Oakland Independent

05/18/2025

Since it sounds like most parents weren't able to get group photos of the Oakland High School Class of 2025 outside before their graduation ceremony this evening, I'd like to share the photos I took for the Oakland Independent. So many of these kids' parents have helped me out at the newspaper, and it's my honor to return the favor! Congratulations to the new graduates and their families! Please feel free to share this post.

05/14/2025

NOTICE: The School Calendar in last week's newspaper incorrectly reported that there's no school Friday, May 16. Students, please go to school that day!

04/27/2025

Parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and others with loved ones graduating from OHS and Lake Crest this year, take note! If you want to honor your graduate with an ad in our May 15 graduation issue, your order needs to be in by Friday, May 9.

* * * No online payments can be accepted, so please plan in advance to make sure I receive your ad and payment by the deadline. * * *

Details are in the accompanying graphic.

02/04/2025

* * * UPDATE: I received some great pictures, and they're on the front page of this week's issue. * * *

ORIGINAL POST: You all came through when I asked for snow pictures, so let's try this. Who has pictures of people enjoying the warm spell over the last few days in Oakland and Hindsboro? I'll share some in this week's Oakland Independent. If you can't post them in the comments (sometimes that won't work), please email them to [email protected]. Thank you!

01/30/2025

An application has been submitted for a wind farm that would build 51 turbines taller than the St. Louis Arch on the far northern edge of Coles County, 2 miles southwest of Hindsboro. Pick up a copy of the newspaper for an overview of the plans outlined in the 698-page document Coles Wind submitted to Coles County.

ALSO THIS WEEK:

• Spc. Clayton Pardi was one of about 140 Illinois National Guard members who deployed on federal orders to help with security at last week's inauguration of President Donald Trump.

• See who will represent their classes in the Lake Crest Spelling Bee on Friday.

• Members of the Oakland PTO Class of the Month, the third-grade class of Dede Childress, share some details about themselves with the community.

• Get caught up on Tri-County athletics, including the high school boys' basketball team's rise from a No. 12 seed in the 12-team LPC Tournament to a spot in the quarterfinals.

• Read a letter to the editor regarding the addition of a ramp to the Rutherford House.

* * * All of this and MORE can be found in this week's issue, available now at Casey's in Oakland. * * *

📪 It's cheaper to subscribe, and even better, you'll stay informed about important news in the community. Pay online today to get started: www.oaklandindependentnews.com/subscribe.📪

01/06/2025

***UPDATE*** I have more pictures than I can use! That's a good thing. Thank you all for sharing your photos!

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We're back from our two-week break and working on the Jan. 9 issue. We hope to have room to include a few photos from readers showing how residents played (or worked) in Sunday's snow here in Oakland/Hindsboro. Please share yours!

NOTE: In the past, people haven't been able to add photos to the comments, so if that's the case now, please email your photo -- along with a description of who's in it, where they are, etc. -- to [email protected].

12/02/2024

What important information about your community are you missing out on by not reading the Oakland Independent? It's LOCAL NEWS you won't find ANYWHERE else.

Take a look at the most recent front page to get a glimpse of what you can find out. And that's just the front page! Inside, you'll find even more news, sports and entertainment all about our community. You can still pick this issue up at Casey's until 2 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 4.

It's cheaper to subscribe -- just $50 per year for those in Coles, Douglas and Edgar counties. If you already subscribe, consider giving a subscription as a Christmas gift. Pay online now: www.oaklandindependentnews.com

Your support of community journalism makes this coverage possible. Thank you.

11/15/2024

🚨 NOTICE TO SUBSCRIBERS 🚨

The USPS has lost all copies of the Nov. 7 issue of the Oakland Independent that were mailed to subscribers outside of Oakland and Hindsboro. I haven't received an apology, and I haven't received an update today.

I have uploaded that issue so anybody can read it online for free. To access the digital version (which looks just like the printed version), please see https://www.flipsnack.com/oaklandindependent/oakland-independent-november-7-2024/full-view.html .

The Oakland Independent -- the reigning Illinois Press Association Newspaper of the Year among small nondailies -- covers Oakland and Hindsboro, Illinois. Subsc

09/13/2024

As a Lake Crest sixth-grader in 1983, Jesse Brock made his Grand Ole Opry debut, and after decades of hard work and sacrifice, he's become one of the most highly regarded bluegrass musicians in the world. We'll tell you about the Hindsboro native's outstanding career and how you can catch him in a nearby show this weekend. ALSO THIS WEEK:

• The Oakland City Council approved buying six generators -- five mostly covered by grant funds. In addition, the council heard that its purchase of parts of the former Nutrien Ag Solutions property is complete, an alderman wants to sell the tool trailer, an employee said the backhoe's street sweeper attachment isn't sufficient and more.

• Two Oakland aldermen and the mayor who weren't at last month's council meeting expressed concerns about the purchase of a new truck in their absence, after all had reportedly agreed to fix the old one.

• Work on a 14-mile stretch of Illinois Route 133 -- running from about Isabel to Paris -- will require daily single-lane closures from this week through next summer.

• We've been wondering, so we asked IDOT and found out that planning is underway for a project to upgrade Illinois Route 133 from Arcola to Oakland, possibly in 2026.

• A free community cleanup day will provide dumpsters at the Oakland Lake Park on Saturday.

• After 707 days without a victory, the Tri-County high school football team ended an emotional week with a 39-30 triumph over Cerro Gordo-Bement.

• Some people just don't appreciate the reading of good poetry, writes funnyman Don Douglas regarding his teacher's reaction to his classroom performance.

* * * All of this and MORE is in this week's issue, which can be found at Casey's (look under the register by the door). * * *

🕶 Have you been meaning to subscribe? All the cool kids are doing it! Better start now and stop missing out on all of this LOCAL NEWS you won't find ANYWHERE ELSE. Rates start at just $50 a year. You can pay online at www.oaklandindependentnews.com (click "Subscribe"). 🕶

07/11/2024

A crowd gathered Saturday to commemorate the naming of the portion of Illinois Route 133 that runs through Oakland for the late Lt. Jared Southworth. Read about the ceremony -- which included last-minute remarks from his mother -- and see a full page of photos inside. ALSO THIS WEEK:

• Check out two pages of photos from the Oakland Independence Celebration.

• Oakland native Rick Eskew was named Farmer of the Year by the Coles County Farm Bureau.

• The Oakland Market at the Square will be back for its second event of the season Sunday; we have a list of vendors.

• The Hindsboro Civic Center's Food Truck Night is Thursday; we'll tell you who the scheduled vendors are.

• The school board is to discuss 2024-25 staffing and possibly makes changes to the treasurer's compensation when it meets next week.

• Alumni basketball games are a great showcase of former athletes' delusion, writes funny guy Don Douglas.

• Members of the OHS Class of 1984 gathered for their 40-year reunion, and eight of their teachers joined them. We have photos.

* * * Pick up your copy today at Casey's for just $1 (look under the register by the door). * * *

⏰ It's time to subscribe and stay informed about LOCAL happenings -- it only costs 15 cents or less per day. Pay online now, and you'll get a paper starting next week: www.oaklandindependentnews.com ⏰

07/04/2024

This weekend's Oakland Independence Celebration will take time for the community to pay its respects to fallen soldier Jared Southworth and his family. Highlights of the festival include a ceremony commemorating the naming of a portion of Illinois Route 133 for Lt. Southworth, followed by a parade in which his parents will serve as grand marshals. ALSO THIS WEEK:

• Construction of a new bridge by the Lake Oakland dam is to begin Monday. The road will be closed for the duration of the project, which is expected to take about three months.

• Speaking of the bridge, the township road commissioner asked the Oakland City Council to help pay some of the construction cost.

• In other City Council news, the council raised the fee to reinstate water service after nonpayment, heard a request for a generator for the sewer plant, learned another city truck is having problems and agreed to sell old light posts at auction. In addition, an alderman questioned the cost-effectiveness of purchasing the former Nutrien property, compared to another site.

• Oakland High School students will now have to get through class without their phones at their desks as part of a new slate of policies put in place by the school board.

• The school board gave both administrators pay increases, with the principal getting an additional year added to her contract.

• The school board also filled some empty staff positions, accepted the lunch manager's retirement and approved the amended 2023-24 budget that saw the district end with $167, 254 more than it started with.

• A handful of OHS alumni met with current school administrators to brainstorm ways graduates can become more involved in the district, starting with homecoming.

• The fire department plans to begin testing, performing maintenance on and painting the fire hydrants east of Hazel Street on Monday.

• Your neighbors are in the paper, as usual. See who took their paper along for trips to Alaska, the Dakotas, Vermont and other spots; find out which Tri-County athletes received more post-season honors; check out which OHS alumni made the dean's list at EIU and Carthage College; see who's sponsoring Oakland Landmarks' expenses for the next week; and more.

• Plan your schedule with the Community Calendar.

🟥⬜️🟦 If you're not reading the newspaper, how do you know how your tax dollars are being spent? We'll tell you, plus add in some fun, light-hearted news you'll enjoy about people who live right here. A one-year subscription starts at just $45 a year. Pay online now while you're thinking of it: www.oaklandindependentnews.com 🟥⬜️🟦

06/27/2024

With the closure of Triple H Grain Systems earlier this year, many farmers throughout the region lost their lifeline for local sales and service of grain-handling equipment. Stepping in to fill that void is a new company, H & H Grain Systems, co-owned by Craig Hunt of Oakland. ALSO THIS WEEK:

• Among several items on the Oakland City Council agenda is a request to help East Oakland Township with its share of the cost of the upcoming bridge replacement at Lake Oakland when it meets Thursday, June 27.

• Speaking of the new bridge, construction will be able to begin after Ameren moves a power pole, a county official said. Once it starts, the roadway is expected to be closed for at least three months.

• Oakland's Ramsey Hunt added another honor to his resume this week when EIU Athletics named him one of two winners of the Male Athlete of the Year award.

• Oakland Senior Citizens will raise money with a breakfast on Saturday.

• The annual Hindsboro Fourth of July Parade is set; we have the details.

• The Oakland Market at the Square kicked off its second season on Sunday, and we have a few photos from the event.

• Check out photos of Oakland Summer Baseball's T-ball and Rookie League teams.

• Playground games were hard on clothes, knees and elbows, writes humorist Don Douglas.

• Plan your schedule with the Community Calendar and -- believe it or not -- the School Calendar.

* * * All of this and MORE LOCAL NEWS is available for just $1 at Casey's (look under the register by the door). * * *

⚾️ Keeping a community alive is a team sport. Subscribe today to stay informed about what your neighbors are accomplishing and how officials are spending your tax dollars. Pay online to sign up: www.oaklandindependentnews.com ⚾️