News Progress

25 Years Ago This Week

The Redskins’ incredible ride through the IHSA Class A State Baseball finals came up just one stop short as they fell to Normal-U High 10-0 in six innings in the championship game.
Moultrie County’s long awaited new animal control facility would soon be operational. Water and electricity were both in and a few minor items were left to do. Read More

•May 31, 2023•
Submitted by Lauren Fultz
Sullivan Elementary's first grade classes visited Ballard Nature Center in Altamont this month. At the nature center, students participated in a hands-on lesson about mammals and also took a nature walk through a variety of native Illinois habitats to view animals. This trip was the culmination of a weeks-long study on plants, animals, and habitats, and was a group favorite.
The students loved spending the day at Ballard and couldn't have done so without the gracious help from the Illinois Biodiversity Grant they received. Donors for this grant include the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, the Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Foundation, the D. F. and M. T. Grohne Family Foundation, and the Illinois Conservation Foundation.

•May 31, 2023•
The Illinois Conservation Foundation is accepting nominations for the 2023 Illinois Outdoor Hall of Fame class.
Since 2002, the foundation has recognized individuals who have records of exemplary service in and commitments to improving conservation efforts and outdoor recreation opportunities in Illinois. Read More

•May 31, 2023•
Parents of special needs children are required to make many, often serious, decisions about their children’s healthcare, a job that only gets harder if they can’t get access to test results and other medical records. In Illinois, sometimes those parents aren’t able to get access, even if the records are from tests and procedures that required the parents’ consent to be performed. State Senator Steve McClure (R-Springfield) and Representative C.D. Davidsmeyer have passed legislation through the General Assembly designed to help with this issue.
“Parents who have children with special needs should have timely access to test results and medical records,” said Senator McClure. “Parents shouldn’t have to resort to legal action to get access to their children’s health records, especially when tests and procedures required their consent in the first place.” Read More

•May 31, 2023•
By Jim Baumann
NP Guest Writer

Guess who’s hot in Canada?
That would be moi. This is based on a sample size of one, of course.
Someone named Bish, from New Westminster, British Columbia, wrote me to say he enjoyed a recent column that led with my experience with a VERB energy bar.
“I’ve just read (your) piece in ‘Knews Media,’ sent there by Reddit, and I’m curious as to your reaction if you were to hear the new fad around the tech office where I work,” he wrote. “My manager has a habit of labeling something ‘the ask’ where I’m almost certain he means ‘the question’ or ‘the request,’ based on context. It’s the same verb-as-noun situation mentioned in the description of a new snack bar called VERB. He’ll similarly bring up ‘the spend’ when it’s almost certain he means ‘the expense’ or ‘the budget.’ My mind does one of those comical double-takes from a Looney Tunes episode every time. Read More