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WATCHDOG Friday, June 29, 2018
A publication of the Eastern Illinois University/Illinois Press Foundation Summer Journalism Workshop
Tornado leaves Gifford in disarray By Anahi Mosquera, Chicago, Ill., Anika Kimme Champaign, Ill. and Zachary Price, Gilman, Ill. On June 26, Kara Roseman was heading out for a late night shift, but she didn’t make it out of her driveway. A tornado was heading towards Gifford, Ill. — one that was not expected. “The wind picked up and it started to lift my car,” Roseman said. She threw her car into park and frantically ran into the basement with her family, waiting for the tornado to pass. When Roseman stepped out of her house after the tornado, she was shocked to see the damage. Her shed roof was blown into the surrounding farmland and insulation from their garage walls layered the ground. “Everything happened so fast, it was just kind of a blur,” Roseman said. About 45 minutes later, a sheriff’s deputy came to inspect the damage but Roseman is waiting on more details from their insurance about the cost of damage. Although Roseman’s shed was affected, she was relieved there were no major injuries to her family. “We are grateful we still have a house, [and] we still have our belongings,” Roseman said. Just across the street, Susie Schaffer and Jerry Maberry’s shed also faced the consequences of this abrupt tornado.
“We heard the roar…It sounds like a train coming through your yard,” Schaffer said, “It’s like you are sitting right next to the train tracks.” Maberry and his son watched their pool lift in the air, and flew past the
“It sounds like a train coming through your yard. It’s like you are sitting right next to the train tracks.” - Kara Roseman
window “like a flying saucer,” he said. They went outside to retrieve their pool and noticed the damage. Their shed and barn were torn apart and debris was scattered across the yard. Two cars in the shed were covered with wood and metal. Neighbors and co-workers came to help them clean the mess the following morning. The damage was estimated to cost Maberry and Schaffer $175,000 to $250,000 in repairs. Maberry built the sheds for his automotive, restoration and design busi-
The roof of Kara Roseman’s shed was torn off by the tornado. (Photo by Anahi Mosquera)
ness, Kustom Services, which took him about 12 years to complete. Neither Maberry and Schaffer nor Roseman heard a tornado siren. They both live a few miles outside Gifford and say they sometimes cannot hear the siren. Maberry said he heard that both Channel 3 and the Gifford Fire De-
partment initially reported there was minimal damage from the tornado. “Even Channel 3 this morning— the first thing they said was minimal damage,” he said. Other properties in the surrounding area also suffered damage from the tornado. The National Weather Service has not yet released a statement
regarding the damage. “It’s hard to look at something that you dreamed about doing your whole life and then just in a blink of an eye, it’s gone. And there is absolutely nothing you can do, you are helpless. That’s the sad part—you don’t have control,” Schaffer said.
The sky’s the limit for 20-year-old female pilot By Cheryl Chen Lincolnshire, Ill. Judges closely watch the airplane navigate loops and turns before pausing to record their scores. Offering an off-handed comment of, “who is he?” as they point to the pilot, Elizabeth Birch’s aerobatic teammates subtly smile as they correct the pronoun to “she.” Birch could never pinpoint a specific interest but instead participated in “most sports except for volleyball and basketball.” Then when she was 12, her first free ride through the Experimental Aircraft Association Young Eagles Program changed everything for her. Birch fell in love with aviation. “One of the pilots wanted to take me flying to see if I was pilot material, if I would get airsick, if I could
handle it, if I could learn,” Birch said. “I was just giggling the whole entire time.” Now at the University of North Dakota’s aviation school, Birch also participates in aerobatics competitions, with her first official competition having been in April 2017. She said being the only female in many competitions comes with inherent bias towards her. “Sometimes I do feel like I’m treated differently,” Birch said. “Some people see it as, if a judge finds out that there’s a girl in the cockpit, then they might score you differently.” The North Dakota Aerobatic team consists of eight members with only two females. Birch doesn’t let her gender define her, though. With a year of training under her belt, she is already winning and even took first place during her third flight at avia-
tion nationals last year. Furthermore, in her aviation program at the university Birch will be graduating from “a four-year program in two and a half years,” she said. Since she began college in the fall of 2016, she has obtained various f light licenses, including commercial rating, multi-engine rating, and teaching instruction. For Birch, piloting is also in the near foreseeable future. “There is a pilot shortage right now,” Birch said, which provides immediate job opportunities for her post-college. Yet for her, she will be using her earnings from being a commercial pilot to fund her passion. “The airlines is a way to pay for this [aerobatics competitions],” she said. “Expensive hobbies come with good-paying jobs.”
Elizabeth Birch poses for a quick photo inside of a stationary airplane. Ever since her first flight eight years ago, Birch has been infatuated with aviation. (Photo by Clay Jackson, Herald & Review)
The state’s most popular authors Local program has the answer
Local prodigy turns trash
resonate in Effingham. PAGE 6
into works of art. PAGE 3
to homelessness. PAGE 11
Visit illinoisreporter. wordpress.com for more stories!
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HIGH SCHOOL WATCHDOG | NEWS
FRIDAY JUNE 29, 2018
Program manager believes homelessness is solvable The annual Illinois Continuum of Care Institute meeting held in Decatur fights homelessness By Taylor Trimble Chicago, Ill. The program manager at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development states that homelessness is solvable. She is passionate to spread this idea with the effort to hold meetings addressing homelessness and poverty. HUD program manager Nora Lally said she thinks that if landlords were more willing to take risks on the people who are on the verge of being homeless then homelessness could decrease along with other factors. Despite the work that needs to be done to eradicate homelessness completely, Lally said she appreciated the city of Decatur and partners for allowing them to spread their message. “I think the only other thing I would say is that it’s really important to recognize that homelessness is solvable,” Lally said. On June 26-27, the Decatur Civic Center held a series of meetings in an effort to eradicate homelessness. These meetings were hosted by the Illinois Continuum of Care Institute on
Homelessness. Their sponsors included the HUD and the city of Decatur. A June 27 keynote and workshop explored the end-user relationship and tried to make continuum care available throughout the entire state of Illinois. To make continuum care more accessible and to receive more grants to keep the institute functioning, the institute really emphasizes storytelling. They want their meetings to educate agencies on how to use storytelling so they can share the stories of the participants. An annual HUD meeting has a primary goal of promoting and bringing continuum care. Continuum care is a system to aid the homeless or people who are at the risk of homelessness by providing services to accommodate their needs along with an effort to provide housing. Accompanying these primary goals are secondary goals. These include demolishing the stigma behind homelessness and to promote awareness to a variety of audiences. However, the institute does not believe that solely informing people is sufficient. Staff members believe seeing how the programs work and help
“Insufficient income and lack of affordable housing are the leading causes of homelessness,” reports the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty. (Source: pexels)
the homeless has more impact than just hearing about them. It gives connection as well as allowing people to see how things are carried out.
The city of Decatur invited the institution to present the program because it has a strong relationship with the institute as a long-term partner and
offering a number of grants. The keynote June 27 highlighted Decatur and focused on it as a collaborative community.
Every 1 in 4 people in Decatur live in poverty
high school
watchdog Friday, June 29, 2018
A publication of the Eastern Illinois University/Illinois Press Foundation summer journalism workshop
Workshop Director – Joe Gisondi, Eastern Illinois University Assistant Director – Marco Santana, Orlando Sentinel Workshop counselors – Analicia Haynes, Jaime Marcos Many thanks to our visiting journalism faculty who volunteered their time and experience. Dann Gire, Daily Herald Herb Meeker, Effingham Daily News Bryan Murley, Eastern Illinois University Jeff Egbert, Pinckneyville Press Chet Piotrowski, Piotrowski Studios Jeff Egbert, Pinckneyville Press Jay Grabiec, Eastern Illinois University Jason Howell, Photographer Cayla Maurer, Eastern Illinois University
Emily Steele, Freelance journalist Matt Williams, Eastern Illinois University Ted Gregory, Chicago Tribune Penny Weaver, Journal-Gazette & Times-Courier Jim Rossow, The News-Gazette Greg Bilbrey, Daily News, Robinson Tom Compton, Daily News, Robinson Chris Coates, Herald & Review Jeff Long, Effingham Daily News David Hanley, Creative director Christy Kilgore, Eastern Illinois University Students also spent three days as interns at the following newspapers, whose staffs guided them into hands-on reporting and deadline writing: Times-Courier & Journal-Gazette, Charleston/Mattoon News-Gazette, Champaign-Urbana Herald & Review, Decatur Daily News, Robinson Effingham Daily News
HIGH SCHOOL WATCHDOG | NEWS
FRIDAY JUNE 29, 2018
From trash to art: By Jeromel Lara Bloomingdale, Ill. For 68-year old Steven Meadows, one man’s trash is not only another man’s treasure, it’s his treasure. The owner of S.D. Meadows Folk Art Gallery sees broken car parts, old bicycle seats and bottle caps as the key components of a 3D mixed media art piece. While most people take out the trash, Meadows frequently visits junk and salvage yards to find trash, take it into his studio and convert it into art. “Other artists would look for vintage materials in their art, but I don’t want the good stuff,” he said. “God shows me a piece of junk and motivates me to make art out of it.” Much of his work is wall pieces, like sculptures of different faces, that pop out with color, personality and animation. Each subject or face is different, but the materials are the same––junk that people throw out. Meadows would describe his works as folk art which he develops a unique style of his own.
Meadows’ latest sculpture, “Hope,” is made from broken car parts, headlights, electric fan parts and hair dye tubes to name a few. (Photo by: Jeromel Lara)
“I am a self-taught artist,” he said. “I didn’t take art classes when I was in school since there were not much art classes offered.” Despite lacking a formal education, Meadows has been creating art for 28 years, starting out as a woodcarver. He then focused into making decorative sculptures from junk. In mastering such a bizarre art form, Meadows has become an acclaimed artist, winning numerous awards across the nation for his “junk art.” He regularly exhibits his works in art shows, visiting 10 last year and three within the first half of the year.
While Meadows could be described as looking like Mark Twain and Albert Einstein, he has embodied the renowned Spanish artist Pablo Picasso. His works, particularly his face sculptures, have a similar, abstracted, funky style like the faces that Picasso painted during his period of Cubism. “Most artists are not famous until after they are dead, except Picasso,” Meadows explained. “Picasso was the only artist I heard of a lot in my time growing up.” His art is for sale in his art gallery shop in Pal-
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Local art prodigy creates artwork from garbage estine at 217 S Main. One of his large sculptures, titled “Hope,” depicts the profile of a woman with curly hair made from his daughter’s used hair dye tubes. He wants it to be displayed in a public space and hopes that the Palestine community would support him in this effort. It can take Meadows roughly 20 hours to six days to create an artwork. Just like Picasso, who created about 50,000 artworks in his lifetime, the number of works he has created is in the thousands, and he has not been able to keep count..
Steven Meadows may be Illinois’ own Picasso with his abstrct art works that takes him roughly 20 hours to six days to make one. Many of his works can be seen and purchased at the S.D. Meadows Folk Art Gallery at 217 South Main Street, Palestine, Illinois. (Photo by Jeromel Lara)
Age group seven to nine explore the wetlands located in the Nature Center. (Photo by Tim O’Leary)
Douglas-Hart inspires children By Rhaya Truman Downers Grove, Ill. Eight-year-old Aubrey Miller’s eyes light up as a tiny daddy long legs finds its way home on her arm. She stares in awe at the beauty nature can hold. Along with her fellow campers, she experiences new treasures in the world that she can’t get through a phone screen. The Douglas-Hart Nature Center in Mattoon, Ill. holds multiple summer camps for different age groups every week with morning and afternoon sessions. Abby Harrelson, environmental educator at
the nature center, believes it is important to get the kids outside to experience nature every day. “We like to get them outside whether that be out for a hike, catching frogs or whatever it may be,” Harrelson said. “There are a lot of studies done that show the benefits of nature to a child’s health and mind. The campers just being outside and being able to experience hands on is great.” The theme for the seven- to nine-year-old age group this week is based around the question of “what if ’,” Harrelson believes asking these simple but creative questions can truly change the outlook kids have on nature. Camp counselor Kate Diener believes asking
these questions about nature creates a safe environment for the kids to explore their world. “We ask questions like what if [the animals] could talk and what they would be saying,” Diener said. “For the kids it creates a better understanding for the environment that they live in. It’s just the awareness of how they have an impact and how they coexist.” Although the campers are there for the fun activities and friends, they also enjoy being out in nature more than being inside and on their phones all day. Camper Charlotte Bennett, nine, prefers to get dirty and play outside.
“To me I just think getting people outside and use to the nature is important because they will realize how beautiful it is. Now everyone is on their phones and I don’t have a phone so I go outside instead.” When exploring the nature center, there are multiple areas filled with different types of wildlife. There is a butterfly garden, wetland overlook, dragonfly pond and more natural attractions to attend to. The Nature Center is open for the community to explore and the summer camp can be attended by anyone ages four to 12 when properly signed up.
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FRIDAY, JUNE 29, 2018
HIGH SCHOOL WATCHDOG | NEWS
Children craft fairy gardens By Kaitlyn Waynick Colorado Springs, CO. and Megan Bachman Brighton, Ill. A bright yellow wall in the children’s section of the Eff ingham Public Library matched the faces of ecstatic children, while the opposite red wall brought out the blush in their cheeks. The natural light shone on the moss and butterf lies strewn about the covered table. Children were invited to participate in fairy gardening on June 26 at the library. They were given f lower pots, small plants, moss and various colorful objects such as butterf lies or rocks to create their fairy gardens—a project which became popular in 1893 when it debuted in the World’s Columbian Exposition. The library’s activity let young minds run wild as they imagined how best to arrange their gardens to the liking of nearby fairies. Kim Jansen, who has been employed as programming coordinator at the library since March 2018, said she believes art programs such as this are an important part of preventing “summer slide.” That term, according to the Colorado Department of Education, is the “tendency for students, especially those from low-income families, to lose some of the achievement gains they made during the previous school year.” Research on oxfordlearning.com shows worrisome statistic s that summer slide gives children a substantial disadvantage in the following school year. Up to two months’ worth of material learned in such subjects as math or English can fade, leaving students behind their peers. By sixth grade, children who have been affected by summer slide are, on average, two years behind their classmates.
Katlyn Arnett, 12, poses by her fairy garden before decorating it with butterflies and pebbles during the “Fairy Garden Craft Project” activity Tuesday at the Effingham Public Library. (Photo by Kaitlyn Waynick)
To combat this issue, the Effingham library offers a multitude of creative programs to stimulate children’s fine-motor skills. “Today was a perfect example of this. It started out with a basic idea,” Jansen said. “We provided them with the supplies they need-
ed to do the basics...and let them go through the process of what they decided to put in their gardens.” Jansen said the children’s center offers programs for a wide range of ages, including slime-making, pottery and painting. Theme parties such as “Harry Potter” and “Strang-
er Things” are also favorites. Parents grinned with pride when they saw the artwork their children had created, showing it off to bystanders. Myhia Smith, 8, begged her mother to take a picture of her masterpiece. Meanwhile, Katlyn Arnett, 12,
was painting a rock to place in her own garden as Morgan Closson, 11, said she was looking forward to watching her plant grow. “Every kid took it in a different direction and made it their own,” Jansen said. “That’s really cool to see.”
Local history showcased at Crawford County Historical Society Museum By Isabel Taylor Plainfield, Ill. In Robinson, Ill., the Crawford County Historical Society Museum is trying its best to preserve local history despite financial difficulties. The red-brick building with glassblock windows in the middle of town happens to be the showcase for centuries of family heirlooms and entities that are of significant historical value. The museum thrives with artifacts, but the building and volunteers face financial challenges; they don’t always make the monthly $1,300 that they need to maintain facilities. Their annual budget is undefined; they take what they can get, sometimes taking out grants, because they want to keep the museum open to the public in any way they can. Constantly looking for volunteers, the number of partakers has drastically depleted over the years. “It’s a different mindset this year, it’s not like when we were younger, and everybody wanted to be do-ers of the community, said Sue Jones, secretary of the society. G e t t i n g by w it h don at ion s , monthly member fees and the volunteers’ own money, the society tries its
“It’s a different mindset this year, it’s not like when we were younger, and everybody wanted to be do-ers of the community.” - Sue Jones, Crawford County Historical Society Sue Jones cleans out some glass dishes, just a few of the many artifacts in the museum. (Photo by Isabel Taylor)
best to keep the museum up and running. Sue Jones has been a volunteer in the society for 35 years, actively researching family history. On top of being on the board of officers, she also runs the Facebook page on which they post weekly facts about the county. The society was started in 1925 but didn’t survive long because of fi-
nancial instability. It was later started again in 1967, moving place to place, settling at Lincoln Trail College in 1975, only to move again 16 years later. In 2006 the college sold the Schmidt Clinic on South Cross Street to the historical society for only $10. The building allowed for the society to showcase artifacts in fifteen
rooms, and host events in the main display room. Jones says more than 4,700 citizens a year visit the museum. The society has catered party dinners, and is also working to digitize all their archived newspapers, including the Robinson Daily News and Palestine Pioneer. Most artifacts were found in the county, donated by local families, Jones said. In the 1800s Crawford County made up most of Illinois (the land before it was a state) at the time. State officials came down to Palestine
to file their documents as it was the land office for the entire state. The artifacts vary from Native American th clothing to early 20 century Victrolas that still work in pristine condition. Even as a county with roughly 19,000 citizens, the area is built on two centuries of people, towns, and memories. It was home to L.S. Heath, who began making Heath candy bars. His company later was bought by Hershey Chocolate. James Jones, the award-winning novelist of “From Here to Eternity” and “The Thin Red Line”, was born and raised in Robinson. His book “Some Came Running” was later produced as a movie starring Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Arthur Kennedy in 1958. The book was based on Jones’ life in Robinson. Robinson was also home to the Flying Rousch Brothers, who flew a year after the Wright Brothers. Palestine was home to Elizabeth Reed, who was the first woman executed in Illinois. The historical society maintains the building through donations which are greatly appreciated, Jones said. As they are preserving artifacts and history, she believes preserving the society and what it is standing for is important.
FRIDAY, JUNE 29, 2018
HIGH SCHOOL WATCHDOG | NEWS
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Children prepare for the future: EIU Lego camp builds knowledge for kids By Tim O’Leary Davenport, Iowa The start of this week marked the beginning of Eastern Illinois University’s Introduction to Lego EV3 robotics and Lego WeDo robotics camps. Both camps work with Lego bricks and help develop a greater understanding of technology and machinery. The introduction course is aimed for children of middle school age. The course instructor, Justin Bosley, has been with the program for six years now. He noted how important it is for children to have an understanding of how these machines are a part of the workforce and world they will be living in. The kids are competent and able to grasp the nuances of the program; one in particular is Ian McNeil. Like many at the course, McNeil found out about the program through his parents. “My school offers some coding classes, but haven’t taken them since I like working with this more than that” McNeil said. McNeil elaborated that the goal of this program, at least for him is to find a unique way to solve each problem. Siblings Daniel and Hannah Catt did this out of necessity. When they first got the main motor on their machine it didn’t quite fit correctly, as so their robot was slightly slanted. Their mother is an engineer and it shows through them. Daniel had worked in previous Lego programs, one in particular had to do with designing automated animals that would open their mouths and walk around. Hannah has only enrolled in this specific program. Both enjoy different parts of the process. Daniel, enjoys the process of programming and trial and error, the “tactics” as he called it. Hannah prefers the actual hands-on building, which shows in how well their robot worked from what they demonstrated. “I really like watching everything come together and going back to see what’s wrong” Daniel said At the same time as the introductory course,
Kids in the WeDo introductory course attempt to arrange their next assignment. (Photo by Dejon McAdory)
WeDo, a program directed at younger children, has been going on in the same building, taught by Amber Spitz, for the past few years. The focus is more geared toward simple machines such as axles and gears. Unlike the introduction to EV3 course, WeDo is much more teacher-guided. WeDo is more traditionally taught, while the middle school program is much more student oriented. In both, a set of challenges is given in a different theme each year that the students must do with as little guidance as possible. McNeil in particular enjoys this style of teaching. “It’s just part of the process of making it right,” McNeil said. With STEM programs like these growing ever more useful, both Spitz and Bosley said it is a necessary field in the world the students of today will inhabit. “It’s important that they understand this kind of stuff since they’re gonna be working with it all their life,” Spitz said.
Ian McNiel of the introductory course Lego EV3 ponders on how to complete his machine in a timely and correct manner alongside his classmates. (Photo by Dejon McAdory)
Summer camp provides all ages with salvation By DeJon Mc.Adory Broadview, Ill When Mindy Willenborg’s bipolar son died, she immediately wanted do prevent it from happening to anyone else. Through many programs to help people with mental disabilities, she came acquainted with
the Salvation Army, where they would soon hire her for the position that would change many kids’ lives forever. Over six years ago, the Salvation Army in Mattoon asked Willenborg to start a summer camp for young kids with mental disabilities. Because her son experienced trouble socializing at school, Willenborg said she wanted to help
Jude Pesoli and Aiden Zike from Mattoon color in their profession: chemical technician. The theme at the summer camp is career, and the kids enjoy imaging themselves in the career. (Photo by Rhaya Truman)
kids to feel normal. She said, “I want those kids to feel wanted.” Since then, her passion has brought her many kids and has given them the help they need to be more social around other people. Willenborg’s day-camp is for children with mental disabilities or who can’t afford summer camp. She has specifically themed weeks for the kids to interact with different things such Sports Week, which teaches the kids about teamwork, to Career Week, which exposes the kids to a variety of different careers. She also has a reward system to teach kids the lessons of hard work. The kids seem to really respond well to these methods, she said. Not only do they learn lessons, they make lifelong friends. “I actually met my best friend through here… and I’ve made lots of others,” said nineyear-old Jude Pesola. Many other kids also had similar experiences with the camp. Willenborg hires former campers to be counselors and mentors to the kids. “It’s a place where you can be accepted for who you are,” said 16-year-old Aleigha Long from Mattoon. Long met her best friend through this program and a few lifelong friends as well. She says the camp also brought her closer to God, which is very important to her. Starting out with 20 kids, Willenborg now has 81 kids total registered in the summer camp and looks to keep growing more and more. Willenborg says that the best part of her job is not only seeing her kids grow and mature
but also seeing their parents’ reaction to their child’s new attitude and ways of dealing with their mental disabilities. “I love seeing their parents’ reaction to their child’s growth. It honestly makes it all worth it,” she said.
“I want those kids to feel wanted.” - Mindy Willenborg
Participants receive career sheets so they can color what they want to be.
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FRIDAY, JUNE 29, 2018
HIGH SCHOOL WATCHDOG | NEWS
Illinois’ top authors resonate locally
Pat Willenborg of Effingham, Ill. works on a crossword puzzle at the Suzette Brumleve Memorial Effingham Public Library Tuesday afternoon. Willenborg was pleased to hear Edgar Lee Masters was named to the top ten Illinois authors list that was recently complied. (Photo by Keith Stewart, Effingham Daily News)
By Jimeya Mayes, Greenwood, Miss. and Keith Stewart, Effingham Daily News Illinois residents across the state recently voted for the state’s top authors. Some who made the list enjoy local popularity as well. Authors including Ernest Hemingway, Carl Sandberg and Ray Bradbury were the top three of those chosen as part of an ongoing project called the “Illinois Top 200,” where Illinoisans vote every two weeks on a variety of categories ranging from the state’s greatest inventions to its most inspiring leaders leading up to Illinois’ bicentennial Dec. 3.
The remaining authors chosen for the top 10 included Gwendolyn Brooks, Edgar Lee Masters, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Lorraine Hansberry, Saul Bellow, Richard Wright and Sandra Cisneros. “It was easy and inviting,” said Pat Willenborg of Effingham, recalling Masters’ collection of poems titled the “Spoon River Anthology.” “You wanted to go see it and be there.” Willenborg majored in English while studying to become a nun in St. Louis. She said growing up, her family stressed grammar and literature. “My dad worked crossword puzzles and my mother had correct English all the way,” said Willenborg, who, herself, was enjoying a crossword puzzle at the
Suzette Brumleve Memorial Effingham Public Library Tuesday. “We learned to speak pretty good grammar.” For fellow patron, Kassie Stanfield of Effingham, recalled reading Sandra Cisneros’ “The House on Mango Street” in high school. “I remember reading it,” said Stanfield. “ But I don’t remember a whole lot about it.” Linda Ruholl, also of Effingham, was pleased to see Ray Bradbury make the list but less impressed to see Hemingway. “Hemingway I don’t like,” said Ruholl. “Hemingway is a paternalistic individual I have no use for. “By far my favorite would be Ray Bradbury,” she added. “‘Fahrenheit 451’
was an excellent book. When Bradbury died, I had to reread it.” Ruholl also enjoys Sandburg and his descriptions of Chicago. “Carl Sandburg is very good,” said Ruholl. “His work about Chicago is excellent.” Of the top 10 Illinois authors, Hemingway is the most popular among area patrons at the Effingham library, according to Assistant Director Johnna Schultz. Schultz said Bradbury is the next most popular. Hansberry is the Effingham area’s third-most popular. “Richard Peck (of Decatur) is not on here,” Schultz pointed out. “…He’s a children’s author but I’ve always loved him. ‘A Long Way From Chicago’ is one of my favorites.”
Schultz said that while many of those who made the list are responsible for some well-known works in literature, she says an ongoing project called “Soon to be Famous” looks for new, promising Illinois authors. “It’s always an interesting cross-section,” said Schultz, who has helped judge entries for the Soon to be Famous project. “There have been some standouts.” Libraries across the state must nominate authors and Schultz said she has encouraged a few local authors to enter their works but none have done so. “They will accept again in the fall and then we read in the spring,” she added. “A lot of them set their books in Illinois. So that’s kind of fun.”
Palestine business dressing for success By Cassidy Sutton Plainfield, Ill. Seventy years later and Mullen’s, a salad dressing business in Palestine, Ill., is still creating a secret-style dressing. Original owner John Mullen created the sauce in 1926 and now it is Jeff Shaner’s job to keep the dressing flowing. In 1963, Shaner’s dad was hired to work at Mullen’s and shortly afterward he and his mother were hired also. Almost 20 years later, Mullen’s was sold to the Shaner family. Mullen’s sells six different types of dressings, including French and Imitation French dressing, which is what they’re most famous for. “Ninety percent of the dressings made are either the French or Imitation French.” Shaner said. The dressing is made with a secret ingredient that makes the dressing have less fat. Shaner is the only person in the company who makes the special ingredient. Every other ingredient used comes from places that are fairly local. Using local sources has made producing
the dressing quicker and easier. It is not always easy though, because the market has not expanded over the years because of competition with bigger department stores such as Walmart. The main business for Mullen’s used to be the smaller stores but now they cannot compete with department stores.
“We compete not by price but by product.” - Jeff Shaner, owner, Mullen’s
“We compete not by price but by product,” Shaner said. Loyal store owners know what sells in their market and can help keep Mullen’s running. And thanks to local and loyal customers Mullen’s is able to keep sharing its secret ingredient with the public.
Jeff Shaner, owner of Mullen’s, shows some of what goes into making salad dressing. (Photo by Cassidy Sutton)
FRIDAY, JUNE 29, 2018
HIGH SCHOOL WATCHDOG | NEWS
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Campers connect and learn
2018 IPF Journalism Workshop Campers: Top, left to right: Tim O’Leary, Davenport, IA, Jack Dugan, Decatur, IL. Next row: Zach Price, Gilman, IL, Cassidy Sutton, Plainfield, IL, DeJon McAdory, Broadview, IL, Rhaya Truman, Downers Grove, IL, Cheryl Chen, Lake Forest, IL. Next row: Anahi Mosquera, Chicago, IL, Kaitlyn Waynick, Colorado Springs, CO, Isabel Taylor, Plainfield, IL, Megan Bachman, Brighton, IL. Next row: Jeromel Lara, Bloomingdale, IL, Taylor Trimble, Chicago, IL, Jimeya Mayes, Greenwood, MS. Not pictured: Anika Kimme, Champaign, IL (Photo by Jason Howell)
By Jimeya Mayes and Megan Bachman On June 19, 2018, 15 strangers met for the first time. Despite being from various backgrounds holding different stories, they were all passionate for one thing: writing. Eastern Illinois University hosted its annual Journalism Workshop. Campers stayed in Weller Hall. The dorms contained two people per room, though some nights there were more or less.
Internship Locations Champaign News Gazette, Champaign, Ill. Students: Zach Price, Anahi Mosqueron, Anika Kimme Decatur Herald & Review, Decatur, Ill. Students: Cheryl Chen, Jack Dugan, Taylor Trimble Effingham Daily News, Effingham, Ill. Students: Jimeya Mayes, Taylor Trimble, Kaitlyn Waynicl Mattoon Journal Gazette, Mattoon, Ill. Students: Tim O’Leary, Rhaya Truman, DeJon McAdory Robinson Daily News, Robinson, Ill. Students: Cassidy Sutton, Isabel Taylor, Jeromel Lara
In each dorm or suite (holding three people), bonds were formed almost immediately. Holding separate races in each of the girls’ rooms, the diversity taught them about a culture they were previously foreign to. On the boys’ floor, however, some were roomed with the same race. Campers learned more about each other on a personal and intellectual level. The counselors, Analicia Haynes and Jaime Marcos, instantly became mentors and advisers. Home-sick campers could confide in them whenever they felt pensive. In the mornings, people who felt the desire to go running were invited to join Jaime, who is on the EIU cross country team. Anika, who is on her University High School track team, was the only brave soul to take up said invitation. During the nights, the campers bonded through card games such as Mao, Uno and BS. Handball became increasingly popular at the pool tables because of the lack of pool sticks. Fortnite was played, as verbal games such as Never Have I Ever revealed shocking information that helped them get to know each other better. The schedule On Wednesday, June 20, the campers were asked by professional journalist Marco Santana of Orlando Sentinel to interview each other. They were instructed to write a profile on the interviewee, because everyone has a story to be told. From moving out [Zach], to arriving in America at the age of 11 [Jeromel], no story was the same. That night, multimedia was introduced.
Throughout the week, skills such as videography, editing, photography, interviewing, and lead writing, were taught and practiced. Putting the skills to work, the campers traveled to places such as the Charleston Square and Mattoon. There, campers interviewed vastly different people on local topics. These pictures and stories were posted on to the Illinois Reporter WordPress website. Further, the skills were tested at six separate internships around East Central Illinois. The campers, driven by EIU students, left at 8:30 a.m. to travel to places such as Effingham and Champaign, where they worked with professional journalists to cover the communities. Each camper was responsible for a story, and some were published in the professional paper. “In Robinson, we were very efficient because we had all three interviews done in the first day,” said Cassidy Sutton. She covered a business that creates its own salad dressing. In the final days, students began designing using Adobe InDesign, which gave them experience that they could take back to their home newspapers. Each student has a story and photograph in the High School Watchdog. The paper is put on Issuu. The authors would personally like to thank the workshop director Joe Gisondi, Bryan Murley and Marco Santana, as well as all the media professionals who donated their time. The work and support that was shown in the last 11 days was beneficial in helping the campers decide if their future is in journalism. Words cannot explain the gratitude that the campers possess.
Campers participate in social activities and hands-on learning at the Eastern Illinois University/Illinois Press Foundation summer journalism workshop. (Photos by Joe Gisondi)
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FRIDAY, JUNE 29, 2018
HIGH SCHOOL WATCHDOG | NEWS
We, the young people taking part in the Illinois Press Foundation’s journalism workshop, mourn the death of five journalists after yesterday’s mass shooting at the Capital Gazette newsroom in Annapolis, Maryland. Robert Hiaasen - assistant news editor & columnist Gerald Fischman - editorial page editor John McNamara - staff writer & editor Rebecca Smith - sales assistant Wendi Winters - special publications editor & community reporter We may not all be heading to the field of journalism, but through our experiences in this workshop, we have gained a profound respect in a field that is about enlightenment, truth, facts, and transparency. Seeing this tragedy unfold, as a result of the constant attack against the job journalists today, we are further emboldened to protect the press and stand for its purpose of telling stories and defending democracy by enlightening the people. We are in solidarity with the staff of the Capital Gazette.