Local Specials

Steve Newberry of rural Argyle has been farming all of his life.  His farm is located down a winding, gravel road just a couple miles west of the Avenue of the Saints in Lee County.

Newberry says his farm has a little bit of everything, including about 2,000 acres of corn and soybeans, 150 head of cattle, and about 7,000 hogs split between two buildings.

He says his passion for farming starts with his love of cattle, likening it to someone who loves to go fishing.

People lived in the area between the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers for hundreds of years before Columbus set sail across the Atlantic Ocean. Archeologists are trying to learn more about two particular groups and how they interacted.

The dig is taking place at the Morton Village site, which can be found in a grassy field on a bluff near the Illinois River in Fulton County. Researchers from Michigan State University have come here for the past five summers.

The Snake Alley Art Fair in Burlington started 45 years ago with just a few people selling work. They hung their art on snow fence that was set up along what's been called the most crooked street in the world.

This year the fair drew around 100 artists who set up booths not just on Snake Alley but also on the adjacent Heritage Hill streets.

They were joined by musicians, food and drink vendors, and thousands of art lovers looking to connect with a painting or a piece of jewelry or some other work of art.

The field of education continues to evolve and progress, starting with classroom materials.

There was a time when students took notes with pencils and paper while a teacher stood up and wrote on a chalkboard.

Today, there are schools where kids are using laptops or iPads to search the internet while teachers use interactive smart-boards.

School districts are trying to keep up with the evolution of education by building new state-of-the-art facilities that take advantage of the latest technology and other advancements.

Project Insight student Raetta Parker of Rushville said she learned something new from working with Macomb-based artist Kelley Quinn.

“No matter how difficult it looks, if you stick with it anything is possible,” Parker said.