By Jacob Hamm TUSCOLA- After a several-years-long process of finding a property and securing funding, Linda Scribner’s vision of opening a sober living house for men has become a reality. An open house was held Friday afternoon at the property in rural Tuscola. Scribner started the journey after her two sons died from drug overdoses,…

Ag in the Classroom finished the school year discussing the connection between farming and restaurants. This lesson brought fun facts about restaurants and farm products that enable them to serve us delicious food. We see many large tractors in our area planting corn and soybeans. But how does that become a source for a restaurant?…

By Jacob Hamm TUSCOLA- Tuscola’s school buildings will undergo an audit of electricity use after the School Board discussed an increase in spending on electricity this past school year. The Board revealed at Tuesday’s meeting that electricity costs were nearly $106,000 higher for the 2025-26 school year than budgeted. East Prairie Middle School had the…

By Jacob Hamm ARCOLA- Road repairs and the first phase of a multi-phase downtown revitalization were approved at Monday night’s City Council meeting. The Council voted to allocate nearly $160,000 of the city’s motor fuel tax funds for the fiscal year toward various road repair projects throughout the community. The city will repair various residential…

By David Porter The City of Tuscola is taking its relationship with Central Illinois Land Bank Authority (CILBA) a step further by joining the organization at a cost of $10,000 annually. The city previously contracted with CILBA to address dilapidated properties in town. Drew Hoel, city administrator, previously said that acquiring properties to be razed…

By David Porter The Arcola School Board voted May 26 to ban Frank Hermansen of Decatur from school events. The special meeting lasted two hours, mostly in closed session. Board President Lucas Shonkwiler said Hermansen had secretly recorded people at school events, including administrators, and had been asked to stop. Illinois is a “two-party consent”…

By Jacob Hamm TUSCOLA- The Douglas County Board voted to continue the public hearing period for the proposed solar farm developments in the northern part of the county until their next meeting June 17. The Board voted 6 to 1 to table the final vote on the proposal to the next meeting, with Board Member…

By Jacob Hamm TUSCOLA- The Tuscola Community Building was decorated with dozens of flags throughout America’s history Wednesday evening for the “Flags of our Fathers” event. The event, which was sponsored by the Douglas County Museum and Tuscola’s tourism department, showcased approximately 65 different flags used in America dating back to the Revolutionary War era.…

The Arthur-Atwood Lions Club presents the 5th annual Tractor and “Bragging Rights” Truck pull set for Friday, July 31, at 6 p.m. during the Moultrie-Douglas County Fair in Arthur. The event promises to be a night of smoke, speed, and fierce competition with some tractors exceeding 5,000 horses. Two new classes highlight this year’s pull,…