Sgt. Brian Keith Baptist had planned to retire in November 2025 from the Jacksonville Police Department after more than 20 years of service. His sudden death has changed the lives of all of those who knew and loved him. Brian was known for being the life of every party and was known for his smile […]
Special Issues
Posted inRemembering
MEGHAN LYNN HARMON
A passion for helping others Meghan Lynn Harmon changed my life. I will see to it that her legacy has a lasting impact on others. Born to Beth and Bob Harmon, Meghan also had a younger brother, Kyle. I am the surviving spouse of nearly 10 years, but our relationship began when we were just […]
Posted inRemembering
MYRL BURGENER
Myrl Burgener was a hardworking family man who didn’t know a stranger. Everywhere he went he made friends. After he retired from a long and successful career with Lincolnland FS he became a “snowbird” and wintered in San Benito, Texas, where he was known as the “Mayor of M Street.” Myrl was always up for […]
Posted inRemembering
DR. BLAIR WHITNEY
Blair had many interests. He was a writer, actor, sports fan and book lover. He performed in more than 20 plays in high school, college and community theater. Blair wrote over two dozen plays. In 1979 his play, Vachel, was performed as part of the Vachel Lindsey 100th Birthday Celebration. This work resulted in Blair […]
Posted inReGen
REGEN – Grownups getting stronger
The articles presented in our special section beginning on page 14 constitute the winter edition of REGEN, for “Grownups getting stronger.” Published quarterly by Illinois Times since 2020 as a standalone magazine, REGEN has highlighted active and energetic seniors (who don’t like being called seniors). The first issue explained, “We reject the notion that older […]
Posted inReGen
Coach and caregiver connect
Latasha Friarson is a caregiver with Abcor Home Health. For the past several months she’s been assisting Mike Suhadolnik, a health and fitness coach, to be more independent after a fall a year ago. Friarson goes to Suhadolnik’s home Monday-Friday, three hours each day. Having a caregiver does not come naturally for Suhadolnik, and he […]
Posted inNews
Old friends
George King and Dick Bilinsky didn’t know each other until they and their wives moved into Concordia Village around the same time in 2023. The couples happened to join each other at dinner one night and, as George says, “We just clicked.” Bilinsky adds, “I knew we were going to be friends when George revealed […]
Posted inNews
Mysteries of central Illinois
Sports, mystery, intrigue – two local authors have recently published novels that have similar ingredients but different themes. Mitchell’s book, Theory Markspurn, takes readers deep into the world of volleyball. Those who know little about the sport will quickly learn terms and rules. Mike Stutz, in his novel Murder in Athens (pronounced Ay-thens), spins a […]
Posted inNews
A museum for the right to vote
When El Paso, Illinois, high school history teacher Michael Melick decided to have his advanced class focus on local history, he didn’t predict it would result in a museum devoted to voting rights in this heart-of-corn-country town, population 2,730. El Paso is north of Bloomington, 87 miles from Springfield. But while Melick initially may not […]
Posted inCapital City Parent
Tips for making gingerbread houses
Few images evoke the whimsical magic of the holidays as much as a brightly decorated gingerbread house, trimmed with snowy white icing and sparkling gumdrops, perhaps nestled in a frosty forest scene with a snowman. Lovely as it sounds, the thought of constructing such an edible display can be as intimidating as it is appealing, […]
Posted inCapital City Parent
Holiday movie and book pairings
Kids of all ages love to be read to, and reading together as a family can boost connection in so many ways. Books allow you to talk about all sorts of different topics and themes with your kids and teach empathy and compassion for different kinds of characters and circumstances. This is such a wonderful […]
Posted inCapital City Parent
Dealing with daytime darkness
Here we go again – daylight savings time. The changing of clocks. The unsettling reality of darkness at 4 p.m. While initially cozy, the drastic reduction in sunlight that our bodies experience during the winter can unfortunately cause mood changes, fatigue and a weakened immune system – not to mention, it’s just sort of a […]
