COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT

 As this COVID-19 situation has evolved, the American Red Cross has seen blood drives cancelled across the country — when tragically, a blood shortage would only worsen the health care crisis we are currently facing.  That’s why they are encouraging healthy, eligible individuals to donate blood.  To find a blood drive or volunteer, visit www.RedCross.org.  

If you have extra items in your food pantry, please consider dropping some off at St. Joseph Catholic Church Food Pantry, located at 200 Broadway Street, during this time of need. The work of the pantry is shared by people in need living in Marseilles. 

The City of Marseilles is offering a daily check-in program for the duration of the State of Illinois “Stay at Home” order. This program is offered to residents of the Marseilles Fire & Ambulance District who are senior citizens or to those with medical concerns who live alone.

If you or someone you know would benefit from this program, we encourage you to enroll. Once enrolled, you will receive a friendly daily check-in to ensure you are safe and not in need of critical attention. If we are unable to get ahold of you and have not been notified that you are away, a police officer or a member of E.M.S. will be sent to check on you.

To sign up, call the Marseilles City Hall at 815-795-2133, M-F 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. or email to cityclerk@mtco.com.  You can also send a private message through Facebook to either the Facebook page of Marseilles Police Department or Marseilles Area Ambulance Service Inc. Please Include the following information when registering:  Name(s), address, and telephone number(s) of resident, reason for registering (i.e. senior citizen, medical condition, etc.) designated emergency contact person with phone number in case contact can’t be made.

We continue to move forward in our E Learning (now called remote learning) this week! Updated packets for the month of April are also now available in the vestibule of the main door 24 hours a day, 7 days a week if you need a paper version. As of today, the Gov has closed schools through April 7th, but it is pretty evident there will be a continued closure, but will let you know as soon as we officially hear.

We will be handing out 10 school days (breakfast and lunch) worth of meals again this Thursday, April 2nd from 9:00 - 11:00 and 4:00 - 6:00. We will providing pick up service by the big gym again and require that you have your trunk or cargo space cleared and DO NOT EXIT your vehicle for the safety of our staff. We will not put the meals in your back seat and ask for your cooperation. We are unable to order shelf stable items only now, so some items will need to be put into your refrigerator when you arrive home.

If you have any questions, needs or concerns, please leave a message at 815-795-2162 and one of our staff members will be in touch.

Thanks for your participation and stay well!

Freedom Fest 2020 is now accepting applications for vendors to participate in their annual event. The date for the event is June 20th. Go to www.cityofmarseilles.com/forms-applications-permits/

We’re adding variety to your entertainment and family time!  Enjoy a FREE 30-day trial of SHOWTIME®, SHOWTIME ON DEMAND®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™, and FLIX® (HD channels 710 -718 | SD channels 620 – 634).  This free preview started on March 24th and is available through Wednesday April 22nd for all digiMAX TV customers!

To access SHOWTIME® channels, press the Guide button on your remote control, then press the Blue button to toggle until “Showing Movie Channels” shows in the bottom left-hand corner of your screen.  You can then arrow up and down to the channel numbers listed above.

 The Weather Channel (digiMAX HD channel 499) is dedicating time during each hour of live programming at 50 minutes past the hour to share educational content. Scientific explanations on everything from how raindrops and rainbows form, to why thunder happens, to how to stay safe in all kinds of weather. More information and videos can be found at: https://weloveweather.tv/for-kids/. 

 FREE 4-Day Preview

Grab the popcorn for a 4-Day FREE preview of HBO and Cinemax starting at 6:00 a.m. on Friday, April 17th through midnight on Monday, April 20th.  

Featuring an array of new and current original programming, including new episodes from Westworld, My Brilliant Friend,  Atlanta’s Missing and Murdered, the finales of The Plot Against America and Strike Back.  Plus the latest movies and hits.

Sign Up and Get Your First 30 Days FREE!

Sign up for HBO and/or Cinemax from April 1, 2020 thorugh May 31, 2020 and receive your first month FREE!  Call MTCO today at 800-859-6826 or visit us at www.mtco.com to chat live or email.

Sony is working with internet service providers in the US to slow game download speeds to preserve internet capacity for users overall. The company already enacted this policy in Europe last week.

This means players will have “somewhat slower or delayed“ times downloading games. Sony has said previously that gameplay will remain “robust” for those playing online. Companies such as Netflix, YouTube, Amazon, Apple, and Disney have reduced video streaming quality to help with the strain from millions of people now being stuck at home as the COVID-19 pandemic spreads. YouTube has dropped the default quality of videos to standard definition worldwide, though high definition (HD) can still be manually selected.