Heartland Community College in Normal will hosts Drones in the Heartland Conference on Friday, Oct. 11 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.  Register at www.heartland.edu/continuingEd/drone.html. (Photo courtesy of Heartland College)

EUREKA

Eureka College’s Melick Library to hold annual sale

Eureka College’s Homecoming week is less than a month away, and EC’s Melick Library is excited to announce that it will hold its annual Homecoming book sale from Tuesday, Oct. 14 through Saturday, Oct. 19.

During Homecoming week, the sale will run Tuesday-Thursday 8 a.m.-10 p.m., Friday 8 a.m.-7 p.m., and Saturday 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.

Sale items will include a large assortment of fiction and non-fiction, with the areas of religion, philosophy, psychology, history, sociology and English especially well-represented. Besides books, there will also be hundreds of CDs, a specially-priced section of rare/collectible items and furniture for sale.

Throughout the sale, hardcover books will be sold for $1, paperbacks will be 50 cents, DVDs $2 and CDs will be $1. A bag sale for books will be held all day on Saturday. The cost will be $3 per bag or two bags for $5. All proceeds will go towards funding special projects to support the library, which is located at the corner of College Avenue and Darst Street.

Public and Access Services Librarian Kelly Fisher said the library will welcome donations of gently-used books and audio-visual materials for its sale and for enhancing its collection.

The library is also seeking donations of complete jigsaw puzzles and board games to help build its new student main floor student relaxation lounge. Donations may be brought to the circulation desk during the library’s regular hours of operation.

For more information, contact librarian Kelly Fisher at kfisher@eureka.edu or 309-467-6892.

 HUDSON

 Fall Colors Family Day features hayrides

Comlara Park, 13001 Recreation Area Drive, will be the location to celebrate fall with activities for all ages on Saturday, Oct. 19. The activities go from 1 to 9 p.m.

The schedule for the day is as follows

• 1 – 4 p.m. children’s games and pumpkin decorating
• 4 p.m. pumpkin decorating judging (ages 12 an under)
• 4 p.m. Halloween bag decorating contest (ages 12 an under)
• 1-4 p.m. tic-tac-toe, bean bag toss, cookie decorating, firetrucks
• 1 – 5:30 p.m. Hayrack rides, marshmallow/hotdog roast
• 1:30 p.m. marshmallow toss
• 2:30 p.m. bean bags toss tourney (ages 16 and older)
• 3:30 p.m. relay races
• 4:30 p.m. little goblins candy hunt (ages 12 and younger)
• 5 p.m. marshmallow eating contest
• 5:30 – 7 p.m. trick or treating in the campground
• 7 – 9 p.m. haunted trail hayrack rides, $1 per person

From more information, call 309-434-6770.

 STATE

IDPH urge residents not to vape during

As the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) continues to investigate respiratory illnesses associated with vaping, Gov. J.B. Pritzker and IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike are urging members of the public not to use e-cigarettes or vaping devices.

People who continue to use e-cigarette products despite this warning should not buy these products off the street, modify e-cigarette products, nor add any substances to these products that are not intended by the manufacturer.

The Center for Disease Control’s investigation has not identified any particular e-cigarette product or vaping device that is causing acute respiratory illnesses.

In addition to the general warning of the risks associated with vaping, IDPH is warning of the increased risks associated with vaping by adolescents and young adults. According to the CDC, nicotine found in e-cigarettes causes harm in the brain development of youth who vape, and those young people may be more likely to progress to traditional cigarettes.

IDPH is conducting a survey to try to understand if vaping habits are different among people who have become sick after vaping, compared to those who have not become sick. It is an anonymous survey that takes only a few minutes and asks basic questions about the individual’s vaping habits. The survey can be found here: https://is.gd/understanding_vaping_habits

In addition to these efforts, Gov. Pritzker supports moving forward this veto session with strong and effective legislation to ban flavored vaping products, which are particularly targeted at young people. Vaping products are illegal for anyone under 21 to purchase in the state of Illinois under legislation the Governor advocated for and signed into law this year.

If you have vaped or used e-cigarettes and are experiencing difficulty breathing, chest pains, cough, or other respiratory symptoms, seek immediate medical attention and let doctors know you have vaped.

No nicotine products are safe. If you need help quitting tobacco products, including e-cigarettes and vapes, contact your doctor or call the Illinois Tobacco Quitline, 1-866-QUIT-YES (1-866-784-8937).

The Eureka College book sale will include an assortment of fiction and non-fiction, with the areas of religion, philosophy, psychology, history, sociology and English. Besides books, there will also be hundreds of CDs. (Photo courtesy of Eureka College)

Fall trout season opens statewide on Oct. 19

The 2019 Illinois Fall Trout Fishing Season opens Saturday, Oct. 19 at 57 ponds, lakes, and streams throughout the state.

An early opportunity at select trout sites —the Fall Catch-and-Release Fishing Season — will open Oct. 5 at locations marked with an asterisk (*) in the list below. No trout may be kept during the catch and release fishing period, but anglers can keep trout after the opening of the regular season beginning Oct. 19.

The Illinois catchable trout program is funded by those who use the program through the sale of Inland Trout Stamps and through the Illinois Fish Management Fund.

The IDNR has added one new site for Fall Trout Fishing in 2019, Kaufman Lake in Champaign, maintaining the stocking of rainbow trout to 67,000 fish in the fall season. Rock Springs Pond in Decatur will be temporarily removed from stocking due to a maintenance project at that site.

No trout may be taken from any of the stocked sites from Oct. 1 until the fall trout season opens at 5  a.m. Oct. 19. Anyone attempting to take (harvest) trout before the legal harvest season opening will be issued citations.

All anglers —including those who intend to release fish caught before Oct. 19 — must have a valid fishing license and an Inland Trout Stamp, unless they are under the age of 16, blind or disabled, or are an Illinois resident on leave from active duty in the Armed Forces. The daily catch limit for each angler is five trout.

Illinois fishing licenses and Inland Trout Stamps are available at DNR Direct license and permit locations, including many bait shops, sporting goods stores and other retail outlets. Check the IDNR website at: http://dnr.illinois.gov/DNRDirectMonitor/VendorListing.aspx

Fishing licenses and trout stamps also can be purchased by using a credit card through DNR Direct online via the IDNR website at www.dnr.illinois.gov.

The 57 locations that will be open for Fall Trout Fishing Season are listed here https://www.dnr.illinois.gov/news/Pages/Illinois-Fall-Trout-Season-Opens-October-19.aspx