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Moultrie County Real Estate Tax Bills Mailed

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•May 23, 2018•

Moultrie County real estate taxes were mailed May 23. The first installment is due June 25, 2018 and the second installment is due September 6, 2018.

Homeowners should look their tax bills, including the back of the bill, and make sure all of the information is correct. It is the responsibility of the property owner to report all address changes to the assessor’s office at 728-4951. Assessment and exemption questions should be directed to the Supervisor of Assessments office.   Read More

Letter to the Editor: 5-23-2018

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To the Editor,

The heartbeat of The Hope in Christ Area Revival is fueled by a love God put in our hearts for all people in our community and a burning desire for all to experience the life changing love God offers.

Sin is a cruel taskmaster and holds many in prisons of unforgiveness, bitterness, rejection, shame and misery for too long, sometimes for a lifetime. Jesus came to heal hearts broken by sin, to open eyes (and hearts) blinded by the pain of sin and open the prison doors with the key of forgiveness for those living in those prisons. He came to heal the bruises of verbal, physical, sexual, and emotional abuse from the past. Read More

Memorial Day Observations

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•May 23, 2018•

Memorial Day will be observed by the Lovington American Legion Post 429 honor guard at 1 p.m. Sunday, May 27 in Tom Conn Park.

Sullivan American Legion Post 68 honor guard will salute those who have fallen in service at 8 a.m. Monday, May 28 in Greenhill Cemetery, then the Post 68 honor guard holds service at the Wyman Park Memorial and at 10 a.m. at Moultrie County Memorial Park.

Moultrie Co. Included in New Economic Opportunity Zones 

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•May 23, 2018•

State Representative Brad Halbrook (R-Shelbyville) reported that Governor Bruce Rauner announced 327 Opportunity Zone Census tract recommendations submitted by the state of Illinois have been approved by the U.S. Treasury Department. These zones cover more than 85 counties throughout the state and aim to support the future of Illinois through economic growth and investment.

“Opportunity Zones have been approved in Douglas, Edgar, Moultire and Shelby counties,” Rep. Halbrook stated. “These areas are in desperate need of jobs, benefiting individuals and communities. This is a great opportunity to bring jobs and investments into east central Illinois.” Read More

Run for Windsor Harvest Picnic

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•May 23, 2018•

The 10th annual Windsor Harvest Picnic 5K will take place on August 18, 2018. Registration is at 7:00 a.m. and the run begins at 7:30. Entry fee is for adults, children 11-17 and for children 10 and under.

Participants who register by August 1st will receive a t-shirt. Medals will be awarded to top male/female from each age division.

Visit www.windsor.k12.il.us or email Lindsay Smith at smithl@windsorcusd.org for more information or for a registration form.

Second Round Ends Sullivan Regional Bid

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•May 23, 2018•

After beating Pana in the first round of the Class 2A Riverton Regional, the Sullivan baseball team’s season ended in the second round with a 6-1 loss to Williamsville.

Sullivan got on the board first with a run in the top of the third inning, but Williamsville countered with three runs in the bottom of the inning. Read More

A Ground Breaking Facility for Okaw Valley Schools

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Photo by Mike Brothers
OVHS agriculture teacher and ag complex creator Wes Wise explained the inspiration for the collegiate styled facility and thanked all those who helped make this day possible. In background high school principal Matt Shoaff and Supt. Ken Stauder listen along with students, Corp representatives and community representatives gathered for the groundbreaking ceremony.

“Some men see things as they are and say, ‘Why’? I dream of things that never were and say, ‘Why not’?”
Robert F. Kennedy.

•May 23, 2018•

Why not OV? Reflects on the possibilities referred to by Kennedy. Okaw Valley CUSD #302 is a school district willing to dream.

On Thursday, May 17 Okaw Valley High School entered a new era of education breaking ground on a new 5000 sq. ft. agricultural complex.

Along with a classroom and lab the school will initiate animal husbandry, putting the 170 student high school in Bethany in the collegiate level of agricultural learning.

Supt. Kent Stauder told a crowd of students, educators, U.S. Corps partners and members of the community of how the school board asked him to come up with a “dream project”following the district’s success as a U.S. Corps of Engineers partner.

Stauder went to agriculture teacher Wes Wise, who came up with a hands on agriculture concept that incorporates the classroom and real learning modeled from a collegiate approach to learning natural resources, agronomy, animal husbandry and much more. Read More

Moultrie Moment of the Week

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Pictured are Orman Foster and John Matheson, clerks at Newbould Brother’s Grocery in Sullivan in 1913. Please submit photos to the News Progress for future consideration. Originals will be saved for return or forwarded to Moultrie County Historical Society. If you have any other information, please contact the Moultrie County Historical Society at 217-728- 4085.

Lovington Park Recreation Plan Approved

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•May 23, 2018•

Lovington Village Board’s April meeting involved discussion of a 9park board request for Park Recreation week Monday, June 4 through Friday, June 8.

Trustee Dennis Garmon reported the request was for $500 and events will include Scovill’s Mobile Petting Zoo with Thompson vending services Friday. Three members of the park board attended CPR and First Aid Certification classes at the library. Garmon moved the $500 request for Park Recreation and events be approved along with the $17.50 each for park board certifications. The motion seconded by Pam Anklam was approved by Brenda Wood, Pam Anklam, Garmon, Gary Clem and April Daily.  Read More

Rotary/Regional Ed Office Partner to Host Jamaican Educators

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•May 23, 2018•

The Regional Office of Education #11 has partnered with The Rotary Foundation to receive a global grant that would bring Jamaican educators to the region to work with local educators at the Regional Office of Education #11 in Charleston.

Educators from Jamaica will spend five days, June 4-8, working with about 40 area educators in an intensive train-the-trainer experience in social and emotional lessons that build individual protective factors in children to help them succeed. Teachers, counselors, and principals representing over 20 different ROE #11 school districts are currently signed up for the week-long training that addresses methods of managing school conflict. “It says a lot about the committment of our educators to sacrifice a portion of their summer break for their own professional learning,” said Dr. Kyle Thompson, assistant regional superintendent. “There was enough interest generated to have a participant wait list,” Thompson said. Read More