Division winners in the recent Kiwanis boxcar derby include (from left): Iris Ritchie, 7, from Morton, third place; Judah Schurter, 7, from Normal, second place; and Grant Saunders, 7, from Morton, first place; Kathy Barnhill, 10, from Morton, winner of the best homemade boxcar;  older division winners Drake Saunders, 9, from Morton, first place; Isaac Gosteli, 8, from Morton, second place; and Lillie Mast, 8, from Marquette Heights, third place.

STATE

Illinois National Guard assisting hurricane relief

Area Illinois Army National Guard crews based in Peoria are in North Carolina to aid in Hurricane Florence relief work. One flight crew and a CH-47F Chinook helicopter from the Illinois Army National Guard Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 238th Aviation Regiment, joined an air crew from 1st Battalion, 106th Aviation Regiment, based in Kankakee and flying a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter. The two crews were scheduled to remain for 10 days but those orders could be extended if there is a need. The costs of the deployment will be covered by North Carolina.

Requests for assistance are coordinated through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, a mutual aid agreement that allows states to request assistance from other states during emergencies.

CENTRAL ILLINOIS

Agency honors those who help adults with disabilities

Community Workshop Training Center, Inc., a central Illinois organization, recently presented its CWTC Pathway Awards at its annual banquet at the Embassy Suites Hotel and Conference Center in East Peoria. The festivities paid tribute to the people who help the agency. CWTC provides programs and services to adults with disabilities, enriching their quality of life, promoting social change and optimizing their potential for independence. 

This year’s awards and winners include: 

• Advocacy Award – Blue Ridge Community Farm,
• Ralph B. Fairchild Volunteer Award – Anthony Lees,
• Business Partnership Award – Karla Kane, Camp Big Sky & Jody Tockes, The Hive,
• Employer of the Year – Planet Fitness,
• Nancy Fine Volunteer Award – Jeanette Kosier, and
• Community Partner – Adams Outdoor Advertising & IT360.

CWTC will hold its second annual Make A Scarecrow – Make A Difference Sept. 29. The event will be held in the CWTC parking lot, 3215 N. University St., Peoria beginning at 11 a.m.

The group will sell scarecrow-making kits. The kit costs $20, and includes everything needed to build a scarecrow, including straw, wood and clothes. The event will also feature family activities and food.

Early school program gets federal funds

The Head Start program that helps children in Tazewell and Woodford counties has received $1.5 million in federal funds. Tazewell-Woodford Head Start is located in East Peoria

U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth announced the funding as part of a $62.7 million package of funds for such programs around the state. Peoria Citizens Committee for Economic Opportunity Inc. received about $4.1 million in funding for Head Start and Early Head Start programs in Peoria. 

Head Start and its early counterpart are designed to help lay the educational foundation for principles children will use later in the classroom.

Boxcar derby names winners 

Area Kiwanis held their annual boxcar derby Sept. 9. The event was put on by the Morton Kiwanis Club assisted by the Eureka High School Key Club, the Morton Chamber of commerce, and the Eureka Greater Area Kiwanis Club.

Twenty-three individuals participated. Winners were Kathy Barnhill, 10, from Morton, best homemade boxcar category; younger division winners Grant Saunders, 7, Morton, first place; Judah Schurter, 7, from Normal, second place; and Iris Ritchie, 7, from Morton, third place; and older division winners Drake Saunders, 9, from Morton, first place; Isaac Gosteli, 8, from Morton, second place; and Lillie Mast, 8, from Marquette Heights, third place. 

All participants received a bag of goodies.

The Park Inn and CEFCU sponsored the derby. Companies that donated items to the event included: Morton Cinemas, Dairy Queen, Pepperidge Farm, PaPa Murphy’s Pizza, Jason Whiskers and Bill Walters. Donors who helped with the cars, straw, and track included Loren Zimmerman, Gronemeier Construction, Ken Brehm and ADDWC.

PEKIN

Library to participate in Great American Read

The Pekin Public Library is participating in PBS’s series, The Great American Read, which is a show that explores and celebrates the power of reading, told through a selection of America’s 100 best loved novels, with a variety of programs based on these books.

On Sept. 22, the library will kick off Banned Books Week. Library staff studied the Great American Read book list and chose books which were challenged or banned somewhere in America to create a Reading BINGO card. Pick up one of these cards at the library, 301 S. First St., and start reading to complete the card. Turn in completed cards by Oct. 23, the Great American Read finale night, and pick out a free book.

The library will also host a Great American Read Book Trivia Night at 6 p.m. Oct. 17, at the library. Trivia questions will be based on The Great American Read book list. Each team will use the Kahoot! app on their smart phones or devices to submit their answers. 

The library will also have a book display and reading list of the 100 novels that make up the Great American Read. 

–Tazewell County News Briefs–