•September 23, 2015•
The Bethany High School Alumni banquet is Saturday, October 3 at the fire house.
Social hour will begin at 5 p.m. with dinner at 6 p.m. Read More
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Okaw Valley Royalty
Photo courtesy Jeni Yantis
Okaw Valley Royalty
Nick Tipsword and Gretchen Macklin were crowned as the 2015 Okaw Valley High School Homecoming King and Queen at the homecoming dance Saturday, September 19.
Sullivan School Approves New Budget, Staffing Completed
•September 23, 2015•
By Mike Brothers
Sullivan District 300 school board members approved a $10,043,969 total budget at the Monday, Sept. 14 meeting.
The fiscal budget year is July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2016 with Superintendent Brad Tuttle explaining the process during a public hearing on the budget.
“With the state still struggling with their budget, we are looking at the third year of some type of cuts.” Tuttle said, noting that contingencies are built into the budget in case things start to go south.
He said the district is starting the year in better shape with account balances but warned that declining enrollment will equalize the increased state reimbursement formula.
Educational fund receipts from local taxes are anticipated at $2,975,199. The state contribution is expected at $3,266,267 with the federal government budgeted for $876,016, bringing anticipated fund total for education to $7,117,482.
Even with a $50,000 contingency, education expenses are anticipated at $7,3034,134, some $185,652 less than the fund is bringing in. An account balance of $2,985,659 covers the shortage in education.
Operations and maintenance and transportation funds also are budgeted in the red.
Superintendent Tuttle explained the budget is a working document and will be revised as more information is available during the year. Read More
OV Volleyball Drops One to Edinburg
Photo by RR Best
Pictured is OV volleyball player Nicole Miller.
•September 23, 2015•
Okaw Valley’s volleyball team traveled to Edinburg Sept. 21 losing the three game match 1-2.
Okaw Valley dropped the first game by four with a 12-25 score in Edinburg’s favor.
The second game Okaw Valley dominated 25-18 but lost the final 15-25. Okaw Valley has a 8-5-0 record.
Squires Art Club Workshop
•September 23, 2015•
Watercolor artist Stan Squires of Springfield will return to Sullivan to conduct Sullivan Art Club’s third workshop of the season Saturday, September 26. The workshop will be held at the St. Columcille Church hall located on the east end of the church at the corners of W. Jackson and McClellan streets. There is a dedicated entrance to the hall adjacent to the parking lot.
Squires spent 29 years working as an illustrator in the advertising industry before retiring to paint full time. He has received several awards for his artwork, some of which may be viewed on his website www.brilliantwatercolors.com.
Squires will be instructing with watercolors. However, if preferred, participants may work in their medium of choice. Read More
OV Volleys Past Villa Grove
•September 23, 2015•
Okaw Valley volleyball Timberwolves hosted Villa Grove Thursday, Sept. 17 with the win going to the home team 2-0. Read More
Why Illinois Needs to Pass a Budget
•September 23, 2015•
By Ariana Cherry
NP Columnist
People and organizations in Illinois are hurting in more ways than one. Families and individuals who depended on government benefits have had to take a serious cut on the financial assistance that they receive. The Ameren PIPP (Percentage of Income Payment Plan) has become non-existent. The LIHEAP program had no summer assistance and will be running a month behind for the 2016 season.
Many people will be far behind or shut off possibly come the Oct 1 date. Although, come October 1, LIHEAP will be available only to seniors and disabled on the first round. Round two, in November, the program will add households with children under six years of age. Then in December, the general public will be able apply. Those who have state regulated utilities might be able to coast by some, as the winter moratorium will take place beginning December 1 and last through March 1. Although residents who have local utilities could be disconnected by the time they can apply in December.
Into its third month of the new fiscal year, Illinois still has not passed a budget, hurting many state funded agencies and organizations, one being the LIHEAP program. Everything has been pushed back a month, and low income families are having to tighten their belts even more. Read More
Great Weather Makes For a Great Hullabaloo
Great Weather Makes For a Great Hullabaloo Photos by RR Best Hullabaloo on the square in Sullivan enjoyed a sunny afternoon Sunday, Sept 20 as some 1800 visitors from all over the area came to town. With the help of 28 sponsors and 85 volunteers New Life Church coordinated the three hour event with a host of inflatables and family oriented entertainment. “What we like to think is that Hullabaloo offers something for everyone,” volunteer Cheri Wood said. “It’s a totally free event that is safe for all ages,” she continued. She pointed out this is the fifth year for Hullabaloo. “The first couple of years we held it in October, and the first year we had snow flurries, and our hands were freezing to the duck pond.” Since moving to September, Hullabaloo has grown every year with folks coming from Springfield, Champaign, Neoga, Shelbyville and other surrounding communities this year. Wood noted the inflatables were very popular as was laser tag and the rock climbing wall. “There were lines at all the events during the three hours,” Wood said noting the beautiful weather and sense of community made this year’s Hullabaloo another great success.
OV Volleyball Plays at LSA Invite
•September 23, 2015•
Okaw Valley volleyball played in the Lutheran School Invitational Saturday losing 9-12. Okaw Valley volleyball record stands at 2-2.
In the first match Okaw Valley won over Tolono 2-1; 12-25, 27-26 and 15-11. Okaw Valley lost the next match to Central A&M 0-2; 20-25 and 17-25. Read More
Metro Communications Touches Just About Everyone
Photo by Mike Brothers
While projects are underway all over the midwest for Metro Communications the hub of the wheel is with this dedicated Sullivan group. Back row from left to right: Zak Horn, Nick Hess, Heath Poulos. Front row from left to right: Elizabeth Bennett, Jolene Wright, Gabe Hedger.
•September 23, 2015•
By Nick Fiala
Reporting in Sullivan
Just east of the Moultrie County Courthouse is a white building on the corner of Harrison and Washington streets. Sullivan citizens go by it everyday without realizing the unique and vital service provided by seven people working out of a large room on the second floor.
The business is called Metro Communications; odds are that you use their services everyday, without realizing it.
“If you use a phone in central Illinois everyday, you use our service; you just don’t know it.” said Zak Horn, who has owned Metro Comm since 2000.
“Nobody really knows who we are or what we do...which is fine.” he said, with a laugh.
“Nobody” means everyday people using cellular phone and internet services. Cell phone companies are the actual customers for providers such as Metro Comm. They are a competitive local telephone company, providing wholesale, carrier, and enterprise services in a 26 county area.
“There’s a million-plus individuals that are in the footprint that we cover for services that we provide,” said Horn. “If you’re an AT&T, T-mobile, Sprint, or Verizon cell phone subscriber in Illinois, then we support those services. Those are our customers that pay us to deliver backhaul to the towers.”
Those towers are connected underground by thousands of miles of fiber optic cable laid out along roadways in a lengthy but delicate process by 30-plus field employees.
“There’re two ways to basically put fiber optic cable into the ground,” Horn said. “One is with a large cable plow, and the other is where you essentially thread it underground, and then tile the conduit together. There are multiple stages of construction required.”
None of that includes the long precise planning process Horn and his dedicated team work out with those invested in the land where cable needs to be laid. Read More