Spend the evening with Mexican Gothic author Silvia Moreno-Garcia

The Urbana Free Library will host "An Evening with Silvia Moreno-Garcia" on Wednesday, January 26. Moreno-Garcia, who is a columnist for The Washington Post, is the author of Gods of Jade and Shadow. The book won the Sunburst Award for Excellence in Canadian Literature of the Fantastic and Ignyte Award.

She also won several awards, including Locus Award, British Fantasy Award, Pacific Northwest Book Award, Aurora Award, and the Goodreads Award, for her gothic horror story about a woman whose cousin believes her husband is trying to kill her. Set in the 1950s, Mexican Gothic the lead character navigates family obligations, secrets, and greed.

Velvet Was the Night, her newest release, was published in August of last year.

Also in the Zoom meeting with Moreno-Garcia will be Gus Moreno, author of This Thing Between Us. The online talk and discussion begin at 7pm. For more information and a zoom invite contact the Urbana Free Library at (217) 367-4057.

Tips to keep remote meetings productive

Photo: Anna Shvets/Pexels
StatePoint Media -- With many offices continuing to function remotely or hybrid style, video conferencing will remain a mainstay of the American workforce for the foreseeable future. Here’s how to ensure your meetings stay professional and productive:

Be Mindful of Limitations
Miscommunication can occur during an in-person meeting, however, there is a larger margin for error in a video call. Be mindful of the limitations of remote meetings and encourage participants to address who they are speaking to by name to avoid confusion. Consider assigning a moderator to help prevent interruptions, as well as someone to take minutes. This can ensure key takeaways are understood by all, particularly if tasks are assigned during the call.

Embrace its Benefits
While video calls do have their limitations, they also have a number of key benefits too. Features like screensharing make it easy to share presentations, data and analysis. Meetings can be also recorded for future reference or shared with colleagues who were unable to attend. And, while the mute/unmute button should never be abused, having this feature does give moderators the ability to make it clear who has the floor at any given time so that meetings stay structured.

Employ New Tech
The right technology can help ensure your staff is not overwhelmed with calls and video conferences. For example, Motiv, a mobile dashboard powered by Eturi that tracks productivity metrics for team leaders, now has a new Google Meets feature offering deeper insights specifically into meetings and calls. Is the time allocated for reoccurring meeting being used effectively or can it be optimized? Are the right team members using ad hoc meetings to brainstorm and collaborate? Who is meeting with who, when? Using this feature, CEOs, managers and team leaders can have these questions answered so they can make informed decisions. To learn more, visit motivapp.com.

Your team may be decentralized, but collaboration is just as important as ever. With the right habits and tools, you can run more effective meetings, and work productively together from afar.




Food & Dining |
Recipe-of-the-week: 3 Layer Arkansas Possum Pie

The star of your next spread can be hidden away in the refrigerator for a surprise delight for your guests. It's topped with chocolate syrup and chopped pecans, and your loved ones just may vote it to be their favorite dish.

It's an Arkansas Possum Pie, made with three delicious layers and crunchy toppings for a show-stopping dessert.




Recent study suggests childhood trauma could haunt Illinois adults for life
New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed 75% of U.S. high school students said they have had at least one adverse childhood experience, or ACE.

Research has shown ACEs can alter a child's brain chemistry and produce a prolonged toxic stress response. Experiencing at least one ACE as a child is linked to having alcohol and substance use problems in adulthood, and chronic diseases such as diabetes and obesity.


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Tipped wage system isn't working, removing taxes won't save it
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The federal minimum wage for most workers is just $7.25. But for workers who get tips, employers are allowed to pay them $2.13 an hour. If tips don’t raise your hourly pay to at least the ...
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Is it depression, ADHD or bipolar disorder?
Lavender Zarraga, APRN, a behavioral health provider at OSF HealthCare, says it’s not uncommon for her patients to ask for a medication that isn’t the right fit.

The culprit? She says symptoms of common mental health issues like depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and bipolar disorder can overlap. So, it’s important to stay in contact with your provider to make ...

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