The Sullivan Redskins welcomed a new conference opponent, the Fisher Bunnies, last Friday night. Fisher had previously been part of the Heart of Illinois Conference for a long time before making the jump to the Lincoln Prairie Conference this season. “This was a big switch for them, but they thought our schools lined up more appropriately with them to give them competitive balance,” stated Sullivan Athletic Director Cole Huber. Regarding the addition to Fisher, Huber continued, “Since we lost Cerro Gordo-Bement to 8-man football, we needed another school to make us a 10-team, closed football conference so we don’t have to play any non-conference games”
A nationally known pumpkin sculptor and “Halloween Wars” champion will bring his carving talents to Arthur when the Arthur Pumpkin Festival debuts Saturday, Oct. 3.
Mike Brown, a professional pumpkin sculptor, designer and builder from Springfield, Missouri, will be among the featured attractions during the daylong downtown festival, scheduled from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. along Progress and Hickory streets.
Brown has gained national attention for transforming ordinary pumpkins into elaborate three-dimensional sculptures. Rather than relying on traditional jack-o’-lantern designs, Brown carves directly into pumpkins to create detailed faces, characters and other works of art.
His talents have also taken him to national television.
It was a relatively mundane meeting for the Village of Lovington this month. Absent member Andrea Wardrip, the remaining six carried out business efficiently.
Only one of the three attending members of the public chose to speak at this meeting. A concerned citizen was once again inquiring about the possibility of automatic debits for their water bill. The speaker had even gone as far as inquiring to the bank about the possibility of this. Unfortunately, the board informed, the software the village uses does not allow for automatic debits at this time. Asking if anything at all could be done, the village trustees said, regrettably, no, but they are hoping a future upgrade by the software company will allow for this down the road. The trustees did mention that they are willing to email a bill along with mailing a hardcopy to ensure the bill arrives in a timely manner.
There are many debates in the world, and healthcare is one of the biggest ones. Many people argue for free healthcare, saying that it’s a basic human right. Others argue that it would be too costly. Nevertheless, healthcare should be universally free and available to everyone. The prestigious research organization, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, says, “…We estimated that a single payer universal healthcare system would have saved 212,000 lives in 2020 alone.” Free healthcare in the United States could drastically save more lives and allow for people to get healthcare without the fear of being in crippling debt due to a medical procedure.
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.
