•March 19, 2025•

Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs is encouraging young Illinois photographers to submit photos for the 2025 “Cream of the Crop Photo Contest”, which provides students with a creative opportunity to share their vision of agriculture in our state. Students ages 8 to 18 may submit contest entries until the deadline of June 13, 2025. 

Bright Start scholarships of $1,000, $500, and $250 will be awarded to students who place first, second, or third in each of the three age categories. 

“I’m excited to announce the opening of the contest because it’s a great opportunity for students to go out, explore, and use their cameras to highlight the beauty of Illinois agriculture,” Frerichs said. “Illinois is a leader in the agricultural industry because of our skilled, hardworking farmers, millions of acres of rich farmland, and diversity in products.” 

•March 19, 2025•

Have you turned down a chance to go out with family or friends because you were concerned about falling? Have you cut down on a favorite activity because you might fall? If so, A Matter of Balance: Managing Concerns about Falls is a program for you. 

Fear of falling can be just as dangerous as falling itself. People who develop this fear often limit their activities, which can result in severe physical weakness, making the risk of falling even greater. Many older adults also experience increased isolation and depression when they limit their interactions with family and friends. A Matter of Balance can help people improve their quality of life and remain independent.   

Leaving a Mark

•March 19, 2025•

by Janet Roney

My husband hates cockleburs, Canadian thistles, and his latest bane of existence, water hemp. His grandfather, who farmed before herbicides, left him clean fields. When he rented his farm to us, his only instructions were, “Just leave it better than you found it.”

Once in a while, a wilted weed, roots and all, appears on the office desktop awaiting identification. One recent specimen turned out to have a very sinister history. It was white snakeroot. If a cow eats snakeroot, it poisons her milk. Milk sickness killed many pioneers and their children, including three siblings of Roger’s great grandfather.  

Finding snakeroot made me think about one of the mysteries noted on Isaac Hill’s map. Who were the four men whose bones were found in an old house along Shoal Creek, and what killed them?

The Ancient Triangle

•March 12, 2025•

by Janet Roney

One thing nags me about Isaac Hill’s expedition into central Illinois for Thomas Jefferson. Why didn’t their story make it into the history books?

I think I know. Isaac Hill did not have a German grandmother.

I had a German grandmother. She died when I was six. I know two things about her. She thought her grandchildren were wonderful, and her favorite saying was “A place for everything and everything in its place.” (That remains my elusive goal.)

If Isaac Hill had a German grandmother, she would have told the whole world about her amazing grandson. That’s what grandmothers do. Lacking a grandmother, Isaac Hill should have tooted his own horn and/or filed his map and report of his expedition properly for posterity.

2015

A Sullivan man was brought up on preliminary first-degree murder charges Tuesday afternoon in connection with the death of a 43-year-old woman on March 4.

Not only can a good storyline reside within the pages of a book but so can the opportunity for a good conversation. Sullivan Middle School student Sarah DeLong wanted to get the conversation started when she was inspired by the Mattoon reading group, Read Across Mattoon. She had come across a book that the group had been reading while at Common Grounds. DeLong had asked language arts teacher Rikki Ray about possibly starting something similar in Sullivan. “How could I turn her down?” replied Ray. After writing a grant to the Sullivan Community Education Foundation, One Book One Sullivan was formed in 2007.