Enrollment at Lake Land College has reached a new seven-year high, according to the College’s Fall 2026 Census Day Enrollment Report, which was presented to the Board of Trustees during the regular September meeting.
According to the report, 4,313 students are enrolled at Lake Land College for the Fall 2026 semester, surpassing last year’s headcount by more than 4%. Additionally, the report includes a 1.8% increase in Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) enrollment, which is the number of total enrolled credit hours divided by the conventional full-time workload of 15 credit hours per semester. For the Fall 2026 semester, FTE at Lake Land College reached 2,611.3, the highest level since 2019.
Illinois railroad workers are asking motorists, pedestrians and families to remember a few basic rules that can save lives as the state observes See Tracks? Think Train!® Week Sept. 21-27 — while highlighting a new Illinois law designed to make sure those lessons begin at a young age.
SMART-TD Illinois State Director Bob Guy said railroad employees see firsthand why vigilance around tracks and crossings matters.
“A train can’t swerve around you, and it can’t stop like your car,” Guy said. “By the time a locomotive engineer sees someone in the train’s path, there may be nothing that crew can physically do to prevent a collision. That’s why the safe decision has to happen before you enter the tracks.”
Last week, I left you wondering why after two years of wrangling, voters chose Asa’s Point (the future Sullivan) as their new county seat in 1845 instead of the well-established East Nelson village. Asa’s Point, a point of timber south of the center of the new county, was uninhabited possibly because it was too close to the mosquito and rattlesnake infested swamp and two-mile long lake known as Eagle Pond to be a healthy home. East Nelson was on the south bluff of the Kaskaskia above Nelson Ford where three main trails crossed the river since the beginning of time and connected it to the Mississippi and Wabash Rivers as well as Lake Michigan.
For two hours, I traded my reporter’s notebook for a chalkboard slate •September 23, 2026•
by Ariana R. Cherry
For a few hours on Saturday, Sept. 12, an old schoolhouse became a classroom again — and I became one of its students. I arrived at the Illinois Amish Heritage Center expecting to learn about Amish education. I didn’t realize quite how literally that would happen.
Inside the historic Miller Amish German School, about 15 to 20 of us gathered in the small classroom, including visitors and local Amish residents who would lead us through the experience. At the front of the room was Sharon Miller, who had once been an Amish schoolteacher herself.
Before long, I had a chalkboard slate in my hands. And then school began. We started with German, learning the alphabet and hearing the familiar “ABC” song sung in a language that has played an important role in Amish faith and education for generations. We heard the Lord’s Prayer in German and listened as German songs filled the little schoolhouse. Then came spelling. Reading. And math. I found myself working with Roman numerals and subtracting fractions — subjects I hadn’t exactly expected to encounter when I walked through the schoolhouse door that morning. We read aloud, too. One of our stories was about a little girl determined to sew a doll by herself. Her determination didn’t end particularly well when she got a needle stuck in her finger. Beneath the simple story was a familiar lesson: sometimes patience — and listening to your parents — really is the better choice.
At Okaw Valley Orchard, Jim and Linda Bailey’s displays of affection have occasionally drawn some good-natured reminders from their family.
Their daughter Jennifer said her parents remain comfortable hugging and kissing in front of their children, grandchildren and even orchard employees. The younger generations have a standard response: Take the public displays of affection elsewhere.
The teasing comes after 55 years of marriage for the rural Sullivan couple, who celebrated their anniversary Aug. 28.
Their story began with a blind date arranged by Jim’s sister.
Linda Leftridge was 19 and had graduated from DeSoto High School in May 1970. Jim Bailey was 21 and had graduated from Mt. Zion High School in May 1967 when his sister brought the two together.
Wednesday mornings at Elizabeth Titus Memorial Library begin with a welcome song, followed by a choice made by some of the library’s youngest visitors: what to sing next.
Children can shake bells or play rhythm sticks during the songs before settling in for a story. Some weeks include a game or activity tied to the book. Afterward, children move to the library’s back room for a craft, then can spend time in the bounce house, play with hopper balls or explore the sensory table.
The library’s weekly Story Time begins at 10 a.m. each Wednesday and is designed primarily for children who have not yet started kindergarten, although children outside that age group are not turned away.
The Sullivan Community Unit School District 300 Board of Education adopted its 2026-27 budget Monday, Sept. 14, with district officials reporting a balanced overall budget despite declining state and federal funding and rising transportation costs.
Superintendent Dr. Ted Walk said the final budget remains very similar to the tentative version presented in July, with only minor adjustments. While some individual funds are expected to operate at a deficit this year, he said those decreases are planned, including spending connected to previously scheduled capital projects.
Walk said the district has maintained balanced budgets for the past 10 years, but future budgets may require additional discussion as revenues tighten.
State and federal funding received by the district declined last year and is expected to be lower again this year. Transportation is one area creating additional pressure. State transportation funding has remained relatively flat while districts’ actual costs continue to increase.
Recently, I received an automated call from the big-chain pharmacy that I use to fill my prescriptions notifying me that my prescription was ready for pick-up. Upon arrival, however, the pharmacy was closed. I located a store employee who shared that they did not know the why or when it would re-open. I was given the corporate phone number to call for more information. When I called, they provided no clear answers and were of limited help. Yes-my pharmacy was closed. When would it re-open? Hopefully soon. Why was it closed? Silence. I was then advised that my prescription could be transferred to the nearest open pharmacy in their chain, conveniently located in Springfield. What?
Fortunately, my pharmacy re-opened less than 48 hours later. When I went back to pick up my prescription, there was only one person working there who I recognized. A few days later, I was sharing my experience with another person, who uses a different chain pharmacy in a different town, who told me that they had the same experience in the last two weeks. After comparing notes, I decided to research the issue and what I learned was is concerning.
“She is now home with Jesus, whole again, singing and celebrating with the angels.”
Joyce Velva Belcher, of Lovington, Illinois, passed away on August 28, 2026, at the age of 84. After living with Alzheimer’s disease, she has now gone home to be with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
The Sullivan American Legion Auxiliary Unit #68 recently announced its 2026 Veterans Day Art and Writing Contest. The deadline for entries is 3 p.m. on October 28, 2026.
The contest is open to all 5th through 12th grade students in Sullivan public schools and homeschools and area students who are members of the Sullivan American Legion’s Junior Auxiliary or Sons of the American Legion.
