University of Illinois

Chris Kennedy Jr., near center, holding a small dog, and his sister, Kate, right, made a campaign stop on behalf of their father, Chris Kennedy, last week at the Lincoln Memorial Picnic Grounds in Jonesboro.

Kennedy family members make campaign stop in Union County

The son and daughter of a Democratic Party candidate for governor of Illinois paid a campaign visit to Union County last week. Chris Kennedy Jr. and his sister, Kate, were welcomed by about 20 people during a stop at the Lincoln Memorial Picnic Grounds in Jonesboro. He is the son of Chris Kennedy,...

Survey focuses on farmers adopting new ag practices

URBANA, Ill. – Change is never easy. But when it comes to adopting new agricultural practices, some farmers are easier to convince than others. A group of researchers at the University of Illinois wanted to know which farmers are most likely to adopt multifunctional perennial cropping systems:...

Sheryl Ribbing receives state community college faculty teaching honor

Shawnee Community College announces that the 2017 Illinois Community College Trustees Association Outstanding Full-Time Faculty Member is Sheryl Ribbing of Anna. The award recognizes the high achievement of Illinois Community College instructors. Ribbing received her bachelor of science degree in...

From left are Faye Mize, Carmen Dixon and Phyllis Webb. Photo provided.

Johnson County resident completes Master Gardener graduate training

For the first time in nearly 15 years, Johnson County has a Master Gardener graduate. Carmen Dixon completed the 11-week training and will be completing volunteer hours over the next year. Part of her volunteering will include submitting articles to local papers, giving presentations to groups...

Soybean project puts out call to farmers, offers an incentive

In January, the University of Illinois leader of a multi-state soybean research project put out a call to farmers to help gather data for the project. Few participants have signed on, so he is putting the call out again. “We only need two or three producers in each soybean-growing county in...

Tax multiplier, Extension among items on agenda at county board meeting

Taxes, University of Illinois Extension activities, tourism and the hiring of a human resources administrator were on the agenda at last week’s regular meeting of the Union County Board of Commissioners. The meeting was Friday morning, March 10, at the Union County Courthouse. Supervisor of...

October weather in state, region was warm, dry

The statewide average temperature for October was 59.8 degrees, which was 5.4 degrees above normal, according to Illinois state climatologist Jim Angel with the Illinois State Water Survey at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. Statewide average precipitation for October was 2.38 inches...

State climatologist reports August was wettest on record

The statewide average rainfall for August was 6.89 inches, 3.30 inches above normal and the wettest August on record, according to Illinois state climatologist Jim Angel with the Illinois State Water Survey at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. This year’s rainfall just beat the old...

'Twilight meeting' in Pulaski County to highlight farming

University of Illinois Extension is teaming up with area farmers to provide four evening “twilight meetings.” The goal of the evenings is to highlight and demonstrate diverse farming enterprises across Southern Illinois. Organizers said that anyone who is involved in, or interested in, local...