News

Cass County government & school board meetings

All meetings are open to the public.

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, Arenzville.

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

Pictured above, Lee Burrus stands atop a firetruck, spraying water. Photo from Arenzville Fire Department Facebook.

Arenzville Fire Department remembering Burrus

Arenzville Fire Department lost a devoted member of it crew. The following is an excerpt from their Facebook page. Lee Burrus, “Adam-5,” joined our family in June of 1982 and since that day has selflessly devoted his life to the safety and welfare of his community and this family. He knew no stranger and treated everyone with the same love and compassion. To say he was loved and will be missed is such an understatement and this life will not be the same without him “stirring the pot” and putting smiles on so many faces, as he did so well. Adam 5 has answered his last call and is safely home, rest easy brother, we’ll take it from here.

Ashland, IL

Water/sewer rate hikes proposed

Expected water and sewer rate hikes for Ashland were proposed at last week’s meeting of the village board. The plan outlined followed a water/sewer committee study of the village rate structure. Trustee Nathan Grieme presented the rate plan on behalf of the committee which also includes Trustees Nancy Kyrouac and David Wilken. Grieme said the average village customer will see an increase of about $10 on their combined water/sewer bill.

Cass County government and  school board meetings

All meetings are open to the public

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, Arenzville.

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

Beardstown City Council will meet at 6:00 p.m. Tuesday, July 16 at 105 W. 3rd Street in the council chambers

Virginia, IL Logo

Virginia board discusses early graduation

Virginia School Board discussed the possibility of early graduation for its students at its meeting Monday night.

This matter was brought up at the previous board meeting by a parent and placed on the agenda for this month for discussion. Some of the issues the members discussed were attending prom and the senior trip, filing an application with the school board notifying them of the student’s desire to graduate early, having the student present the application to the board in person, and what time frame would this need to happen in.

Fistro, Chocolate lab mix, dog.

Pet of the Week

Fistro is a one year old lab mix. He is gentle and calm, but also likes to play in the yard. He is very smart, good on the leash, and he is learning commands. This handsome boy, along with all other animals at SCHS will be spayed/neutered, microchipped, and vaccinated before adoption. You can meet Fistro and all pets at Schuyler County Humane Society, 17000 County Farm Road in Rushville. Visitor hours are Tuesdays from 4-7 p.m., Saturdays from 9 a.m.-noon, and Sundays from 11 a.m.- 2 p.m. You can also make an appointment by calling (217) 322-2220. Applications are available online at https://schuylerhs.com/adopt/application/.

Beardstown City Hall

Beardstown shoots down contract

A contract between the City of Beardstown and United Food and Commercial Workers #431 failed following an executive session Tuesday night. The contract represented the public works department and city hall employees.

IL splitting from Chicago

A movement to break from Chicago

When an Illinoian shares with somebody from out of state that they’re from Illinois, many times the immediate reply is, “Oh, Chicago!”

No, there is more to the state than Chicago. And there are lots of good people, businesses, industries and much more in downstate Illinois.

For several years we’ve heard people wishing that we could separate from Chicago and form our own state.

Connor DeFord

A-C Central student wins award

Connor DeFord, A-C Central High School, $1,000 was among several who were awarded The Community Foundation for the Land of Lincoln 114 scholarship awards and scholarship renewals for 2024 totaling more than $260,000. 

DeFord won the Ada McCombs White Memorial Scholarship.

These scholarships were made possible through charitable funds established at the Community Foundation by more than 40 individuals, families and organizations.