Podcasts about Taylorville

Battery Specialists + Golf Cars in Taylorville hosts the show as Sam chats with owner Danny Coker and Taylorville Mayor Bruce Barry. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The show continues from Battery Specialists + Golf Cars in Taylorville with owner Danny Coker, and Christian County Economic Development Corporation Executive Director Matt Hart and his son Jack.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The show visits Taylorville with a stop at Battery Specialists + Golf Cars as Sam chats with owner Danny Coker and Taylorville Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Krystal Baker, and Bill Peterman joins Greg for this week's Money Talk Monday with the Peterman Financial Group. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join Travis & Eric on part 1 of the show the guys recap all the area matchups from the round one of the playoffs, Cumberland win over Tuscola, ALAH and Sullivan representing the LPC well,  Olney getting the convincing W, Mt. Zion pulls off the upset, Taylorville puts up a good fight & another disappointing outing in the postseason for Mahomet!

Join Travis & Eric on this edition of Inside The Headset: Travis catches up with Coach Hefner of the Effingham Hearts to talk about the wild game against Taylorville and preview this week's matchup with Mahomet, Eric catches up with Coach Watkins of the Cumberland Pirates! 

Join Travis on the show and go inside the headset on this gameday with Coach Hefner of the Effingham Hearts, catch up on the homecoming win from last week and talk about this weeks preparation for Taylorville

Welcome to Episode 11 of You Had to Be There! I can't believe we've hit double episode digits! Working on this podcast has been such a rewarding experience— it never gets old getting to chat with some of the most interesting people in the music world. And today's guest is no exception.Joining us this week is the incredibly talented singer-songwriter, Sinead Angele, based in St. Louis. Over the past decade, Sinead has collaborated with artists across multiple genres. Her latest project has been fronting one of the only Taylor Swift tribute bands in the country, TaylorVille! Be sure to follow us on Instagram at @uhadtobetherepod to see just how spot-on she is as Taylor when she's up there with the band.You can also check out Sinead's most recent solo project, titled "Finally", on all streaming platforms. Sinead has also put together an incredible playlist for this episode, featuring some of her musical inspirations and a few of her own tracks, below:Follow You Had To Be There: @uhadtobetherepodFollow Sinead Angele: @sineadangeleFollow Taylorville: @taylorvillebandSinead's Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6L8tt8tZRP7Fbrsca5pRBM?si=3e17b2fa5b764736

Liam Steward of Taylorville, talks about his success at this year's Illinois State Fair in Springfield and being named Herdsman of the Year for the Limousin Show.

Brandon (not Brian) Fellows drops by this week to take a run at the game. He hosts a Wednesday night quiz at Brewski's in Springfield, IL for Twin City Trivia when he's not doing his regular radio stuff. He was looking for questions on Country Music, Saturday Night Live, and Sports Stadiums. SPOILER ALERT: He found one of those. Links from the episode: Taylorville, Illinois Best Thing to Eat in Taylorville: Bill's Toasty or Angelo's Best Theme Song: Barney Miller and The Norm Show Last Wikipedia Search: Nap Lajoie Thing You Learned This Week: The BWI Airport is named in honor of Thurgood Marshall Where Do You Quiz? Anvil & Forge and Lil Beaver If you'd like to support the show and get access to bonus content, ⁠check out our Patreon⁠! And for everything else in the Trivia Workshop scene, here's the LinkTree: ⁠https://linktr.ee/TriviaWorkshop --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/triviaworkshop/message

Taylorville's Lizzie Schafer talked with RFD Radio's Rita Frazer at the Women Changing the Face of Agriculture at Joliet Junior College on Friday about the lessons learned in FFA and the opportunity open to young people in the livestock industry.     

An orientation to the obligations of Sexual Equity. In 4 parts, by oolonroosevelt. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories. Forward: About New Dorset. New Dorset is an island, and nation-state, in the northeast Pacific. Located 450 km southwest of the Baja California peninsula, it is the largest territory (other than Antarctica) to have no native population when first discovered by Europeans. It was first discovered in 1533 by Spanish explorers, but no Spanish presence was ever established, and it was disputed between Spain and Britain until Spain withdrew its claim in 1815. It was colonized by the British beginning in the early 1800s, and given its independence along with other British dominions in 1931. [[MORE]] New Dorset is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary government, with a constitution in broad terms similar to that of the United Kingdom and many former British colonies, but governed under the unique principles of Sexual Equity. New Dorset has 8,671,074 inhabitants. and the capitol is Dorchester. The Duchies, or provinces are: Bathurst, whose capitol is also Dorchester, has 832,092. Wilmot-Horton, whose capitol is Portsmouth, has 2.046,189. Goderich, whose capitol is Poole, has 1,100,280. Deltaland, whose capitol is Stafford, has 1,195,146. Alicia, whose capitol is Taylorville, has 1,024,764. Helenia, whose capitol is Jenkins, has 1,040,141. Louisia, whose capitol is Kibblewhite, has 537,428. Beatricia, whose capitol is Packman, has 895,034. Orientation begins: Twelve women in the their twenties and thirties, dressed in pantsuits or blazers and skirts, file in to the conference room and sit around the table. At first, they talk of their journeys here to the capital; soon he discussion turns to constituency office staffing and committee assignments. Finally an older woman, about fifty, comes in, wearing a “State Service Office” badge on a lanyard. “Hello. Welcome to State Service Orientation. I'm Rebecca Upston, the Parliamentary Commissioner for State Service. Angela, who usually does new officeholder orientation, is off today, so you get me; I'm the head of the program. Thanks for coming on time. I know this seems uncomfortable and frightful for some of you, but don't worry, for almost everyone orientation, and service generally, turns out to be a good experience. Can you introduce yourselves? Just first names here. You can call me Rebecca.” They go around the room, and each says her name. Rebecca makes a point of repeating them back. “Georgia.” “Eva.” “Lucy.” “Holly.” “Bella.” “Brooke.” “Samantha.” “Jasmine.” “Sophie.” “Madison.” “Summer.” “Elizabeth.” Rebecca says, “Great. And most of you are new members of the Legislative Assembly from; which province was it, Deltaland, right? Except Sophie, who won the federal by election in MacVicar, and Lucy, who is the newest city council member in Poole. Her election was just two days ago. Thanks for coming down so quickly. “Congratulations to all of you on running for and winning office, on being chosen to represent and lead your people. What we are here for today may not seem like it has much to do with what you do in the legislature, but you'll see that it does. “I was an MP for twelve years and on my city council for four years before that, so even before this job, I did my share of state service. A lot of women come in with ideas about service that are pretty far off, so even though we provide you with written materials, we have everyone do an in-person orientation. You've all read the ‘Your Service Obligation' booklet, right?” A series of nods. “All right. Let's begin he orientation by letting me show you through your part of the selection process. Servitrixes , that's what we call women who have a service obligation, go online each month and sign up for service room assignments. By the way, in real life nobody ever calls them ‘service rooms,' they're always called ‘cribs,' except in the paperwork. Anyway, the Service Office will send you the date each month when you're eligible to select times and places. You get a different date depending on whether you're a minister, an MP, an MLA, or what. If it's available, you're allowed to choose any crib, anywhere. Usually, you'll want to pick one near where you work, but it's up to you.” She calls the web site up on the projector and goes through a sample assignment selection process. “You pick the number of appointments you need each month for your obligation. Each appointment time lasts an hour. Ten minutes at the beginning is for preparation and fifteen at the end is for clean-up, so if you have two crib assignments in a row, you'll have a twenty-five minute break in between.” “What if we forget to sign up?” asks Georgia. “Well, you can always sign up late, and be limited to whatever crib spaces are available. We'll try to accommodate you if we can. Ultimately, it's your responsibility to make sure you can fulfil your service obligation. If you don't, you can end up before the Joint Disciplinary Committee, and ultimately lose your seat. So don't do that. Sign up early, get convenient crib assignments, do your service, and then go back and run the country. That's how service is supposed to work. All the details are on the help pages online.” “OK, so that's how you'll sign up. I want to give you a a general idea about how patrons (men who receive service) sign up too. Patrons sign up on a weekly basis instead of a monthly basis, and select their preferences from the service room assignments you've chosen. They select their preferred times and servitrixes, and the system matches them up. There are a lot more men who want to receive service than servitrixes to provide it, so there's a complicated system for building the waiting list. Patrons get priority firstly on how long they've been waiting, then on whether they live in the constituency of the woman in question, and last on whether they've received any honors – lords, knights and members of the various orders of merit all have their own priority levels.” “I thought earls and lords could get service anytime they wanted,” asked Lucy. “No, just the duke of each province and the king. Nobles get some preference, but if a regular man with no honors has been waiting longer than an earl, he will get service even if the earl has to wait. Where the honors make a difference is in whether they get their first choice of servitrix. Samantha asks, "Why do we sign up monthly when men sign up weekly?” “It just works out better that way; it allows women to establish their schedules in advance, which is especially important for women like the foreign minister, who has to make sure she squeezes in her service obligation in between foreign trips. For men, it's easier to pick appointment times closer to when they'll actually go, and weekly signups allow the waiting lists to shuffle more often, which gives a sense of progress, even if the wait isn't really any different in the long run. As long as you sign up on time for your assignments, the difference won't affect you. "Oh, one other thing you should know: if a crib isn't being used, servitrixes can sign up to use it for whatever they want; either take a friend down there, or just use the lounge to take a nap or something. Perk bookings open up at the beginning of the week, after any late assignments. "Any other questions? OK, they should be ready for us in the cribs now.” Rebecca leads the women out of the conference room and into the hall. They pause in the Grand Hall on the way to the stairs. “Parliament House is a beautiful place to work. State service reminds us of our responsibility to the citizens, but the building reminds us how glorious our country is and what a privilege it is to lead it. We who work here are fortunate, especially the MPs. State service might seem like an heavy burden at times, but it's a small price to pay. I don't regret a day of it.” They descend a stairway and travel down another hall, and come to an alcove marked Service Rooms; East, where two athletic men in their twenties are standing. “Hello, Ms. Upston.” “Hello, gentlemen,” says Rebecca. “These are two of our instructors. We don't use names for our patrons, so for now we'll just call them Mr. M and Mr. V.” They exchange a round of greetings. Rebecca addresses a woman in a security uniform sitting behind a glass window in the back of the alcove. “Hi, Harper,” says Rebecca. “Harper here is our first line of security. We know you are in a vulnerable position with you don't know, so we take security very seriously at the Service Office, especially here at Parliament House. We show you this side during orientation so you can feel confident in your safety. You've all gone through body scanners to get into Parliament House. Security's even tighter down here. No man can get into the cribs until the guard gives them a key and buzzes them in. Harper, can you check in Mr. M and Mr. V?” Harper checks their IDs and then passes two plastic rings through the window, and the two men each take one. Mr. M puts the ring on a finger, then presses the ring to a badge reader next to a door; Harper presses a button and the door opens. A short hallway is visible, with another door at the other end. Rebecca says, “The door opens only when guard buzzes the doors at the same time the key is used. Every entrance and exit to the cribs is protected by a set of double doors, which can't open at the same time, so nobody can sneak through.” Mr. M leads the others through the hallway, and they find themselves in a room with a bench, a row of lockers, and a stack of what look like towels on a shelf above a hamper. There are doors marked To Exit and Washroom/Showers, and a hallway marked To Service Rooms. Rebecca says “There are twenty cribs in Parliament House: seven in the south wing, ten in the west wing, and this the smallest set, with just three. Usually all the Parliament House cribs are pretty busy. Backbench MPs usually do service in Parliament House, as do ministers of the major departments like the Foreign Ministry and Defense, since those offices don't have their own cribs. Ministers whose offices are in the North and South Executive Buildings generally use the cribs there. "This is the locker room for the east cribs. Men can't take anything into the cribs with them from the outside, anything at all. No clothes, no jewelry, nothing except their ring key. They have to take off everything and leave it here. Gentlemen, will you demonstrate?” The instructors remove their shoes, pants, and shirts and put them in lockers. Mr. V removes a gold chain from around his neck; Mr. M removes a piercing from his ear, a gold ring from his finger, and a wristwatch. All go in the lockers. Finally, they remove their underwear, and turn around, facing the officeholders totally nude except for the plastic ring keys on their fingers. Rebecca says, “Please, take a good look,” and the two instructors pause as the women examine them.. A few titters escape the women's mouths. Rebecca says, “We always get a few gigglers here at orientation. But you'll have to get used to seeing men like this. We'll talk more about that later. First, let's finish seeing security. Meanwhile, Mr. M takes one of the cloths that look like towels. "These wraps are all patrons are allowed to wear,” he says. “It's not much, but having something makes most of us more comfortable while we wait.” He puts it around his lower torso and presses it closed. “There's no pockets or anything, so you can see why the keys are made like rings; we don't have to worry about losing them. We need the ring to open our locker and get our clothes after service.” Mr. V also takes a wrap and puts it on. They continue on into the hallway marked To Waiting Room. In the hallway is another security checkpoint with a fullbody scanner, with entry and exit doors; a male security officer stands behind a glass wall. Rebecca says, “We're always extra careful. We know you're in the public eye and we don't want anything to happen to any of you. So we have another checkpoint here. Lucas here does a visual inspection, and then the scanner verifies that the man has left absolutely everything in the locker room.” The scanner door opens, Mr. M steps inside, and the door closes behind him. Lucas says, “Please remove your wrap, sir.” Mr. M does, and the guard makes a point of examining him thoroughly. “You may put it back now, sir,” says Lucas. Mr. M does so, and then Lucas operates the scanner, which is silent. “Thank you, sir,” says Lucas, and the rear scanner door opens. Mr. M goes through the door, and it closes behind him. Lucas goes through the same procedure with Mr. V. Rebecca says, “Only patrons are allowed in the waiting room, so we will be heading out now.” Bella says, “Is there something special in the waiting room that we can't see?” “Yes, actually. Official portraits. At one point, it was decided that the old practice of displaying portraits of past and present ministers and officers of Parliament was one of the honors women would renounce. Instead, it was decided that official portraits would be made in the act of giving service, and they would be displayed in the waiting rooms to help patrons get in the proper mood.” Lucy is alarmed. “But they said service was private, that nobody got to see us.” “Well, nobody gets to see except the patrons. This is why you're not allowed in there. The waiting room is highly restricted. Nobody is ever allowed in except men waiting for service. Even I've never seen any of the official portraits except my own.” Sophie says, “I'd like to know about that.” Rebecca laughs. “Maybe later. Anyway, don't worry, only ministers and a few others are required to have their portraits posted, and in any case only the men actually waiting for service can see them. We can have no expectation of privacy from our patrons. And the portraits do an important job, of helping patrons get themselves ready for what is about to happen. It's just another kind of service.” “Anyway, when the woman in the crib signals that she's ready to begin, there will be an announcement in the waiting room. The man then uses his key to access the hallway that leads to the crib, and then the crib itself. The main security office has a door to the hall, to come if you call, and the hall is also used by housekeeping staff who wipe up and change the linens after every appointment. "For now, our instructors will stay in the waiting room while we go around to the women's entrance.” Rebecca leads the women out through the locker room and a series of hallways with doors back to the service room entrance alcove. She counts the women, and says “Harper, we're all clear.” Rebeca leads the women back to the stairwell. “We actually have to go up and over to get to the women's entrances. We don't want any mistakes.” Lucy asks, “Are all cribs this secure?” “Well, mostly. No matter what, we always have separate men's and women's entrances, and there's always a guard on the men's side who makes sure patrons can't bring anything inside, monitors who enters the cribs, and who is there to help if called. But all security is stronger for our national leaders. The truth is that we've never had a problem where somebody who wasn't supposed to be in a crib tried to get in to hurt someone, not even here in the capital.” Rebecca leads them up the stairs, back through a set of hallways, and down another stairway. At the bottom, a woman in a security uniform sits at a counter, behind another glass window with a locked door. Rebecca says, “Matilda here will check your IDs and buzz you in.” Matilda checks each ID before allowing the group through another set of double doors into another hallway, this one with doors labeled E1 through E3. Rebecca says, “We're going to do most of the rest of orientation in E1, but that's an extra-large crib we use for orientations and other special occasions. Before we go there, I want to show you E2, which is a regular crib. The first room is your lounge, where you can freshen up. There's a small washroom with a toilet and shower, and an area where you can rest and change clothes. Then after that is the crib itself, which has a bed, a chair, and a stool. I'll explain that in a bit, but go on into E2 and see what it's like.” Rebecca opens the door with her badge. Each goes into E2 and looks around. The lounge has an area rug covering most of the floor, a daybed and a small clothes closet with a mirror on the door. The washroom is small but well stocked with toiletries. Next to the door to the crib is wall decoration reading “Happiness / Gratitude / Humility” and a small whiteboard marked “Today's code: 2701”. Inside the crib is a full-size bed, made up with just a fitted sheet. It's pressed up against the wall on one side, and on the other side there's a low chest of drawers. Across from it there's also a chair with a seat raised off the ground, and a very low stool in front of it. This room has a rug on the floor also. On the far wall is a door marked Men's Exit. Next to the door back to the lounge there are some pushbuttons and a keypad. After each has a look, Rebecca reaches into the E2 lounge, presses a button on the wall marked Finished, and exits the room, closing the E2 door behind her. Then she shows the officeholders into E1. The lounge here is similar, but much larger, with two couches and a large closet, and mirrors lining the walls; the washroom has a toilet and shower but also a whirlpool bath. It has the same decoration and whiteboard next to the crib door. Rebecca says, “This is the biggest crib we have, which is why we use it for orientation: there's no way this many women could fit in E2. At the same time, E2 is much more like the cribs you'll be using. This room is booked up quickly. "Now is when you will be first introduced to what State Service is really like. The first step is to change your clothes. You should remove everything: clothes, jewelry, hair bands, whatever you have on, and put on a service robe. Let me know if your robe is too long; it shouldn't go down to your knees.” She opens the closet and hands each woman a garment bag and a thigh-length, very sheer robe. Eva looks at the robe and asks, “What's the point of wearing this thing? There's not even any lace. They can see everything anyway, we might as well just be naked.” Rebecca says, “Yes, Eva, it doesn't hide anything, but that's not the point of wearing this. We provide service not only in what we do but in how we look, and not only in how we look to the men but how we look to ourselves. Nudity isn't necessarily sexy; it can be pretty ordinary. We're all nude when we take baths, or change our clothes. These robes are a reminder, partially to the men but mostly to ourselves, that we are here in their service. In here, we reveal ourselves in every way, even If we wear a robe, even if we do what usually conceals. So we're more nude than nude in these. And before you ask, yes I'll be wearing one too. Out there, I'm a Parliamentary Commissioner; when I come in here, I'm a woman providing service, like any of you. Counselors and managers in the Service Office are the only women other than elected officials who have a citizen service obligation. "So, please place your clothes in the garment bags; we'll put them in the closet.” Each of the women begins to remove her clothes and place them in the garment bag. As they do, Rebecca says, “Don't be shy about looking at each other. Servitrixes need to get used to being looked at.” Each woman puts on her very thin and sheer robe, and hangs the bag in the closet. “Sophie, your robe is a little long; can you exchange with Bella? You don't want it to get caught on your knees.” They exchange robes. Rebecca says, “We're going to do an exercise to help get in the proper mindset. This room is just large enough for you all to stand in a circle, facing each other. Please do that, and hold hands.” The twelve women stand in a circle, arms spread so they can hold hands, wearing nothing but the sheer robes, bodies completely visible; Rebecca wears the same but stands outside the circle. “OK, now I want you to close your eyes,” says Rebecca. “OK? Good. I want you to think about the path you took to get here. You were victorious in your election campaign. You won! And now you can begin the great work you set out to do when you decided to run. Be happy in your victory, and in the opportunity you have to do good. But remember the many other people who worked to get you here, who gave you their time, money, and resources, and who cheered you up when thinks looked bad and were there to celebrate with you at the end. Remember also the many people who raised you from a child and taught you what you needed to know. Be grateful to them. Also, remember that the reason you are here is because the voters chose you to be here. For all you did to get here, it was they, not you, who made the decision. And they have put their faith in you, entrusted you with power over their lives, with the responsibility to represent them to the greater commonwealth. Be humble when facing the great challenges before you and when thinking of the great trust placed in you. "Before opening your eyes, concentrate on feeling happy, grateful, and humble. "Now open your eyes. Look at the other women in the circle. Those are the other women who won their elections, who succeeded, just like you. They are happy: smile at them and see them smile back at you. And they are also grateful to those who supported them and humble before the great work in front of them. That is what women who are entrusted with leadership look like. And you are one of them. "These women are in this room, revealing themselves, baring all, more nude than nude. Look closely at them – at their heads, faces, necks, arms, breasts, nipples, bellies, hips, mounds, pussies, thighs, legs, feet. These women show all of themselves, and will hold nothing of themselves back, because that will keep faith with the people who supported and chose them. And you are one of them. "Each woman you're looking at will use her body to serve men by offering herself for their pleasure. And all are happy to do it. Smile again, and see them smile again in return. They are happy for the opportunity to prove their loyalty, grateful to the men they serve for that opportunity, and humble before the men who symbolize all those who have trusted them with leadership. And you are one of them.” Rebecca steps into the center of the circle. “For just a moment, I want you to look directly at me. You can see I'm not a young woman. Even though I take pretty good care of myself, still, my breasts sag and my belly droops. But I also am humble, and grateful, and happy to keep faith with those who entrusted me with my duties. And so I serve men. And I promise you, when I go in to give service, men aren't focused on any imperfections in my body. What men see is a woman who is prepared to give completely of herself to them, to serve them, for their pleasure. "Now I want you to let go of each other's hands, and turn to face one of the mirrors with your hands at your sides Take a good look at yourself. Some of you may be hard on yourselves, thinking you don't look as good as the others. Others of you may take pride in your appearance. But your appearance really is not important. What matters is your ability to open yourself, reveal yourself, humbly give of yourself to service. "Think about what you are when you're here. Outside this room you may be a professional, a scholar, a leader, a powerful person ready to govern the country. But in here, when you reveal yourself, uncover yourself, you're a woman, humbly serving a man by using your body to give him the pleasure he desires, in order to keep faith with your people. Remember that. Take a good look at the woman who will be serving that man. You won't ever know who the men are who come to you for pleasure, who will find fulfillment in your body: your mouth, your breasts, your ass, your pussy… It doesn't matter. He's a man, and you're a woman, and you're here to serve him, whoever he is. You are humble to have been chosen by those who sent you here, and you are grateful to have the opportunity to show that their trust is justified, and happy to be able to do that by serving that man, giving all of yourself to give him pleasure. Look at that humble, grateful, happy woman.” After a few more seconds of staring, Rebecca says “Thank you. In a minute we'll go into the crib. See the code by the door? You'll need to remember it. You type that code on the keypad inside the crib to open the door to come back here again. If you type anything else security comes.” “Ok, follow me into the crib.” To be continued in part 3, the crib, by oolonroosevelt for Literotica

An orientation to the obligations of Sexual Equity. In 4 parts, by oolonroosevelt. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories. Forward: About New Dorset. New Dorset is an island, and nation-state, in the northeast Pacific. Located 450 km southwest of the Baja California peninsula, it is the largest territory (other than Antarctica) to have no native population when first discovered by Europeans. It was first discovered in 1533 by Spanish explorers, but no Spanish presence was ever established, and it was disputed between Spain and Britain until Spain withdrew its claim in 1815. It was colonized by the British beginning in the early 1800s, and given its independence along with other British dominions in 1931. [[MORE]] New Dorset is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary government, with a constitution in broad terms similar to that of the United Kingdom and many former British colonies, but governed under the unique principles of Sexual Equity. New Dorset has 8,671,074 inhabitants. and the capitol is Dorchester. The Duchies, or provinces are: Bathurst, whose capitol is also Dorchester, has 832,092. Wilmot-Horton, whose capitol is Portsmouth, has 2.046,189. Goderich, whose capitol is Poole, has 1,100,280. Deltaland, whose capitol is Stafford, has 1,195,146. Alicia, whose capitol is Taylorville, has 1,024,764. Helenia, whose capitol is Jenkins, has 1,040,141. Louisia, whose capitol is Kibblewhite, has 537,428. Beatricia, whose capitol is Packman, has 895,034. Orientation begins: Twelve women in the their twenties and thirties, dressed in pantsuits or blazers and skirts, file in to the conference room and sit around the table. At first, they talk of their journeys here to the capital; soon he discussion turns to constituency office staffing and committee assignments. Finally an older woman, about fifty, comes in, wearing a “State Service Office” badge on a lanyard. “Hello. Welcome to State Service Orientation. I'm Rebecca Upston, the Parliamentary Commissioner for State Service. Angela, who usually does new officeholder orientation, is off today, so you get me; I'm the head of the program. Thanks for coming on time. I know this seems uncomfortable and frightful for some of you, but don't worry, for almost everyone orientation, and service generally, turns out to be a good experience. Can you introduce yourselves? Just first names here. You can call me Rebecca.” They go around the room, and each says her name. Rebecca makes a point of repeating them back. “Georgia.” “Eva.” “Lucy.” “Holly.” “Bella.” “Brooke.” “Samantha.” “Jasmine.” “Sophie.” “Madison.” “Summer.” “Elizabeth.” Rebecca says, “Great. And most of you are new members of the Legislative Assembly from; which province was it, Deltaland, right? Except Sophie, who won the federal by election in MacVicar, and Lucy, who is the newest city council member in Poole. Her election was just two days ago. Thanks for coming down so quickly. “Congratulations to all of you on running for and winning office, on being chosen to represent and lead your people. What we are here for today may not seem like it has much to do with what you do in the legislature, but you'll see that it does. “I was an MP for twelve years and on my city council for four years before that, so even before this job, I did my share of state service. A lot of women come in with ideas about service that are pretty far off, so even though we provide you with written materials, we have everyone do an in-person orientation. You've all read the ‘Your Service Obligation' booklet, right?” A series of nods. “All right. Let's begin he orientation by letting me show you through your part of the selection process. Servitrixes , that's what we call women who have a service obligation, go online each month and sign up for service room assignments. By the way, in real life nobody ever calls them ‘service rooms,' they're always called ‘cribs,' except in the paperwork. Anyway, the Service Office will send you the date each month when you're eligible to select times and places. You get a different date depending on whether you're a minister, an MP, an MLA, or what. If it's available, you're allowed to choose any crib, anywhere. Usually, you'll want to pick one near where you work, but it's up to you.” She calls the web site up on the projector and goes through a sample assignment selection process. “You pick the number of appointments you need each month for your obligation. Each appointment time lasts an hour. Ten minutes at the beginning is for preparation and fifteen at the end is for clean-up, so if you have two crib assignments in a row, you'll have a twenty-five minute break in between.” “What if we forget to sign up?” asks Georgia. “Well, you can always sign up late, and be limited to whatever crib spaces are available. We'll try to accommodate you if we can. Ultimately, it's your responsibility to make sure you can fulfil your service obligation. If you don't, you can end up before the Joint Disciplinary Committee, and ultimately lose your seat. So don't do that. Sign up early, get convenient crib assignments, do your service, and then go back and run the country. That's how service is supposed to work. All the details are on the help pages online.” “OK, so that's how you'll sign up. I want to give you a a general idea about how patrons (men who receive service) sign up too. Patrons sign up on a weekly basis instead of a monthly basis, and select their preferences from the service room assignments you've chosen. They select their preferred times and servitrixes, and the system matches them up. There are a lot more men who want to receive service than servitrixes to provide it, so there's a complicated system for building the waiting list. Patrons get priority firstly on how long they've been waiting, then on whether they live in the constituency of the woman in question, and last on whether they've received any honors – lords, knights and members of the various orders of merit all have their own priority levels.” “I thought earls and lords could get service anytime they wanted,” asked Lucy. “No, just the duke of each province and the king. Nobles get some preference, but if a regular man with no honors has been waiting longer than an earl, he will get service even if the earl has to wait. Where the honors make a difference is in whether they get their first choice of servitrix. Samantha asks, "Why do we sign up monthly when men sign up weekly?” “It just works out better that way; it allows women to establish their schedules in advance, which is especially important for women like the foreign minister, who has to make sure she squeezes in her service obligation in between foreign trips. For men, it's easier to pick appointment times closer to when they'll actually go, and weekly signups allow the waiting lists to shuffle more often, which gives a sense of progress, even if the wait isn't really any different in the long run. As long as you sign up on time for your assignments, the difference won't affect you. "Oh, one other thing you should know: if a crib isn't being used, servitrixes can sign up to use it for whatever they want; either take a friend down there, or just use the lounge to take a nap or something. Perk bookings open up at the beginning of the week, after any late assignments. "Any other questions? OK, they should be ready for us in the cribs now.” Rebecca leads the women out of the conference room and into the hall. They pause in the Grand Hall on the way to the stairs. “Parliament House is a beautiful place to work. State service reminds us of our responsibility to the citizens, but the building reminds us how glorious our country is and what a privilege it is to lead it. We who work here are fortunate, especially the MPs. State service might seem like an heavy burden at times, but it's a small price to pay. I don't regret a day of it.” They descend a stairway and travel down another hall, and come to an alcove marked Service Rooms; East, where two athletic men in their twenties are standing. “Hello, Ms. Upston.” “Hello, gentlemen,” says Rebecca. “These are two of our instructors. We don't use names for our patrons, so for now we'll just call them Mr. M and Mr. V.” They exchange a round of greetings. Rebecca addresses a woman in a security uniform sitting behind a glass window in the back of the alcove. “Hi, Harper,” says Rebecca. “Harper here is our first line of security. We know you are in a vulnerable position with you don't know, so we take security very seriously at the Service Office, especially here at Parliament House. We show you this side during orientation so you can feel confident in your safety. You've all gone through body scanners to get into Parliament House. Security's even tighter down here. No man can get into the cribs until the guard gives them a key and buzzes them in. Harper, can you check in Mr. M and Mr. V?” Harper checks their IDs and then passes two plastic rings through the window, and the two men each take one. Mr. M puts the ring on a finger, then presses the ring to a badge reader next to a door; Harper presses a button and the door opens. A short hallway is visible, with another door at the other end. Rebecca says, “The door opens only when guard buzzes the doors at the same time the key is used. Every entrance and exit to the cribs is protected by a set of double doors, which can't open at the same time, so nobody can sneak through.” Mr. M leads the others through the hallway, and they find themselves in a room with a bench, a row of lockers, and a stack of what look like towels on a shelf above a hamper. There are doors marked To Exit and Washroom/Showers, and a hallway marked To Service Rooms. Rebecca says “There are twenty cribs in Parliament House: seven in the south wing, ten in the west wing, and this the smallest set, with just three. Usually all the Parliament House cribs are pretty busy. Backbench MPs usually do service in Parliament House, as do ministers of the major departments like the Foreign Ministry and Defense, since those offices don't have their own cribs. Ministers whose offices are in the North and South Executive Buildings generally use the cribs there. "This is the locker room for the east cribs. Men can't take anything into the cribs with them from the outside, anything at all. No clothes, no jewelry, nothing except their ring key. They have to take off everything and leave it here. Gentlemen, will you demonstrate?” The instructors remove their shoes, pants, and shirts and put them in lockers. Mr. V removes a gold chain from around his neck; Mr. M removes a piercing from his ear, a gold ring from his finger, and a wristwatch. All go in the lockers. Finally, they remove their underwear, and turn around, facing the officeholders totally nude except for the plastic ring keys on their fingers. Rebecca says, “Please, take a good look,” and the two instructors pause as the women examine them.. A few titters escape the women's mouths. Rebecca says, “We always get a few gigglers here at orientation. But you'll have to get used to seeing men like this. We'll talk more about that later. First, let's finish seeing security. Meanwhile, Mr. M takes one of the cloths that look like towels. "These wraps are all patrons are allowed to wear,” he says. “It's not much, but having something makes most of us more comfortable while we wait.” He puts it around his lower torso and presses it closed. “There's no pockets or anything, so you can see why the keys are made like rings; we don't have to worry about losing them. We need the ring to open our locker and get our clothes after service.” Mr. V also takes a wrap and puts it on. They continue on into the hallway marked To Waiting Room. In the hallway is another security checkpoint with a fullbody scanner, with entry and exit doors; a male security officer stands behind a glass wall. Rebecca says, “We're always extra careful. We know you're in the public eye and we don't want anything to happen to any of you. So we have another checkpoint here. Lucas here does a visual inspection, and then the scanner verifies that the man has left absolutely everything in the locker room.” The scanner door opens, Mr. M steps inside, and the door closes behind him. Lucas says, “Please remove your wrap, sir.” Mr. M does, and the guard makes a point of examining him thoroughly. “You may put it back now, sir,” says Lucas. Mr. M does so, and then Lucas operates the scanner, which is silent. “Thank you, sir,” says Lucas, and the rear scanner door opens. Mr. M goes through the door, and it closes behind him. Lucas goes through the same procedure with Mr. V. Rebecca says, “Only patrons are allowed in the waiting room, so we will be heading out now.” Bella says, “Is there something special in the waiting room that we can't see?” “Yes, actually. Official portraits. At one point, it was decided that the old practice of displaying portraits of past and present ministers and officers of Parliament was one of the honors women would renounce. Instead, it was decided that official portraits would be made in the act of giving service, and they would be displayed in the waiting rooms to help patrons get in the proper mood.” Lucy is alarmed. “But they said service was private, that nobody got to see us.” “Well, nobody gets to see except the patrons. This is why you're not allowed in there. The waiting room is highly restricted. Nobody is ever allowed in except men waiting for service. Even I've never seen any of the official portraits except my own.” Sophie says, “I'd like to know about that.” Rebecca laughs. “Maybe later. Anyway, don't worry, only ministers and a few others are required to have their portraits posted, and in any case only the men actually waiting for service can see them. We can have no expectation of privacy from our patrons. And the portraits do an important job, of helping patrons get themselves ready for what is about to happen. It's just another kind of service.” “Anyway, when the woman in the crib signals that she's ready to begin, there will be an announcement in the waiting room. The man then uses his key to access the hallway that leads to the crib, and then the crib itself. The main security office has a door to the hall, to come if you call, and the hall is also used by housekeeping staff who wipe up and change the linens after every appointment. "For now, our instructors will stay in the waiting room while we go around to the women's entrance.” Rebecca leads the women out through the locker room and a series of hallways with doors back to the service room entrance alcove. She counts the women, and says “Harper, we're all clear.” Rebeca leads the women back to the stairwell. “We actually have to go up and over to get to the women's entrances. We don't want any mistakes.” Lucy asks, “Are all cribs this secure?” “Well, mostly. No matter what, we always have separate men's and women's entrances, and there's always a guard on the men's side who makes sure patrons can't bring anything inside, monitors who enters the cribs, and who is there to help if called. But all security is stronger for our national leaders. The truth is that we've never had a problem where somebody who wasn't supposed to be in a crib tried to get in to hurt someone, not even here in the capital.” Rebecca leads them up the stairs, back through a set of hallways, and down another stairway. At the bottom, a woman in a security uniform sits at a counter, behind another glass window with a locked door. Rebecca says, “Matilda here will check your IDs and buzz you in.” Matilda checks each ID before allowing the group through another set of double doors into another hallway, this one with doors labeled E1 through E3. Rebecca says, “We're going to do most of the rest of orientation in E1, but that's an extra-large crib we use for orientations and other special occasions. Before we go there, I want to show you E2, which is a regular crib. The first room is your lounge, where you can freshen up. There's a small washroom with a toilet and shower, and an area where you can rest and change clothes. Then after that is the crib itself, which has a bed, a chair, and a stool. I'll explain that in a bit, but go on into E2 and see what it's like.” Rebecca opens the door with her badge. Each goes into E2 and looks around. The lounge has an area rug covering most of the floor, a daybed and a small clothes closet with a mirror on the door. The washroom is small but well stocked with toiletries. Next to the door to the crib is wall decoration reading “Happiness / Gratitude / Humility” and a small whiteboard marked “Today's code: 2701”. Inside the crib is a full-size bed, made up with just a fitted sheet. It's pressed up against the wall on one side, and on the other side there's a low chest of drawers. Across from it there's also a chair with a seat raised off the ground, and a very low stool in front of it. This room has a rug on the floor also. On the far wall is a door marked Men's Exit. Next to the door back to the lounge there are some pushbuttons and a keypad. After each has a look, Rebecca reaches into the E2 lounge, presses a button on the wall marked Finished, and exits the room, closing the E2 door behind her. Then she shows the officeholders into E1. The lounge here is similar, but much larger, with two couches and a large closet, and mirrors lining the walls; the washroom has a toilet and shower but also a whirlpool bath. It has the same decoration and whiteboard next to the crib door. Rebecca says, “This is the biggest crib we have, which is why we use it for orientation: there's no way this many women could fit in E2. At the same time, E2 is much more like the cribs you'll be using. This room is booked up quickly. "Now is when you will be first introduced to what State Service is really like. The first step is to change your clothes. You should remove everything: clothes, jewelry, hair bands, whatever you have on, and put on a service robe. Let me know if your robe is too long; it shouldn't go down to your knees.” She opens the closet and hands each woman a garment bag and a thigh-length, very sheer robe. Eva looks at the robe and asks, “What's the point of wearing this thing? There's not even any lace. They can see everything anyway, we might as well just be naked.” Rebecca says, “Yes, Eva, it doesn't hide anything, but that's not the point of wearing this. We provide service not only in what we do but in how we look, and not only in how we look to the men but how we look to ourselves. Nudity isn't necessarily sexy; it can be pretty ordinary. We're all nude when we take baths, or change our clothes. These robes are a reminder, partially to the men but mostly to ourselves, that we are here in their service. In here, we reveal ourselves in every way, even If we wear a robe, even if we do what usually conceals. So we're more nude than nude in these. And before you ask, yes I'll be wearing one too. Out there, I'm a Parliamentary Commissioner; when I come in here, I'm a woman providing service, like any of you. Counselors and managers in the Service Office are the only women other than elected officials who have a citizen service obligation. "So, please place your clothes in the garment bags; we'll put them in the closet.” Each of the women begins to remove her clothes and place them in the garment bag. As they do, Rebecca says, “Don't be shy about looking at each other. Servitrixes need to get used to being looked at.” Each woman puts on her very thin and sheer robe, and hangs the bag in the closet. “Sophie, your robe is a little long; can you exchange with Bella? You don't want it to get caught on your knees.” They exchange robes. Rebecca says, “We're going to do an exercise to help get in the proper mindset. This room is just large enough for you all to stand in a circle, facing each other. Please do that, and hold hands.” The twelve women stand in a circle, arms spread so they can hold hands, wearing nothing but the sheer robes, bodies completely visible; Rebecca wears the same but stands outside the circle. “OK, now I want you to close your eyes,” says Rebecca. “OK? Good. I want you to think about the path you took to get here. You were victorious in your election campaign. You won! And now you can begin the great work you set out to do when you decided to run. Be happy in your victory, and in the opportunity you have to do good. But remember the many other people who worked to get you here, who gave you their time, money, and resources, and who cheered you up when thinks looked bad and were there to celebrate with you at the end. Remember also the many people who raised you from a child and taught you what you needed to know. Be grateful to them. Also, remember that the reason you are here is because the voters chose you to be here. For all you did to get here, it was they, not you, who made the decision. And they have put their faith in you, entrusted you with power over their lives, with the responsibility to represent them to the greater commonwealth. Be humble when facing the great challenges before you and when thinking of the great trust placed in you. "Before opening your eyes, concentrate on feeling happy, grateful, and humble. "Now open your eyes. Look at the other women in the circle. Those are the other women who won their elections, who succeeded, just like you. They are happy: smile at them and see them smile back at you. And they are also grateful to those who supported them and humble before the great work in front of them. That is what women who are entrusted with leadership look like. And you are one of them. "These women are in this room, revealing themselves, baring all, more nude than nude. Look closely at them – at their heads, faces, necks, arms, breasts, nipples, bellies, hips, mounds, pussies, thighs, legs, feet. These women show all of themselves, and will hold nothing of themselves back, because that will keep faith with the people who supported and chose them. And you are one of them. "Each woman you're looking at will use her body to serve men by offering herself for their pleasure. And all are happy to do it. Smile again, and see them smile again in return. They are happy for the opportunity to prove their loyalty, grateful to the men they serve for that opportunity, and humble before the men who symbolize all those who have trusted them with leadership. And you are one of them.” Rebecca steps into the center of the circle. “For just a moment, I want you to look directly at me. You can see I'm not a young woman. Even though I take pretty good care of myself, still, my breasts sag and my belly droops. But I also am humble, and grateful, and happy to keep faith with those who entrusted me with my duties. And so I serve men. And I promise you, when I go in to give service, men aren't focused on any imperfections in my body. What men see is a woman who is prepared to give completely of herself to them, to serve them, for their pleasure. "Now I want you to let go of each other's hands, and turn to face one of the mirrors with your hands at your sides Take a good look at yourself. Some of you may be hard on yourselves, thinking you don't look as good as the others. Others of you may take pride in your appearance. But your appearance really is not important. What matters is your ability to open yourself, reveal yourself, humbly give of yourself to service. "Think about what you are when you're here. Outside this room you may be a professional, a scholar, a leader, a powerful person ready to govern the country. But in here, when you reveal yourself, uncover yourself, you're a woman, humbly serving a man by using your body to give him the pleasure he desires, in order to keep faith with your people. Remember that. Take a good look at the woman who will be serving that man. You won't ever know who the men are who come to you for pleasure, who will find fulfillment in your body: your mouth, your breasts, your ass, your pussy… It doesn't matter. He's a man, and you're a woman, and you're here to serve him, whoever he is. You are humble to have been chosen by those who sent you here, and you are grateful to have the opportunity to show that their trust is justified, and happy to be able to do that by serving that man, giving all of yourself to give him pleasure. Look at that humble, grateful, happy woman.” After a few more seconds of staring, Rebecca says “Thank you. In a minute we'll go into the crib. See the code by the door? You'll need to remember it. You type that code on the keypad inside the crib to open the door to come back here again. If you type anything else security comes.” “Ok, follow me into the crib.” To be continued in part 3, the crib, by oolonroosevelt for Literotica

An orientation to the obligations of Sexual Equity. In 4 parts, by oolonroosevelt. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories. Forward: About New Dorset. New Dorset is an island, and nation-state, in the northeast Pacific. Located 450 km southwest of the Baja California peninsula, it is the largest territory (other than Antarctica) to have no native population when first discovered by Europeans. It was first discovered in 1533 by Spanish explorers, but no Spanish presence was ever established, and it was disputed between Spain and Britain until Spain withdrew its claim in 1815. It was colonized by the British beginning in the early 1800s, and given its independence along with other British dominions in 1931. [[MORE]] New Dorset is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary government, with a constitution in broad terms similar to that of the United Kingdom and many former British colonies, but governed under the unique principles of Sexual Equity. New Dorset has 8,671,074 inhabitants. and the capitol is Dorchester. The Duchies, or provinces are: Bathurst, whose capitol is also Dorchester, has 832,092. Wilmot-Horton, whose capitol is Portsmouth, has 2.046,189. Goderich, whose capitol is Poole, has 1,100,280. Deltaland, whose capitol is Stafford, has 1,195,146. Alicia, whose capitol is Taylorville, has 1,024,764. Helenia, whose capitol is Jenkins, has 1,040,141. Louisia, whose capitol is Kibblewhite, has 537,428. Beatricia, whose capitol is Packman, has 895,034. Orientation begins: Twelve women in the their twenties and thirties, dressed in pantsuits or blazers and skirts, file in to the conference room and sit around the table. At first, they talk of their journeys here to the capital; soon he discussion turns to constituency office staffing and committee assignments. Finally an older woman, about fifty, comes in, wearing a “State Service Office” badge on a lanyard. “Hello. Welcome to State Service Orientation. I'm Rebecca Upston, the Parliamentary Commissioner for State Service. Angela, who usually does new officeholder orientation, is off today, so you get me; I'm the head of the program. Thanks for coming on time. I know this seems uncomfortable and frightful for some of you, but don't worry, for almost everyone orientation, and service generally, turns out to be a good experience. Can you introduce yourselves? Just first names here. You can call me Rebecca.” They go around the room, and each says her name. Rebecca makes a point of repeating them back. “Georgia.” “Eva.” “Lucy.” “Holly.” “Bella.” “Brooke.” “Samantha.” “Jasmine.” “Sophie.” “Madison.” “Summer.” “Elizabeth.” Rebecca says, “Great. And most of you are new members of the Legislative Assembly from; which province was it, Deltaland, right? Except Sophie, who won the federal by election in MacVicar, and Lucy, who is the newest city council member in Poole. Her election was just two days ago. Thanks for coming down so quickly. “Congratulations to all of you on running for and winning office, on being chosen to represent and lead your people. What we are here for today may not seem like it has much to do with what you do in the legislature, but you'll see that it does. “I was an MP for twelve years and on my city council for four years before that, so even before this job, I did my share of state service. A lot of women come in with ideas about service that are pretty far off, so even though we provide you with written materials, we have everyone do an in-person orientation. You've all read the ‘Your Service Obligation' booklet, right?” A series of nods. “All right. Let's begin he orientation by letting me show you through your part of the selection process. Servitrixes , that's what we call women who have a service obligation, go online each month and sign up for service room assignments. By the way, in real life nobody ever calls them ‘service rooms,' they're always called ‘cribs,' except in the paperwork. Anyway, the Service Office will send you the date each month when you're eligible to select times and places. You get a different date depending on whether you're a minister, an MP, an MLA, or what. If it's available, you're allowed to choose any crib, anywhere. Usually, you'll want to pick one near where you work, but it's up to you.” She calls the web site up on the projector and goes through a sample assignment selection process. “You pick the number of appointments you need each month for your obligation. Each appointment time lasts an hour. Ten minutes at the beginning is for preparation and fifteen at the end is for clean-up, so if you have two crib assignments in a row, you'll have a twenty-five minute break in between.” “What if we forget to sign up?” asks Georgia. “Well, you can always sign up late, and be limited to whatever crib spaces are available. We'll try to accommodate you if we can. Ultimately, it's your responsibility to make sure you can fulfil your service obligation. If you don't, you can end up before the Joint Disciplinary Committee, and ultimately lose your seat. So don't do that. Sign up early, get convenient crib assignments, do your service, and then go back and run the country. That's how service is supposed to work. All the details are on the help pages online.” “OK, so that's how you'll sign up. I want to give you a a general idea about how patrons (men who receive service) sign up too. Patrons sign up on a weekly basis instead of a monthly basis, and select their preferences from the service room assignments you've chosen. They select their preferred times and servitrixes, and the system matches them up. There are a lot more men who want to receive service than servitrixes to provide it, so there's a complicated system for building the waiting list. Patrons get priority firstly on how long they've been waiting, then on whether they live in the constituency of the woman in question, and last on whether they've received any honors – lords, knights and members of the various orders of merit all have their own priority levels.” “I thought earls and lords could get service anytime they wanted,” asked Lucy. “No, just the duke of each province and the king. Nobles get some preference, but if a regular man with no honors has been waiting longer than an earl, he will get service even if the earl has to wait. Where the honors make a difference is in whether they get their first choice of servitrix. Samantha asks, "Why do we sign up monthly when men sign up weekly?” “It just works out better that way; it allows women to establish their schedules in advance, which is especially important for women like the foreign minister, who has to make sure she squeezes in her service obligation in between foreign trips. For men, it's easier to pick appointment times closer to when they'll actually go, and weekly signups allow the waiting lists to shuffle more often, which gives a sense of progress, even if the wait isn't really any different in the long run. As long as you sign up on time for your assignments, the difference won't affect you. "Oh, one other thing you should know: if a crib isn't being used, servitrixes can sign up to use it for whatever they want; either take a friend down there, or just use the lounge to take a nap or something. Perk bookings open up at the beginning of the week, after any late assignments. "Any other questions? OK, they should be ready for us in the cribs now.” Rebecca leads the women out of the conference room and into the hall. They pause in the Grand Hall on the way to the stairs. “Parliament House is a beautiful place to work. State service reminds us of our responsibility to the citizens, but the building reminds us how glorious our country is and what a privilege it is to lead it. We who work here are fortunate, especially the MPs. State service might seem like an heavy burden at times, but it's a small price to pay. I don't regret a day of it.” They descend a stairway and travel down another hall, and come to an alcove marked Service Rooms; East, where two athletic men in their twenties are standing. “Hello, Ms. Upston.” “Hello, gentlemen,” says Rebecca. “These are two of our instructors. We don't use names for our patrons, so for now we'll just call them Mr. M and Mr. V.” They exchange a round of greetings. Rebecca addresses a woman in a security uniform sitting behind a glass window in the back of the alcove. “Hi, Harper,” says Rebecca. “Harper here is our first line of security. We know you are in a vulnerable position with you don't know, so we take security very seriously at the Service Office, especially here at Parliament House. We show you this side during orientation so you can feel confident in your safety. You've all gone through body scanners to get into Parliament House. Security's even tighter down here. No man can get into the cribs until the guard gives them a key and buzzes them in. Harper, can you check in Mr. M and Mr. V?” Harper checks their IDs and then passes two plastic rings through the window, and the two men each take one. Mr. M puts the ring on a finger, then presses the ring to a badge reader next to a door; Harper presses a button and the door opens. A short hallway is visible, with another door at the other end. Rebecca says, “The door opens only when guard buzzes the doors at the same time the key is used. Every entrance and exit to the cribs is protected by a set of double doors, which can't open at the same time, so nobody can sneak through.” Mr. M leads the others through the hallway, and they find themselves in a room with a bench, a row of lockers, and a stack of what look like towels on a shelf above a hamper. There are doors marked To Exit and Washroom/Showers, and a hallway marked To Service Rooms. Rebecca says “There are twenty cribs in Parliament House: seven in the south wing, ten in the west wing, and this the smallest set, with just three. Usually all the Parliament House cribs are pretty busy. Backbench MPs usually do service in Parliament House, as do ministers of the major departments like the Foreign Ministry and Defense, since those offices don't have their own cribs. Ministers whose offices are in the North and South Executive Buildings generally use the cribs there. "This is the locker room for the east cribs. Men can't take anything into the cribs with them from the outside, anything at all. No clothes, no jewelry, nothing except their ring key. They have to take off everything and leave it here. Gentlemen, will you demonstrate?” The instructors remove their shoes, pants, and shirts and put them in lockers. Mr. V removes a gold chain from around his neck; Mr. M removes a piercing from his ear, a gold ring from his finger, and a wristwatch. All go in the lockers. Finally, they remove their underwear, and turn around, facing the officeholders totally nude except for the plastic ring keys on their fingers. Rebecca says, “Please, take a good look,” and the two instructors pause as the women examine them.. A few titters escape the women's mouths. Rebecca says, “We always get a few gigglers here at orientation. But you'll have to get used to seeing men like this. We'll talk more about that later. First, let's finish seeing security. Meanwhile, Mr. M takes one of the cloths that look like towels. "These wraps are all patrons are allowed to wear,” he says. “It's not much, but having something makes most of us more comfortable while we wait.” He puts it around his lower torso and presses it closed. “There's no pockets or anything, so you can see why the keys are made like rings; we don't have to worry about losing them. We need the ring to open our locker and get our clothes after service.” Mr. V also takes a wrap and puts it on. They continue on into the hallway marked To Waiting Room. In the hallway is another security checkpoint with a fullbody scanner, with entry and exit doors; a male security officer stands behind a glass wall. Rebecca says, “We're always extra careful. We know you're in the public eye and we don't want anything to happen to any of you. So we have another checkpoint here. Lucas here does a visual inspection, and then the scanner verifies that the man has left absolutely everything in the locker room.” The scanner door opens, Mr. M steps inside, and the door closes behind him. Lucas says, “Please remove your wrap, sir.” Mr. M does, and the guard makes a point of examining him thoroughly. “You may put it back now, sir,” says Lucas. Mr. M does so, and then Lucas operates the scanner, which is silent. “Thank you, sir,” says Lucas, and the rear scanner door opens. Mr. M goes through the door, and it closes behind him. Lucas goes through the same procedure with Mr. V. Rebecca says, “Only patrons are allowed in the waiting room, so we will be heading out now.” Bella says, “Is there something special in the waiting room that we can't see?” “Yes, actually. Official portraits. At one point, it was decided that the old practice of displaying portraits of past and present ministers and officers of Parliament was one of the honors women would renounce. Instead, it was decided that official portraits would be made in the act of giving service, and they would be displayed in the waiting rooms to help patrons get in the proper mood.” Lucy is alarmed. “But they said service was private, that nobody got to see us.” “Well, nobody gets to see except the patrons. This is why you're not allowed in there. The waiting room is highly restricted. Nobody is ever allowed in except men waiting for service. Even I've never seen any of the official portraits except my own.” Sophie says, “I'd like to know about that.” Rebecca laughs. “Maybe later. Anyway, don't worry, only ministers and a few others are required to have their portraits posted, and in any case only the men actually waiting for service can see them. We can have no expectation of privacy from our patrons. And the portraits do an important job, of helping patrons get themselves ready for what is about to happen. It's just another kind of service.” “Anyway, when the woman in the crib signals that she's ready to begin, there will be an announcement in the waiting room. The man then uses his key to access the hallway that leads to the crib, and then the crib itself. The main security office has a door to the hall, to come if you call, and the hall is also used by housekeeping staff who wipe up and change the linens after every appointment. "For now, our instructors will stay in the waiting room while we go around to the women's entrance.” Rebecca leads the women out through the locker room and a series of hallways with doors back to the service room entrance alcove. She counts the women, and says “Harper, we're all clear.” Rebeca leads the women back to the stairwell. “We actually have to go up and over to get to the women's entrances. We don't want any mistakes.” Lucy asks, “Are all cribs this secure?” “Well, mostly. No matter what, we always have separate men's and women's entrances, and there's always a guard on the men's side who makes sure patrons can't bring anything inside, monitors who enters the cribs, and who is there to help if called. But all security is stronger for our national leaders. The truth is that we've never had a problem where somebody who wasn't supposed to be in a crib tried to get in to hurt someone, not even here in the capital.” Rebecca leads them up the stairs, back through a set of hallways, and down another stairway. At the bottom, a woman in a security uniform sits at a counter, behind another glass window with a locked door. Rebecca says, “Matilda here will check your IDs and buzz you in.” Matilda checks each ID before allowing the group through another set of double doors into another hallway, this one with doors labeled E1 through E3. Rebecca says, “We're going to do most of the rest of orientation in E1, but that's an extra-large crib we use for orientations and other special occasions. Before we go there, I want to show you E2, which is a regular crib. The first room is your lounge, where you can freshen up. There's a small washroom with a toilet and shower, and an area where you can rest and change clothes. Then after that is the crib itself, which has a bed, a chair, and a stool. I'll explain that in a bit, but go on into E2 and see what it's like.” Rebecca opens the door with her badge. Each goes into E2 and looks around. The lounge has an area rug covering most of the floor, a daybed and a small clothes closet with a mirror on the door. The washroom is small but well stocked with toiletries. Next to the door to the crib is wall decoration reading “Happiness / Gratitude / Humility” and a small whiteboard marked “Today's code: 2701”. Inside the crib is a full-size bed, made up with just a fitted sheet. It's pressed up against the wall on one side, and on the other side there's a low chest of drawers. Across from it there's also a chair with a seat raised off the ground, and a very low stool in front of it. This room has a rug on the floor also. On the far wall is a door marked Men's Exit. Next to the door back to the lounge there are some pushbuttons and a keypad. After each has a look, Rebecca reaches into the E2 lounge, presses a button on the wall marked Finished, and exits the room, closing the E2 door behind her. Then she shows the officeholders into E1. The lounge here is similar, but much larger, with two couches and a large closet, and mirrors lining the walls; the washroom has a toilet and shower but also a whirlpool bath. It has the same decoration and whiteboard next to the crib door. Rebecca says, “This is the biggest crib we have, which is why we use it for orientation: there's no way this many women could fit in E2. At the same time, E2 is much more like the cribs you'll be using. This room is booked up quickly. "Now is when you will be first introduced to what State Service is really like. The first step is to change your clothes. You should remove everything: clothes, jewelry, hair bands, whatever you have on, and put on a service robe. Let me know if your robe is too long; it shouldn't go down to your knees.” She opens the closet and hands each woman a garment bag and a thigh-length, very sheer robe. Eva looks at the robe and asks, “What's the point of wearing this thing? There's not even any lace. They can see everything anyway, we might as well just be naked.” Rebecca says, “Yes, Eva, it doesn't hide anything, but that's not the point of wearing this. We provide service not only in what we do but in how we look, and not only in how we look to the men but how we look to ourselves. Nudity isn't necessarily sexy; it can be pretty ordinary. We're all nude when we take baths, or change our clothes. These robes are a reminder, partially to the men but mostly to ourselves, that we are here in their service. In here, we reveal ourselves in every way, even If we wear a robe, even if we do what usually conceals. So we're more nude than nude in these. And before you ask, yes I'll be wearing one too. Out there, I'm a Parliamentary Commissioner; when I come in here, I'm a woman providing service, like any of you. Counselors and managers in the Service Office are the only women other than elected officials who have a citizen service obligation. "So, please place your clothes in the garment bags; we'll put them in the closet.” Each of the women begins to remove her clothes and place them in the garment bag. As they do, Rebecca says, “Don't be shy about looking at each other. Servitrixes need to get used to being looked at.” Each woman puts on her very thin and sheer robe, and hangs the bag in the closet. “Sophie, your robe is a little long; can you exchange with Bella? You don't want it to get caught on your knees.” They exchange robes. Rebecca says, “We're going to do an exercise to help get in the proper mindset. This room is just large enough for you all to stand in a circle, facing each other. Please do that, and hold hands.” The twelve women stand in a circle, arms spread so they can hold hands, wearing nothing but the sheer robes, bodies completely visible; Rebecca wears the same but stands outside the circle. “OK, now I want you to close your eyes,” says Rebecca. “OK? Good. I want you to think about the path you took to get here. You were victorious in your election campaign. You won! And now you can begin the great work you set out to do when you decided to run. Be happy in your victory, and in the opportunity you have to do good. But remember the many other people who worked to get you here, who gave you their time, money, and resources, and who cheered you up when thinks looked bad and were there to celebrate with you at the end. Remember also the many people who raised you from a child and taught you what you needed to know. Be grateful to them. Also, remember that the reason you are here is because the voters chose you to be here. For all you did to get here, it was they, not you, who made the decision. And they have put their faith in you, entrusted you with power over their lives, with the responsibility to represent them to the greater commonwealth. Be humble when facing the great challenges before you and when thinking of the great trust placed in you. "Before opening your eyes, concentrate on feeling happy, grateful, and humble. "Now open your eyes. Look at the other women in the circle. Those are the other women who won their elections, who succeeded, just like you. They are happy: smile at them and see them smile back at you. And they are also grateful to those who supported them and humble before the great work in front of them. That is what women who are entrusted with leadership look like. And you are one of them. "These women are in this room, revealing themselves, baring all, more nude than nude. Look closely at them – at their heads, faces, necks, arms, breasts, nipples, bellies, hips, mounds, pussies, thighs, legs, feet. These women show all of themselves, and will hold nothing of themselves back, because that will keep faith with the people who supported and chose them. And you are one of them. "Each woman you're looking at will use her body to serve men by offering herself for their pleasure. And all are happy to do it. Smile again, and see them smile again in return. They are happy for the opportunity to prove their loyalty, grateful to the men they serve for that opportunity, and humble before the men who symbolize all those who have trusted them with leadership. And you are one of them.” Rebecca steps into the center of the circle. “For just a moment, I want you to look directly at me. You can see I'm not a young woman. Even though I take pretty good care of myself, still, my breasts sag and my belly droops. But I also am humble, and grateful, and happy to keep faith with those who entrusted me with my duties. And so I serve men. And I promise you, when I go in to give service, men aren't focused on any imperfections in my body. What men see is a woman who is prepared to give completely of herself to them, to serve them, for their pleasure. "Now I want you to let go of each other's hands, and turn to face one of the mirrors with your hands at your sides Take a good look at yourself. Some of you may be hard on yourselves, thinking you don't look as good as the others. Others of you may take pride in your appearance. But your appearance really is not important. What matters is your ability to open yourself, reveal yourself, humbly give of yourself to service. "Think about what you are when you're here. Outside this room you may be a professional, a scholar, a leader, a powerful person ready to govern the country. But in here, when you reveal yourself, uncover yourself, you're a woman, humbly serving a man by using your body to give him the pleasure he desires, in order to keep faith with your people. Remember that. Take a good look at the woman who will be serving that man. You won't ever know who the men are who come to you for pleasure, who will find fulfillment in your body: your mouth, your breasts, your ass, your pussy… It doesn't matter. He's a man, and you're a woman, and you're here to serve him, whoever he is. You are humble to have been chosen by those who sent you here, and you are grateful to have the opportunity to show that their trust is justified, and happy to be able to do that by serving that man, giving all of yourself to give him pleasure. Look at that humble, grateful, happy woman.” After a few more seconds of staring, Rebecca says “Thank you. In a minute we'll go into the crib. See the code by the door? You'll need to remember it. You type that code on the keypad inside the crib to open the door to come back here again. If you type anything else security comes.” “Ok, follow me into the crib.” To be continued in part 3, the crib, by oolonroosevelt for Literotica

A public hearing was held Tuesday night, March 26 jointly presented by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). Ameren Illinois was initially invited to participate, but they refused.The hearing was related to the former Central Illinois Public Service (CIPS) manufactured gas plant (MGP) site, which has been under scrutiny by the public since four Taylorville-based children were diagnosed with the rare cancer neuroblastoma, which attacks the adrenal glands and the nervous system, between 1987 and 1989.The neuroblastoma incidents have been the focus of a 1997 Washington Post article, a 2018 book by private investigator Bill Clutter, and further scrutiny of the cleanup efforts. Currently, the pump-and-treat method takes 100 years to remediate fully. Efforts to expedite this cleanup process are also under scrutiny by the public, especially as other health ailments have emerged throughout the past four decades since the neuroblastoma diagnoses from 1987 to 1989.The facility was closed by CIPS in 1932, but it remained a part of their assets even after CIPS, the Central Illinois Light Company, and Illinois Power merged with St. Louis-based Union Electric to form what is now known as Ameren Corporation (aka Ameren Illinois and Ameren Missouri) in 1997.This hearing particularly focused on the five-year review and action items in the future with the MGP site.Public comments are being accepted via email (and during additional public hearings) through June 1, 2024.Present on the panel from IEPA were legal counsel Michelle Ryan, environmental protection specialist Greggory Miller, presenter Paul Lake, and Chris Hill. Also present from the USEPA was David Linnear. Moderating the hearing was community relations manager Brad Frost.There were five speakers slated to speak, with one person not present and one opting out. The speakers asking the panel questions were Keith Boston, Scott Perry, and Stacia Perry.A master archive of all documentation relating to the MGP site is located at Taylorville Public Library, 121 W Vine St. Additional documentation that we have found, including previous non-local media coverage, will be included below:Washington Post, 1997: Families allege coal tar cleanup caused children's cancerState Journal-Register, 2014: Superfund legacy remains in Taylorville and beyondWCIA, 2023: These are the contaminated Superfund sites in IllinoisAmeren Illinois: Taylorville MGP Site InformationU.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Taylorville MGP Site InformationNearby Superfund sites:Eagle Zinc Co, Hillsboro: Superfund Site InformationPodcast from March 26, 2024, on the Heartland Newsfeed Radio Network, online at heartlandnewsfeed.com, Spreaker, the Heartland Newsfeed Alexa radio skill, and other platforms. Now available on Google Assistant speakers!Listen Live: https://www.heartlandnewsfeed.com/listenliveFollow us on social mediaFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/hlnfradionetworkTwitter: https://www.twitter.com/HLNF_BulletinInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/heartlandnewsfeedMastadon: https://liberdon.com/@heartlandnewsfeedTikTok: https://tiktok.com/@heartlandnewsfeedDiscord: https://discord.gg/6b6u6DTSupport us with your financial supportStreamlabs: https://streamlabs.com/heartlandmediaPayPal: https://www.paypal.me/heartlandmediaSquare Cash: https://cash.app/$heartlandnewsfeedPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/heartlandnewsfeedCrypto via 1UpCoin: https://1upcoin.com/donate/heartlandmediaBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heartland-newsfeed-radio-network--2904397/support.

The Taylorville Park Board met in a brief session on Monday evening, March 25 to discuss the Ameren remediation site, the pool at Manners Park, and budget talks. The board also discussed the flexibility of the pool with new knowledge of the OSLAD grant terms and uncertainty with Manners Park. Podcast from March 25, 2024, on the Heartland Newsfeed Radio Network, online at heartlandnewsfeed.com, Spreaker, the Heartland Newsfeed Alexa radio skill, and other platforms. Now available on Google Assistant speakers!Listen Live: https://www.heartlandnewsfeed.com/listenliveFollow us on social mediaFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/hlnfradionetworkTwitter: https://www.twitter.com/HLNF_BulletinInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/heartlandnewsfeedMastadon: https://liberdon.com/@heartlandnewsfeedTikTok: https://tiktok.com/@heartlandnewsfeedDiscord: https://discord.gg/6b6u6DTSupport us with your financial supportStreamlabs: https://streamlabs.com/heartlandmediaPayPal: https://www.paypal.me/heartlandmediaSquare Cash: https://cash.app/$heartlandnewsfeedPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/heartlandnewsfeedCrypto via 1UpCoin: https://1upcoin.com/donate/heartlandmediaBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heartland-newsfeed-radio-network--2904397/support.

Trent R. Nelson speaks with Michelle Ownbey, publisher of the Springfield Business Journal and Illinois Times, about the latest happenings in the Springfield business community and all of the relevant bits fit for the greater community to learn about. Topics Discussed In This Interview: Charro Mexican Restaurant, a family-owned business based in Chesterfield,Missouri, with additional locations in Taylorville and Decatur, is coming toSpringfield. Brezie's Roasted Beans is a new addition to the Springfield area's growingcoffee scene, but it also offers breakfast and lunch options, plus activitiesfor kids. Less than a year after closing its brick-and-mortar store, Alinda Hale hasmerged Eye Candy Boutique with Deep South Pout, an online boutique based inMississippi. After 149 years and four generations, the family-owned ArmbrusterManufacturing Company is closing its doors. The facility has been sold to anational franchise business.   Subscribe to the Springfield Business Journal and their weekly Biz Bites email newsletter. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A semi-pro game in the small towns of Illinois brought trouble to multiple levels of football. This rivalry went awry into the devious clutches of greed and cheating, bringing out a very ugly side of the game we hold dear. Tim Brown visits to tell of the present Taylorville scandal.Tim's original Tidbit Post on FootballArchaeology.com titled The Carlinville-Taylorville Scandal Of 1921 is here.Join us at the Pigskin Dispatch website and the Sports Jersey Dispatch to see even more Positive football news! Sign up to get daily football history headlines in your email inbox @ Email-subscriberMiss our football by the day of the year podcasts, well don't, because they can still be found at the Pigskin Dispatch website.

Steak 'n Shake on Wabash Avenue celebrates the return of its drive-thru breakfast menu at its Springfield, Jacksonville and Taylorville locations as Sam visits with David Bruno about the popular restaurant. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Steak 'n Shake on Wabash Avenue hosts the show as owner David Bruno talks about the return of the drive-thru breakfast menu at its Springfield, Taylorville and Jacksonville restaurants, and Dr. Sean McCaffrey hosts Wellness Wednesday. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A 63 yol Taylorville woman walked into her  backyard to feed her son's pitbulls -- a week later she's dead from her extensive injuries. Brutally attacked by the "pack"-- she couldn't recover from the bites and her leg being amputated. What's next for the investigation? KSL Legal Analyst Greg Skordas joins the conversation.

Nathan Morrow from Taylorville, Kentucky. Songs include Broken Hearted, The Whiskey Don't Work Like It Used To and Whiskey Bottle Memory.

Clive Taylor's place in Raumati Beach is quite easy to find. You'll know it from the mock 1950s gas station he's installed out the front, complete with original Shell, BP and Big Tree signage, oil cans and petrol pumps. In the huge workshop behind you might spot one of his Fords. Then there's the traditional red '50s milk bar - complete with mannequins, the saloon, a Coke vending machine, Elvis posters and hundreds of items of 50s memorabilia that the house. The locals called it Taylorville. Jesse talks to Clive about what it means to put it all up for sale.

Tanner Mickey is a 2023 finalist for the award of American Star Farmer!  He has done this through a variety of enterprises including corn, soybean and wheat farming; raising cattle and sheep; and working in his families seed sales business. Tanner was first a guest on the show in 2019 as he was getting ready to start his senior year of high school.  We did the interview one day prior to him leaving for Scotland with his livestock judging team to compete internationally.  He was also just a few months away from becoming the Illinois State Star Farmer at that point. I am very proud of what he has already accomplished and that he has been recognized as an American Star Farmer Finalist this year.  We will catch up on everything he has been doing over the past four years on this episode.

Rasheem Carter went missing in Fayette, Mississippi on Oct. 2, 2022. He was later discovered in November of that year in Taylorville. He was chased by 3 truckloads of WS. He went to the police for help and they wouldn't let him stay there. The Brotha tried to get away but they caught up with him. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/psae/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/psae/support

Lizzie Schafer is a 2022 National Proficiency Winner in the category of Beef Placement.  Lizzie and her brother have been showing cattle nationally for their family farm for several years now, both from a competitive standpoint and in an effort to market their genetics.  Over the years, Lizzie has taken on more and more of the responsibility of the cattle side of their families farm, including become the herd manager and making many of the major decisions about their cattle business. Lizzie was recruited by several colleges for livestock judging during high school.  Ultimately, she chose to being her college career at Butler Community College in El Dorado, Kanas.  Lizzie told me that livestock judging is the #1 sport on that campus, and they take care of their livestock judging students very well.  She is studying agricultural communications and hopes to be standing outside of the show arena waiting to interview the winners and tell their stories at some point in the future.  

The Republican from Taylorville reflects on his 10 years in Congress as he prepares to leave the House this month. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Taylorville mother Leah Beard has had to move into emergency accomodation after the power was shut off to her property, River Murray levee at Toora breached and Port Lincoln tuna company Dinko Tuna is harvesting natural seaweed to make liquid fertiliser.

Come and listen while Host Sheba interviews a variety of extraordinary women whom are working to make the world a better place! #DivasThatCare Teresa is an insurance professional, blogger, freelance writer, author, entrepreneur and autism advocate. She is the lead author in an upcoming book, Our Life with Autism: Stories from the Inside. She is currently seeking autistic individuals, parents, and siblings of autistic individuals to share their journey and suggestions to help others.  Teresa is a former six-year board member of the Autism Society of America Central Illinois Chapter. She is a single parent to her two sons, Sean and Nick, who reside with her in Taylorville, Illinois. Teresa has a passion to advocate for autistic individuals and their families by providing knowledge to access community services and financial solutions to bring peace to the entire family. https://www.facebook.com/teresadpaul http://linkedin.com/in/teresa-johnson-paul-a8972a5b https://instagram.com/officialtimewithteresa

11/17/2022See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wednesday's show features an update with Illinois Farm Bureau Associate Director of Commodities and Livestock Programs Tasha Bunting. We check in with State Ag Pest Survey Coordinator Kelly Estes. And we have two more interviews from last week's National FFA Convention--national proficiency award winner Lizzie Schafer of Taylorville and Chase Howell of Williamsfield, who was staffing the Black Hawk East booth.

Matt Blomquist is the Building Trades Instructor at Taylorville high school in Illinois and Mike Degitis is the Construction and Applied Math Instructor at Cherry Creek Innovation Campus in Denver Colorado. Although Matt and Mike are located in different states, they are making a difference in the construction industry teaching high school students the importance of the building trades and how what they learn each day can be applied in life skills outside of school. In addition, they are teaching sound building science fundamentals as a better way to build more efficient, comfortable, healthier homes that are made to last. Matt Blomquist On LinkedIn On Instagram Mike Degitis On LinkedIn On Instagram

DeLoss Jahnke is on the road at the Christian County Ag Fair in Taylorville. He visits with Ag Lender Julie Knodle, First National Bank of Pana. He then visits with pork producers Gary & Mary Etta Dunkirk about their catering business. The weekly GROWMARK segment features Mark Bauman, General Manager of Central Commodities FS. The show wraps up with CCA Kelli Basset. She talks about crop conditions in Bond County and the CCA Program.

Monday's show features a conversation with Illinois Farm Bureau Executive Director of Governmental Affairs and Commodities Mark Gebhards. Among the topics he discusses is the signing of the Ocean Reform Shipping Act. We also recognize RFD Radio Network affiliate WTIM in Taylorville, which is celebrating its 70th anniversary. The final segment highlights June Dairy Month with the St. Louis Dairy Council.

Check out the pow wow and my Magical Mothering tent! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/spiral-of-the-year/message

Plan now to read about, take a trip and pick Illinois-grown strawberries. This episode features strawberry farmer Melvin Repscher, who grows acres of them near Taylorville, and Shannon Anderson, author of the new book, "I Love Strawberries," for youngsters and the young at heart.

The Republican Congressman from Taylorville weighs in on a variety of topics as he calls in while traveling through the district.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Eric and Andy talk with Matt about the the Building Trades program at Taylorville high school in Taylorville, Ill. 

The guys celebrate their 100th card covered on the pod by digging into a 1989 Yelp review. Card 282 on Beckett Pride of Taylorville, Illinois First and only home run on YouTube Prairie Talk with Betty Pat and his summer baseball camps

A semi Pro game in the small towns of Illinois brought trouble to multiple levels of football. This rivalry went awry into the devious clutches of greed and cheating and brought out a very ugly side of the game we hold dear. May we present the Taylorville scandal. Miss our football by the day of the year podcasts, well don't because they can still be found at the https://pigskindispatch.com/ (Pigskin Dispatch website). Come join us at the https://pigskindispatch.com/ (Pigskin Dispatch website) to see even more Positive football news! Sign up to get daily football history headlines in your email inbox @ https://pigskindispatch.com/home/Email-subscriber (Email-subscriber) Go to https://my.captivate.fm/SportsHistoryNetwork.com/Row1 (SportsHistoryNetwork.com/Row1 )for access to the full Row One catalog for gallery prints and gift items. Plus, get a 15% discount off all prints on the Row One Pictorem Gallery with coupon code SHN15. Get a free one week subscription to Newspapers.com by visiting http://SportsHistoryNetwork.com/newspapers (SportsHistoryNetwork.com/newspapers). And with a paid subscription, you'll also be helping to support the production of this and other Sports History Network shows.  We also feature great music by Mike and Gene Monroe along with Jason Neff & great graphics from time to time from the folks at http://www.gridiron-uniforms.com/GUD/controller/controller.php?action=main (Gridiron-Uniform Database). Want more Sports History delivered to your ears, come see this podcast and many more at the https://sportshistorynetwork.com/ (Sports History Network - The Headquarters of Sports' Yesteryear!) We would like to thank the https://footballfoundation.org/ (National Football Foundation), https://www.profootballhof.com/players/ (Pro Football Hall of Fame), https://www.onthisday.com/ (On this day.com) and https://www.pro-football-reference.com/ (Pro Football Reference) Websites for the information shared with you today. Support this podcast

Guests featured in this episode:Today's small business owner: Megan Marron, owner of Salon Madison Jane, a hair salon in Taylorville, Illinois.Today's expert: Jessica Jiang, Head of Capital Markets and Investor relations for Square Financial Services, Square's de novo bank.More resources:Read: Why a business credit score mattersRead: A Comprehensive Guide to Business LoansRead: What Is Refinancing and How Does it Work?Try: Learn how Square Capital can help your business grow 

Tonight Ryan Bortz joins us live from his kayak on Taylorville lake. Hopefully he can get on a gooden while we are live. Get your questions ready for Ryan and the show starts on our YouTube Channel at 7 Central, www.youtube.com/catfishweekly Be sure to like and share and remember to subscribe!!! Hey everyone, if you want to help out the Catfish Weekly channel, here is our PayPal link Donations appreciated paypal.me/catfishweekly Contact us at catfishweeklytv@gmail.com Lyle and Cindy's tackle Blackhorse Rods Pro Drift Bumping rods 7'6” Blackhorse Rods channel cat edition rods, 7'6” 12-25 line class, graphite 1-4 ounce weight, medium heavy action, medium power, Blackhorse Rods drifting/dragging rods, 7'6” 40/60 line class graphite, 2-6 ounce weight, medium heavy action, heavy power Blackhorse drifting/dragging rods, 7'6” & 8” 30/60 line class Eglass heavy action, Xheavy power Reels Abu Garcia 6500 LC Abu Garcia 6500 C3 --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/lyle-stokes/support

The Republican from Taylorville discusses redistricting, infrastructure plans, immigration, proposed policing reforms, gun control and bipartisanship in Washington.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This episode features Kim Bourne, President and CEO of Taylorville Memorial Hospital. Here, she discusses her career journey, their pandemic response as a rural health system, and more.

Sign Up To Receive Our FFA Stories Newsletter! Email address: SHOW NOTES INTRODUCING TOBY WINANS! In 1988 the Future Farmers Of America changed its name to the National FFA Organization because of Toby Winans.  Toby Winans was only born 18 years ago, and 1988 is 32 years ago, so how is this possible?  Well, Toby Winans is the perfect avatar for the person that the National FFA Organization was thinking of when they changed their name to reflect the growing diversity in agriculture. What the FFA recognized in 1988 was that there were a lot of students in the United States that were devoted to agriculture but who did not have the aptitude or desire to do the ground level work of farming.  However, these students loved agriculture just the same and had something to contribute with their particular skill sets.  The name Future Farmers Of America could have the connotation of excluding these students because they already knew that they were not future farmers. Capturing the talents and devotion of students like Toby is important.  If we can, we want to keep students with talent as he has in agriculture. We need people like him to stay around.  This is probably why Toby's FFA advisor refers to him as an "FFA member who 'saved the year'".  Here is a note that she sent me: "Hi Matt, This afternoon I set you up with an interview with an FFA member that "saved the year". Here are a few facts that might be good for your interview with Toby. Toby Winans was a quiet freshman that has turned into a true leader for Taylorville FFA. Last year when Covid19 canceled the final 9 weeks of our school year, Toby knew that canceling our Annual FFA Banquet could not be an option. We have a large banquet every year with over 250 in attendance. (The banquet is Big Community Event). When our school shut all extra activities down due to Covid19, Toby figured out a way to have our FFA banquet by using his technology expertise and was able to follow our county guidelines. Toby Winans was a master mind of the 2020 Taylorville FFA Drive In Movie Style Banquet. Toby used his grandfather's semi van trailer for the movie screen and his other grandfather's flat bed trailer for our stage. He asked his dad and some community friends to borrow some audio video equipment and the rest is history! The 2020 Annual Taylorville FFA Banquet was the best in the history of the program because of Toby Winans! His work on the banquet was incredible and it was an amazing night that was very uplifting for our community. The 2020 banquet will be one I never forget! If you have any questions I would be glad to fill you in on this amazing kid. Thanks for your time. Sincerely, Sue Schafer Taylorville FFA Advisor" Toby loves agriculture, and it is this life that he has grown up around.  However, he has natural talent and a passion for technology.  So, his talents will direct him towards supporting farmers rather than being one himself.  His talent was recognized early on, and he has been fixing computers, printers, and everything else technology-wise at his school since his freshman year.  They even created a position for his particular talents, and he is the chapter's vice president in charge of chapter technology. Toby now has his own drone business.  He is using his love of both hardware and software to help farmers be more successful.  He scouts fields for his customers with his drone and the use of the "Drone Deploy" software.  He sees a future for himself in agriculture with this being his role. Toby is the epitome of the student that the National FFA was thinking of when they changed their name.  Amazing students like this are what drives everyone in every aspect of the FFA, and what drives me to conduct so many of these interviews every year. SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Agriculture Service HIGH SCHOOL: Taylorville High School; Taylorville, Illinois MASCOT: Tornado FFA ADVISOR: Sue Schafer

The Republican congressman from Taylorville relates his experiences during this week's breach of the Capitol by protesters.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

INTRODUCING CONNER GRANT! One of the greatest things about interview FFA students is hearing the “unbridled” enthusiasm that the students have for their projects, farming and agriculture.  In today's interview I am interviewing an student who is the third generation of farmer on his families farm. Conner Grant's grandfather started their farm from scratch in the 1970's.  Today this farming legacy has been built large enough that Conner hopes to return to it when he done with college and make this his full time career.  In this episode we find out that the land that Conner is farming for himself, he is leasing from his grandparents.  I asked Conner the same question I ask any student who is leasing land from family, and I get the same answer.  It is amazing to me just how much wisdom there is in farm families across the board in the U.S.  A funny surprise in this episode is just how good a voice that Conner has.  I joke with him about becoming an agricultural broadcaster.  I think after you listen, you will agree.  Enjoy this interview with Conner Grant.  SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Diversified Agriculture HIGH SCHOOL: Taylorville High School; Taylorville, Illinois MASCOT: Tornado FFA ADVISOR: Sue Schafer CONTACT INFORMATION FOR CONNER GRANT: Click on the picture below to be taken to the Taylorville High School website: Conner's FFA Advisors' Email Address: sschafer@tcusd3.org  Taylorville High School's Telephone Number: 217-824-4951 FFA LINKS: National FFA Organization Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE's) Support FFA  Donate to FFA - One way that FFA students are able to start small businesses is through an FFA grant of $1,000.  In 2014, 141 FFA students received these grants.  With your donations, more students can get this head start - pay it forward. REASONS TO DONATE TO FFA: Only 2% of Americans grow and raise most of the food and livestock consumed by the other 98% as well as the rest of the world.  FFA is providing the needed education, training and resources to Americans that will carry that torch forward and insure that America continues to have inexpensive, quality food. Rural Communities will rely on entrepreneurship in the future for population growth and job creation.  The FFA is a major catalyst to that entrepreneurial growth. Farmers, ranchers and those working in agriculture give the rest of America incredible amounts of freedom because the search for food is as simple as going to the grocery store: “The future of American agriculture depends on the involvement and investment in America's youth, In order to prepare for the population of tomorrow, we need to encourage America's youth today, and show that careers in agriculture are profitable, rewarding, and vital.”.U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue Where Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald Can Be Heard:   Member Of The National Association Of Farm Broadcasters

INTRODUCING CONNER GRANT! One of the greatest things about interview FFA students is hearing the “unbridled” enthusiasm that the students have for their projects, farming and agriculture.  In today’s interview I am interviewing an student who is the third generation of farmer on his families farm. Conner Grant’s grandfather started their farm from scratch in the 1970’s.  Today this farming legacy has been built large enough that Conner hopes to return to it when he done with college and make this his full time career.  In this episode we find out that the land that Conner is farming for himself, he is leasing from his grandparents.  I asked Conner the same question I ask any student who is leasing land from family, and I get the same answer.  It is amazing to me just how much wisdom there is in farm families across the board in the U.S.  A funny surprise in this episode is just how good a voice that Conner has.  I joke with him about becoming an agricultural broadcaster.  I think after you listen, you will agree.  Enjoy this interview with Conner Grant.  SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Diversified Agriculture HIGH SCHOOL: Taylorville High School; Taylorville, Illinois MASCOT: Tornado FFA ADVISOR: Sue Schafer CONTACT INFORMATION FOR CONNER GRANT: Click on the picture below to be taken to the Taylorville High School website: Conner's FFA Advisors' Email Address: sschafer@tcusd3.org  Taylorville High School's Telephone Number: 217-824-4951 FFA LINKS: National FFA Organization Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE's) Support FFA  Donate to FFA - One way that FFA students are able to start small businesses is through an FFA grant of $1,000.  In 2014, 141 FFA students received these grants.  With your donations, more students can get this head start - pay it forward. REASONS TO DONATE TO FFA: Only 2% of Americans grow and raise most of the food and livestock consumed by the other 98% as well as the rest of the world.  FFA is providing the needed education, training and resources to Americans that will carry that torch forward and insure that America continues to have inexpensive, quality food. Rural Communities will rely on entrepreneurship in the future for population growth and job creation.  The FFA is a major catalyst to that entrepreneurial growth. Farmers, ranchers and those working in agriculture give the rest of America incredible amounts of freedom because the search for food is as simple as going to the grocery store: “The future of American agriculture depends on the involvement and investment in America’s youth, In order to prepare for the population of tomorrow, we need to encourage America’s youth today, and show that careers in agriculture are profitable, rewarding, and vital.”. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue Where Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald Can Be Heard:   Member Of The National Association Of Farm Broadcasters

It's no easy feet. She has to oversee 30 stylists while maintaining a consulting business all the while.  But Jessica Kocurek with Willow & Birch keeps it all running so well, that she managed to open a new shop in Taylorville. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

INTRODUCING ERIC SCHAFER! When it comes to achievements for FFA students, there should be a separate category for "son or daughter of FFA advisor".  Each time that I interview a student who has a parent who is also their FFA advisor, they are achieving great things. In the case of today's episode I am speaking with a student with a ton of talent and the work ethic to go with it.  Eric Schafer's FFA advisor is also his mother, and he counts himself as very fortunate in this fact.  When I asked him how long he had been in the FFA, he answered that he was basically a lifetime member, already. Eric is achieving great things in agriculture as well as the FFA.  He his row crop farming at home as well as raising cattle and hogs.  He is serving as his chapter's vice-president at school, and at the national level he is competing in the national agriscience fair with his sister in animal systems.  All of this has led him to win a state proficiency award in diversified agriculture and a gold award at the national level. SUPERVISED AGRICULTURAL EXPERIENCE: Diversified Agriculture HIGH SCHOOL: Taylorville High School; Taylorville, Illinois MASCOT: Tornado FFA ADVISOR: Sue Schafer CONTACT INFORMATION FOR ERIC SCHAFER: Click on the picture below to be taken to the Taylorville High School website: Eric's FFA Advisors' Email Address: sschafer@tcusd3.org  Taylorville High School's Telephone Number: 217-824-4951 FFA LINKS: National FFA Organization Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE's) Support FFA  Donate to FFA - One way that FFA students are able to start small businesses is through an FFA grant of $1,000.  In 2014, 141 FFA students received these grants.  With your donations, more students can get this head start - pay it forward. REASONS TO DONATE TO FFA: Only 2% of Americans grow and raise most of the food and livestock consumed by the other 98% as well as the rest of the world.  FFA is providing the needed education, training and resources to Americans that will carry that torch forward and insure that America continues to have inexpensive, quality food. Rural Communities will rely on entrepreneurship in the future for population growth and job creation.  The FFA is a major catalyst to that entrepreneurial growth. Farmers, ranchers and those working in agriculture give the rest of America incredible amounts of freedom because the search for food is as simple as going to the grocery store: “The future of American agriculture depends on the involvement and investment in America’s youth, In order to prepare for the population of tomorrow, we need to encourage America’s youth today, and show that careers in agriculture are profitable, rewarding, and vital.”. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue Where Off-Farm Income And Matt Brechwald Can Be Heard:   Member Of The National Association Of Farm Broadcasters

School districts across the state have been resourceful in coming up with ways to honor their high school graduates, as health regulations prohibit the typical ceremonies. But some of those plans ran into roadblocks with the governor’s office and the Illinois State Board of Education.

John Dempsey sits in for Bill Cameron this week and talks with Illinois State Rep. John Cabello. Cabello plans to sue the Governor over his “Stay-at-home” order. Jared Carl joins in the conversation to discuss the Governor’s graduated income tax, and what to do to stop it from getting passed. In this week's round table segment, John Dempsey is joined by Ray Long of the Chicago Tribune, Lynn Sweet of the Chicago Sun-Times, Greg Hinz of Crain’s, and Heather Cherone editor of The Daily Line. The Round Table opens up with an update on the Governor’s “stay-at-home” order, and how certain parts of the state are acting out against that order, As the weather starts to warm up what restrictions can we expect to see get lifted? Joe Biden is accused of sexual assault by Tara Reade. This week's Connected to Chicago segment is with Nick Gale. The demands by some Illinois House Republicans who want more transparency and open communications from the Illinois Department of Corrections and the Pritzker administration on policy changes and communications regarding prison furloughs or inmates released early during the coronavirus pandemic. State Rep. Avery Bourne (R-Morrisonville), whose district includes correctional centers in Taylorville and Hillsboro, said inmates released into her district include high-level drug and meth dealers. State Rep. John Cabello (R-Machesney Park), who has worked for more than 20 years as a police officer and detective, suggested the Governor is using the Coronavirus pandemic to further his cause of releasing criminals, many of whom were given multiple chances and received sentences as repeat offenders. Nearly 2,300 inmates have been released since the disaster declaration. As part of Pritzker’s early release plan, inmates who were incarcerated for low-level offenses and people nearing the end of a prison term were released to prevent overcrowding in state prisons and the further spread of COVID19.

A catastrophic tornado ripped through Taylorville on Dec. 1, 2018, damaging hundreds of buildings and leaving several people injured. Reporter Donnette Beckett and photo journalist Clay Jackson were on the scene that evening and witnessed the devastation first-hand.Taylorville one year after the Dec. 1 tornado Reporters Kennedy Nolen and Analisa Trofimuk talk with Beckett about her experience that day and what has since happened in Taylorville. Beckett mentions Missions for Taylorville, a group who helps people in need complete home repair, home improvements and yard work. The group has been active in redistributing funds donated for tornado victims resulting from the Dec. 1, 2018, tornado in Christian County. LISTEN

We were pleased to sit down with Rep. Rodney Davis (IL-3), the Ranking Member on the Highways Subcommittee of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.  Rep. Davis shared his thoughts on the prospects of an infrastructure bill this Congress and discussed the challenges and opportunities for bipartisan compromise in the weeks ahead.  Davis also discussed his participation in the biennial "Longest Yard" congressional football game for charity played by Members of Congress and the Capitol Police.  The Members won the game, and both teams raised $300,000 for local police charities in the process.Transcript:Host: Welcome to another edition of Engineering Influence, a podcast brought to you by the American Council of engineering companies. I am very pleased today to be coming from you in really the, I guess the hideaway office of Congressman Rodney Davis of Illinois. I'm a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure committee, but more impo rtantly, the winner or, or the, at least the trophy holder of the 2019 a congressional longest yard football championship - which is a great achievement, which is a biennial football game being put on for charity by between the Capitol police and members of Congress. Tell us a little bit about the charity cause I don't think a lot of people realize that this happens outside of Washington, that this, this is a, this is a biannual event.Rep. Davis: Well for other reasons the baseball game has gotten a lot more attention over the last few years after the tragic shooting that we all went through in June of 2017. But we also have a congressional football game for charity where instead of like in baseball where Republicans and Democrats play against each other, we play on the same team against the guards. It's kinda based on, as you said, the longest yard movie. Uwe're supposed to be the ones, the convicts, but we bring some pros into some former NFL pros that help us coach and, and play with us. Ubut we really appreciate what the guards do on a regular basis. But there's a Capitol police Memorial fund that was started after the death of two officers in the late nineties here in Washington, D C where they were killed by a mentally ill gunman who came into the Capitol before. We had a lot of the security protocols that we now see in place that Capitol Police Memorial Fund gets money from this football game of what we raise.Rep. Davis: Also a couple of other charities that are dedicated to helping veterans who come home and maybe be suffering through post traumatic stress syndrome. These are the, the, the charities that are funded by the record, $300,000 plus that we raised last night.Rep. Davis: Yeah, that's fantastic.Rep. Davis: And I think it's a, it's a good lesson for everyone listening outside the beltway that at the end of the day members of Congress come together for a good cause. No, we really do. And, and in the midst of an impeachment inquiry beginning, we, Republicans and Democrats played together on a field last night for charity. And I just hope your listeners and the American people realize that there's a lot more of that than what you see and hear in the news on the 24 hour news cycle. That's a good thing. And I want to thank the Capitol police for what they do everyday.Rep. Davis: They protect millions of people a year that come through this Capitol complex. I also saw the Capitol police officers firsthand when in the midst of a, a shooting in the midst of a tragedy those officers ran toward the gunfire while we were all running away. That's courage. But that courage that courage exists to every day. And we know they're doing what they're trained to do. But also last night it was a night that although I respect everything they do, I'm damn glad we beat, them.Host: It's always good to bring the, bring the trophy home.Rep. Davis: Oh yeah. No, I'm not carrying it by any of those Capitol police at the guard stations.Host: Unless you have to get down on the floor of the house and do the special order to...Rep. Davis: That'll be tomorrow, tomorrow.Host: Um well like you said, you know, there's a lot going on in Washington right now.Host: A lot of it is political, but there's one issue which of course I think is, is largely bipartisan. Um historically has been, and that of course - that is infrastructure. You serve as the ranking member on the highway subcommittee of the transportation infrastructure...Rep. Davis: The largest subcommittee in Congress, 59 members, 59 members.Host: And of course, right now everybody is looking to see what's gonna happen with infrastructure next. The Senate has moved on their version of service bill before they broke for August recess. And now that they're back, you know, that process continues. What's your perspective and view in the house? What, where do you see this process going and what would you like to see come out of the session?Rep. Davis: Sure. I'm glad the Senate took the first crack at it because I think it sends a message to the democratic leadership who I believe are holding up Chairman DeFazio from being able to offer up a solution on the house side.Rep. Davis: You know, Peter DeFazio's, a good friend of mine Eleanor Holmes, Norton, the treasurer of the subcommittee that I'm the lead Republican on. And then our ranking member, Sam graves. If we were just given a chance to sit down and across the table from each other, we could have a bill done in a matter of days, if not hours. We can do that. The Senate did that. They did their work. We had Senator Carper over to speak to our transportation stakeholders meeting that Earl Blumenauer and I run on a regular basis. He was there today talking about their successes. But again, it all comes down to two things. Now. Number one, it's how do we pay for it? Because that Senate bill, it addresses nothing in the pay force. I mean, we can put good policies together on the, on the the authorizing side just like they did, but the appropriating side and the tax writing side that's going to be the most, the biggest part of our discussion.Rep. Davis: That's one issue that's holding up progress. The second one is impeachment. Look. I've been a staffer during the Clinton impeachment. I've never been here during an impeachment. And from what I remember, the 90s, nothing gets done during impeachment.Host: Everything just grinds to a halt.Rep. Davis: Absolutely. And that's unfortunate because we ought to be able to come together on infrastructure. That's why I asked to be the ranking member on the highways and transit subcommittee. I, I know we've got a highway bill coming. We got to get together and come up with solutions.Host: So even though, like you mentioned, things got even more partisan or more political last night with, with the announcement of this inquiry, there still can be work done by the committees by staff and the members. Um as you mentioned, T&I's an authorizing committee, you can only do so much when it comes to the question of funding.Host: Yeah. How is we'll have a say in that funding source. Yeah. But what do you think is, is how is Ways and Means approaching this on, on the house side? What do you think.Rep. Davis: They're not.Host: They're not at all right now.Rep. Davis: And that is a part of the problem.Host: Do you think it's at least on their agenda or you think there's some reason why it's, it's being held up or frankly I can give you my perspective and my opinion on why it's being held up.Rep. Davis: I think Nancy Pelosi in the Democratic leadership don't want to talk about infrastructure. They don't want to pass the USMCA right now because it gives president Trump a win against President Trump. Something to go talk about and being able to work together and get things done that matter to American families. And that's just as an ma matter to a group of engineers.Rep. Davis: It just doesn't matter to a group of road builders. It just doesn't matter to a group of transit officials or members of Congress. It matters to every single American out there to have a better transportation network to get to and from work. But what matters in middle America sometimes doesn't matter to leaders in politics out here. And that's what sad. That's what I think is holding this up. It's just a sheer will of the Democrats not to give the president in a win. And that's unfortunate.Host: Now I think going back home and, and for the perspective of your constituents back home, a lot of us talk about, and we hear all the time in Washington, the negative side of, of infrastructure, the roads are crumbling and the bridges are falling down. The flip side of that is what we could actually achieve if we actually invest in America's infrastructure. What kind of benefits would your constituents get from a well funded and longterm infrastructure bill?Rep. Davis: Well, they're, they're going to see updates to their local transportation systems that they in many of their local officials have been calling for for years, if not decades. It's, it's being able to implement those longterm visions that have been part of a planning process that may be out dates even as long as we've been alive in many cases. You look at, you look at a us 67, for example, in the Southern part of my district, that long term project could be completed with an infrastructure bill. We could get the rest of US 67 funded and then the new and then the new Delhi bypass funded around Jerseyville that could really then complete that four lane corridor from you know, basically from the quad cities all the way down to st Louis.Rep. Davis: That was a longterm goal that was put in place long before I ever got involved in politics and policy. But you don't have to look too far to see the benefits of what could happen. And we also can't forget how long of a, an outlook we have to have when it comes to infrastructure. Dave Bender and I have known each other for a very, very long time. And, and when I first started working right out of college, I was involved in an accident on route 29 that killed a young lady on December 23rd and I was a third car in the accident. I had went around, and got sprayed with debris, but that death of melody travelers started a group called project 29 in Taylorville, my hometown. And in 1992 and moving into 1993, when that group was started, if you would have asked us if we were okay with that project, finally getting done in 2016, we would have said, keep your money.Rep. Davis: But we didn't. We got the first ever federal investment that was invested in 1998 that helped put that project on to governor Edgar's five-year plan. Then we had Illinois first, they invested more dollars to get four lanes on both ends of that 18 miles. It still need to be four lanes put in place. And then as we moved federal dollars into that project and as we moved more state dollars into that project, it finally got done in 2016. 1993 to 2016 but nobody in my hometown that drives that road says we regret investing in that project, but we got to be patient and we've got to continue to invest because eventually you get it done. And that's what an infrastructure bill can do.Host: That's a really good point. And I think that the length of time from inception to project delivery is also something that is always on our minds.Rep. Davis: Clearly the engineering portion, that's what keeps it. That's what it takes too long.Rep. Davis: Do you see any, I'm moving on and making sure that we engineers don't have sense of humor. You didn't laugh at all. Terrible, terrible. A change order.Host:  But it's, it's, I guess the idea of cutting that project delivery timeline is something which the Senate address with one federal decision in, in, in their bill, in, in streamline of the environmental regulatory review process. How important will that be mirroring that or going further in the House?Rep. Davis: You know, it's a step more than what we've already done. I mean, look, we have had so many successes in the six and a half years I'd been here when it comes to water infrastructure, when it comes to when it comes to water infrastructure, rail infrastructure, road infrastructure, we've done everything we can to really lessen the regulatory environment and speed up the permitting process.Rep. Davis: Think about it with the Corps of engineers, when we first passed our first WRDA bill that we did when I got here to Congress in 2014, the average time it took from what I consider the paperwork process to the building process was 15 years average time. And I can only blame you engineer's for a portion of that. You know, so we, by law then what we did is we made sure that the Corps of Engineers knew that they had three years, three years. That's it. Otherwise, otherwise, you know, you're penalized. You got to three years by law to finish the project, that portion of the project. Then we get to the infrastructure investment itself much more quickly. Those are the types of things we've been able to do. So continuing down that process with what the Senate did I think is a great step. And we, we have to continue to identify where we lessen the regulatory burden and get to the point of laying concrete asphalt.Host:  I just have two more questions cause I wanna I want to make sure that we have votes coming up and I know you want to make sure that you hit them. The one question I have again on WRDA really is, is we're expecting that of course in 2020 and.Rep. Davis: That will be my third WRDA bill when, I take full credit for finally passing where to bills because before I got here in 2013, nothing happened. It was Oh seven. So you're welcome.Host: No problem. I guess question on process, and this might be speculative, but do you think that chairman DeFazio's going to keep the same process that chairman Schuster put in with the Chiefs Reports or you know, or that like that change?Rep. Davis: Well, certainly I'd like to go a step further. Look, I'd like to be able to have members of Congress try to address issues in their own district like we used to.Rep. Davis:  I think it's a tragedy that when we, that we can't ask for any language. When it comes to war to authorization authorization, we are only authorizing dollars to be spent. No dollars are attached to a WRDA request. But somehow before I got here, those requests were labeled earmarks when they have $0 dollars attached. And what that has led to is been zero investment on the locks and dams in the Illinois and Mississippi waterways because I couldn't ask for it during the Obama administration and the Obama administration wouldn't ask to spend any money on it. So we had no recourse. It's all executive branch driven. Thankfully the Trump administration began to invest in the Illinois, Mississippi waterways. They're spending millions to upgrade LaGrange now. Now the problem I have is our producers are worried they won't get done in time. I'm like, that's a good problem to have.Rep. Davis: Yeah, wait, we actually worried about spending money instead of getting money.Host: So the final question I have for you is, did we win the game? Yes, we did. We're champions. So let a little bit later we're going to be meeting with some of our executives, some of our senior executives, Institute members. Yes.Rep. Davis: Couple of them got to ride up on the elevator with me holding it.Rep. Davis: They already gave you the elevator pitch.Rep. Davis: They know I'm a champion.Host: Did you let them hold the trophy? That's the big question.Rep. Davis: I let them touch it.Rep. Davis: All right. There you go. Hey, did given the fact that we talk a lot about the value of engineering and kind of the broader context of its, you know, value to society what's going to be your message to them when you, when you talk to them.Rep. Davis: That we won the football game and clearly that's all I'm going to talk about.Rep. Davis: You know, my messages, engineers by nature, by job, our longterm planners understand that we wouldn't, as policymakers, we wouldn't expect an engineer to give us a product that was not a longterm solution for the project they're working on or the building they're building. Don't expect us as policy makers to settle for short term funding solutions that don't address the volatility and the lack of funding and the highway trust fund and the long term outlook for what are, what are our you know, systems of mobility are going to look like in the next 10 years, which is basically a fancy way of saying don't just tell us to raise the gas tax.Host: Got it. Well, Congressman, I really appreciate you being on the show. This is, you are the first member of Congress to appear on our podcast and it's a great way to kick it off.Rep. Davis:  Congressman Rodney Davis, he's a leader on and off the football field and good luck today.Rep. Davis: Can I give a special shout out to...Rep. Davis: Please do.Rep. Davis: Bender -Host: David our director of political affairs here is sitting out on the, on the sideline here.Rep. Davis: Well, David has been a longtime friend. You guys couldn't ask for a better advocate out here in Washington. Now. And I also want to give a shout out to his replacement. Kevin Hardell. Kevin and I have worked together for years. He's going to do a great job fill in the shoes that, that Dave left as big shoes to fill. But you know what? You guys couldn't have two better people representing you at the state and the federal level. And I appreciate being able to work with both of them and I know, I know what they're capable of. And you guys have got a long term bright future with association.Host: Dave's been great. I've been working with them since they came on and it's just been a fantastic experience. So I appreciate your time and thank you very much.Rep. Davis: Thank you. And remind Kevin, I'm a champion. I will definitely

Congressman Rodney Davis chats with John about the State of the Union, Washington DC, and his guest Taylorville, Fire Chief, Mike Crews.

In part one of this two-part episode, Chris chats with University of Illinois Extension horticulture educators Andrew Holsinger and Ryan Pankau about storm damaged trees. Andrew tells about how nearby Taylorville, Illinois recently experienced a tornado. And Ryan gives us tips on what to look out for when we first emerge from our shelters and basements. Then Ryan gives tips on what to consider when hiring a certified arborist. Check out Part Two of this episode where we dive into how we make our trees more resilient to storm damage and what trees are good and bad when it comes to resisting wind damage. (Scheduled air date Jan 3) Email Chris cenroth@illinois.edu Email Ryan rcpankau@illinois.edu Email Andrew aholsing@illinois.edu

We share our visit to Taylorville, IL and the aftermath of an EF-3 Tornado that struck the community December 1st. We also share our visits to Pana and Carlyle during our travels while out delivering the Owl Creek Gazette.

An Emergency edition of WTL!   After the unexpected Dec 1, 2018 breakout of Tornadoes across IL, I called podcast friend and storm chaser Skip Talbot!    On this episode, Skip recaps his chase day, we talk about the multiple tornadoes that formed from Staunton, Mt Olive, Litchfield, Hillsboro,  to Taylorville and the line from Bluff City to Havana.   Skip tells us why they form this time of year, and also the awe and dangers of Storm Chasing!    We pray for no loss of life, and certainly do not like to see the destruction these storms cause.  Prayers to all. Skip also highlights his non-profit, Storm Assist, and tells you where you can follow his adventures and reports from his chases.   https://www.facebook.com/SkipTalbotsStormChasingChronicles/ https://www.facebook.com/skip.talbot His website and logs - http://www.skip.cc/ Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/user/SkipTalbot    

Episode 32 Recover with Purpose Lance Burton Instagram: hawkstorm773 website: hawkstormglobal.com Press: https://destinationdallastexas.com/member-spotlight-lance-burton/ Books: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/navy-seals-don-mann/1124593628?ean=9781510716551#/ https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-blood-of-a-god-lance-burton/1119417194?ean=9781490833149 "Lance grew up in a small country town in Illinois called Taylorville. He primarily competed in track and Olympic Taekwondo, winning multiple State Titles and in 1989 won the Junior Olympics for his division and fought in the first ever Jr. World Taekwondo Championships. This earned him a chance to train in Colorado Springs at the Olympic Training Center and his performance led many to believe he was a solid hopeful for the 1992 Olympic Games. However, in 1991 he was also the first person from his hometown to earn an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy, which he accepted. Although the decision sidetracked any Olympic dream, he was focused on becoming the best combat leader he could be and after a year at the Naval Academy Prep School, he entered Annapolis and graduated with the Class of 1996. During his time at the Academy, he continued to push his limits in athletics and martial arts, and became focused on becoming a Navy SEAL Officer. Out of a class of almost 900 graduates, only 16 slots were available for SEAL training and despite making the cut from 200 initial candidates to a final 33, the competition was tight and he didn't get a slot, forcing him to temporarily pursue another path. For the next 5 years he served as a Bridge Officer on warships, persevering until finally earning a spot with BUD/S Class 239 and served as their Class Leader. After training, an injury led to cutting his career in Naval Special Warfare short and so based on a recommendation from a good friend at SEAL Team 5, he chose to tryout with Blackwater and began deploying with them for the next few years. Despite loving the work with BW he decided to apply to become a Special Agent with the FBI and was recruited by them in 2007. After the FBI Academy, he was assigned to a Counterterrorism Unit and also served on the Violent Crime/Major Offenses (VCMO) Squad on the border of Mexico. A few years later Lance decided to move on and opened Hawkstorm Academy, a small but elite MMA gym in southern Illinois. However, behind the scenes he had been developing an idea for a company that would be like Blackwater, only better...what has now become Hawkstorm Global.  Also during those years he wrote two books; one, a Science Fiction novel and the other a combat history of the U.S. Navy SEALs. Now as the Founder and CEO of Hawkstorm Global, he and his team is beginning to make waves in the Private Military arena worldwide." Sponsors: We can offer podcast listeners $50 OFF the Committed or Devoted Memberships, plus a FREE Styku 3D body scan. Body Machine Fitness is ranked as the #1 fitness club in Plano on Yelp. Zero experience necessary. Instructor led, full body strength and conditioning. Design for all fitness levels from beginner to elite athletes. Tri Shop isn't just for triathletes. Tri Shop is the best of swim, bike, and run under one roof. Check them out at www.trishop.com. Rapid Reboot is an athlete-oriented recovery technology company that makes reliable, dynamic pneumatic compression boots for every athlete at every level in every sport – without the price tag of other brands http://rapidreboot.com/performancemed 5% off Performance Medicine and Sports Therapy Mention Podcast and get 1 cryotherapy session for FREE.

In episode 22 of The Student Ministry Podcast, Steve interviews Dann Voelz, a long-time volunteer in student ministry. Not only has Dann volunteered many years within Steve's ministry, but he has also served in other ministries over the last several years. Currently, he is serving with high school students at Taylorville Christian Church in Taylorville, IL. For many of you who also volunteer, you will relate to Dann's story. For those in paid ministry, you probably have a few people like Dann in your ministry, who serve in addition to their "day job."     Connect with Dann via email: dannvoelz (at) gmail (dot) com Follow Steve on Twitter: @stevecullum   Follow the podcast on Twitter: @stuminpod   If you like what you hear, be sure to like, subscribe, share, and comment! Thanks and may God bless your ministry!   Sponsor for this episode of the Student Ministry Podcast:   workcampNE   National Network of Youth Ministries   Reach Youth New England   Podcast website: http://thestudentministrypodcast.com  

Live on location from Taylorville Il.

live from taylorville, illinois part 2

Live from Taylorville IL part 3