In June the Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) set aside a plot on the Illinois State Fairgrounds to educate fairgoers on hemp. Eight CBD plants and 100 Industrial Hemp plants were planted next to the U of I Master Gardner’s located on 8th Street, behind the Swine Barn.

House Bill 3435, signed last Friday by Governor Pritzker, requires insurance companies to cover epinephrine injectors, most commonly prescribed as EpiPens, for children with severe allergies. The cost of an EpiPen has skyrocketed over the last decade, rising by more than 400% for the two-pen injector pack.

Mayor Chasity Wells-Armstrong was one of many mayors and local leaders throughout the nation to attend the Mayors Innovation Project Annual Summer Meeting earlier this month. The Mayors Innovation Project is a non-profit, non-partisan learning network specifically created for mayors committed to equity, environmental sustainability and transparent democracy. The Center on Wisconsin Strategy (COWS) is a progressive policy institute housed on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. It was founded in 1991 by UW Professor Joel Rogers. The organization says that its core values are democracy, sustainability and equality.

Robert C. “Bob” Worth, 86, of St. Anne, passed away on Saturday, August 10, 2019. Visitation is from 4:00 PM until 8:00 PM, Thursday, August 15, 2019, at Clancy-Gernon-Hertz Funeral Home in Kankakee. Additional visitation is from 9:30 AM until the 10:30 AM funeral service on Friday, August 16, 2019, at Asbury United Methodist Church in Kankakee.

Here are five of the upmost important things our staff thinks you need to know about to be the king or queen of conversation at the water cooler with your co-workers...and maybe a select few friends:

Residents of Manhattan, IL don’t forget to register for the Community Wide Garage Sales event coming up next month Friday Sept 13th and Saturday Sept 14th. Registration is due by Friday, September 6th. Sales will be held rain or shine. Maps available for pickup Tuesday Sept 10th at Village Hall in Manhattan, Whitmore ACE Hardware and Berkot’s.