More than 30 distinguished speakers and storytellers will host over 150 Bicentennial events statewide throughout 2018  

EDWARDSVILLE— The Governor’s Office of the Illinois Bicentennial and Illinois Humanities today announced a yearlong partnership: The Bicentennial Road Scholars Speakers Bureau.  The announcement was made at the Mannie Jackson Center for the Humanities in Edwardsville.

This year’s edition of Illinois Humanities’ popular Road Scholars program will feature writers, folklorists, storytellers, musicians, living history actors and others who are being tapped to add historical flair to Illinois’ yearlong Bicentennial celebration.

“We are honored to be associated with such a prestigious organization and to bring these historical discussions to citizens all across Illinois,” said Randy Dunn, Bicentennial Commission Co-Chair and President of the Southern Illinois University System.  “Community groups, museums, libraries, schools and others can apply to bring these free admission presentations to their communities.”

Road Scholars participants Barbara Kay, Marlene Rivero and Dennis Stroughmatt were on hand for the announcement.

“In cooperation with the Illinois Bicentennial Commission and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, we are proud to devote this season of Road Scholars to exploration of Illinois history and culture,” said Illinois Humanities Executive Director Angel Ysaguirre.  “Presenters who are sharing their talents with us this season will lead us on a fascinating journey through all the nooks and crannies of Illinois’ complex identity.”

A complete list of the 2018 Bicentennial Road Scholars and application to host a scholar can be found here.

ABOUT ILLINOIS HUMANITIES

 Illinois Humanities works to build dialogue across all sectors of society to examine issues important to democracy in the focus areas of public policy, media & journalism, business, and art. Using the humanities as a tool to stimulate discussion, we create experiences across Illinois through programming, events, and grantmaking to engage a diverse public on ideas and issues that matter.

  ABOUT ILLINOIS BICENTENNIAL

 On Dec. 3, 1818, Illinois became the 21st state in the union. The Illinois Bicentennial is a yearlong celebration of what has been BORN, BUILT & GROWN in the state and an invitation to fall in love with Illinois all over again.

 Citizens are encouraged to participate in the celebration by visiting www.illinois200.com and using the hashtag #IllinoisProud. Partners and event and project managers planning activities between Dec. 3, 2017, and Dec. 3, 2018, can apply for endorsement to become an official part of Illinois Bicentennial by visiting the PARTICIPATE page at www.Illinois200.com.

Bitter cold continues today. The mercury will inch from the single digits upwards to near 20 degrees today, as the sun makes its reappearance. Lows tonight will dip into or close to the single digits, with wind chills bottoming out around zero early Thursday morning. (NWS Paducah)

Hazardous Weather Outlook

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of southern
Illinois, southwest Indiana, western Kentucky, and southeast
Missouri.

.DAY ONE…Today and Tonight

Wind chills early this morning may be as low as zero to minus 5,
and may again be near zero late tonight.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN…Thursday through Tuesday

There is a slight chance of thunderstorms Sunday evening, mainly
in southeast Missouri. Regardless of whether thunder occurs, gusty
winds should accompany a brief period of heavy rain across the
entire area Sunday night. Keep in mind that with warming weekend
temperatures, resultant snow and ice melt will make for soggy
ground conditions. Even brief heavy rains on soggy grounds may
cause minor flooding issues.

INA, IL– Back by popular demand, the Rend Lake College Culinary Arts Showcase is just around the corner, set for opening night on Thursday, March 22. The event will be held every Thursday and Friday evening through May 4.

The Culinary Arts Showcase is an event that resembles a fine dining restaurant run by RLC Culinary Arts students enrolled in the Restaurant Management course. Using the bi-level kitchen and dining area in the Student Center on the Ina campus, students work in a variety of roles, ranging from executive chef, sous chef, server, runner, Maitre D’, and many more to get hands-on experience in all aspects of the restaurant business. The menu will be announced Monday, March 12.

Guests can begin making reservations for up to six on Monday, March 5 for dates two weeks in advance for when they would like to attend. In addition to this pre-registration, guests will also be required to pre-pay for their reservation at $25 per ticket.

To do so, contact or visit RLC’s Community and Corporate Education Division at 618-437-5321, Ext. 1714 or commcorped@rlc.edu. Their office is located upstairs in the Student Center, Ina campus.

By ReAnne Palmer, RLC Public Information

INA. – Locals in need of an extra lesson on the internet, with email, on specific websites, or with their computer in general can sign up for one of Rend Lake College’s computer classes this spring. Specific classes cover basic skills in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint, with Apple’s iPad tablet, and on the website Pinterest.

The first class – Internet & Email Basics – will get participants started on the internet with help from instructor Whitney Waldman. Participants will learn about different browsers, links, and web addresses, plus each person will obtain an email address, and learn to check email, attach photos, and more. The class costs $10 and meets from 5:15 – 7:15 p.m. Tuesday, March 6 or 8:30 – 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, April 4 at the RLC MarketPlace, Room 338, in Mt. Vernon.

Later in March, Waldman will also teach a course on Basic Excel Formulas & Spreadsheets. Designed for those with little to no experience working with Microsoft Excel, participants will learn to create basic formulas for adding, subtracting, multiplying, and more. The class costs $10 and meets from 5:15 – 7:15 p.m. Thursday, March 15 or 8:30 – 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, April 17 at the RLC MarketPlace, Room 338, in Mt. Vernon.

Uncover the fundamentals of an iPad with iPad Basics. Waldman will show attendees how to set up the tablet, download applications, and dive into important features and functions. The class costs $10 and meets from 5:15 – 7:15 p.m. Tuesday, March 20 at the RLC MarketPlace, Room 354B, in Mt. Vernon.

Participants in the Linux for Home User class will be able to personalize and take home their own computer, all thanks to local donations. In this class, instructor James Featherstone will show attendees how to use the Linux Mint operating system, which includes all the basic programs necessary to surf the web, send emails, create documents, produce presentations, and more. Linux also allows free downloads of applications, giving attendees limitless options for personalizing their own machine. The class costs $50 and meets from 5 – 9 p.m. Friday, March 23 in the Advanced Technology Center, Room 178, on the Ina campus.

In April, Waldman will show participants how to Create a PowerPoint Presentation, including how to insert graphics and photos alongside text, use transitions, save and share the presentation, and more. The class costs $10 and meets from 5:15 – 7:15 p.m. Thursday, April 12 at the RLC MarketPlace, Room 338, in Mt. Vernon.

Learn All About Pinterest, a popular social networking site, with Waldman’s final class in May. This site allows users to collect and share ideas. Participants in this class will learn how to sign up, as well as how to pin, create boards, and navigate the website. The class costs $10 and meets from 5:15 – 7:15 p.m. Tuesday, May 8 at the RLC MarketPlace, Room 338, in Mt. Vernon.

To learn more about or to register for any of these classes, call RLC’s Community and Corporate Education Division at 618-437-5321, Ext. 1714. Pre-registration may be required, and can be done in person, via phone call, or by emailing commcorped@rlc.edu.

HARRISBURG – According to State Senator Dale Fowler (R-Harrisburg), the start of the New Year is bringing promising beginnings for development of a river port in Alexander County. Sen. Fowler also began 2018 by preparing for the start of scheduled spring session, coordinating with local mayors throughout the 59^th District to meet before lawmakers return to Springfield at the end of January and joining the students of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Catholic School for their first day in their newly constructed school facility.

In an encouraging demonstration of support for the development of a port terminal in Alexander County, Sen. Fowler had the honor of presenting the Alexander-Cairo Port District a $100,000 contribution from the Rauner Family Foundation to begin making headway on the port project. The money will go toward soft costs for the project, which includes marketing costs and identifying companies that will benefit from the development of the river port terminal.

Sen. Fowler has been a vocal advocate of the port’s development, pushing for economic growth throughout the region and encouraging investors and businesses to see the potential of a port authority in Cairo. Sen. Fowler is confident that Cairo’s location – at the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio River – is ideally situated for the development of a successful river port and argues that Southern Illinois’ potential is worth the investment.

Underscoring the need for economic development in the region is Illinois’ continued decline in population, which has resulted in the state falling from the fifth most populous state in 2016 to the sixth in 2017, according to recently released data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Sen. Fowler contends that the continued outmigration of Illinois residents highlights the importance of bringing opportunities, jobs and tourism to the state and the region through projects like the river port and the Sahara Woods off-highway vehicle park project announced late last year.

Among other New Year beginnings, Sen. Fowler is gearing up for the start of a new spring legislative session. Preparing for the return to the State House, Sen. Fowler is coordinating meetings with local mayors to get some final feedback on the needs, concerns and developments within the communities of the 59^th District.

Also this week, Sen. Fowler was invited to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Catholic School in Herrin for the first day of classes in their new regional Catholic school facility. Sen. Fowler joined the parade of students and administrators as they walked from the old campus to their newly constructed school building to begin their day in the classroom.

In other news, as the cold weather continues to bear down throughout the state, Sen. Fowler is echoing the calls from the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) to “resolve to be prepared” in 2018. As part of its initiative, IEMA and local emergency management agencies will be providing information on safety and preparedness topics each month throughout the year, including tips on winter weather readiness.

BENTON – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Rend Lake is announcing that the Rend Lake Dam and Spillway Bridge will be closed to all through traffic beginning Tuesday, January 16, 2018 at 7:00 a.m. and is tentatively scheduled to reopen in early February.  This closure is necessary for a routine scheduled maintenance project to improve the revetment protection along the upstream side of the Rend Lake dam.  Access to the South Marcum Boat Ramp, Spillway Recreation Area, Dedication Lot, and Rend Lake Bike Trail will remain open during this time. Watch for closure signs at Sugar Creek parking lot and the west entrance to the Rend lake Dam, and take caution when near these areas as construction will be taking place.

Updated information along with the later determined reopen date will be posted on the Rend Lake Project Office/Visitor Center Facebook page.  For further information, contact the Rend Lake Project Office and Visitor Center at 618-724-2493.