Author Archives:

Sullivan’s First United Methodist has interim pastor

News Progress Posted on by


•February 4, 2026•

by DM Williamee

Beginning on January 1st through to June 2026, Sullivan’s First United Methodist Church has an interim pastor, Mike Smith, a busy man. Pastor Smith is a retired UMC pastor with over fifty years of pastoral experience in local churches, serving in numerous conference leadership roles through the years. After retiring in 2020, he was appointed by three different bishops to serve several churches that needed short-term, transformative leadership. He has also developed an innovative/experimental program for churches to turn their stories around, with five churches currently engaged. He is also a part-time professional (certified) tour guide for Chicago, writes a blog, speaks at conferences, and has published a book (with more writing in the works) titled “Teaching the Preacher to Curse.” His wife Jie is the pastor of the Mansfield United Methodist Church, and they have three daughters and four grandchildren. 

Read More

Sullivan Fire and Protection District: a busy 2025 saw more calls

News Progress Posted on by


•February 4, 2026•

by DM Williamee

We see the lights and hear the sirens as the SFPD trucks mobilize on a call, but oftentimes we don’t see or know the outcome of that call. No story is reported in the newspaper or released online, and nothing is coming down the grapevine. That does not mean, however, that nothing important occurred on that call. Sullivan Fire Protection District’s team of staff and volunteers is continuously hard at work, and what we see is a small fraction of what happens behind the headlines. When not out on a call, the Sullivan Fire Protection District staff is involved in a multitude of diverse duties such as ongoing training, smoke detector installations, pre-plan development, and maintenance on a daily, weekly, and monthly (always ongoing) basis. And this list is not all-encompassing.

Read More

MoCo Madness – February

News Progress Posted on by


•February 4, 2026•

Moultrie County Monthly Quarter Madness will hold its February Quarter Auction on Wednesday, February 11th. The event will be held at the Sullivan American Legion. Heritage Woods of Sullivan, formerly Courtyard Estates, is the organization of the month. They offer an assisted living lifestyle that is affordable for all seniors. Heritage Woods opened in October 2008 and was recently acquired and is now managed by Gardant Management Solutions. 

Bring a BINGO prize and receive a free $1 bidding paddle. Residents specifically love candy, puzzle books, word searches, Kleenex, toilet paper, and snacks. At the February Quarter Madness, vendors could include Plunder, Pampered Chef, Scentsy, Avon, Tastefully Simple, Color Street, plus different craft and food vendors with tumblers, t-shirts, crafts, earrings, signs, garden stakes, décor, sourdough baked goods, meat bundles, and more. Come shop with the vendors and stay for the Quarter Auction. Bring your quarters for charity items and extra bidding. All-In-Paddle will be $20. Doors open at 6:00 p.m., and the Quarter Auction begins at 6:30. All ages are welcome. A bake sale to also benefit Heritage Woods will have goodies for purchase. The SAL will be in the kitchen with food available for purchase. Drink purchases can be made through the Legion as well. For more information, visit “Mo Co Monthly Quarter Madness” Facebook page.

OV Project Help ‘Preschool Round Up’

News Progress Posted on by


•February 4, 2026•

The Okaw Valley School District and the Project HELP Preschool program will be offering free developmental screening to provide parents with an opportunity to discover how their child is developing in the areas of speech, language, concepts, and motor skills. Vision and hearing screenings will also be offered, free of charge. It’s time to think about Pre-school and Kindergarten for the upcoming school year for your child. To find out what preschool options are available in your community or to pre-register your child for kindergarten, schedule an appointment to have your child screened.

This screening will take place on Monday, March 23rd and Tuesday, March 24th at First Christian Church, 312 W. South Water, in Bethany. For an appointment, call Tracy Ryherd at (217) 665-3541. Signed parent or guardian permission is required. Screenings are required for possible enrollment in the Project HELP preschool classroom. 

Recent Obituaries: Johnna L. Howard

News Progress Posted on by

Johnna L. Howard, 73, of Sullivan, passed away at 11:13 p.m. Monday, January 26, 2026 in Barnes Jewish Hospital, St. Louis, Missouri.

Celebration of Life services will be 11:00 a.m. Wednesday, February 4, 2026 at the Sullivan Southern Baptist Church with Pastor Don Lusk officiating. Burial will be in the Beals Cemetery, Trilla, Illinois. Visitation will be from 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. Wednesday at the church. Memorials are suggested to the Hope Lodge, 4207 Lindell Blvd. St. Louis, Missouri 63108 or the Sullivan Southern Baptist Church.

Johnna was born on December 14, 1952 in Mattoon, Illinois, the daughter of John W. and Charlotte Stortzum Claxon. She had been a Physical Therapy Assistant at Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center in Mattoon. She was a member of the Sullivan Southern Baptist Church where she was Director of Women’s Missionary Group as well as many other church committees, member of the Southern Baptist Church Disaster Relief Team. She enjoyed hiking, camping and reading books, especially the Bible. Johnna married Terry Howard on July 14, 1978 in Mattoon.

Survivors include her husband Terry; sons Travis (Nicole) Howard of Mattoon and Troy (Diane) Howard of San Diego, California; grandchildren Landon, Ava, Ciara, Gabe, Candence and Caleb Howard; sisters Peggy Edwards of Rantoul and Billijean Powell of Mattoon; step sister Tina (Wayne) Giourard of Richland, Georgia; step brother Jeff Bickel of Arthur; half sister Beth Claxon of Colorado and half brother Jim Claxon of Mattoon and many nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents, step father Charles Bickel, sister Vicki McGuffey and half sisters Megan Claxon and Katy Robinson.

Recent Obituaries: Karon Lawson

News Progress Posted on by

Karon Lawson, 88, of Decatur, passed away on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, at her home.

Graveside services will be held 1:00 p.m. Saturday, January 31, 2026, at Keller Cemetery, Lovington. Memorials may be made to American Red Cross: PO Box 37839 Boone, IA 50037-0839. McMullin-Young Funeral Home is in care of the arrangements.

Karon was born on February 25, 1937; the daughter of Allen and Jean Taylor (Gay) Wilke. She married LeRoy Lawson on May 8, 1954, in Union City, TN; he preceded her in death on January 13, 2018. Karon was a retired surgery tech and OB tech at St. Mary’s Hospital in Decatur for many years. She was a volunteer for the American Red Cross and taught CPR. Karon was the Civil Defense Leader in Moultrie County during the Cuban Missile Crisis. She spent time as a Girl Scout and Cub Scout leader through the years. Karon enjoyed crocheting and her circle word puzzles. She had a deep love for her family and Karon held a special place in her heart for all of her animals.

Karon is survived by her children, Kathy (Chuck) Levandoski of Decatur, Bill (Lori) Lawson of Lincoln, Susy (Pat) Simpson of Greenup, Lesa (Scott) Stearns of Bloomington and Mike (Bridget) Lawson of Downs; siblings, Joanlee Langone, Sharon Wilke and Roger (Joyce) Wilke. She is also survived by 14 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.

Karon was preceded in death by her parents, husband and 1 granddaughter. 

Condolences may be offered to the family at www.mcmullinyoung.com

Recent Obituaries: Crystal R. Harl

News Progress Posted on by

Crystal R. Harl, 65, of Sullivan, passed away on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, in Sullivan.

Funeral services will be held 11:00 a.m. Monday, February 2, 2026, at McMullin-Young Funeral Home, Sullivan, the family request casual attire. Visitation will be held an hour prior to the services, Monday at the funeral home. Burial will be in Greenhill Cemetery, Sullivan. Memorials may be made to The Life Center: PO Box 11, Sullivan, IL 61951

Crystal was born on November 14, 1959, in Mattoon; the daughter of Lewis F. and Pauline (England) Harl. Crystal worked in the kitchen at the Masonic Home for twenty years. She was a member of the New Life Church. Crystal was an avid country music fan, and she took multiple bus trips to see county music stars, with one to Nashville Fan Fair where she got to meet her favorite country music artist Marty Stuart! Crystal also got to meet Travis Tritt and many other artists on her country adventures. She loved spending time with her friends, family and her sister’s Yorkies.

Crystal is survived by her sister, Penny (John) Fultz of Bethany.

She was preceded in death by her parents, 1 brother and 1 half-brother. 

Condolences may be offered to the family at www.mcmullinyoung.com

Recent Obituaries: Janet Crandall

News Progress Posted on by

Janet Wise Crandall, 96, of Cerro Gordo, IL, passed away peacefully at 6:30 a.m. on January 27, 2026, at Heritage Woods, Sullivan, IL. Born on January 21, 1930, in Decatur, IL, Janet was the beloved daughter of Ralph and Gladys Wise.

Janet married Keith Crandall on June 2, 1949, beginning a beautiful partnership that lasted until his passing on May 13, 1993. Together, they built a loving home filled with warmth and laughter.

Janet was a devoted mother to her son, Lester Crandall, and daughters Linda (Larry) McCoy, Dianne (Bill) Petersen, Seema (Shahob) Imam, and Karen (Gail) Allen; as well as a devoted grandmother to 37 grandchildren.

Family and friends are invited to gather for visitation on Saturday, January 31, 2026 from 10:00-11:30 a.m. and a celebration of life service at 11:30 a.m.; both at the Cerro Gordo United Methodist Church (104 E. Carter St, Cerro Gordo, IL). A graveside service will follow immediately afterwards at the Cerro Gordo Cemetery.

Condolences and memories may be shared with the family in care of Brintlinger and Earl Funeral Homes at www.brintlingerandearl.com.

Bethany Celebration chili cookoff winners

News Progress Posted on by

On Saturday, January 17th, at the Bethany American Legion Post No. 507, Bethany Celebration hosted a chili cook-off, with a great turnout. The Bethany Celebration’s 2026 Chili Cookoff winners were: 1st Place Traditional- Ryan Whitten (not pictured), 1st Place Unique - Annie & Bill Blackwell, 1st Place Spicy - Troy Stockdale, and People’s Choice - Ryan Whitten.

Mid-Illinois Senior Center events

News Progress Posted on by


•January 28, 2026•

The Mid-Illinois Senior Center is located at 113 E. Jefferson Street in Sullivan. The Peace Meal Senior Nutrition program lunch is served weekdays (except holidays) at 11:30 a.m. Call (217) 728-8521 for more information on the events below or the Peace Meal. We are a SHIP site and can assist you with Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, VA, and other insurances. Call to schedule an appointment.

2nd: Pedicures by Robin- by appointment only. Call (217) 728-8521.

Read More