CANTON, MO (12/10/2013)(readMedia)-- Culver-Stockton is hosting "A Weekend of One-Acts," where students in Culver-Stockton College's theatre program take the director's chair for their senior capstone project. This is a Culver-Stockton tradition, dating back to the 1930's when students competed for the Mahan Awards.

Ian Sodawasser, senior musical theatre major from Davenport, Iowa, is one of seven students directing a one-act play. In addition to directing, participants are also responsible for choosing the play, casting performers, blocking and wardrobe. Sodawasser has chosen to present "Waiting for Julia" by George Freek.

Some performances are appropriate for mature audiences only. Admission is free and open to the public.

Culver-Stockton College, located in Canton, Mo., is a four-year residential institution in affiliation with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). C-SC specializes in experiential education and is one of only two colleges in the nation to offer the 12/3 semester calendar, where the typical 15 week semester is divided into two terms, a 12-week term and a 3-week term.

Department sets goal of $50 million investment as part of President Obama's effort to help improve access and treatment for mental health problems

WASHINGTON, Dec. 10, 2013 - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that the U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has set a goal of investing up to $50 million to increase access to mental health care in rural areas over the next three years.  The funding will be used for the construction, expansion, or equipping of rural mental health facilities and will be provided through the Community Facilities direct loan program.  USDA's effort to provide better mental health care in rural areas is part of President Obama's ongoing commitment to address mental illness.

"We need to be sure that every American has access to quality mental health services, including Americans living in rural areas," said Vilsack.  "As part of the Obama Administration's effort to expand access to treatment for those suffering from mental health problems, USDA investments in mental health care facilities will reduce the difficulty many rural families face in accessing mental health help.  These funds can also help expand and improve upon the services already offered by mental health facilities in rural communities, many of which increasingly are focused on helping military veterans."

Today's funding announcement builds on key steps the Administration has already taken to reduce the stigma associated with seeking help for mental illness, and to ensure that millions more individuals have health insurance that covers mental health and substance use disorder services at parity with medical and surgical benefits.

Ensuring rural Americans have access to quality health care is a top priority for USDA. This year, USDA invested more than $649 million in 130 rural health care facilities - serving nearly 3.2 million rural residents. These investments included critical access hospitals, rural health clinics, psychiatric hospitals, mental health care facilities, group homes for people with disabilities, assisted living facilities, nursing homes, and vocation and medical rehabilitation facilities. USDA is also investing in innovative healthcare technologies such as telemedicine, to further expand access to health care services throughout rural America.

President Obama's plan for rural America has brought about historic investment and resulted in stronger rural communities. Under the President's leadership, these investments in housing, community facilities, businesses and infrastructure have empowered rural America to continue leading the way - strengthening America's economy, small towns and rural communities. USDA's investments in rural communities support the rural way of life that stands as the backbone of our American values.

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USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. To file a complaint of discrimination, write: USDA, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (866) 632-9992 (Toll-free Customer Service), (800) 877-8339 (Local or Federal relay), (866) 377-8642 (Relay voice users)

SPRINGFIELD, IL (12/10/2013)(readMedia)-- WHO:

• 303 Lincoln's Challenge Academy (LCA) cadets

WHAT:

• Graduating from the academy, many receiving General Education Diplomas

• Scholarships being awarded

WHEN:

• Dec. 15 at 11 a.m.

WHERE:

• Prairie Capitol Convention Center, 1 Convention City Plaza, Springfield, Ill.

WHY:

• Lincoln's Challenge Academy celebrated its 20th anniversary in July 2013. Lincoln's Challenge is the largest single site program in the U.S. and among the most successful with 13,694 graduates since 1993.

• Retired Air Force Brig. Gen. John (Jay) Sheedy, former Illinois National Guard Assistant Adjutant General-Air, is scheduled to be the guest speaker

• LCA is a program for 16 to 18-year-old at-risk youths

• The academy's curriculum consists of a 22-week residential phase where cadets experience a quasi-military modeled training program, followed by a post-residential mentoring phase which includes the cadet's goals and objectives and their planned placement activities following graduation.

• The academy is based on a foundation of eight core components that use discipline, structure and mentoring to enhance life skills and employment potential

The worst attacks against the United States have occurred when most people didn't see them coming, but there were some observers who had serious suspicions before such events, says Marshall Chamberlain, a disabled Marine Corp officer.

"After the planes hit on Sept. 11, 2001, then-CIA director George Tenet was reported to have said, 'This has bin Laden all over it,' and later, 'I wonder if it has anything to do with this guy taking pilot training,' referring facetiously to Zacarias Moussaoui and his co-conspirators," says Chamberlain, a veteran who enjoys access to military bases and their facilities worldwide - and who has been profoundly appalled at the lack of security precautions protecting our military bases.

"I fear we may be overlooking a major threat yet again. Terrorist acts can come from any direction - international as well as domestic, and we must be vigilant in all conceivable ways."

Chamberlain - who has also experienced life as a businessman, world traveler, boat dweller, writer and all-around adventurer - recently detailed in short-story format exactly how terrorist might strike a military base on U.S. soil. His narrative, The Gruesome Foursome, a Terrorist Scenario is a nearly hour-by-hour description spanning three days.

"With my disabled-veteran ID card, I can gain access to 99 percent of the more than 1,000 military bases dotting the globe," he says. "According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, '...the number of anti-government groups in the U.S. has increased by some 800 percent since President Barack Obama took office ... and at last count there were 1007 hate groups.' "

Chamberlain adds, "Notwithstanding potential threats from identified terrorist groups outside our borders, these groups have the motive and the means to carry out major attacks."

His story centers on a plausible entity, the True Freedom Coalition, which has been classified as a "patriot group" by the Department of Homeland Security. A detailed, documentary-style series of events unfolds, illustrating what Chamberlain believes to be one of our nation's biggest national-security vulnerabilities.

"The Gruesome Foursome, a Terrorist Scenario" is available at http://www.marshallchamberlain.com/aterroristscenario.html.

About Marshall Chamberlain: Marshall Chamberlain has a master's degree in Resource Development from Michigan State University and a graduate degree in International Management from the Thunderbird School near Phoenix, Ariz. He was an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps and spent many years in investment banking, venture capital and even a stint as a professional waiter. He is obsessed with preparedness, survival and independence. This combination of traits and an unconditional openness to life have led him to all manner of adventure and authoring his first adventure-thriller, The Mountain Place of Knowledge, due for release on December 15, 2013 (www.marshallchamberlain.com).