A New Way of Adding Overnight Rooms to Sullivan

News Progress Posted on by

•October 21, 2015•

By Stepheny MacMahon
Sullivan Chamber & Economic Development

These days many people are using non-traditional sources to rent private homes while on vacation. Some are finding that price and quality often equal a wonderful bargain with more space and amenities than traditional rooms for the same price or less. Websites such as Airbnb, VRBO (Vacation Rental By Owner) and HomeAway exist for homeowners to list personal properties for overnight rentals.

Are overnight rentals of your residence or income property something you should be considering? What are the pros and cons of allowing strangers into your home?

There are many different sites to help facilitate the short-term rental of homes, so do some research. Even the three sites listed above offer different services for charging fees, payment transactions, and reviews rating the property.

So why might someone coming to the area want to rent a private house? First of all, Moultrie County has the largest campgrounds on the lake providing almost 200 campsites just north of Lake Shelbyville in Sullivan. There are 44 overnight rooms including a motel, kitchenettes and cabins. That’s not a lot of rooms when the lake itself attracts almost four million visitors per year.  Read More

Treasurer Frerichs Seeks to Return $4.2 Million in Unclaimed Money to Retailers

News Progress Posted on by

•October 21, 2015•

Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs today announced a partnership between the state’s I-Cash program and the Illinois Retail Merchants Association (IRMA) to facilitate the return of recovered cash and assets to retailers.

The Illinois Treasurer’s Office has identified nearly 1,000 companies with $25,000 or more in unclaimed property, totaling more than $80 million. Among these, IRMA has helped identify 63 companies from the retail industry with nearly $4.2 million in property to claim. Through this new partnership, the Illinois Treasurer’s I-Cash program is teaming with IRMA to encourage retailers to initiate their claims and assist in the process.

As part of the Illinois Treasurer’s Unclaimed Property Division, the I-Cash program connects state residents and businesses with their unclaimed money and other assets. The Unclaimed Property Division recovers hundreds of thousands of properties each year from government agencies, banks, insurers, utilities, and other companies across the country that have been unable to return the properties to their rightful owners. The I-Cash program then works to notify owners and reunite them with their money and other property. Last year, the I-Cash program reunited individuals, businesses and others with $163 million in cash and property.

“Working with IRMA will help us return money and property to their rightful owners faster,” Frerichs said. “Illinois retailers and other businesses have tens of millions of dollars waiting to be claimed, and we’re eager to get this money back into their hands, and back into the economy.” Read More

Kirkland Fine Arts Center presents “An Afternoon with Groucho” Oct. 25

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•October 21, 2015•

Millikin University’s Kirkland Fine Arts Center presents the hilarity of award-winning actor/director/playwright Frank Ferrante, who will recreate his PBS, New York and London acclaimed portrayal of legendary comedian Groucho Marx at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 25.

The two-act comedy consists of the best of Groucho one-liners, anecdotes and songs including “Hooray for Captain Spalding,” and “Lydia, the Tattooed Lady.” Read More

Lake Shelbyville Eco-Meet Results

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•October 14, 2015•

The 39th Annual Lake Shelbyville Eco-Meet, coordinated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was held at Camp Camfield Ecological Study Area October 1.

The eco-meet is an environmental competition for school students who are in junior high and high school. Junior varsity teams are comprised of four students from grades seven and eight.  Varsity teams are made up of

four high school students from grades nine through 12.  A total of 128 students from 32 schools competed in this year’s event. Read More

Prospective Students Invited to Laker Visit Day Oct. 23

News Progress Posted on by

•October 14, 2015•

Lake Land College is holding annual Laker Visit Day Friday, Oct. 23. Activities start in the Luther Student Center lobby at 9 a.m. and run until noon.

The event is for potential students who are interested in learning more about Lake Land College. Parents/guardians and spouses are welcome to come along and attend the parent and spouse session.

Representatives from Admissions, Financial Aid, Counseling, Career Services and Student Life will provide information and answer questions. The event includes campus tours and informational sessions by current Lake Land College student ambassadors and college staff. Participants will also meet with faculty members in their academic area of interest to learn more about program offerings at Lake Land.  Read More

Appreciate Principals

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•October 14, 2015•

Lifetouch, Inc. and the Illinois Principals Association (IPA) encourage all communities in Illinois to celebrate Principal Appreciation Week October 18-24 and Principal Appreciation Day October 23. This state-endorsed recognition was first approved by the Governor of Illinois in 1990 and is annually celebrated. Read More

Increased Water Demand Threatens Deep Bedrock Aquifer Water Supplies

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•October 14, 2015•

Deep sandstone aquifers that feed water supplies to parts of northeastern Illinois are at risk of becoming partially or completely depleted in the next 35 years, a new study at the Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS) suggests.

Daniel Abrams, a groundwater flow modeler at the ISWS, University of Illinois, and colleagues conducted the largest measurement of deep sandstone groundwater levels in 34 years.  Water levels in 576 wells were measured in 33 counties between July 2014 and February 2015.

In northeastern Illinois, the sandstone aquifers are hundreds of feet deep, meaning that water pumped from the aquifer is not readily replenished by precipitation. As a result, water levels are hundreds of feet lower than when deep pumping began in the Chicago region in the 1800s.

“Most of the first wells constructed in northeastern Illinois were flowing,” Abrams said.

Currently, water levels are hundreds of feet below land surface, often at or near the top of the sandstone. This creates a risk of depletion, also known as desaturation, of the sandstone aquifers. Desaturation has potential negative outcomes, including the fact that small-capacity wells penetrating the upper portion of the sandstone may go dry. Read More

Land of Lincoln Honor Flight Takes Final Flight of 2015

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•October 14, 2015•

Land of Lincoln Honor Flight (LLHF), serving central and southern Illinois, will take their sixth and final flight for 2015 Tuesday, October 27. On this Flight #36 on a chartered 737 jetliner will be 13 World War II, 51 Korean and 14 Vietnam War eras, consisting of nine who served in the Air Force, 49 in the Army, nine in the Marines and 11 in the Navy. On this no-cost, day long trip to Washington, DC to visit and reflect at their national memorials, all the veterans will be accompanied by a volunteer escort. These guardians pay their own way and are responsible for the comfort, logistics, mobility and safety of their doyen for the day.

These 78 heroes come from 47 Illinois cities and communities consisting of Alsey, Alton, Auburn, Beecher City, Benld, Bethalto, Bloomington, Breese, Buckley, Bushnell, Carmi, Champaign, Charleston, Clinton, Concord, Congerville, Danville, Decatur, Dorsey, Edinburg, Effingham, Findlay, Flora, Gifford, Godfrey, Hillsboro, Jacksonville, Jewett, Lawrenceville, Lerna, Lincoln, Litchfield, Meredosia, Morrisonville, Moweaqua, New Douglas, Onarga, Paris, Paxton, Peoria, Shelbyville, Sherman, South Jacksonville, Springfield, Taylorville, Wheeler and Winchester

Departing Springfield shortly after 6 a.m., the veterans and guardians will land at Ronald Reagan National Airport in DC, then be transported on three coach buses designated Red, White and Blue for the day. Their itinerary includes the World War II, Korean and Vietnam War National Memorials, the Air Force & Marine (Iwo Jima) Memorials, the National Air & Space Museum and Arlington National Cemetery, where they will view the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers and Changing of the Guard. During the day they will also have the opportunity to visit the Lincoln Memorial, as well as see the Washington Monument, Jefferson Memorial, the White House, the Pentagon and much more from the bus prior to departing back to Springfield. Read More

LLC Hosts Illinois College Exposition and Career Day

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•October 14, 2015•

More than 1,200 area junior and senior high school students attended the annual Lake Land College Illinois Regional College Fair and Career Day, held Oct. 6.

Career Day gives high school students a chance to explore career options by attending various break-out sessions with Lake Land College instructors and volunteers who come to the college to share knowledge about their profession with the students. Additionally, the Illinois Regional College Fair was held in the Field House, which gave students the opportunity to talk with university representatives. Read More