Get rid of that cabin fever with an old-fashioned barn dance, Saturday, January 21 at Shore Acres in Chillicothe. The fun begins at 7:00 p.m. Callers Jim Hicks and Gail Hintze teach all the dances so beginners are welcome. Live music will be provided by the popular string band Too Old To Be Controlled.
Admission is $5, with a $20 maximum for families. You are invited to bring a snack to share.
For more information and directions, call 274-5358 or 274-2228.
Midstate College is proud to announce the hiring of Matthew Ringenberg as Adjunct Faculty in the General Education Department. Matthew comes to Midstate with a BS in Biology, and an MPH with Concentration in Community Health Sciences, both from University of Illinois at Chicago. Matthew also has more than ten years in public health, including eight years in environmental health and two years in public health emergency response.
Matthew is also a Certified Licensed Environmental Health Practitioner, Certified Emergency Response Coordinator, and a graduate of CDC’s Environmental Public Health Leadership Institute.
Matthew chose Midstate because of the positive atmosphere for learning. In his words, “Midstate College provides a very student‐focused learning environment. It was evident from my first visit to campus how dedicated faculty and staff are in making Midstate a great experience.”
For more information, please contact Ashley Spain, arspain@midstate.edu or 309.692.4092
ext. 1040
Rep. Jehan Gordon (D-Peoria) congratulates the Peoria Citizens Committee for Economic Opportunity (PCCEO) on being one of ten organizations statewide to receive grant funding as part of the Urban Weatherization Initiative.
“The top priority for state officials is job creation. We must do everything in our power to make sure that businesses have policies and the skilled personnel they need to be successful,” Gordon said. “This grant will train people and put them back to work.”
The purpose of the Urban Weatherization Initiative (UWI) is to train individuals with the skills they need to increase the energy efficiency of homes in underserved communities throughout Illinois. PCCEO will be able to train over 50 people with these skills and later assist homeowners apply for weatherization grants.
“The Urban Weatherization Initiative is a multi-fold program. Not only will this initiative train individuals with useful technical skills, but it will also help homeowners make their homes more energy efficient and lower their energy bills,” Gordon said. “This program will help put people back to work and reduce monthly bills. This is a win-win for out community”
The Urban Weatherization Initiative is administered by the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and was negotiated as a part of the 2009 capitol bill by Representative Gordon and other members of the General Assembly.
For more information about this and other grant opportunities, please contact Rep. Gordon’s constituent services office at (309) 681-1992 or by via e-mail at repjgordon@gmail.com.
Answering all your Medicare Questions
Proctor Hospital, in association with BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois’ Services in the Neighborhood program, offers a free Medicare Help Desk the fourth Wednesday of every month, from 9:00-11:00 a.m., in the Lobby at Proctor Hospital.
The next scheduled Medicare Help desk will be Wednesday, January 25.
If you, or someone you know, have questions regarding Medicare, please stop by.
No appointment is needed.
For more information please call (309) 691-1070.
The Counseling Center at Proctor Hospital will host “The Art of Intentional Relaxation” on Friday, January 20 from 10:00-11:00 a.m. in Classroom 1 of the Proctor Professional Building.
Guest presenter Donna Nordwall, MSW, LCSW, will discuss Intentional Relaxation. Intentional relaxation requires you to actively focus your attention inside your body and purposely relax. This educational and experiential workshop will teach you how to focus some of your daily energy on improving your ability to relax and pave the way for a calmer and peaceful body, mind, and spirit.
Come say hi, grab a coffee or snack and enjoy our wellness workshop, it’s free.
Call (309) 689-6001 to register.
Side ChannelsWith local author Thomas V. Lerczak
Saturday, January 14th
1:00 p.m. – Presentation
1:45 p.m. – Book Signing
On Saturday, January 14, author Thomas Lerczak will be at the Peoria Park District’s Forest Park Nature Center starting at 1:00 p.m. to deliver a presentation on his book entitled Side Channels. Immediately following, attendees will have an opportunity to meet with him and have your own copy of the book signed.
Side Channels is a collection of short memoir pieces that examine the roots of Thomas Lerczak’s fascination with rivers and wild areas and how his perspectives on nature and human society have changed over the years. It is a stunning blend of natural history and memoir. Thomas V. Lerczak works as a natural resource specialist. His writings have appeared in Illinois Audubon, Meadowlark, and a variety of other publications. He lives in Havana, Ill.
Limited copies of Side Channels will be available January 14th at the book signing. For more information, call Forest Park Nature Center at (309) 686-3360.
City crews are treating primary intersections with a sand/salt mix, and plowing all primary streets.
This storm system will bring snow and high winds throughout the day and this evening. Streets are expected to be snow covered. Motorists should allow extra time to travel, and be prepared to make frequent stops. In order to avoid accidents, please travel at a reduced speed.
The following hills will be closed until further notice:
Ligoner
Cleveland
Grove
Dusable
Wayne
Starr
Rep. Jehan Gordon (D-Peoria) congratulates Lutheran Hillside Village on being named the “Good Neighbor Business” of the Month.
“When a business lends a hand to a non-profit organization, their kindness extends through the entire community. A wonderful example of this is when Lutheran Hillside Village catered the opening ceremony for the Heart of Illinois Senior Games,” Gordon continues. “Not only were the organizers grateful for their assistance, but hundreds of seniors were treated to a special meal as well. I would like to thank Lutheran Hillside Village for their generous contribution to the Senior Games.”
The Heart of Illinois Senior Games and Fine Arts Festival nominated Lutheran Hillside Village for preparing and serving the meal at the Opening Ceremony of the 2011 games. Over 350 seniors from Central Illinois came to participate in all of the games and activities in 2011.
“Lutheran Hillside Village provided, prepared, presented, and served a fantastic menu of delicious food for the 2011 Heart of Illinois Senior Games and Fine Arts Festival,” explains nominator Shelly Peters, Event Coordinator. “Not only did they provide the food, but they also decorated the Riverview Room at the RiverPlex beautifully and served the food with true professionalism, respect and smiling faces, making the Opening Ceremony reception a huge hit.”
For more information about Gordon’s “Good Neighbor” Business of the Month Award, or to receive a nomination form, please contact Rep. Gordon’s constituent services office at 309-681-1992 or e-mail her at repjgordon@gmail.com. Nomination forms are also available at her website, www.housedem.state.il.us/members/gordonj.
State Rep. Jehan Gordon (D-Peoria) announces the launch of a new fraud reporting hotline that Illinois residents will now be able to access.
“While we continue to clean-up state government, it is important to recognize changes that have been made to help end corruption and misuse for public dollars,” Gordon said. “This new hotline will allow citizens to report instances of fraud, waste and abuse in the executive branch offices and state agencies.”
House Bill 93 (Public Act 97-261) created a fraud hotline for reporting allegations of misconduct within the Executive Branch of state government. The hotline and online form is operated by the Office of the Auditor General, who is charged with referring the allegations to the proper law enforcement agency or government entity. Previously, Illinois had no single hotline for citizens to report fraud, waste or mismanagement in state government.
Persons wishing to submit allegations to the Auditor General’s Office may do so by:
· Calling the Auditor General’s toll-free telephone hotline at (855) 217-1895 or (TTY) at (888) 261-2887;
· Submitting the online form on the Auditor General’s website at http://www.auditor.illinois.gov/Hotline/Hotline.asp;
· Mailing a complaint to the Auditor General’s Office, 740 E. Ash St., Springfield, IL 62703.
If you have any questions or for more information, please contact Rep. Gordon’s Constituent Services Office at (309) 681-1992 or by e-mail at repjgordon@gmail.com.
CAPtions, Peoria’s longest-running TV issues program, looks at “New Markets for Black Business”.
The first segment includes guest Larry Ivory, President of the Illinois Black Chamber of Commerce, and Norm Durflinger, Mayor of Morton. Both men accompanied Gov. Pat Quinn to China in a trade delegation to explore business opportunities. Ivory also traveled to Botswana in Africa, where many business export opportunities exist because of resources there.
The 2nd segment features three Black Businesses and what they are doing to adapt to today’s business climate. Janet Davis, owner of Janet’s Just for You Boutique; Ryan Foster, Marketing/Executive Chef of Hick’ry Stik Barbecue & Catering; and James Fairley, owner the the Tee-Shirt King. Topics include what is takes to start and/or expand a business. Foster talks about how their business was invited to expand to Elmwood.
Host of CAPtions is Andre Bohannon.
This edition of CAPtions will air Sunday, Jan. 15th at 5:00 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 18th at 7:00 p.m., and later at Midnight on Comcast Community Access Channel 22. It is also available on YouTube and FaceBook.
CAPtions is produced by the Peoria Citizens Committee for Economic Opportunity, Inc. Media Services Department. It is funded in part by a grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.