Page 10 - Susan Devilder News Today

Marine Band to Hog Days parade? Chamber director says theres at least a 50/50 chance Susan DeVilder The Star Courier KEWANEE — The executive director of the Kewanee Chamber of Commerce, Mark Mikenas, is attempting to secure a military marching band for this year’s Hog Days parade.  The stakes couldn’t be higher, said Mikenas, who has organized the annual Hog Days parade for over a quarter of a century. With the cancellation of last year’s festival and the downright awful year that peop...

Hog Days Committee set to make their move Susan DeVilder Star Courier KEWANEE — The Hog Days Committee took time to “move the furniture around” at their monthly meeting Tuesday.  “Moving the Hog Days furniture” is what Co-Chair Larry Flannery jokingly calling the reconfiguration of several event placements in the downtown area. The move is required because the annual festival lost valuable real estate in front of Coco’s Cookies and Coffee on West Third Street and the adjacent park...

Areas churches plot post-pandemic course Susan DeVilder The Star Courier On a Saturday in March, members of the Church of Peace set out with a lofty goal. Armed with door hangers, about 20 volunteers spread out from Kewanee to Neponset and the rural area in between carrying the message: Churches are open and your church family is missing you.  “Our goal was to get a door hanger on every residence,” said Andrew Christman, who does double duty as pastor for both the Church of Peace and the S...

Kewanees United Methodist caught in middle of national theological debate Susan DeVilder The Star Courier Last month, conservative leaders within the United Methodist Church announced plans to form a new denomination, the Global Methodist Church, with a doctrine that would not  recognize same sex-marriage. The split will require churches across the country to pick a side, and in Kewanee, the pastor of the First United Methodist Church, said he has no idea which side that will be.  “Which wa...

Sen. Win Stoller builds support for small businesses tax cap Susan DeVilder The Star Courier After a breakfast meeting with Henry county officials and local leaders on Wednesday, Sen. Win Stoller dropped by  Country Morning Coffee in Kewanee to highlight legislation he’s recently filed with the Illinois General Assembly.  The bill, SB 2531, would allow small businesses in Illinois to avoid a $10,000 cap on state and local tax deductions created in 2017 under the federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Ac...

Batter up! Kewanee Kiwanis members carry on long pancake-making tradition with roots that stretch through ancient Rome Susan DeVilder The Star Courier Veteran pancake-maker Brock Tumbleson confidently poured batter from a two-liter plastic pitcher forming about a dozen plate-sized pancakes onto a circular, rotating grill. “You can get about 16 large pancakes from one pitcher,” Tumbleson said, who has learned a thing or two about the art of making pancakes over the last 40 years.  At 9 a....

Health Department says online vaccine registration process has improved By Susan DeVilder The Star Courier Health officials say progress in vaccinating seniors, healthcare workers and essential workers has made it easier for residents to register online for a clinic appointment.  On Monday, the Henry & Stark County Health Departments opened up registration on its website for the county’s latest mass vax clinic shortly after 8 a.m. But rather than being snatched up in a matter of minutes, the...

Kewanee Scouts get busy saving bees by creating hotels where the insects can rest Susan DeVilder The Star Courier Jacque Komnick’s garage was buzzing with a hive of activity late Wednesday afternoon as the girls from Girl Scout Troop 4444 scooped flower seeds into bags and reworked toilet paper tubes.  Just one year ago, the group’s appeal to the Kewanee City Council to change an ordinance that would have hindered their plans for a Silver Service project was front page news. The Troop’s ...

Will Kewanee schools have prom and homecoming in 2021? Susan DeVilder The Star Courier Ever-changing safety rules are making it challenging for school districts to plan for the future, but for several upcoming spring events, both school superintendents are beginning to nail down the specifics. After the emerging pandemic last year led to the two districts cancelling prom and in-person graduation, both superintendents see things going slightly different this year. At Wethersfield School Dist. 23...

Elevate Illinois, a PR effort to improve Illinois image, gets local momentum Susan DeVilder The Star Courier Launched in January, a new public relations campaign is hoping to change people’s opinion about the Land of Lincoln is gaining momentum locally. Earlier this year, Elevate Illinois, a grassroots effort that hopes to educate and uplift Illinois citizens, launched the campaign to forcefully push back on the depiction of a Chicago-controlled, corrupt state that is driving its citizens to ...