Hot new business
Angie and Tyler Worthey, founders of Worthey Peppers, showcasing their wide variety of spicy selections. From sweet to spicy, Tyler expressed much joy for his success in his peppers at the young age of just 18, winning awards in school for his phenomenal work leading to real world benefits.
•September 4, 2024•
The games garner the bulk of fans’ attention when football season kicks off each year at the end of summer. While the exciting action on the gridiron is a cause for celebration among millions of football fans, the food enjoyed during game day provides much to look forward to as well.
Certain foods have become part and parcel of watching a particular sport. For example, who can attend a baseball game and resist the temptation to indulge in a hot dog? For football fans, chicken wings are the go-to game day dish. There’s no shortage of ways to prepare chicken wings, but fans who like their game day grub to have a little kick can try this recipe for “Spicy Soy Chicken Wings” courtesy of Andrew Schloss’s “Cooking Slow: Recipes for Slowing Down and Cooking More” (Chronicle Books). Read More
•September 4, 2024•
The ROSC Council in Moultrie/Shelby County is continuing the 12-month Anti-Stigma Campaign titled “We Can and Do Recover.” This campaign aims to challenge the stigma surrounding substance use recovery by sharing stories of resilience, promoting understanding, and fostering support. Our goal is to create a more inclusive and empathetic society towards individuals in recovery. Read More
•September 4, 2024•
by Cheri Burcham
Extension Educator
University of Illinois Extension
As the end of summer draws near and schools supplies pop up in local stores, parents and kids alike start focusing on the new school year. While the new year brings a level of excitement and anticipation, parents wonder on how to make the new school year successful for their children. This article by Illinois Extension County Director Karla Belzer explains how to do this:
All parents want their children to become successful, caring adults. Similarly, many parents want to be involved with the formal education of their children. Sometimes, however, they don’t know where to start, when to find the time, or how to go about making positive connections with the school. Studies have indicated that children whose parents and/or other significant adults share in their formal education tend to do better in school. Read More
•September 4, 2024•
by Rhiannon Branch
FarmWeek
Record high corn and soybean yield estimates headlined the USDA’s August crop production report. The agency forecasted a national average corn yield of 183.1 bushels per acre (bpa), up 5.8 from 2023, and a national average soybean yield of 53.2 bpa, up 2.6 bushels from last season. The state average yield estimates for Illinois are also a record high at 225 bpa for corn and 66 bpa for soybeans. “Upon initial observation, of course, the market looked a little bit spooked by the fact that you had the corn yield come in at 183. That’s a pretty good-sized yield,” Matt Bennett with AgMarket.net told FarmWeek. “But then you look, and they lowered planted and harvested acres.” Early data from the Farm Service Agency prompted acreage adjustments, unusual for the August report. USDA now pegs corn planted area at 90.7 million acres, down from 91.5 million in July, and harvested area at 82.7 million acres, down from 83.4 million last month. The acreage adjustments show USDA understands concerns for the crop in some growing areas, Bennett noted. Read More
•September 4, 2024•
How Raccoons Helped Save Illinois from Canada (continued)
by Janet Roney
If you have not kept up, let’s review the story behind this startling title. First, gazillions of raccoons live in Illinois, but not many beaver. Beaver fur was in great demand in Europe in the 1600s because French Huguenot hatters had learned how to make waterproof felt out of beaver fur that was used to make waterproof hats for the French army. The health of the French army improved overall. Everyone soon wanted felt hats, and the supply of beaver in Europe dried up. The French and English then came to the Americas for more beaver fur. Read More
2014
Not only have different schools joined together to form a new district, ALAH (Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond), but students are learning to march together to the same tune-literally. After almost five years without a formal marching band due to a lack of participating students, the district now has one.
The Okaw Valley High School Student Council announced their annual Homecoming Week for September 8-13. The overall theme to this year’s festivities was “Best of Broadway”. Read More
2014
Despite a slight uptick from the last two months, Moultrie County’s unemployment rate in July was still lower than any other central Illinois county, marking an ongoing trend throughout the current year.
Early Sunday morning the Civic Center was flooded when one of the two 90 gallon water heaters misfired, causing steam. This in turn caused a solder joint in the 1-1/4 pipe to come loose and flood the floor in the gym and surrounding area. Read More
•August 28, 2024•
Lake Land College is introducing Laker Connect, a new program designed to provide personalized assistance to high school dual credit students.
Under the Laker Connect program, a dedicated counselor will help high school students make the most of their dual credit options. The counselor is also available to help students in topics such as career exploration, paying for college, educational planning, transfer guidance, and trade school planning.
To learn more or set up a meeting, contact Niemerg 217-234-5473 or kkeck16009@lakelandcollege.edu.
by Cheri Burcham
Anyone that knows me knows that I am passionate about trying to save the monarch butterfly. Their population continues to decline and some of the reasons are preventable. One of them is mowing. I have shared this article before (maybe more than once) and would like to share it again. This article was written by Illinois Extension Educator Christopher Enroth and is so very important in monarch conservation. Christopher says: There is something about mowing that is so satisfying. What is it? The smell of cut grass? Taming an unruly landscape? To me, it is measurable progress. It seems so often that modern jobs give few tangible results. So much of our work is in the digital ether. After a full day’s work, I leave the office switching off my computer, and all my toiling vanishes with the click of a mouse. At home, I seek tasks of visual permanence by working with my hands, cleaning, and of course mowing. The desire to mow often expands beyond the yard as many landowners also mow road banks and ditches. However, the constant routine of mowing is harming the monarch butterfly, Danaus plexippus. Milkweed is the only plant that monarch caterpillars eat. Milkweed loss is one of the major causes of declining monarch populations. Read More