Flash Newspaper

07/05/2025

https://theflashonline.com/site/i-have-work-to-do-pritzker-says-in-launching-third-term-reelection-bid/

‘I HAVE WORK TO DO,’ PRITZKER SAYS IN

LAUNCHING THIRD-TERM REELECTION BID

CHICAGO, IL - In a hot gymnasium on Chicago’s South Side, Governor J.B. Pritzker announced Thursday morning he’s running for a potentially historic third term as governor.

In his announcement speech, Pritzker said he is running to “protect” the story he’s been telling about Illinois — one that has been built largely in opposition to the politics of President Donald Trump.

Pritzker said his third term would focus on grappling with artificial intelligence, addressing the rising cost of living, continued spending on infrastructure and growing the state’s economy.

The field house at Grand Crossing Park where Pritzker launched his first campaign hosted a crowd of Pritzker’s invited supporters, including Democratic party officials, campaign operatives and long-time Pritzker supporters.

Pritzker’s message has often focused on what Democrats need to do to win and push back on Trump, including addressing economic issues for the middle class and being outspoken against Trump’s policies.

“While it is certainly tempting to lay all of this at the feet of the megalomaniac narcissist in the White House and his malignant clown car in Congress, the hard truth is, we all share some of the blame,” Pritzker said.

The governor said “we must reckon with the fact that everything is too damned expensive,” but taking a shot at Republicans, said enacting budget cuts to key government programs like Medicaid that make life more affordable for people shouldn’t be the solution.

The governor also said a third term would continue his past efforts to protect abortion rights, diversity programming in the private sector and teachers’ ability to teach “uncensored history.”

Pritzker’s progressive stances on hot-button national issues are part of what has grown his national profile since President Donald Trump took office in January.

The governor has been one of the president’s most vocal Democratic critics and his schedule has been loaded with national media interviews and campaign speeches around the country.

From reelection to

presidential election?

A successful reelection could set the stage for a bigger one: Pritzker’s speculated 2028 presidential campaign.

Pritzker on Thursday downplayed the possibility when speaking to reporters but didn’t explicitly rule it out.

“Everything that I do, truly everything that I do, in my job and every day when I wake up is about improving the lot of the people who live in the state of Illinois, lifting up the working families of Illinois,” Pritzker said. “Whatever I do going forward is going to be about that.”

He had a small taste of presidential campaigning last year when he was considered as a running mate for former Vice President Kamala Harris, then served as a surrogate.

“You don’t get on that list unless they think you actually could be president of the United States and do the job if you had to,” Pritzker told reporters last year.

As some Democrats have tried finding a centrist message, Pritzker has stayed in the left lane. He condemned politicians, without mentioning specific names, who abandon their core beliefs for political gain.

“Of all the unbecoming qualities that Americans hate in their politicians – they hate cowardice the most,” Pritzker said. “I’d rather lose standing up for what I believe in than win by selling out those who believed in me.”

As Pritzker rattled off a list of accomplishments in his more than six years as governor, his message remained the same as it has since he launched his first campaign in 2017 to unseat an unpopular Republican incumbent: fight.

“Let me be clear: There is no Mission Accomplished banner to stand under today,” Pritzker said alluding to a premature victory declaration former President George W. Bush made in a 2003 speech regarding military action in Iraq. “Yes, we have addressed so many of our old problems – but new ones always arise. History is an endless relay race. Our job is not to look for the finish line but to protect the baton as we run our assigned leg. But we have work to do. I have work to do.”

Pritzker argued his success has come through embracing his role as a cheerleader for the state, recalling the negative perceptions of Illinois, such as the prevalence of corruption and unbalanced budgets, that had consumed state politics.

“When I was first elected, I told you I was prepared to be a happy warrior on behalf of our state, even if it meant going it alone,” Pritzker said. “I suited up to face the carnival barkers and misery spelunkers and doom grifters. I handed out optimism like a shot of Malört – as a swift jolt to the heart.”

First three-term Democrat?

The 60-year-old Democrat enters the race as the favorite, having received more than 54% of the vote in the 2018 and 2022 elections.

An heir to a fortune built on the Hyatt Hotel chain, Pritzker’s net worth sits at $3.7 billion as of Thursday, according to Forbes. His vast personal wealth makes him one of the richest politicians in American history and gives him a significant leg up on competitors. Pritzker dumped $350 million into his first two campaigns and has never taken outside contributions.

Separately, Pritzker has used an undisclosed amount of his personal fortune to fund a political action committee, Think Big America, to support abortion rights in other states.

Pritzker is also entering unchartered territory for Illinois governors. If he completes his current term, he would be the first Democrat to serve two full terms in modern state history. If he wins reelection, he would be the only governor to serve more than two terms since Republican Governor Jim Thompson served four terms from 1977 until 1991.

Pritzker will need a new running mate first, however, as Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton is running for U.S. Senate. Pritzker did not announce a running mate Thursday.

Pritzker’s governing record

The governor’s top priority for his second term was to eliminate child care deserts and make preschool more accessible. Since he was sworn in in January 2023, the state has implemented Pritzker’s Smart Start initiative to expand preschool offerings around the state and has begun to phase in a new Department of Early Childhood.

When asked about those goals after his speech Thursday, Pritzker said there were an “awful lot of things” that his administration still needed to accomplish.

“We still need to get to universal preschool. We’re on our way. It’ll happen probably in 2027,” Pritzker said.

But Pritzker pointed to several of his progressive policy wins Thursday, in his speech and when speaking to reporters.

He has signed legislation raising the minimum wage to $15, legalizing recreational cannabis, banning assault weapons and numerous new protections of abortion rights since Roe v. Wade was overturned three years ago. Pritzker also passed landmark legislation to phase out fossil fuels in the electricity sector.

Pritzker repeatedly brought up cleaning up Illinois’ fiscal house. The state has recorded budget surpluses in recent years and has received nine credit upgrades since he took office.

But challenges are also growing. The budget has gotten tighter, and lawmakers have resorted to more than $1 billion in targeted tax increases over the last two years to balance the budget. The fiscal year 26 budget Pritzker signed this month increased discretionary spending by less than 1%.

There’s also been headaches over legislative priorities. Labor unions are frustrated Pritzker didn’t embrace their proposal for pension reform this spring. And many parts of the governor’s legislative agenda hit roadblocks with concerned lawmakers. There’s also ongoing discussions about achieving Pritzker’s bold clean energy goals as prices rise and energy supply is strained.

The governor has taken pride in growing state agencies decimated by the two-year budget impasse that began a decade ago. But problems at those agencies have caused trouble for Pritzker.

An audit revealed the Department of Public Health failed to intervene to stop deaths from COVID-19 at the LaSalle Veterans’ Home in 2020, though Pritzker blamed and fired leaders at the Department of Veterans’ Affairs. Billions of pandemic relief dollars at the Department of Employment Security went to fraudsters, while the Department of Children and Family Services faced years of scrutiny over deaths and the its failure to properly house children in its care while Pritzker maintained support for the department’s director.

GOP criticizes ‘stepping stone’ approach

As problems have mounted at the Statehouse, Senate Republicans have encouraged Pritzker to “think Illinois.” As he announced his campaign Thursday, Illinois Republicans continue to believe his focus is elsewhere.

“These last nearly eight years under his governance merits firing not rehiring,” Illinois GOP Chair Kathy Salvi said in a statement. “While businesses and families flee, Pritzker sees Illinois as nothing more than a stepping stone for the White House.”

A field of Republican challengers is still taking shape. So far, DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick, Posen Park District Commissioner Phil Perez and Lake Forest businessman Joe Severino have announced they will run in the Republican primary.

Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.

07/05/2025

07/05/2025

https://theflashonline.com/site/lost-mound-unit-managed-deer-hunt-applications-available-july-1st-2/

LOST MOUND UNIT MANAGED DEER HUNT

APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE JULY 1ST

Thomson, IL- Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge has announced the availability of 2025 applications for the special deer hunts held at Lost Mound. Two managed deer hunts, one for youth (10-17)/family and one for adults with disability (18 and older), are conducted within designated Closed Areas of Lost Mound. All hunters must be accompanied by an adult able-bodied attendant that is capable of tracking and retrieving a deer.

The application period extends from July 1st through July 31st and is open to residents and non-residents. All applications will be entered into a random drawing for 35 hunt sites on August 13th. All hunters, attendants and any accompanying individuals must attend the mandatory hunt site check in and scout day that corresponds with their hunt. Youth Hunt check in will be held on November 8th 12:00 p.m.- 5:00 p.m. or November 21st from 12:00 p.m.- 4:00 p.m., and Adults with Disability Hunt check in will be held on Friday, November 14th 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Location will be the Lost Mound Unit equipment storage building, 3159 Crim Drive, Savanna, Illinois 61074.

The youth/family hunt will be held on November 22nd-23rd, 2025 which coincides with the Illinois Fi****ms Deer First Season. An unfilled Illinois Youth Deer Permit or Jo Daviess County Deer Permit must be obtained and brought to the orientation. All youth must show certification of completion of a state approved hunter safety course.

The hunt for adults with disability will be held on November 15th-16th, 2025 which is the Saturday-Sunday prior to the Illinois Fi****ms Deer First Season. A minimum P2a Illinois disability classification (or similar disability certification from non-resident states) is required. Wheelchair-bound and amputee hunters will receive priority selection for hunt sites. A Jo Daviess County Deer Permit is not needed in order to apply for this hunt, as this permit is provided by the Refuge. For additional information and copies of the regulations, hunters may call the Refuge Office at 815-273-2732 or stop in the office at 7071 Riverview Road, Thomson, Illinois 61285.

The Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge is the most visited refuge in the United States. The refuge extends 261 miles along the Upper Mississippi River from Wabasha, Minnesota to Rock Island, Illinois, protecting and preserving habitat for migratory birds, fish, and a variety of other wildlife.

In addition to being the most visited refuge in the country, the “Upper Miss” Refuge has the added complexity of a major navigation system, including 11 locks and dams, within its boundary. It is also a world-class fish and wildlife area which harbors 306 species of birds; 119 species of fish; more than 300 active bald eagle nests; thousands of heron and egret nests; spectacular concentrations of canvasback ducks, tundra swans, and white pelicans; and several threatened or endangered species.

07/05/2025

https://theflashonline.com/site/representative-tony-mccombie-announces-re-election-campaign/

REPRESENTATIVE TONY MCCOMBIE

ANNOUNCES RE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN

SAVANNA, IL - Conservative State Representative and House Republican Leader Tony McCombie today officially announced her campaign for re-election in the 89th District.

“I went to Springfield to stand up for the families of my district and defend the conservative values we share,” said McCombie. “When elected officials forget who they work for, our families, our communities, and our future pay the price. I’m proud to fight for and bring common sense to state government.”

Unanimously elected by her colleagues as House Republican Leader in both 2022 and 2024, McCombie as earned a reputation as a no-nonsense leader who speaks her mind and delivers results.

“I’m proud to lead one of the most conservative Republican caucuses in Illinois history, standing strong for taxpayers and families. Under my leadership our whole caucus has held firm against every tax increase, and we’re working every day to restore fiscal sanity, public safety, and trust in state government.”

McCombie reaffirmed her deep commitment to the 89th District, saying, “Thanks to extreme Democrats, families are struggling with rising costs and facing real concerns about safety and opportunity. Illinois is my home, where I live, where I work, and where I serve, and I will never stop fighting to make sure we have a voice in Springfield. I’m running for reelection because Illinois has a bright future, but only if we protect what makes it special and stand up to the broken politics of the past.”

McCombie is a licensed real estate appraiser and realtor. She previously served as mayor of Savanna, Illinois, and on the Savanna City Council. She is a graduate of Western Illinois University.

She has been married to Curt, a volunteer fireman and lab technician at DuPont in Thomson, Illinois, for 19 years. She is part of a close-knit and active family, and her time revolves around them and outdoor recreational activities.

While many issues face the state, McCombie cites education, job growth, ethics reform, restoring public safety, and strong constituent service as her top priorities.

McCombie will run in the 89th Illinois House District, which includes all of Carroll and Jo Daviess Counties and parts of Boone, DeKalb, Ogle, Stephenson, and Winnebago counties.

07/04/2025

https://theflashonline.com/site/illinois-soil-conservation-funding-stagnates-amid-recent-high-profile-dust-storms/

ILLINOIS’ SOIL CONSERVATION FUNDING STAGNATES AMID RECENT HIGH-PROFILE DUST STORMS

BY JADE AUBREY AND UIS PUBLIC AFFAIRS REPORTING (PAR)

SPRINGFIELD, IL - Three main factors contribute to the formation of Midwest dust storms: strong winds, dry soil in farm fields and large amounts of loose soil.

That’s according to Andy Taylor, the Science and Operations officer at the National Weather Service’s office in Lincoln. He said these are key ingredients that meteorologists, farmers and experts in the agricultural community have found cause dust storms when they converge.

On May 16th, Chicago saw its first major dust storm since the Dust Bowl, which stretched from Texas to New York in the early 1930s and deposited 300 million tons of soil across the nation – 12 million tons of which settled in the Chicago region, according to the Bill of Rights Institute. The storm in May dropped visibility in the city to near zero as wind gusts blew over 60 mph at times, according to the National Weather Service.

Taylor said the atmospheric environment that day was more characteristic of the dry environments in the High Plains or Southwest U.S., not the Midwest. As rain began to fall near Bloomington, it quickly evaporated and cooled the atmosphere, creating strong pockets of wind that began to move North. And as winds sped up, the storm began to pick up and move dry and loose soil from fields it passed over, which created the dust storm.

“The type of dust storm event that we had that affected the Chicago area, I wouldn’t necessarily take that occurrence as saying we’re going to see an increase in those type of events from this point on,” he said. “Although, anytime you see all those ingredients come together, we certainly could see that again.”

Soil conservation funding

‘deprioritized’

While there were no deaths due to the storm in Chicago, a major dust storm that occurred in central Illinois on a portion of I-55 resulted in a multi-car pileup that took the lives of eight people and injured dozens more in May 2023.

That dust storm also dropped visibility to zero on the stretch of the interstate between Farmersville and Divernon, and was again caused by dry, loose soil being picked up and moved by winds.

Although Taylor said dust storms are not new to Illinois – as his office has documented events back to the ‘80s – most of the storms don’t move across vast expanses of the state. Instead, he said they often occur in more localized areas, like the storm near Divernon in 2023.

“When we’re seeing the right weather-related factors coming together and the ground is fairly dry, which matches up with loose soil so we know we’re going to be more prone to blowing dust, we coordinate with partners in the agricultural community to determine when we might anticipate those blowing dusts events,” Taylor said.

The Association of Illinois Soil and Water Conservation Districts has been lobbying for increased funding for additional district employees. This year’s state budget allows for each district to staff one full-time employee, which AISWCD Executive Director Eliot Clay called “wildly inadequate” as he said each district needs at least two.

“I really, honestly think conservation funding has been deprioritized,” he said.

What do soil and water

conservation districts do?

Soil and water conservation districts began to crop up across the U.S. in the late 1930s as a response to the Dust Bowl and Congress’ subsequent declaration of soil and water conservation as a national priority. According to the Association of Illinois Soil and Water Conservation Districts, that declaration prompted then-President Franklin D. Roosevelt to recommend legislation to state lawmakers that would enact districts in every state.

Illinois has 97 districts, or nearly one district for every county in the state. Employees of the districts are responsible for a variety of tasks – including assessing farmland, educating farmers about conservation practices and connecting farmers with grants from the state and federal government. These all play a key role in the association’s mission of protecting Illinois’ natural resources.

“Unlike a group like the Department of Natural Resources or the EPA or even the Department of Agriculture, SWCDs are not a regulatory body,” Clay said. “We are not going out there and enforcing rules and laws on people, we’re just trying to help farmers do better. And that’s the reason why a lot of farmers rely on SWCDs, is because they do not see us as like, the ‘government’ coming in and telling them, ‘this is how you’re going to do your operation.’”

Soil conservation funding

stagnates

The fiscal year 2026 budget signed by Governor J.B. Pritzker last week allots $7.5 million to the state’s SWCDs – that’s a $1 million overall cut from the previous year, although funding for operations remained level. Funding had already been cut by $4 million total in fiscal year 2025.

Of that $7.5 million, $3 million will go to cost-share grants, which act as reimbursements to farmers for the costs of implementing both state and federal conservation policies, such as cover crops. The remaining $4.5 million will go to administrative costs.

Clay said the breakdown of that $4.5 million provides $40,000 to each Soil and Water Conservation district – meaning that every district will have enough funds to pay one full-time employee. He called the salary “wildly inadequate” for the district employees, most of whom have college degrees.

“$40,000 – and that’s supposed to include benefits, so their take-home is less than that – is barely enough, I mean I would say it’s not enough even for one person” Clay said. “And it’s hard to keep people and incentivize people to come to work when there’s not the kind of money there that there should be.”

In addition, Clay said each district needs two full-time employees to be fully-staffed – one to make on-site visits to farms and one to coordinate schedules, receive phone calls and emails, and staff the office.

He said in recent years, the association was told by both the Department of Agriculture and the governor’s office that if they wanted more funding, they would have to advocate for the money to individual lawmakers outside of budget negotiations.

“I don’t know of any other agency or subsect of an agency that has to, on their own, go to the Capitol and get money,” he said. “That’s very peculiar to me and is something I’ve been trying to wrap my head around, and I have not gotten a good explanation from anybody.”

The governor’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

Over the past two years, Clay said the association unsuccessfully lobbied for $10.5 million in annual funding.

“The bigger question I’m left with after being the executive director over the past six months and witnessing it from this angle is, what does the legislature and the administration value?” Clay said. “It really gets to bigger questions about how the state has dealt with conservation funding in general for the last 20-plus years.”

Soil conservation efforts and farming practices

Kevin Brooks, a commercial agriculture educator at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, said the agriculture community has identified practices farmers can use to reduce the amount of dry, loose topsoil in their fields.

“Measuring the humidity level as a cause is not the issue,” Brooks said in an interview with Capitol News Illinois. “I won’t say it’s not 100% not about the weather, but this is primarily about tillage.”

One suggestion he made was for farmers to till their fields less frequently and instead resort to strip-tilling or using no-till strategies whenever possible to reduce the amount of loose topsoil in fields.

Strip-till is a tilling practice where only narrow rows of a field where seeds will be planted are tilled, leaving the rest of the field untouched. While there are many short- and long-term benefits to strip-tilling, no-till practices often don’t seem to benefit farmers right away but do often have long-term advantages, Brooks said.

Representative Charles Meier, R-Okawville, farms 1,500 acres in southern Illinois with his family, including corn, wheat, beans, hay, and beef cattle. He said most crops are already minimally tilled by farmers.

“I’m 66 years old and we never no-tilled when I was a kid,” he told Capitol News Illinois. “All of our conventional soybeans are no-tilled now, all of our wheat is done by minimal-till, and our corn is all by minimal-till now.”

He said he’s in frequent contact with his SWCD, including a call on Monday with his district’s employee, and criticized Democratic leadership’s funding priorities, such as subsidies for renewable energy.

“They’re not funding the nuts and bolts of Illinois conservation,” Meier said. “I’m not against wind and solar but they don’t pay for themselves and they’re making us taxpayers pay for them.”

Another main practice Brooks recommended farmers employ was planting cover crops, which are crops planted after harvest not for their produce, but for their benefits to the soil. Cover crops can be planted after a fall harvest for a variety of benefits, including to preserve topsoil through the winter, increase organic matter in the soil and dry the field earlier in the spring.

Brooks also attributed recent dust storms to the invention of high-speed discs – a tillage attachment with many more disks than normal tillage attachments, which tills at faster rates. He said these disks have taken tillage speeds from around 4 mph to over 10, and that farmers in Illinois quickly amassed these machines during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the pandemic relief funds they received.

“In theory, they’re supposed to be a kind of conservation because they don’t go into the ground very deep,” Brooks said. “But they literally turn the top several inches of a farm field into powder.”

Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.

07/04/2025

https://theflashonline.com/site/good-shepherd-lutheran-church-247/

GOOD SHEPHERD

LUTHERAN CHURCH

LENA, IL - All are invited to worship at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 118 East Mason St. Lena, Illinois. Please join us on Sunday, July 6th, 2025 for Worship Service at 9:30 a.m. Communion will be served during service.

This week’s gospel reading is from the Gospel Luke 9:51-62 Jesus is unwavering in his commitment to his mission in Jerusalem and will not be swayed by pettiness. In a series of striking cases in point, he calls his disciples to a similar single-mindedness.

On Wednesday, July 9th, the Piece Corps Quilting group will meet from 8:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. We are always looking for anyone to join. No quilting experience necessary. Come, enjoy the fellowship and tie the quilts and make a difference in the world.

Thursday, June 10th, Friendship Club will meet. Potluck at 12:30 pm, following potluck entertainment will be provided by Delta II. Come enjoy an afternoon of enjoyable music and fellowship.All the services will be recorded and be available on the church’s page and website. Please visit our website and (http://goodshepherdlena.org/) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/GSLCLenaIL) for information. Good Shepherd has a new YouTube channel at, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH_trgc9a0J5HgEJkmu121w. There is also a link to this channel on the Welcome page of our website.

If you have any questions, please contact the church office at 815-369-5552.

07/04/2025

https://theflashonline.com/site/st-johns-lutheran-church-events-68/ST. JOHN’S LUTHERAN

CHURCH EVENTS

PEARL CITY, IL - St. John’s Lutheran Church, Pearl City will celebrate time after Pentecost on Sunday, July 6th at 9:00 a.m. Join us on Facebook if you can't make it in person!

Everyone is welcome to come to St. John's to play dominoes in Luther Hall on Tuesday, July 1st at 9:00 a.m. They are also welcome to come to St. John's to play cards and dominoes on Thursday, July 10th at 1:00 p.m.

The Summer Gathering of the St. John's Ladies will be on Wednesday, July 16th at 9:00 a.m. at Karen Bremmer's house. Sign up in the lobby of the church or call the office for more information. Breakfast will be provided by the Women's Gathering Board.

The Ladies Night Out and Annual Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, August 12th at 6:00 p.m. at St. John's. The theme of the night is "Baskets of Sunshine" and will feature a program by Deb Mather sharing her basket weaving talents. The cost is $10.00 and includes a menu of chicken or ham salad croissants, chips, fruit, strawberry, Key Lime, or Lemon Meringue pie, coffee and water. Sign up in the church lobby or contact the office for more information by August 3rd.

The July Grace Meal will be on Sunday, July 20th. The menu will be a brat with bun, chips, baked beans, fruit cup (diced peaches), and pudding. Reservations are due in the church office by Thursday, July 17th. Meals can be picked up at the church on July 20th between 11:00 a.m. and Noon. This meal is partially funded by donations from the Foundation of Northwest Illinois. If you are interested in donating to this ministry, reach out to the church office for more information.

The next Men's Breakfast will be on Wednesday, July 2nd at 7:30 a.m. at the Beltline Cafe in Freeport.

St. John’s Lutheran Church of Pearl City is an ELCA parish and is located at 229 First Street in Pearl City. We are handicapped accessible. If you need to contact the pastor or church, you may call 815-443-2215 for information.

07/04/2025

https://theflashonline.com/site/sos-july-10th-special-guest-guitarist-singer-les-wilson/

SOS+ JULY 10TH SPECIAL GUEST,

GUITARIST/SINGER LES WILSON

STOCKTON, IL - A very talented musician and song writer, Les Wilson of Prophetstown will be in Stockton on Thursday, July 10th, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. to entertain our seniors of SOS+ (Senior Outreach of Stockton + Surrounding Areas). Les captivated our seniors in past years and we are delighted to welcome him back. Join us on Thursday, July 10th at 2:00 p.m. at Calvary Church of Stockton in the Fellowship Hall.

All seniors are invited. Les plays the guitar like no other in this area. ‘50s, ‘60s music and gospel music are Les’s expertise. Les shared his story of playing guitar when he was only seven years old upon receiving his first guitar for his 7th birthday. Les stated, "From that time on, I had my guitar with me whenever I could. You could find me sitting in the ditch playing at my Little League games until I was called up to bat or take the field. As a kid, I played in multiple talent shows from the time I was ten years old."

It was at one of these talent shows that Les was approached by Mike Murphy who asked him if he wanted to start a band. Together, the two formed the band "The Inspirations". Mike was the drummer, and Les was the guitar player and lead singer. After one night of practicing in Mike's garage, they landed a job playing six nights a week at the Brandywine in Dixon. They played there for 18 months which launched them into a 20-plus year career as "The Inspirations", playing a variety of venues in a four-state area.

Now at the age of 69 and with 11 spinal surgeries and two strokes behind me, Les plays and sings at over 50 nursing homes in northern Illinois. ‘This has proven to be the most rewarding thing I have done with my music. My music is a God-given gift, and I love sharing it, especially with those in nursing homes which I lovingly refer to as "the land of the forgotten.’

Join our Senior Outreach on July 10th for a relaxing day of old-time favorites, from ‘50s and ‘60s to favorite hymns played and sung by Les Wilson. A time of fellowship and refreshments will follow the program.

The Stockton SOS+ (Senior Outreach of Stockton and surrounding areas) is made up of volunteers working together to provide interesting programs and fellowship to our seniors. In our 21st year, the need is still there and so is this senior outreach. The SOS+ will continue to provide fellowship and interesting programs for all seniors of our surrounding areas. There is no costs and all area seniors and residents are most welcome. A free will offering is taken at each meeting which helps in providing interesting and educational programs throughout the year. Volunteers are much needed. If you would like to volunteer to help or volunteer to entertain or have a story of interest to share, please let us know.

For more information on SOS+ or this special event, please feel free to call Mary Feltmeyer 815-297-5425, Nancy Rice 815-947-3683 or Shirley Toepfer 815-947-3639. If you need a ride to the church, please call. We would be more than happy to accommodate you.