Weather
Friday: Partly cloudy. High 90. Low 72.
Saturday: Sunny. High 90. Low 70.
Sunday: Partly cloudy. High 85. Low 66.
Mark Your Calendar
Friday, June 21 Auxiliary Cookout, 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m., OSF St. Mary Medical Center, 3333 N. Seminary St. Pulled pork sandwich $5, pulled pork meal $10, and BBQ rib meal $12. Meals include cheesy potatoes, green beans, dessert, and bottled water. Delivery to your business by request contact Pam McNelly (217) 370-4944. Proceeds help provide scholarships and special projects for the medical center.
CASA
PHOTO SCAVENGER HUNT FUNDRAISER for Casa of West Central Illinois CASA of West Central Illinois is hosting a Photo Scavenger Hunt Fundraiser on Sunday, June 23, beginning at 1 p.m. at Sidetrax Bar & Grill, 441 E. Main Street, Galesburg, IL. Bring your phone and your sense of adventure! Participants will have until 3:45 pm SHARP to take pictures of their group
doing activities from the Hunt List and return to Sidetrax. Once the scores have been tallied, the
winners will be announced and there will be snacks and prizes.
Team fee of $100 (up to 4 people per team). There will be a $150 1st Place Prize, a $75 2nd Place Prize, as well as a prize for Best Team Name. A silent auction and 50/50 raffle will also take place.
All funds raised go towards CASA’s mission to speak up for and support the best interests of abused and neglected children in the court system. CASA serves children in foster care in Knox, Henderson, Warren, and McDonough Counties.
For more information or to sign up, please visit www.casaofwestcentralillinois.org or CASA’s
Facebook page.
Family Planning
Family Planning Service of Western Illinois now distributes free formula, drinks, and cleaning supplies thanks to Hope Initiative. They are available to pick up during business hours while supplies last.
Knox County Health Department
Knox County is seeing hot weather, cooler weather, and rain sometimes all in the same day right now. That’s why the Knox County Health Department is asking for the public’s assistance to help reduce the risk from the serious diseases mosquitoes can carry. One of the ways residents can help is with the collection of dead birds to test for West Nile Virus (WNV). Each summer, the health department collects dead birds and mosquitoes around Knox County to determine the prevalence of WNV in the county. Trapping and bird collection happens now through October 15th. The health department will be collecting a limited number of dead birds for testing.
The mosquito traps will be monitored for West Nile Virus and other mosquito-borne illnesses. If you come across a black box with a white net, then you have come across the mosquito traps used for West Nile Virus testing. Please do not disturb them.
West Nile Virus is spread to people and horses through the bite of an infected mosquito. Mosquitoes first become exposed to the virus when they feed on birds that are infected with WNV. Once the mosquito is infected, it may transmit the virus to people or other animals when it bites them. Many birds can be infected with WNV, but crows and blue jays are most likely to die from the infection. Horses, too, are prone to severe WNV infection.
Here are some simple precautions you can take to reduce the number of mosquitoes around your home and protect yourself from being bitten. Precautions include the three “R’s” – reduce, repel, and report.
REDUCE exposure - avoid being outdoors when mosquitoes are most active, especially between dusk and dawn.
Make sure doors and windows have tight-fitting screens. Repair or replace screens that have tears or other openings. Try to keep doors and windows shut, especially at night.
Avoid places and times when mosquitoes bite, before and after sunset and again just before dawn.
Wear long sleeves and pants when in wooded areas. Keep pant legs tucked into boots or socks.
Eliminate all sources of standing water where mosquitoes can breed, including water in bird baths, ponds, flowerpots, wading pools, pet’s water bowl, old tires, and any other receptacles.
REPEL - when outdoors, wear shoes and socks, long pants, and a long-sleeved shirt, and apply insect repellent that contains DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus or IR 3535, according to label instructions. Consult a physician before using repellents on infants.
REPORT – report locations where you see stagnant water for more than a week such as roadside ditches, flooded yards, and similar locations that may produce mosquitoes. The Health Department may be able to add larvicide to the water, which may kill any mosquito eggs.
The Knox County Health Department conducts active surveillance for West Nile Virus through mosquito trapping and collection of dead birds. If a dead bird is found between now and October 15th and appears to have died of natural causes and has no sign of decomposition, residents should report the sighting to the Health Department Monday thru Friday, 8 am to 4 pm at 309-344-2224; for more information regarding West Nile Virus, please call the Knox County Health Department or visit our website at www.knoxcountyhealth.org.
Knox County Sheriff’s Office
Correction Deputies Bramlett and Gomez graduated from their eight week Correctional Officer Course held at the Macon County Law Enforcement Training Center. Corrections Deputy Bramlett was a recipient of the Sheriff’s Challenge Award.
Congratulations Bramlett and Gomez!
Lim’s Ice Cream
Summer hours for Lim’s is as follows: Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday 12-9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday 12-10 p.m.
Orpheum Theatre
The Orpheum Theatre is excited to be adding two new movies to their schedule for this month! Look forward to Mr. Holland’s Opus (1995) on June 22nd at 7 p.m., and Murder on The Orient Express (1974) on June 28th at 7 p.m.
Mr. Holland’s Opus (1995), rated PG, will be shown as a benefit to The Knox-Galesburg Symphony on June 22nd at 7 p.m. In honor of The Orpheum Theatre’s long-standing partnership with the symphony, they look forward to showing this movie in support of them. They encourage all patrons and attendees to donate what they are willing to The Knox-Galesburg Symphony in lieu of paying for admission to the movie. This heart-warming story about music, education, and perseverance is a perfect fit for the Knox-Galesburg Symphony. And look forward to another movie to benefit The Symphony coming to The Orpheum July 13th.
Murder on The Orient Express (1974), rated PG, will be shown as part of The Galesburg Railroad Days celebration, and is sponsored by The Railroad Days Committee! Get out of the heat and take a ride on The Orient Express at The Orpheum Theatre on June 28th at 7 p.m. Get whisked away into the cut-throat, cunning world of this Agatha Christie novel right in the heart of downtown Galesburg. This event is FREE to the public.
Tickets are not required for these events; more information on upcoming events The Orpheum Theatre’s social media accounts, as well as their website www.galesburgorpheum.org. The Orpheum Theatre is located at 57 South Kellogg Street in Downtown Galesburg, with office hours Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Rotary Park
The splash pad is now open at Rotary Park.
Skate Palace
Every Wednesday until August 7 there will be a free lunch provided by United Way and a free hour of skating courtesy of Skate Palace for any child under the age of 18 from 12-1 p.m.
Summer Reading
State Senator Mike Halpin is hosting a Summer Book Club program to encourage students to read and continue their studies during the summer break. “This gives students the opportunity to have fun while continuing to read this summer,” said Halpin (D-Rock Island). “The goal is to keep kids engaged this summer and reward them with a prize for doing so. It’s a great opportunity for families with children.”The Summer Book Club requires students to read eight books of their choice during the summer break, record the names of the books on a form, and return the form to Halpin’s office by Aug. 16. Every child who completes the Summer Book Club will receive a gift card and a certificate from Senator Halpin.Summer Book Club forms are available to download at SenatorHalpin.com/SBC. Halpin urges residents with questions to call his Rock Island office at (309) 558-3612 or Galesburg office at (309) 297-4483.
Western Illinois University
Western Illinois University will host a free, overnight summer camp starting Tuesday, July 16 at the Macomb campus.
The camp is a part of WIU’s Addressing Equity Gaps Among Rural Students (AEGARS) project, which earned a Rural Postsecondary and Economic Development grant from the Department of Education in February. It is available for any high school-age student from Beardstown, Rushville, Monmouth-Roseville, Galesburg, Moline and Macomb school districts.
The focus of the program is to increase higher education access to students of low income, students of color and students who speak a language other than English at home. The camp will teach the basics of applying for college, explore different career opportunities and provide many outdoor activities for students to enjoy. Attendees will spend the night in the WIU residence halls, and meals will be provided.
"At WIU, we take pride in providing opportunities for social mobility, and this year we are excited to welcome high school students from our region to our AEGARS Summer Camp," Interim Provost and Academic Vice President Mark Mossman said.
WIU Political Science Professor Julia Albarracín, who serves as the AEGARS project principal investigator, said the students will have an opportunity to learn in a fun environment on the campus.
“We are excited about this opportunity to open WIU’s doors to students in nearby rural areas,” said. “We want to show off the benefits of a college education while having fun through multiple activities on campus.”
To register or learn more about WIU’s summer camp, visit https://bit.ly/4ef2vJ3. You can also reach Melissa Telles with any questions at ma-telles@wiu.edu or by phone at 309-252-0721.
Comments