Woodford County News Briefs

Chronicle Media

Eureka College student and artist Jared De Roo will present “Conspire,” an art exhibit opening Feb. 19, with a reception from 4-6 p.m. It will be located in the Art Gallery on the third floor of Burgess Hall at the college.

STATE

Fire marshal urges public to practice fire safety at home

The Office of the State Fire Marshal is urging residents to protect themselves and practice fire safety in their communities after an unusually high number of fire fatalities in January.

In 2017, Illinois had 131 injuries and 84 fatalities due to fire. In January of this year, Illinois had 21 injuries and 21 fatalities due to fire. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), there are more home fires in the winter months than any other season. The State Fire Marshal’s office notes that major causes for fire fatalities in Illinois this year are home heating issues and careless use of smoking materials.

The State Fire Marshal encourages residents to be prepared and offers these tips on fire safety from the NFPA:

1.Test all smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms at least once a month. Change the batteries at least twice a year.
2. Plan two ways out of the home during an emergency.
3. If the smoke alarm sounds, get out and stay out. If you have to escape through smoke, get low and go under the smoke to your way out.
4. Close doors to slow the spread of smoke, heat and fire.
5. Have heating equipment and chimneys cleaned and inspected every year by a qualified professional.
6. Keep flammable materials away from the fireplace mantel.
7. Never use the oven to heat your home.
8. Remember to turn off portable heating devices when you leave a room or go to bed each night.
9. Never use extension cords with electric heaters.
10. Provide adequate ventilation for kerosene heaters and never refuel heater in-doors or when in use.
11. Keep space heaters at least 3 feet away from flammable material.
12. Ensure that cigarettes or other smoking materials have been put out.
13. Never smoke around medical oxygen.
14. Do not smoke in bed.

CENTRAL ILLINOIS

Area sports hall of fame inductees are named

Don Millard will soon be a member of the Greater Peoria Sports Hall of Fame.

Millard, a Pekin High School graduate who won a pair of NCAA wrestling championships for Southern Illinois University in 1964, is the latest to be among the inductees at the GPSHOF banquet April 7 at the Peoria Civic Center.

He joins his fellow inductees:

  • Individual inductees: Tom Gilles (baseball); John Gross (basketball); Bill King (broadcasting); Don Millard (wrestling).
  • Team inductees: ICC softball (1998); Richwoods boys basketball (1992); AOL/Spalding girls golf (1978, 1979).
  • Male Coach of the Year: Bob Becker (Morton girls basketball)
  • Female Coach of the Year: Denee Menzione (East Peoria softball)
  • Male Athlete of the Year: Jacob Warner (Washington wrestling)
  • Female Athlete of the Year: Brandi Bisping (Morton basketball)
  • Neve Harms Award for Meritorious Service to Sports: Mick Donahue (youth and recreation sports organizer, coach and official)

The Greater Peoria Sports Hall of Fame induction and Tri-County awards banquet will be held April 7. Social hour will be held at 5 p.m.; followed at 6 p.m. with the banquet and induction ceremony.

Tickets cost $35 before March 28; $40 March 29-April 3. Tickets will not be available for sale at the door. Tickets may be ordered by phone (309) 691-3553 or email, susie1026@comcast.net. To pay by credit card, go to gpshof.com and click the appropriate link on the home page to print out order form.

COUNTY

Early primary voting is open in Woodford

Registered voters in Woodford County can cast ballots during early voting for the March primary. Early voting is being conducted at the Woodford County Clerk office through March 19. The office will not be open on Presidents’ Day.

Office hours for early voting at the Woodford County Courthouse, 115 N. Main St., Room 104, Eureka, will be 8 a.m.-5 p.m. through March 14, and March 16 and March 19. Hours on March 15 will be 8 a.m.-7 p.m. and on March 17, 8 a.m.-12 p.m.

For more information, call (309) 467-2822. The primary election is March 20.

EUREKA

College student to host art gallery Feb. 19

“Conspire,” an art exhibit created by Eureka College senior Jared De Roo, will open Feb. 19, with a reception from 4-6 p.m. It will be located in the Art Gallery on the third floor of Burgess Hall at Eureka College.

“Conspire” is a single cohesive piece spanning the entire gallery. It places the audience in the office of a man driven to obsession by the pursuit of conspiracy. The world of the show reflects the wild stories and accusations appearing in our news today. “Conspire” seeks to show the revelation of the obscured, following a path of obsession and discovery. It also shows the consequences of digging too deeply into what some would prefer not to be known.

The media used in the show vary, from office objects, to photography, to typographic prints. It features more than 1,000 photos, hundreds of printed pages, and a plethora of handwritten notes. Each piece of the show becomes an experience for the audience to take part in.

The artist, De Roo, is a student at Eureka College. He is currently pursuing a double major in Digital Media and Design and English Writing. “Conspire” is his senior art show. For more information, the show’s official Facebook page can be found at facebook.com/conspireshow/.

 

–Woodford County News Briefs–