Olivia Jacobs

6 days ago | pantagraph.com | Olivia Jacobs

BLOOMINGTON — The Illinois Prairie Community Foundation awarded $222,411 in three categories of competitive grants to 97 programs in McLean, DeWitt, Livingston and Logan counties. Grants awarded ranged from $600 to $7,695. Funding came from donors to the foundation's annual campaign, the Jerome Mirza Arts & Culture Fund, the Sapphire Sky Wind Fund and various endowments at the foundation, according to a news release.

1 week ago | pantagraph.com | Olivia Jacobs

NORMAL — Madelyn Jeffers, a busy mom who works full time as an independent speech pathologist, started baking as a hobby in 2018, and it blossomed into a full-fledged cottage food business in 2022. One Thing Kneaded, based in Normal, now offers sourdough breads, pastries, cookies and even breadmaking classes. The name of the bakery was inspired by a Bible passage in Luke 10:38-42, involving Mary and Martha.

1 week ago | pantagraph.com | Olivia Jacobs

DU QUOIN — Rock and Roll Hall-of-Famer David Lee Roth will headline the Du Quoin State Fair on Saturday, Aug. 23. Roth is front man for the popular '80s rock band Van Halen, and helped define an era for the band with songs like "Jump," "Panama," "Hot for Teacher" and "Runnin' with the Devil." The band has sold over 80 million records worldwide, while Roth continues to captivate audiences with his larger-than-life presence and vocal style through his solo career, according to a news release.

1 week ago | jg-tc.com | Olivia Jacobs

DU QUOIN — Rock and Roll Hall-of-Famer David Lee Roth will headline the Du Quoin State Fair on Saturday, Aug. 23. Roth is front man for the popular '80s rock band Van Halen, and helped define an era for the band with songs like "Jump," "Panama," "Hot for Teacher" and "Runnin' with the Devil." The band has sold over 80 million records worldwide, while Roth continues to captivate audiences with his larger-than-life presence and vocal style through his solo career, according to a news release.

1 week ago | pantagraph.com | Olivia Jacobs

BLOOMINGTON — Illinois Wesleyan University is celebrating a class of 386 students who upon their graduation were described as history makers, inimitable, remarkably engaged, intelligent and courageous. They crossed the stage Sunday during the university's 175th commencement ceremony held in the Shirk Center, receiving their degrees after years of hard work, but IWU alumnus Marc Talluto told them their education was only just beginning.