Good buddies? Every once in a while, everybody, including squirrels, needs a little bit a reassurance that everything will be OK.
“Rough, groovy surface” the black letters on the orange, diamond-shaped sign along the highway declared.
A pair of egrets had found a nice place in a local farm pond to watch the world around them on a sunny spring afternoon.
Ugh...Monday morning...went out to the car...had to scrape frost off the windshield of the car...on the 24th day of April. Guess we might as well look forward to snow flurries on July 4th... Meanwhile... 
An Annabelle Festival 2023 committee planning meeting was held April 18. From left around the table are Debbie McKibben, Dori Bigler, Martha Ann Webb, Gary Dahmer, Marilyn Meisenheimer, Tom Caldwell, Tracy Smith, Barbara Bauer, Susan Prestia and Lee Hackney. Committee members who could not be present for the picture included Tanya Lovelace and Crystal Housman. Photo provided.
The 2023 Annabelle Festival is set for Saturday, June 10, in Anna.  
An armadillo wandered into our yard, and the neighbor’s yard, on a sunny day last fall. As noted in a previous column, the critter did not seem concerned at all about the presence of a human being with a camera.
Did you happen to see the story about the moose that was on the loose up north? As in Alaska.
The Lincoln-Douglas Debate mural in Jonesboro. Photo provided.
Looking for Lincoln, in collaboration with the Anna-Jonesboro Looking for Lincoln working group, invites the community to attend the dedication of a new mural.
A Canada goose looked like it might have been trying to make friends with some turtles on a log one afternoon last week at the pond at the Lincoln Memorial Picnic Grounds in Jonesboro. The turtles did not seem to be very interested in their visitor.
So many things to write about...and so little time... Didn’t expect to wake up and see frost on the windshield Tuesday morning. And yet, there it was...with a promise of more to come on Wednesday morning... Meanwhile*...
Good buddies? Every once in a while, everybody, including squirrels, needs a little bit a reassurance that everything will be OK.
A pair of egrets had found a nice place in a local farm pond to watch the world around them on a sunny spring afternoon.
An Annabelle Festival 2023 committee planning meeting was held April 18. From left around the table are Debbie McKibben, Dori Bigler, Martha Ann Webb, Gary Dahmer, Marilyn Meisenheimer, Tom Caldwell, Tracy Smith, Barbara Bauer, Susan Prestia and Lee Hackney. Committee members who could not be present for the picture included Tanya Lovelace and Crystal Housman. Photo provided.
An armadillo wandered into our yard, and the neighbor’s yard, on a sunny day last fall. As noted in a previous column, the critter did not seem concerned at all about the presence of a human being with a camera.
The Lincoln-Douglas Debate mural in Jonesboro. Photo provided.
A Canada goose looked like it might have been trying to make friends with some turtles on a log one afternoon last week at the pond at the Lincoln Memorial Picnic Grounds in Jonesboro. The turtles did not seem to be very interested in their visitor.
Stinson Memorial Library in Anna once again is planning to host a summer reading program. Activities are planned in June and July. A registration kickoff party for the program is planned from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, June 2, at the library. The library is located at 409 S. Main St. in Anna....
A Southern Illinois state legislator has passed a bill with hopes to keep renewable energy components like wind turbines and solar panels out of landfills. “With Illinois turning to wind and solar as a main source of energy, we need to find a way to properly dispose of these items safely to help...
The host Cobden High School baseball team lost its final regular season game 7-4 to Pope County Tuesday, May 9. Dawson Short was 1-for-3 to lead Cobden’s hitting. Matthew Howell was 1-for-4. Tyler Franklin and Short pitched in the loss. Franklin pitched 4 innings and didn’t allow a hit to go with 6...
Rural Health Inc. has awarded a $1,000 scholarship to a high school senior from high schools in its service region.  Scholarship recipients were chosen based on their desire to pursue a career in healthcare.  Rural Health Inc. announced the following scholarship recipients, along with their schools...
A poetry reading is planned Sunday afternoon, May 21, at the Shawnee Hills Arts Council’s Anna Arts Center. “Random Reflection, A Reading of Steve Falcone’s Poems by Steve Falcone and Lee Hackney,” is set for 2 p.m. at the arts center. The center is located in the 100 block of W. Davie St. in Anna...
A basketball camp is scheduled at Anna-Jonesboro Community High School. The camp will be held by the A-J basketball program. Camp dates are set for May 31, June 1 and 2 in the Union Hall gymnasium at A-JCHS. Boys and girls entering grades 3-8 are invited to participate in the camps. Session dates...
The Alto Pass Area Veterans Memorial Organization is planning to host a Memorial Day ceremony on Saturday, May 27. The ceremony is set for 1 p.m. at the veterans memorial in downtown Alto Pass. The ceremony is scheduled to include a brief presentation and a three-volley salute.   The Big Muddy...
A free screening of the Dan Johnson film, “Under These Same Stars – the Céladon Affair,” is planned Saturday night, May 20, in Alto Pass. The screening of the historic drama set in the Illinois Country of 1773 will be at 7:30 p.m.  The film’s producer, Anne Johnson, is scheduled give a brief...
The Illinois State Police, ISP, Division of Internal Investigation, DII, last week was continuing to investigate an officer involved shooting that occurred on Interstate 64 near Mount Vernon. An ISP officer was shot during the incident. The state police reported in a news release that on Tuesday,...
Shawnee Hills Arts Council/Anna Arts Center and PAWS are looking forward to hosting the Annabelle Festival Pet Carnival on June 10. The carnival is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. in front of the Anna Arts Center at 125 W. Davie St. in Anna Early registration is scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. Judging...

Obituaries

Dale Hickam
Dale Hickam, 74, of Alto Pass, died Saturday, May 20, 2023, at Memorial Hospital in Carbondale.  He was born on April 13, 1949, in Alto Pass, the son of Aubrey and Lydia Berry Hickam.  He married Vonda Parsons on Dec. 24, 2008, in Alto Pass. He is survived by his wife, Vonda Hickam of Alto Pass;...
Donald Elbert Duty
Donald Elbert Duty, 88, of Anna, died Monday, May 15, 2023, at Memorial Hospital in Carbondale.  He was born on Aug. 1, 1934, in Union County, the son of Elbert James and Goldie Marie Williams Duty.  He married Sarah Lea Dillow on June 25, 1952, in Jackson, Mo. Mr. Duty is survived by his wife,...
LaDonna Rae Carter
LaDonna Rae Carter, 92, of Jonesboro, went to be with her Lord and Savior on Friday, May 19, 2023.  She was born on June 20, 1930, in Ullin, the daughter of Lena Crippen.  She married George “Buster” Carter on Oct. 7, 1947, in Piggott, Ark. He preceded her in death on Sept. 4, 1999. She is survived...
Randy Baker, 57, of Alto Pass, died Monday, May 15, 2023, at his home.  He was born on June 19, 1965, in Union County Hospital in Anna, the son of Denver and Wilda Brent Baker. He graduated in 1984 from Cobden High School. After high school he joined the U.S. Army. He spent some time in Germany...
Charles “Chuck” Duane Grace passed away on March 25, 2022, in Upland, Calif., at the age of 78. He is survived by his wife of 28 years, Barbara (Keistler) Grace of Upland, Calif.; sons Michael (Kelly) of Elyria, Ohio, and Marshall (Rachel) of Orlando, Fla.; daughter Joni (Bill) Jordan of Parma,...

Sports

The host Cobden High School baseball team lost its final regular season game 7-4 to Pope County Tuesday, May 9. Dawson Short was 1-for-3 to lead Cobden’s hitting. Matthew Howell was 1-for-4....

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Anna, Illinois 62906
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