News Progress

by Cheri Burcham

Anyone that knows me knows that I am passionate about trying to save the monarch butterfly. Their population continues to decline and some of the reasons are preventable. One of them is mowing. I have shared this article before (maybe more than once) and would like to share it again. This article was written by Illinois Extension Educator Christopher Enroth and is so very important in monarch conservation. Christopher says: There is something about mowing that is so satisfying. What is it? The smell of cut grass? Taming an unruly landscape? To me, it is measurable progress. It seems so often that modern jobs give few tangible results. So much of our work is in the digital ether. After a full day’s work, I leave the office switching off my computer, and all my toiling vanishes with the click of a mouse. At home, I seek tasks of visual permanence by working with my hands, cleaning, and of course mowing. The desire to mow often expands beyond the yard as many landowners also mow road banks and ditches. However, the constant routine of mowing is harming the monarch butterfly, Danaus plexippus. Milkweed is the only plant that monarch caterpillars eat. Milkweed loss is one of the major causes of declining monarch populations.  Read More

•August 28, 2024•

As the new school year gets underway, the Illinois Department of Revenue (IDOR) is reminding eligible taxpayers that they may claim back-to-school expenses for their K-12 students on their 2024 Illinois individual income tax returns.  Read More

•August 21, 2024•

There will be a charity yard sale at 20 Central Drive in Sullivan on Saturday, August 31st, in honor of a mission to help expand God’s love and kingdom, all profits from this yard sale will be going to a child sponsored through the Compassion International program. The program strives to release children in dangerous conditions or poverty in Jesus’s name, providing a trip to a sponsored country every two years. The child being sponsored is an eight year old from Nicaragua who has been waiting to be sponsor for 463 days. The money will be used to provide food, medical check ups and education for the child. The yard sale will also be having a bake sale and lemonade stand duo. For more information on the yard sale visit Charity Yard Sale in Facebook events.

•August 21, 2024•

The Arthur alumni committee recently announced that the 58th Annual Alumni Homecoming Banquet will be held on Saturday, September 28, at the Kaskaskia Country Club, 450 E CR 300N Arcola.

The cost of the banquet is $25 per person which includes buffet, drink and dessert. A cash bar will be available. Social hour is at 5 p.m. with dinner at 6 p.m. Following the dinner there will be a business meeting, awards presentation and 50/50 drawing. Read More

•August 21, 2024•

Football and food go are a perfect and popular pairing. Though fans may not need to eat while watching their favorite team play, adding food to the football festivities certainly makes fall weekends more enjoyable.

Certain foods have become Saturday and Sunday afternoon staples once football season kicks off. Few fans will turn down a plate of wings or walk away from a tray of nachos during football season. But fans hosting game watch parties at home can go beyond the norm and offer additional fare that’s sure to please a crowd. For instance, the following recipe for “Baby Back Ribs” with homemade “Kansas City-Style Barbecue Sauce” from Will Budiaman’s “The Essential Kamado Grill Cookbook” (Rockridge Press) will make sure fans go home with full bellies this football season. Read More