After 41 years of living his life by the school bell, Hancock/McDonough Regional Superintendent Gary Eddington is retiring.
Tuesday was Eddington’s last day on the job, as John Meixner takes over the position effective Wednesday.

Vehicles stretched for over one mile Monday down the dusty path to the Cornerstone main gate in rural Bushnell.
 

People driving to work in the morning may have noticed a large group of young runners dominating the streets in Macomb.

Two residents who live along the proposed bicycle path planned to run through the center of town expressed safety concerns this week to Macomb aldermen. The path would run from South Ward Street to Prairie Avenue, using Carroll and Washington streets, and some residents along those streets have been notified that there would be changes in on-street parking to accommodate the bike path.

After nearly a month of discussion with Mayor Mick Wisslead about concerns and responsibilities, Ransey Vazquez emerged from Macomb City Hall at the end of the day Monday with a liquor license for his Detox nightclub on North Lafayette Street.

When Gary and Deb Gunther of Smithfield decided to retire they began looking for something they could do together.
“I was more field and stream and she was more fine arts, so we didn’t know what we were going to do,” Gary said. “We tried to find a common ground and we were both raised with horses.”
Five years later the couple were two of numerous participants in Friday’s Bushnell Horse Show that drew a crowd of several hundred people.
 

Members of the McDonough County Agricultural Soil Conservation Service asked the city Monday to consider putting up matching money for a $200,000 state grant to study soil erosion and mineral contamination from 600 acres of farmland surrounding Spring Lake.

A fast-moving storm rolled through McDonough County at about 7:30 p.m. Saturday, doing specific damage to northeastern sections of the county. McDonough County deputies and the Bushnell-Prairie City Fire Department stayed busy with calls of downed power lines and a report of a destroyed barn and  a grain bin blocking the roadway. 

Even 90-degree temperatures can’t keep book lovers away from the Friends of the Library Book Sale, held Friday and Saturday of Heritage Days weekend.
The sale started at 9:30 a.m., but the crowds, perhaps trying to beat the heat, showed up early and in droves to browse books, CDs, and other media.
 

Five girls and three boys braved the heat Thursday evening to compete in the Little Miss and Master contest.
The annual event, sponsored by Jayme S. Larson's Academy of Dance, kicked off Heritage Days weekend and featured 4- and 5-year-olds dressed in their Sunday best, dancing and answering some of life's toughest questions, such as, “How old is your teacher?” or “Where does chocolate milk come from?”
 

The state of Illinois is lagging behind on state aid payments to school districts, and West Prairie School District is feeling the pinch.

Two area pastors have found a way to help their respective congregations battle bad economic times.

While most high school teachers are enjoying their summer outside the classroom, 11 area educators attended Macomb High School Tuesday to learn the “Buzz on Biz.”