Kaitlyn Copley

Kaitlyn Copley

  • Joined: August 2, 2023
  • Articles: 2294

Corn acres planted down, soybean acres up in Illinois

In Illinois, USDA estimates farmers planted 10.9 million acres of corn this season, down 300,000 acres from last year, and 10.7 million acres of beans, up 350,000 from 2023. (Photo by Catrina Rawson of FarmWeek)

A challenging planting season apparently didn’t stop U.S. farmers from seeding a hefty amount of corn and soybeans, according to USDA’s much-anticipated June acreage report released Friday.

Despite wild weather fluctuations in recent months, USDA pegged planted acreage at 91.5 million acres of corn and 86.1 million acres of soybeans. The corn estimate is down 3% from last year but more than a million acres above the average trade guess while the soybeans estimate is up 3% from a year ago.

Quincy Art Center announces open call

The Quincy Art Center is excited to announce an open call for its upcoming art exhibit, themed “Connections.” An open call is an invitation for artists and collectors of all levels to submit their work for display in a public exhibition. Artists of all mediums, as well as collectors of art, are invited to respond.

Cass County government and school board meetings

A-C Central School Board will meet at 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 17 at the Board Conference Room, Unit Office, 501 W. Buchanan Street, Ashland.

Ashland Village Board will meet at 6:00 p.m. Wednesday, July 10 at the Ashland Municipal Building.

Arenzville Village Board will meet at 7:00 p.m. Monday, July 8, at Village  Hall, 201 E. Main Street.

Beardstown City Council will meet at 6:00 p.m. Tuesday, July 2 at 105 W. 3rd Street in the Council Chambers.

And the wind blows

Storms hit Beardstown on Tuesday, June 25 causing damage to several properties in the area. Trees fell on homes, poles were snapped off, power lines were downed. The public works storage shed (top photo) lost the entire west half of its roof. Gary Hamilton, Public Works Director, stated that most of the damage was south of 10th Street to the highway. Work has begun on clean up and to restore power, cable and phone lines. Photos by Michelle Carty

Storms hit Beardstown on Tuesday, June 25 causing damage to several properties in the area. Trees fell on homes, poles were snapped off, power lines were downed. The public works storage shed (top photo) lost the entire west half of its roof. Gary Hamilton, Public Works Director, stated that most of the damage was south of 10th Street to the highway. Work has begun on clean up and to restore power, cable and phone lines.

Good Growing – Seedless watermelon 

Bread of Love

Summer officially began last week and for many, it means melon season. According to the UDSA, in 2022, approximately 21.1 pounds of melon was available per U.S. consumer.  Of the melons available and enjoyed by consumers, the three most popular melons ranked, in order of availability: watermelon (14.1 pounds), cantaloupe (5.3 pounds), and honeydew (1.6 pounds).

Little League Baseball recap

An off balance throw after a nifty play from the shortstop in the Pony League.

The Beardstown Little League Baseball regular season wrapped up last week with a couple of games on Monday, June 17.  

In the 11/12-year-old opener, it was the Turbo Ink Blue Jays winning in a real pitchers’ duel over the Beardstown Fire Dept. Chiefs by a score of 3 to 2.  Drew Meyer tossed 5.1 innings for the Bluejays and allowed just one run on one hit and three walks with twelve strikeouts to earn the win.  Abel Martinez finished it off to get the save.

Crime Stoppers honors two

The Illinois State Crime Stoppers recently honored Morgan, Scott & Cass Counties Crime Stoppers President MacKenzie Stewart.

Stewart was selected as an Outstanding Board Member of the Year for her Motivation, Direction and Initiative in leading her local program.

Fire district concerned over proposed OSHA rules

The Ashland Fire District Board discussed proposed OSHA rules that seem likely to be enacted by the agency. The rules will include new medical and training requirements for firefighters, equipment and facility maintenance, and administrative work toward compliance with the rules. The board members and Ashland Fire Chief Shane Hall aired their concerns with the new rules and the burden they expect compliance to place on the district.

Beardstown students travel to Spain

Beardstown Jr/Sr high School

At its June 19th school board meeting, the Beardstown School board heard from Frank Shaw, Curriculum Administrator, regarding the Spain trip that fourteen students and six adults participated in from June 1st through June 10th.