January 2009

The 2008 celebration of a landmark event in Union County history has received statewide recognition.

Union County has received a Governor's Home Town Award in recognition of last year's commemoration of the 1858 U.S. Senate campaign between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas.

The debate took place in Jonesboro. The site of the debate is now home to the Lincoln Memorial Picnic Grounds.

On Thursday, Oct. 29, Gov. Pat Quinn recognized hundreds of Illinois volunteers for their hard work and dedication towards improving their communities.

In honor of Veterans Day and presidential politics, there has been the usual spate of Internet picture essays of the lives of veterans who have served us and their country with honor. I appreciate each of them and honor them as heroes. I would like to give you another portrait of a military hero.

He was barely 17. Life at home was hard. His country was at war and he was a misfit at school. He left school when his father was only too glad to sign him up to enlist in the U.S. Army.

Cobden’s High School’s Taylor Orsburn plans to sign a national letter of intent Friday to play softball at Southern Illinois University Carbondale next season.

“She’s a good kid who works hard every day,” Cobden softball coach Nathan Emrick said. “She  puts in the time and effort at it.”

Orsburn, a senior, has been a member of two Cobden Class 1A state championship teams. The team finished 48-5 overall last season.

Orsburn had a .505 batting average last season. She had 33 RBIs, 5 triples, 16 doubles, 50 hits and scored 31 runs.

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