The Village of Rushville Board of Trustees made key appointments and approved updates to village policies and fees during its annual organizational meeting held April 14 Mayor Art Rilands opened the meeting by confirming appointments to several boards Planning Board appointments included Ed Gilman as Chair and David Bradshaw were appointed to the Zoning Board of Appeals and Heather Bassett filling other leadership roles Jeannie Kesel was reappointed as Clerk/Treasurer and Registrar of Vital Statistics while Joanne Burley was named Deputy Clerk/Treasurer and Deputy Registrar Amanda Bishop was appointed as Village Historian for a one-year term The Board approved Jim Adams as Fire Chief of the Rushville Hose Company and accepted rosters of drivers and fire police Trustee Karen Gorton was appointed Vice-Mayor Geoff Ostrander was named Village Health Officer for a four-year term expiring May 31 Trustee committee assignments were unanimously approved The Board also reaffirmed appointments for professional services naming Graff Law Office as Village Attorney Local Government Support Services LLC as Village Accountant Miscellaneous designations included setting Lyons National Bank as the official depository and the Finger Lakes Times as the official newspaper Regular monthly meetings will continue to be held on the second Monday of each month at 7:00 p.m The Board approved updates to various village fees including rental fees for village facilities The mileage reimbursement rate was set at $0.70 per mile Trustees also approved the village’s procurement New procedures for unpaid water and sewer charges were adopted allowing for late fees and relevies if balances remain unpaid after March 15 annually The meeting concluded with no public comment A motion to adjourn was unanimously approved at 6:18 p.m. Get the latest headlines delivered to your inbox each morning. Sign up for our Morning Edition to start your day. FL1 on the Go! Download the free FingerLakes1.com App for iOS (iPhone, iPad) FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to [email protected] (KHQA) — A man who stole and crashed an ambulance in Rushville has now been charged with attempted murder RELATED: Man crashes stolen Beardstown ambulance after wild chase through Rushville streets James Bowman of Ripley had stolen a Beardstown ambulance from Culbertson Hospital on January 9th. Bowman fled the hospital in the ambulance, a 911 call was made, and officers alerted. Bowman refused to stop for officers and eventually left town, heading east on Adams Road. In the course of the eluding, he sideswiped the Chief of Police of Rushville's squad car. Bowman then proceeded back into Rushville and crashed on Adams Road near Orchard Lake Drive. Bowman and the Chief of Police were taken to Culbertson Hospital after the crash. The Chief of Police was released, and Bowman was transferred to Springfield. Bowman has been charged with the following citations: Attempted Murder, Leaving the Scene of an Accident, 4 counts of Reckless Driving with 1 being in a School Zone, Aggravated Fleeing & Eluding, Theft of Government Property exceeding $100,000.00, and 8 counts of Disobeying a Stop Sign. Additional charges may be filed at a later date. Flash flood warning until 12:45 Tuesday morning for portions of Genesee, Livingston and Wyoming counties RadarMissing man from Rushville found safeby WHAM (April 14 at 7:10 p.m.: Deputies say that Batson was found safe Monday evening — The Ontario County Sheriff’s Office is searching for a missing man from Rushville Deputies say that 80-year-old William Batson was last seen on Monday afternoon He was last seen driving a Black 2023 Toyota Camry with the license plate KEK8442 Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call 911 or the Ontario County Sheriff’s Office at 585-394-4560 The Hub Arts & Cultural Center has grown its programming during its decade at 210 N But we’ve outgrown it,” said Executive Director Erin Eveland She said the building is basically one large room making it difficult to hold multiple events at once or conduct office-related work while events are taking place the non-profit is now conducting a capital campaign with the hope of acquiring a larger space that will give them a place to grow Eveland said they have their sights set on Washington School The Schuyler-Industry School District will move students out of that building once an addition is completed at Webster Elementary perhaps in time for the start of next school year “What Washington will allow us to do is to add on specific studios and have more space,” Eveland said they plan to have a ceramics and glass studio They also intend to rent out artist studios She said they might also plant a community garden and they will keep the playground in place for kids in that part of town Eveland said the school district is expected to accept sealed bids for the building She said The Hub’s goal is to raise $300,000 during its capital campaign They hope that will be enough to pay for the purchase Il — The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released an in depth report on the bus accident that killed five in Rushville last March The report covers all aspects of the crash including the events leading up to it and what happened immediately after It includes things like interviews with friends and family of the bus driver the NTSB state they are looking to increase safety crossed the center line and collided with the semi trailer You can find the report in its entirety here Joe was  a son of Mary Ann (Fry) and Robert M Bridges  both of Rushville.  They both survive him and will miss him every day and little brother Brendan grew up and were raised on Jackson Street.  They were all members of Saint Mary Catholic Church.  He graduated from RCHS in 1996 and then attended Vincennes University.  He also was member of the Knights of Columbus 769 He was a commercial refrigeration tech over 20 years.  He was a member of and worked for the Chicago Pipefitters Local 597.  Prior to the union he had worked for Deem and his former wife Carrie Listman both of Valparaiso Jaxon Bridges and Eli Bridges will also miss their uncle.  Joe had many friends with fond memories Mary Catholic Church in Rushville.  A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated 11:00 AM with Rev Dustin Boehm,  Visitation will be 9:30 AM until the time of the service at church.  Joe will be buried at Calvary Cemetery memorial contributions may be made to Decatur County Community Foundation (Greensburg Schools Sensory Garden Fund) 101 E IN 47240.  envelopes will be available at the church service.  Schuyler County authorities arrested a Rushville man Thursday on multiple child pornography possession charges is currently lodged at the Schuyler County Jail and has been charged with 12 counts of reproduction of child pornography by the Schuyler County State’s Attorney’s Office No further information on Ruple’s arrest is available He is scheduled for a first appearance in court this morning 2025: The Illinois Attorney General’s office has announced they have brought the charges against Ruple who was identified as a security and therapy aide for the Department of Human Services Rushville Treatment and Detention Facility The Attorney General’s office charged Ruple in Schuyler County Circuit Court with two counts of dissemination of child pornography each Class X felonies punishable by up to 30 years in prison; and 10 counts of possession of child pornography Class 2 felonies punishable by up to seven years in prison Ruple is currently detained at the Schuyler County Jail and his next court date is scheduled for Monday along with officers from the Illinois State Police (ISP) Schuyler County Sheriff’s Office and Rushville Police Department conducted a search of Ruple’s residence in the 100 block of Anderson St Ruple was taken into custody after investigators discovered evidence of child sexual abuse material Ruple was employed at DHS’ Treatment and Detention Facility Under the Sexually Violent Persons Commitment Act a person must have been convicted of a sexually violent offense and suffer from a mental disorder to be held at the TDF Raoul’s office is prosecuting this case with Schuyler County State’s Attorney’s office One man is back in the hospital after stealing and crashing a Beardstown ambulance in Rushville According to Schuyler County Sheriff Bill Redshaw of Ripley was admitted into Culbertson Hospital for an unknown reason After becoming aggravated and assaulting a staff member he entered the Beardstown ambulance which was idling near the hospital He then led Beardstown Police and Schuyler County deputies on a lengthy chase heading the wrong direction on East Lafayette Street before turning around and heading back into town Bowman finally drove through a resident's yard Eventually Bowman drove the ambulance into a ditch Bowman was sedated and sent back to Culbertson Hospital eventually being flown to Springfield with unknown injuries Bowman is currently on parole and is being held on a Department of Corrections warrant Sheriff Redshaw did not know exactly what Bowman will be charged with but he said at least reckless driving and theft of government property KHQA will bring you additional updates on this story as they become available A Rushville woman was arrested in Penn Yan last week after police identified her as the suspect in a recent shoplifting case was taken into custody on April 17 after returning to the same store where police say she had previously stolen merchandise An employee recognized Lohnes from the March 31 incident and contacted authorities Responding officers matched Lohnes to a suspect captured on surveillance video She was identified through her driver’s license and admitted during questioning that she had committed the theft Lohnes was charged with petit larceny and released with an appearance ticket for Penn Yan Village Court FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to [email protected]. Ill (WICS) — The National Transportation Safety Board has released their investigation into the Rushville school bus crash that left five dead a Schuyler-Industry Community Unit school bus was traveling on Route 24 it veered into the opposite lane and struck a semi-trailer head-on Both of the drivers and three student passengers all under the age of six were fatally injured The investigation includes crash reconstructions Part of the report included both medical records for the bus driver and toxicology reports on what prescription medications were in her system at the time of the crash bus driver Angela Spiker's family said she suffered from chronic pain and migraines...which would exhaust her Although reports said Spiker seemed alert and awake the day of the crash.. Spiker's autopsy reports show that she was taking medication that could have impacted her ability to drive a vehicle or operate heavy machinery.. The autopsy reports said she was taking Tramadol that treats seizure disorders and nerve pain...which the report said can impact driving And that other mediations in her system could've exacerbated sedative effects The report notes that school bus driver medical examinations and certificates don't require the documentation of current medication use a doctor approved Spiker to drive a school bus in February of 2024 The report also included Spiker's activities before the crash noting there's no evidence she was using her phone when the crash happened Spiker's family said Spiker took the responsibility of being a bus driver to heart They told NTSB that she loved her job and was everybody's 'Nana.' The report does not say that Spiker's medical history or medications played a role in the crash NTSB said the purpose of the report is to increase safety they say the intent is to issue safety recommendations to prevent similar tragedies Several factors that could've impacted the crash were reviewed in the nearly 800-page report You can find the full report here: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/?NTSBNumber=HWY24MH005 We recently migrated newspressnow.com to a new platform so it's possible the old URL you were requesting has changed Please try using the search box above to find the page you're looking for The New Palestine boys basketball team opens sectional play tonight at Shelbyville against Rushville https://public.eventlink.com/tickets?t=115028 Audio: NewPalRadio.com SETTING THE SCENE The Dragons open their 108th IHSAA Tournament with a game against the Rushville Lions at Shelbyville This year marks the 17th time the Dragons will play a sectional at Shelbyville having also done so from 1969-79 in single-class play and from 1998-2001 and again in 2008 in the class era The Dragons have also played in the Shelbyville regional three times The Dragons are in Class 3A for the first time since 2017 The Dragons have won two 3A sectional titles The Dragons are seeking their 12th sectional title in school history They enter having won back-to-back sectional championships in 2023 and 2024 and four titles in the last six seasons dating to 2019 NP holds a 26-12 lead in the all-time series against Rushville and has won 13 straight meetings dating to 2011 The Dragons have won both postseason meetings in the 2000 and 2001 Shelbyville sectional tourneys DRAGONS NOTES The Dragons finished a 21-3 regular season last week to clinch their third straight 20-win season and their fourth in school history The Dragons’ record for wins in a season is 23 The Dragons’ senior class is the winningest in school history - they are 85-19 since 2021 The Dragons ended the regular season with a 67-60 overtime win over Warren Central Julius Gizzi scored four points in the last 50 seconds to lead the Dragons back from a late deficit It marked the Dragons’ third victory this season when trailing by multiple possessions in the final minute The Dragons then scored on every possession in OT starting with a Ben Slagley basket and finishing with 13-of-16 free throw shooting in the extra session Gizzi scored 30 points on 7-13 from the floor and 16-22 from the line Moses Haynes added 11 points and four assists Austin McMahan and Evan Darrah scored eight each Gizzi became the Dragons’ all-time leading basketball scorer Thursday night The duo is one of six sibling pairs statewide to hold both of their schools’ scoring records Haynes extended his school career assists record to 434 and steals record to 135 last week He needs three assists to tie his own single-season mark of 182 Slagley tallied his 100th career blocked shot last week He and John Allison are the only two Dragons to reach that milestone When he steps on the floor in his next game Slagley will tie Blaine Nunnally’s record for games played in a career with 97 The Dragons have posted 10 double-doubles this season Gizzi and Slagley have three each - one of Slagley’s is a triple-double and another is a rebounds/assists double-double Both of Haynes’ are points/assists double-doubles Gizzi is fourth in the state in scoring and second in the HHC Haynes is fifth in the state and first in the HHC in assists Slagley leads the HHC in blocked shots (1.3 bpg) SCOUTING THE LIONS Rushville enters having won two of its last three games including a 58-49 Thursday victory over North Decatur The Lions are led by junior Clayton Chase (8.0 ppg sophomore Zy Adams (7.3 ppg) and senior Xxzavien Jenkins (7.3 ppg) LOOKING AHEAD The winner will face Beech Grove at 6 p.m Friday in the first semifinal at Shelbyville. FOLLOW THE DRAGONS All Dragons games The Dragons are also on Facebook and Instagram (@newpalestinedragons) and X (@NPHSDragons) and can be found online at NewPalestineAthletics.com. Photo credit: Aaron Smith part photo exhibit celebrates the people and places of rural Illinois “Forgottonia” is coming to Rushville this month April 12 at the Rushville-Industry Performing Arts Center Tickets are $25. They can be bought at Moreland and Devitt Pharmacy in Rushville, online The show features original songs that Chris Vallillo wrote about west central Illinois over the past 35 years – a region that half a century ago acquired the nickname Forgottonia “I essentially have just come to understand that is the artistic muse that’s driven me,” Vallillo said The show also features black and white images of the region that will be projected throughout the performance Those are by award winning photographer Tim Schroll and we’re both old enough that we’ve collected enough of it,” Schroll said The two went through thousands of Schroll’s photo negatives to decide what might work in the show Vallillo said Schroll’s images are visual representations of what he’s trying to convey through music Schroll said one of the photos dates back to 1976 which was long before he met Vallillo and long before the idea of the Forgottonia show was conceived Others were taken while they were putting together the show “Just because I could hear the music and I’d play the music in the car and then things would come up,” Schroll said “Forgottonia” debuted last summer in Macomb It’s also been performed in Galesburg and Mount Carmel and they’ve pretty much stuck to the script “As I have performed it I have not changed much at all There have been occasional shifts in the way I tell a story to tighten up the presentation,” Vallillo said “But we spent a lot of time building this combination of music and stories and images and creating a flow to the entire thing Vallillo and Schroll will hold a meet and greet in the lobby after the Rushville performance where Schroll will display his photographs Their goal is to take the show to other small theaters in rural America there are no more shows currently scheduled in Forgottonia we announce the sudden passing of Janice E Janice’s family moved to Shelbyville where she graduated from Saint Joseph’s Catholic School and Shelbyville Senior High School Janice then graduated from Indiana University with a BA in psychology.  On May 19 Janice was active in bicycling and exercising and especially loved swimming Janice is survived by her brother Charles (Brenda) O’Connor Nicholas (Abby) O’Connor; and many great nieces and nephews who will miss her Memorial donations for Janice are requested to the the Rush County Community Foundation Schroeder Fund to benefit the swimming pool at the new Love Community Center Please light a virtual candle and share your memory with the family at www.ToddFuneralHome.com RUSHVILLE — WRTV is on the scene of a large fire in Rushville where residents say a beloved restaurant caught fire on Tuesday The first report came in around 6 p.m., when City of Rushvilleasked residents to avoid the downtown area for a fire WRTV received reports that the Corner Restaurant on Main St like this is gone," Rushville resident Shirelle said Shirelle said she was picking up her daughter from her dad's when she saw the smoke black clouds and then when we got into town all of downtown was just black right now," Shirelle described the scene According to Rush County EMA director Chuck Kemker the Rushville department was dispatched downtown for a structure fire around 5 p.m they found smoke coming from the building and quickly made an attack Kemker said at least 14 fire departments responded to the scene Everyone was able to evacuate the building safely and one firefighter suffered minor injuries Kemker says the Corner Restaurant is completely "gutted out." Kemker says has smoke damage but the full extent won't be known until the morning "We're going to wait until the morning to get in there and check it out and see how much of the perishable food we're going to be able to salvage," Kemker said Kemker says the Corner Restaurant has been in business since the eighties "I've known this place all my life," Resident Kimberly Case said I've taken my kids here and it's heartbreaking." Officials are still asking for the public to avoid the area — The Rushville Police Department is helping make sure people get home safe on New Year's Eve Those celebrating at The Lipsticked Pig or Rick and Rich's in Rushville can call the police department for a free ride home "They get to drinking and things like that Keep them safe and keep everybody else on the road safe or they get a designated driver that's much better than the other outcome," Chief of Police Rick Wright said Extra officers will be on call for those who may not have a designated driver Wright says they came up with the idea a few years ago to help the community and keep everyone safe He hopes people will take advantage of the free ride home again this year Anyone interested in a ride could call the police dispatch number 217-322-6633 firefighters along Highway 20 responded to a grass and timber fire north of Rushville Rushville and Hay Springs crews struggled to contain the fire in the rough terrain but ultimately The fire was estimated to be 70 acres in size the fire was mostly contained by Thursday morning and crews were being recalled from the scene — An accident claimed the life of a young man in Yates County on Monday night Authorities identified the victim as 22-year-old Austin Renfer from Middlesex Monday at the intersection of Main and Bassett streets in the Village of Rushville Deputies reported that Renfer was driving a Dodge Ram when he collided with a tree An accident reconstruction team has been called to investigate the cause of the crash The results of their investigation are still pending assisted with the formatting of this story Click here to see how WHEC News10NBC uses A.I Any person with disabilities who needs help accessing the content of the FCC Public file should contact Richard Reingold at rreingold@whec.com or 585-546-1701 Click Here for your 5 day Forecast President Donald Trump signed an executive order cutting funds from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to universities the leader of the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) wrote on X that "universities with tens of billions in endowments were siphoning off 60% of research award money for 'overhead," calling it a "ripoff." Many believe cutting this funding will cause more harm than good and may not benefit the economy as much as Musk wants it to More: Fluoride in the water? Like RFK Jr., Lancaster historically has said no experienced first-hand how NIH and National Science Foundation (NSF) funding can help change the lives of college students a report from United Medical Research (UMR) found every $1 of NIH Research Funding generates $2.46 in economic activity that totals $92.89 billion in new economic activity in just one year This funding also supported 412,041 jobs across all 50 states More than 80 percent of the NIH budget is awarded in grants each year to researchers at academic institutions who graduated from Fisher Catholic in 2002 studied at the University of Pennsylvania and was the first person in her family to attend a four-year university Being new to the world of higher education she wasn't aware of how vital research is for students' collegiate and graduate careers Not only did Baker learn how important the experience was to have while an undergrad those on financial aid may not have the opportunity for research experience That changed one summer for Baker when she was given the opportunity to participate in Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) which is funded by the NSF This allowed her to work with a professor in mechanical engineering at Ohio State University who had an opening for an undergraduate researcher in his lab "That really opened this whole world of research to me," said Baker "It was very exciting for me to be able to get that hands-on research experience." NIH funding in Ohio crossed the $1 billion mark $2.69 billion in economic activity supported and nearly 13,000 jobs “Students from all over the country can apply to different REU programs and oftentimes their first experience getting to do research and these programs provide some payment for them to be able to do that," said Baker Baker also explained that although these cuts will impact science they will also impact those who go on to work in other industries like pharmaceuticals or making medical devices who get trained in college and rely on federal funding as an Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences at North Carolina State University her students are applying to different REU programs “These are really wonderful students who have done wonderfully in my lab and are very bright with so much scientific potential and I really believe they can do great things but they’re coming back saying there's no review this year or positions are getting pulled and funding is getting canceled," said Baker She explained that losing out on these experiences is devastating and with lab funding being pulled and people being fired but also those locally who have pride in OSU's reputation Many Ohioans have a big sense of pride representing OSU as it was recognized as a top-tier medical school for research by US News and World Report "If we reduce funding for treatments and clinical trials but also the overall health and future that we are leading our younger generations," said Baker including $55M to OSU and $2M to Ohio University from NSF funding has this history of having the top scientists and I really think that would be devastating to lose that resource worldwide," said Baker Medicine is something the United States prospers in will resultingly be less well-trained with this new executive order THE NTSB said there were two people who called police after seeing the horrific crash on Route 24 According to interview transcripts from the National Transportation Safety Board's investigation firefighter Tanner Carson was behind the school bus when he witnessed the bus move into the oncoming lane.. Another witness saw the vehicles immediately burst into flames after the collision Carson approached the crash and called out to see if he could hear any survivors.. Carson broke the windows for the emergency exit door to try and ventilate smoke Carson told investigators he yelled into the bus until his voice gave out Then all he could do was wait for fire trucks to arrive EMT teams were the first to arrive on the scene The Rushville Fire Department quickly followed...putting out the fire within 10-15 minutes Surveillance video from a nearby gas station caught the moments the fire happened...in the clip you can see the semi-trailer approaching the curve...followed by smoke Carson told investigators it was likely one of the biggest fireballs he'd witnessed in his fire career Both witnesses noted that the truck driver attempted to swerve out of the way and avoid the crash Carson told NTSB the truck made it all the way to the ditch and had begun to roll when they made contact You can find the NTSB's full report here: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/?NTSBNumber=HWY24MH005 — The Yates County Sheriff's Office is investigating a deadly single-vehicle crash Monday to the intersection of South Main and Bassett streets in Rushville The cause and circumstances leading up to the crash are unclear at this time The Indiana State Fire Marshall has released information on its investigation into the Sept The Rushville Fire Department responded to the report of a structure fire at 250 N the fire department found heavy smoke and flame coming from the northeast corner of the kitchen area of the Corner Restaurant The initial attack knocked down the fire in the kitchen area but the fire spread into several concealed spaces and into the attic of the building The attic was a common space shared by two businesses and heavy fire spread through to the adjoining building which resulted in the roof collapse of both structures After two days of investigation and several days of interviews the Indiana State Fire Marshall investigator released the following conclusion: “Based on evidence gathered as a result of this investigation the area of the fire origin is the area between the three-basin sink and an upright freezer located along the south wall of the kitchen for the restaurant on the first floor of 250 North Main Street A trash can was located in the area of fire origin Within the trash can multiple discarded cigarette butts were found Ignition of combustible material by smoking material possibly discarded in the trash can was not eliminated as the cause of the fire.” Twelve fire departments responded to the fire with 35 apparatus and 107 personnel One firefighter was treated for a wrist injury and one paramedic was treated for smoke inhalation Both were transported to the local hospital and later released The Shelby County Post is a digital newspaper producing news obituaries and more without a pay wall or subscription needed John married Misty L McKay Blankman on June 9 Jon graduated from Rushville Consolidated High School in 1983 and then graduated from IUPUI in 1989 John was a teacher at the Morristown Junior Senior High School for 32 years before he retired Mary Catholic Church where he served on the liturgy committee He and Misty also worked on the annual fall festival and enjoyed the applesauce and coleslaw committee nephews and many friends will also miss him A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:30 AM on Saturday Burial will follow at Rushville’s Calvary Cemetery Friends may call from 4 to 8 PM Friday October 4 2024 at Todd Funeral Centre with the rosary be recited at 3:45 PM Mary Catholic Church or Calvary Cemetery 512 N IN 46173 or the American Cancer Society with envelopes available at the funeral home if needed A complete obituary and online condolences may be found at www.chamberlainfuneral.com Memorials may be directed to the Phelan family to help with expenses Posted by on Tuesday, September 10, 2024 in News, Spotlight, Uncategorized Sandhills Institute celebrates its 10 year anniversary with an exhibition on Main Street dedicated to integrating art and community has sponsored three artists and one educator this summer to participate in what the Institute entitled “Art aRound Town.” Elaine Bradford Jared Steffensen and Gordon-Rusvhille Language Arts teacher Niki Waugh have traveled to Rushville from Nevada and nearby Gordon to engage and showcase the latent artistic skills of children and of 6th grade students and they have insinuated themselves into commercial enterprises in surprising intriguing and often delightful installations Elaine Bradford of Houston is known for transforming the craft of crochet into the realm of art she has installed her own version of tools in and amongst the hard-edged metal tools of Hinns’ Hardware Store timeworn tools to Elaine who crocheted over them in bright colors and patterns these tools—always handy and dependable—can be appreciated for their myriad shapes and for the perfection of design that has made them the go-to  implements for hundreds of years The Hinn family facilitated and guided her placement of objects in and around their store welcomed artist Myranda Bair’s idea of inviting Rushville children to design images for the blank faces of white Take Out pizza boxes each bringing his or her idea of what should be on the box  Myranda presented the young artists with long tables filled with crayons she did not intervene or place any restrictions on their work It was an approach that resulted in a flurry of creativity interrupted only by occasional breaks for pizza Myranda has now collated all the drawings using them to tell charming stories to be printed on both large and small pizza boxes They are now available for “Take Out.” at the Twisted Turtle Pub there is another instance of art and commerce intermingling In a project called Landscape Shoes Jared Steffensen’s installation consists of pairs of shoes that have been altered to depict imagined landscapes They are meant to be a nod toward  where the wearer might have worn them They range from rocky mountaintops to tree-lined fields and rolling hills Some of the shoes represent personal landscapes tapping into the places the wearers think of as “home.”  They speak about place homesickness and the desire to take “home” with you wherever you go make and sell shoes in their Main Street store they allowed the altered shoes to be placed on shelves with shoes of their own making Back during the Spring semester of her 6th grade language arts class at Gordon-Rushville Middle School teacher Niki Waugh received an interesting request from the Sandhills Institute: Would she consider asking her 6th grade students to write a poem about where they are from to help develop a project that would find its way to the napkins at the Bunkhouse Bar and Grill in Rushville She responded enthusiastically and gave the assignment with the prompt “I am from “ and asked the students to take it from there The responses from this simple question resulted in poems that were so richly descriptive— places brandings and meals— even chicken fried steak— that the prompt might have been called “Things I love “ Because the ideas (place and love) were so intertwined the Sandhills Institute selected 12 quotes from a variety of poems to highlight those emotional touchstones With the collaboration of Bunkhouse owners Tom and Tawnie Eichenberger there is every reason to believe that their patrons will unroll napkins and suddenly find themselves wondering where they are from "Feeling Soft in the Hardware Store," 2024 Information provided by the Sandhills Institute First Lady Nancy Reagan advised Americans facing an epidemic of drug use in the climate of sexual harassment awareness coined the eponymous slogan and oft-used mandate Each of these catch phrases used “no” in the clearest suitable for the serious issues they were addressing “no” has also found itself referring to dozens of situations and casual expressions how often have you heard “No problem,” after saying thank you or  “No wonder,” to suggest something that could have been predicted “No kidding” and its spin-off “No kidding?” standing in for “Really?” These are just a handful of the myriad uses of no that have worked their way into common parlance But it took conceptual artist Mel Ziegler to highlight them in a work of art entitled “NO bearing various uses of “No” on fence posts lining the west side of lower Main Street in Rushville It is a perfect example of how Ziegler who made a name for themselves in the art world of the 1980s and 90s with conceptual art that involved itself with ideas conceptual art has the ability to make subtle statements about all manner of things were masters at this thought-provoking art form and widely celebrated as pioneers of civically engaged art entitled America Starts Here (published by MIT Press) documents the scores of artworks they produced together In the almost thirty years following Ericson’s death Ziegler has continued to create conceptual art which has been featured in New York galleries and museums around the country stumbled into the ranching-community of Rushville with its life-giving aquifer which tapped into his love of agrarian life instilled by his upbringing on a large dairy farm in Pennsylvania and began to spin dreams about establishing a residency program that sponsored artists to engage and celebrate the community and its way of life has marked its 10th year of providing artist-community interactions the Art aRound Town exhibition showcases the work of three artists and one educator and reveals the welcoming nature of merchants in Rushville who have hosted their installations There are three more artists slated to create artworks in Rushville next year (Georgia Eliot is a freelance writer specializing in artist biographies) The NO NO NO project was funded by Mel Ziegler and not through the Sandhills Institute and will remain in place through early October 2024 The Rushville Police are asking for the public’s help to assist in a recent burglary investigation West Central Bank reported that their ATM machine had been robbed of a large sum of money with the assistance of Illinois State Police Crime Scene Investigator began an investigation into the incident Through interviews with bank staff and review of security video it was determined that this ATM burglary is connected to a nationwide ATM burglary ring The Rushville Police Department contacted the FBI Office in Springfield and is currently working with their office This incident occurred on February 23rd between the hours of approximately 11PM and 1:15AM A silver mini van believed to be a Toyota with plastic over the back two side windows and back door window was used in this burglary Two or three Hispanic males occupied this vehicle A second vehicle believed to be connected to this incident is a dark blue or black four-door sedan A possible third vehicle was a silver or beige four-door sedan please contact the Rushville Police Department at 217-322-6633.