Just short of 86,000 attended the 2023 edition of the Apple n' Pork Festival.

Clinton Police Chief Ben Lowers points out while it was short of the last two Apple n' Pork Festivals - which were each record-setting - it is right on average for the Festival pre-COVID.

A trend the DeWitt County Museum has experienced over the last few years has been the increase in young people interested and touring the CH Moore Mansion during the Festival and Director Joey Long tells Regional Radio that trend continued this year.

For Long, the Museum now turns its attention to the 'Mourning Moore' exhibit coming next month.

For Chief Lowers, the Festival brings a great crowd out that causes very few, if any, problems He credits this to the fact the Festival is very traditional and centered around food.

Keep it to WHOW and dewittdailynews.com for continued coverage of the Apple n' Pork Festival from our time covering the event this weekend and be sure to click on the Apple n' Pork Festival icon at dewittdailynews.com for all the coverage of the annual Festival in Clinton. 

Is the DeWitt County Board softening its stance on carbon capture?

In August the Board approved a ban on carbon capture in DeWitt County but last Thursday at the DeWitt County Board meeting, the Board discussed zoning for carbon capture in DeWitt County. On the WHOW Morning Show Friday, DeWitt County Board Chair Dan Matthews told Regional Radio the Board perhaps a bit too quick to ban CO2 storage.

According to Matthews, this is also a move that anticipates the State of Illinois stepping in with regulations like they did with wind and solar. He admits they also need to learn more about the process.

For Matthews, how they worded last month's revision to the County code to ban the practice could have been handled differently. He points to a few surrounding counties that have put moratoriums on projects and other temporary measures.

Matthews did defend his Board's decision noting Navigator was telling them in early 2023 they planned to have applications ready to submit and so the Board felt compelled to act but as it got closer to those dates they were talking about, things started to change for them.

Matthews believes the County has a good relationship with Navigator, the company seeking to develop CO2 storage wells in DeWitt County. He also believes they have been fair in giving them the attention they have been seeking as they pursue their project in DeWitt County. 

The nation is on the brink of a governmental shutdown unless lawmakers can find common ground on a new fiscal budget.

But the clock is ticking for lawmakers to strike a deal before an October 1 deadline. Illinois Senator Dick Durbin says...

Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy said he would give lawmakers ample time to return to the nation's capital for a vote.

Due to the crunched time, lawmakers could pass a short-term funding bill before a government shutdown on October 1.

A US Senator has been blocking military promotions over objections to a policy of giving time off to service members who are seeking an abortion or fertility treatment.

The Senate sidestepped the block by Alabama’s Tommy Tuberville by calling for a full vote of the appointment of a new Joint Chiefs of Staff. The continued blockade of that promotion and others has angered Illinois Senator and combat veteran Tammy Duckworth.

Hundreds more promotions are in limbo and will be difficult to handle if a full Senate vote is needed on each one.

Illinois Congressman Mike Bost says he’s fighting to fix FEMA’s formula for natural disasters to get more payouts based off region, not state population. 

He says the current formula puts rural communities in states with large population centers at a disadvantage when seeking assistance. Bost points to a tornado that hit Crawford County earlier this year that devastated that community.

Bost’s legislation would require FEMA to consider factors such as the local accessible tax base and local sales tax, the median income, and the poverty rate. It would also require states to provide a 10 percent, non-federal cost share for public assistance.

Slightly down from last year's record attendance but a typical turnout for the Apple n' Pork Festival.

That's how Clinton Police Chief Ben Lowers describes this year's Apple n' Pork Festival Saturday turnout. 

According to the Chief, the Sunday crowd of the Apple n' Pork Festival tends to be a little lighter than Saturday.

The Apple n' Pork Festival continues Sunday in Clinton. 

Clinton authorities are sending out some annual reminders for those planning to come out for the annual Apple n' Pork Festival in Clinton.

Clinton Police Chief Ben Lowers says things are going to be congested most of the weekend throughout the community so plan accordingly. He credits all the leaders that have come before him for creating a well-oiled machine that is the annual Apple n' Pork Festival. 

It's all hands on deck for the Clinton Police Department and Chief Lowers thanks the DeWitt County Sheriff's Office and the State Police to help with the Festival and the crowds that come with it.

Chief Lowers has some tips for those coming into Clinton for the two days of the festival...

The Apple n' Pork Festival comes up this Saturday and Sunday in Clinton.

Be sure to tune into WHOW and WEZC for live coverage of the Festival all weekend long and keep up with the latest news from the Festival at dewittdailynews.com.