•March 16, 2016•
The Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond (ALAH) FFA Alumni Chapter will begin offering scholarships this spring.
The scholarships are available to students who are entering either their first or second year of post-secondary education at a trade school, junior college, or university.
Students do not need to be agriculture majors to receive a scholarship. Read More
•March 16, 2016•
By Gerald Tilley
Social Security District Manager in Decatur, IL
Achieving financial security is an important part of enjoying a satisfying retirement. Social Security has many tools to help you plan for your future.
A great first step is to visit www.socialsecurity.gov/myaccount. With a my Social Security account, you’ll get immediate access to your personal Social Security Statement, your earnings record, and an estimate of your retirement benefits at age 62, at your full retirement age, and at age 70. You can also verify your earnings are correct, since we base your future benefits on your earnings record. Read More
•March 16, 2016•
By Trudy Lieberman
Rural Health News Service
Not many of us think about needing air ambulances. We don’t dwell on that possibility, but for people hurt in car accidents or who live in smaller or rural communities without medical care at hand, being airlifted to a hospital can mean the difference between life and death.
Increasingly, the service also can mean the difference between getting well at a price you can afford or at a price that could push you over a financial cliff. Air ambulances have become the centerpiece of a nationwide dispute over balance billing, a practice that requires unsuspecting families, even those with good insurance, to pay a large part of the bill.
In Nebraska a woman who was injured when her van rolled on a gravel road found herself with a $44,000 air ambulance bill. Her insurance paid most of the bill. A North Dakota man who got a $67,300 bill from a company that transported his wife to the Mayo Clinic had to pay more than $50,000 out of pocket. In Ohio, a man filed for bankruptcy because he owed $22,000 to an air ambulance company, which had placed a lien on his home. Read More
•March 16, 2016•
If you are out celebrating, plan to Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over
As St. Patrick’s Day approaches, the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), Illinois State Police and more than 150 local law enforcement agencies throughout the state remind motorists to avoid pressing their luck, celebrate responsibly and never get behind the wheel after drinking.
St. Patrick’s Day has long celebrated the roots of Americans with Irish ancestry, often including daylong drinking festivities at parades, pubs and house parties. These celebrations can turn deadly if someone chooses to drink and drive. Read More
•March 16, 2016•
The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) announced today that Illinois’ unemployment rate in January rose 0.2 percentage points to 6.3 percent and nonfarm payroll jobs increased by +1,500, based on data released by IDES and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
Illinois’ average job growth since employment recovery began in January 2010 remains significantly below the national average, and employment will not recover from the 2007-2009 recession until May 2016, according to IDES labor market analysts. The nation is currently 3.5 percent above its prior peak level of employment.
“When you compare job growth to most other states across the nation, Illinois has persistently lagged the national growth rate throughout the recovery period,” said Jeff Mays, Director, IDES. “Even with the upward revision to the 2015 jobs figures, we went from no growth to very low growth. At the same time, the nation grew twice as fast.” Read More
•March 16, 2016•
Are you a writer or wanabe a writer? Third Thursday Wordsmiths is a group of writers of varied skills under the direction of Penny Weaver, editor of the Mattoon Journal Gazette. It is a great group of people sharing what each has written. The meetings take place at Flourishes Gallery and Studios on the third Thursday of each month at 140 ½ E. Main, Shelbyville, from 7-8 pm and all are welcome. To encourage the writing process in whatever form or style (paragraph, poem, character sketch, short story, etc.) topics for three months have been named. Participants can bring their writing to share and get feedback from the group. The following topics are: March 17-children at play, April 21-garden, May 19- summer vacation.
•March 16, 2016•
Millikin University’s student-run radio station 89.5 WJMU The Quad received its first Intercollegiate Broadcasting System (IBS) Award at the 76th annual IBS Conference held March 4-6 in New York.
Millikin graduate Mallory Wiedenkeller, who earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication in December 2015, won the IBS Award for Best Radio Documentary for her “Online Friendship” production. Senior Eric Shafer, a communication major from Springfield, Ill., was an IBS Awards finalist in the Best Show Promo category for his “90s on Tap” promotional segment piece.
IBS Awards finalists represent the top three to five percent of work submitted in their category to the National IBS from the previous year. This is the third consecutive year that WJMU has been represented by a finalist nominee and the first win for WJMU in the station’s 45-year history.
“When we create programming that can get nominated for awards it says a lot about the students and how efficient they are with their work,” said Sam Meister, lecturer of communication and WJMU faculty advisor. “We’ve had a great executive board for the last three years, and once those executive board students know their jobs then we can further develop the quality of production. We’ve got a lot of great resources and great support from the administration.” Read More
•March 16, 2016•
High school students can learn journalism hands-on from award-winning reporters, editors and photographers at the Illinois Press Foundation workshop taking place at Eastern Illinois University June 22 through July 1.
Applications for the 10-day workshop, which is funded by the Illinois Press Foundation, Robert R. McCormick Foundation and EIU, will be accepted through May 18, 2016. Eighteen students will be selected to participate in this free journalism experience.
Graduating seniors are eligible for this workshop as are those currently in their sophomore or junior years.
Held on the EIU campus in Charleston, this residential program provides students an intimate look at journalism as a career by immersing students into approaches used by modern, digital newsrooms. The workshop introduces students to the complete process of publishing news: gathering and validating information, substantiating and using multiple sources, writing news, editing, designing and production. In addition, students are exposed to the concepts of news literacy and how to differentiate and establish fact from fiction in today’s sometimes frenetic, rush-to-report news environment. Read More
•March 16, 2016•
A Leah Dolan benefit is Saturday, April 23, at New Life Church in Sullivan. Dolan has been diagnosed with stage four cancer and is receiving treatment.
The benefit begins at noon and concludes at 7:30 p.m.
Included in the activities that day are inflatables, Andrews Family Magic show, bake sale, cake walk, silent auction, regular auction by auctioneer Frank Ellison, food stand, DJ & music by local singers from area churches, face painting, hairchalk and more. A concert by David and the Giants will be 6-7:30 p.m.
Donations may be made payable to Faith Lutheran Church, PO 109, Sullivan, IL, 61951. Indicate “Leah” on check memo,or, gofundme.com/fightingforleah. Auction and bake sale items will be appreciated.
•March 16, 2016•
Sullivan High School’s Devin Warren won the District FFA Proficiency Award in grain production.
Warren manages 20 acres of corn and five acres of soybeans as part of his FFA supervised ag experience project. As a district winner, he now advances to the state finals.