This is one Woodford County 4-H project that was displayed at the 2018 Woodford County 4-H Show earlier this summer.

STATE

New scholarships are incentives to keep college students in Illinois

The state has established new funding to entice students to stay in Illinois for college.

The AIM HIGH grant pilot program will provide at least $50 million in financial aid for merit-based scholarships. The state is providing $25 million in the current budget year. Universities are matching that amount.

Gov. Bruce Rauner recently signed the measure into law, which was passed by the General Assembly with nearly unanimous support. The new law is designed to help Illinois colleges compete with out-of-state institutions that offer more financial aid.

According to the governor’s office, undergraduate enrollment at Illinois’ public universities fell more than 8 percent, or by more than 5,000 students, between 2011 and 2016.

COUNTY

4-H projects win honors at state fair 

Woodford County 4-H Youth are celebrating their successes they achieved at the 2018 Illinois State Fair. From the livestock barns to the 4-H general projects exhibited in the Orr Building, 4-H clubs, family and friends had the opportunity to explore a wide variety of projects this summer.

Here is the list of the recently announced Award of Excellence and State Superior Award winners and their area of expertise, hailing from Woodford County.

Hailey Andrews, STEAM Clothing 2-Sewn NonCloth, Award of Excellence

Ella Ausmus, Food Decorating-Advanced, Award of Excellence

Megan Bucher, 4-H Cooking 101, Superior

Sydney Finley, Animal Science, Award of Excellence

Ethan Grove, Model Rocketry, Award of Excellence

Evan Hahn, Beginning Visual Programming, Superior

Elizabeth Hahn, Heritage Arts, Award of Excellence

Collin Haney, Rock Hounds 2, Award of Excellence

McKayla Harms, Scrapbooking-Intermediate, Award of Excellence

Sarah Hofstetter, Woodworking 4, Superior

Hannah Hofstetter, Woodworking 4, Superior

Dylan Hutchinson, 4-H Cooking 301, Award of Excellence

Rebekah ijams, Photography 3, Award of Excellence

Quinn Johnson, Photography 2, Superior

Lydia Jones, Nature, Superior

Valerie Jones, Chalk/Carbon/Pigment, Award of Excellence

Sophia Jones, Photography 1, Award of Excellence

Naomi Kennell, Wildlife A, Award of Excellence

Hope Kruger, Shopping in Style: Beginning, Award of Excellence

Ethan Krugger, Robotics 1 Intermediate, Award of Excellence

Timothy Leman, Metal, Superior

Blake Leman, Scrapbooking-Beginning, Award of Excellence

Ailey Leman, STEAM Clothing 2-Sewn Clothing, Superior

Benjamin McQuellon, Sportsfishing 1, Superior

Jacklyn Montgomery, Passport to the World-Indiv, Award of Excellence

Daniel Moser, 4-H Cooking 201, Award of Excellence

Carolyn Moser, STEAM Clothing 3-Sewn Clothing, Superior

Sophia Musselman, Clay, Award of Excellence

Ella Newcomb, Electricity 3, Superior

Jillian Overholt, Outdoor Adventures 1-3, Superior

Aubrey Phillips, Food Science 1-4, Award of Excellence

Aidan Puri, Junkdrawer Robotics 1, Award of Excellence

Madalyn Roth, Outdoor Adventures 1-3, Superior

Jaycie Schertz, Citizenship 2, Award of Excellence

Jacqueline Schertz, Floriculture A, Award of Excellence

Ellsworth Schirer, Electricity 3, Award of Excellence

Merle Schmidgall, Tractor A, Superior

Donna Schmidgall, Chalk/Carbon/Pigment, Award of Excellence

Kinley Stoller, Health 1, Superior

Mason Thompson, Small Engines, Award of Excellence

Lilly Twait, Rock Hounds 1, Superior

Braelyn Walder, Citizenship 2, Superior

Blaine Weigelt, Entomology 1, Award of Excellence

Eliyah White, Fiber, Award of Excellence

James Wolfe, Advance Visual Programming, Superior

Andrew Wolfe, Advance Visual Programming, Superior

Chamber of commerce hosts candidate forum

The Woodford County Chamber of Commerce will hold a candidate forum at 6 p.m. Sept. 6 for countywide offices up for election in November. The forum will be held in the third floor courtroom of the courthouse, 115 N. Main St., Eureka. Offices that will be open in the Nov. 6 election are county clerk, recorder, treasurer, sheriff and county board seats for Districts 1, 2 and 3.

Property taxes due Sept. 7

Property owners have until Sept. 7 to pay their taxes on time. Taxes can be paid at the Woodford County Courthouse, 115 N. Main St., Eureka. The courthouse will be open until 5 p.m.

–Woodford County News Briefs–