By Marty Yeakel The Arthur Legacy of Love Foundation’s benefit and auction held last Friday night, April 10, at Otto Center was another huge success. Almost 900 people enjoyed the chicken dinner and over 1,000 participated in the silent and live auctions. Some of those items sold during the auction included two child’s Poly chairs for…

The 2026 Miss A.L.A.H. pageant, sponsored by the Arthur Area Association of Commerce and the Atwood Chamber of Commerce, was held Saturday, Feb. 21 at Penn Station in downtown Arthur. Winning the title of 2026 Miss A.L.A.H. was Adyson Hopkins. Hopkins is 17 years of age and the daughter of Mike Hopkins and Kimberly Cusick…

By Nolan Morse A story that proves sometimes the soil of pain and misery blossoms the most beautiful flowers. Ten years old, an age typically coupled with carefree joy and undisturbed childhood wonder, is the same age Villa Grove’s Aidan Henry said he collapsed, to his lowest. Living on the move with his mom for…

Lidia Manzella joins Army Reserves By Nolan Morse Coming from a military lineage, Lidia Manzella was set on becoming the newest link in her family’s chain, and she wasn’t going to let anything get in her way. Her mother, Jaci (Meyer) Manzella, described her as naturally protective even since she was small. Lidia’s father, Mike…

By Nolan Morse Pizzas cooked in under five minutes, decor that’s handcrafted and picked from all across the country, and gaming in a side room, Camargo’s newest restaurant, RoadRunner Station, offers a distinctly unique experience, coupled with an equally unique story. Attached to Three C’s Automotive, the journey of RoadRunner Station began as a simple…

Wilma Allen celebrates 100th birthday By Nolan Morse Teacher, actor, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, and the first woman in Douglas County to sell insurance. Wilma Allen has experienced many lives in her 100 years on this planet. Born Jan. 14 1926, in a little Indiana town, Wilma looks back at her childhood with fondness in…

Defense Department identifies remains of soldier as Douglas County’s Paul Gregg Staff Sergeant, Paul A. “Dusty” Gregg, of Douglas County, Illinois, had been classified as Missing In Action (MIA) since 1944, after hostile action during WWII. He is MIA no longer. On Jan. 15 of this year, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) declared Gregg…

The 66th annual Miss Illinois County Fair Queen Pageant will be held Thursday, Jan. 15 through Sunday, Jan. 18, at the Crowne Plaza in Springfield. The pageant will be held in conjunction with the 115th Illinois Association of Agriculture Fairs annual convention. Kelsey Moore, 2025 Miss Moultrie-Douglas, will compete for the title of 2026 Miss…

By Nolan Morse The journey of running Dessert First doesn’t just start in the back of the bakery’s kitchen in the early morning hours, it began more than 6 years ago where Samantha Baird started baking out of her home. Thought up as nothing more than just a little side project for extra money during…