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Point of Departure Celebration to Mark 218 Years Since Lewis and Clark Expedition Set Out from Camp River Dubois

2 years 9 months ago
HARTFORD – The Lewis and Clark State Historic Site will celebrate the 218th anniversary of the start of the Lewis and Clark Expedition with the Point of Departure Celebration May 7 and 8. Visitors will have an opportunity to interact with military demonstrations, historic artisans and more at this free event. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days. Military reenactors will portray soldiers of the Lewis and Clark Expedition’s Corps of Discovery. The War of 1812 American 2nd Regiment Artillery will discuss the war in which many Lewis and Clark Expedition members would serve, while demonstrating black powder muskets and artillery. Volunteers will interpret the “White Pirogue,” a replica of the only boat to complete the entire round trip on the Missouri River with the Corps of Discovery. The reconstructed settler’s cabin will be busy with demonstrations offering a glimpse into frontier family life. Historic artisans will exhibit skills including candle

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Music, Memories, and a Good Time... Trinity River Festival Celebrates Fifth Anniversary

2 years 9 months ago
COTTAGE HILLS - On May 6 and 7, more than 30 local and regional bands will take the stage for Trinity River Festival at VFW Post 7678 in Cottage Hills, Ill. to help raise funds for the local nonprofit Trinity’s Way. Tickets are $10 per day at the gate, cash only. Festival-goers can also purchase a weekend pass, online only, before the day of the event. Advance tickets can be purchased using debit card, credit card, or PayPal on the Trinity’s Way website or by using this link https://www.trinitysway.org/event-details/trinity-river-festival-2022 . Trinity’s Way formed in 2018 after 17-year-old Trinity Buel was killed in a tragic car accident. The nonprofit was started by her mother, April Gray, and her godfather, Chris Unthank, to carry on Buel’s kindness and compassion for animals and the environment. That same year, the group hosted their first annual Trinity River Festival. The organization uses funds raised from the festival to provide support for area animal-related

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Local Teacher Develops Phone Locker Technology to Battle the Distractions of Cell Phones in the Classroom  

2 years 9 months ago
GRANITE CITY - School Districts and teachers have continued to battle the distraction of cell phones in the classroom. Bill Henricks, a teacher at Granite City School District has developed a solution to help maintain the privacy of the student but cut back on the distraction they bring to the learning process. Bill founded Jordiam, a company that manufactures phone lockers, to help solve a problem he has seen in his own classroom. These are not just any electronic storage device, they are designed with the student, teacher, administrator, and parent/guardian in mind. These electronic storage devices are clear and controlled remotely by the teacher by the push of a button. They can be mounted to any wall, desk, or table. Teens spend an average of seven hours and 22 minutes on their phones a day, kids ages 8 to 12, are not far behind, at four hours and 44 minutes daily, according to a report by Common Sense Media. “After a case study I did during my classes, I found that

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Shining a Light on Perinatal Depression

2 years 9 months ago
KEWANEE - When pop star Britney Spears recently announced her new pregnancy, she also openly shared that she struggled with perinatal depression during a past pregnancy more than 16 years ago. In the social media post, Spears says “women didn’t talk about it back then” and that “some people considered it dangerous if a woman complained” when pregnant. According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), perinatal depression is a mood disorder that can affect women during pregnancy and after childbirth regardless of age, race, income, culture, or education. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), one in seven women experience perinatal depression during pregnancy or in the first 12 months after delivery. “It may occur sooner in the pregnancy if a patient has a history of major depressive disorder, general anxiety disorder, anxiety, depression, or even bipolar disorder. If they have these prior to pregnancy,

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Farmers, Researchers Break Ground With New Guidelines For Budding Hemp Crop

2 years 9 months ago
URBANA – In 2019, farmers across Illinois launched into the first growing season for industrial hemp with mixed results. Hemp is one of the newest and fastest-growing specialty crops in the Midwest, and the University of Illinois Extension is helping producers keep up by providing cutting-edge research updates straight from the field. By collecting data from more than 180 hemp growers over the past two years, Illinois Extension researchers now have a better understanding of how to produce hemp and are sharing that information directly with growers through the Midwestern Hemp Database . Illinois legalized the growth of industrial hemp, which is used for fiber and food, in 2018. Demand for the new crop outpaced the data. Phillip Alberti , Illinois Extension commercial agriculture educator, recognized that producers did not have basic information about how to grow the newly available crop. The database project is a collaboration between Midwestern researchers and growers. “

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Scale Up Your Garden's Health With Fish Emulsion Fertilizer

2 years 9 months ago
URBANA – Over the years, there has been a growing demand for organic-based fertilizers to use in the garden and landscaping. There are of course ways to manufacture these organic fertilizers, but what if we could use a byproduct of the manufacture of a different product? It is an efficient use of our natural resources and perhaps even creates a sustainable source. “This has given rise to many different types of organic fertilizers appearing on the market that are the “leftovers” of some other type of industry,” says Chris Enroth , University of Illinois Extension horticulture educator. For instance, corn gluten meal is an organic fertilizer that is a byproduct of the corn milling industry. Milorganite is a hybridized trade name of an organic fertilizer. “Mil” means Milwaukee, “orga” shortened from organic, and “nite” for nitrogen. Though I was originally taught “nite” came from the term “night soil”

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