Eureka College in its early days after it was chartered by the state in 1855. The college honors its founders with its annual week-long Founders Day celebration, this year planned for Feb. 4-Feb. 8.

STATE

Guidelines to aid new owners of drones

The Illinois Department of Transportation has issued guidelines for new owners of drones to educate them about federal and state regulations and safety guidelines.

Commercial use of an unmanned aircraft system requires pilot certification from the Federal Aviation Administration, which has devoted significant resources to the rapidly growing UAS community on a section of its faa.gov website labeled the FAA Drone Zone.

Drone flight is prohibited within five miles of any airport without prior notification of the airport’s operator and air traffic control tower, if the tower is on the property.

The IDOT website, idot.illinois.gov, contains a brief online guide for hobbyists under the transportation safety section, with links to additional resources.

CENTRAL ILLINOIS

Unemployment numbers stable or up slightly throughout region

Unemployment grew in the Peoria area from last November to this November. But so did the number of available jobs. In other counties, unemployment numbers are stable, or up by a tick.

Data released recently by the Illinois Department of Employment Security shows that Peoria’s unemployment rate ticked slightly upward from 4.6 percent in November 2017 to 4.8 percent in November this year.

But state figures also showed a net year-over-year increase of 1,500 non-farm jobs in the same region.

In the Peoria area, the biggest job gains came in the fields of professional and business services, which grew by 1,900 jobs; manufacturing, which grew by 400 jobs; and transportation, warehousing and utilities, which grew by 300 jobs. Declines came in the fields of leisure and hospitality, which shed 400 jobs; government work, which dropped 200 positions; both construction as well as educational and health services industries shed 200 jobs; and retail trade lost 100 positions.

Tazewell County saw a net stability in its unemployment rate, which stayed at 4.5 percent in November of both years. Woodford County’s unemployment rate in November 2017 was 3.7 percent and climbed only to 3.8 percent this November — the lowest rate in the region. Stark County saw the largest increase, going from 5 percent in November 2017 to 5.5 percent this year.

EUREKA

College’s Founders Week kicks off Feb. 4

Eureka College will pay homage to the those who established the college with its annual week-long Founders Day celebration, this year planned for Feb. 4-Feb. 8.

Eureka College was founded by abolitionists from Kentucky who were members of a religious movement known as the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and were committed to providing young people a broad, liberal education. These pioneers believed in an education infused with values as a basis for leadership. Chartered by the Illinois Legislature in 1855, Eureka was the first college in the state and third in the nation to admit men and women on an equal basis.

Events throughout the week include the annual Founders Day Convocation Feb. 7, and an exhibit showcasing two of the College’s Founders and ideals and how 1932 graduate Ronald Reagan lived up to those ideals.

The Founders Exhibit will kick off the week with a grand opening on Feb. 4, and be on display throughout the month inside Moser Lobby and the Reagan Museum in the College’s Cerf Center. The exhibit will be open from 8 a.m.- 5 p.m. weekdays.

An evening Burgoo Cook-off is scheduled for Feb. 5. The Burgoo, located inside the Cerf Center, takes its name from a stew that early Eureka settlers cooked over open fires at community celebrations held where the Cerf Center now stands.

On Feb. 7, the Eureka College Arts and Lectures Board will host Grand Valley State University associate professor of history Dr. Louis Moore for his presentation, “From ‘Shut Up and Play’ to the Activist Athlete: A Brief History of Black Activism in Sports.”

Eureka College was incorporated on Feb. 6, 1855, by an act of the Illinois Legislature. The founding date coincides with the birth date of the college’s most famous alumnus, Ronald Reagan, who graduated in 1932. The college was founded by members of the Christian Church and is among 17 colleges and universities affiliated with the church.

–Woodford County News Briefs–