Jolene Efnor from Country Financial spoke with WKEI today about the importance of Life Insurance and specifically getting life insurance early in life. Millennials for example would be smart to get life insurance as early in life as possible. They can get better rates, they are generally the healthier at a younger age and can benefit from developing a relationship with an insurance agent before such big life events as a marriage, a first child, or a change in job. Jolene Efnor laid out the advantages of getting Life Insurance started early on the Tuesday, January 18th edition of Wake Up Tri-Counties.

Beth Looney and Samantha Rux from OSF Saint Luke Medical Center were our guests on Wake Up Tri-Counties on Monday. Beth Looney works on behavioral health and she joined the show to talk about mental health and Seasonal Affective Disorder. Beth offers some terrific tips for dealing with mental health including support groups, available one on one therapy options and online options for aid in improving your mental health.

The Wethersfield School District is searching for a new Superintendent and the search is going strong. Current Wethersfield Superintendent, Shane Kazubowski joined Wake Up Tri-Counties to talk about the search for his replacement and to reminisce about his time with Wethersfield which dates back over 25 years including his time as a teacher before he became the Superintendent.

The City of Kewanee is launching a comprehensive survey in order to garner public input on future plans within the City of Kewanee. Katie Weber worked with the City of Kewanee on creating the Comprehensive Survey with a specific interest in downtown development. We spoke with Katie Weber on developing the questions, what goes into a comprehensive survey and what the City of Kewanee is hoping to get out of a Comprehensive Survey.

YWCA of The Sauk Valley by Regional Media

Whiteside County Health Department COVID Update by Regional Media

The Henry County Farm Bureau is in scholarship season. Several scholarships are available including at least one new scholarship added to the mix of long time scholarships offered by the Henry County Farm Bureau. Katie Laleman from the Henry County Farm Bureau spoke to WKEI about the many scholarship opportunities on Wake Up Tri-Counties. Katie also reminded our farm community that Bushels for Hunger is still ongoing and donations are still being accepted through local grain elevators.

On the first edition of the new season of Sean at the Movies, professional film critic, Sean Kernan had the chance to sit down with Renata Pinheiro and Sergio Oliveira to talk about their unique and brilliant movie, King Car. King Car is about a boy who can talk to a car and where that friendship becomes a toxic presence in the boy's life as he grows up. The film has aspects of satire related to our worldwide obsession with cars but it also has things to say about relationships, the government, sexuality, art and life. King Car is unpredictable and weird and endlessly compelling.

COVID-19 numbers continue to go up in the region and it is straining the resources of hospitals across the state of Illinois including Memorial Hospital. Raigan Brown, Chief Nursing Officer at Memorial Hospital in Carthage talked to MacombNewsNow.com about the rising number of cases, the availability of testing for COVID-19 at Memorial Hospital, and about vaccinations which are ready for patients whether they need the first, second or booster dose of the vaccine.

Monica Aldama is one of the most decorated cheerleading coaches in the country. Her Navarro College Cheerleaders are 14 time national champions and that success led to her team being featured on the Netflix documentary series Cheer which brought even more fame to the already beloved coach. Now, Monica Aldama has turned her coaching style into a book called "FULL OUT: Lessons in Life and Leadership from America’s Favorite Coach." Monica was a guest on Tuesday's edition of Wake Up Tri-Counties.