• Former Manteno firefighter/paramedic Michael Trost was recently sentenced to 30 months probation after he pleaded guilty to 3 felony charges for Internet solicitation of sex with a someone he thought was a 13-year-old girl.

• After nearly four decades on the sidelines, longtime local high school football coach Dean Cappel is calling it quits. Cappel spent 32 years as a head coach at five high schools, including Herscher, Quincy, Bradley-Bourbonnais Central and, most recently, Reed-Custer.

• A reduction in nighttime ambulance staffing by the Iroquois Memorial Hospital Ambulance Service has Watseka Fire Chief Dave Mayotte researching the costs of providing backup emergency medical service.