Associates at Advocate Eureka Hospital in Eureka wore blue to acknowledge World Diabetes Day, held annually on Nov. 14.Pictured (front row l to r): Jackie Holmes, Judy Feazel, Jane McCully, Anna Laible, Lexie Weber, Debbie Brown, Joanie Montoya, and Judi Tammen; (back row l to r): Lori Gudat, Eileen Riddle, Rhonda Payne, Brian Wettstein, Brenda Musgrave. (Photo courtesy of Advocate Eureka Hospital)

Eureka

Police Department equips officers with body cameras

Eureka Police Department has been experimenting with body cameras for its officers. Some patrol officers began wearing the devices about six months ago. Eureka Police Chief Alex Collinge is one of the region’s leaders on this sometimes controversial movement and is advocating body cameras full time for all Eureka officers. The initial investment is estimated to cost around $12,000, according to reports. Illinois law does not require police departments to use body cameras, but it does include specific requirements for departments that do choose to use them.  Neighboring towns are looking into body cameras but cost is one factor in the decision of whether to implement the program. While Metamora’s Police Department has proposed a sort of limited program to start, the Village Board has said it would be too costly in terms of both equipment and management of the system.  

Former Eureka College baseball coach dies

Mike McDonald, head coach at Eureka College between two stints as an assistant at Illinois Central College, died on Nov. 14. He was 68. McDonald also served 24 years as head baseball coach at Morton High School, leading them to a 452-313-4 record. A standout college player, he was a member of Bradley’s 1968 NCAA playoff team where he was an All-Missouri Valley Conference third baseman. In March 1970, he signed with the St. Louis Cardinals organization as a catcher and reached the Double-A level. McDonald was inducted into the Bradley Athletics Hall of Fame in 1976 and was a 1991 inductee into the Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. That honor was followed in 2012 by being inducted into the Spoon River College Athletics Hall of Fame.

Advocate marks World Diabetes Day

Associates at Advocate Eureka Hospital in Eureka wore blue to acknowledge World Diabetes Day, held annually on Nov. 14. Introduced in 1991 by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and the World Health Organization, the day is the world’s largest diabetes campaign, designed to raise awareness of the increase in diabetes cases throughout the world. This year’s theme is “Act today to change tomorrow,” with an emphasis on healthy eating. The IDF estimates that over 640 million people may be living with diabetes by 2040, if lifestyles don’t change. Advocate Eureka Hospital offers a diabetes management program; for more information, call (309) 304.2017.

Central Illinois

Youth Symphony Orchestra presents upcoming concert

The Central Illinois Youth Symphony, its Preparatory Orchestra, and Percussion Ensemble will be holding a concert at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 22. at Metamora High School in Peoria,  The Preparatory Orchestra and Youth Symphony will be playing side by side on several pieces during the concert, a new activity for both orchestras.  “This November’s concert will prove to be exciting for both the Preparatory Orchestra and Youth Symphony students,” says Preparatory Orchestra conductor Rosemary Ardner. “Both groups will perform separate pieces as well as two pieces together. This gives the opportunity for the Prep students to be inspired by the Youth Symphony’s level of performance. Furthermore, it allows the Youth Symphony students to remember how much they have achieved in their playing.”

Tickets are $10 per adult and $5 per child. They can be purchased by calling a CIYS representative at (309) 370-6424 or online at www.CIYS.org

State

Ban on transporting firewood being reviewed

The Illinois Department of Agriculture said the state might need to lift the 10-year ban on transporting firewood because the emerald ash borer has become so prevalent across the state.  More than half of Illinois’ 102 counties report a presence of the insect, including Woodford, Peoria, and Tazewell counties. Keeping quarantine in place when the ash borer has become so widespread no longer seems feasible, officials with the Ag Department recently stated. Neighboring states Missouri, Iowa and Kentucky have lifted their own quarantines and now permit cross-border firewood sales. Illinois remains under a federal quarantine which bans the transportation of ash-wood products, including firewood, to states that still have state-regulated quarantines. The borer was first detected in Illinois in 2006 in Kane County, in the far western suburbs of Chicago.

Volunteering with University of Illinois Extension

University of Illinois Extension provides practical, research-based information and programs to help individuals, families, farms, businesses and communities in Illinois. Its mission, in short, is to help the citizens of Illinois put knowledge to work. The contribution of volunteers in the following areas is essential to the achievement of this mission.

More than 700 volunteers contribute their time and talents to the Extension program from Livingston, McLean, and Woodford counties. Contact any of the offices or staff members to learn how you can help others with the knowledge and experiences gained from Extension education.

Volunteer opportunities include: 4-H, Master Gardeners, Master Naturalists, Family and Consumer Sciences, and Community and Economic Development.

–Woodford County News Briefs–