Eagle Day at Lake Shelbyville Feb. 11

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•January 25, 2017•

Eagle Day at Lake Shelbyville is scheduled for Saturday, February 11 at the Lake Shelbyville Visitor Center. The center will be open from 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m. for event participants. During that time visitors may experience a bald eagle up close and learn interesting facts about birds of prey. A 30 minute bald eagle program for kids is scheduled for 10 a.m. At 11 a.m., there will be a one hour “meet and greet” session where a live eagle will be on display for photographs and visitors may ask questions of the Illinois Raptor Center staff. A one hour show at 12:30 p.m. will feature appearances from many different North American birds of prey. Read More

Okaw Valley High School Fall Semester Honor Roll

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•January 25, 2017•

12th Grade:
Straight A: Jasmine Baumbarger, Kailyn Boyer, Tyus Brooks, Kristy Burford, Elaina Crawford, Brianna Creviston, Brycelynn Durbin, Jonathan Gentry, Sydney Hagerman, Moranda Matheson, Madison Uhlrich, Seth Yeakel.

High Honors-3.5 (no C’s): Skyler Birch, Evan Blakey, Olivia Buxton, Brianna Casias, Corey Clark, Connor Cloyd, Taylor Coleman, Connor Dotson, Ryan Foor, Jasmine Guzzie, Brendon Lane, Eric Mercer, Ty Nichols, Jessica Robinson, Maci Younger

Honors- 3.0: Bri Knowles, Madison Perrine, Makayle Rozanski, Blake Wyatt. Read More

Free Tax Preparation for Low Income Families

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•January 25, 2017•

Illinois Department of Human Services Secretary James Dimas today announced free income tax preparation and electronic filing is available for low income workers and families. The services are provided free of charge at locations across the state to families with incomes up to $55,000 and individuals with annual incomes up to $30,000.

“Many low income families don’t have access to affordable, professional tax preparation,” said Dimas. “Filing tax returns can be complicated, and we want as many Illinois workers as possible to be made aware of this free service.” Read More

State Treas. Seeks Banking Directive to Protect Medical Marijuana Patients

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•January 25, 2017•

The availability of medical marijuana in Illinois is in jeopardy depending upon how the President Donald Trump administration approaches the enforcement of marijuana and banking laws, Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs said.

Current federal law prohibits banks from processing money used in the legal marijuana industry, even state-licensed medical marijuana in Illinois. This makes it difficult for businesses to secure loans and restricts customers to cash-only transactions.

The legal marijuana industry has operated with limited confidence it will not face criminal prosecution after President Barack Obama’s Justice Department stated it would not prioritize the enforcement of federal marijuana laws knowing that many states have legalized some marijuana use. Read More

Lithia Springs Campground Opening Delayed

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•January 25, 2017•

Big things are coming to Lithia Springs Recreation Area.

The Lake Shelbyville project office has received special funding to replace and upgrade water lines in the Lithia Springs campground. Roads, sewer lines, and campsite upgrades will also be completed in coordination with the water line replacement project. In order to better restore the area to its natural beauty, all heavy construction will be completed prior to reopening the campground for business. Read More

Remember When? 1-18-2017

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25 Years Ago This Week

The Tower Hill Tigers took the tip from Bethany, but that was the only time they had the advantage over the Mustangs as the Bethany cagers won the uneven contest modestly with a score of 68-46. Bethany junior Phillip Dickens took the tip away from the Tigers for the first two points, and Mustang senior Chris Smith stole the ball again to answer with his own top points. Ben Osman added all eight of his points in the first period, and Dave Snyder put in six of his 16 for the evening in the first period. The second period resulted in fairly even scoring for the Mustangs as Ryan Martin and Steve VanLoon added their evenings points before going to the bench in favor of the substitutes. “I was pleased to get to play all of the players on the team,” said Mustang coach Brent Phillips.

Former Lovington prep volleyball standout Jennifer Cochran recently completed her first season as a member of the College of St. Francis Fighting Saints. A junior-transfer student from Parkland College, Cochran saw considerable playing time as an outside hitter and back row player. She was fifth on the team in digs per game with a 2.15 average and also scored 52 service aces and second best on the team with a serving percentage of 88.5 percent.  Read More

Sullivan Student Among Nominees to Military Service Academies

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Photo furnished
Students nominated from counties in the district, pictured left to right above: Charles Goss of Sullivan (USAFA), Grace Zeller of Effingham (USMA), Shimkus, Gabriel Oetting of Charleston (USNA), and Christopher Henson of Flora (USNA).

•January 18, 2017•

Congressman John Shimkus (R, Illinois-15) announced his 16 nominations to the military service academies.

Charles Goss of Sullivan High School was nominated as a candidate for the US Air Force Academy.

The congressman nominates, and then the academies themselves make the final determination whether a nominee receives an appointment to attend that academy.

“The academies look at academics, leadership, and physical fitness in order to assure a young person is well-rounded and able to cope with the unique challenges of attending a military school,” Shimkus said. “As a West Point graduate, I am very proud of these young men and women for considering an academy for their college choice and am grateful for the honor of being able to nominate them.” Read More

ISP District 10 Handles Fatal Crashes, Mutiple Motorist Assists

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•January 18, 2017•

Illinois State Police District 10 announced that during the month of December 2016, Troopers handled 1,331 incidents. 365 of those incidents were calls for service and assistance.

Of these calls, 135 were to help motorists whose vehicles were disabled on area highways. Troopers stopped for a total of 299 motorist assist incidents. Troopers handled 127 crash reports, five of which were fatal crashes resulting in five deaths. Read More

Letter to the Editor: 1-11-2017

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January 4 Was One of the Best

Dear Editor,

January 4, 2017 was one of the best newspapers I have read.

I always enjoy Trudy Lieberman and Jim Nowlan’s columns, but this week the story on the Bethany library was very good.

I was glad to read that Bethany High School class yearbooks are digitally available. Read More

Eastern Illinois Foodbank Distributes at Sullivan VFW

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•January 11, 2017•

Eastern Illinois Foodbank will distribute a truckload of food to hungry area families. The distribution will be held 10-11:30 a.m. at Sullivan VFW. All Moultrie County residents who meet income eligibility criteria are welcome. Those attending are asked to bring bags or boxes to transport food.

The distribution is part of the Foodbank’s Foodmobile Program, a system of mobile food pantries designed to help bring nutritious food to areas of chronic or extreme need. Through the program, local companies and organizations are invited to contribute toward a one-day distribution of food and optionally participate in the distribution process. The cost to partner with the Foodbank on a Foodmobile distribution is $3,000. Read More