Rambling through central Illinois, pondering a war vs. unseen germs. • • • Historically, when our country goes to war, deserved praise is showered on military members who put their lives on the line for our benefit. The war we face now, though, is so different. This time around, the warriors, in the trenches are medical staff fighting to cure the sick. The true heroes are the first responders who transport the sick … pharmacists who are there to make sure you get your meds … nursing home staffers … prison guards clerks at stores making sure you get enough…

A welcome Chinese import By RON DIETER For The Weekly Post “So, how long is this social distancing stuff supposed to go on? I need to know because my wife keeps trying to get back into the house.” It’s not often that I actually laugh out loud when I read the various memes posted on the internet, but this one just tickled my innards. Paul Gil, in an essay describing memes on Lifewire.com, writes “memes behave like a mass of infectious flu and cold viruses, traveling from person to person quickly through social media.” A particularly vivid description, given the…

By Jerry NowickiCapitol News Illinois Four days after Stark County announced its first confirmed case of COVID-19, Illinois officials announced on Tuesday the largest single-day increase of novel coronavirus-caused deaths in the state. The first Stark County case was announced on April 3 and involves a male in his 50s from Wyoming. Henry County’s latest count of cases stood at 14 on Tuesday. Tuesday’s 73 fatalities in 14 counties – Champaign, Christian, Cook, DuPage, Ford, Kane, Kankakee, Lake, Madison, McHenry, Monroe, Tazewell, Will and Winnebago – bring Illinois’ total to 380. Coles, Lawrence, Richland and Shelby counties each reported their…

Traffic citations & Ordinance violations Not available. Incidents & Accidents Stark County Report 3-23-20 –Ajay P. Patel, 41, Princeton, was cited for disobeying a stop sign. 3-31-20 – Melissa B. Brady, 38, Wyoming, reported the theft of a 17-foot canoe from her residence located on Modena Road. The incident remains under investigation. Galva Report 3-30-20 – Officer was dispatched to the 600 block of Industrial Ave. for a loose pig running around. Several hours later, a resident from rural LaFayette called about her pig and was able to catch it and return it to the farm. 3-30-20 – Officer spoke…

NOTE: Charges are merely an accusation. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Police reports FARMINGTON – Police are investigating a theft of two bottles of Captain Morgan from the Farmington Circle K on April 4, according to a report from the Peoria County Sheriff’s office. ELMWOOD – Police caught up to an Elmwood juvenile at Peoria’s Allen Road Walmart on April 1 after he took his grandfather’s vehicle without permission.

By BILL KNIGHT For The Weekly Post Congress’s $4.2 trillion coronavirus stimulus package includes provisions that promise relief for rural America. Specific provisions in both the $2.2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Stimulus Act (CARES Act, HR 748) and the $2 trillion Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA, HR 6201) feature the following: • Payments to individuals. All Americans with incomes less than $75,000 will receive $1,200. (Families also will receive $500 per child.) Payments will be issued by the Treasury Department through direct deposit or paper checks starting next week. • Small business loans. Companies with fewer than…

Foragers have edge in tough times By Gretchen Steele A natural substitute for toilet paper is just one of many useful finds you can make in nature in these difficult days. As I sit here today, our state is under a shelter-in-place order due to circumstances that many of us have never expected to see happen in our lifetime. Certainly not in the United States, not in our state, not in our neighborhood, not to us personally. We have watched the entire country seemingly lose its mind in a panicked rush to acquire food, supplies, sanitizing agents and medicines. Must…

KEWANEE – The Henry County Health Department will be moving to its new office location this week and will be closed April 2-3. Starting Monday, April 6, at 7:30 a.m. the Health Department will be moved into its new home in the former Save-A-Lot building at 110 N. Burr Blvd. Kewanee. Duane Stevens, Health Department Administrator notes, “April 6-12 is National Public Health Week. We are thrilled to celebrate this important health observance in our new offices and by announcing the rebranding of our clinic locations as ‘First Choice Healthcare.’ Our entire staff is excited about this move, and are…

By John A. Ballentine In what seems to be daily changes concerning the COVID-19 situation, any attempts of normalcy ebbs away. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker has extended the “stay-at-home” directive to encompass all of April now. Besides daily life being readjusted, local Stark County High School students and teachers have been impacted, as well. One of those is Stark County High School senior Rachael Adair, of Toulon, who has faced considerable disruption of her final year of high school. “I’m really disappointed about the musical. We are trying to practice as best as possible,” Adair said. “If prom is cancelled,…

By Bill Knight The coronavirus COVID-19 is spreading like an untended grassfire, inadequate testing means the number of cases is unclear, and attempts to slow the outbreak struggle to make a difference. So it’s difficult to keep up with the threat. For instance, The Weekly Post on March 12 featured an article by Liz Carey of the Center for Rural Strategies headlined “Researchers say rural areas face less risk of coronavirus,” which noted how everyday close proximity puts people at risk – a reason social distancing is important, even in small towns where folks are used to going to churches,…