Podcasts about Tuscola

EPISODE 694: Behind the Mitten Road Trip -- Bay City to FrankenmuthIn this episode of "Behind the Mitten," hosts John Gonzalez and Amy Sherman celebrate 10 years of exploring Michigan's Great Lakes State. They embark on a road trip from Bay City to Frankenmuth, visiting local attractions like Tummyache candy store and John's Bar. The conversation highlights the importance of community, local businesses, and upcoming festivals in Frankenmuth, including the opening of a new water park. The hosts share their love for Michigan's culture, food, and the joy of road trips.Segment 1: The trip begins at Tummy Ache Candy Store in Bay City, and Amy and Gonzo meet Starr Henning, who co-owns the store with her husband, Michael, and they also operate an ice cream truck called "Starshine." It's a fun first stop!Segment 2: Amy and Gonzo introduce you to the charmingly awesome John's Bar & Party Store located in Munger right on Hwy 15. When we say right on the highway, it's a house that is just steps from the corner of Tuscola and Munger Roads, on your way south to Frankenmuth. Owner Kellie Brown, who co-owns the bar with her mom Mary Ann, and who's parents previously owned it, welcome everyone in this unssuming house/restaurant/bar. Local beef meets that famous griddle for the perfect flavorful sear, pick your patties and toppings and Kellie will get to work like the pro that she is. Everyone here is friendly and welcoming.Segment 3: After their stop at John's Bar, they travel about 15 miles south to Frankenmuth to visit Amy Zehnder Grossi at Michigan on Main, which is a sister restaurant to Bavarian Inn. It's a familiar stop because Amy and Gonzo were good friends of martriarch Dorothy Zehnder, a true Michigan treasure who passed away in 2023 at age 101. As president of Bavarian Inn Restaurant, Amy Zehnder Grossi shares what's new, including the just-opened Bavarian Blast, one of Michigan's biggest water parks. Segment 4: The night ends with a wine and charcuterie experience at Prost! in Frankenmuth. It feels like a big-city restaurant in the Bavarian-themed village. It has a cozy fireplace and lively atmosphere.That completes our Bay City to Frankenmuth road trip!Chapters00:00 -- Celebrating Michigan's Great Lakes State01:11 -- Road Trip Adventures: Bay City to Frankenmuth02:55 -- Exploring Tummyache: A Candy Wonderland12:54 -- John's Bar: A Local Favorite23:08 -- Frankenmuth: A Home Away From Home25:45 -- Bavarian Inn: A Family Tradition28:56 -- Exciting New Developments: Water Park Coming Soon29:48 -- Festivals in Frankenmuth: Celebrating Community33:27 -- Prost: A Cozy Wine Bar ExperienceLearn more about Behind the Mitten at amyandgonzo.com.

Bubbly is an understatement. She is bouncy, beautiful and ultimately driven by a love for her business. Her second child.  Listen as this Tuscola woman talks about working at the outlets, always wanting to be at work over school, following what she excelled at over what she envisioned for her future, scaling down the dream of a family of five to one, managing a home and business with a commuting husband, not liking to rely on others for help, the constant cycle of adjustments and caring and conversing over selling and the bottom line. Her raspy voice, love for talking and obvious zest for life made for a compelling and easy conversation. I'd like to thank this episode's sponsor Illini Pella Windows & Doors of Champaign. At 1001 N Country Fair in Champaign you'll find the brand synonymous with quality in windows and doors. Pella is one of America's most trusted names for replacement windows, entry doors and sliding patio doors. Visit their showroom on Country Fair Drive or call (217) 356-6474. Pellaofchampaign.com has all the information you need for planning. Thank you so much for listening! However your podcast host of choice allows, please positively: rate, review, comment and give all the stars! Don't forget to follow, subscribe, share and ring that notification bell so you know when the next episode drops! Also, search and follow hyperlocalscu on all social media. If I forgot anything or you need me, visit my website at HyperLocalsCU.com. Byee.

Illini Football recruits made their commitments official this week, Urbana may increase its recycling tax rate, Tuscola's downtown is turning into a holiday scavenger hunt with their Winter Window Walk and Decatur's property taxes will be rising in January.Hosted by Amelia BensonStories by Peter Hanson, Zayna Quraishi, Emily Huffman and Amelia BensonMusic by Outbox

Our Sovereign Grand Master, the Honorable Gerald V. Workman of West Virginia, sat down with us for a wide-ranging discussion about his path in Odd Fellowship and how it led him to the top job in the Order.  He tells about his early days joining the Junior Lodge, his many years working in his local lodge, his eventual path through the chairs of the Grand Lodge of West Virginia, and his journey into the Sovereign Grand Lodge.  Along the way, he has been guided by his strong belief in the principles of Odd Fellowship and his religious faith, both of which work together to guide his world view.  He shares some amazing insights gathered during his time going through the chairs of the Sovereign Grand Lodge and has plenty of inspiration to share.  The Shoutout goes to Durant Lodge #57 of Oklahoma, which is now meeting.  We featured them on Episode Three of this season and it's great that they are getting the lodge functioning.  Toby gave an update on the Christmas Episode and asked listeners what Three Links Odd Cast merch they might like (hint: tote bags and luggage tage!) if we were to offer some.  In the Odd Podge, Toby gave a preview of his double-dip of Degrees hosted at his associate lodge, Ainslie gave an update on the Odd Market in Tuscola (complete with fezzes), Sovereign Grand Master Workman thanked us for inviting him on the podcast, and Mike showcased his new project, the Odd Times.

Join Travis & Eric on this edition of Inside The Headset: Eric catches up with Cumberland Coach Watkins talking about the round 1 win against Tuscola and the upcoming game against Camp Point. Travis catches up with Coach Jefferson of the ALAH Knights talking about the round 1 win, the rematch with Quincy and preparations for the travel on Saturday!

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:  Eric catches  up with Cumberland Coach Watkins talking about the win last week to close out the regualr season and the first round matchup with Tuscola and Travis catches up with Coach Jefferson of the ALAH Knights talking about the loss in week 9 to snap the LPC win streak and how the Knights are moving forward to the postseason!

Tuscola High School - Casey Conard (24:12)

We always like to do an episode about cemeteries around Halloween and this year is no exception.  Given our command to "Bury The Dead" as Odd Fellows, and how many lodges have administered cemeteries throughout our history, it's no surprise to find a lodge engaged in activities related to a final resting place.  For this episode we are joined with Past Grand Master Carol Woltjer and Brother Matt Rock of Sioux Falls Lodge #9 in South Dakota to talk about their "Remember Me" project.  Their lodge is raising funds and placing markers on the graves of indigent burials in Minnehaha County, South Dakota.  Carol tells the touching story of how she learned about the burials and got the program started.  Matt tells about how his family has become involved with the program and the lodge.  The Shoutout goes to another lodge in South Dakota, Gregory #189 for the wonderful involvement of younger people in their lodge.  For the Odd Podge, Toby tells about his visit to the Idaho Grand Sessions, Mike talks about his experience at the West Virginia Grand Sessions, and Ainslie previews the upcoming (at the time of the recording) Odd Market hosted by his lodge in Tuscola, Illinois.

This is the first session of three presentations that I gave at St. Paul Lutheran Church, Union Grove, Wisconsin on The Greatness of Difficulty. I hope to get the audio and make it available as a special release on the podcast for those who would prefer to listen. Thanks to Pastor David Ramirez for encouraging me to put these three presentations together, to Pastor Joshua DeYoung who recorded the video and audio, Mr. Gene Wilken at Flaneur Record who edited and posted it, and to my own congregation, Immanuel, Tuscola, IL, for their encouragement in giving time off for such events. I learned so much in the process. ----more---- Become a Patron! You can subscribe to the Journal here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/subscribe/ You can read the Gottesblog here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/gottesblog/ You can support Gottesdienst here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/make-a-donation/ As always, we, at The Gottesdienst Crowd, would be honored if you would Subscribe, Rate, and Review. Thanks for listening and thanks for your support. 

This is the second session of three presentations that I gave at St. Paul Lutheran Church, Union Grove, Wisconsin on The Greatness of Difficulty. I hope to get the audio and make it available as a special release on the podcast for those who would prefer to listen. Thanks to Pastor David Ramirez for encouraging me to put these three presentations together, to Pastor Joshua DeYoung who recorded the video and audio, Mr. Gene Wilken at Flaneur Record who edited and posted it, and to my own congregation, Immanuel, Tuscola, IL, for their encouragement in giving time off for such events. I learned so much in the process. ----more---- Become a Patron! You can subscribe to the Journal here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/subscribe/ You can read the Gottesblog here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/gottesblog/ You can support Gottesdienst here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/make-a-donation/ As always, we, at The Gottesdienst Crowd, would be honored if you would Subscribe, Rate, and Review. Thanks for listening and thanks for your support. 

This is the third session of three presentations that I gave at St. Paul Lutheran Church, Union Grove, Wisconsin on The Greatness of Difficulty. I hope to get the audio and make it available as a special release on the podcast for those who would prefer to listen. Thanks to Pastor David Ramirez for encouraging me to put these three presentations together, to Pastor Joshua DeYoung who recorded the video and audio, Mr. Gene Wilken at Flaneur Record who edited and posted it, and to my own congregation, Immanuel, Tuscola, IL, for their encouragement in giving time off for such events. I learned so much in the process. ----more---- Become a Patron! You can subscribe to the Journal here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/subscribe/ You can read the Gottesblog here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/gottesblog/ You can support Gottesdienst here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/make-a-donation/ As always, we, at The Gottesdienst Crowd, would be honored if you would Subscribe, Rate, and Review. Thanks for listening and thanks for your support. 

This is the third session from the 2023 Not Ashamed Conference sponsored by Immanuel Lutheran Church, Tuscola, Illinois. Many thanks to the Central Illinois District's Church Extension Fund (CID CEF) for their generous grant to support this event. For more information about CID CEF offerings, go to: http://www.cid-cef.org. ----more---- Become a Patron! You can subscribe to the Journal here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/subscribe/ You can read the Gottesblog here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/gottesblog/ You can support Gottesdienst here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/make-a-donation/ As always, we, at The Gottesdienst Crowd, would be honored if you would Subscribe, Rate, and Review. Thanks for listening and thanks for your support. 

This is the first session from the 2023 Not Ashamed Conference sponsored by Immanuel Lutheran Church, Tuscola, Illinois. Many thanks to the Central Illinois District's Church Extension Fund (CID CEF) for their generous grant to support this event. For more information about CID CEF offerings, go to: http://www.cid-cef.org. ----more---- Become a Patron! You can subscribe to the Journal here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/subscribe/ You can read the Gottesblog here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/gottesblog/ You can support Gottesdienst here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/make-a-donation/ As always, we, at The Gottesdienst Crowd, would be honored if you would Subscribe, Rate, and Review. Thanks for listening and thanks for your support. 

This is the second session from the 2023 Not Ashamed Conference sponsored by Immanuel Lutheran Church, Tuscola, Illinois. Many thanks to the Central Illinois District's Church Extension Fund (CID CEF) for their generous grant to support this event. For more information about CID CEF offerings, go to: http://www.cid-cef.org. ----more---- Become a Patron! You can subscribe to the Journal here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/subscribe/ You can read the Gottesblog here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/gottesblog/ You can support Gottesdienst here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/make-a-donation/ As always, we, at The Gottesdienst Crowd, would be honored if you would Subscribe, Rate, and Review. Thanks for listening and thanks for your support. 

In this episode of AromaticChat, I have the joy of talking with Sara Holmes, an Aromatherapist out of Tuscola, IL.Sara specializes in education and running her own business.She became an Aromatherapist after watching her grandmother gather herbs from her garden for minor ailments and injuries, and this was just the beginning of her amazing story.Tune in and stay all the way to the end to hear:How her grandmother influenced her, How she supports caregivers, Some of the herbs she loves to plant, Some of her other hobbies, What she's working on now, Who inspires her, Her advice for everyoneLINKS:FB- Sara Holmes, A Grateful Gardener, A Fragrant Memory, Botanical Healing ArtsEmail: sholmes8386@hotmail.comBlend Precisely is the software business toolkit for Aromatherapists, Herbalists, and Formulators.Try out Blend Precisely RISK FREE for 14-Days to discover how they can support you in your Aromatic Life and Business.Use MY AFFILIATE LINK to sign up and begin blending taking advantage of this amazing toolkit that includes safety information, dilution, Chakras, perfumery notes, Pricing, and more.Sign up today!Support the show Music by Adipsia Shownotes by VerdantHeart VA Be a Guest HERE

Join Travis and Eric on the Starting Lineup on today's show big ten tournament underway, seed upsets to start it out, Third time the charm for the Illini, we check in at the state tournament with Tuscola and Teutopolis, NFL news, New York bout to land another QB from GB,  NBA from last night. Plus College Basketball, Is Nascar rigged, Bet on WWE matches coming soon, and the WBC segment goes down a different path than excepted!   

Lon and Derek talk to Tuscola High School Basketball coach Justin Bozarth about his team's season and trip to state. Later, Chicago Red Stars coach Ella Masar joins the show to discuss her journey from walk-on to All American at Illinois and her start in coaching.

Join Travis and Eric on the Starting Lineup on today's show the curse/jinx whatever you call it The Shoes are finally headed back to State, what it means for the community, players, coaches, dont let the magic end here, All NTC and Apollo Teams, NFL News and Notes, Rodgers, Jackson, Carr, Bears, NBA, NHL, College Basketball, Chicago. Plus Coaches from T Town and Tuscola ahead of their state appearance this weekend! 

Join Travis and Eric on the Starting Lineup on today's show we recap the epic sectional championship between Tuscola and Altamont, what a game with everything at stake, magical season comes to a close, T Town also heading to Carbondale, why did Travis put that stat out there, Lincoln finishes in 2nd Place at State, Illinois falls to Purdue, Eric does something that he just complained about, what seed did Illinois draw in the big ten tournament, Top 3 from the sports weekend. Plus everything else from the weekend and Nascar pick'em recap!

Join Travis and Eric on the Starting Lineup on today's show a recap of the Tuscola vs St A game from last night, Local girls represented on the all state teams, College Basketball, Illini Game vs Michigan, What a reality show Illinois BBall has been this season, NBA, NHL. Plus College FBall, MLB and Nascar!

Join Travis on a solo mission on the Starting Lineup on today's show the Casey sectional did not disappoint, Neoga advances, Tuscola comeback on St. A, other sectional games from last night, Boys Basketball schedule for tonight, College Basketball, Travis entertainment fail from last night, NBA 2nd half under way tonight, Bronny James skyrocketing up the 2024 mock draft board. Plus NHL, Connor McDavid , One goal for MLB Teams entering the new season!

This is a rare double double treat! Nikki Hill and Brittney Martinez are the owners of When Pigs Fly, a wine bar in Tuscola, Texas, and they're also Abilene Police Officers (Technically, Nikki is a Patrol Sergeant and Brittney is the instructor at the Police Academy now). So not only do you get to hear from two owners on the same episode, you get to hear how two police officers manage their work life and their business life. We talk about owning a wine bar, why they took the plunge in owning a business, their weaknesses as an owner and how they compensate for that specific weakness, how they manage their time, their growth plans, their favorite apps on managing their calendar, how we address the meth issues in our community, what they would love the public to know about being a police officer, the biggest surprises they had as a business owner, and much more! Enjoy!

So, the question was posed to us - How do you get Kristie to show up to your things, when she isn't in this world and she isn't necessarily interested in it. We tell you the when, why, and how.Look forward to seeing some of you all this week at FMEA!   Now.. Hop on over. You know what to do - Rate us if you wouldn't mind! The website is ReddandGreen.comInstagram is @reddandgreencolorblindAnd please - RATE - REVIEW - AND SUBSCRIBE!Thank you so much for you love and support! Stay safe, stay healthy, and we love you!

Rev. Jason M. Braaten, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Tuscola, Illinois, joins Andy and Sarah to talk about the history of Vacation Bible School, as he wrote about in the September 2022 of The Lutheran Witness, including the concept of the first Vacation Bible Schools in the United States, how these programs were vastly different depending on the location of the students, how Vacation Bible School has chanted over the last 50 years, and how a locally developed program may be very beneficial to individual congregations and their children. See what is included in the September 2022 issue of LW at witness.lcms.org/2022/lutheran-witness-september-2022. Find online exclusives of the Lutheran Witness at witness.lcms.org and subscribe to the Lutheran Witness at cph.org/witness. The Coffee Hour is underwritten by Concordia University Wisconsin. Live Uncommon. Learn more at cuw.edu.

Rev. Jason M. Braaten, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Tuscola, Illinois, joins Andy and Sarah to talk about the history of Vacation Bible School, as he wrote about in the September 2022 of The Lutheran Witness, including the concept of the first Vacation Bible Schools in the United States, how these programs were vastly different depending on the location of the students, how Vacation Bible School has chanted over the last 50 years, and how a locally developed program may be very beneficial to individual congregations and their children. See what is included in the September 2022 issue of LW at witness.lcms.org/2022/lutheran-witness-september-2022. Find online exclusives of the Lutheran Witness at witness.lcms.org and subscribe to the Lutheran Witness at cph.org/witness.

www.themidnighttrainpodcast.com  www.patreon.com/accidentaldads Belle Sorenson Gunness was initially born as Brynhild Paulsdatter Størseth; November 11, 1859, Selbu, Norway – April 28, 1908?, Lwas a Norwegian-Americ Standing six feet tall (183 cm) and weighing over 200 pounds (91 kg), she was a massive, physically strong woman.   Early years   Gunness' origins are a matter of some debate. Most of her biographers state that she was born on November 11, 1859, near the lake of Selbu, Sør-Trøndelag, Norway, and christened Brynhild Paulsdatter Størset. Her parents were Paul Pedersen Størset (a stonemason) and Berit Olsdatter. She was the youngest of their eight children. They lived at Størsetgjerdet, a very small cotter's farm in Innbygda, 60 km southeast of Trondheim, the largest city in central Norway (Trøndelag).   An Irish TV documentary by Anne Berit Vestby aired on September 4, 2006, tells a common, but the unverified story about Gunness' early life. The story holds that, in 1877, Gunness attended a country dance while pregnant. There she was attacked by a man who kicked her in the abdomen, causing her to miscarry the child. The man, who came from a wealthy family, was never prosecuted by the Norwegian authorities. According to people who knew her, her personality changed substantially. The man who attacked her died shortly afterward. His cause of death was said to be stomach cancer. Growing up in poverty, Gunness took to milking and herding cattle the following year on a large, wealthy farm and served there for three years to pay for a trip across the Atlantic.   Following the example of a sister, Nellie Larson, who had emigrated to America earlier, Gunness moved to the United States in 1881 and assumed a more American-style name. Initially, In Chicago, while living with her sister and brother-in-law, she worked as a domestic servant, then got a job at a butcher's shop cutting up animal carcasses until her first marriage in 1884.   First Victim   In 1884, Gunness married Mads Ditlev Anton Sorenson in Chicago, Illinois, where, two years later, they opened a candy store. The business was unsuccessful, and the shop mysteriously burned down within a year. They collected the insurance, which paid for another home.   Some researchers tend to believe that the marriage to Sorenson produced no offspring. However, Neighbors gossiped about the babies since Belle never appeared to be pregnant. Other investigators report that the couple had four children: Caroline, Axel, Myrtle, and Lucy. Caroline and Axel died in infancy, allegedly of acute colitis. The symptoms of acute colitis — nausea, fever, diarrhea, and lower abdominal pain and cramping — are also symptoms of many forms of poisoning. Caroline's and Axel's lives were reportedly insured, and the insurance company paid.   A May 7, 1908 article in The New York Times states that two children belonging to Gunness and her husband Mads Sorensen were interred in her plot in Forest Home cemetery.   On June 13, 1900, Gunness and her family were counted on the United States Census in Chicago. The census recorded her as the mother of four children; only two were living: Myrtle A., 3, and Lucy B., 1. An adopted 10-year-old girl, possibly identified as Morgan Couch but later known as Jennie Olsen, was also counted in the household.   Sorenson died on July 30, 1900, reportedly the only day on which two life insurance policies on him overlapped. Both policies were active simultaneously, as one would expire that day, and the other would begin. The first doctor to see him thought he was suffering from strychnine poisoning. However, the Sorensons' family doctor had been treating him for an enlarged heart, and he concluded that heart failure caused death. An autopsy was considered unnecessary because the death was not thought suspicious. Sorenson died of cerebral hemorrhage that day. Gunness explained he had come home with a headache, and she provided him with quinine powder for the pain; she later checked on him, and he was dead.   She applied for the insurance money the day after her husband's funeral. Sorenson's relatives claimed Gunness had poisoned her husband to collect on the insurance. Surviving records suggest that an inquest was ordered. It is unclear, however, whether that investigation actually occurred or Sorenson's body was ever exhumed to check for arsenic, as his relatives demanded. The insurance companies awarded her $8,500 (about $299,838.51 in today's dollars), with which she bought a pig farm on the outskirts of La Porte, Indiana.   Suspicion of murder   In 1901, Gunness purchased a house on McClung Road. It's been reported that both the boat and carriage houses burned to the ground shortly after she acquired the property.   As she was preparing to move from Chicago to LaPorte, she became re-acquainted with a recent widower, Peter Gunness, also Norwegian-born. They were married in LaPorte on April 1, 1902; just one week after the ceremony, Peter's infant daughter died (of uncertain causes) while alone in the house with Belle. In December 1902, Peter himself met with a "tragic accident.” According to Belle, he reached for his slippers next to the kitchen stove when he was scalded with brine. She later declared that part of a sausage-grinding machine fell from a high shelf, causing a fatal head injury. A year later, Peter's brother, Gust, took Peter's older daughter, Swanhilde, to Wisconsin. She is the only child to have survived living with Belle.   Her husband's death netted Gunness another $3,000 (some sources say $4,000). Local people refused to believe that her husband could be so clumsy; he had run a hog farm on the property and was known to be an experienced butcher; the district coroner reviewed the case and unequivocally announced that he had been murdered. He convened a coroner's jury to look into the matter. Meanwhile, Jennie Olsen, then 14, was overheard confessing to a classmate: "My mama killed my papa. She hit him with a meat cleaver and he died. Don't tell a soul."   Jennie was brought before the coroner's jury but denied having said anything. Gunness, meanwhile, convinced the coroner that she was innocent of any wrongdoing. She did not mention that she was pregnant, which would have inspired sympathy, but in May 1903, a baby boy, Phillip, joined the family. In late 1906 Belle told neighbors that her foster daughter, Jennie Olsen, had gone away to a Lutheran College in Los Angeles (some neighbors were informed that it was a finishing school for young ladies). Jennie's body would later be recovered, buried on her adoptive mother's property.   Between 1903 and 1906, Belle continued to run her farm. In 1907 Gunness employed a single farm hand, Ray Lamphere, to help with chores.   The Suitors   Around the same time, Gunness inserted the following advertisement in the matrimonial columns of all the Chicago daily newspapers and those of other large midwestern cities:   “Personal — comely widow who owns a large farm in one of the finest districts in La Porte County, Indiana, desires to make the acquaintance of a gentleman equally well provided, with view of joining fortunes. No replies by letter considered unless sender is willing to follow answer with personal visit. Triflers need not apply.”   Several middle-aged men of means responded to Gunness' ads. One of her ads was answered by a Wisconsin farmhand, Henry Gurholt. After traveling to La Porte, Gurholt wrote his family, saying that he liked the farm, was in good health, and requested that they send him seed potatoes. When they failed to hear from him, the family contacted Gunness. She told them Gurholt had gone off with horse traders to Chicago. She kept his trunk and fur overcoat.   Another one was John Moe, who arrived from Elbow Lake, Minnesota. He had brought more than $1,000 with him to pay off her mortgage, or so he told neighbors, whom Gunness introduced him to as her cousin. He disappeared from her farm within a week of his arrival.  Although no one ever saw Moe again, a carpenter who did occasional work for Gunness observed that Moe's trunk remained in her house, along with more than a dozen others.   Next came George Anderson from Tarkio, Missouri, who, like Peter Gunness and John Moe, was an immigrant from Norway.   During dinner with Anderson, she raised the issue of her mortgage. Anderson agreed that he would pay the debt off if they decided to get hitched. Late that night, Anderson awoke to see her standing over him, holding a burning, almost spent candle in her hand and with a strange, sinister expression on her face. Without uttering a word, she ran from the room. Anderson fled from the house, soon taking a train to Missouri.   The suitors kept coming, but none of them, except for Anderson, ever left the Gunness farm. By this time, she had begun ordering massive trunks to be delivered to her home. Hack driver Clyde Sturgis delivered many of these trunks to her from La Porte. He later remarked how the heavyset woman would lift these enormous trunks "like boxes of marshmallows,” tossing them onto her broad shoulders and carrying them into the house. She kept the shutters of her house closed day and night; farmers traveling past the dwelling at night saw her digging in the hog pen.   Ole B. Budsberg, an elderly widower from Iola, Wisconsin, showed up next. He was last seen alive at the La Porte Savings Bank on April 6, 1907, when he mortgaged his Wisconsin land, signing a deed and obtaining several thousand dollars in cash. Ole B. Budsberg's sons, Oscar and Mathew Budsberg, had no idea that their father had gone off to visit Gunness. When they finally discovered his destination, they wrote to her; she promptly responded, saying she had never seen their father.   Several other middle-aged men appeared and disappeared in brief visits to the Gunness farm throughout 1907. Then, in December 1907, Andrew Helgelien, a bachelor farmer from Aberdeen, South Dakota, wrote to her and Belle was all about it. The pair exchanged many letters until a letter came that overwhelmed Helgelien, written in Gunness' careful handwriting and dated January 13, 1908. This letter was later found at the Helgelien farm. It read:   “To the Dearest Friend in the World: No woman in the world is happier than I am. I know that you are now to come to me and be my own. I can tell from your letters that you are the man I want. It does not take one long to tell when to like a person, and you I like better than anyone in the world, I know. Think how we will enjoy each other's company. You, the sweetest man in the whole world. We will be all alone with each other. Can you conceive of anything nicer? I think of you constantly. When I hear your name mentioned, and this is when one of the dear children speaks of you, or I hear myself humming it with the words of an old love song, it is beautiful music to my ears. My heart beats in wild rapture for you, My Andrew, I love you. Come prepared to stay forever.”   Yikes….   In response to her letter, Helgelien flew to her side in January 1908. He arrived with a check for $2,900, the entire savings he had drawn from his local bank. A few days after Helgelien arrived, he and Gunness appeared at the Savings Bank in La Porte and deposited the check. Helgelien vanished a few days later, but Gunness appeared at the Savings Bank to make a $500 deposit and another deposit of $700 in the State Bank. At this time, she started to have problems with her farmhand, Ray Lamphere.   In March 1908, Gunness sent several letters to a farmer and horse dealer in Topeka, Kansas named Lon Townsend, inviting him to visit her; he decided to put off the visit until spring and thus did not see her before a fire at her farm. Gunness was also in correspondence with a man from Arkansas and sent him a letter dated May 4, 1908. He would have visited her, but didn't because of the fire at her farm. Gunness allegedly promised marriage to a suitor Bert Albert, which did not go through because of his lack of wealth.   Turning Point   The hired hand Ray Lamphere was deeply in love with Gunness; he performed any chore for her, no matter how gruesome. He became jealous of the many men who arrived to court his employer and began making scenes. She fired him on February 3, 1908. Shortly after dispensing with Lamphere, she presented herself at the La Porte courthouse. She declared that her former employee was not in his right mind and was a menace to the public. She somehow convinced local authorities to hold a sanity hearing. Lamphere was pronounced sane and released. Gunness was back a few days later to complain to the sheriff that Lamphere had visited her farm and argued with her. She contended that he threatened her family and had Lamphere arrested for trespassing.   Lamphere returned again and again to see her, but she told him to kick rocks each time. Lamphere made thinly disguised threats. Like on one occasion, he confided to farmer William Slater, "Helgelien won't bother me no more. We fixed him for keeps." Helgelien had long since disappeared from the area, or so it was believed. However, his brother, Asle Helgelien, was disturbed when Andrew failed to return home and he wrote to Belle in Indiana, asking her about his sibling's whereabouts. Gunness wrote back, telling Asle Helgelien that his brother was not at her farm and probably went to Norway to visit relatives. Asle Helgelien said he did not believe his brother would do that. He believed his brother was still in the La Porte area, the last place he was seen or heard from. Gunness, being the ballsy bitch she was, told him that if he wanted to come and look for his brother, she would help conduct a search, but she cautioned him that searching for missing persons was an expensive proposition. If she were to be involved in such a manhunt, she stated, Asle Helgelien should be prepared to pay her for her efforts. Asle Helgelien did come to La Porte, but not until May.   Ray Lamphere represented an unresolved danger to Belle, and now Asle Helgelien was making inquiries that could very well send her to the gallows. She told a lawyer in La Porte, M.E. Leliter, that she feared for her life and her children's. Ray Lamphere, she said, had threatened to kill her and burn her house down. She wanted to make out a will just in case Lamphere followed through with his threats. Leliter, the attorney, complied and drew up her will. She left her entire estate to her children and left Leliter's office. She went to one of the La Porte banks holding the mortgage for her property and, not suspiciously at all, paid it off. However, she did not go to the police to tell them about Lamphere's allegedly life-threatening conduct. The reason for this, most historical, true crime nerds agree, was that there hadn't been any threats; she was merely setting the stage for her own arson. Joe Maxson, who had been hired to replace Ray Lamphere in February 1908, awoke in the early hours of April 28, 1908, smelling smoke in his room on the second floor of the Gunness house. He opened the hall door to a shit load of flames. Maxson screamed Gunness' name and those of her children but got no response. He slammed the door and then, in his tighty whiteys, leaped from the second-story window of his room, barely surviving the fire that was closing in around him. He raced to town to get help, but by the time the old-fashioned hook and ladder firetruck arrived at the farm at early dawn, the farmhouse was a big ol' pile of smoking ruins. Four bodies were found inside the house. One of the bodies was that of a woman who could not immediately be identified as Gunness, since she had been decapitated. The head was never found. The bodies of her children were found still in their beds. County Sheriff Smutzer had somehow heard about Lamphere's alleged threats, so he took one look at the carnage and quickly went after the former handyman. Attorney Leliter came forward to recount his tale about Gunness' will and how she feared Lamphere would kill her and her family and, coincidentally, burn her house down.   Lamphere reeeeeally didn't help his own cause. The moment Sheriff Smutzer confronted him and before the lawman uttered a word, Lamphere exclaimed, "Did Widow Gunness and the kids get out all right?" He was then told about the fire, but he denied having anything to do with it, claiming that he was not near the farm when the blaze occurred. A young lil dude, John Solyem, was brought forward. He said he was watching the Gunness place and saw Lamphere running down the road from the Gunness house just before the structure erupted in flames. Lamphere snorted to the boy: "You wouldn't look me in the eye and say that!"   "Yes, I will,” replied Solyem. "You found me hiding behind the bushes and you told me you'd kill me if I didn't get out of there." Lamphere was arrested and charged with murder and arson. Then scores of investigators, sheriff's deputies, coroner's men, and many volunteers began to search the ruins for evidence.   The headless woman's body was a massive concern to La Porte residents. C. Christofferson, a neighboring farmer, looked at the charred remains of this body and said that it was not the remains of Belle Gunness. As did another farmer, L. Nicholson, and so did Mrs. Austin Cutler, an old friend of Gunness. More of Gunness' old friends, Mrs. May Olander and Mr. Sigward Olsen, arrived from Chicago. They examined the remains of the headless woman and said it was't Belle Gunness.   Doctors then measured the remains and, making allowances for the body's missing neck and head, stated the corpse was that of a woman who stood five feet three inches tall and weighed no more than 150 pounds. Friends and neighbors, as well as the La Porte dressmakers who made her dresses and other garments, swore that Gunness was taller than 5'8" and weighed between 180 and 200 pounds. Remember, she was a large woman who could toss around clothing trunks like they were frisbees. Detailed measurements of the body were compared with those on file with several La Porte stores where she purchased her apparel.   When the two sets of measurements were compared, the authorities concluded that the headless woman could not possibly have been Belle Gunness, even when the ravages of the fire on the body were considered. (The flesh was severely burned but intact). Moreover, Dr. J. Meyers examined the internal organs of the dead woman. He sent the stomach contents of the victims to a pathologist in Chicago, who reported months later that the organs contained lethal doses of (dun dun dunnnn)...strychnine. Gunness' dentist, Dr. Ira P. Norton, said that if the teeth/dental work of the headless corpse had been located, he could definitely ascertain if it was, for sure, Belle Gunness. Enter Louis "Klondike" Schultz, a former miner, who was hired to build a sluice and begin sifting the debris (as more bodies were unearthed, the sluice was used to isolate human remains on a larger scale). What the flying FUCK is a sluice you may be asking your obviously intelligent self. Well, it's a sliding gate or other devices for controlling the flow of water, especially one in a locked gate. On May 19, 1908, a piece of bridgework was found consisting of two human, canine teeth, their roots still attached, porcelain teeth and gold crown work in between. Norton, her dentists, identified them as work done for Gunness. As a result, Coroner Charles Mack officially concluded that the adult female body discovered in the burned debris was Belle Gunness. Even though NOTHING ELSE LINES UP.   Asle Helgelien arrived in La Porte and told Sheriff Smutzer that he believed his brother had met with foul play at Gunness' hands. Then, the new farmhand, Joe Maxson came forward with information that could not be ignored: He told the Sheriff that Gunness had ordered him to bring loads of dirt by wheelbarrow to a large area surrounded by a high wire fence where the hogs were fed. Maxson said that there were many deep depressions in the ground that had been covered by dirt. These filled-in holes, Gunness had told Maxson, were nothing but garbage. She wanted the ground made level, so he filled in the depressions.   Sheriff Smutzer took a dozen men back to the farm and began to dig. On May 3, 1908, the diggers unearthed the body of Belle's stepdaughter, Jennie Olson (who vanished in December 1906). Then they found the small bodies of two unidentified children. Subsequently, the body of Andrew Helgelien was unearthed (his overcoat was found to be worn by Ray Lamphere). As days progressed and the gruesome work continued, one body after another was discovered in Gunness' hog pen:    So, let's run through these poor, unfortunate souls.   Ole B. Budsberg of Iola, Wisconsin, (vanished May 1907);   Thomas Lindboe, who had left Chicago and had gone to work as a hired man for Gunness three years earlier;   Henry Gurholdt of Scandinavia, Wisconsin, who had gone to wed her a year earlier, taking $1,500 to her; a watch corresponding to one belonging to Gurholdt was found with a body;   Olaf Svenherud, from Chicago;   John Moe of Elbow Lake, Minnesota; his watch was found in Lamphere's possession;   Olaf Lindbloom, age 35 from Wisconsin.   Reports of other possible victims began to come in:   William Mingay, a coachman of New York City, who had left that city on April 1, 1904;   Herman Konitzer of Chicago who disappeared in January 1906;   Charles Edman of New Carlisle, Indiana;   George Berry of Tuscola, Illinois;   Christie Hilkven of Dovre, Barron County, Wisconsin, who sold his farm and came to La Porte in 1906;   Chares Neiburg, a 28-year-old Scandinavian immigrant who lived in Philadelphia, told friends that he was going to visit Gunness in June 1906 and never came back — he had been working for a saloon keeper and took $500 with him;   John H. McJunkin of Coraopolis (near Pittsburgh) left his wife in December 1906 after corresponding with a La Porte woman;   Olaf Jensen, a Norwegian immigrant of Carroll, Indiana, wrote his relatives in 1906 he was going to marry a wealthy widow at La Porte;   Henry Bizge of La Porte who disappeared June 1906 and his hired man named Edward Canary of Pink Lake Ill who also vanished 1906;   Bert Chase of Mishawaka, Indiana sold his butcher shop and told friends of a wealthy widow and that he was going to look her up; his brother received a telegram supposedly from Aberdeen, South Dakota claiming Bert had been killed in a train wreck; his brother investigated and found the telegram was fictitious;   Tonnes Peterson Lien of Rushford, Minnesota, is alleged to have disappeared April 2, 1907;   A gold ring marked "S.B. May 28, 1907" was found in the ruins;   A hired man named George Bradley of Tuscola, Illinois is alleged to have gone to La Porte to meet a widow and three children in October 1907;   T.J. Tiefland of Minneapolis is alleged to have come to see Gunness in 1907;   Frank Riedinger a farmer of Waukesha, Wisconsin, came to Indiana in 1907 to marry and never returned;   Emil Tell, a Swede from Kansas City, Missouri, is alleged to have gone in 1907 to La Porte;   Lee Porter of Bartonville, Oklahoma separated from his wife and told his brother he was going to marry a wealthy widow at La Porte;   John E. Hunter left Duquesne, Pennsylvania, on November 25, 1907 after telling his daughters he was going to marry a wealthy widow in Northern Indiana.   Two other Pennsylvanians — George Williams of Wapawallopen and Ludwig Stoll of Mount Yeager — also left their homes to marry in the West.   Abraham Phillips, a railway man of Burlington, West Virginia, left in the winter of 1907 to go to Northern Indiana and marry a rich widow — a railway watch was found in the debris of the house.   Benjamin Carling of Chicago, Illinois, was last seen by his wife in 1907 after telling her that he was going to La Porte to secure an investment with a wealthy widow; he brought $1,000 from an insurance company and borrowed money from several investors as well; in June 1908 his widow was able to identify his remains from La Porte's Pauper's cemetery by the contour of his skull and three missing teeth; $1000 at that time is approximately $31,522.45 today.   Aug. Gunderson of Green Lake, Wisconsin;   Ole Oleson of Battle Creek, Michigan;   Lindner Nikkelsen of Huron, South Dakota;   Andrew Anderson of Lawrence, Kansas;   Johann Sorensen of St. Joseph, Missouri;   A possible victim was a man named Hinkley;   Reported unnamed victims were:   a daughter of Mrs. H. Whitzer of Toledo, Ohio, who had attended Indiana University near La Porte in 1902;   an unknown man and woman are alleged to have disappeared in September 1906, the same night Jennie Olson went missing. Gunness claimed they were a Los Angeles "professor" and his wife who had taken Jennie to California;   a brother of Miss Jennie Graham of Waukesha, Wisconsin, who had left her to marry a rich widow in La Porte but vanished;   a hired man from Ohio age 50 name unknown is alleged to have disappeared and Gunness became the "heir" to his horse and buggy;   an unnamed man from Montana told people at a resort he was going to sell Gunness his horse and buggy, which were found with several other horses and buggies at the farm.   Most of the remains found on the property could not be identified. Because of the crude recovery methods, the number of individuals unearthed on the Gunness farm is unknown but is believed to be approximately twelve. On May 19, 1908, the remains of approximately seven unknown victims were buried in two coffins in unmarked graves in the pauper's section of LaPorte's Pine Lake Cemetery. Andrew Helgelien and Jennie Olson are buried in La Porte's Patton Cemetery, near Peter Gunness.   So, here's the even MORE fucked up part… if it's possible.   Ray Lamphere was arrested on May 22, 1908, and tried for murder and arson. He denied the charges of arson and murder that were filed against him. His defense hinged on the assertion that the body was not that of that big ol' girl, Belle Gunness.   Lamphere's lawyer, Wirt Worden, developed evidence that contradicted Norton's identification of the teeth and bridgework. A local jeweler testified that though the gold in the bridgework had emerged from the fire almost undamaged, the fierce heat of the fire had melted the gold plating on several watches and items of gold jewelry. Local doctors replicated the fire conditions by attaching a similar dental bridgework to a human jawbone and placing it in a blacksmith's forge. The natural teeth crumbled and disintegrated; the porcelain teeth came out pocked and pitted, and the gold parts melted (both the artificial elements were damaged to a greater degree than those in the bridgework offered as evidence of Gunness' identity). The hired hand Joe Maxson and another man also testified that they'd seen "Klondike" Schultz take the bridgework out of his pocket and plant it just before it was "discovered.” Lamphere was found guilty of arson but acquitted of murder. On November 26, 1908, he was sentenced to 20 years in State Prison (in Michigan City). He died of tuberculosis the next year on December 30, 1909.   On January 14, 1910, the Rev. E. A. Schell came forward with a confession that Lamphere was said to have made to him while the clergyman was comforting the dying man. In it, Lamphere revealed Gunness' crimes and swore that she was still alive. Lamphere had stated to the Reverend Schell and a fellow convict, Harry Meyers, shortly before his death that he had not murdered anyone but had helped Gunness bury many of her victims. When a victim arrived, she made him comfortable, charming him and cooking a large meal. She then drugged his coffee, and when the man was all fucked up, she split his head with a meat chopper. Sometimes she would simply wait for the suitor to go to bed and then enter the bedroom by candlelight and chloroform the hapless sap. A powerful woman, Gunness would then carry the body to the basement, place it on a table, and dissect it. She then bundled the remains and buried these in the hog pen and on the grounds around the house. Thanks to her second husband's instruction, Peter Gunness, the butcher, Belle had become an expert at dissection. To save time, she sometimes poisoned her victims' coffee with strychnine. (Um… the first husband) She also varied her disposal methods, sometimes dumping the corpse into the hog-scalding vat and covering the remains with quicklime. Lamphere even stated that if Belle was overly tired after murdering one of her victims, she merely chopped up the remains and, in the middle of the night, stepped into her hog pen and fed the remains to the hogs.   Lamphere also cleared up the mysterious question of the headless female corpse found in Gunness's home's smoking remains. Gunness had lured this woman from Chicago on the pretense of hiring her as a housekeeper only days before she decided to make her permanent escape from La Porte. Gunness, according to Lamphere, had drugged the woman, then bashed in her head and decapitated the body, taking the head, which had weights tied to it, to a swamp where she threw it into deep water. Then, she chloroformed her children, smothered them to death, and dragged their small bodies, along with the headless corpse, to the basement.   She dressed the female corpse in her old clothing, and removed her false teeth, placing these beside the headless corpse to assure it being identified as Belle Gunness. She then torched the house and fled. Lamphere had helped her, he admitted, but she didn't take off by the road where he waited for her after the fire had been set. She had betrayed her one-time partner in crime in the end by cutting across open fields and then disappearing into the woods. Some accounts suggest that Lamphere admitted that he took her to Stillwell (a town about nine miles from La Porte) and saw her off on a train to Chicago.   Lamphere said that Gunness was a rich woman, that she had murdered 42 men by his count, and maybe more, and had taken amounts from them ranging from $1,000 to $32,000. She had allegedly accumulated more than $250,000 through her murder schemes over the years—a considerable fortune for those days (about 10 million dollars, today). She had a small amount remaining in one of her savings accounts, but local banks later admitted that she had withdrawn most of her money shortly before the fire. Gunness withdrawing most of her money suggested that she was planning to evade the law. Gunness was, for several decades, allegedly seen or sighted in cities and towns throughout the United States. Friends, acquaintances, and amateur detectives apparently spotted her on the streets of Chicago, San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles. As late as 1931, Gunness was reported alive and living in a Mississippi town, where she supposedly owned a great deal of property and lived the life of a respected woman. Sheriff Smutzer, for more than 20 years, received an average of two reports a month. She became part of American criminal folklore, a female Sasquatch, if you will.   Gunness's three children's bodies were found in the home's wreckage, but the headless adult female corpse found with them was never positively identified. Gunness' true fate is unknown; La Porte residents were divided between believing that Lamphere killed her and that she had faked her own death. In 1931, a woman known as "Esther Carlson" was arrested in Los Angeles for poisoning August Lindstrom for money. Two people who had known Gunness claimed to recognize her from photographs, but the identification was never proved. Carlson died while awaiting trial.   So, what the fuck happened to “Hell's Belle”??   The body believed to be that of Belle Gunness was buried next to her first husband at Forest Home Cemetery in Forest Park, Illinois.   On November 5, 2007, with the permission of descendants of Belle's sister, the headless body was exhumed from Gunness' grave in Forest Home Cemetery by a team of forensic anthropologists and graduate students from the University of Indianapolis to learn her true identity. It was initially hoped that a sealed envelope flap on a letter found at the victim's farm would contain enough DNA to be compared to that of the body. Unfortunately, there was not enough DNA, so efforts continue to find a reliable source for comparison purposes, including the disinterment of other bodies and contact with known living relatives.   As far as we know… Belle Gunness, the wicked Norwegian bitch… got away with So. Many. Murders… including her own.   Movies   https://deluxevideoonline.org/our-tens-list-faked-deaths-in-movies/

June is a month of many celebrations and we're taking the opportunity to join in with one of them, though not the one Toby had expected.  Brother Chris Emmons from Kanawha Lodge #25 in Charleston, West Virginia joins us to celebrate LGBTQ Pride and share his experiences as an out gay Odd Fellow.  The conversation wanders around quite a bit and covers a wide range of topics, including the many great and affirming experiences both Chris and Ainslie have had in Odd Fellowship and some of the similarities between joining the Odd Fellows and coming out as a member of the LGBTQ community.  The Shoutout goes to another brand-new lodge, this time it's Gem City Lodge #357 in Quincy, Illinois.  In the Odd Podge, Ainslie talks about the Tuscola Odd Market and appendant festivities, including a drag show!  Chris shares a little about his trip to Tuscola for the Odd Market (and his new tattoo), and Toby *finally* gets to raise awareness of the accordion.

Amidst the fields of corn, soy, and wheat, there's something else growing in Northern Illinois: Odd Fellowship.  Brother Ray Jackson of Ottawa Lodge #41 shares his story of how the members of Century Lodge #492 in Carpentersville spread out across the northern part of Illinois reviving struggling lodges and renewing the spirit of Odd Fellowship.  SPOILER ALERT: there's no one, main secret to their success.  With each lodge being different, they members first had to dig into that community and find out what worked for the locals and then build on it.  Ray goes into great detail about how that worked and the kinds of successes they have had.  He also tells of the process of reviving his current home lodge, Ottawa #41, including climbing in through the window and the moldy hall.  The Shoutout goes to Themis Lodge #75 of Louisiana on the occasion of their first anniversary.  For the Odd Podge, Brother Ainslie talks about the Art Fellows at his lodge in Tuscola, IL who meet regularly to make art.  Brother Toby thanks his home lodge, Ballard-Alki #170 of Seattle, for the reception they gave in his honor after having served as Sovereign Grand Musician.  

In this episode, we're privileged to talk with Certified Journeyman Farrier Jim Poor of Tuscola, Texas. He has been shoeing horses for more than forty-three years. Jim shares lessons he learned from his father as a farrier, how he got started manufacturing tools, mistakes he made as a farrier, toolmaker, and competitor. Jim shares lessons about several of his competitive wins and why being a true believer is one of the most important aspects of becoming certified and succeeding as a competitor. He also shares numerous stories from his career with many valuable lessons that other farriers can learn from as they go about their daily work and what farriers should be paying more attention to in their businesses. 

Buck and Lu are back to talk Jayden and Jalen. Before that, we discuss three former Ramblers excelling in their professional basketball careers. Jayden Dawson is from Omaha. While Jalen Quinn is from Tuscola, Illinois. We are excited for both!

Styles & Friends #2104 Black Bears, Mountaineers, and Braggin' Rights.   In Haywood County there are only two types of people: Hill or Mill, Mountaineer or Black Bear, Black and Gold or Red and Black, Tuscola or Pisgah. A county divided by North Carolina's greatest high school rivalry. David sits down with Tuscola alumni Austin Chambers and Will Valentine to discuss their perspective, culture, and insight on what it means to be a Tuscola Mountaineer and what the rivalry means to them.  If you like the show please reach out to us and tell us what you think! Send us an email or you can leave us a voice mail at the following: styles.and.friends.podcast@gmail.com  (828) 549-8842‬

Tim Towe and Jake West share their thoughts on local football rivalries in our coverage area. In Western NC you have to talk about Pisgah and Tuscola. Murphy/RVille, Murphy/Swain and the whole SMC as a whole. In our North Georgia Coverage Area we highlight White/North Hall, Pickens/Gilmer and Fannin/Union. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Amy Penne’s spirituality can be summed up pretty easily: “I am a creative and Divine holy spirit. There is infinite creativity in the world so it may as well come through me.” In this episode, Kelly and Amy talk about the spiritual practice of being creative, whether it’s through art, journaling, writing, researching, or just putting together new ideas in new ways. As an academic and a self-professed “rabbit-hole” reader” who seldom finishes a book before being drawn to a new thing, Amy encourages us each to find a way to think outside of our own self-imposed limitations and be creative. Even if you can’t draw a stick figure, you can be inspired and build upon the work of other artists. For Amy, when creativity is combined with meditation and the practice of the mindful pause, it can be a powerful tool for kindness and compassion that shows up at home, in her work, and in so many parts of her life. Meet Amy Amy Penne, Ph.D. is a writer and Professor of English at Parkland College. She’s a true lover of books, as is her husband Bryan who’s a school librarian. She also has two grown sons who are brilliant musicians, writers, and thinkers, but most importantly, they are compassionate young men. She and her family live in a hundred-year-old arts & crafts home in Tuscola, a small town thirty miles south of Champaign, along with two dogs and two cats. She’s known as the lady who feeds all the birds in town. She shares her thoughts and musing around the intersections of creative writing, poetry, and life in her blog The Pensive Penne. Amy’s essays, reviews, and poems have been included in Tupelo Quarterly, Minerva Rising, and Brain Child, among others, and she has a new essay called Exit 212: A Haibun Comfort Food Essay forthcoming in Midwest Writing Center’s upcoming anthology These Interesting Times: Surviving 2020 in the QC. You can follow Amy on Instagram (@pensivepenne), Facebook (@amy.penne), and Twitter (@thepensivepenne). You can email her at amy.penne@gmail.com. Resources We Mention Creation and destruction are all part of the same cycle (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8) Art of Frieda Khalo Dalai Lama and the Heart Sutra

his is Vaccine 411, the latest coronavirus vaccine information for April 22nd, 2021.The FDA said that factory in Baltimore hired to help make Johnson & Johnson's vaccine was dirty, didn't follow proper procedures and had poorly trained staff. That is likely what resulted in contamination of material going into a batch of shots. That batch, enough to make about 15 million doses, had to be thrown out.The World Health Organization said infections have been rising at an alarming rate for eight straight weeks as the virus sweeps easily through several parts of the world. More than 5.2 million new cases last week - the most in one week since the pandemic began. Deaths also increased for the fifth week.A new directive is requiring hospitals in Ontario, Canada to stop all non-emergency surgeries and non-urgent procedures immediately. This as COVID-19 patients continue to fill hospitals and put the healthcare system under strain amid a third coronavirus wave. The province is also giving hospitals the authority to transfer patients to other hospitals without their consent.A growing number of a certain group feels like the pandemic is being blown out of proportion. But it might not be a group you'd expect. It's educators. Education Week reports nearly one in three surveyed said it's not a real threat to schools. 15% also said no social distancing at all is necessary.COVID-19 has reportedly claimed the life of a former member of the legendary Four Seasons music group. Joe Long is actually the second member of the group to die from COVID. Tommy DeVito lost his life last year. Frankie Valli announced Long's death on his Facebook page.In the United States cases were flat, deaths are down 8%, and hospitalizations were up 9% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since April 14. There are now 6,841,287 active cases in the United States. The current top 5 states by number of active cases: California, New York, Virginia, Maryland, and Florida. The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Dimmit, TX. Grant, OR. St. Clair, MI. Karnes, TX. Newaygo, MI. Sanilac, MI. Tuscola, MI. Macomb, MI. Mason, MI. And Oceana, MI. The five states with the highest risk levels and most daily new cases per capita over 7 days are Michigan, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvania. There have been 569,385 deaths in the US reported as Covid-related, with a current national fatality rate of 1.8%.The states with the most new deaths reported as COVID-related: California 95. Florida 83. Texas 78. New Jersey 65. Pennsylvania 59. Michigan 44. North Carolina 43. New York 40. Georgia 31. And Illinois 29. The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that's had at least one dose, New Hampshire at 58.6%, Connecticut at 49.8%, and Maine at 49.7%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Mississippi at 29.5%, Alabama at 30.5%, and Louisiana at 31.1%.Globally, cases were up 23% and deaths up 14% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since April 18. There are now 18,754,007 active cases around the world.The five countries with the most new cases: India 315,802. Brazil 71,910. The United States 65,057. Turkey 61,967. And France 34,968. There have now been 3,055,587 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide. For the latest updates, subscribe for free to Vaccine 411 on your podcast app or ask your smart speaker to play the Vaccine 411 podcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots… Just the facts… for April 22nd, 2021. The FDA said that factory in Baltimore hired to help make Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine was dirty, didn’t follow proper procedures and had poorly trained staff. That is likely what resulted in contamination of material going into a batch of shots. That batch, enough to make about 15 million doses, had to be thrown out. The World Health Organization said infections have been rising at an alarming rate for eight straight weeks as the virus sweeps easily through several parts of the world. More than 5.2 million new cases last week - the most in one week since the pandemic began. Deaths also increased for the fifth week. A new directive is requiring hospitals in Ontario, Canada to stop all non-emergency surgeries and non-urgent procedures immediately. This as COVID-19 patients continue to fill hospitals and put the healthcare system under strain amid a third coronavirus wave. The province is also giving hospitals the authority to transfer patients to other hospitals without their consent. A growing number of a certain group feels like the pandemic is being blown out of proportion. But it might not be a group you’d expect. It’s educators. Education Week reports nearly one in three surveyed said it’s not a real threat to schools. 15% also said no social distancing at all is necessary. COVID-19 has reportedly claimed the life of a former member of the legendary Four Seasons music group. Joe Long is actually the second member of the group to die from COVID. Tommy DeVito lost his life last year. Frankie Valli announced Long’s death on his Facebook page. In the United States cases were flat, deaths are down 8%, and hospitalizations were up 9% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since April 14. There are now 6,841,287 active cases in the United States. The current top 5 states by number of active cases: California, New York, Virginia, Maryland, and Florida. The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Dimmit, TX. Grant, OR. St. Clair, MI. Karnes, TX. Newaygo, MI. Sanilac, MI. Tuscola, MI. Macomb, MI. Mason, MI. And Oceana, MI. The five states with the highest risk levels and most daily new cases per capita over 7 days are Michigan, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvania. There have been 569,385 deaths in the US reported as Covid-related, with a current national fatality rate of 1.8%. The states with the most new deaths reported as COVID-related: California 95. Florida 83. Texas 78. New Jersey 65. Pennsylvania 59. Michigan 44. North Carolina 43. New York 40. Georgia 31. And Illinois 29. The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s had at least one dose, New Hampshire at 58.6%, Connecticut at 49.8%, and Maine at 49.7%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Mississippi at 29.5%, Alabama at 30.5%, and Louisiana at 31.1%. Globally, cases were up 23% and deaths up 14% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since April 18. There are now 18,754,007 active cases around the world. The five countries with the most new cases: India 315,802. Brazil 71,910. The United States 65,057. Turkey 61,967. And France 34,968. There have now been 3,055,587 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide. For the latest updates, subscribe for free to Coronavirus 411 on your podcast app or ask your smart speaker to play the Coronavirus 411 podcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This is Vaccine 411, the latest coronavirus information for April 19th, 2021.The global death toll from the coronavirus topped 3 million people Saturday. This as vaccination campaign have experienced setbacks and infections rage in countries like Brazil, India, and France. And the actual number of deaths is believed to be much higher because some governments have concealed statistics.After initial concerns about supply and a rush to get appointments and vaccines, desire to get the vaccine appears to have plateaued. Appointments are getting skipped and officials are struggling to get appointments filled…even in very hard hit states like Michigan. Mass vaccination sites have started closing. Pharmacies in one part of Louisiana say vaccine demand has "completely fallen off." One cause for reluctance making its way around the Internet rumor mill is that the vaccine somehow affects fertility. OB/GYN's are getting questions about it and most point out that all the major medical societies, including the Society for Fertility, have come out and said there is no evidence to support fertility problems with the vaccines. Not only that, research has shown the presence of antibodies in umbilical cord blood and breast milk that get passed on to the baby. Chile is not having a lot of luck with the Chinese Sinovac vaccine. That country has mounted one of the world's most rapid vaccination campaigns using the Chinese vaccine, but health authorities are scrambling to deal with a surge of new infections and deaths. Half the adult population has already gotten at least one dose and officials say the level of protection after just one dose is being overestimated and restrictions eased too soon.Otters at The Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta have tested positive for Covid-19. They're expected to make a full recovery, but it does point to how easy it is to be exposed to the coronavirus. These are animals traditionally kept in an enclosure and away from the public. However, they began sneezing and have symptoms like runny noses, tiredness, and coughing.In the United States cases were up 5%, deaths are down 8%, and hospitalizations were up 11% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since April 14. There are now 6,862,164 active cases in the United States. The current top 5 states by number of active cases: California, New York, Virginia, Florida, and Maryland. The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Dimmit, TX. Grant, OR. Chattahoochee, GA. Karnes, TX. St. Clair, MI. Sanilac, MI. Crosby, TX. Tuscola, MI. Ogemaw, MI. And Huron, MI. The five states with the highest risk levels and most daily new cases per capita over 7 days are Michigan, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. There have been 567,217 deaths in the US reported as Covid-related, with a current national fatality rate of 1.8%.The states with the most new deaths reported as COVID-related: California 46. New York 38. Texas 37. Florida 34. Pennsylvania 25. Virginia and Maryland 17. South Carolina and Minnesota 15. And Illinois 10. The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that's had at least one dose, New Hampshire at 58%, Maine at 48.5%, and Connecticut at 48.2%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Mississippi at 28.9%, Alabama at 30.1%, and Louisiana at 30.8%.Globally, cases were up 20% and deaths up 14% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since March 5. There are now 18,434,835 active cases around the world.The five countries with the most new cases: India 275,306. Turkey 55,802. The United States 43,174. Brazil 42,937. And France 29,344. There have now been 3,017,412 deaths reported as Covid-related... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots… Just the facts… for April 19th, 2021.The global death toll from the coronavirus topped 3 million people Saturday. This as vaccination campaign have experienced setbacks and infections rage in countries like Brazil, India, and France. And the actual number of deaths is believed to be much higher because some governments have concealed statistics.After initial concerns about supply and a rush to get appointments and vaccines, desire to get the vaccine appears to have plateaued. Appointments are getting skipped and officials are struggling to get appointments filled…even in very hard hit states like Michigan. Mass vaccination sites have started closing. Pharmacies in one part of Louisiana say vaccine demand has "completely fallen off." One cause for reluctance making its way around the Internet rumor mill is that the vaccine somehow affects fertility. OB/GYN’s are getting questions about it and most point out that all the major medical societies, including the Society for Fertility, have come out and said there is no evidence to support fertility problems with the vaccines. Not only that, research has shown the presence of antibodies in umbilical cord blood and breast milk that get passed on to the baby. Chile is not having a lot of luck with the Chinese Sinovac vaccine. That country has mounted one of the world’s most rapid vaccination campaigns using the Chinese vaccine, but health authorities are scrambling to deal with a surge of new infections and deaths. Half the adult population has already gotten at least one dose and officials say the level of protection after just one dose is being overestimated and restrictions eased too soon.Otters at The Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta have tested positive for Covid-19. They’re expected to make a full recovery, but it does point to how easy it is to be exposed to the coronavirus. These are animals traditionally kept in an enclosure and away from the public. However, they began sneezing and have symptoms like runny noses, tiredness, and coughing.In the United States cases were up 5%, deaths are down 8%, and hospitalizations were up 11% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending down since April 14. There are now 6,862,164 active cases in the United States. The current top 5 states by number of active cases: California, New York, Virginia, Florida, and Maryland. The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Dimmit, TX. Grant, OR. Chattahoochee, GA. Karnes, TX. St. Clair, MI. Sanilac, MI. Crosby, TX. Tuscola, MI. Ogemaw, MI. And Huron, MI. The five states with the highest risk levels and most daily new cases per capita over 7 days are Michigan, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. There have been 567,217 deaths in the US reported as Covid-related, with a current national fatality rate of 1.8%.The states with the most new deaths reported as COVID-related: California 46. New York 38. Texas 37. Florida 34. Pennsylvania 25. Virginia and Maryland 17. South Carolina and Minnesota 15. And Illinois 10. The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s had at least one dose, New Hampshire at 58%, Maine at 48.5%, and Connecticut at 48.2%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Mississippi at 28.9%, Alabama at 30.1%, and Louisiana at 30.8%.Globally, cases were up 20% and deaths up 14% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since March 5. There are now 18,434,835 active cases around the world.The five countries with the most new cases: India 275,306. Turkey 55,802. The United States 43,174. Brazil 42,937. And France 29,344. There have now been 3,017,412 deaths... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This is Vaccine 411, the latest coronavirus vaccine info for April 14th, 2021.A very bad day for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The U.S. recommended a “pause” in its use to investigate rare incidents of blood clotting. That upended vaccine programs across the U.S and prompted other countries across Europe, plus Australia, and South Africa to forego usage at least for now. It can't help but set back the global vaccination effort. For instance, Europe was set to get hundreds of thousands of Johnson & Johnson doses because vaccinations there have been hampered by shortages, logistics, and blood clot concerns in the AstraZeneca vaccine. Those who've already gotten the J&J vaccine should contact their doctor if they experience severe headache, abdominal or leg pain or shortness of breath within three weeks.The World Health Organization said the trajectory of the pandemic is now “growing exponentially,” with more than 4.4 million new cases reported over the last week. In some countries new cases per week are more than eight times higher than a year ago.In some good news, new trial data shows Moderna's vaccine was more than 90% effective at protecting against Covid and more than 95% effective against severe disease up to six months after the second dose. Pfizer said earlier this month its vaccine was also shown to be highly effective six months after the second dose.What will things look like after the pandemic? U.S. intelligence took that into consideration in its annual assessment of worldwide threats. The lingering effects of the pandemic are expected to contribute over the next year to “humanitarian and economic crises, political unrest, and geopolitical competition.” The recovery is expected to strain governments and societies.Add to the list of things only vaccinated people can do, going to a Buffalo Bills game. It was announced yesterday fans attending Bills games at Highmark Stadium must have proof of vaccination, as they open capacity back up to 100%.In the United States cases were up 6%, deaths are down 27%, and hospitalizations were up 10% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since April 5. There are now 6,867,195 active cases in the United States. The current top 5 states by number of active cases: California, New York, Virginia, Florida, and Maryland. The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Chattahoochee, GA. St. Clair, MI. Huron, MI. Knox, TX. Otsego, MI. Sanilac, MI. Galax, VA. Carson, TX. Tuscola, MI. And Gladwin, MI. The five states with the highest risk levels and most daily new cases per capita over 7 days are Michigan, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Minnesota, and New York. There have been 563,440 deaths in the US reported as Covid-related, with a current national fatality rate of 1.81%.The states with the most new deaths reported as COVID-related: Michigan 81. Florida 78. Pennsylvania 66. Texas 60. California 54. New Jersey 50. New York 48. Georgia 25. Ohio 24. And Mississippi 23. The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that's had at least one dose, New Hampshire at 52.3%, New Mexico at 45%, and Connecticut at 44.4%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Mississippi at 27.9%, Alabama at 28.3%, and Georgia at 28.8%.Globally, cases were up 22% and deaths up 25% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since March 5. There are now over 24 million active cases around the world, at 24,010,354.The five countries with the most new cases: India 185,248. Brazil 80,157. The United States 77,720. Turkey 59,187. And France 39,113. There have now been 2,956,845 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide. For the latest updates, subscribe for free to... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots… Just the facts… for April 14th, 2021. A very bad day for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The U.S. recommended a “pause” in its use to investigate rare incidents of blood clotting. That upended vaccine programs across the U.S and prompted other countries across Europe, plus Australia, and South Africa to forego usage at least for now. It can’t help but set back the global vaccination effort. For instance, Europe was set to get hundreds of thousands of Johnson & Johnson doses because vaccinations there have been hampered by shortages, logistics, and blood clot concerns in the AstraZeneca vaccine. Those who’ve already gotten the J&J vaccine should contact their doctor if they experience severe headache, abdominal or leg pain or shortness of breath within three weeks. The World Health Organization said the trajectory of the pandemic is now “growing exponentially,” with more than 4.4 million new cases reported over the last week. In some countries new cases per week are more than eight times higher than a year ago. In some good news, new trial data shows Moderna’s vaccine was more than 90% effective at protecting against Covid and more than 95% effective against severe disease up to six months after the second dose. Pfizer said earlier this month its vaccine was also shown to be highly effective six months after the second dose. What will things look like after the pandemic? U.S. intelligence took that into consideration in its annual assessment of worldwide threats. The lingering effects of the pandemic are expected to contribute over the next year to “humanitarian and economic crises, political unrest, and geopolitical competition.” The recovery is expected to strain governments and societies. Add to the list of things only vaccinated people can do, going to a Buffalo Bills game. It was announced yesterday fans attending Bills games at Highmark Stadium must have proof of vaccination, as they open capacity back up to 100%. In the United States cases were up 6%, deaths are down 27%, and hospitalizations were up 10% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending up since April 5. There are now 6,867,195 active cases in the United States. The current top 5 states by number of active cases: California, New York, Virginia, Florida, and Maryland. The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Chattahoochee, GA. St. Clair, MI. Huron, MI. Knox, TX. Otsego, MI. Sanilac, MI. Galax, VA. Carson, TX. Tuscola, MI. And Gladwin, MI. The five states with the highest risk levels and most daily new cases per capita over 7 days are Michigan, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Minnesota, and New York. There have been 563,440 deaths in the US reported as Covid-related, with a current national fatality rate of 1.81%. The states with the most new deaths reported as COVID-related: Michigan 81. Florida 78. Pennsylvania 66. Texas 60. California 54. New Jersey 50. New York 48. Georgia 25. Ohio 24. And Mississippi 23. The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s had at least one dose, New Hampshire at 52.3%, New Mexico at 45%, and Connecticut at 44.4%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Mississippi at 27.9%, Alabama at 28.3%, and Georgia at 28.8%. Globally, cases were up 22% and deaths up 25% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since March 5. There are now over 24 million active cases around the world, at 24,010,354. The five countries with the most new cases: India 185,248. Brazil 80,157. The United States 77,720. Turkey 59,187. And France 39,113. There have now been 2,956,845 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide. For the... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots… Just the facts… for April 9th, 2021. Australia yesterday became the latest country to restrict use of the AstraZeneca vaccine. They recommend it not be given to anyone under 50 and are recommending the Pfizer vaccine be adopted for those folks. Meanwhile North Carolina stopped giving the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at a mass vaccination site in Raleigh and some other clinics after at least 26 people experienced adverse reactions, including fainting. The CDC says that’s not uncommon. Iran hit a new coronavirus infection record yesterday for the third straight day. This severe spike follows the Persian New Year holiday in which millions defied guidance about gathering and travel. The new cases push Iran's pandemic total to over 2 million. A different story in Britain as the vaccination program there starts to break the link between infection and serious illness or death. Researchers at Imperial College London found infections dropped about 60% in March, with older people least likely to be infected from being prioritized early for vaccination. It’s a different story in Israel too as that country will be fully reopened in a month provided there’s no new sudden rise in cases. The education system is moving toward returning to normal. No word yet on if the main airport there will be fully reopening to international travel. Here’s a first. A country is asking for the vaccines it provided back. Russia wants Slovakia to return its Sputnik V vaccines because of multiple contract violations. Russia claims Slovakia’s drug regulator is trying to sabotage the vaccine with improper testing and a disinformation campaign. The Slovakians say 80% of the data they’ve asked for to assess the vaccine’s risks and benefits have not been provided. In the United States cases were up 14%, deaths are down 31%, and hospitalizations were up 6% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending flat since March 30. There are now 6,870,679 active cases in the United States. The current top 5 states by number of active cases: California, New York, Virginia, Florida, and Maryland. The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Chattahoochee, GA. St. Clair, MI. Galax, VA. Huron, MI. Caldwell, KY. Otsego, MI. Sanilac, MI. Lake of the Woods, MN. Tuscola, MI. And Macomb, MI. The five states with the highest risk levels and most daily new cases per capita over 7 days are Michigan, Rhode Island, New Jersey, New York, and Minnesota. There have been 560,084 deaths in the US reported as Covid-related, with a current national fatality rate of 1.81%. The states with the most new deaths reported as COVID-related: California 143. Texas 98. Florida 78. Michigan 77. Georgia 69. New York 57. Illinois and Pennsylvania 38. New Jersey 34. And Arizona 32. The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s had at least one dose, New Hampshire at 43.6%, New Mexico at 41.4%, and Connecticut at 39.7%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Mississippi and Alabama at 26.3%, and Georgia at 27.6%. Globally, cases were up 16% and deaths up 12% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since March 5. There are now over 23 million active cases around the world, at 23,289,918. The five countries with the most new cases: India 131,893. Brazil 89,293. The United States 80,161. Turkey 55,941. And Poland 27,887. There have now been 2,900,922 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide. For the latest updates, subscribe for free to Coronavirus 411 on your podcast app or ask your smart speaker to play the Coronavirus 411 podcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots… Just the facts… for April 8th, 2021. The head of the CDC says a more easily spread variant first identified in England is now the dominant strain in the U.S. It spread quickly across the U.K. and Ireland starting last fall and has thwarted restrictions. The CDC adds that new outbreaks have been linked to youth sports and day care centers so those activities should be curtailed or suspended. In Brazil, a new surge is filling hospitals and morgues, as the country logged nearly 4,200 deaths Tuesday. That’s close to the peak U.S. daily death toll on January 12 even though Brazil has less than two-thirds the population. Some officials are warning of the "collapse of the health care system." In Germany, things have gotten bad enough that Chancellor Angela Merkel is supporting a “short, uniform lockdown.” The criticism is the 16 state governers cannot seem to agree on the same restrictions though ICU beds are filling up. In Britain, modeling by University College London shows that country will achieve herd immunity next week once you take the pace of the vaccine rollout and the number of people who've already recovered from Covid into account. The actual virus was bad enough but soon we’ll start hearing more and more about the ongoing long-term consequences of this pandemic, and it has to do with the public’s mental health, a health crisis all its own. Lancet reports researchers estimate literally one third of COVID survivors are struggling with brain disease or other psychiatric disorders. It’s a cocktail of problems that includes anxiety, mood disorders, hemorrhaging, stroke, and dementia. In the United States cases were up 19%, deaths are down 21%, and hospitalizations were up 4% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending flat since March 30. There are now 6,857,855 active cases in the United States. The current top 5 states by number of active cases: California, New York, Virginia, Florida, and Maryland. The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Chattahoochee, GA. St. Clair, MI. Dimmit, TX. Caldwell, KY. Huron, MI. Tuscola, MI. Galax, VA. Sanilac, MI. Lake of the Woods, MN. And Otsego, MI. The five states with the highest risk levels and most daily new cases per capita over 7 days are Michigan, Rhode Island, New Jersey, New York, and Alaska. There have been 559,086 deaths in the US reported as Covid-related, with a current national fatality rate of 1.81%. The states with the most new deaths reported as COVID-related: Texas 108. California 101. New York 83. Georgia 67. Pennsylvania 52. New Jersey 49. Florida 44. Michigan 30. Illinois 29. And Arizona 27. The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s had at least one dose, New Hampshire at 42%, New Mexico at 41.2%, and Connecticut at 39%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Alabama at 25.9%, Mississippi at 26%, and Georgia at 26.5%. Globally, cases were up 20% and deaths up 8% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since March 5. There are now 22,981,410 active cases around the world. The five countries with the most new cases: India 126,315. Brazil 90,973. The United States 75,183. Turkey 54,740. And Argentina 22,039. There have now been 2,886,103 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide. For the latest updates, subscribe for free to Coronavirus 411 on your podcast app or ask your smart speaker to play the Coronavirus 411 podcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots… Just the facts… for April 7th, 2021. More confusion around the AstraZeneca vaccine and blood clots. First an official of the European Medicines Agency, Marco Cavaleri, said there's a “clear” association between the two and that it’s getting harder to affirm there is no cause-and-effect relationship. The organization then came out and denied a causal connection has been established and said its findings should come out today or Thursday.The U.S. is moving up the deadline for states to make all adults in the U.S. eligible for vaccines by two weeks. The president did add though that cases are going back up and hospitalizations are no longer declining.California doesn’t appear to be worried about that. The plan is to lift most restrictions on businesses and workplaces June 15. A mask mandate will stay in effect and the hope is the state will reopen even more widely in mid-June if there’s plenty of vaccine and if hospitalizations stay stable and low.Overall, Americans seem to agree COVID is no longer anything to worry about. A Gallup poll shows only 35% are very or somewhat worried about getting COVID-19. Only 22% are very or moderately worried about access to hospitals and treatment. And only 14% worry about access to tests. Those more inclined to worry are Democrats and younger people.If young people are worried, they have an odd way of showing it. Across the United States its young people driving the latest wave of COVID-19. Dr. Anthony Fauci said, "We're seeing more young people get into serious trouble, namely severe disease, requiring hospitalization and occasionally even tragic death." From state to state, young people tired of restrictions and armed with a false sense of security even though they’ve yet to be vaccinated, are filling coronavirus wards.In the United States cases were up 20%, deaths are down 24%, and hospitalizations were up 3% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending flat since March 30. There are now 6,867,957 active cases in the United States. The current top 5 states by number of active cases: California, New York, Virginia, Florida, and Maryland. The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Chattahoochee, GA. St. Clair, MI. Caldwell, KY. Dimmit, TX. Huron, MI. Sanilac, MI. Tuscola, MI. Otsego, MI. Macomb, MI. And Lapeer, MI. The five states with the highest risk levels and most daily new cases per capita over 7 days are Michigan, Rhode Island, New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut. There have been 556,506 deaths in the US reported as Covid-related, with a current national fatality rate of 1.81%.The states with the most new deaths reported as COVID-related: Texas 94. California 87. Florida 74. Michigan 61. New Jersey 51. New York 47. Virginia 41. Pennsylvania and Tennessee 38. And Oregon 33. The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s had at least one dose, New Hampshire at 41.9%, New Mexico at 41.2%, and Connecticut at 38.9%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Alabama at 25.5%, Mississippi at 25.9%, and Georgia at 26.3%.Globally, cases were up 20% and deaths up 11% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since March 5. There are now 22,871,452 active cases around the world. The five countries with the most new cases: India 115,269. Brazil 82,869. The United States 62,283. Turkey 49,584. And Argentina 20,870. There have now been 2,870,883 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide. For the latest updates, subscribe for free to Coronavirus 411 on your podcast app or ask your smart speaker to play the Coronavirus 411 podcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots… Just the facts… for April 6th, 2021. It’s rough in parts of Europe. Hospitals in Poland are experiencing a crush. France’s health minister is warning the number of ICU patients could match levels from a year ago. There’s an ongoing surge in Greece, but most retail stores were allowed to reopen anyway in an attempt to recover from the country’s deep recession. Citizens in many countries are angry at the EU’s strategy and at their own governments’ handling of the pandemic. Here’s where the vaccine is not going well. Haiti. It doesn’t have one single vaccine to offer its more than 11 million people. It’s slated to get a mere 756,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine through a UN program. And even that isn’t expected to arrive in May as originally expected. However, demand might be low. Some citizens will tell you the people there “don’t really believe in the coronavirus.” China reported its biggest daily jump in new cases in more than two months. But it’s one city that accounted for all of them. Ruili’s residents are under home quarantine and can’t leave the city, which has struggled to monitor its border with Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam for illegal immigration. New guidance from the CDC states cruise ships won’t require passengers or crew to get the vaccine when sailing resumes in U.S. waters. But of course, they encourage them to do so. Meanwhile Norwegian Cruise Line said it will require mandatory vaccinations for all guests and crew when it restarts trips from U.S. ports. A French TV documentary reports there are multiple high-end “clandestine restaurants” catering to Paris’ elite while everyone else is expected to adhere to restrictions. One organizer says government ministers are even among the customers. Fixed-price menus run up to $575 per person and include Champagne, truffles with foie gras, and lobster in ginger sauce. Guests don't wear masks, despite France's indoor mask requirements. In the United States cases were up 18%, deaths are down 23%, and hospitalizations were up 1% over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending flat since March 30. There are now 6,898,848 active cases in the United States. The current top 5 states by number of active cases: California, New York, Virginia, Florida, and Maryland. The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Chattahoochee, GA. St. Clair, MI. Sanilac, MI. Dimmit, TX. Huron, MI. Galax, VA. Tuscola, MI. Macomb, MI. Karnes, TX. And Lapeer, MI. The five states with the highest risk levels and most daily new cases per capita over 7 days are Michigan, Rhode Island, New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut. There have been 555,403 deaths in the US reported as Covid-related, with a current national fatality rate of 1.81%. The states with the most new deaths reported as COVID-related: California 62. Massachusetts 44. North Carolina 37. Florida and Virginia 31. Michigan 23. Texas and Kentucky 22. Connecticut 19. And New Jersey 14. The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s had at least one dose, New Mexico at 40.9%, New Hampshire at 40.4%, and Connecticut at 38.3%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Alabama at 25.3%, Georgia at 25.7%, and Mississippi at 25.9%. Globally, cases were up 22% and deaths up 12% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending up since March 5. There are now 22,839,831 active cases around the world. The five countries with the most new cases: India 96,957. The United States 50,329. Turkey 42,551. Brazil 38,233. And Iran 13,890. There have now been 2,859,357 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide. For the latest updates, subscribe for free to Coronavirus 411... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This is Coronavirus 411, the latest COVID-19 info and new hotspots… Just the facts… for April 5th, 2021. The country’s medicines regulator says seven people have died from unusual blood clots after getting the AstraZeneca vaccine in the UK. Still, that’s seven out of 18 million vaccinated but nobody seems to know if this is just coincidence or a genuine side effect of the vaccine. For right now, the regulator says the benefits still outweigh any risk. And in the U.S., AstraZeneca has been stopped from using a production facility in Baltimore. It’s the same place that ruined 15 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. In fact, Johnson & Johnson is now taking full charge of that facility. Researchers have found at least one case of a new coronavirus variant first detected in India in the San Francisco Bay area. Cases in India had been dropping since September but started to go back up through winter. More than 47,000 new cases were detected in a 24-hour span, including 275 deaths, in March. England is unveiling a pilot in Southamptom for weekly Covid-19 tests. For everyone. The kits are for use at home or pretty much anywhere and will be used to both slow spread and reveal outbreaks of potentially vaccine-resistant variants. The tests use easily collected saliva and would be taken even if the citizen is not showing any symptoms. It’s play ball tonight at Globe Life Field in Arlington as the Texas Rangers intend to reopen at full capacity for their home opener. But then after the home opener, the stadium will have special sections for fans who want to sit distanced from others. In the United States cases were up 19%, deaths are down 22%, and hospitalizations were flat over 14 days. The 7-day average of new cases has been trending flat since March 30. There are now 6,904,851 active cases in the United States. The current top 5 states by number of active cases: California, New York, Virginia, Florida, and Maryland. The top 10 counties with the highest number of recent cases per capita according to The New York Times: Chattahoochee, GA. St. Clair, MI. Sanilac, MI. Dimmit, TX. Huron, MI. Tuscola, MI. Macomb, MI. Karnes, TX. Lapeer, MI. And Jackson, MN. The five states with the highest risk levels and most daily new cases per capita over 7 days are Michigan, Rhode Island, New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut. There have been 555,001 deaths in the US reported as Covid-related, with a current national fatality rate of 1.82%. The states with the most new deaths reported as COVID-related: New York 75. California 52. Virginia 42. Florida 23. Texas 20. Illinois 19. New Jersey 9. Maryland 8. Pennsylvania 7. And Georgia, Arkansas, West Virginia, and New Hampshire with 2. The top 3 vaccinating states by percentage of population that’s had at least one dose, New Mexico at 40.2%, New Hampshire at 40.1%, and Connecticut at 37.6%. The bottom 3 vaccinating states are Alabama at 25.2%, Mississippi at 25.5%, and Georgia at 25.7%. Globally, cases were up 20% and deaths up 11% over 14 days, with the 7-day average trending down since April 1. There are now 22,847,017 active cases around the world. The five countries with the most new cases: India 103,793. France 60,922. Turkey 41,998. The United States 36,983. And Brazil 31,359. There have now been 2,852,196 deaths reported as Covid-related worldwide. For the latest updates, subscribe for free to Coronavirus 411 on your podcast app or ask your smart speaker to play the Coronavirus 411 podcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Importance of Estate Planning- Illinois farmer Dan Meyer of Tuscola shares his story about fighting for his family farm in Douglas County. Nancy Handegan, Handegan Law Office, First Illinois Title Group LLC and Christian County Farm Bureau board member joins a conversation with Laura Harmon Associate Counsel IAA about proper estate planning.

Former University of Illinois Running Back Reggie Corbin joins The Party! One of the most prolific Running Back's in Illinois Football History, Corbin finished his career with 2361 YDs and 18 TDs. Reggie and Andy sit down to talk about the Illini Football season so far, take a look back into Corbin's incredible career in Orange and Blue, Reggie shares stories of his days as a Rugby player for Gonzaga High School, some of his favorite sitcoms, and more!LIKE, RATE, COMMENT, REVIEW, and SUBSCRIBE!Video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6lTIbw4Ecs&t=6sSupport the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/thebrewparty)

Coaches Corner is on location with Coach Donnie Kiefer of Tuscola HS in Waynesville, NC.Coach Kiefer has a long history of turning around football programs in the state of North Carolina, including Roanoke, East Carteret, and Tuscola High schools . Coach Kiefer He discusses his strength training and conditioning principles and how they are applied to practices in the Tuscola football program. In addition, Coach Kiefer talks about how Tuscola packages its running game from the Spread. This Best of the Back issues show first aired in 2011.