Lincoln Trail College alumna Krista Phillips ('24) was crowned Miss Illinois County Fair Queen, a moment she described as the fulfillment of a lifelong dream and a powerful reflection of her journey as both a student and competitor. “I was in disbelief that my name was called,” Phillips said. “I kept thinking, I really did it. My dreams were fulfilled, prayers answered, and waves of gratitude kept pouring over me.”

Lincoln Trail College has announced the cast for its spring production of Disney’s Newsies, the Tony Award-winning musical based on the 1992 Disney film. Performances will take place April 10, 11, 17 and 18 at 7 p.m., with matinees April 12 and 19 at 2 p.m. in the Zwermann Arts Center Theater.

The Learning Commons at Lincoln Trail College was filled with creativity and community earlier this month as the college hosted its annual Children’s Art Show, featuring artwork from students across the region. The exhibit included 103 pieces of art created by students ranging from kindergarten through eighth grade. Participating schools were Hutsonville Junior High, New Hebron Christian School, Nuttall Middle School, Oblong Grade School and Junior High, and Palestine Grade School and Junior High.

High school musicians from across the region will gather at Lincoln Trail College on Feb. 10 for the Illinois Eastern Community Colleges Jazz Festival, a one-day immersive event designed to give students a collegiate-style jazz experience.

Lincoln Trail College’s Broadband Telecom program has received a significant equipment donation from Metro Communications, made possible through program alumnus Collin Alger, a 2025 graduate now employed by the company. The contribution provides critical Outside Plant Construction tools that will expand hands-on learning opportunities and strengthen workforce preparation for future students.

Dual credit courses at Lincoln Trail College continued to provide significant financial and academic benefits for area high school students during the Fall 2025 semester, with more than 170 students earning college credit and saving thousands of dollars in tuition and fees. Students from four Crawford County high schools enrolled in dual credit classes through Lincoln Trail College, allowing them to earn college credit while still in high school. In total, students completed 366 dual credit classes during the semester.

Lincoln Trail College will hold auditions for its spring production of Disney’s Newsies, the Tony Award-winning musical based on the 1992 Disney film, on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, and Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, both at 6 p.m. in the Zwermann Arts Center Theater.

Welding is back at Lincoln Trail College, and early momentum shows the program’s return is being met with enthusiasm from students, industry partners and the community. January 8’s Welding Open House at the college drew strong attendance, giving prospective students an opportunity to tour the welding lab, meet instructors, learn about career pathways and receive help enrolling for Spring Semester classes. The event marked an important step in rebuilding the program after welding courses were paused during the fall semester.

Lincoln Trail College has released its academic honor lists for the Fall 2025 Semester. Three lists have been established by Illinois Eastern Community Colleges to indicate students who have achieved academic excellence. They are the Chancellor’s Honors List, the President’s Academic Honors List, and the Dean’s Academic Honors List. To qualify for any of the honor lists, a student must be enrolled full-time (12 hours or more) and must be taking college-level classes.

Lincoln Trail College will host a Welding Open House on January 8 from 4 to 6 p.m., giving prospective students and community members an opportunity to meet the program’s new instructors and learn more about welding education and career pathways. The open house will feature LTC’s new welding faculty members Will Bookhout and Kenneth Pearson. Dennis York, a current LTC faculty member who is the lead instructor for the college’s Broadband Telecom program, will teach a course this spring on welding blueprints.