May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Woodland Centers is available for people who are experiencing mental health issues. John Salgado Maldonado says with the changing of seasons, there can be an increase in mental health issues. He says it’s important to have a routine when the seasons change.
Maldonado says it’s good to have someone that you can talk to and if someone is alone, make an effort to reach out to them and make sure they’re doing well. He says it’s a good idea to know who to contact in case there is a mental health emergency. Woodland Centers has a phone number you can call 24/7 if you feel you need help: 1-800-432-8781. Maldonado says Woodland Centers is always working with Meeker Cares. He says they will be planning a future activity and that information will be circulated soon.
The Litchfield School Board has approved of a special education position at Litchfield Middle School for the 2025-26 school year. Supt. Susan Burris says there are two grade levels in which more than 25% of the class is in need of special education.
Burris says 80% of the position would be reimbursed, and the remaining 20% could be funded with savings from other areas. The motion passed on a 5-to-1 vote with Greg Mathews opposed as he wanted to know what specific cuts would be made to fund this position before voting in favor of it.
The Litchfield School Board has accepted a bid of $211,800 for the Sun Room renovation project at Lake Ripley Elementary School from KNB Contracting. Business Manager Jesse Johnson says this is a special education-type of room for students with unique needs and there are funds in the construction budget to cover the costs. He says there were 7 bids and they came in well below the estimate. The Board approved of a low quote of $114,880.48 from Culinex for the Middle School freezer and dry storage unit on a 5-to-1 vote with Mathews opposed.
The Board approved of a revision to Bill King’s leave-of-absence request to allow him to have a 2-year leave, but to be able to return to teaching after one year, if he chooses.
The Litchfield School Board approved of a resolution accepting donations including approximately $2,000 from Resoneticse for two vices for the Litchfield High School metal shop; $500 from the VFW for the Litchfield High School Robotics program; and $50 from the Bob Groskreutz memorial fund for Litchfield High School athletics.
On this day in music, April 28, 2003, US technology company Apple Inc. broke new ground in the music industry by launching the iTunes Store, the first legally authorized download platform for buying music. The store was established after the company reached an agreement with all five major record companies to market their catalogs. By February 2010, the iTunes Store was the largest music vendor in the world.
In 2013, singer Emeli Sandé broke the UK chart record for a debut album when Our Version Of Events notched up its 63rd consecutive week in the Top 10. The record had previously been held by The Beatles with their 1963 debut, Please Please Me.
In 2020, R&B singer Bobby Lewis died at the age of 95. The Indianapolis-born artist scored one of the biggest hits of the 1960s with “Tossin’ and Turnin,’” which spent seven weeks atop Billboard’s Hot 100 in 1961.
In 2002, British female vocal trio Sugababes scored their first of six UK No.1 singles with “Freak Like Me.” The track was a remake of singer Adina Howard’s 1995 US hit but was distinguished by its repurposing of the synth hook from Gary Numan & Tubeway Army’s 1979 smash, “Are ‘Friends’ Electric?.”
In 1973, Pink Floyd’s eighth album, Dark Side Of The Moon, rose to the summit of the US albums chart six weeks after its release. The iconic LP only spent a week at the top – it was supplanted by Elvis Presley’s Aloha From Hawaii Via Satellite – but went on to notch up an unparalleled 741 weeks on the Billboard chart.
In 1969, Chicago Transit Authority released their self-titled platinum-selling debut album which earned them a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist. The seven-member ensemble shortened their name to Chicago for their next album, after they faced possible legal action by a same-named mass-transit operator in the Windy City.
BORN ON APRIL 28
1945: John Wolters (Dr. Hook)
1952: Chuck Leavell (The Allman Brothers Band)
1953: Kim Gordon (Sonic Youth)
1955: Eddie Jobson (Roxy Music)
1960: Phil King (Lush)
1968: Howard Donald (Take That)
1969: Mica Paris
1973: Bigg Gipp (Goodie Mob)
1993: Tom Ogden (Blossoms)