Letter to the Editor | Pritzker back grandstanding for media attention


Dear Editor,

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is back grandstanding for the news media, complaining about the immigration crisis trickling up to Illinois.

In October, Pritzker sent an open letter to President Biden begging for federal tax resources to deal with the so-called “asylum seekers” being bussed to Illinois. Not once in his appeal did Pritzker ask the administration to shut down the border or reinstate the successful “Remain in Mexico” policy of the Trump Administration.

This month, Pritzker paid the Austin American-Statesman newspaper to publish another open letter, this one addressed to Texas Governor Greg Abbot. Referencing the freezing temperatures of a typical Illinois winter, Pritzker pleads for mercy, pointing out that many lives are vulnerable to the cold weather.

Ironically, not one word was written to Biden about the critical need to secure the border. Wouldn’t it be nice to see an open letter in the USA Today in which Pritzker could appeal to the Biden Administration for serious enforcement?

And while Pritzker laments the lives at stake because of the season’s “dangerous winter storm and subzero temperatures,” there is not one mention of the tens of thousands of American lives being destroyed by fentanyl and other deadly drugs flowing into our cities.

If Gov. Pritzker were serious about this crisis, he’d speak out about the dangers of open borders and the failure of the executive branch to uphold federal immigration laws to protect the citizens of this great nation.


David E. Smith, Executive Director
Illinois Family Institute



Rockets fall to Central Catholic, 52-39


Claire Meharry dribbles the ball in the Rockets' home game against Clinton. This week the sophomoref forward went two-for-two from the free-throw line and hit one bucket in her team's loss against BCC on Monday. Unity, who faces Prairie Central this week, is 3-1 and moves to third place in the Illini Prairie Conference.

Photo: UnityPhotos/Jamie Price
TOLONO - Raegen Stringer led Unity with 14 points in their Illini Prairie Conference game against visiting Bloomington Central Catholic on Monday. Addison Ray chipped ten points, and Reagen Little contributed six more for the team's trio of top scorers.

Stringer snagged four steals and had five rebounds. Ray led the rebounding effort with five boards and tallied three assists.

Thanks to a 21-12 third quarter, the Saints held the 13-point advantage through the final quarter.

BCC (16-5) had three players with double figures. Logan Shanks and Meg Uhren finished with 12 points each. Laura Emm had ten points, sophomore Emme Hurie scored eight, and Cate Uhren rounded out the team's effort with six points.

Emily Decker, Claire Meharry, and Grace Bickers came off the bench to help keep the game close for two quarters. Decker finished with two points, Meharry had four, while Bickers finished with three.

The 13-9 Rockets face Prairie Central on the road this Thursday.



Guest Commentary | Women and the abortion issue will decide the 2024 election outcome


by Glenn Mollette, Guest Commentator


A woman has never told me she felt good about her abortion. For 39 years I served in pastoral roles in different places. I had numerous women tell me they felt like they had no choice. Some said they felt pressured to abort. Many were medical emergency situations and it was life or death for the mother.

A dear family I’ve known for a few years lost their daughter and the baby in what was supposed to be a delightful day of bringing a new baby into the world. Things went terribly wrong and they both died. Twenty-five years after that event the family still grieves that day. They would give anything to have their daughter and her baby back.


One of the hardest days of my life was when we had a full-term baby who apparently died about a day before the scheduled birth.

My late wife was very sick when she gave birth to our second son. She and he made it but it was a very treacherous night. Thankfully we had good medical care.

On too many occasions to count, we lost numerous babies. The pregnancy would start failing often times about two to three months into the pregnancy and the doctor would have to do a D and C. The babies had stopped growing or there was some other kind of internal malfunction.

One of the hardest days of my life was when we had a full-term baby who apparently died about a day before the scheduled birth. There was some kind of kink in the umbilical cord that had cut off oxygen to the baby. I was on cloud nine watching the birth of my two prior sons. I walked through hell the day I watched them deliver our dead son. For hours I sat in a room holding our him and weeping like I had never wept before.

I put my hand on that baby’s face and begged God to let him wake and start breathing. What I wouldn’t do today or give to have that child Jesse Caleb Mollette in my life.

The pain of losing that child was devastating to my wife.

The point of all this is most women and men are not crazed baby killers, although abortion statistics indicate we have had a problem in this nation. In 2020 there were 639,898 abortions in America according to Pew Research org. Were all of those performed to save the life of the mother? Were many of them performed because rape or incest had taken place? I do not have the statistics to answer that question, if really good statistics are even available.

The hard reality is that sometimes a medically necessary abortion has to take place to save the life of the mother. Often, the fetus stops developing or begins to abort on its own and medical care is necessary. Women should never have to leave their state to obtain the care they need. Our local and federal government should never put women’s health in these kinds of dangerous situations.

Federal and state governments must take a realistic look at what they are expecting of women and try to put themselves in their places. I think we have too many 75-year-old men determining what should or shouldn’t be for young adult women. Or, maybe we have some older women politicians who have never been through a traumatic pregnancy.

If I go to my doctor for an appendicitis procedure, I don’t what him having to involve the Attorney General or state supreme court in my healthcare. It should be between my doctor and me. The same should be so for pregnant women. Their care should be between them and their doctors. Keep the politicians out of it.

If one of these old politicians is going to have their hemorrhoids cut out, they must likely don’t want the county attorney or judge up there too.

It’s a touchy issue. I’m for life all the way. I’m also for common sense. Something to keep in mind is that regardless of your party affiliation, religious beliefs, or who you know the best person for the job is, women and the abortion issue will decide the 2024 election outcome.


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He is the author of 13 books including Uncommom Sense, the Spiritual Chocolate series, Grandpa's Store, Minister's Guidebook insights from a fellow minister. His column is published weekly in over 600 publications in all 50 states. The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily representative of any other group or organization. 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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Start the day with a better-for-you breakfast


United Dairy Industry of Michigan
Family Features - Whether you're encouraging loved ones to start a new wellness kick or looking to add new ideas to an already-nutritious menu, families at any stage of a journey toward better health can use newfound favorites to bring fresh flavors to the table.

Start by ramping up your family's breakfast with these slightly sweet Mini Greek Yogurt Pancakes with Cinnamon-Maple Topping for a protein-packed way to start the day with a healthy addition of fresh berries. This dish from Milk Means More provides a delicious breakfast that allows you to bring everyone together for a tasty, nutritious meal no matter the occasion. Dairy foods, like the low-fat or fat-free milk and yogurt found in this recipe, are fundamental to good nutrition.

Constructing a better-for-you menu calls for a balanced diet with a variety of foods to get essential nutrients. This balance is important for maintaining healthy gut and immune function while optimizing overall wellness.

Find additional better-for-you recipe inspiration at MilkMeansMore.org.


Recipe
Mini Greek Yogurt Pancakes
with Cinnamon-Maple Topping

Recipe courtesy of Marcia Stanley, MS, RDN, culinary dietitian, on behalf of Milk Means More

Total time: 25 minutes
Servings: 6

Topping:
1 3/4 cups plain Greek yogurt (fat free, 2% or 5%)
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pancakes:
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt (fat free, 2% or 5%)
1/2 cup milk (skim, 2% or whole)
3 tablespoons melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-3 tablespoons oil
1 cup fresh blueberries or chopped fresh strawberries


To make topping: Stir yogurt, syrup and cinnamon. Cover and refrigerate.

To make pancakes: In mixing bowl, stir flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In separate bowl, whisk egg, yogurt, milk, butter and vanilla. Add yogurt mixture to flour mixture. Stir just until combined (batter should be slightly lumpy).

Scrape batter into large plastic food storage bag. Oil nonstick griddle or large nonstick skillet. Heat over medium heat. Cut off about 1/2 inch from corner of plastic bag. Squeeze batter, about 1 tablespoon at a time, onto hot griddle. Cook 1-2 minutes per side, or until pancakes are golden brown, turning to second sides when bubbles form on surface of pancakes and edges are slightly dry.

Serve warm pancakes topped with cinnamon-maple yogurt and sprinkled with berries.



SJO Athletics for the week of January 15


St. Joseph-Ogden's Addison Frick goes after a loose ball during her team's home game against Oakwood. Monday, the team extended their win streak to five games after defeating St. Thomas More on the road, 44-19. The Spartans won this non-conference home contest over the Comets last month, 53-23.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

St. Joseph-Ogden Athletics this week

Spartans' Cameron Wagner towers above a Carlinville defensive player during the 2023 playoff game. It is just seven and half months until the return of SJO Football.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

ViewPoint | Let's make MLK's dream a reality


By Dedrick Asante-Muhammad & Chuck Collins

This January marks what would have been Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s 95th birthday. Nearly a century after the late civil rights leader’s birth, it’s a good time to reflect on the work still to be done.

Just over 60 years ago, in his famous “I Have A Dream” speech at the 1963 March on Washington, King declared: “We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so we’ve come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.”

Sixty years on, as our report “Still A Dream” highlighted late last year, there’s been some progress. The African American community is experiencing record low unemployment, record highs in income and educational attainment, and has seen a massive decline in income poverty since the 1960s.

Despite all that, the check for racial economic equality is still bouncing. Without intervention, we found it will take centuries for Black wealth to catch up with white wealth in this country.

The 1960s were years of crucial economic progress for African Americans, even as the Black Freedom struggle faced assassinations and government suppression. In 1959, when King was 30, 55 percent of African Americans lived in income poverty. By what would have been his 40th birthday in 1969 (a year after his assassination), that poverty rate had dropped to 32 percent.

Yet this substantial progress still wasn’t enough to bridge the radical and ongoing racial economic divide between Blacks and whites. And since then, progress has slowed.


Library of Congress/Unsplash
Compared to the political and economic progress of the 1960s, the 21st century has been much less fruitful — even as the country saw its first African American president and a national recognition of police brutality through the Black Lives Matter protests. From 2000 to 2021, there was only a 3 percentage point decline in Black poverty (22.5 percent to 19.5 percent).

One modest area of progress: the unemployment rate for African Americans is no longer twice that of whites. Since 2018, Black unemployment has reached record lows of 5 and 6 percent, except during the 18-month recession caused by COVID-19. But as of 2021, Black unemployment was still about 1.8 times that of white unemployment.

The racial wealth divide was created by federal policies and national practices like segregation, discrimination, redlining, mass incarceration, and more. So it will require federal policy and national practices to close the divide.

And just as massive federal investment was necessary to develop the white American middle class, so too is it essential for a massive federal investment to bridge racial economic inequality.

Investing in affordable housing and programs designed to strengthen homeownership for African Americans will be essential. Other important policies include investments like a national baby bond program targeted at African Americans, national health care, and breaking up the dynastic concentration of wealth that’s made our country more unequal for all Americans.

Going 60 years without substantially narrowing the Black-white wealth and income divide is a policy failure. In this election year, policies that can finally bridge the Black-white divide should be at the forefront of our national debate.

Making a dream into a reality is challenging work, but it’s something our country has the resources to attain. The national celebration of Dr. King’s 95th birthday should be a time to rededicate ourselves to this work.


About the authors . . .

Chuck Collins


Dedrick Asante-Muhammad

Dedrick Asante-Muhammad is the chief of Race, Wealth, and Community at the National Community Reinvestment Coalition.

Chuck Collins directs the Program on Inequality and co-edits Inequaity.org at the Institute for Policy Studies. They are co-authors of the report, Still a Dream: Over 500 Years to Black Economic Equality. This op-ed was distributed by OtherWords.org.



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Jan 14, 2024 03:14 am  .::. 
Commentary | Jan. 6 was an example of networked incitement

Jan 13, 2024 07:20 pm  .::. 
Over 270 St. Joseph-Ogden students earn 2nd quarter academic honors


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Youth Orchestra to perform on Sunday


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Unity Junior High School second-quarter High Honor Roll


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Commentary | Jan. 6 was an example of networked incitement


A media and disinformation expert explains the danger of political violence orchestrated over social media


Joan Donovan, Boston University

The shocking events of Jan. 6, 2021, signaled a major break from the nonviolent rallies that categorized most major protests over the past few decades.

Illustration: W4HR/Pixabay
What set Jan. 6 apart was the president of the United States using his cellphone to direct an attack on the Capitol, and those who stormed the Capitol being wired and ready for insurrection.

My co-authors and I, a media and disinformation scholar, call this networked incitement: influential figures inciting large-scale political violence via social media. Networked incitement involves insurgents communicating across multiple platforms to command and coordinate mobilized social movements in the moment of action.

The reason there was not more bloodshed on Jan. 6 emerged through investigation into the Oath Keepers, a vigilante organization composed mostly of former military and police. During their trials for seditious conspiracy, members of the Oath Keepers testified about weapons caches in hotels and vans, stashed near Washington, D.C. As one member described it, “I had not seen that many weapons in one location since I was in the military.”

The Oath Keepers were following Washington law by not carrying the weapons in the district, while waiting for Trump to invoke the Insurrection Act, which gives the president the authority to deploy the military domestically for law enforcement.

The militia was waiting for orders from Trump. That was all that kept U.S. democracy safe from armed warfare that day.

Social media as command and control

What happened in D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021, does not easily fit into typical social movement frameworks for describing mobilization. The insurrectionists behaved akin to a networked social movement, with online platforms forming the infrastructure to organize action, but its leaders were politicians and political operatives as opposed to charismatic community leaders. On that day in particular, the insurrectionists, who are closely aligned with MAGA Republicans more broadly, functioned like Trump’s volunteer army rather than a populist movement.

Even with the availability of social media, networked social movements still need mainstream media coverage to legitimize their cause. Typically, community organizers push a particular issue – for example Black Lives Matter and #MeToo – into the media spotlight to get the public to care about their issue. Social movements tend to struggle for exposure and to frame favorable narratives.

Illustration: Gerd Altmann/Pixabay

The insurrectionists had the advantage of betting on mainstream media coverage for Jan. 6, so they focused on gathering resources and coordinating attendance. As a result, Trump’s supporters did not need to expend much effort to bring attention to the event and, instead, concentrated on organizing ride-shares and splitting hotel costs. As in prior social movements, the networking capacity of social media proved to be an important conduit to bring strangers together for the occasion. What the insurrectionists failed to do was convince key stakeholders, such as mainstream media, Vice President Mike Pence and the U.S. Capitol Police, to join their fight.

Networked incitement is different from the legalistic understanding of incitement, where an inflammatory statement immediately precedes unlawful acts or creates a dangerous situation. The call to action for Jan. 6 came from the president himself in a series of social media posts enticing supporters to come to D.C. for a “wild” time.

Tweets like these from a prominent figure became social media’s equivalent of shouting fire in a crowded theater.

Mobilizing for violence

My colleagues and I sought data to better understand what motivated everyday folks to storm the Capitol that day under great personal risk. Using the method of qualitative content analysis, we assembled 469 charging and sentencing documents for 417 defendants and coded them for the stated reasons for attending the event. We chose these court documents because they represented the fullest narrative accounts available. The purpose of these documents was to explain the rationales and mental states of the accused, while also offering a defense or explanation for their actions.

We analyzed the documents, looking at the multiple motivations for the insurrectionist mobilization. Overwhelmingly, insurrectionists said they were motivated by a desire to support Trump, which was equally split with a rationale to stop a rigged election. In sum, we concluded that disinformation mobilizes and incites political violence under specific conditions, such as a popular public figure calling for help.

No sitting president before Trump had exploited the capacity of social media to directly reach citizens to command specific actions.

For example, the court documents also directly reference social media posts of the accused. On Dec. 22, 2020, Kelly Meggs, an Oath Keeper who was later convicted of seditious conspiracy and sentenced to 12 years in prison, wrote on Facebook:

“Trump said It’s gonna be wild!!!!!!! It’s gonna be wild!!!!!!! He wants us to make it WILD that’s what he’s saying. He called us all to the Capitol and wants us to make it wild!!! Sir Yes Sir!!! Gentlemen we are heading to DC pack your sh*t!!”

The reference to “it’s gonna be wild” was a rejoinder to the now infamous tweet Trump sent after a reportedly difficult six-hour meeting the president had with staff about how to proceed with the fraud inquiry and undo the election results. Oath Keeper Meggs’ tweet illustrates that even before Jan. 6, militia groups were looking for signs from Trump about how to proceed. An investigation by NPR also illustrated how Trump’s messages emboldened participants and ignited the events of that day.

A dark future

No sitting president before Trump had exploited the capacity of social media to directly reach citizens to command specific actions.

The use of social media for networked incitement foreshadows a dark future for democracies. Rulers could well come to power by manipulating mass social movements via social media, directing a movement’s members to serve as the leaders’ shock troops, online and off.

Clear regulations preventing the malicious weaponization of social media by politicians who use disinformation to incite violence is one way to keep that future at bay.The Conversation


Joan Donovan, Assistant Professor of Journalism and Emerging Media Studies at Boston University, is on the board of Free Press and the founder of the Critical Internet Studies Institute.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.


Over 270 St. Joseph-Ogden students earn 2nd quarter academic honors


St. Joseph-Ogden High School Honor Roll ST. JOSEPH - Last week, St. Joseph-Ogden High School announced the second-quarter Honor Roll and High Honor Roll recipients. Just over 270 members of this year's enrollment earned second-quarter Honor Roll recognition.

To receive honor roll recognition at SJO, students must earn a grade point average of 3.25 or higher on a 4.0 scale. Students whose GPA soared above 3.74 are recognized as High Honor Roll students.

Freshman High Honor Roll

Lillian Ahart
Zhou Barbee
Zachary Benoit
Alec Bowlin
Colin Burnett
Elizabeth Clark
Abigail Crider
Hayden Dahl
Iris Davis
Nick Ditchfield
Justin Downs
Madison Farber
Nathaniel Farney
Nolan Franzen
Skyler Graham
Anna Hammond
Mark Harbourt
Nicholas Harris
Tyler Hess
Maggie Hewkin
Mia Jones
Alivia Learned
Hadley McDonald
Finnegan Miller
Maddux Musselman
Mason Ramm
Dennis Rineberg
Isa Santiago
Sophie Schmitz
Adeline Stevens
Ani Stine
Isabella Turner
Brayden Waller
Jack Wear
Emerson Williams

Freshman Honor Roll

Yadiel Acosta-Reyes
Samuel Albrecht
Olivia Berlatsky
Brenda Castro Gutierrez
Leah Gaines
Morgan Huls
Brynn Ikemire
Waylon Jones
Avrianna Lyttle
Chase Mabry
Mason Olinger
Tripp Palmer
Peighton Reim
Kiah Riesel
Ava Smoot
Cameron Wagner
Kaden Wedig
Cameron Wright
William Yeazel
Declan Yohnka

Sophomore High Honor Roll

Caroline Aden
Trevor Ames
Kylie Barrowman
Lexie Barrowman
Kaitlyn Beyers
Emily Bird
Tim Blackburn-Kelley
Aiden Bonny
Addison Brooks
Sara Bytnar
Erica Hardimon
William Carlson
Rudra Chaudhary
Adelyn Childers
Christopher Coffey
Katherine Ericksen
Callie Evans
Abigail Getty
Camden Getty
William Haley
Zachary Harper
Claire Hartman
Lydia Huckstadt
Adalyn Jannusch
Kaelyn Jolley
Sophia Kasper
Madilyn Kelley
Cooper Kietzman
Kylan Kincaid
Alexis Lackey
Ryker Lockhart
Mackenzie Loschen
Michael McDaniel
Danny McGinnis
Emma McKinney
Kodey McKinney
Patrick McMahon
Ava Midkiff
Ashlyn Miller
Hannah Mock
Delaney Nekolny
Allison Ochs
Brennan Oleynichak
Kayla Osterbur
Colton Overstreet
Garrick Page
Branson Pearman
Kaleb Peoples
Asher Pruemer
Ainsley Rhoton
Lily Rice
Landon Roberts
Logan Rosenthal
Amber Ruppel
Cameron Schlueter
Allison Schmitz
Lucas Smith
Tao Smith
Karleigh Spain
Quinn Stahl
Sydney Steinbach
Hadley Sweet
Carlee Taylor
Sophia Vliet
Madeline Wells
Wyatt Wertz
Logan Xiao
Cyrus Zadeh

Sophomore Honor Roll

Adalyn Bell
Shelby Campbell
Jacob Carlson
Caleb Dwyer
Brandon Goodwin
Charles Hale
Bryson Houchens
Amelia Huckstadt
Nick Jackson
Malachy Kates
Sami Kelso
Graham Ray
Lance Retz
Trevor Sexton
Gracyn Sjoken
Landon Smith
Luke Tranel
Hunter Van Meenen

Junior High Honor Roll

EJ Beckett
Audrey Benoit
William Besson
Holden Brazelton
Arely Castro Gutierrez
Richi Chimal
Preslee Christians
Madison Clampitt
Lauren Dewese
Ella Dietiker
Luke Ditchfield
Jackson Ennis
Savanna Franzen
Addison Funk
Kaiden Gaines
Tayton Gerdes
Olivia Getty
Makennah Hamilton
Lauren Harris
Haley Hesterberg
Maebree Houston
Kendrick Johnson
Paige Johnson
Dylan Jones
Sara Kearney
Madison Lankster
Logan Mills
Gabriel Mortlock
Grace Osterbur
Chayse Palmer
Sonia Patel
Haley Rudolph
Audrey Ruppel
Charles Schmitz
Kyler Swanson
Collin Thomey
Samantha Uden
Reese Wheatley
Fiona Xiao

Junior Honor Roll

Jared Altenbaumer
Rylie Barton
Eli Birt
Sul Bonny
Landon Brown
Landen Butts
Hayden Coffey
Joshua Courter
Nolan Earley
Lyla Frerichs
Tinley Ideus
Amilliya Kindle
Owen Knap
Aiden Krall
Jeffrey Kuchenbrod
Logan Lackey
Gabe Mata
Brenden Maury
Logan Patton
Nathan Phillips
Sydney Reitmeier
Tanner Siems
Corbin Smith
Thea Smith
Coy Taylor
Ava Worley
Charley Wright

Senior High Honor Roll

Edward Alewelt
Logan Allen
Luke Allen
Aden Armstrong
Samantha Beetz
Chloe Burkhalter
Payton Carter
Garrett Denhart
Samantha Downs
Sadie Ericksen
Joseph Frasca
Mia Frederick
Alana Frerichs-McCurry
Addison Frick
Grace Getty
Chloe Harper
Rachel Harris
Brody Hausman
Annabelle Hueber
Tanner Jacob
Kya Jolley
Helene Jones
Tori Kibler
Lauren Lannert
Quinn Lewis
Taylyn Lockhart
Addisyn Martinie
Ethan McElroy
Shannon McMahon
Talan Miller
Isaiah Mock
Caleb Ochs
Macy Reed-Thompson
Addison Roesch
Addison Ross
Daniel Santiago
Addison Seggebruch
Lucas Skelton
Aescton Slowikowski
Logan Smith
Dylan Smoot
Drew Thurman
Emma Thurman
Braxton Waller
Elissia Ward
Colin Wayland
Brody Weaver
Corbin Wells
Hayden Williams
Peyton Williams
Spencer Wilson

Senior Honor Roll

Halle Brazelton
Tyler Buss
Maya Chahine
Cameron Dressen
Ashton Fonner
Chloe George
Amaya Gula
Ray Gutierrez
Emmitt Holt
Ella Jones
Luke Landrus
Hayden Lewis
Connor Little
Carson Maroon
Rowan Musselman
Cole Pruitt
Kaydence Reynolds
Madison Stevens
Zoey Sweet
Nicholas Wetzel
Mitchell Wright



Youth Orchestra to perform on Sunday


East Central Illinois Youth Orchestra
Members of the East Central Illinois Youth Orchestra performed at Smith Recital Hall in Urbana during their Winter Concert 2022. The 2024 concert will be performed this Sunday at 7 p.m. Admission is free.

URBANA - More than three dozen of the best orchestra students in Champaign-Urbana and the surrounding area will perform at the East Central Illinois Youth Orchestra Winter Concert at Smith Music Hall in Urbana.

"It’s going to be cold on Sunday. What better antidote than an evening of heartwarming music?" asks music director Kevin Kelly. "The talented students of the orchestra have been working hard since mid-September on a challenging and worthy program."

The program starts at 7 p.m. and will include Richard Wagner’s Prelude to the opera Die Meistersinger, Eine kleine Nachtmusik by Mozart, and Sibelius’s Karelia Suite. The orchestra will also perform Johann Strauss Jr.’s Emperor Waltz, and Borodin’s Polovtsian Dances from the opera Prince Igor.

The concert free to the public. Those who wish to make a much appreciated donation can do so through The Conservatory of Central Illinois.



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