Photo-of-the-Day: December 23, 2021

Nolan Grindley dives after a loose ball
St. Joseph-Ogden's Nolan Grindley dives after a loose ball during the Spartans' home basketball game against Teutopolis back in March of this year. The Wooden Shoes won the non-conference contest, 69-48.
Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

National Popcorn Day coming in January

In a recent survey of 2,000, 51% of those responding said popcorn is the number one item needed for a perfect movie night at home.

A popular snack here in the US, Americans consume around 14 billion quarts of popcorn a year. It even has its own day, January 19. National Popcorn Day became a national holiday around 2014 and has been celebrated ever since. By the way, popcorn is also the official snack of Illinois.

On a diet? Popcorn is the perfect go-to, low-calorie snack. An batch of air-popped popcorn has just 31 calories per cup. Popping in oil bumps the calorie count a bit to 55, but compared to most snack food items, it is still much better for your waistline.

Popcorn and movies go hand in hand. Here is more about what researchers learned from their survey:


Area COVID-19 Dashboard for December 23, 2021

Since The Sentinel's last update on December 21, the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District reports three deaths attributed to Covid-19. This month, there have been nine deaths with victims ranging between 50 to 100 years old.

The county public health department also reports an increase of active cases over the past two days to 2,497. On December 21, there were 2,087 active cases.

Within The Sentinel's area of coverage, the county reports 304 residents have tested positive for the virus since Tuesday.


Active Champaign County Cases:

2,497

Net change in the county: 410



Current local cases 12/21/21
Number in parenthesis indicates change over previous report on 12/21/21

Ogden • 34 (3)
Royal • 2 (1)
St. Joseph • 94 (28)
Urbana • 761 (249)
Sidney • 34 (4)
Philo • 18 (5)
Tolono • 66 (11)
Sadorus • 10 (1)
Pesotum • 13 (2)


Total Active Local Cases:

1,032

Net change in local cases: 187



Total Local Confirmed Cases: 13,214

New cases: 304


The information on this page is compiled from the latest figures provide by the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District at the time of publishing. Active cases are the number of confirmed cases reported currently in isolation. Local is defined as cases within the nine communities The Sentinel covers.

Spend less money, entertain more this holiday season

Nicole De Khors/Burst


(StatePoint) -- There is nothing like gathering with family and friends sharing the ups and downs of the past year and plans for the upcoming one.

The holiday season brings an abundance of feelings that may include joy, comfort, gratitude, and unfortunately, stress. Don’t let the task of entertaining friends and family break the bank or your back.

Instead, create memorable gatherings with loved ones while saving time and money in the process using these hosting tips from the experts at Dollar General:

Delicate Décor
Creating the right ambiance in your space is key to holiday decorating success. Begin by decluttering the areas of your home where you plan to entertain. Fill the extra spaces with seasonal decorations. Remember, elaborate, expensive items aren’t always needed to make a home look amazing. Decorations like small figurines, bowls filled with holiday candy or simple wreaths and garlands can do the trick of transforming your home into a winter wonderland!

Fruitful Food
With more guests comes more food, but it doesn’t have to mean spending more money. Shopping at discount retailers for essentials such as milk, eggs, bread and cheese can help stretch your budget. You can also make the switch to private brand items and save even more when buying foods for overnight guests, such as granola bars, cereal and snacks. Consider purchasing these household basics from a local Dollar General store, which also provides digital coupons to help you save even more.

Supplies Stock-Up
Of course, to entertain, you will need supplies. Stocking up on cleaning essentials, everyday cooking ingredients and entertaining basics early in the season is a great way to have everything needed before the party begins. Consider adding items such as trash bags, cutlery, paper products, other decorations and even small gifts.

By using smart shopping strategies, you can entertain during the holidays with ease instead of stress.


Photo-of-the-Day: December 22, 2021

Focusing on the finish line less than 15 yards ahead of her, St. Joseph-Ogden's Emmy Houston is passed by Gibault Catholic's Brooke Biffar at the 2017 IHSA Cross Country State Final. Finishing her race at 18:38, Houston was the fourth SJO harrier to cross the finish line to help the team to a second place finish her freshman year. The Unity Rockets' girls team edged out SJO with a two-point advantage to take home the championship trophy. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Slow start sinks Rockets at T-town

Despite draining two more treys than the Wooden Shoes, the 9-7 advantage did not keep the Unity's boys basketball team from absorbing their first loss of the season on the road on December 4.

Coming off a 61-53 win over Bismarck-Henning-Rossville-Alvin in their season opener at home on November 30, the Rockets' got off to a slow start against Teutopolis, scoring just seven first-quarter points to their opponent's 14.

By the end of the half, Unity trailed by 14 and was in the same position by the end of the third quarter at 48-34.

Blake Kimball scored seven of his 12 points for the night in the final quarter. The senior also went 2-for-2 from the free-throw line.

Tristan Price, who matched Kimball's performance from the line with two third-quarter shots from the line, finished the night with 8 points. Austin Langendorf was the team's second-leading scorer with 11 points.

The Wooden Shoes were paced by 16-point outputs from juniors Brendan Niebrugge and Caleb Siemer. Kayden Althoff converted on all six attempts from the free-throw line for Teutopolis.

Box Score

Final: Teutopolis 59 - Unity 51

Unity --
Kimball 10-2-12, Cowan 6-0-6, Thomas 7-0-7, Warfel 3-0-3, Price 6-2-8, Langendorf 9-2-11, Maxwell 2-0-2.

Teutopolis --
B. Niebrugge 15-1-16, M. Niebrugge 7-2-9, K. Althoff 3-6-9, M. Althoff 2-0-2, J. Niebrugge 6-1-7, Siemer 12-4-16.



Christmas time is here

Members of the Hot Club of Urbana play a song from Vince Guaraldi's Charlie Brown Christmas at their Christmas show at the Rose Bowl Tavern in Urbana on Saturday, December 18. Piano player Rob Sweedler and his brothers, Jeff on bass and Ben playing violin, along with drummer Will Andresen and Louie Pappas on guitar, flute and saxophone, played their final show of the year with a jazzed up selection of holiday songs. Performing in front of an intimate crowd of about 40 guests, the band performed holiday favorites like Greensleeves, Skating and Christmas Time is Here.
Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks


Louie Pappas plays sax at the Rose Bowl

Louie Pappas plays a solo during the second set of the Hot Club Urbana's show during the band's rendition of Christmas is Coming. Listen to the entire live performance recorded by Sean Kutzko for Chambana Jazz here. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks


Violinist Ben Sweedler and his brother Jeff, on the bass, play God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen during the first set of the Hot Club Urbana's Christmas show at the Rose Bowl. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

Guest Commentary: Give the gift of mercy and forgiveness this Christmas

by Glenn Mollette, Guest Commentator


This Christmas give somebody the gift of mercy and forgiveness. Be broad with your giving and generous. We all need a lot of both. For such a joyful holiday of cheer, giving and yuletide merriment there is much to be stressed about.

Typically, people have been stressed about all the holiday parties, gatherings and Christmas scheduling. This year there is more stress related to sickness, masks, vaccinations, Omicron, natural disasters, filled hospitals, massive numbers of funerals and inflation. The last couple of Christmases have not been life as usual for most of us.

You may have watched Chevy Chase in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. He becomes over the top stressed out when his Christmas lights won’t work and he literally kicks, stomps and curses a blue streak across his yard. It's a funny scene. Mostly because in some way we've all been there a time or two.

Most of us enjoy giving if we can. We enjoy giving to the people we love. Christmas trees, decorating, eating and gatherings are all a part of the season. However, we become frustrated when we lose sight of the big picture. The big picture includes looking around and beyond our Christmas pain.

Millions of people would simply be thrilled to have the problems that some of us have. Many people are in the nursing home and will never go to the mall again. Some have a terminal disease and this may be their last Christmas. Depression will weigh heavy on many who have lost their homes, buried loved ones or experienced financial devastation from medical care or natural disasters. Most of these people would love to have a house to decorate or gifts to buy for a loved one.

Celebrate Christmas this year. Give away some special gifts. Give gifts that money can't buy or time cannot fade. Give love, give forgiveness and give some mercy. Extend these generously to yourself. If you can't give them to yourself it's impossible to give them to others.

The little baby that Christmas celebrates became a man and taught people that we should love God and love others as we love ourselves. Herein is part of the rub. Too often people stop loving themselves. Life becomes imperfect, we fail, get hurt or mad and we kick Santa or the reindeer across the yard. Unfortunately, we don’t stop there. We go into Ebenezer Scrooge bah humbug mode. We don't get our groove back and miss out on some of Christmas' most wonderful characteristics- mercy and forgiveness.

The Christmas story is about a child who came to show us the way. He showed us how to love, forgive and be merciful. Some of the people in your life probably need it more than you know. Give generously and start with yourself.


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Dr. Glenn Mollette is a syndicated American columnist and author of American Issues, Every American Has An Opinion and ten other books. He is read in all 50 states. The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily representative of any other group or organization.

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This article is the sole opinions of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of The Sentinel. We welcome comments and views from our readers. Submit your letters to the editor or commentary on a current event 24/7 to editor@oursentinel.com.


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Area COVID-19 Dashboard for December 21, 2021

The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District reports the number of active COVID-19 cases increased by 97 in the past 24 hours. There are currently 2,087 active cases in the county, up from 1,990 on Monday. Locally, 106 new cases were record, bringing the Sentinel area count to 845.

The largest group of individuals currently in isolation are those in the age group ranging from 20 to 30. There are 540 cases within that age group and 332 folks in the 30-40-year-old range under quarantine. There are 311 youths between the ages of 10 and 20 who have tested and are under isolation as well as 240 kids under the age of 10.

According to Carle Hospital, they currently have 128 COVID-19 patients, 28 who are being treated in their intensive care unit. Five other individuals are at other facilities bringing the total count to 33 for Champaign County.

Since the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020, the CUPHD website says there have been 222 deaths attributed to Coronavirus in the county.


Active Champaign County Cases:

2,087

Net change in the county: 97



Current local cases 12/21/21
Number in parenthesis indicates change over previous report on 12/20/21

Ogden • 32 (5)
Royal • 2 (0)
St. Joseph • 84 (7)
Urbana • 586 (80)
Sidney • 35 (1)
Philo • 15 (0)
Tolono • 67 (6)
Sadorus • 11 (1)
Pesotum • 13 (6)


Total Active Local Cases:

845

Net change in local cases: 28



Total Local Confirmed Cases: 12,910

New cases: 106


The information on this page is compiled from the latest figures provide by the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District at the time of publishing. Active cases are the number of confirmed cases reported currently in isolation. Local is defined as cases within the nine communities The Sentinel covers.

Photo-of-the-Day: December 20, 2021

Justyn Frisby playing soccer at SJO
St. Joseph-Ogden's Justyn Frisby uses his legs to settle a high ball around Unity's Peter Manrique during the Spartan's home game on September 26, 2017. After two scoreless halves, SJO fell 3-2 in a shoot-out to end the contest.
Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

6 tips to keep your pets warm and safe during Illinois winter

pets out for a walk
Photo: Nathanael Mosqueda/Pexels
(Family Features) -- So far, the weather in central Illinois has been pretty mild this winter, and like their owners, family pets are enjoying their time outside. But as we head toward the typically colder 6-8 week period starting sometime in January through February, it is never too early to start thinking about protecting our four-legged companions when arctic air from the north pushes our way.

Just as people prepare their homes, cars and families for extreme temperatures and weather events of winter, it's important to remember pets' needs this time of year.

As cold weather sets in, Dr. Jennifer Freeman, DVM, resident veterinarian at PetSmart, shares these tips to prepare and ensure your pets are warm and happy throughout winter.

Take Caution When Outdoors
When temperatures reach levels of extreme cold, Freeman recommends limiting outdoor walks and monitoring your pet's behavior for signs of stress or discomfort. Letting your dog outside to use the bathroom or go for a quick walk is OK, but never leave a pet outside for a long period of time, especially during a winter storm.

"Don't let your dog off its leash after snowfall, as snow can mask familiar scents," Freeman said. "This can cause your pet to become disoriented or lost if they get too far away."

Add Extra Layers
Despite efforts to limit time outdoors, your pet needs to go outside for bathroom breaks and exercise. Pets who are small, short-haired, old or have any health issues or illnesses may be more sensitive to cold weather.

Pet sweaters can help keep your pet warm. If your pet is shivering, that's a sign they need extra layers. To help trap body heat and protect paws from extreme cold, consider using booties when venturing outside.

Watch out for Hazardous Chemicals
Many people use snow-melting products like deicers, antifreeze and salt, which can cause skin irritation and be fatal if ingested by your pet. Pet parents should keep an eye on their pets when they're outside and be mindful of hazards. After a walk, it's important to thoroughly rinse your pet's paws and stomach, Freeman said, especially after walking in areas where these products are frequently used.

Keep Skin Protected
Just like humans, many pets get dry skin during the winter. When your pet needs a bath, try using a pet-friendly moisturizing shampoo to help keep skin healthy and hydrated. If your pet's skin seems extra dry, supplements like fish oil can be added to your pets' food to help the skin and coat. It's important to keep an eye on skin health and check with your vet if issues persist as they could be signs of larger problems.

Have an Emergency Plan
"While creating emergency kits in case of a storm or power outage, don't forget about your pet's needs," Freeman said. "A pet's kit should include supplies needed to keep them fed, warm and secure during emergency conditions like blizzards or extreme cold. Items like sweaters, insulated vests, paw booties, pet-safe ice melt and a heated bed or pad can help avoid risks associated with freezing temperatures."

Gather any other care items your pet may require such as medications, puppy pads, waste bags, litter box supplies and calming spray. Freeman also suggests storing a one-week supply of food in a waterproof container along with bottled water and portable bowls as well as a list of feeding routines and behavioral considerations in case others need to care for your pet.

Ensure Identification Information is Current
While winter emergencies may add to the importance, it's crucial your pet wears a tag displaying your phone number year-round. Microchip and register your pet with current contact information and tuck a copy of their vaccination and medical records, veterinary contact information and a current photo in your emergency kit.

Find products to help protect your pet this winter at PetSmart.com.



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