Regional Media Podcast Network

Frank H. Craig touched a lot of lives when he was at Wethersfield. Having been there from the earliest days of the start of the school, Mr. Craig fostered generations of Wethersfield students even after his retirement and through his passing in 1945. Part of Mr. Craig's legacy are what have come to be called the Craig Alumni, a class reunion that was first centered upon those who had graduated under the guidance of Mr. Craig. After a time, the Craig Alumni became a very special reunion aimed at people who had reached 50 years since their graduation from Wethersfield. Each year, aside from the COVID years, the Craig Alumni would gather to welcome another batch of 50 year grads of Wethersfield and in 2023 the Wethersfield Class of 1973 will be the latest to join their ranks. On this edition of Kewanee Back When our friend Dave Clarke remembers Frank H. Craig and the people who carried on his legacy of education and generosity.

Tony stopped by for a short visit to talk about Kunes Auto Group on being The Presenting Sponsor for Chicago Bears Football on WSDR.

Kewanee Mayor Gary Moore was our guest on Wake Up Tri-Counties on Tuesday, August 15th, 2023. Mayor Moore joined WKEI to discuss Monday's Kewanee City Council Meeting. At the meeting, the City of Kewanee heard a presentation from Kewanee Chamber of Commerce Director Mark Mikenas that celebrated the fact that Kewanee Retail Sales Numbers have reached record numbers and have gone up each of the last three years. Also on Monday night, the Kewanee City Council approved plans for a new rooftop unit for Kewanee City Hall and approved the purchase of an Excavator. There was a great deal of discussion regarding the Excavator but the council ended up approving the purchase based on the potential time and money savings that could come from the purchase. As Mayor Moore states in our interview, the cost of renting the equipment or hiring an outside company to do the work outpaces the amount that the City will spend long term having it's own excavator. There is also a time saving element as not having to wait for equipment to be available or having to wait for an outside company, work can get done much quicker having the equipment already on hand.

Sparks chats with Savannah Ballard, the Marketing and Downtown Development Director for the City of Macomb about her time in her position with the city as well as the upcoming Downtown Macomb Block Party on Friday, August 25th from 4:30 to 6:30 in Chandler Park. 

For more information about the Block Party or to request a vender booth, contact Lauren Merritt at the Macomb Chamber of Commerce at (309) 575-3092 or by email at [email protected]. 

For more information about events in Downtown Macomb, contact Savannah Ballard at [email protected] or call (309) 575-3015.

It's back to school time and kids have new backpacks that they are filling up for the first and not the last time. Brea Cinnamon with OSF Saint Luke Medical Center wants parents to take a closer look at your child's backpacks to make sure they are packed safely. Over packing, too much weight or incorrect weight distribution can cause long term health issues, everything from bad posture to back pain down the road can come from carrying a too heavy backpack earlier in life. Brea joined Wake Up Tri-Counties to talk about backpack safety and back to school health.

The organization 22 Mohawks is raising awareness of Suicide Prevention among veterans. But they are doing far more than that, they are looking to reduce the number of Veteran Suicides through a more direct and wonderful intervention. 22 Mohawks is dedicated to helping give back purpose to the lives of veterans through Dogs. 22 Mohawks sets veterans up with a new best friend and it has proven to be the most incredible lifeline for Veterans suffering from PTSD or those lost in the despair of depression or loneliness in the wake of leaving the military. Dave and Stacey from 22 Mohawks are helping to save lives, bottom line, and they are bringing that life saving message to Sterling on Saturday, August 12th by participating in a 5K with Sterling Veteran and organizer Sgt Floyd Dunn. The 22 Mohawks Illinois 5K Running for Veteran SuicideAwareness will step off from New Life Lutheran Church in Sterling at 8 AM on Saturday, August 12th, and you can still register to participate all the way up to 15 minutes before things get underway. Proceeds from the event go to support the work of 22 Mohawks in uniting veterans with dogs as well as parachuting trips that help improve their mental health and raise awareness of suicide prevention. In fact, on September 3rd, Sgt. Floyd Dunn is organizing a tandem parachuting event for Sterling to further awareness of veteran suicide prevention. Why is the organization called 22 Mohawks? Dave tells the story in our interview on WSDR. If you'd like to show the depths of your support for Veterans you can run in the 5K and take it even further by getting your very own Mohawk haircut right before the 5K in Sterling on Saturday.

Wethersfield School District Superintendent Dr. Andrew Brooks was our guest on Wake Up Tri-Counties on Friday morning. Dr. Brooks joined WKEI to discuss Thursday's Wethersfield School Board Meeting which included a tour of the ongoing improvements at Wethersfield Elementary and High School. Dr. Brooks discussed the long term planning for the upgrades at Wethersfield and about the new meeting room at the school for the Wethersfield School Board. Dr. Brooks also talked about this year marking the 120th anniversary of the Blish Building and upgrades that are taking place at the Blish Building as well.

The Henry County Farm Bureau is preparing for a series of Farmland Assessment Seminars alongside State Representative Dan Swanson. Events in Macomb, Monmouth, Galesburg, and the Henry County Farm Bureau's own event at Lavender Crest Winery in Colona on August 22nd, will provide farmland owners or farm managers information to better understand how farmland assessments are calculated and the long-term impact of those values. Brenda Matherly, Director of Local Government Affairs with the Illinois Farm Bureau will be on hand doing a presentation and answering questions about Farmland Assessments. Contact the Henry County Farm Bureau if you'd like to attend.