USA Today reported on New Year’s Day 2020 that “$3 gas is becoming a distant memory” and “the main reason is the nation’s oil boom.” My how things have changed in just 23 months. U.S. oil production has fallen by about 1.5 million barrels per day since then and gasoline prices approaching $4 a gallon have angry motorists remembering all too well sky-high pump prices they thought they’d never see again. That’s especially true here in Illinois, which has the second-highest gasoline taxes in the country. [Read more...]
Letter to the Editor: How Norris City Got Its Name
Submitted by Ruth Norris, Norris City
I wish to submit this record of events as the actual way Norris City got its name.
Emaline White and William Norris came to White County, Illinois, from Piny Flatts, Tennessee in early 1864. They first settled two miles west of the present day Norris City in a settlement called Shadsville. Later they lived in a log cabin on Indian Trail Road. Finally William and Emaline built a house across from the present W. D. Norris farm. [Read more...]
Letter to the Editor: Covid Treatment
This is Steve West from Norris City. Food for thought...I hope you will publish this if you can.
I have three very close friends who have gotten COVID. They did not have the shot and when they went to emergency room, the first thing they were asked was, did they take the shot. When they said no, they were told “There is nothing we can do. You’re not dead. Go home and come back if you get worse, and we will put you on life support." [Read more...]
Guest Column: The Most Targeted Oil & Gas ‘Subsidies’ Aren’t Subsidies at All
By Seth Whitehead, Executive Director Illinois Petroleum Resources Board (IPRB)
Fifty-plus lawmakers are pushing for the repeal of oil and natural gas industry “subsidies” as part of the budget reconciliation bill being hashed out in Congress. But ironically, the most notable “subsidies” in their crosshairs – the expensing of intangible drilling costs (IDCs) and the percentage depletion allowance – aren’t subsidies at all. [Read more...]
Opinion: The Alarm Is Going Off But It Isn’t Time To Be Woke!
Submitted By Mike Rowe
I am heartened by the recent efforts of parents in White County to push back on the Carmi-White Co. school board’s actions in mandating masks which usurp parental control of their children’s health choices. It is a difficult position to be caught between parental rights and a Governor that keeps throwing his weight around like a school yard bully. There are currently 51 school districts in the state that have chosen to stand up to the bully and take on the fight. The Carmi-White Co. school board is not one of them, instead they have given in to the bully, but the children pay the price. The board has chosen not to challenge the Governor’s mask mandate for fear of retaliation or loss of funds. [Read more...]
Guest Column: We Need More Oil From American Soil – Not From OPEC and Russia
By Seth Whitehead
It has been said many times before but — to the delight of Vladimir Putin and Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman — remains difficult for many U.S. policymakers to grasp: reducing domestic oil production does nothing to decrease demand. Instead, it leads to increased dependence on the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Russia and other foreign sources for the oil we need. [Read more...]
Postmaster Asks Community to Help Keep Postal Carriers Safe from Dog Bites
Letter to the Editor
RE: Dog Bite Awareness Week 2021 Villagers Voice Norris City, IL 62869
Dear Editor,
Did anyone bite you at work today? On average, nearly 15 mail carriers per day will say, “Yes.” Postal Service officials report that in 2020, over 5,800 letter carriers experienced dog bites or dog attacks. With deliveries every day, including Sundays and holidays, carriers continue to experience dog bites in urban, suburban and rural settings. [Read more...]
Seth Whitehead: IEA Report Recommendations Bolster the Real ‘Big Oil’
By Seth Whitehead, Executive Director Illinois Petroleum Resources Board
State-owned national oil companies already produce nearly three-quarters of the world’s oil and control 90 percent of its proven reserves. The only thing keeping these true “Big Oil” giants from completely controlling the world’s hydrocarbon supply are the privately-owned, independent oil companies that dominate the Illinois Basin and the United States as a whole.
