An unusual ending to the Illinois State Fair livestock auction allowed more money to go to the winners.… MORE
An unusual ending to the Illinois State Fair livestock auction allowed more money to go to the winners.… MORE
There were 4.2 days suitable for field work during the week ending August 13, 2023.… MORE
By Dave Dahl SPRINGFIELD – When you are a busy high school student – juggling academics and activities – the last thing you need is a black mark on your attendance record. Now, a new law will help members of FFA and 4-H by declaring time missed for those duties excused absences. “At least my…… MORE
For many of us, the Illinois State Fair is about food. And an annual contest to select the best fair food has resulted in another win for Classic Kitchen.… MORE
The people who count crops for a living have the first 2023 yield forecast out.… MORE
When you are a veteran, you have something nobody can take away.… MORE
The Illinois State Fair announced Thursday evening that the annual Ag Day Breakfast, set for Friday morning, has been canceled.… MORE
The statewide FFA leaders served as grand marshals for the Twilight Parade, which closed out the first day of the Illinois State Fair.… MORE
Thursday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Illinois State Fair mixed the serious and the not-so-serious.… MORE
The famous butter cow, 2023 edition, has taken her place inside the Dairy Building for the Illinois State Fair, which starts Thursday.… MORE
By Mike Matejka Because of COVID, there is no Labor Day Parade this year. It’s always a great event for our everyday workers to march proudly down the street and enjoys the festive crowd. If there had been a parade, this year’s Labor Day theme was to be “150 years of struggle: your right to vote.” …
By Mike Matejka As President Donald Trump threatens to send federal marshals into Chicago, over the objections of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, recall another Illinois Governor who protested the incursion of armed federal personnel into the city. Those federal troops, rather than calming, escalated the situation, leading to deaths and violence. Illinois poet Vachel Lindsay…
By Mike Matejka Our nation is at a unique watershed in human relations. African-Americans have been killed too many times in the past before George Floyd, but the response to this man’s death is international and all-encompassing. I was a grade-schooler during the Civil Rights 1960s. I watched Birmingham demonstrators hosed and the Selma – Montgomery…
Looking around our community, when we say employer, most will respond to State Farm, Country, or Illinois State University. We too often forget those who are building our roads, serving our food, or our public employees. COVID-19 has made us more aware of the risk. Going to work every day for some people means…