Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
Unity's Lauren Miller blocks a shot from St. Joseph-Ogden's Ashlyn Lannert during the first half of their Illini Prairie Conference game on Saturday. With home court advantage, the Spartans won the contest 49-27 to clinch the Illini Prairie Conference title. Miller finished the game with six points, five rebounds, and four assists for the Rockets.
Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
Unity head coach Dave Ellars reminds his players to keep their arms up during second quarter play against the Spartans.
Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
Keep the ball away from Unity's Erika Steinman, Addison Frick secures a loose ball for the Spartans during the first half of the game. The sophomore guard finished the game with six points.
Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
SJO's Ella Armstrong goes after the ball for a steal from Rockets' Addison Ray. Armstrong finished with a game-high 12 points for the Spartans. Ray, who went of 0-2 from the free throw line, contributed one field goal in Unity's loss and finished with a hard-fought five rebounds.
Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
Katey Moore hauls in a offensive rebound for the Rockets. The senior guard chipped in six of the team's 27 points.
Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
St. Joseph-Ogden senior Ashlyn Lannert tries to put a shot up over Unity's Katey Moore during the fourth quarter. Lannert finished the night with two points drained back in the first quarter of the contest.
Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
Spartans' Ella Armstrong puts up a fourth-quarter shot on Unity's Lauren Miller. Armstrong, a senior, was the only player to score in all four quarters of the game on Saturday.
Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
Rocket's Addison Ray looks to make a pass after coming up with a loose ball in the fourth quarter. Unity dropped to 20-8 overall and 6-3 in conference play after the loss to the Spartans. Ray and the Rockets hope to correct their three-game skid against 18-10 Monticello tonight at 7pm.
Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
Kaytlyn Baker drives past Unity's Erika Steinman into the paint. Baker came off the bench late in the final quarter contributing a free throw to the Spartan's cause. The St. Joseph-Ogden girls team is back in action tonight against the Panthers of Paxton-Buckley-Loda (11-16) in their final IPC game of the season.
Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
Unity senior Gracie Renfrow congratulates SJO players and staff on their win on Saturday.
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The Biden-Harris Lead Pipe and Paint Action Plan calls for $15 billion over the next decade to replace all the country's lead pipelines.
Angela Guyadeen, director of the Safe Water Initiative for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), said financing lead-line removal projects is a major barrier for most communities.
"What's really important to know is that money coming down from the state and also the feds is going to make this process a lot easier," Guyadeen explained. "Many states and communities across the country have said, 'Yeah, well, you know, we really want to replace lead service lines, but it's a really expensive project and there's a lot of other priorities we have to be thinking about.' "
The NRDC estimated as of last June, Illinois had between 700,000 and 1.4 million lead lines. Last summer, the Illinois General Assembly passed a separate measure to begin replacing the state's lead lines. The Chicago Sun-Times reports Illinois will receive $288 million to support the efforts via the federal plan.
The Metropolitan Planning Council noted lead lines are a serious issue in communities of color; 65% of the state's Black and Latin residents live in communities containing 94% of the state's known lead pipelines.
Guyadeen argued the state should ensure the funding to replace the pipelines is equitably distributed. She pointed out the state's current method for distributing such funds, the State Revolving Fund, can be difficult for smaller communities to navigate.
"If you are a mayor or a small-town mayor of a community, and you don't have a lot of resources or consultants, that can be a barrier to accessing these funds," Guyadeen contended.
A separate Metropolitan Planning Council report found replacing all the state's lead pipelines could generate up to 250,000 jobs and $23 billion in new economic activity.
Vice President Kamala Harris, visiting Wisconsin last week, touted the benefits the plan could have for organized labor.
"These investments will result in improved public health, the creation of more jobs, the infusion of support for important apprenticeship programs, and it's just simply the right thing to do," Harris stated.
Exposure to lead can cause several adverse health effects, including anemia, kidney and brain damage. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it also can damage the nervous systems of unborn children.
"Howdy," was a common everyday word where I grew up. Raised on old Stidham, now known as Milo road in rural Appalachia, I spent a lot of time at my Grandpa and Grandma Hinkle’s store. People came and went buying gasoline, sandwich meat, snacks or groceries for the week. There were cane bottom chairs in the store. Often people would sit and chat for a while.
Regardless of how many times during the week I walked down the road to that store, the opening salutation was typically, "howdy."
People were in and out of the Hinkle store doing business. A family member was often coming or going because my grandparents had raised ten children and there were many grandchildren who frequented the Hinkle business. Often, family members were buying a soda pop or just stopping in to say “howdy.”
We grew up on Milo speaking to most everyone who came and went. When a car drove by, we usually waved even though we didn’t always know them. At family or church gatherings we typically talked to everyone for a minute or two and shook hands or hugged a few people.
The only time I can remember our family being speechless was when fifteen or twenty of us were sitting on the porch and a man from New York City pulled up in an older car.
My grandpa had received an advertisement in the mail about a great used car he could buy for $500. He ordered the car to surprise my grandma and we were all really surprised when this man pulled in front of the store in an old beat up looking car. He had driven the car from New York City, which was a long drive on those roads back then.
After being drop jaw stunned silent for a few minutes, everyone loosened up and eventually started talking to the man who was just doing a job but now had to get back to New York. By this time, some of us were chuckling just a little. A couple of the family members took the guy over to Kermit, West Virginia to catch a Greyhound bus to begin his long journey back home.
A part of American culture has been hand shaking and embracing those we know. A part of most American religious gatherings has been shaking hands. One church I attended insisted on everybody hugging each other.
Covid-19 has impacted our world with death, sickness and business failures. The distancing for many of us continues to be tough. We wear our masks and seldom know who else is in the grocery store.
We’re fearful of going to the funeral home to honor and respect the deceased. Shaking hands or embracing anyone anywhere is typically totally unwelcome. Many holiday parties of large gatherings were fewer over the past holidays. People don’t want to be sick and so the distancing continues.
We do have the telephone, social media and email which helps us at least stay connected.
However, please keep in mind, when you do recognize someone at the grocery or any public place you may not feel comfortable embracing or shaking hands, but you can still convey a greeting and kindness by at least saying, "howdy."
According to today's press release, "The immediate advantages to both organizations would be alignment between two strong midwestern agricultural operations, and potential synergies of procurement, logistics, and other opportunities. Both Ceres Solutions and 
Tony Choi, an engineer in San Diego, Calif., and his veterinarian wife, Dr. Kathy Burnell, launched the initial PupLid trucker hat for dogs in 2018 to help make dogs comfortable after they found it significantly reduced anxiety in their own sun-sensitive dog, Buddy. They experimented with other dog hats and designs for months, but determined that a modified trucker hat design stayed in place and provided the best protection for Buddy.
The Six-Panel Camo baseball cap for dogs is the latest addition to the PupLid product line for dogs who prefer a more adventure-ready look. Like the trucker hats, the baseball caps will feature a patent pending "Furfect Fit" system for maximum comfort, stability, and adjustability. Dogs with shorter noses have the additional benefit of protection from sunburn and sun induced skin cancers on the nose.
Even dogs who might resist a hat will warm up to it with the right approach, according to Burnell and the PupLid website. Start by letting your dog sniff the PupLid and get used to seeing it. Then, put the hat on the dog's head for a few minutes at time, and use treats and rewards as the dog keeps it on for longer periods.
"When hat wearing is paired with a favorite walk or trip to the park, many dogs start getting excited to see their hat because they know they are about to go on an adventure," says Burnell.
The hats are engineered to stay put with a five point system -- two-points of contact on each side and one under the chin. The hook and loop fastener under the chin allows for a customized fit, and slider loops on the sides allow for further adjustment. PupLid hats are currently available in five sizes, XXS, XS, S, M, and L, but the company will launch a sixth size later this fall to further refine the fit for more dogs. More sizing information is available on the company website.
The company also strives to enhance the style factor to dog hats -- the hats are a seamless extension of baseball caps and trucker hats for people, available in five colors and over ten designs. More custom design options are available from PupLid's growing network of wholesale partners, and dog families can even order their own matching "trucker hats for humans" for the ultimate in coordination.
PupLid is a supplier to retailers as well as organizations seeking a completely unique option to add to their promotional products. Orders of 25 or more can feature a company logo or other design, and preorder options are available to reserve large supplies.
For more information, email wholesale@puplid.com.