IN OUR COMMUNITY

The 2020 Virtual Madrigal Dinner premiered on December 4th.  Although it was not the “norm”,  MTHS enjoyed the opportunity to showcase their talented Music Department. The event included performances from the Madrigal Singers and Madrigal Brass, as well as past photos, videos, and audio clips to celebrate this 45-year long tradition.

You can view the performance at:  https://tinyurl.com/2020mthsmadrigaldinner

The Illinois Prairie District Library is bringing its Adult Winter Reading Challenge back.  It is open to adults 18 and over from January 3rd - February 27th.  Read books to earn a chance at a $50 or $75 gift card.

Visit https://ipdpl.beanstack.com/reader365 for more details, rules, and to get signed up!

The Open Arms Food Pantry, located at 1200 West Mount Vernon Street in Metamora, is thankful for donations it receives year-round, as the need is always at hand.  They distribute food on Tuesday and Saturday each week from 9 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. for food  distribution

Food, personal hygiene, and other items can be dropped off at any time in the breezeway at the pantry.  They provide food and other items for the hungry in the Metamora Township High School District.

You have two ways to view replays for past MTHS sports, band and choral concerts, and more!  Tune to digiMAX Local Channel 410 and/or subscribe to the MTCO digiMAX YouTube channel to watch over 130 programs that have been uploaded so far.  Stay tuned for more programming being added weekly.

 Snyder Village needs healthy, able-bodied individuals who would be willing to help screen employees. Each volunteer will be trained on the screening process and volunteer shifts are two-three hours each.  Volunteers are also needed to help deliver meals to residents and community members.If you can help or would like more information, please contact Ashley at (309) 367-4300 ext. 135 or athompson@snydervillage.com

Warner Bros. will release its entire 2021 slate of feature films on HBO Max the same day it is released in theaters!  It all started with the release of Wonder Woman 1984 on Christmas Day.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PafavR0l6JI

Through MTCO’s watchTVeverwhere, HBO Max is free with your HBO premium channel TV subscription, or $15/mo. for streaming only!  Call MTCO today to get started at 800-859-6826.

Click here for more details on MTCO’s watchTVeverywhere, which offers over 100 channels  to watch anytime, anywhere on your Internet-connected device:  https://www.mtco.com/main/support/docs/watchTVeverywhere.pdf

The annual Consumer Electronics Show kicks off on January 11th.  Here is a quick overview of some of the expected news and exciting product launches that will be announced https://www.crn.com/slide-shows/mobility/ces-2021-10-rumors-and-trends-you-can-expect

Thursday, January 7th 

7:00 p.m. – (NBC)

“Mr. Mayor” follows a retired businessman (Ted Danson) who runs for mayor of Los Angeles to prove he’s “still got it.” Once he wins, he has to figure out what he stands for, gain the respect of his biggest critic (Holly Hunter) and connect with his teenage daughter, all while trying to get anything right for America’s second weirdest city.

Researchers at IBM discovered a new type of massive banking fraud campaign that raked in millions of dollars.

The attackers gained access to victims’ online bank accounts, either through phishing attacks or malware, then used mobile emulators to impersonate the victims’ phones.  Mobile emulators are virtualization software that can imitate a real phone.  The criminals use this to avoid triggering alerts when they transferred money out of victims’ accounts.

To better protect your mobile devices:

• Ensure all system updates and app   

  updates take place on time. 

• Delete apps no longer in use.

• Obtain apps from official app stores, 

  ensure apps being downloaded are from 

  a legitimate source.

• Check bank statements regularly for 

  suspicious activity.

• Beware of unsolicited SMS messages.  

  Banks do not inform you of account  

  issues via SMS.  

Lastly, take time to update/strengthen passwords across all devices and accounts.

Wednesday, January 6th 

8:00 p.m. – (FOX)

Hosted by Jane Krakowski, the beloved musical game show tests contestants’ music knowledge as they battle it out in an assortment of challenging musical games for cash and prizes. Two players race against the clock to test their knowledge of songs performed by a live band with Randy Jackson as band leader. Each contest features a rotating variety of games from the original format, before the iconic bid-a-note round. The player with the most money at the end of bid-a-note wins the game and takes his or her bank into the golden medley bonus round for a chance to win additional cash, and potentially, the $100,000 grand prize. 

The price that a consumer pays each month for a TV video package is driven largely by the fees that video service providers like MTCO digiMAX are required to pay to retransmit the programs from companies that create or package the programming (the broadcast TV stations and cable networks).  Video service providers pay a set fee for every household that receives a given channel, regardless of whether anyone in that household watches the channel.  

Specifically, sports channels and local broadcast TV stations have been demanding significant fees to carry their programming.  Since 2011, local channels have increased by 870% and sports networks have increased by 284%.

MTCO’s goal is to protect customers from significant network fee increases, but that has become more  difficult when broadcasters demand an increase that’s two, three, and even 100 times more what they’ve ever received before.  As your local hometown TV provider, we are on your side and work in negotiations to fight against outrageous fee increases.