•May 5, 2021•
Master Gardeners recently announced their annual spring plant sale at Garden Fest. They will be selling a variety of plants at Lytle Park, Mattoon on Saturday, May 15, from 9 am-12 pm. Featured will be hanging baskets, pollinator-friendly plants, vegetable plants for your garden, herbs, and houseplants. Gardening gloves, garden décor and gently used gardening items will also be offered this year. Read More
Dear Editor,
With the weather warming up and we are anxious to get outside, just a reminder that May is LYME Awareness Month. Lyme is spread by the bite of a tick, which can be as small as the period of this sentence. Recent estimates suggest approximately 476,000 people may get Lyme disease each year in the US. Read More
Senior Peace Meal
For additional information or for reservations, please call 1-800-543-1770
May 10 - Sausage in Gravy, Mini Potato Bakers, Fruit Juice, Biscuits, Warm Cinnamon Buttered Apples
May 11 - Chili W/Beans, Tossed Salad w/Dressing Pkt., Crackers, Mandarin Oranges
May 12 - Beef Pot Roast w/Potatoes, Carrots, & Onions, Seasoned Greens, Roll, Pineapple
May 13 - Chicken and Noodles, Mashed Potatoes, 3-Bean Salad, Whole Grain Wheat, Warm Fruit Crisp
May 14 - Taco Salad w/Beans, Lettuce, Cheese, Tomatoes, Sour Cream & Taco Sauce, Diced Pears, Taco Chips, Brownie Bites
•April 28, 2021•
Allows People to Drive With Receipt as Proof of Recently Purchased License Plate Sticker Online
Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White is reminding motorists that they may drive without an up-to-date license plate sticker affixed to their license plate if they have their receipt showing they purchased a sticker online before the expiration date. The receipt, which is generated after an online sticker purchase, is valid for no more than 30 days from the expiration of the previous license plate registration sticker’s date. Read More
•April 28, 2021•
Public health guidelines advising people to wear masks have proven effective at slowing the spread of COVID-19, but such recommendations have led to some unforeseen and unwanted side effects. For example, wearing masks that cover the lower portion of the face has led to an uptick in instances of acne.
U.S. Dermatology Partners advises that regular mask wearing can lead to skin health issues, including flare-ups in chronic skin conditions. It’s become such a widespread issue that the term “maskne” has now become a part of the lexicon.
According to Dr. Mona Gohara, an associate clinical professor of dermatology at the Yale School of Medicine, maskne is a real thing. The most common kind is acne mechanica, which is the type of acne that occurs when something rubs up against the face. Oil, sweat and a lack of fresh air to the face can cause the formation of acne just about anywhere beneath protective masks. Health care workers may be especially susceptible, but just about anyone who wears a mask for an extended period of time may develop maskne. Read More
•April 28, 2021•
The 2021 Virtual Crop Scout School available and free to the general public. The Scout School, offered through the Crop Protection Network, consists of 22 webinars from crop protection specialists at 11 Midwest universities.
Crop scouts, farmers, and other users can pick and choose from a variety of diverse subjects to help them become more knowledgeable on crop scouting. Topics are split into digestible bits so crop scouts can interact with subject matter in a way that best suits their time and interest.
Crop scouting in an important part of integrated pest management IPM that can help farmers obtain higher yields and increased profit per acre. Scouting gives farmers and agronomists a heads-up about what is happening in the field, allowing preemptive action and appropriate management decisions to be applied. The field scout gathers information on the crop condition of a field that can help in discerning what management tools to use. Read More
•April 28, 2021•
Submitted by Lozelle Bunfill
As we are approaching ‘Mother’s Day’ in 2021, my thoughts have often turned to my own mother and her awesome responsibilities and how she handled them. She was born in Versailles , Illinois just east of where the Baptist Church now stands. She was the third of ten children born to Milton and Elizabeth,[Lizzie] Herren. One of her younger brothers died at the age of seven from what was then called ‘Pernicious Anemia’. Her youngest brother lost his life on Leyte Island in the Philippines during the retaking of those islands from the Japanese during WWII.
Mother was born in 1905 and died in 1986 so she lived through two world wars, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. She saw her oldest son leave to join the conflict in WWII, and as it was for many other mothers, it was very difficult for her
When she was a teenager attending the Cooperstown Christian Church and singing in the choir, my dad visited a service, and upon seeing her, he said “There’s the girl I am going to marry”. At least that is the story I have been told. They were married in 1925 and started a life together that lasted 61 years until her death in 1986. Read More
Measures Will Head to Senate for Further Consideration
•April 28, 2021•
By Tim Kirsininkas
Capitol News Illinois
tkirsininkas @ capitolnewsillinois.com
The Illinois House advanced several bills Thursday, including one which would implement term limits on leadership positions in the General Assembly and another that would create additional protections for tenants’ sources of income.
House Bill 642, introduced by Rep. Anthony DeLuca, D-Chicago Heights, would bar any individual from serving more than 10 consecutive years in a leadership position in the General Assembly, including speaker of the House, president of the Senate, and minority leadership positions in each house.
The bill would take effect for any legislators seated on or after January 12, 2022.
“This is a big moment for reform in the state of Illinois,” DeLuca said on the house floor Thursday. Read More
•April 28, 2021•
By Sarah Mansur
Capitol News Illinois
smansur @ capitolnewsillinois.com
The certified professional midwife profession in Illinois moved one step closer to becoming an officially licensed occupation on Thursday with the passage of House Bill 3401.
HB 3401 creates the Licensed Certified Professional Midwife Practice Act, which would license individuals who perform out-of-hospital births and have earned the credentials associated with being a professional midwife.
The bill, sponsored by Evanston Democratic Rep. Robyn Gabel, garnered bipartisan support, with only one Republican and one Democrat voting against it. Read More
25 Years Ago This Week
James E. Hart, administrator of the Illinois Masonic Home, announced his retirement. The 63-year-old Hart will reportedly be succeeded by James K. Wayne, who was recently promoted to associate administrator of the Illinois Masonic Home. When Hart became administrator of the home, it included three residence buildings with 175 beds and two nursing buildings with 125 beds. Two ten-bed dormitories for men were on the grounds as well as a number of four-bed wards in the nursing buildings. During Hart’s tenure the home was transformed from a stark, institutional looking facility to the more “home like” cheery, landscaped country estate look it sports now.
Sullivan Preschool was set to celebrate its 25th anniversary with an open house. Read More