Veterans organizations support Biden pick to head the VA
IDOA cover crops discount application now available
This year, applicants will be required to certify that their cover crops are approved through their local Farm Service Agency office before applying. Applicants will also need their current FSA-578 and federal crop insurance policy number(s) for the 2021 application process which can be downloaded here. Applications will be available until January 15, 2021.
The goal of the program is to encourage farmers to plant additional acres of cover crops that are not covered by other state or federal incentives. It allows eligible farm operations to receive a premium discount of $5 per acre on the following year's crop insurance for every acre of cover crop enrolled and verified in the program. The program is only applicable for those with coverage through the United States Department of Agriculture Risk Management Agency (USDA-RMA) crop insurance program.
"Cover crops are a great way to keep soil anchored, salvage nitrogen, capture carbon and create weed suppression," said Jerry Costello II, IDOA Acting Director in September. "In the long run, cover crops will help Illinois farmers reduce the need for fertilizer and reach the goals of the Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy."
The discount program debut last year to promote additional acres of cover crops that are not covered by other state or federal incentives. The IDOA will to verify that acres applied for through this program are planted in cover crops.
Confirmed applications will be forwarded to the USDA-RMA for processing and for application of premium discounts to 2021 crop insurance invoices.
For more information interested parties can contact IDOA at (217) 782-6297.
Another year gone by, we've told a lot of stories
The last 12 out of the past 24 months has been surrealistic. Between the COVID-19 pandemic, an offer to buy The Sentinel and covering just one sporting event since February 28, like 90% of the population on this spinning mass of rock I can't wait for this year to be over. I know normal is still ways off but it needs to hurry up and get here.
I haven't had the Corona or the vaccine. I'm thankful for not getting both at this point. I'm feeling pretty confident that if I make to January 1 without either, 2021 will be a piece of chocolate cake with orange icing and sprinkles.
I enjoy being a journalist, meeting people, telling their stories and doing my best to keep loyal readers informed. The past year has been an awful time in the news business. It has been rough a row to hoe between the COVID pandemic and the proliferation of slanted news outlets that intentionally omits or misrepresent facts to further an agenda of division that is testing the core values of our nation.
The Sentinel is a labor of love. I'll likely never see even a modest financial return on the sweat equity that allowed me double the number of stories I published during the past year. While business owners are skeptical about using online papers to reach a wider audience with their brand, the Coronavirus pandemic has essentially flushed the traditional advertising model, which paid for the production of weekly and daily papers, down the proverbial crapper.
Despite the pandemic, The Sentinel has published more than twice the number of stories and articles, 398 to be exact, than in the previous year. In the past 12 months the online publication has added a Photo-of-the-Day series, published over a dozen Spartan Spotlights featuring SJO students from the Class of 2020, and added a Coronavirus Dashboard to track the number of cases locally. In June, The Sentinel added the villages of Sidney, Philo and Tolono to its area of coverage.
The most-read story in the past year, On the fence about getting vaccinated? You might not have a choice has been read over 12 thousand times. The Sentinel's story announcing the Illinois Rural Health Association virtual conference in October is the second most popular story followed by our story on the double homicide in St. Joseph.
I'm looking forward meeting the challenges for the next 12 months. Sheltering-in-place gave me the opportunity to refine my web design skills. Over the next nine months oursentinel.com will undergo a gradual makeover to become even more refined and more user friendly.
Finally, I would like to encourage readers to send your Letters to the Editor. Tell us why we should support local candidates for village and township elections, congratulate or thank a neighbor. We welcome your opinion on masks, restaurants ignoring or following Illinois' Tier 3 mitigation, or if schools should be open or close. Remember oursentinel.com is YOUR sentinel watching over our communities.
Hope to see here again next year!
Clark Brooks, Publisher
Bright Beginnings Learning Center opening soon
Located at 501 Peters Dr. in St. Joseph, the owners plan to offer child care services for kids from six weeks old through age twelve. The duo are remodeling and working hard to prepare the facility for mandatory inspections by the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), the public health district and the State Fire Marshall. Uher expects the inspection and permit process to take 90 days.
"We will only be opening half of the building to start," said co-owner and director Nicole Uher, who has been working with Jones on the project for the past two years. "In this phase there will be four classrooms: one infant room ages six weeks through fourteen months, one toddler room ages fifteen months through three years, one preschool room ages three years through five years, and one after school/summer room for children ages five years through twelve years."
Uher says they will offer an after school program for children ages five through twelve.
"We will have one of our staff members walk over to St. Joseph Grade school and pick up the children in our program, then walk back with them to our facility," Uher said. "While in our care children will be able to complete homework, play games, and play outside on our playground all supervised by staff of course."
"We believe children learn best through play and communication with their peers"
Uher had been licensed home child care provider for 5 years. She credits her start in the profession back to when she was a teen offering babysitting services.
Meanwhile her business partner, Jones, who was raised in St. Joseph, has been doing licensed home childcare for over 20 years.
"We looked all over Champaign county for the perfect place for our new adventure. There are tons of buildings out there, but it takes something special to run a daycare as there are many requirements by DCFS and Public Health that have to be followed," Uher said. "When we stumbled across this building on Peters Drive, we knew instantly it was meant to be as it was located in the perfect location near the schools.
"Also, it was built in a wonderful layout that is needed for our business."
Uher later learned that her grandfather farmed the land where the structure now stands.
"My Dad and Grandpa have since passed away so getting this land back in the family is very special to me," she explained. "(Considering) my Dad was also raised in St. Joe so it was on my list of places to consider."
It was quickly a no-brainer for the pair who made to make an offer to purchase the property.
"We first looked at this land in November of 2019. We made an offer fairly quick after, but it took about a year to get things settled as there were drainage issues that needed to be corrected before we could take ownership."
Once DCFS completes their inspection, Uher said they will make the final decision on how many children we are able to serve in each class. She anticipate having the capacity to provide services for 62 children in phase one of Bright Beginnings' operation.
The business, which is independently owned and operated, will accept CCRS and DCFS vouchers for families who qualify for their programs.
Bright Beginnings will follow a curriculum that is approved by Illinois Early Learning Standards. There will also be many play based activities.
"We believe children learn best through play and communication with their peers," Uher said.
The center is not taking applications or issuing guaranteed spots at this time. The owners plan to initiate that once they have secured all the permits needed to run as a licensed facility. In the mean time, Bright Beginning has created a wait list for parents interested in enrolling their kids. For more information concerning enrollment send an email to bblcstjoe@gmail.com.
Photo of the Day - December 15, 2020
Taking the charge
Ameren Illinois customers will see smaller bills in 2021
Photo of the Day - December 14, 2020
All I want for Christmas
Santa is coming to Tolono Christmas parade
The parade will start from Unity High School at 5pm. Residents interested in participating should arrive at the school's east entrance starting at 4:30pm to line up.
Guest Column: People are what make Christmas special
On the first Christmas Mary and Joseph had traveled to Bethlehem to pay their taxes. They were among a multitude of other people who were making the same trip for the same reason.
The Bible says there was no room for them in the Inn. They found refuge in a stable and in the night, Mary delivered her baby. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a cow's trough.
Soon, Shepherds watching their sheep in the fields were alerted by a heavenly host of angels about the special baby who had been born. They quickly made hast to celebrate and worship the new baby Jesus. Eventually in the Bible story Wise men from the East traveled a long distance to see the new child. They brought with them gifts of Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh and worshipped him. When you read the first couple of chapters of Matthew and Luke's gospels you learn Christmas is about Jesus.
You also learn he was loved, held in the arms of his mother, adored by the shepherds and worshiped by wise astrologers who went to great effort and time to visit him
This Christmas we should all once again embrace the baby Jesus and celebrate his deity and mission to bring love and peace to our hearts. We need his love and peace. We need his joy to the world. Even in the hardest times of life people have found the joy of Jesus at Christmas time. Often the simplest things have a way of bringing the most joy. A baby in a manger. Peasant shepherds dropping by to say hello. Strangers visiting later to bring some gifts.
The people of Christmas are those who are the players of Christmas. We don't pay that much attention to the sheep of Christmas, the donkeys or the camels. The people are what make Christmas special. There would not be a Christmas story without the baby, Mary and Joseph.
Who are the people in your Christmas story? Growing up it was Mama Mollette, Mama Hinkle and Grandpa Hinkle, uncles and aunts, first cousins. Parents Walt and Eula Mollette, sisters and brothers and their children. Later my church families became very significantly involved in my Christmas story. Today there are new faces of extended family, their spouses and now grandchildren. The landscape has dramatically changed.
Years ago, I never imagined Christmas would change so much. Most of the people who I once celebrated Christmas with have passed on or live somewhere else. The people you and I celebrate Christmas with this year will soon pass on or relocate to live somewhere else. The point is this, embrace your Christmas while you can. Embrace your people while you can. The people in your life are your Christmas.
Christmas gifts, trees and decorations are all nice and fun. However, give love, and as safely as you can because of Covid-19, celebrate each other this year. It's always the people of Christmas who make up the Christmas story. While our celebrations this year may be remotely, use your telephone, computers and whatever means you have to connect with your most precious gifts of Christmas - the people in your life.
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.
This article is the sole opinions of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of PhotoNews Media. We welcome comments and views from our readers.
Photo of the Day - December 13, 2020
Fantastic fans keep Unity fired up
Sentinel holiday gift ideas for the 2020 Christmas season
Handmade Beaded Cowl
Silver Bar Studs
Let It Glow Gift Set
Sale Price: $139
Custom Jewelry
Photo of the Day - December 12, 2020
Editorial: Let's open restaurants, here's how we get it done
For a number of businesses in the food service industry already in delicate financial straits, which could have been avoided with a coordinated nationwide mitigation plan similar to New Zealand and Australia, without indoor dining their livelihood and sweat equity may evaporate into thin air.
Some businesses, like the FoxFire Restaurant in Geneva, sought relief in the courts after they were forced to closed and its food handling licenses pulled by the local public health department. In a friendly circuit court, FoxFire was granted a temporary restraining order by Kane County Judge Kevin Busch on October 26 because, in his opinion, Governor Pritzker had violated state law exceeding his legal power to issue an emergency order for a period longer than 30 days.
Later, on November 5, the 2nd District Appellate Court overruled a Kane County judge’s decision. In the reversal, the appellate court noted "that nothing in (the Emergency Management Agency Act’s) language precludes the governor from issuing multiple disaster proclamations — each with its own 30-day grant of emergency powers — arising from one ongoing disaster." Fortunately, for restaurants the appellate court’s order was issued under Supreme Court Rule 23, which says reversal cannot be cited as precedent in other cases, except within a limited scope. The appellate court's decision only applies to this case.
It has been an either-or proposition by restaurateurs and by the state with neither side willing to go to the table and find middle ground. The state and expert epidemiologists say bars and food establishments is strong vector for the spread of the Coronavirus while business owners say their are being unfairly targeted. There is middle ground, and for small businesses to survive the pandemic both sides need to seek compromise. The state is in a position to let bars and restaurants operate normally again. Well, almost. We propose the General Assembly or the governor, by way of executive order, reward restaurants that follow the state's public health directives and remain closed to indoor seating with a sales tax exemption until the state or region returns to 100% occupancy. Customers will be billed a convenience fee, retained by the business, equal to what would have been the normal sales tax on the order. Any business that backslides and allows an occassional guest or party to eat in their establishment loses their exemption for 30 days. Furthermore, restaurants want to open for indoor dining be open at 100% capacity can go right ahead. Yes, there's a pandemic going on, we know but hear this out. Here's how it would work: The Illinois Department of Public would issue food establishments offering indoor dining would post a green dot to be posted on the door or a window near the front entrance for recoverees to easily identify. Restaurants would collect and remit an additional 5% in sales tax to supplement tax revenue from mitigation compliant owners. Customers who tested positive for Coronavirus and recovered or have received vaccine treatment would be allow to utilize dine-in services by displaying their CV19 card, which would certify they were infected, quarantined and recovered from the COVID-19 virus. CV19 cards could be state IDs with a green or orange background issued by the Secretary of State with confirmation of infection from the hospital where they were tested and treated or a confirmation of vaccination. In Champaign County that would make just over 12 thousand people eligible to eat in participating bars and restaurants along with another 832 thousand residents from around the state. There are nearly one thousand new cases each week in Champaign County alone. Oh, no card? No indoor service. Our plan is an obvious win-win-win-win. Restaurants and bars that want to stay open can remain open with no restrictions other than the CV19 card, offer full service and keep employees working. As a quasi-consolation prize, individuals who were infected and since recovered can enjoy a sit-down meal at their favorite particpating restaurant or spend hours on the dance floor. The state benefits from the tax revenue during the mitigation period while businesses following public health mandates are rewarded keeping their communities just a bit safer. Really? Was that so hard?Six reasons to learn another language
There are several reasons for learning a second, third or even fourth language. In Europe, with smaller nations and nearly unrestricted travel between them, it is not uncommon for residents to pick up another language or two and be able to communicate effectively. Nearly every country in Europe requires students as young as six to learn a foreign language, usually English, according to The Pew Research Center.
Generally speaking, most high schools in the America offer foreign language classes, but only 15% of our country's elementary schools do the same. Except as a college requirement, there is not national US mandate like in Europe to acquire second language ability.
Sadly, less than one percent of American adults who studied a foreign language are remotely capable of carrying a conversation in that language. It isn't because Americans are dumber - although some might dispute that after the last two presidential election cycles - or less capable, but because the educational system's approach is fundamentally flawed, which is a topic for another time.
I gutted out three years of Spanish in high school and now some 40 years later, I am admittedly not in that one-percent club. I can order a beer in Español and ask where is the nearest bathroom, mostly in that order because that's just how life works. I have always held mad respect for anyone who can speak two or more languages fluently.
While caring for a relative who was suffering Alzheimer's and assessing my own risk in the next 20 or so years, I learned research has shown that people who are bi-or multilingual experience a delay in the onset of symptoms from dementia by 4-5 years when compared with monolingual patients. Why didn't they know that information back when I was struggling in Señor Kruzan's junior-year Spanish class?
Despite incredible resistance to the endeavor and the insistence everyone within our borders speak American, there are dozens of reasons to learn to speak one or more languages. Regardless of whether you want to slow the degeneration of your cognitive ability or want to increase your upward career mobility, here are six practical reasons to learn a new language that make absolute sense.
1. Learning another language stalls the onset of Alzheimer’s & dementia.
While there is no absolute guarantee, multiple studies suggest that degenerative brain diseases like Alzheimer’s and dementia advance at a much slower pace than those how are multilingual. In one published study researchers found a small but significant protection for people who speak more than two languages. However, no significant benefit was seen in those who were bilingual.
2. Learning another language opens opportunities in high paying careers
If you can speak and read in one or more languages in addition to English, there are endless exciting opportunities in government service sector, law enforcement and the military. A woman I know has the perfect pandemic job. She charges $40 an hour tutoring high school and college students in Spanish.
3. Speaking a second or third language comes handy when you want to have a discreet conversation
You are having a great time at Barraca, a dance club in Valencia, Spain, when you meet the next Mr. or Mrs Right - or at least Right Now - and you need to fly solo. No better way to tell them to drop back or peel off than in another language. Oh, and there is no better way to share your displeasure on your boss' latest silly workplace edict with co-workers know or studying the same language.
4. Make new friends from around the world
Learning to communicate in other languages opens the door to meeting interesting people from other parts of the world and forging future personal and business relationships. Best of all when you visiting their city or country, you'll get the inside scoop on where to go and what to do off the well-worn tourist paths for a unique, memorable trip.
5. Improve your memory & cognitive performance
Studies have shown bilingual people have better working memories, superior speed when switching between different tasks and have an easier time learning new things. Like doing bicep curls to build strength, learning a new language strengthens brain functions.
6. Learning a new language is fun
Learning to speak another language is fun, just not so much in a high school and college setting. Unfortunately, both the methodology and process used by the educational system in the US is whacked. What's fun about speaking another language? It's anything from ordering food in that language to the look on the faces of native speakers when they realize you speak their language pretty well. It's moments watching movies and TV shows when you realize you don't need subtitles.
Photo of the Day - December 11, 2020
Photo of the Day - December 10, 2020
Five-peat! Spartans win Leader Classic title
SJO senior organizing a holiday parade for Dec. 19
The response to inquiry was overwhelming enthusiastic and it didn't take long for Short's idea grow. Within hours the event planned for the December 19th had an impressive level of support from members of the Facebook group.
"The responses have been phenomenal! I love seeing how many people want to be involved in an event that has been planned with such short notice," Short said. "I’m ready for it to be December 19th! I’m so excited to see how everyone will decorate!
"I hope everyone has a good time," she added.
The parade route will start at the Middle School and entries can start lining up at 4:30pm for the 5:30 start.
"Get there early if you want to be in the front," Short said. "We will start rolling out at 5:30pm. Don’t forget your minimum entry fee of $5, there will be someone collecting it as you leave the middle school. We will also have two different vehicles collecting donations from others that are watching the parade"
The parade travel to Main Street and head north to Grand Avenue. Turning east, the procession will head to the St. Joseph Community Park. Short said she can be contacted by text or via messenger on Facebook if any one has any questions.
Organizing an event like this is a pretty impressive undertaking for a high school student. Short hopes the donations collected from participant entries and spectators along the route will help Nadiriah's family through the difficult days and months ahead.
"I didn’t know her that well but I had gone to school with her my entire life," said Short, who has committed to play softball at Spoon River College next fall. "We had multiple classes together and had been partners for various projects. She was such a sweet person to be around."
Photo of the Day - December 9, 2020
Good buddies in blue
Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
Commentary: Removing Madigan won't solve Illinois' problems
by Joe Tabor, Senior Policy Analyst
Illinois Policy
The feds are circling Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan in a bribery investigation involving utility giant ComEd. His allies are facing indictments. Members of his party are publicly demanding his ouster as party chair, and they have the votes to deny him another term as House speaker. It’s tempting to think just overthrowing Madigan will clean up the mess. But ousting Madigan won’t eliminate Illinois’ ethics problems or disperse power so the state again has representational government. Illinois leaders must throw out the corrupt system Madigan has built over decades.
Three years ago, Madigan celebrated his record as the longest-serving state House speaker in U.S. history. Today, it looks as if his grip on power is slipping. As of this writing, 19 state representatives have publicly opposed Madigan’s re-election this January. But these lawmakers won’t just be voting on Madigan: they’ll also vote to adopt the House Rules, which help determine how much control the speaker has over the legislative process. These rules, coupled with the lack of safeguards against this steady accumulation of power, have led Madigan to where he is today. Without change, a shrewd politician could simply pick up where Madigan left off.
The House Rules establish how business gets done in the legislature. These rules let the speaker decide which bills get a fair hearing and which quietly die. They allow the speaker to select which politicians receive generous stipends as committee chairs. They allow politicians to gut and replace bills to rush through legislation – such as all 1,581 pages of the $40.6 billion fiscal year 2020 budget, originally a single-sentence bill appropriating just $2.
And, contrary to the Illinois Senate, which sets term limits of the Senate president at 10 years, the House Rules do not limit the number of terms a speaker can hold. Terms as speaker should be limited to prevent another Madigan.
This January, state representatives should reject the current House Rules. They can and should be amended.
But change can’t end there. Illinois needs to reform the way it draws political maps. Every 10 years, Illinois is required to redraw voting districts to adjust for shifts in population. But redistricting in Illinois has been used to keep incumbents in power. Earlier this month, 63 candidates ran unopposed for legislative office, including a whopping 52 of the 118 seats in the Illinois House of Representatives. This result is entirely predictable: Illinois legislators are responsible for voting on the map, so of course they will do what they can to benefit themselves. And Madigan’s bid for a new term has centered on his argument that he has the power to deliver another map that keeps his people from facing opponents.
It doesn’t have to be this way. Illinois could join the 17 other states that put independent commissions or other bodies in charge of redistricting – not lawmakers. Voters should choose their elected officials, not the other way around.
There needs to be more transparency and accountability in Springfield. Sitting lawmakers should not be able to lobby local governments or state executive agencies, and they should have a “cooling off” period after leaving the General Assembly before they lobby their former peers, as is the case in most other states. Lawmakers need to provide more detailed financial disclosures and should have to recuse themselves from voting on legislation in which they have a conflict of interest. Finally, the legislative inspector general needs the authority to open investigations and publish findings of wrongdoing without obtaining permission from lawmakers on the Legislative Ethics Commission, who have a propensity to cover for their own.
Madigan may be down, but he’s not out. Whether he can win back enough votes to get a 19th term as speaker remains to be seen, but Illinoisans deserve ethics reform no matter what. Changing the House Rules, adopting fair maps and instituting ethics reforms would begin unraveling Madigan’s web of corruption.
Joe Tabor is a senior policy analyst at the Illinois Policy Institute, a nonpartisan research organization that promotes responsible government and free market principles.
Ogden business offers new diagnostic service for trucks
"We have purchased the latest computer diagnosis program. We now have the ability to read the vehicle ECM and troubleshoot," says owner Rick Buckley, who started the business in 2000, in a recent announcement on Facebook. "We can also change parameters, such as speed, cruise control settings, and more."
ECMs, or electronic control modules, are miniature computers with dozens of sensors units installed in late model cars and trucks that control and report on essential engine functions such as electrical systems, emissions, ignition timing and fuel economy.
The new service is a welcomed addition to the business which also repairs brakes, offers oil change and lube services and battery replacement.
Open 8am to 4:30pm, Tuesday through Saturday, call 217-202-0715 for more information or to schedule an appointment.
