A member of Civil Air Patrol's Choo Choo Senior Squadron for almost three years, 1st Lt. Steve Rastatter was awarded the Benjamin O. Davis Jr. Leadership Award by his squadron commander, 1st Lt. Charles "Ed" Dempsey. The award is named for the aviation pioneer and commander of the Tuskegee Airmen during World War II. As part of the professional development track that leads ... (click for more)

Sheriff Jim Hammond, Chief Deputy Austin Garrett and the men and women of the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office announce that the agency has once again been chosen to be featured on the COPS television show. COPS film crews rode with Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office deputies for approximately nine weeks beginning in September 2020 to film Season 33 and captured numerous stories and ... (click for more)

The Hamilton County Health Department reports an increase in the number of COVID-19 deaths below the age of 50, over the past three months. During the most recent winter surge, four percent of deaths were age 50 or younger. Since the beginning of July, 22 percent of deaths have been below the age of 50. “We extend our sympathy to all of our community members who have lost ... (click for more)

CARTA bus drivers will be getting almost a $3 per hour pay increase under terms of a new three-year contract between the transit agency and Local 1212 of the Amalgamated Transit Union. Lakecha Strickland, union president, said starting pay will be going from $17.32 an hour to $20.15 for new drivers. After a year, the pay rises to $21.80 and after two years to $23.70. Also, ... (click for more)

So they say it's time for redistricting. 'Redistricting' means carving up Hamilton County into nine sections of approximately equal population, right? And, as always, we're promised fairness in the process. But 'equal' is supposedly subject to topography and other unavoidable factors, and it's definitely subject to political whim. And 'fairness' is a very flexible term whose definition ... (click for more)

The first paragraph of a woman’s obituary in Illinois earlier this month was an eye-opener. “Springfield, IL—Candace Cay (Kruger) Ayers, 66, of Springfield, passed away on September 3, 2021, at St. John's Hospital in Springfield, IL. She was preceded in death by more than 4,531,799 others (globally) who were infected with COVID-19. She was vaccinated but was infected by others who ... (click for more)