News Progress

•September 2, 2026•

by Joshua Reinhart

Eastern Illinois University will welcome prospective students and their families to campus this fall for three dedicated Open House events designed to provide high school students, transfer students, and their families with an opportunity to explore EIU, learn about academic programs and connect with members of the campus community.

Fall Open Houses at Eastern Illinois University are scheduled for Saturday, September 12; Monday, October 12; and Friday, November 13. Prospective students can sign up for any of these events at eiu.edu/openhouse.

•September 2, 2026•

Lions International marked several key milestones at the 108th Lions International Convention held in Hong Kong, China, in July 2026. More than 18,000 Lions from 140 countries gathered for this premier event to reconnect with fellow members from around the globe. Participants were excited to explore new strategies for strengthening and expanding clubs and to celebrate another impactful year of service to communities in need.

More Descendants of the Revolution

•August 26, 2026•

by Janey Roney

If your family roots in America go back to the 1700s, it’s very likely you have a Revolutionary War veteran or two in your past. It’s worthwhile for you to search for them, because the stories you might find will give you a deeper appreciation of our freedom given to us by the personal sacrifices of those veterans. The volunteers at the Moultrie County History Center on South Hamilton in Sullivan can help you search.

The Revolutionary War was not some distant, forgotten event in the past to Moultrie County’s earliest settlers for many of them were children and grandchildren of veterans. It may be the reason their families moved west over the mountains after the war, for many veterans were finally paid for their war service with bounty land in the newly acquired frontier. Their next generations just kept moving west until some of them found our beautiful Moultrie County.

•August 19, 2026•

Lake Land College recently announced full-time students earning academic honors for the 2026 Spring semester.

To qualify for the president’s list, a student must have completed at least 12 credit hours in courses numbered 040 or higher per semester, excluding summer term, with a GPA of 3.8-4.0.

To qualify for the dean’s list, a student must have completed at least 12 credit hours in courses numbered 040 or higher per semester, excluding summer term, with a GPA of 3.65- 3.79.

•August 19, 2026•

Ryan Livergood, a Findlay native now leading a public library district in the Chicago suburbs, has been named the 2026 recipient of the Illinois Library Association’s Robert R. McClarren Legislative Development Award, one of the state library community’s top honors for legislative work.

Livergood serves as Executive Director of the Warren-Newport Public Library District in Gurnee. He was recognized for his leadership on House Bill 5236, the Digital Library Protection Act, which passed the Illinois House of Representatives by a unanimous vote of 99 to 0.