Bits and pieces

Bits & Pieces – Biking in the nude? – That’s crazy!

Where can you bike ride in the buff and stay on the right side of the law?

Can you believe I just asked that? It’s another crazy press release! These people just have too much time on their hands and make money at it.

So this is World Naked Bike Ride month! I can’t believe all the days and months that are dedicated to some of the craziest stuff. To do this, they ranked the best cities for naked biking. Sorry, to disappoint you, folks, but Beardstown didn’t make this list either.

Hands on the bible

Focus on Faith – Fragile; handle with care

Have you ever received a package in the mail that had the words “Fragile: Handle with Care” written on them. These words are put on a shipment to protect the contents of a package. In an ideal world such boxes would be gently moved from place to place and nothing would ever be damaged. However, in the real world “Fragile: Handle with Care” means nothing to some package carriers. These words often seemed to often be overlooked by delivery services and packages often thrown or carelessly dropped.

Bread of Love

Bread of Love – June 24 – June 28

Monday - Meat loaf & gravy, baked potato, stewed tomatoes, pears, bread, milk.

Tuesday -  Chicken penne pasta, broccoli, spinach salad with dressing, melon, dinner roll, milk.

Wednesday - Bratwurst patty on bun, German potato salad, saurkraut, banana , milk.

Thursday -  Liver & onions with gravy, whipped potatoes, limas, peach crisp, bread, milk.

Friday -  Ham salad, tomato basil soup, coleslaw, tropical fruit, bread, crackers, milk.

Community Calendar Summer

Community Calendar

The Beardstown C.O.N.N.E.C.T. will have its Brown Bag Lunch in the Art Zeeck Park, downtown Beardstown every Wednesday during June. 

Lunch may be purchased for a minimal fee and includes drink and dessert. 

Music scheduled for the remainder of June is the Beardstown Community Choir on June 26th. 

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The Cass County Courthouse will be closed on Thursday, July 4, 2024 for Independence Day

The Sun

Summer starts this week with dangerous heat

This week marks the official start of summer as high levels of heat and humidity settle into the Midwest. The FEMA Region 5 office in Chicago encourages everyone to ensure they are #SummerReady by taking some simple steps to stay safe.  

“High temperatures aren’t just uncomfortable; they can be downright dangerous,” said Tom Sivak, FEMA Region 5 regional administrator. “While certain populations—like small children, outdoor workers and older adults—may be especially vulnerable, extreme heat can affect us all. Have a plan to stay safe and cool then check on your family, friends and neighbors to ensure they’re staying safe and cool too.”

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.