•October 14, 2015•
Lifetouch, Inc. and the Illinois Principals Association (IPA) encourage all communities in Illinois to celebrate Principal Appreciation Week October 18-24 and Principal Appreciation Day October 23. This state-endorsed recognition was first approved by the Governor of Illinois in 1990 and is annually celebrated. Read More
•October 14, 2015•
Deep sandstone aquifers that feed water supplies to parts of northeastern Illinois are at risk of becoming partially or completely depleted in the next 35 years, a new study at the Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS) suggests.
Daniel Abrams, a groundwater flow modeler at the ISWS, University of Illinois, and colleagues conducted the largest measurement of deep sandstone groundwater levels in 34 years. Water levels in 576 wells were measured in 33 counties between July 2014 and February 2015.
In northeastern Illinois, the sandstone aquifers are hundreds of feet deep, meaning that water pumped from the aquifer is not readily replenished by precipitation. As a result, water levels are hundreds of feet lower than when deep pumping began in the Chicago region in the 1800s.
“Most of the first wells constructed in northeastern Illinois were flowing,” Abrams said.
Currently, water levels are hundreds of feet below land surface, often at or near the top of the sandstone. This creates a risk of depletion, also known as desaturation, of the sandstone aquifers. Desaturation has potential negative outcomes, including the fact that small-capacity wells penetrating the upper portion of the sandstone may go dry. Read More
•October 14, 2015•
Land of Lincoln Honor Flight (LLHF), serving central and southern Illinois, will take their sixth and final flight for 2015 Tuesday, October 27. On this Flight #36 on a chartered 737 jetliner will be 13 World War II, 51 Korean and 14 Vietnam War eras, consisting of nine who served in the Air Force, 49 in the Army, nine in the Marines and 11 in the Navy. On this no-cost, day long trip to Washington, DC to visit and reflect at their national memorials, all the veterans will be accompanied by a volunteer escort. These guardians pay their own way and are responsible for the comfort, logistics, mobility and safety of their doyen for the day.
These 78 heroes come from 47 Illinois cities and communities consisting of Alsey, Alton, Auburn, Beecher City, Benld, Bethalto, Bloomington, Breese, Buckley, Bushnell, Carmi, Champaign, Charleston, Clinton, Concord, Congerville, Danville, Decatur, Dorsey, Edinburg, Effingham, Findlay, Flora, Gifford, Godfrey, Hillsboro, Jacksonville, Jewett, Lawrenceville, Lerna, Lincoln, Litchfield, Meredosia, Morrisonville, Moweaqua, New Douglas, Onarga, Paris, Paxton, Peoria, Shelbyville, Sherman, South Jacksonville, Springfield, Taylorville, Wheeler and Winchester
Departing Springfield shortly after 6 a.m., the veterans and guardians will land at Ronald Reagan National Airport in DC, then be transported on three coach buses designated Red, White and Blue for the day. Their itinerary includes the World War II, Korean and Vietnam War National Memorials, the Air Force & Marine (Iwo Jima) Memorials, the National Air & Space Museum and Arlington National Cemetery, where they will view the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers and Changing of the Guard. During the day they will also have the opportunity to visit the Lincoln Memorial, as well as see the Washington Monument, Jefferson Memorial, the White House, the Pentagon and much more from the bus prior to departing back to Springfield. Read More
•October 14, 2015•
More than 1,200 area junior and senior high school students attended the annual Lake Land College Illinois Regional College Fair and Career Day, held Oct. 6.
Career Day gives high school students a chance to explore career options by attending various break-out sessions with Lake Land College instructors and volunteers who come to the college to share knowledge about their profession with the students. Additionally, the Illinois Regional College Fair was held in the Field House, which gave students the opportunity to talk with university representatives. Read More
•October 7, 2015•
“Wee Readers Story time” for preschoolers 2-5 years old will meet 10-10:30 a.m. each Thursday morning. Dates and themes are October 8 -“Fire Safety”, October 15-“Squirrels & Nuts”, October 22-“Scarecrows” and October 29-“Pumpkins”.
Reading Redbirds Book Club - Youth in 4th-8th grades are invited to bring a favorite book to discuss for “Reading Redbirds Book Club”. Dates are 3:30-4:30 p.m. Tuesday October 6 and October 20.
Adult Book Club: “Adult Book Club” meets 10:30-11:30 a.m. Thursday morning October 8. Anyone who loves to read and talk about a favorite book is invited to attend.
Make It & Take It: A “Make It & Take It Workshop” is 1-3 p.m. Oct. 9. Children kindergarten-8th grades are invited to stop by and make a fall craft to take home. Read More
“Hear the Beep Where You Sleep!”
•October 7, 2015•
National Fire Prevention Week takes place October 4-10. During this week, Illinois State Fire Marshal Matt Perez urges everyone to take a moment to review their safety protocols in the event of a fire.
This year’s theme, “Hear the Beep Where You Sleep. Every Bedroom Needs a Working Smoke Alarm!” points to the role of smoke detectors in dramatically reducing the tragic consequences of residential fires. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), half of home fire deaths—about 1,400 fatalities a year—result from fires reported between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. when most people are sound asleep. Three out of five home fire deaths happen in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms. The combination of these two facts – late night fires without sufficient warning to escape - has deadly consequences.
“I cannot overstate the importance of having properly placed and working smoke detectors in your home,” said Perez. “Smoke detectors are incredibly affordable and easy to install. Take a moment this month to make sure you have one in every bedroom and on every level of your home and that they are all working properly. They could be the difference between life and death.”
The Office of the State Fire Marshal provides the following recommendations for installing and maintaining smoke alarms: Read More
•October 7, 2015•
September 2015 was the ninth warmest September on record for Illinois, according to Illinois State Climatologist Jim Angel, Illinois State Water Survey, University of Illinois. The statewide average temperature was 70.2 degrees, four degrees above average.
The warmest September on record was 1933 with 72.2 degrees. Read More
•October 7, 2015•
Sullivan FFA placed second in the Sullivan Soils Invitational contest, missing first by one point.
Austin Schmohe, Jon Gavin, Brodie Scribner, Bryce King, Hailie Britton, and Devan Tull qualified for the Sectional Championship. Read More
•September 30, 2015•
Soil moisture levels rose across Illinois the second week of September as the state saw increased rainfall and cooler soil temperatures, according to Jennie Atkins, Water and Atmospheric Resources Monitoring (WARM) program manager at the Illinois State Water Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois.
Stations in the Illinois Climate Network (ICN) reported an average of 1.58 inches of rain from September 8 to 11, with stations in Springfield, Carbondale, and Brownstown (Fayette County) recording more than 3.50 inches during the time period.
The higher rainfall led to increases in soil moisture. On average, levels at two inches increased 54 percent from September 7 to 11 to a two-week high of 0.33 water fraction by volume (wfv). Levels declined slightly to an average of 0.27 wfv on September 15, well above the wilting point for most soil types. Similar trends were seen at depths of four and eight inches. Read More
•September 30, 2015•
On Tuesday, October 6 area seniors and heroes are invited to a breakfast buffet at Courtyard Estates in Sullivan.
Sponsored by Petersen Health Care the 6:30-8:30 a.m. buffet is in recognition for all fire & rescue, police, sheriff’s department, health care providers and senior citizens. Read More