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The Eastland Student Council held its annual “Christmas Tree Decorating Contest” during December. Each class was given a Christmas tree to decorate with paper ornaments sold by the student council. Students from all classes bought the ornaments for $1 each and decorated their trees. The sophomore class won the competition by donating $90 for ornaments. They received milk shakes as a reward on the last day of finals. The money collected will be used to buy winter wear for the Eastland Council of Churches. A total of $286 was collected. Members of the Eastland High School sophomore class who donated money or sold ornaments include: (left to right, top row) Kaylin Kuberski, Blake Steen, Izy Todd, Tommy Stubbe, (bottom row) Courtney Walker, Miranda Grisham, and Jacob Gilman.

Merle Reisenbigler (left) receives a Paul Harris foundation pin from Phil Renkes during the regular meeing of the Morrison Rotary on Wednesday, December 21, 2011. Each member of Rotary is encouraged to contribute to the Paul Harris Foundation. When an individual has reached a $1,000 level, they become a Paul Harris “fellow”. This is the second Paul Harris award that Merle has earned as a member of the Morrison Rotary. Donations to the Foundation are used for Rotary projects throughout the world.

Milledgeville High School’s Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) organization received a letter of congratulations from the IDOT/Division of Traffic Safety honoring them for their work with the Operation Teen Safe Driving (OTSD) campaign. They created Sammy the Safety Penguin to be their mascot in order to promote “Safety Never Takes a Holiday”, earning them second place in their region, along with a grant for $2000.00. Sammy is featured in the OTSD section of the Caution magazine, published by IDOT.

Sunday, January 15th will be the first rehearsal for the biannual Palm Sunday (April 1st) performance of Handel’s “Messiah” which is sponsored by the Morrison Ministers’ Council. Rehearsals will be held on Sunday afternoons from 2 to 4 p.m. at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Morrison. Singers who own the G.Schirmer edition of “Messiah” should bring their music with them, but scores can be purchased or borrowed. Childcare will be provided free of charge during rehearsals.

“Messiah” was first performed in Morrison in 1956 under the direction of Louise Mathew. Since then, these concerts have become a strong part of Morrison’s musical and religious traditions. This year’s performance will be conducted by Kathy Janicek, choir director at Bethesda Lutheran Church in Morrison. Accompanist will be Christine Holmer of Clinton, Iowa. Anyone who is unable to attend the first rehearsal or who has any questions may call Mrs. Janicek at 815-772-2874. All interested singers are encouraged to join this choir!

Staying true to its long-standing mission as a community partner, Pamida is proud to give back to local communities this holiday. A culmination of events throughout the season has netted big support for local food banks, shelters and families in need.

The Pamida Foundation is pleased to announce that it is giving back to local food banks with a donation of over $128,000. The donation was raised, in part, through the generosity of customers during in-store fundraisers at Pamida locations this month. The program offered customers the opportunity to round up their purchase at store registers. The Foundation also matched a portion of funds raised in each Pamida community.

“The Pamida Foundation is committed to supporting our communities year-round and especially around the holidays. There are many people in need this time of year and we are truly grateful for our customers’ support in important programs like the Gift Tree and Food Bank Round Up,” says Jessica Strohman, executive director of the Pamida Foundation.

Additionally, many Pamida stores participated in a gift tree program to help make Christmas brighter for customers in need. Stores had the opportunity to work with local community services to help collect gifts for those less fortunate. The generosity of Pamida customers was overwhelming as they helped support this effort with thousands of donated gifts.

Earlier this season, Pamida stores also collected coats for local shelters in Pamida communities. The coat drive was just another way that the Pamida Foundation is helping enhance the quality of life for people in our communities.

On Thursday, January 19th, Northern IL Tea Party will offer a forum for Illinois General Assembly candidates at 6:30 pm, 302 W. Main Street, Rockton. The venue is the NITP’s regular meeting place, at the west end of downtown. This will be an opportunity for voters to question the candidates and learn the issues for state races.

Northern IL Tea Party will provide a neutral forum, and invites both Democrat and Republican candidates for races in the 67th, 68th and 69th legislative districts and the 34th and 35th senate districts. The candidates will be contacted, but are welcome to contact us at .

NITP is one of ten tea parties in a 50-mile radius and meets monthly on the THIRD THURSDAY at the community center in Rockton. Admission is always free and the public is invited.

The February 16th meeting will feature candidates for Winnebago County Board and local office.

The March 15th meeting will feature 16th and 17th District Congressional candidates.

Due to the redistricting, 19-year incumbent Representative Don Manzullo (16th CD) will face 11th District Congressman Adam Kinzinger in the March 20th primary. The Democrat controlled remap splits Rockford in two, placing the western half of Rockford in the 17th Congressional District, a seat held by Republican Bobby Schilling, from the Quad Cities. For more information, call Jane, 815-277-1144.

The Northwest Illinois Theater Coalition is holding auditions for the third annual “Cheddar Curtain” Monday, January 9, 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm at the Masonic Temple, 203 W. High St. in Orangeville, and Tuesday, January 10, 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm at the Hanover Township Hall, 250 S. Rt. 59 in Bartlett. There are parts for actors and singers of all ages.

The “Cheddar Curtain” is a compilation of one-act plays by local authors, usually set in northern Illinois or southern Wisconsin. The 2012 season is made up of three comedies, two with historic significance in the region. Several musical numbers and Vaudeville skits will be included to add to each evening’s entertainment. The “Cheddar Curtain” is a fun production for both experienced performers and those just ‘cutting their teeth’ on stage.

NWITC is comprised of three theater groups: Mighty Richland Players in Orangeville, Plum River Playhouse in Stockton, and Backstreet Players in Hanover. Performances will be held at all three venues the weekends of February 24 and 25, and March 2, 3, 9 and 10.

For more information, contact Peter Woodruff at 815-281-0138 or .

Infections associated with formula reported in two infants in Missouri, Illinois

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) is reminding parents and other caregivers of infants to follow safety guidelines when preparing powdered infant feeding formula, including boiling the water used to mix the formula to sterilize it.

Two newborn infants contracted the bacterial infection Cronobacter sakazakii (C. sakazakii). A Missouri infant died, and an Illinois infant is recovering from the infection. C. sakazakii in infants is associated with powdered infant feeding formulas. An investigation is ongoing to identify the source of infection.

Commercial powdered infant formulas are not sterile. Formula can become contaminated with C. sakazakii through the raw products used to make the formula, contamination after pasteurization or during preparation of reconstituted formula for infant feeding.

As a result, IDPH strongly recommends the following precautions to reduce the risk of infection in infants:

Clean utensils

Wash hands, forearms and fingernails thoroughly before handling any feeding materials or preparing formula.

All bottles, nipples, caps and rings should be washed in hot, soapy water with thorough rinsing.

Preparing formula

Before use, powdered formula should be kept dry in an airtight container with a firm cap or lid and stored in a cool, dark area. Make sure the expiration date has not passed.

During formula preparation, bring water to a bubbling boil for two minutes and allow the water to cool before mixing.

Do not use a microwave oven to warm the formula.

Storing formula

Formula should be prepared in small amounts immediately before feeding time to minimize the need for storing reconstituted formula.

Reconstituted formula should not be stored at room temperature for more than one hour or more than four hours in the refrigerator after preparation.

Throw out any formula left in a bottle after feeding.

The Illinois Recycling Association announces a ban on the disposal of electronics in Illinois landfills as of January 1, 2012. This is in accordance with a new Illinois State Law SB2106 (P.A. 97-0287), signed by Governor Quinn in August 2011, that has drastically limited the types of items that can be disposed in landfills.

The Illinois Recycling Association worked with the Environmental Law and Policy Center to ensure that this new law did not result in extra costs to consumers, while addressing the increasing amount of electronics in the waste stream. USEPA estimates that 85% of electronics are currently not recycled; these items contain mined materials that can be reclaimed, reused and recycled. Recycling rather than dumping these items saves resources and creates jobs, many of them right here in the US.

“Many members of the Illinois Recycling Association are electronic recyclers and since 2010, they have been working with electronic manufacturers to fund the recycling of residential items. With the passage of the 2011 law, more items are included and the goals for recycling are higher. This ensures recycling opportunities throughout the State of Illinois,” said Paul Jaquet, President of IRA.

The law requires manufacturers to pay the cost of recycling; therefore, residents using drop-off sites will not be charged.

“The glass in televisions and monitors is expensive to handle and some of the plastics are difficult to separate. There is a cost to recover these items, but the environmental benefits far outweigh any disadvantages,” explained Mike Mitchell, Executive Director of IRA.

IRA was part of a statewide task force that worked to improve the law passed in 2009, originally setting the Jan. 1, 2012 disposal ban. The new law, signed this past summer, bans 17 specific items although most electronic recycling programs accept more than what is listed here.

Televisions, Electronic Keyboards, Video Game Consoles, Digital Converter Boxes, Monitors, Facsimile Machines, Electronic Mice. Videocassette Recorders, Printers, Scanners, Small Scale Servers, Portable Digital Music Players, Cable Receivers, Satellite Receivers, Computers (including desktop/laptop/tablet), Digital Video Disc Recorders & Players.

For information on recycling locations, check the Illinois Recycling Association website at illinoisrecycles.org.

Hospice of the Rock River Valley, a United Way Agency, invites individuals coping with the loss of a loved one to attend a Grief Support Group to be held in Classroom 1 at CGH Medical Center, 1011 E. LeFevre, Sterling. The group will meet on the second and fourth Tuesday from 6:30-8 p.m. beginning January 24, 2012.

“The prime objectives for support groups are listening and sharing. Attending a support group gives individuals a chance to share and be heard by others who are experiencing grief. No two individuals travel the grief journey identically, “ said Rita Wolf, HRRV bereavement coordinator and staff chaplain.

Grief support groups are free and open to anyone experiencing the loss of a loved one.

HRRV also offers a variety of bereavement services to families and community members. These services include home visits, one-on-one personal visits or meetings, or phone contacts. All services are free and open to the public.

For more information about the Grief Support Group, call Rita at 815-288-3673.

2012 is upon us and many of us are thinking about what the New Year will bring. This time of year is an occasion to get us thinking about our health – specifically brain health. A healthy lifestyle is easy to understand but not everyone realizes the more you work out your brain, the better you’ll be able to process and remember information. Carve out time to give your brain work outs. You can do that by creating your own “health club” that includes ongoing learning. Make a commitment to keep learning, no matter what your age or stage of life, and you are automatically improving your brain power.

Learning curve

College, high school, and elementary school students all the way down to K-4 are continually engaged in stimulating learning experiences. These young students don’t have to work on brain fitness because for them, everyday learning is a habit. But that’s not true as we grow older. Think of the brain’s inner workings this way. Some of the circuits—conduits of information and memory slow down. As we decrease our need to keep the brain as fit as a student studying for college exams, the creation of new neural pathways diminishes. So what can you do to have a sharper brain? Plenty. Brain fitness isn’t rocket science. Start by making a commitment to learning something new on a regular basis, weekly or daily and then add in other challenging ways to give your brain a regular boost of energy. A growing body of research actually also shows that people who commit to lifelong learning can lower their risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.

You may not realize it but your brain power has incredible potential when it is “sharpened” and kept fit. There’s no better time than now to invest in your brain’s fitness. As millions of people grow older, many experience age-related changes like forgetfulness or decreased concentration skills. Some people find they have difficulty sleeping and their short-term memory isn’t as sharp as it used to be. Did you know your short-term memory is like a scratch-pad for temporary recall of information being processed? In order to understand this sentence your brain needs to remember the beginning as you read move along toward the end and get to the period. About 70 million baby boomers are heading to retirement in the next few years. Many people join health clubs to stay fit and others exercise at home with family and friends. If you are heading to retirement, make sure you continue to exercise your brain. By learning something new you are breaking the way you think about topics and ideas. You are using brain pathways that may not have been used if you hadn’t ramped up your brain calisthenics.

Brain health tips—a ‘no-brainer’Here are some things you can do to keep your brain sharp and fit:

Use your senses to learn. Know how you learn best, and then use it to your advantage. Some people learn best with audio tapes, others prefer videos or an in-person classroom.

Stay Organized. Take notes. Use both words and pictures. Take advantage of calendars, date books and other organizational tools to help you concentrate while learning.

Journal: Record information of your learning milestones by keeping a journal. Writing down your experiences helps build on previous knowledge and creates good retention.

Participate in educational experiences. Take an adult education class or enroll in a technical college course.

Take up a new hobby. People who enjoy life have found new outlets like quilting, woodworking and other hobbies.

Take up a new sport. Have you thought about learning to ice skate, curl, play badminton, take up golfing or numerous other sports? Your local parks and recreation department probably has numerous opportunities for you along with other community resources.

Play board games and puzzles. The more you play the better your mental dexterity will likely become.

It’s time to stoke the fires of aging in the brain. Build your own “health club” which includes a variety of brain fitness activities. It’s never too late to learn something new and feed an aging brain.

Mark Underwood is a neuroscience researcher, president and co-founder of Quincy Bioscience, a biotech company located in Madison, Wisconsin focused on the discovery and development of medicines to treat age related memory loss and the diseases of aging. Mark has been taped as an expert in the field of neuroscience for The Wall Street Journal Morning Radio, CBS and CNN Radio among others. Mark is also a contributor to the “Brain Health Guide” which highlights the research at Quincy Bioscience and offers practical tips to help keep health brain function in aging. Visit TheGoodNewsAboutAging.com for more articles and tips for healthy aging.

On Dec. 14, 2011, the date of the Jo Daviess County 2011 annual Christmas Bird Count, fog blanketed the count area. It was so foggy on the ridges that the counters, members of the Eagle Nature Foundation and the Conservation Guardians of Northwestern Illinois, could not even see the tops of the trees, let alone any birds that were in them. Still the 21 counters working in six teams recorded 2392 birds of 38 species on the count day.

The European Starling was the species that was most birds sighted, 397. Two species tied for second place, the American Crow and the Dark Eyed Junco with 297 individuals for each species. Third place was the House Sparrow with 207 individuals. And fourth place was the American Goldfinch with 173 individual birds sighted. All of the rest had fewer than 100 individual birds recorded. Some of these include American Tree Sparrow, 94; Black-capped Chickadee, 93; Rock Pigeon, 84; Blue Jay, 81; Northern Cardinal, 79; Wild Turkey, 72; Cedar Waxwing, 57; Tufted Titmouse, 55; Mourning Dove, 53; House Finch, 52; Canada Goose, 45; Mallard, 44; White-Breasted Nuthatch, 35; and Red-tailed Hawk, 35.

The mild weather is possibly the reason for the almost lack of winter birds. Only one Rough-legged Hawk and one Pine Siskin was seen, while no Snow Buntings, Horned Larks, Lapland Longspurs, or Northern Goshawks were seen like they had been in past years. The mild winter with little frozen water was the reason that more ducks and geese were seen. Other summer birds recorded include: 2 White Crowned Sparrow, 5 Field Sparrow, 16 Eastern Bluebirds, 7 Belted Kingfishers, 16 Kestrels and 1 Canvasback Duck.

Birds that had been counted in other years include: Red-Shouldered Hawk, Ring-necked Pheasant, Great Blue Heron, Killdeer, Robin, Barred Owl, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Song Sparrow, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Red-Winged Blackbird, Grackle, and Brown-headed Cowbird. The changes in both weather and habitat account for most of these birds not being seen this year.

Terrence N. Ingram, President & Executive Director Eagle Nature Foundation, Ltd. 300 East Hickory Street Apple River, IL 61001 Ph:815-594-2306