CCC Inductees to Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society

  Clinton Community College hosted the spring induction ceremony of Phi Theta Kappa, the largest educational honor society in the world, on Thursday, March 6, 2025.  CCC, one of the Eastern Iowa Community Colleges, is home to the Alpha Theta Beta Chapter of PTK.  To be invited to join the

Lions Club Rose Day Sale and Area-Wide Recycle Day

  Morrison Lions Club members are taking orders for roses to be delivered on Good Friday, April 18, 2025.  The cost is $20 for a dozen.  We cannot guarantee a certain color, but your request will be honored as closely as possible.  The colors are vivid reds, pinks, mauves, and

NIL Tree of the Month: Weeping Higan Cherry Represents “Hanami”

  Editor’s note:  If you desire an opportunity to deepen your “life well lived,” visit Anderson Japanese Gardens, in Rockford, IL.  There are 12 acres of plantings, streams, a waterfall, paths, and a koi pond.  Opening day is Friday, April 18, 2025.  Call 815-229-9390 to verify if the 28-foot-tall, Weeping

United Way Pasta Collection Drive for Kids

  United Way of Whiteside County’s Let’s Feed Our Children program is calling on businesses, churches, and community organizations, to participate in a Pasta Drive.  Donated meals will help address childhood food insecurity this summer.  Individuals are also strongly encouraged to contribute.  United Way is seeking donations of single-serving pasta

Rotary March 2025 Students of the Month

  Our Rotary Club March 2025 Students of the Month are Morrison High School Seniors Madi Armitage and Alli Ferguson.  Well done, ladies!  Pictured left-to-right are Madi, Alli, and Rotary Club President-Elect Ellen Smith. Madi is the daughter of Leslie and Andy Harridge and Dan and Jessica Armitage.  She has

Dairy Producers: Obtain Dairy Margin Coverage by March 31

  The U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is encouraging dairy producers to enroll in Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC), an important safety net program that helps offset milk and feed price differences.  This year’s DMC signup began January 29, 2025; the deadline to enroll is Monday, March 31. “We encourage

USDA to Expedite $10 Billion in Direct Assistance to Ag Producers

  On Tuesday, March 18, 2025, National Agriculture Day, U. S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins [recently] announced that the U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is issuing up to $10 billion directly to agricultural producers.  Funds will [sourced] through the Emergency Commodity Assistance Program (ECAP) for the 2024 crop

Wild Winter Wednesday: Musician Riley Horton March 26

  The Windmill Volunteer Educators at the Windmill Cultural Center in Fulton, IL, invite the public to attend the next program of Wild Winter Wednesday, on March 26, 2025. The Center address is 111 Tenth Avenue in Fulton, IL.  Please note:  if Riverbend Schools are delayed or cancelled due to

March 31 Program: Railways’ Influence on American History

  Editor’s note:  Photographed is one of the Union Pacific Railroad “Big Boy” fleet.  Note the tiny man standing by an electrical pole as the engine roared by. Volunteer Millers of de Immigrant Windmill will host a program about the influence of railways on American history.  Historian Mike Matejka, will

March 22 Dixon Flute Concert and Workshop

  The 2025 Dixon Municipal Band’s Annual Spring Concert will feature Guest Soloist Greg Pattillo on Flute.  The event is Saturday, March 22, 2025, at 7:00 p.m., in the Historic Dixon Theatre, Dixon, IL.  We do ask for donations after the concert, if you have enjoyed yourself–and we know you

Spring Begins on Third Thursday, March 20

  Editor’s note:  Charles Yost changed the time and location of his brazing demonstration, to his workshop, after 10:00 a.m. The spring, vernal equinox falls on Thursday, March 20, 2025.  There will be a nearly equal amount of daylight and darkness, at all latitudes of our planet.  The Northern Lights

Illinois Counties Affected by Bird Flu Quarantine

  Illinois Counties affected by Quarantine Designation for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) include McHenry County and Lake County. This Secretarial natural disaster designation allows the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) to extend much-needed emergency credit through emergency loans, to producers recovering from natural disasters. 

Open House at The Blue Violet March 22

  Owner/Designer LuEllen Lee will host a Spring Open House for the public, on Saturday morning, March 22, 2025, from 9:00 a.m. to noon.  Her attractive florist business offers fresh and and silk arrangements; wall decor; wedding and funeral pieces; concrete memorial items; lanterns, wreaths, and candles; Bad Ass Coffee.

Taste of Morrison 2025

  In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, Monday, March 17, 2025, several food and beverage choices will be offered in Morrison, IL, from east-to-west and north-to-south.  Choose corned beef and cabbage meals, reuben sandwiches, desserts, and beverages with a nod to the Irish.  Below are 16 options, several of which

March 23 Whiteside Forum: Celebrate Fish & Wildlife Refuge

  The Whiteside Forum will host Ed Britton, U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service Refuge Manager, Savanna District, speaking to the “100th Anniversary of the Upper Mississippi River Fish and Wildlife Refuge,” on Sunday March 23, 2025.  Please join us in the Community Room of the Odell Public Library, 307