We were thrilled to have Kate McKenzie, the new CEO for Local Journalism Matters, the nonprofit that operates the Illinois Times, as our featured speaker for our August 24 club meeting. She gave an excellent overview of the status and future plans of this non-profit, weekly newspaper that features local news. She thanked Fletcher Farrar, the previous editor for making the newspaper a nonprofit, and the Community Foundation for the Land of Lincoln for the three year $500,000 grant to Local Journalism Matters and the Citizens Club of Springfield to further the goals for the Illinois Times and keep the local news reporting strong. We had a great dialog with Kate after her presentation with many members expressing their pleasure about the strength of the reporting and stories in Illinois Times and optimism for the future..