photo Submitted
Windsor’s March Students
Autumn Bennett, daughter of Lori Bennett and Matt and Tiffany Bennett, has been named Windsor High School’s March Student of the Month. A senior, she is involved in volleyball, student council, FFA, Spanish Club, Physics Club, Pep Club, WYSE, DARE Role Model, Team Quest, class officer, 4-H, American Legion Junior Auxiliary, youth group, and club volleyball. She plans to attend college at The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina where she will continue to play volleyball and study criminal justice. Megan Colclasure (left), daughter of Jake and Connie Colclasure, is Windsor Jr. High School’s March Student of the Month. She is a seventh grader and participates in track, volleyball, and cheerleading.

Benatar and Etheridge Join State Fair Line up

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•April 20, 2016•

Illinois State Fair Manager Kevin Gordon is adding two accomplished rockers to the grandstand line-up at this year’s Illinois State Fair. This co-headlining act combines two artists who have six Grammy awards to their credit, in addition to countless other awards and accomplishments. This year fairgoers will be treated to the best of 80’s and 90’s rock when Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo and Melissa Etheridge take the stage in Springfield.  Read More

Edward Jones Among Best Companies to Work

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•April 20, 2016•

FORTUNE partners annually with Great Place to Work to conduct the most extensive employee survey in corporate America to identify the 100 Best Companies to Work For. Two-thirds of a company’s survey score is based on the results of the Trust Index Employee Survey, which is sent to a random sample of employees from each company. This survey asks questions related to their attitudes about management’s credibility, overall job satisfaction and camaraderie. The other third of the scoring is based on the company’s responses to the institute’s Culture Audit, which includes detailed questions about pay and benefit programs and a series of open-ended questions about hiring practices, internal communications, training, recognition programs and diversity efforts.

Financial services firm Edward Jones ranked No. 10 on FORTUNE magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work For 2016” list in its 17th appearance on the prestigious list, according to George R. Levi, a financial advisor in Sullivan. Read More

Musical Comedy Presented at the Okaw Valley High School

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Photo Submitted Brianna Creviston (Kate Monster) and Nick Tipsword (Princeton) rehearse a scene for Okaw Valley High School’s April 22 & 23 production of “AVENUE Q: School Edition.”

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Brianna Creviston (Kate Monster) and Nick Tipsword (Princeton) rehearse a scene for Okaw Valley High School’s April 22 & 23 production of “AVENUE Q: School Edition.”

•April 20, 2016•

The Okaw Valley High School drama club will present the musical comedy “AVENUE Q: School Edition” at 7 p.m. April 22 and 23 in the OVHS Gym in Bethany.

“AVENUE Q” tells the timeless story of a recent college grad named Princeton who moves into a shabby New York apartment all the way out on Avenue Q. He soon discovers that although the residents seem nice, it’s clear that this is not your ordinary neighborhood. Together Princeton and his newfound friends struggle to find jobs, dates and their ever-elusive purpose in life.

The original “AVENUE Q” is a two-act musical, conceived by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx, who wrote the music and lyrics. Because the original show contains some elements that have previously made it inaccessible to high school productions, Music Theatre International worked with the Avenue Q authors to create an adaptation that maintains the dramatic intention and integrity of the piece, while editing it to make it more appropriate for high school audiences and performers.  Read More