Elsie Jackson
Elsie A. Jackson, 89, of Lovington went home to be with the Lord at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, March 7, 2019.
Funeral services were held at 12 p.m. Monday, March 11 in Prairie View Baptist Church in Lake City. Burial was in Keller Cemetery in Lovington. Read More
Photo furnished
OV Eighth Grade Sectional Champs
The Okaw Valley eighth grade volleyball team won its second-straight regional title by defeating Shiloh 25-15, 26-24 last week, then won the IESA Sectional with a 25-23, 25-20 win over Sigel St. Michael’s Monday. The team is set to play advance to the state tournament on Friday at Pana and will play at 5:45 p.m.
•March 13, 2019•
By Jerry L. Ginther
NP Guest Columnist
I’ll concede that viewing the past from my vantage point necessarily presents a somewhat different concept than the ones of my children and grandchildren. Most of them see those times as an adventure not unlike the TV episodes of “Little House on the Prairie.” What young boy would not appreciate going to town with his father in a horse-drawn wagon to load up supplies. When they were younger, they were thrilled by the adventure and dismissed the hardships and dangers that were common to that era.
With the knowledge I have acquired from my immediate ancestor’s stories, I know that it was a time of perpetual, laborious activity with few tools to mitigate the difficulty of farming the prairie lands. Some of their recollections were of tough times. They were the pioneers of their era braving the elements. Illness and injury were frequent companions. The weather, often unpredictable, caused additional hardships. In those days they could hardly forecast the weather for the next day with any degree of accuracy. However realistic my perception may be, it was not just from the years of my life, but also from the chronicles of my parents and grandparents.
My grandparents were born before 1900. As a matter of fact, my father’s parents were 19 and 20 years old at the turn of the 20th century. I suppose that what they did not have impressed me more than what they had. When I realized they had no automobiles or telephones and had never heard of an airplane, their history became all the more interesting to me. Read More
•March 13, 2019•
The Alpha Phi Chapter off Alpha Delta Kappa, an international honorary organization of women educators, is offering a $500 scholarship.
An applicant must be a junior or senior in college or a graduate student in the field of education.
Applications may be picked up at the Sullivan Middle School, 713 N. Main St. in Sullivan.
Questions concerning the application may be directed to Ellen Feeler at 217-259-4722. The deadline for the application is April 27, 2019.
Joan Hughes
Joan Matheson Hughes, 89, of Sullivan, passed away Friday, March 1, 2019 in St. Mary’s Hospital in Decatur.
Private family graveside services were held in Greenhill Cemetery in Sullivan. Reed Funeral Home in Sullivan was in charge of arrangements. Read More
•March 13, 2019•
GriefShare is a grief support group that meets Tuesday evenings from 6-8 p.m. March 19 through June 4.
Meetings are at the First Christian Church, 1357 CR1200E in Sullivan.
After the funeral, often friends and family want to help but don’t know how.
That is the reason for GriefShare, a network of 12,000 churches worldwide offering grief support. Read More
•March 13, 2019•
By Bad Bad Leroy Brown
for the News Progress
When local musicians Jeremy Nolen, John Scott, Scott Mast and Cody Brumfield started “Camel Tofu” a year and a half ago, it was all in fun.
And the punk/rock band has gained a following for their original music over the year and will be playing at the East End Bar in Lovington on March 16.
But what happened last week has the band somewhat perplexed.
Camel Tofu and three other local bands practice on the second floor at the former Brown Shoe Factory.
In a text message from building owner AB Seals, the band was kicked out of the second floor practice location citing that “Evil Things” were happening in the building because of their presence. Read More
•March 13, 2019•
Over the weekend freshman, Brady Foster competed in the IWCOA State Wrestling Championship Tournament in Springfield.
Competing with the top 35 freshmen and sophomore athletes in his weight class, Foster finished his two days of bouts standing on the podium. He placed seventh in the state and went 4-2 for the weekend. Read More
•March 13, 2019•
By Jason Brown
NP Sports Editor
Redskin coach Kali Taylor, in her 11th year, will have to rely on her seniors and returning letter winners “to raise the bar as we progress throughout the season.”
“We are hungry to add to the team success that we had last year and to have our underclassmen step up to score points in their events,” said Taylor. “We also have a goal of scoring points in every event that we compete in.”
We have six seniors and eight returning letter winners.
Top returning scorer from last season, senior Esther Miller, returns from a junior year in which she qualified for state in three events.
At the Charleston Invitational at Eastern Illinois University Saturday, Miller third in the 400-meter dash in a time of 1:02, and she also placed fourth in the triple jump with a leap of 32 feet 11 inches.
“She is already off to a great season as she achieved her second best career performances at the EIU indoor meet,” said Taylor. “She and Zoe (Ray) have been named co-captains, and I once again look to them to lead the team.” Read More
•March 13, 2019•
By Ellen Ferrera
for the News Progress
The newest restaurant to open at the Sullivan Country Club is Fairways Family Restaurant which will be operated by Shelly Sheppard.
She also operates the Atwood Downtown Diner and the Cafeteria in Arthur.
“John contacted me to open here, and we will be serving the same menu as at Atwood,” she explained. “We will also be providing catering to private events here, and we have 27 already scheduled.” Read More