Olney, IL, USA / WSEI Freedom 92.9 FM | The Best Country in America
Apr 19, 2021 7:19 AM
(OLNEY/NEWTON) The American Red Cross is calling on all eligible and first time donors to make a special effort to get out and give blood with all blood types and platelets very much in need. Everyone is encouraged to donate blood since collections have been at their lowest levels since March of last year, in 2020. Here’s the list of upcoming blood drives that we are aware of : Monday (4/19/21) at the Blood Donation Center in Effingham from 1:00 to 6:00 Tuesday (4/20/21) at the Dieterich Community Civic Center from 2:00 to 6:00
Martha Leeper and Jean Lehn recall the destruction of Sharon United Methodist Church in the tornado on April 19, 1996, and how people came together afterward.Â
Editor s note:Â This story is part of a larger project looking back at the 25th anniversary of the two nights of fury, when back-to-back tornadoes struck the Decatur area. Click here for more coverage, including photos and video footage from April 1996.
Martha Leeper lived across the street from the Sharon United Methodist Church.
As a mother of two small boys, she was spending Friday afternoon playing outside with her family before the second storm hit the area. âIt was just a really freaky day,â Leeper said. âIt was very warm and very windy.â
The April 19, 1996 tornado was one of dozens of tornadoes that cut across Illinois on a single day. David Proeber
Itâs been 25 years, but time has done little to diminish the memories of the backâto-back tornadoes that struck Macon County in 1996.
âOnce you go through something like this, you never forget,â said Kelly Miller, whose home was leveled by the tornado that hit Macon County on April 19, 1996. The community was already recovering from a tornado that hit the south end of Decatur the night before.
Millerâs family sought shelter inside their home along Wyckles Road with Lonnie McVeigh, a storm spotter they didnât know who, like them, was seeking a safe refuge from which to ride out the storm. McVeigh was injured when the chimney fell on him in the Millers basement.
Most of those cold weather shelters were hosted by churches, and all were staffed by volunteers.
Springfield s cold weather shelters open on nights when the National Weather Service predicts the overnight temperature to dip down to 32 degrees or colder.
The shelters opened on 72 nights this past winter, according to information presented at the Ozarks Alliance to End Homelessness board meeting on Wednesday.
An average of 80 people were served each night the shelters were open, Community Partnership of the Ozarks Continuum of Care Coordinator Amanda Stadler told the board. In February, we saw the highest number of folks served per night, Stadler said, adding that 112 was the nightly average in February.
Olney, IL, USA / WVLN 740 AM/107.1 FM | CBS Sports Radio
Apr 12, 2021 7:40 AM
(OLNEY/NEWTON) The American Red Cross is calling on all eligible and first time donors to make a special effort to get out and give blood with all blood types and platelets very much in need. Here’s the list of upcoming blood drives that we are aware of : Monday (4/12/21) at the Grace United Methodist Church in Neoga from 1:00 to 6:00 Monday (4/12/21) at the New Beginnings Church in Newton from 2:00 to 6:00 Monday (4/12/21) at the American Legion in Mattoon from 2:00 to 6:00 Tuesday (4/13/21) at the Immanuel United Methodist Church in Olney from 12:00 to 4:00