Everett Patrick
Funeral services for Everett Patrick, 83, of Mt. Zion were held at 10 a.m. today (Wednesday) in GT Church in Decatur.
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Mt. Zion Man Found Dead Near Coalshaft
No foul play suspected
May 27, 2015
by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com
Local law enforcement found a man dead just before midnight Friday near the Coalshaft Bridge.
According to Moultrie County Coroner Lynn Reed, Bradley Stoneburg, 38, of Mt. Zion was pronounced dead at 12:03 a.m. Saturday after Moultrie County deputies located the man in a wooded area on the east side of the bridge and south side of Lake Shelbyville.
Reed added that the Mt. Zion man had been missing since Wednesday after he left his residence to go fishing. After he didn’t return Thursday morning, at some point, his fiancé reported him missing. Soon after, Moultrie County deputies began to check nearby boating docks and accesses through Thursday evening. Read More
Obituaries 5-27-2015: Matthew Simpson
Matthew Simpson
Funeral services for Matthew D. Simpson, 55, of Allenville were held at 11 a.m. Friday in McMullin-Young Funeral Home in Sullivan. Burial was in French Cemetery in Allenville.
He passed away at 2:30 a.m. Wednesday May 20, 2015 in his home in Allenville.
Illinois Crop Report Looking Good So Far
May 27, 2015
By Tyler Harvey
Mo-Do Farm Bureau Manager
It is that time again for the planters to be rolling and the crops to be emerging. We have been very fortunate in the last few weeks to have optimal planting weather. As of Sunday, May 24, the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) had Illinois at 97 percent corn planted compared to a five year average of 93 percent planted by this date. Soybeans, meanwhile, came in at 69 percent planted compared to the five year average of 57 planted by this date. Corn and soybeans are also above the five year average for emergence with corn at 87 percent and soybeans at 38.
With the lack of rain and the cooler temperatures lately, the percentages will not move up as fast as most would like. However, overall this year is on track with the crop season last year. Driving between Tuscola and Sullivan and looking at various crops, this crop year is off to a great start. NASS has an updated crop report come out every Monday afternoon at 3 p.m. I expect the numbers in Illinois for corn emerging, soybeans planted, and soybeans emerging to change a good amount in the following days especially if we can get a nice steady rain over the crops. Illinois is still ahead of our neighbors to the east, Indiana, in planting both corn and soybeans, and Illinois is ahead of Iowa in corn planting and right behind with soybean planting.
In other news, this last week has been very busy on a legislative front. Read More
Lowery at Lovington Assembly of God Sunday
May 27, 2015
Pastor Doug Lowery will be ministering at Lovington Assembly of God Sunday, May 31 beginning at 6 p.m.
Lowery has served as founding pastor of Maranatha Assembly of God in Decatur since January 1978. Previous ministry included serving as a youth pastor in Decatur and San Marcos Ca. and senior pastor of West Point AG, in West Point, Ill. He has also served as a church planter, planting seven churches in Illinois and 40 churches worldwide, primarily India. He and his wife Rosemary have been married since 1969 and have three children and 12 grandchildren. A special offering to support Lowery’s mission trip to India next spring will also be taken.
The church is located at 502 W Emery St in Lovington (corner of Emery and Logan). For more information, call Pastor Matthew Perkins at 217-317-0550 or visit www.lovingtonassembly.com.
Monday Night Scramble Results 5.27.15
May 27, 2015
Competing Monday, May 18 in the weekly scrambler at Timberlake Golf Course in Sullivan, the team of Dustin Rawlings and Jeremy Moxley earned first place, shooting 6-under and winning the playoff hole. Taking second was the team of Gage Elder, Quinton Ray, Steve Nickerson and Chad Palmer.
Paying Respect
Photo by RR Best
Paying Respect
Several veterans bow their heads during Monday morning’s Memorial Day Service at the Marrowbone Township Cemetery in Bethany.
Understanding Illinois: The Looming Public Unions Strike
May 27, 2015
By Jim Nowlan
NP Guest Columnist
From my distant vantage point, I foresee as inevitable a first-ever strike in July by state of Illinois public employee unions.
There is just no way to bridge a chasm wide as the Grand Canyon between feisty GOP governor Bruce Rauner, who is probably spoiling for a strike, and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), which is the lead union in negotiations with the state that are on-going to replace a contract that expires July 1.
I think Rauner wants to make a national name for himself as the governor who toppled the unions from their comfortable perches. He cannot do so in the union-friendly Democratic legislature so he will seek to break the backs of the unions via the collective bargaining process.
If successful, he would indeed become a national political figure. Read More
Rules of the Road Review Course June 3
May 27, 2015
Secretary of State Jesse White, in cooperation with Mid-Illinois Senior Services, Inc., is offering a Rules of the Road Review Course for all citizens in the Sullivan area. The course is free to anyone who wishes to attend and will be held at Mid-Illinois Senior Services, Inc. which is located at 114 E. Jefferson in Sullivan from 10-11:30 a.m.
The purpose of the course is to help participants pass the Illinois driver’s license renewal examination. The course prepares applicants for the general written and road examinations, and also provides information on the vision screening.
For further information, please contact the Driver Services Department at 312-814-3676.
Supreme Court Confirms 90-Day Suspension for Sullivan Attorney
Robert V. Elder to begin suspension June 4
May 27, 2015
by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com
After more than a year of inquiries and hearings re-
garding allegations of misconduct, a Sullivan attorney has been handed a 90-day suspension from the practice of law.
Robert Vernon Elder, 73, of Sullivan will officially begin his suspension from the practice of law in Illinois beginning June 4 for a period of 90 days after being found guilty of misconduct involving a probate matter.
The complaint against Elder, which was first filed by the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission of the Supreme Court of Illinois (ARDC) on March 3, 2014, alleged that Elder engaged in a conflict of interest “by assisting” his client Pam Baskette of Sullivan in “selling the decedent’s residence to a friend…”
The complaint further alleged that Elder did not inform Baskette of the conflict of interest, which included withholding the name of the friend and buyer, who the ARDC notes is Ron Houchin, or that the friend owed several thousand dollars to Elder, or that Elder and Houchin had at one time been business associates. Additionally, the complaint held that Elder did not disclose to Baskette that he himself would use funds from his wife’s bank account to purchase the property or that his wife would hold the mortgage on it. Furthermore, because of the misconduct, the probate estate, which was described as “extremely small”, remained open an extended amount of time. Read More