ZEIGLER, IL (KFVS) - The Zeigler Fire Department is in dire need of an addition to their current station, and they are hosting a fundraiser this Saturday to help “Raise the Roof.”

“Quite simply, we are out of room. We have a vehicle sitting outdoors in the elements, and equipment stacked up in our station and on our loft,” said Lieutenant Kathie Flowers.

This Saturday’s fundraiser is the first in a series of fundraisers to be held in order to raise the funds to build an addition.

“We are planning on having a concert and dinner at least once every three to four months, and are calling it the Raise the Roof Concert Series,” said Training Officer Ronnie Diuguid.

(KFVS) - The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services announced the launch Wednesday of a computerized, state-of-the-art Child Abuse Hotline system.

Family Services says the update is in response to complaints that its 30-year-old system was unable to handle the more than 250,000 calls reporting child abuse and neglect that DCFS receives each year.

Last year the department says they received 253,444 calls to its hotline at (800) 25-ABUSE, but the outdated system meant more than 60 percent of callers had to be called back rather than speaking immediately to a child abuse expert. They say the delays meant longer gaps in sending child abuse investigators into the field and getting children and families the help they need, a condition which new DCFS Director Richard Calica called “simply unacceptable.”

(KFVS) - The American Red Cross will be collecting and distributing cards that send words of encouragement, gratitude and cheer to America's heroes for the holiday season.

The Red Cross is inviting the public to send messages of thanks and holiday cheer until Dec. 7 by mailing them to:

Holiday Mail for Heroes
P.O. Box 5456
Capitol Heights, MD 20791-5456

To ensure that cards are delivered on time for the holidays, the Red Cross says they must be postmarked no later than Dec. 7. Individuals are asked to refrain from sending "care packages," monetary donations or using glitter or any other kinds of inserts with the cards.

According to the Red Cross, the company Pitney Bowes Inc. receives cards at the special Holiday Mail post office box, and screens them for hazardous materials. The company screens, packages and ships the cards at no charge.