Pana News Palladium

09/20/2026

🚧 DOWNTOWN WATERMAIN REPLACEMENT PROJECT 🚧

Work on the Downtown Watermain Replacement Project is expected to begin within the next few weeks.

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚓𝚎𝚌𝚝 𝚒𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚖𝚊𝚓𝚘𝚛 𝚒𝚗𝚟𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚞𝚗𝚒𝚝𝚢’𝚜 𝚙𝚞𝚋𝚕𝚒𝚌 𝚒𝚗𝚏𝚛𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚞𝚌𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚏𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚁𝚎𝚋𝚞𝚒𝚕𝚍 𝙳𝚘𝚠𝚗𝚝𝚘𝚠𝚗𝚜 & 𝙼𝚊𝚒𝚗 𝚂𝚝𝚛𝚎𝚎𝚝𝚜/𝚁𝙸𝚂𝙴 𝙸𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝙶𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝙿𝚛𝚘𝚐𝚛𝚊𝚖.

Construction will primarily take place within city boulevard areas, parking spaces, and private property where access has been granted through easements. While there should be minimal obstruction to the roadways themselves, motorists should expect moving equipment, construction crews, and occasional single-lane closures.

𝘈𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘥𝘦:
• 𝘗𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘵 – 𝘔𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝟦𝘵𝘩 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘵
• 𝟥𝘳𝘥 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘵 – 𝘗𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘊𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘯𝘶𝘵 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘵
• 𝟤𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘵 – 𝘗𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘊𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘺’𝘴 𝘎𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘦

We will provide another update as soon as a construction start date is confirmed.

⚠️ 𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐫𝐚 𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞.

Thank you for your patience as we continue making important improvements to our downtown infrastructure.

09/15/2026

Jo Debrun-Parrish was born March 17, 1938, in Detroit, Michigan and died on September 11, 2026, while at Pana Health and Rehab. She resided in the Springfield and Pana areas most of her life and attended Pana High School. Jo grew up in a loving family which included her parents, James Donald Challans and Velma Challans, and her sisters, Janice (Ron) McMillen, Terri (Mike) McKenzie, and Debby Challans. Three of her cousins, Gerald Goodpasture, Nancy Norton, and Sharon Bell, were close companions during her early years and they maintained a very special friendship throughout their lives.

Jo married Robert DeBrun in 1955 and they had two sons, William Donald DeBrun and Joseph Robert DeBrun. Several years after her marriage to Bob DeBrun had ended, she met and married Irvin Parrish who had two children, Dan (Sandy) Parrish and Renee Borell. Their blended family of four children brought much joy into their lives. Jo considered her five grandchildren, Taryn (Adam) Hernandez, Adam (Jenny) Parrish, Nathaniel Parrish, Logan Borell, and Kassidy Borell, and her three great-grandchildren, Olivia Hernandez, Isabel Parrish, and Jason Parrish, additional blessings.

While living in central Illinois, she spent many years as a nurse at Memorial Hospital and in clinics in Springfield and Pana. She loved nursing and was dedicated to the field and the patients she served. After retiring, she continued part time work as a nanny/sitter for several of the professionals she’d met during her nursing career. These childcare jobs also brought her great satisfaction. She was a strong advocate for people with disabilities, was very active in Special Olympics, and she worked to help support Brother James Court in Springfield, where her son Bill resided. She was also a member of Delta Theta Tau Sorority in Pana. Jo was a kind and generous person who could joke even when times were difficult. Her smile could brighten a room. Whether they called her Mom, Grandma, sister, Betty Jo, or Aunt Jo, she loved all her family members and enjoyed spending time with them. She also shared her love with different pets over the years, including her dogs, Diva and Pablo. She had a knack for taking care of both people and pets. Although preceded in death by her parents, her sons, Bill and Joe, and her husband, Irv Parrish, she ended her life in the same way she had begun it, surrounded by people who loved her.

During her last several years, she lived in Pana with her sister, Debby Challans, until she was admitted this past summer to Heritage Health and Rehab, where she was also served by Quad County Hospice. Special thanks to all of her caregivers.

A private family gathering to honor her life will be held at a later date. Memorial donations in her honor can be made to Special Olympics, IL Region H, 900 Christopher Lane Ste 12, Springfield, IL 62712

09/14/2026

09/13/2026

PN-P OFFICE TO BE CLOSED SEPT. 16, 21, 23

The Pana News-Palladium office will be closed on
Wednesday, Sept. 16;
Monday, Sept. 21;
Wednesday, Sept. 23.
Calls will still be answered.
We apologize for any inconvenience.

09/08/2026

Chamber of Commerce annual meeting

The Pana Chamber of Commerce will hold it's annual board meeting at 9 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 10 in the basement of the First National Bank of Pana. The meeting is open to members.