EFFINGHAM —
For a girl from Michigan, things sure are different around here.
I speak a little differently, call carbonated beverages “pop” and have to get a new driver’s license.
But I’m eager to learn about my new community.
I’m from Blissfield, a village of 3,300 in southeast Michigan about six hours from here. I enjoy country music, adventures, reading and competitive games of all kinds.
I have always loved to write poetry and short stories; journalism has been a more recent discovery, but I developed a passion and ran with it.
My bachelor’s degree from Central Michigan University is in English, but I took lots of psychology and leadership classes too. I really enjoy learning about the inner workings of a person, which probably contributes to my interest in reporting.
Newspaper writing has taught me more about the ins and outs of a community than I could have hoped to learn on my own time. From meetings and events to fatal accidents and features — every day on the job has been an opportunity to educate myself and others, and I always try to get the most out of those experiences.
Now I’m ready to find out what makes Effingham tick.
I look forward to meeting with readers, individuals and organizations and telling their stories.
It’s going to take a while for me to adjust to southern Illinois, but I’m excited to see what’s in store for me here.
Features
New staff member looks forward to meeting community
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Feces contaminates 58 percent of public swimming pools
Human feces taints more than half of public swimming pools, a finding U.S. health officials are using to urge better personal hygiene as the summer months approach.
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VIDEO: Meet the family that never learned to walk on two legs
Their parents had accepted the children as they were; they'd never tried to teach them to walk. In this very proscribed world, walking on hands and feet made nearly as much sense as walking upright.
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Ditch the flowers, go with these cool Mother's Day gifts
Instead of buying your mom a generic gift for Mother’s Day like flowers or a day at the spa, here are some cool gadgets that won’t only surprise her, but perhaps perfectly match one of her hobbies or current needs.
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Lexus IS C is sporty, luxurious
Compared with a more traditional Lexus, like the ES, it's absolutely thrilling. It's a car with some life and personality in it.
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Have political parties lost their purpose?
The Democrats and Republicans may be worlds apart on most things, but at their headquarters just two blocks away from each other on Capitol Hill, each is confronting the same question: Have political parties lost their purpose?
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Organic baby food more costly, not necessarily more nutritious
Squeezable pouches of organic baby food are as omnipresent on some American playgrounds as runny noses, diaper bags and overpriced strollers. But studies show that parents who are aiming to buy the best food for their infants may not need to spring for the expensive organics.
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The top 10 most expensive places to get married
XO Group Inc., the creator of the top two wedding websites, TheKnot.com and WeddingChannel.com, released the results of its annual Real Weddings Study. This comprehensive report surveyed more than 17,500 US brides married in 2012.
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Roller Derby players share shoulder microbes
Researchers have found that players come into a tournament bearing a team signature of bacteria on their shoulders-but leave sharing microbes with their opponents.
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Why do goats yell like that?
If you're among the millions who have spent a significant portion of the past month watching videos of goats yelling like humans, you may have wondered: Why do goats yell like that? Are they distressed? Do they yell for any particular reason? Are they trying to tell us something?
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VIDEO: Who could be the next pope?
Pope Benedict XVI's resignation opens the door to an array of possible successors. There's no clear front-runner, though several leading candidates have been mentioned over the years as papabile, or having the qualities of a pope.
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