Flooding rivers continues
Several days of rain is taking its toll on southern Illinois. Widespread flooding has been reported and conditions will likely worsen through the week. The Big Muddy River is currently overflowing its banks near Mt. Vernon. Harrah’s Hotel & Casino in Metropolis has closed due to flooding of the Ohio River. The river isn’t expected to crest at Paducah until next week.
Union to vote on new ISU contract
A ratification vote is scheduled to begin Friday on a tentative contract for the union representing 650 tenured and tenure track faculty members at Illinois State University in Normal. After 13 months of negotiations, the deal was reached Friday and came on the same day the union could legally have called a strike. An electronic ratification vote is scheduled to take place from Friday through Monday.
Leave wildlife alone
As spring sets in and more people head outside, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources is reminding everyone to leave baby birds and young animals alone when they encounter them in the wild. Officials said human intervention does more to hurt animals than to help. Young birds and animals are still being fed and cared for by their parents, who usually stay away from nests and dens if humans are nearby. Keeping wild animals as pets, or to raise wild animals believed to have been abandoned is prohibited in Illinois.
