Regional Media Podcast Network

Abilities Plus has announced Preschool for All in Kewanee. Preparations are underway for the upcoming school year, promising an enriching experience for all preschool-aged children. The Abilities Plus PreSchool for All program has been officially licensed by the Illinois State Board of Education and welcomes both special needs and typically developing children, with no attendance fees. The preschool features diverse fun centers and is staffed by both a licensed early childhood teacher and a paraprofessional. Children aged 3 or 4 by September 1, 2024, are eligible for enrollment. For more information or to schedule a screening, parents can contact the school at (309) 852-4626. Also, the Abilities Plus Golf Outing is right around the corner, one of Abilities Plus' biggest fundraisers of the year. Lauren Dynes Gillespie from Abilities Plus joined Wake Up Tri-Counties on Friday to talk about it and invite everyone to Golf with a donation to Abilities Plus. 

OSF Saint Luke Medical Center and OSF Saint Clare Medical Center are conducting a new round of their Community Health Needs Assessment. Every three years the hospital operates this assessment as a way of determining what the communities OSF Healthcare serves see as the greatest health needs in the community. Connie Wessels with OSF Healthcare is among those who are organizing and analyzing this year's assessment and she joined Samantha Rux on Wake Up Tri-Counties to encourage listeners to take part in this year's Community Health Needs Assessment. 

Legendary Jazz drummer Louie Bellson has a few connections to Kewanee. First of all, his father, Louie Bellson Sr. owned a music shop in Kewanee in the 1930s and 40s. Also, Louie Bellson's little sister moved to Kewanee in the 1950s and spent the rest of her life in Kewanee. But the question that our friend Dave Clarke tried to answer on this edition of Kewanee Back When was whether or not Louie Bellson ever played a show in Kewanee? We know he played several shows in Rock Falls, where he was born, and in Moline where he grew up. But did he ever play a show in Kewanee? Dave has the answer in this edition of Kewanee Back When. 

Today is Juneteenth, June 19th, 2024 and on Wake Up Tri-Counties we were joined by members of the Kewanee Committee on Human Relations, Etta La Flora and Lakeshia Jones. They joined us for a history lesson on the origin of Juneteenth, the meaning behind the celebration, and the recent Juneteenth celebration that took place here in Kewanee over the weekend at the First Presbyterian Church in Kewanee. The Kewanee Commission on Human Relations is already planning for next year's Juneteenth Celebration as Juneteenth continues to grow as a recognized holiday.

Dr. Chris Sullens oversaw his last Kewanee School Board Meeting on Monday, June 17th. On Tuesday, Dr. Sullens joined Wake Up Tri-Counties to talk about the meeting, the Honors for Kewanee FFA at the FFA State meeting in Springfield last week and three Kewanee Track Athletes who made it to State this year. Later in the interview, Dr. Sullens reflected on his time as Kewanee School District Superintendent and offered a little advice to the new Superintendent Rebecca Baney. Dr. Chris Sullens joined us for the final time as Kewanee Superintendent on Wake Up Tri-Counties on Tuesday.

Mayor Inman returns to the K100 Studios to talk about City of Macomb business surrounding Chandler Park, including last Wednesday evening's Chandler Park Master Plan Public Survey meeting, as well as a look at the upcoming Heritage Days Festival and a special announcement of an event to celebrate Reverend Dr. C.T. Vivian's 100th birthday on Tuesday, July 30th. 

To submit your ideas or concerns regarding improvements for Chandler Park and the Master Plan, take the Chandler Park Master Plan survey. To stay up-to-date on City of Macomb Business, visit the City of Macomb Facebook page or cityofmacomb.com.