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Remember When? 1-11-2017

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25 Years Ago This Week

Nathan R. Hutchings of Sullivan has been awarded an honor scholarship to attend MacMurray College in Jacksonville as a result of scholarship competition held in November 1991. He is the son of Dennis and Mary Hutchings and plans to major in biology or chemistry for pre medicine at MacMurray.

Several area students are among the nearly 50 candidates for degrees or certificates upon completion of the fall term at Lake Land College. Two area students graduated summa cum laude with a 3.8 to 4. grade point average. They are Michael H. Hafer of Arthur and Tamara M. Cox of Findlay, who both earned associate in science degrees in business administration. Lisa M. Perry of Bethany earned cum laude status leading to her associate in applied science degree in management. Other graduates are Joyce M. Lowder, Arthur; Kelly R. Austin, Bethany; Martha J. Elliott, Windsor; and Sullivan residents Linda M. Dean, Sean W. Ruppert, Staci L. Shafer and Brenda S. Ray.

Rhonda Rutledge of Sullivan has been named to the Midstate College dean’s list for the fall 1991 quarter. Midstate College is in Peoria. Read More

AOC Downs Heritage

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AOC Downs Heritage
Arthur-Okaw Christian’s Andy Brandt shoots over a Heritage Christian (Dyer, Ind.) defender Saturday, January 7.  AOC won the game 66 to 61.  AOC’s record is 9 - 10.

Obituaries 1-11-2017: Peggy Gillett

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Peggy Gillett

Peggy May Gillett, 89, of Sullivan, formerly of Calgary, Alberta, Canada passed away at 12:20 p.m. Sunday, December 18, 2016 in Mason Point in Sullivan.

Memorial services will be 1 p.m. Saturday, January 14 in Allenville Christian Church with Pastor Eddie Miller officiating. Burial will be in Calgary, Alberta May 27, 2017. Arrangements are by Reed Funeral Home in Sullivan. Read More

City Replies to Attorney General Request

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•January 11, 2017•

By Mike Brothers

Sullivan replied to an Illinois Attorney General Public Access Counselor (PAC) request concerning details of the Nov. 21 special city council meeting that led to the appointment of Dan L. Flannell as city administrator.

Kirk Allen of the Edgar County Watchdog entered a Request for Review with the AG office taking issue with items eligible for action at the Nov. 21 meeting.

Mayor Ann Short stated she, the city clerk and city attorney had prepared a response to the PAC request from the attorney general’s office on Friday, January 6.

“We have replied to the Attorney General’s request,” Mayor Short said, explaining they were awaiting a response from the PAC.

At question was a claim that the special meeting agenda did not set forth the “general subject matter” of awarding the city manager a five-year contract, according to the request sent to Sullivan by Joshua Jones, PAC supervising attorney. Jones’ letter was dated January 4, 2017 and requested a response in seven days.  Read More

Winning Week for Sullivan Girls’ Basketball Team

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Photo by RR Best
Lizzie Green (#2), Laine Cameron (#22) and Chloe Riley (#24) trap a Cowden-Herrick player during a Redskin home game Thursday.

•January 11, 2017•

By Jason Brown
NP Sports Editor

The Lady Redskins’ basketball team finished the week 2-1 with wins against Cerro Gordo and Cowden-Herrick and a loss to Neoga.

Against Cerro Gordo Monday, Sullivan blanked the Broncos in the first quarter 15-0 and didn’t look back, holding Cerro Gordo to less than nine points in each quarter for the eventual 63-17 win.

“It was a great team effort tonight, especially defensively,” said Sullivan coach Sheri McCain. “We caused 42 turnovers as a team.”

Ester Miller tallied a game-high 21 points and 14 rebounds, and Tatum Ellis followed with 13 points, including three 3-pointers.

Haley Rose’s defense caused a team-high seven steals, and Elizabeth Green dished out a team-high five assists and scored three points.

Chloe Riley and Josie Orris scored nine and eight points, respectively, and Kirsten O’Neal and Avery Still each added three points

Laine Cameron rounded out the Lady Redskins’ scoring with a bucket.

Against Cowden-Herrick Thursday, Sullivan again jumped out to an early lead. Read More

Scholastic Bowl Conference Champions

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Scholastic Bowl Conference Champions
The Sullivan High School scholastic bowl team won the Central Illinois Conference last weekend. From Left to right: Ben Richter (coach) Katie Webb, Trevor Elder, Lindsay Jones, Spencer Johnson, Grace Mauck, Brendan Rau, Luke DeLong, Justuss Ramsey, Parker Whitaker, and Atticus Harris. They competed Jan. 7 in five matches and finished 5-0 winning the conference tournament and finishing the conference season with a 19-0 record. Leaders on the day were Grace Mauck who had 18 toss ups, Luke DeLong with 15, Trevor Elder six and Spencer Johnson two. The last three games were very close against St. Teresa, Central A&M, and Meridian. The team kept their cool and got some key toss-ups to remain in the lead. DeLong was recognized for most toss-ups for the season (All Conference first place) with 56. Mauck was All-Conference second place with 51 on the season.

Gold Slips for SES

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Gold Slips for SES
The Sullivan Elementary School SES Gold Slip winners for the months of November and December are (from left to right): Mitchell Hooten, Rhett Lehman (standing), Roman Miller, Ava Eckert, Luke Waelde, Abagail Dean, Mae Dawkins, Lillian Moxley, and Aiden Burgess. Not pictured are Kolton Wiley and Malaysia Haywood. Gold slips are awarded to students who go above and beyond expectations inside and outside the classroom. During recess, while things were hectic, Rhett Lehman stopped in the middle of his game to help a student pick up her math fact cards that had fallen all over the area. Roman Miller was putting forth his best effort in the classroom. Luke Waelde is a leader in the classroom and sets an example around the school by following expectations and being respectful at all times. Aiden Burgess, Abagail Dean, Lillian Moxley, Kolton Wiley, Mitchell Hooten, Mae Dawkins, Malaysia Haywood, and Ava Eckert all helped clean up the cafeteria after second and third grade lunch all of first semester.

Bethany Library Displays Yearbook Collection

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Photo by Ellen Ferrera
Librarian Sally Ascenzo next to class picture file of the first Bethany High School class of 1889

•January 4, 2017•

By Ellen Ferrera
for the News Progress

When I was growing up in Bethany, the library was a dingy, musky storefront in a block of buildings that isn’t even there anymore. Imagine this librarian’s surprise when I entered the new Marrowbone Public Library with its bank of computers, community room and comfy chairs for casual reading. What a joy to find such a library in a small community such as Bethany.

The head librarian, Sally Ascenzo, ushered me into a side room, and there on a large stand was a collection of all the high school senior class pictures from the first class in 1889 to 1993. The class pictures forward are in a scrapbook nearby.

This collection was originally housed in storage in the high school and was beginning to deteriorate badly.

It was also unavailable to the public. Glenn Austin, Jim McLaughlin and Virginia Weakly rescued the collection and lovingly restored it before giving it to the library for permanent display Ascenzo told me. “There are some pictures in the scrapbook with unidentified students, and we are hopeful that someone will come in and help us identify these classmates,” she said. Word on the street is that every time Glenn Austin comes in, he flips the pictures to his class and leaves it there. I flipped it to my class. Read More

Recent Obituaries: Donnabelle Frazier

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Donnabelle Frazier

Donnabelle Frazier, 85, of Sullivan died 12:30 a.m. Wednesday (January 4, 2017) in Mason Point, Sullivan.

Visitation will be from 10-11:00 a.m. on Saturday, January 7, 2017 in the Reed Funeral Home, Sullivan. Graveside services will be 11:30 a.m. Saturday following the visitation in the French Cemetery, Allenville, with Bob Vail officiating. Memorials are suggested to the American Diabetes Association or to the American Heart Association. Online condolences may be sent to the family at reedfuneralhome.net.

Donnabelle was born September 18,1931 in Bruce the daughter of Pearl William and Susie G. Fleming Myers. She had worked at the Illinois Masonic Home as a young woman, spent many years as a homemaker and then managed the IGA Deli in Sullivan for many years before her retirement. She was a member of the Sullivan VFW Auxiliary and the Sullivan American Legion Auxiliary. Donnabelle married George W. ‘Pat’ Frazier on September 4, 1954 in LaJolla, California and he preceded her in death on July 24, 1999.

Surviving are her daughter Sue (Dave) Morrow of Gainesville, Florida; son Bill (Lora) Frazier of Sullivan; grandchildren Mandy N. Frazier, Samantha Armer and Gabby Frazier and two great grandchildren Renee and Malia Frazier.

She was preceded in death by her parents, husband and daughter Gloria Armer.