2008 Woodie Awards
Vote Absentee
Western Illinois University has long prided itself on the cleanliness of its campus. As a part of the never-ending job of maintaining the campus, the massive undertaking of cleaning Lake Ruth has taken place. More than 30 dump truck loads of sediment and other materials have been removed from Lake Ruth. (3) comments
Summer has arrived in Macomb, which means sweltering heat, a shorter commute across town and a decline in the student population. As the few remaining students from the Spring semester pack up and finish their leases and the new crop of students arrive for summer sessions, an age old economic theory can be seen at work. (0) comments
More than a dozen people sandbagging a Mississippi River levee before it broke in western Illinois had to be rescued from by helicopter Tuesday as water gushed across thousands of acres of farmland and into the village of Gulfport, officials said. The break prompted further evacuations of river-area residents and forced the closure of the Great River Bridge that connects Gulfport to Burlington, Iowa via U. (1) comment
Over the weekend, Illinois lawmakers adjourned for the summer after passing a $59 billion state budget. However, the state does not have the funds to cover the budget. Governor Rod Blagojevich said he would like to meet with legislative leaders to discuss fixing the deficit. (0) comments
The cleanup of Western Illinois University's Lake Ruth may seem calm on the surface, but it has created waves of problems for the lake's innocent wildlife. Recent Western graduate and Eagle Scout Erik Byers went to Lake Ruth when the process began May 19 out of curiosity and ended up helping relocate a 55-pound snapping turtle to a baby pool in his garage after wading through waist-deep mud to capture it. (7) comments
He wore a bow tie and a smile, the former frequently, the latter incessantly. 70-year-old Robert J. Cook, professor emeritus for Western Illinois University, passed away in his home at 7:18 a.m. on Thursday, May 22, a mere four days prior to his 71st birthday. (0) comments
Polly Radosh, chair for the Department of Women's Studies, has retired to become dean of SUNY-Geneseo, where she received her undergraduate education. According to a university release, Aimee Shouse, currently associate professor of political science at Western Illinois University, will fill the position of interim chair for the Fall 2008 semester. (0) comments
Two new positions - associate provost for budget, planning, and personnel, and associate provost for undergraduate and graduate studies - were recently created at Western Illinois University. The former position was filled last week by Kenneth Hawkinson, associate dean of the College of Fine Arts and Communication at Western, and the latter was filled yesterday by Judi Dallinger, assistant provost for undergraduate studies. (0) comments
1865 The Richard Wagner opera "Tristan und Isolde" premiered in Munich, Germany. 1907 Eleven men in five cars set out from the French embassy in Beijing on a race to Paris. 1935 Alcoholics Anonymous was founded in Akron, Ohio. 1940 Italy declared war on France and Britain; Canada declared war on Italy. (0) comments
Chad Pregracke, founder and president of Living Lands & Waters, will share his compelling story at 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 17 in Stipes Hall 501 on the Western Illinois University campus. The presentation is open free to the public. Pregracke grew up just a few feet from the Mississippi River in the Quad Cities. (0) comments
Items on the agenda included issues such as the possible ordinance to authorize the issuance of up to $3.5 million in Waterworks Revenue Bonds and Alternate Revenue Source Bonds to finance waterworks facility improvements as well as discussions to advertise for bids for CCTV Camera System for the Police Department and to share a network administrator with McDonough County in addition to four other issues. (0) comments
Eleven years. Four barges. Thousands of miles of river. A crew of around seven people. One mission: clean the filthy riverbeds of our nation. Chad Pregracke's mission to save the polluted riverbeds of the country began from his immersion in river life at a young age, he told a crowd of approximately 20 people in Stipes Hall Tuesday evening. (0) comments
Library's first game night is big success. Malpass Library held its first game night June 17 as a way to reach out to the community and give students a chance to take a break from studying and meet new people. Kids, parents and library staff, young and old, all came out to play board games (Boggle and Apples to Apples), multimedia games such as Scene It and current-generation gaming systems like the Wii and Xbox 360. (0) comments
As of July 1, Bonnie Barker will take over as the new Assistant Director of University Relations for Western Illinois University, according to Director of University Relations Darcie Shinberger. Barker has worked in the University Relations office since 1991 acting as a public information specialist. (0) comments