•February 11, 2026•
February 11th: Dog Club Field Trip to the Arcola Vet Clinic at 5:30 p.m. All Mo-Do members are welcome to attend this field trip/tour of the vet clinic. Contact Club Leader Kathy Davis if you plan to attend: (217) 249-2602.
February 14th: Beef weigh-in for steers showing at IL State Fair Junior Show – Shelbyville Sale Barn, 8:00 to 10:00 a.m. Check in with Rachel if you plan to attend.
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by the Knightly Reading Team
This week, CUSD #305 launched its 7th annual district-wide book club, ‘Knightly Reading: A Family Literacy Event’. The youngest household member of K-5th-grade students, all across the district, received a copy of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. This is the second book in C. S. Lewis’s classic fantasy series, The Chronicles of Narnia, which has captivated readers of all ages with a magical land and unforgettable characters for over seventy-five years. This year’s program allows for 4 weeks of reading enjoyment for students and families, and there are plenty of activities planned at school to enrich the reading experience.
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Touch-screen voting came to Moultrie County elections in the spring, giving electronic or traditional voting as an option, all with updated centralized tabulation equipment. County Clerk Georgia England explained that election judges will learn the new system’s operations during a March 8 training session.
Additional flood damage on Moultrie County roads and bridges increased to $180,000, county engineer Jeff Birch told the Road and Bridge committee on February 8. That amount was added to the total county damage claim filed earlier with the Illinois Emergency Services and Disaster Agency.
The Sullivan Lady Redskins ended the basketball season with a tough 43-40 loss to Cerro Gordo Bement on February 8. It was the first game of Regional play at Tuscola, and the Broncos were hungry.
Okaw Valley went wire to wire in front of a sold-out crowd Friday night, ultimately falling 69-62 versus the Sangamon Valley Storms. A pair of well-timed runs by the Storm to end the first half and begin the second half proved too much to overcome.
2006
Candi Hoffman of Lovington was named student employee of the month for December/January at Millikin University. Hoffman is a senior in the Millikin adult degree completion program, PACE, office, and was a nursing major and graduate of Mt. Zion High School.
State Reps. Bob Flider (D-Mt. Zion) and Chapin Rose (R-Mahomet) recently presented a resolution honoring the life and work of Lawrence ‘Slats’ Trower of Arthur at the Worker Appreciation Dinner at Yoder’s Kitchen in Arthur.
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•February 4, 2026•
Emily Steele
Media Comm. Manager, U of I Extension
Every day, rain nourishes fields of growing crops, and rivers steadily flow through natural areas and communities until, eventually, drinking water trickles out of faucets into our homes, schools, and businesses. The health of a watershed is tied to the health of a community, and understanding where water comes from, how it moves, and what impacts its quality and quantity is crucial to maintaining safe and sustainable water resources now and in the future.
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•February 4, 2026•
As winter weather brings extreme cold across Illinois, fire safety officials are urging residents to use extra caution when heating their homes. Frigid temperatures often lead people to rely more heavily on heating systems and alternative heat sources, which can increase the risk of home fires and carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning if proper safety precautions are not followed.
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•February 4, 2026•
Gardening enthusiasts and beginners alike are invited to the sixteenth-annual ‘Spring Into Gardening Conference’. This year’s program is Saturday, March 14th, in Charleston. Enjoy a day filled with gardening advice, creative ideas, and hands-on guidance.
Expert-led breakout sessions led by Illinois Extension Horticulture Educators will cover topics such as soil health, composting, pollinator gardening, vegetable gardening, and debunking DIY garden products. The Green Team from Wesley United Methodist Church will lead a tour of their community garden, sharing ideas and tips with participants. Hands-on activities like flower arranging, plant propagation, and creating nesting balls are available for additional fees. Individuals can also bid in a silent auction, browse items at the sales booth, and enjoy refreshments.
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•February 4, 2026•
Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs is encouraging people to visit the ICash missing money website to see if they have money or other unclaimed property waiting for them.
An estimated one-in-four adults who check ICash discover they have missing money or other unclaimed property, shared Frerichs, who recommends checking the website at least a couple of times a year. “It’s a good idea to check the names of family members and friends, as well as your own name, because you might find some unexpected treasures. If you find something for your relatives or neighbors, you can use our website’s Family and Friends ‘share’ feature to let them know,” he said. “We work hard to return missing money and unclaimed property to the rightful owners. The proof is in our record-breaking numbers over the years,” he added. “Putting money back in your warm hands is better than keeping it in our cold bank vaults.”
Read More•February 4, 2026•
by Rhiannon Branch
FarmWeek
Drought, flooding, tornadoes, severe thunderstorms, and extreme temperature swings; 2025 had it all, and it varied drastically by location, making last year a memorable one from a weather standpoint for many Illinois farmers.
State Climatologist Trent Ford, with the Illinois State Water Survey, reviewed weather statistics from 2025 and events that stood out during a recent FarmWeek interview.
Precipitation, or lack thereof: nearly the entire state is abnormally dry or in some form of drought as a result of a shortfall of precipitation last year, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor released January 15th.
Preliminary statewide average total precipitation in 2025 was 31.78 inches, about 9 inches below normal. While official rankings by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration had not yet been released as of press time, it is likely that 2025 will make the top 20 driest years on record statewide. However, there was a lot of seasonality for precipitation last year, and the amount of rainfall varied immensely by region within the state. January and February were drier than normal across the state, March was close to normal, and then April and May were huge precipitation months for southern Illinois. “There were places that, coming into June 1st, were having nearly their wettest year on record, especially the closer you got to the Ohio River and the Kentucky border,” Ford told FarmWeek. “There were places like Metropolis that were on par with some of the wettest years on record, including 1993, coming into the summer.”
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•February 4, 2026•
The Illinois Conservation Foundation is accepting applications for its 2026 Conservation Achievement Scholarships, which will award up to four one-time scholarships of $2,000 each to Illinois high school seniors committed to conserving the state’s natural resources. The scholarships recognize students who have demonstrated sustained, voluntary dedication to preserving, protecting, enhancing or promoting Illinois’ lands, waters, and wildlife. One scholarship is reserved annually for a dependent of an Illinois Department of Natural Resources employee. “The Conservation Achievement Scholarship reflects our commitment to investing in the next generation of conservation leaders,” said Jenny Vaughn, executive director of the Illinois Conservation Foundation. “These students are already making meaningful contributions to their communities, and this support helps them continue that work through education and service.”
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A generous donor has covered the cost of our upcoming leather workshop, so all youth may now attend for free. This workshop is being put on by one of our own, Gareth Coffer, who wins the leather division year after year at the State Fair and now has his own business. This class will be held at the Arthur United Methodist Church on Saturday, March 7th, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. and will be sponsored by the Arthur Rotary Club. For more information and to register, go to https://registration.extension.illinois.edu/start/leather-skills-make-and-take-workshop.
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