State News Stories

presented by Illinois Genealogy Trails

Republican Compiler (Gettysburg, Penn.) December 8, 1824
More than 44,000 bushels of salt were manufactured at the Illinois Saline, in 35 weeks of the former part of this year. In the year 1825, it is expected that from 90 to 100,000 bushels will be made. Messrs. W. Jones and Elisha Harrison, after penetrating the solid rock 563 feet, have struck a fine vein of strong salt water, one mile from the Ohio river, and one and half from Evansville, Indiana. The water is stated to be among the strongest found in the western country. [Submitted by Nancy Piper]

Phillip Hayward, 12 years old, won the State Spelling Contest held in connection with the annual meeting of the Illinois State Teachers' Association on December 28. He lives in Kewanee. Second place was won by George Durako, Riverton, and third place went to Robilee Kimbro, Duquoin. [unknown newspaper, January 1932, submitted by Foxie Hagerty]

Governor Louis L. Emmerson celebrated his 68th birthday on December 27. The day was spent with his children and grandchildren at the executive mansion. [unknown newspaper, January 1932, submitted by Foxie Hagerty]

Director Andy Hall, of the Illinois department of public health, has announced that during 1931, 109,000 children were immunized against diphtheria. Antitoxin sufficient to treat more than 5,000 cases of diphtheria was distributed by the department. [unknown newspaper, January 1932, submitted by Foxie Hagerty]

Barney Cohen, director of the department of labor, has announced that the free employment offices conducted in Chicago and in fifteen down-states cities, succeeded during 1931 in placing 95,389 at work. The free employment branch, of the department, in spite of the increase demands upon its facilities, operated at a savings of more than $26,000. they did something right back then.... [unknown newspaper, January 1932, submitted by Foxie Hagerty]

Chief Highway Engineer Frank T. Sheets has announced that Illinois highway division has under way plans for constructing the equivalent of 1200 miles of new two-lane concrete roads in 1932. it is estimated that this extensive state-wide program will give employment to between 30,000 and 35,000 men. The highway department will insist on the employment at a fair rate of wages. [unknown newspaper, January 1932, submitted by Foxie Hagerty]

The Illinois Power Company Springfield, announces that it will spend $617,800 in 1932 on new construction and improvements. [unknown newspaper, January 1932, submitted by Foxie Hagerty]

The State of Illinois has acquired the famed beauty spot, Apple River Canyon in Jo Davis County, for a State Park. [unknown newspaper, January 1932, submitted by Foxie Hagerty]

Progress in Illinois
The Illinois Farm Bureau Serum Association has placed a record order for anti-hog cholera serum and virus for distribution in 73 counties in 1932. [unknown newspaper, January 1932, submitted by Foxie Hagerty]

In Volume of trade, Chicago led the 24 cities reporting on holiday business to the United States Department of Commerce. [unknown newspaper, January 1932, submitted by Foxie Hagerty]

According to the Illinois State Department of Labor, twelve metal industry concerns in Peoria have displayed continued improvement in employment and payrolls for almost three consecutive months. [unknown newspaper, January 1932, submitted by Foxie Hagerty]

Work will start shortly on a new $100,00 manual training shop fo rthe Ottawaw high School. [unknown newspaper, January 1932, submitted by Foxie Hagerty]

The Illinois Bell Telephone Company has completed plans for a new $580,000 exchange and building at Winnetka. [unknown newspaper, January 1932, submitted by Foxie Hagerty]

The first reports on health for the new year indicate a much more favorable beginning in 1932 than prevailed at the outset of 1931, according to Dr. Andy Hall, State Health director. Substantial declines were recorded for typhoid fever, measles, scarlet fever, diphtheria, influenza, meningitis, infantile paralysis, pneumonia, and chicken pox. [unknown newspaper, January 1932, submitted by Foxie Hagerty]

Frank T. Sheets, chief highway engineer, has announced new state highway construction contracts which call for 11.94 miles of paving and two bridge projects, to cost. in all, $221,861.87. [unknown newspaper, January 1932, submitted by Foxie Hagerty]

Attorney General Oscar E. Carlstrom has ruled that counties have no authority to build in cities hard roads wider than through traffic requires, or wide enought to permit curb parking. The opinion declared that any extra width of streets in cities must be provided for by the cities. [unknown newspaper, January 1932, submitted by Foxie Hagerty]

Although the largest percentage of rabbits in the State of Illinois are normal healthy animals, a word of warning regarding the prevalence of tularemia among the cottontails has been issued by the Conservation Department of the Izaak Walton League of America. Tularemia is a disease among rabbits which can be contracted by human beings. It causes a serious and lingering illness, says the league. A number of cases have been reported in the state this year, so the League urges sportsmen to watch their step as one can contract the disease by merely handling an infected rabbit. [unknown newspaper, January 1932, submitted by Foxie Hagerty]

An investigation of more than 8000 cases of appendicitis leads the state department of public health to the conclusion that delaying surgical treatment and relying upon laxatives are the two outstanding factors contributing to the fatality of the disease. Appendicitis causes more than 1300 deaths per year in Illinois. [unknown newspaper, January 1932, submitted by Foxie Hagerty]

During the last forty years, the proportion of widows to the total female population of Illinois has increased 25 percent. State Health authorities attribute the remarkable growth of widowhood to a more rapid improvement in health among women than among men, to the possibility that a widow can secure work to provide her own living more easily than forty years ago. [unknown newspaper, January 1932, submitted by Foxie Hagerty]

The Annual report of the Illinois commerce commission shows a total of 1,138 application, petitions, and complaints filed with the commission during 1931. A total of 1446 hearings were held and 1874 formal orders were issued. The commission collected a total of $80,844 in fees during the year. Through the reduction in gas rates the commission effected an annual saving to gas users of $3,338,500. [unknown newspaper, January 1932, submitted by Foxie Hagerty]

A survey by the Illinois and Federal departments of agriculture with the co-operation of the post office department mail carriers, shows a large increase through the rural in the 1931 fall pig crop saved in Illinois, the corn belt, and the entire United States. About 18 percent more pigs were saved in Illinois this fall than in 1930. [unknown newspaper, January 1932, submitted by Foxie Hagerty]


At its annual meeting in December, the Illinois State Teachers association went on record as being in favor of the federal dry laws and a campaign of education in Illinois' public schools in 1932, seeking to instil respect for the prohibition statutes. [unknown newspaper, January 1932, submitted by Foxie Hagerty]

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