•September 16, 2026•

Lake Land College was recently named the number one community college in the nation in education outcomes, as reported in the 2026 Best & Worst Community Colleges study by the personal finance company WalletHub.

The study evaluated 613 community colleges across the nation, with education outcomes used as one of three key dimensions to measure institutional merit. By receiving the top ranking in the study for education outcomes, Lake Land College was recognized as the number one community college in the nation across several student success metrics, including first year retention rate, graduation rate, transfer rate and student-faculty ratio.

Choosing the County Seat, Part 2

•September 16, 2026•

by Janey Roney

Corruption among government officials is nothing new, but you won’t find what I am about to tell you in either the 1881 History of Shelby and Moultrie Counties, Illinois or the 1893 Portrait and Biographical Record, the two major early histories of our counties. My tale involves the fifth governor of Illinois, Joseph Duncan, his brother-in-law William Linn (or Lynn), and the voters’ selection of Asa’s Point (the future Sullivan) as our county seat over the well-established village of East Nelson in 1845.  

1966

King and queen candidates for the Bethany Homecoming were announced. Emily Roby and Steve Brown were elected from the senior class and Kathy Goetz and Mike Welch, juniors; Sheila Mathias and Roger Crowder, sophomores; and Renee Freeland and John Weakley, freshman.

Three Lovington High School senior girls were selected to compete for the homecoming queen. Candidates were Diane Elliott, Peggy Phelps and Linda Rudolph. They were to be escorted by John Bailey, Mervin Gillenwater and Richard McCoy.

•September 9, 2026•

On the morning of September 11, 2001, 19 terrorists hijacked four commercial airplanes bound for California. The planes departed from airports in Boston; Newark, NJ; and Washington, D.C. September 11 would become an infamous date in American and world history, and the events of that day would forever change the world. As the world commemorates the 20th anniversary of 9/11, the following timeline, courtesy of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, can help people fully understand how events unfolded on that late-summer morning two decades ago.

• 5:45 a.m.: Two of the hijackers pass through security at Portland International Airport in Maine. The men will take a short flight to Boston Logan International Airport, where they will join three other hijackers and board American Airlines Flight 11.

•September 9, 2026•

Major disasters are happening more often now, about once every two weeks. Add on the smaller emergencies that happen every day - like a fire in someone’s home - and it’s more important than ever for everyone to get their households prepared.

At the same time, as prices continue to climb on just about everything, getting prepared for a disaster can feel out of reach, too much of a financial burden. But the American Red Cross has a few simple, low-cost or no-cost steps everyone can take to help them get prepared.

“September is National Preparedness Month, the perfect time to get ready for emergencies large and small,” said Jeannie Moran Gardner, Regional Disaster Officer for the Illinois Red Cross. “Disasters can happen anywhere, at any time and getting your household ready for them doesn’t have to break the bank. Try a few of these low-cost or no-cost steps and get started protecting your loved ones.”