The Putnam County Rotary Club will host Ag Night 2025 at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 27, at the Putnam County High School in Granville.

Continuing a tradition dating back five decades, Putnam County Rotary hosts the event in conjunction with National Agriculture Week to honor local farmers and those whose support of agriculture strengthens the local and regional economy and provides food to the population.

This year’s featured speaker will be Robert Sinkler, sharing his perspective on the importance of the Illinois River ports in the marketing of locally harvested corn and soybeans. The Illinois Waterway Ports Commission, a consortium of five port districts, including 10 counties along the Illinois River, was created in 2023 under the leadership of Sinkler, dedicated to the protection and preservation of the river for commerce and recreation. That Commission is one of four Midwest ports, collectively referred to as the Corn Belt Ports of which Sinkler now serves as executive coordinating director.

With federal recognition, the Commission has helped attract and fund projects to refurbish and modernize aging locks and dams, and to bring new river-dependent commercial infrastructure projects to the waterways. Among Corn Belt’s greatest projects will be a federally funded $38.6 million new 700-foot loading dock, conveyor system and storage facility at the Hennepin Barge Terminal, primarily for soybean products.

The speaker’s background includes past leadership service in numerous government and Army Corps of Engineers positions, as well as executive positions with biotech leader Allonnia, technology leader Intrexon and water resources company Dawson & Associates.

The Illinois River plays an important role in corn and soybean markets, facilitating downstream and export sales. The Illinois Waterway Ports alone handle more than 14 million tons of freight annually from the Illinois River Watershed which includes nearly half of the state’s agricultural land and some 90% of the state’s population.

For reservations email PutnamCountyRotary@gmail.com by March 20. Cost includes dinner and dessert for $18 a person or $162 for a table of 10.

Illinois (20-11, 12-8 Big Ten) closed out its regular season in spectacular fashion, finding itself back in the AP poll for the first time in over a month after stringing together three straight wins.

And they weren’t just any wins, as the Illini scored a pair of 20-point blowouts over Iowa and No. 22 Michigan (in Ann Arbor) before taking down No. 20 Purdue 88-80 in an electric season finale in Champaign.

Playing its best basketball since early January, Illinois has found its footing just in time for postseason play – and the college basketball world is taking notice.

Here are the latest Illini takes from the NCAA’s Andy Katz, CBS’ Jon Rothstein and FOX’s John Fanta:

Katz

Illinois had Final Four hopes heading into the season, a ceiling considered by outsiders to be sky-high and, by January, a proven product on the floor – until a 5-8 patch turned the Illini into an afterthought. But with the team’s three-game winning streak to end the regular season, Katz said the “Illini are back to being the team that was projected after a thrilling win over Purdue,” which has earned them the No. 17 spot in his rankings.

Rothstein

In his Monday morning edition of the “Rothstein 45,” Rothstein listed Illinois at No. 26, keeping his analysis short and sweet, pointing to the emergence of Tre White – who is averaging 17.3 points per game over his past four contests.

Fanta

The Illini moved to No. 21 on Fanta’s list, as he was impressed with their Friday showing against the Boilermakers. Fanta noted Illinois’ ability to defend down the stretch against Purdue and the offensive talent the Illini possess. That combination on both ends led to Fanta saying, “There’s a reason to believe that this team can make the second weekend of the Big Dance.”

KenPom’s Metrics Are High on Illinois Basketball’s NCAA Title Hopes

Purdue Coach Matt Painter Sets the Bar for Illinois in March

How Tre White Helped Illinois Basketball Send Purdue Packing

Most of the U.S. lost an hour of sleep this weekend after moving clocks forward for daylight saving time, but a bill making its way through the Illinois legislature proposes to make that the last time Illinoisans lose sleep for the tradition.

HB 0039 would amend the Standard Time Act, so daylight saving time would be the year-round standard time of the entire state, according to the bill’s primary sponsor, Rep. Bob Morgan, D-Deerfield.

The bill was assigned to the State Government Administration Committee on Feb. 4, and a hearing is set for March 12.

Morgan said if both chambers pass the bill and the governor signs it, Congress would still have to act for it to go into effect. Congress passed the Uniform Time Act of 1966, which prevents states from permanently observing daylight saving time, though it allows states to observe standard time permanently.

“We basically would be gaining time during the summer months, and it would help us for businesses, for kids — it would change the way that our sunrise and sunset happens in terms of what we think of with our day from a 9-to-5 perspective.”

Republican representatives in Illinois introduced similar legislation in HB 1400. It was assigned to the State Government Administration Committee on Feb. 11, but a committee hearing has not yet been scheduled.

A Missouri Senate bill assigned to a committee last month would establish daylight saving as the new standard time, and other states are invited to join as a pact. But this bill doesn’t have a committee hearing scheduled yet, either. In 2022, the U.S. Senate approved a bill to make daylight saving time permanent nationwide, but the measure didn’t make it through the House of Representatives.

Dozens of states have considered hundreds of bills and resolutions in recent years to establish year-round daylight saving time as soon as federal law allows it, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

However, President Donald Trump said last week that ending daylight saving time is a “50-50 issue.” He said some people prefer more light later in the day, while others prefer more light earlier to avoid taking their kids to school in the dark.

Morgan said he’s not sure if HB 0039 will get the votes to become law in Illinois. He said there’s strong bipartisan support in the House and Senate in Washington, D.C.

“It’s more likely than it’s ever been in my lifetime,” Morgan said. “Twice a year, I hear about this from my constituents, old and young, and everyone I know agrees that we need to make a change.”