IEMA Seeks Recovery for Lost Radioactive Source

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Wayne County Well Surveys, Inc. can request hearing

•March 9, 2016•

The Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) has issued a preliminary order to Wayne County Well Surveys, Inc. of Fairfield seeking to impose penalties totaling $25,500 after the company lost a radioactive well logging source holder last fall. The device has not been located.

IEMA licenses the company’s possession and use of the radioactive source holder, which is part of a larger tool used to assess geological formations in oil and gas, groundwater, mineral and geothermal exploration. Read More

Finding Financial Support for Communities

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USDA is Helping

•March 9, 2016•

By Colleen Callahan
USDA Rural Development Director for Illinois
and  Mike Wallace
Community Programs Director

She wasn’t condescending. She was concerned.

That’s how I read the remarks of Sherrie Crabb, Executive Director of the Family Counseling Center in Vienna.

She said they “feel forgotten.” She was quoted as saying, the Family Counseling Center won’t be closing its doors. But the services they offer, and the role they play in the community, may have to change.

Crabb expressed those sentiments regarding the uncertainty of our state’s budget. She says they will find a way to make sure the people of southern Illinois get the mental health services they need. “We always find the funds to keep going, even if they don’t come from the state.” One of Crabb’s references in that quote is USDA Rural Development. Our Rural Development Community Facilities Program has had a long relationship with The Family Counseling Center. From financial help to secure a clinical site, to the purchase of equipment and transportation needs, USDA Rural Development in Illinois has helped The Family Counseling Center meet the needs of area residents.  Read More

Illinois Department of Labor Honors Workplace Safety at DIOSH Day

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•March 9, 2016•

To promote safety in the workplace, Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL) Director Hugo Chaviano joined employers and employees at the 25th Annual Downstate Illinois Occupational Safety and Health (DIOSH) Day Conference. Illinois OSHA, along with many industry groups, sponsored this event to provide expert occupational safety and health management resources for employers of all sizes and industries.

“It is great to see so many workers and business owners come out to learn from each other about workplace safety,” said IDOL Director Chaviano. “Ensuring the wellbeing of individuals on the job is not just critical for Illinoisans and their families, but also for the economy at large. The creativity and innovation on display here is exactly what we need to encourage a healthy workforce in our state.”  Read More

Health Department Experiences Year of Growth

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Accessed Improved

•March 9, 2016•

by Mike Brothers

Increased community accessibility has benefitted the Moultrie County Health Department’s ability to reach further into the community.

This message was emphasized by health dept. executive director Angie Hogan in her report to the county board Public Health Safety and Welfare committee March 2.

The facility opened in July 2014, had a complete year to settle in, with Hogan reporting  a 30 percent growth in child immunizations during last year.

Moultrie County Health Dept. nurses administered vaccines to 1,089 children 0-18 and 431 to adults.

“We have not only been able to increase those we serve,” Hogan said, “we did it under budget,” indicating it was all accomplished by finishing the December 2014 to November 30, 2015 budget year with a $16,000 carryover. Read More

Decatur Civic Center Hosts Quilt Fest

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Photo submitted

Photo submitted

•March 9, 2016•

The Decatur Quilters Guild will present the 36th Annual Quilt Fest April 1 and 2. The event is open to the public from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Friday and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday at the Decatur Civic Center.

The theme of the Quilt Fest is “Quilting Around the World.” More than 200 quilts made by guild members and local quilters will be on display, and several craft and quilt shop vendors will be on hand. The public is invited to submit quilts for display by registering them at www.decaturquiltersguild/quiltfest.com. The Decatur Quilters Guild does not charge a fee to enter a quilt to show at the fest. Deadline to register quilts online at is March 21. Read More

February in Illinois was Slightly Warmer than Normal

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•March 9, 2016•

The Illinois temperature for February was 33.2 degrees, 2.3 degrees above average, according to Illinois State Climatologist Jim Angel, Illinois State Water Survey, University of Illinois.

Illinois’ warmer winter weather for the three months of December, January, and February was reported as the seventh warmest on record. The statewide temperature was 33.5 degrees, 4.4 degrees above average. The statewide precipitation the winter months was 8.94 inches, 2.12 inches above average and the 11th wettest on record. Read More

Wind Ensembles Concert Held March 6

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•March 2, 2016•

Millikin University’s Symphonic Wind Ensemble will collaborate with the O’Fallon High School Wind Ensemble for an exclusive concert performance, free and open to the public, on Sunday, March 6, in Kirkland Fine Arts Center beginning at 4 p.m.

Millikin’s Symphonic Wind Ensemble will perform a variety of musical selections on March 6 including: Copland’s “Hoe Down,” Mackey’s “Redline Tango,” and Arturo Marquez’s “Danzon.”

The O’Fallon High School Wind Ensemble, under the direction of Dr. Melissa Gustavson-Hinds, will perform David Delle Cese’s “Inglesina,” Persichetti’s “Divertimento for Band,” Gillingham’s “The Song Shall Never End,” and David Maslanka’s “Symphony No.2.”  Read More

Remember When? 3-2-2016

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Compiled by Bekki Ferguson-Stevens

25 Years Ago This Week

Steven Young, son of Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Young of Bethany, received his first lieutenant bars Jan. 18. He is currently assistant operations officer for the support battalion at the National Training Center in Ft. Irwin, Cal.

Bethany’s Brad Orris recently lettered and played as a defensive lineman for the Eureka College Red Devils. Orris is presently working in the weight room in preparation for next season.

A team composed of Bill Kidwell, Lee Griesemer, Maude Dunscomb and Bill Lancaster won the annual Sullivan Open Golf Tournament Feb. 14 at the Six Lakes Country Club in Ft. Meyers, Fla. The annual event which brings people with ties to the Sullivan area together each year in Florida opens with a cocktail party the evening before the tournament. This year 68 people participated.

The Sullivan Singers and Sullivan Singers Jr., who now have 30 championships between them in the past six years, will host the 1991 Sullivan Singers Invitational this weekend in Sullivan. High school and junior high show choirs from Ohio, Indiana and Illinois will be singing and dancing in a quest for trophies Friday evening and all day Saturday in the Sullivan High School gym, and more than 2,000 people are expected to be in the community for the event. Read More

LLC Hosts Community Choir Concert

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•March 2, 2016•

The Lake Land College Community Choir invites the community to attend its annual spring concert at 3 p.m. Sunday, March 20 in the Lake Land College Theater.

The program will open with “How Can I Keep from Singing” by Robert Lowry/Rollo Dilworth, arr., followed by the craft of Greg Gilpin, with “And the Night Shall Be Filled with Music” bringing Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poetry to life. The choir will also perform additional songs from Greg Gilpin’s concert selections. Read More