LeROY - LeRoy residents wanting to buy or sell a home can once again turn to a local resident for help.

Mike Ready has returned to his career in real estate, 15 months after he was injured in an accident at a Bloomington home.

On Dec. 14, 2005, Ready went to the home to take care of some last-minute details before closing a sale. He was in the attic inspecting repairs and fell through the floor of the attic.

That fall broke several vertebrae and severely bruised his spinal cord.

Ready spent nearly a month in intensive care at BroMenn Regional Medial Center, Normal, and later moved to the Rehabilitation Institute of St. Louis. He returned to LeRoy after spending five months in St. Louis.

Since his return to LeRoy last year, Ready has continued therapy at an outpatient clinic.

Ready says he has regained some function and strength in his arms and he continues to get stronger. Doctors tell him that progress typically continues for one to three years after a spinal cord injury.

At first, Ready devoted all of his time and energy to his therapy. Now he says he is ready to return to the career he loves.

He has joined Char Huff's team at Prudential Snyder Real Estate.

"I will do the talking, and Char will do the walking," said Ready, adding that real estate is "90 percent listening and talking, and talking is one thing that comes natural to me."

The talking part of the job won't be a problem for Ready. He uses a hands-free phone with a headset, and he has a special glove that allows him to dial the phone.

Ready also has recruited his son, Thomas, to help. Thomas, who has a background in construction, drives his father to appointments, takes photos of the homes' interiors, and inspects the inside of homes.

Meanwhile, Mike Ready says, he will inspect the outside of the home.

Locks of Love - A trio of Heyworth sixth-graders cut their hair for Locks of Love last week and convinced their teacher, Rachel Bierbaum, to jump on board.

Bierbaum had decided last fall to donate to Locks of Love for her grandmother, who had lost her hair during a bout with brain and lung cancer. When students Ashley Hoegger, Kaley Lobb and Brittany Wilson decided to have 10 inches of their hair cut recently, their teacher decided to do the same.

Locks of Love is an organization that uses the hair for children with medical problems that causes them to lose their own hair.

Cosmetologist and Heyworth High School graduate Katie Cox volunteered to cut their hair for free to help the effort.

Blacksmiths to be on TV - A show featuring Farmer City's very own husband and wife blacksmith team will air Friday and Saturday on WEIU-TV, a Charleston PBS affiliate.

Mark and Mindy Gardner, owners of Flood Plain Forge, will talk about blacksmithing and its history during a 10-minute segment for the PBS series "Heartland Highways."

The show can be watched online at www.eiu.net after it airs at 7 p.m. Friday and 4 p.m. Saturday.