Illinois
Doyle, Wires spark Illinois' full-court attack in third straight Muddy River Showcase victory – Muddy River Sports
![Doyle, Wires spark Illinois' full-court attack in third straight Muddy River Showcase victory – Muddy River Sports](https://muddyriversports.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/06/IMG_0342-scaled.jpg)
QUINCY — Dion Doyle decided this was the perfect opportunity to run it back.
The Macomb basketball standout was part of a team that included Quincy High School’s Ralph Wires that won back-to-back Gus Macker 3-on-3 championships when the event was a Memorial Day weekend staple in downtown Quincy.
Saturday, the duo reunited in the third annual Muddy River Showcase, guiding the Illinois all-stars to a 92-70 victory over their Missouri counterparts at John Wood Community College’s Student Activity Center. It was Illinois’ third consecutive victory in the series.
“This was our last-ever high school game,” Doyle said. “It felt good to get out and go, but it was kind of bittersweet since this is the end.”
To finish the way Doyle and his 3-on-3 counterpart did made it memorable.
“We’ve been playing together for seven or eight years,” Wires said of his relationship with Doyle. “Reuniting with him was awesome. I enjoyed playing with all of these guys and battling with them. This was a great group of guys.”
It took some toughness and tenacity to fend off the Show Me State.
Missouri led 32-26 with less than four minutes remaining in the second quarter by capitalizing on Illinois’ woeful start offensively. The Land of Lincolners went 6 of 21 from the field and 0 of 5 from 3-point range in the first quarter.
“We were shooting bad shots,” Wires said. “We certainly weren’t shooting our best. We were missing bunnies and dunks, too. It just wasn’t going our way.”
The Show Me State’s ability to keep Illinois from scoring in transition built confidence.
“I didn’t think they expected us to play as good as we did,” Highland’s Brady Campen said.
Ultimately, the ability to create easy offense with defensive pressure changed the game. Illinois closed the first half on a 16-2 run, scoring eight points off turnovers.
“They’re a great team, but we figured they couldn’t run with us once we got going,” Doyle said. “Once we get going up and down the floor, it’s kind of hard to stop us. We were pushing each other, and this was a great group of guys.”
Sharing the basketball influenced that attack.
The Illinois squad forced 22 turnovers, which led to a 27-7 advantage in points off turnovers, but it also dished out 16 assists, which led to shooting 46 percent from the field in the second half. Quincy High School’s Camden Brown and Tyler Sprick and Pittsfield’s Brennan Tomhave had a team-high three assists apiece.
“At the beginning, we were settling for the first shot too much,” said Zack Evans, the Winchester West Central all-state guard who has signed with John Wood Community College. “We weren’t trusting each other. Once we started trusting each other, knowing we can all score the ball at a high level, we started to calm down and everything went smoothly from there.”
Doyle scored 24 points, grabbed nine rebounds and had three steals in earning Illinois MVP honors, while Brown had 14 points and seven rebounds, Evans finished with 13 points and eight rebounds, and Wires collected 11 points, five steals and two assists.
“Our whole lineup was deep,” Evans said. “It was a super-athletic group, and it was a blast to play with them.”
Illinois’ depth proved key in the second half. Missouri shot 50 percent from the field over the final 20 minutes, but attempted just 30 shots because of lost possessions due to Illinois’ defense.
“It was great to be around great players,” Doyle said.
Campen led Missouri with 11 points and 11 rebounds to grab MVP honors, while Van-Far’s Nikos Connoway and South Shelby’s Chance Rainey scored 13 points apiece. Palmyra’s Carson Hicks had 11 points, while Palmyra teammate Bear Bock finished with six points and 10 rebounds.
“Oh, beyond proud of this effort,” Campen said. “Just being able to play and get out here with these guys was a blast.”
It’s a memory none of them will forget.
“We knew getting to play with this many athletic players was going to be a blast,” Evans said. “Coming out on top feels great.”
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Illinois
This Illinois Caterpillar Will Ruin Your Day If You Touch It
![This Illinois Caterpillar Will Ruin Your Day If You Touch It](https://townsquare.media/site/671/files/2024/06/attachment-gettyimages-595751622-170667a.jpg?w=1200&q=75&format=natural)
Here’s a little warning from someone (me) who saw a family member (my son) find out the hard way about these little guys, and who’s kept an eye out for them ever since then.
It’s a Tussock Moth Caterpillar, and it’s venomous. Not the “well, it’s been nice knowing you” type of venomous, but as my son recently found out, it’s a pretty unpleasant experience.
He got an up-close-and-personal visit from one, and I think it’s safe to say he’s hoping that it never happens again, and we’d really hate to see it happen to you.
Tussock Moth Caterpillar crawling on arm.
Better here than on your leg. (Getty Images)
These Little Creatures May Look Fuzzy And Friendly, But Only The “Fuzzy” Part Is Accurate
Fuzzy, yes. Harmless, not so much. This whole experience began with my son Spencer and I sitting on the patio at home, about to go in and have lunch.
As he stood up, his hand went to the back right-side of his neck and he swept something away that had been crawling on him. When I looked down to see what he’d knocked to the ground, I saw an unusual looking caterpillar.
Here’s the culprit (right before being terminated with extreme prejudice by an angry mom protecting her grown son):
All It Takes Is Just A Single Touch To Make You Totally Regret Meeting One
It was a White-Marked Tussock Moth Caterpillar. I knew that because I’d recently read a piece online about venomous caterpillars. I read that piece because we’d seen another one crawling on some backyard flowers about a week before.
The caterpillar has a built-in defense mechanism located in those tufts of hair. The venom contained in those hairs is released when the hairs become embedded in your skin upon contact. That venom can cause anything from a minor irritation to a very nasty (but not life-threatening) allergic reaction.
I assumed that because there were two touches involved (where the caterpillar was crawling on his neck, and on his hand when he swept it away) my son would have two areas that would need quick attention. I went straight to Google to see what we needed to do to mitigate the consequences of it being on his skin.
Strangely enough, the caterpillar only nailed him on one of those spots. His neck:
We also found it odd that initially, he showed no signs whatsoever of having been exposed to the venom. However, when it did announce itself, it brought some serious itching, burning, and overall discomfort.
What you see above didn’t show up for several hours, and by the time we photographed his neck it was looking a lot better than it did at first. We treated it with ice and calamine lotion, and he seems to be healing up quickly.
By the way, the Tussock Moth Caterpillar is not the only Illinois caterpillar that can cause you pain and discomfort if you touch one. Make sure you don’t touch these guys, either:
The Io Moth Caterpillar. (Getty Images)
The Io Moth Caterpillar has stinging hair and barbs that can cause pain and rashes if touched.
The Imperial Moth Caterpillar. (Getty Images)
The Imperial Moth Caterpillar is covered with irritating hairs that can cause severe itch and rashes.
saddleback caterpillar (Acharia Hyperoche), shot in Costa Rica.
A poisonous caterpillar being handled
The Saddleback Caterpillar features stinging spines and hairs that can cause extreme skin irritation.
LOOK: 20 of the biggest insects in the world
Gallery Credit: Andrea Vale
Illinois
Illinois Valley Democrats to meet June 27 in La Salle
![Illinois Valley Democrats to meet June 27 in La Salle](https://www.shawlocal.com/resizer/yVoT3aGxn4S8vGOhSVgGVZwcQvk=/1200x630/filters:format(jpg):quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/shawmedia/VDSLEEIKVZQ5YDMTBV6HIR7DWE.jpg)
The Illinois Valley Democrats (La Salle, Bureau, Putnam counties) will meet at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, June 27, at the La Salle VFW, 2325 Donahue St.
The DePue Boat Races in July will be discussed and raffle tickets will be distributed to members. All Democrats are invited and encouraged to attend. Food can be purchased through the VFW.
Illinois
Illinois gas tax to rise again, EV owners to be taxed too
![Illinois gas tax to rise again, EV owners to be taxed too](https://gray-week-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/ZQQYRQDVVVF6XATQUF3OAUO7NE.png?auth=329e68d436dbeacdbda75a1e6390b91f4da8c87883a15b6c9901e29fff39c7e3&width=1200&height=600&smart=true)
PEORIA (25News Now) – The Illinois Motor Fuel tax, known as the gas tax, will rise again on July 1 meaning higher per-gallon gas prices.
The tax rate increases by 3%. Taxes for gasoline will be 47 cents-per-gallon and 54 cents-per-gallon for diesel.
The increase is part of the Rebuild Illinois capital plan. In 2019, lawmakers voted to double the gas tax from 19 cents-per-gallon to 38 cents-per-gallon.
The plan was to increase the rate each year based on inflation.
Before 2019, did not have a gas tax increase for nearly 30 years. The tax revenue collected helped fund roads and transportation projects.
Some residents we spoke with said they understand the tax increase. Others said that more roads need to be redone.
State Rep. Travis Weaver (R-Edwards) agreed roads need work, but he said the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) needs to use the more than $3 billion sitting in the road fund.
“Obviously, they take in revenue and spend money, but the balance has grown by six times as much,” Weaver said. “I would say to IDOT: ‘You have two choices. You either start spending that money, putting it to work to get roads fixed, or we’re going to cut the gas tax.’”
In a statement to 25 News, Democratic Sen. Dave Koehler said:
“Recently, it was announced that the Peoria and Bloomington-Normal communities will receive over $193 million in funding for state and local highways through the Illinois Department of Transportation’s Multi-Year Plan. These funds play a large role in supporting this program that ensures our roads and bridges are safe and well maintained.”
Another issue is for electric vehicle owners who do not pay gas taxes.
Starting July 1, EV owners will be charged a $100 yearly fee to make up for lost tax revenue, on top of the annual registration fee.
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