photo furnished
Sullivan High School National English Honors Society Induction
Sullivan High School’s National English Honors Society recently held an induction of new members. New inductees pictured are Riane Bear, Anyssa Coffer, Emily Crosier, Mae Dawkins, Logan Fleener, Aubrey Gingerich, Jalen Herschberger, Jonathan Iacobazzi, Landon Jesse, Kharli Kelly, Eiley Poe, Madi Shonkwiler, Naveah Wilson, Alexia Tull, Raymond Yang. Not pictured are Kate Bushue and Devon Richardson.
•September 27, 2023•
Cami Badman‘s SHS letters provided this special section for News-Progress readers in partnership with Sullivan Community School District 300. Thank you to Sullivan Schools for expecting excellence and to these letter-writing students for delivering.
Letters to the Editor written by Cami Badman‘s Honors English III students at Sullivan High School explored controversial subjects with maturity and logic.
Badman opened the school year challenging these 20 students to present well-rounded arguments for student-selected controversial subjects and letters to the editor.
Throughout history, letters to newspapers about important topics have crafted public opinion into pivotal changes in society in an age of electronic dominance and sound-bite arguments. Exploring topics in depth brought some interesting and convincing results.
Students explored a wide range of topics ranging from discontinuing the penny to gun control. Read More
photo by Greg Floyd
Dexter Parrish with one of his three runs. He had 63 yards rushing in the game.
•September 27, 2023•
by E. Scott England
The Sullivan-Okaw Valley Redskins put the Cerro Gordo-Bement Broncos to pasture last Friday with a dominant win of 59-7. The stampede by the Redskin offense started early and continued all four quarters with 7 different players finding the end zone throughout the night.
On just the second play of SOV’s first possession, junior ball carrier Aian Fryman did what he does best, taking his first carry of the night 82 yards for the first of his three touchdowns. The Broncos tried to respond with a methodical offensive possession that moved them down the field 72 yards within their own five yard line. The Redskin defense held strong with key tackles coming from seniors Landry Still and Hayden Moody and junior Elijah Beeler. The drive would result in a turnover on downs. Read More
•September 27, 2023•
by E. Scott England
It was a busy week last week in volleyball for the Sullivan Redskins. The first five teams the Redskins faced had a combined record of 64-24.
The week started Monday on the road in Monticello. The Redskins split the first two sets with the Sages (25-21, 14-25) forcing a third set which Monticello won 10-25. The team had a total of 24 kills on the evening with senior Paige Connor leading the team with five. Juniors Emily Miller and Mayci Strauf each had four. Offensively, the Redskins had four aces. Sophomore Aeralyn Thrasher had a team high of 2 with Miller and junior Isabella Stone each picking up one apiece. Read More
•September 27, 2023•
by E. Scott England
The Sullivan Redskins XC teams took to the streets of St. Joseph, Illinois to compete in the St. Joseph-Ogden Spartan Classic last Saturday. Twenty-eight teams brought a total of 313 runners for the traditionally fast road course. It looked like a repeat for team results as the Tolono (Unity) girls once again took first in the meet while Tuscola again secured the win for the boys. Read More
Steven Wood
Steven K. Wood, 83, of Sullivan, passed away September 22, 2023.
Visitation will be held Saturday October 7, 10 a.m. -1 p.m. at Reed Funeral Home in Sullivan. Military Honors will be conducted by Sullivan American Legion Post #68 at 9:30 a.m., Saturday at Reed Funeral Home. Read More
photo by Crystal Reed
Storyteller Visits Arthur Library
Storyteller Kathleen Brinkman of Champaign visited Arthur Library on Saturday, September 23. She has been telling multicultural stories for 20 years. Prior to retirement, Brinkman worked at the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana as the Director of Career Services for the biotechnology center. She likes to incorporate interesting stories for children into her programs while mixing in jokes that adults would like as well. Brinkman said that she has always told stories and that she is part of a storytelling guild. She noted that being a member of a storytelling guild has helped nurture her storytelling skills. Brinkman is pictured using a limber jack to tell one of the stories during the program.
•September 27, 2023•
by Crystal Reed
The Sullivan City Council awarded the bid for the Wyman Park Splash Pad and Sports Courts during Monday night’s regular meeting. The bid was awarded to Building Systems for $479,407. Commissioner Abbey Sherwood said that the total project cost is $763,612.00 and half of that is coming from a matching grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. They received $20,668.85 in donations from Becky Ogle and the SPARK initiative.
In public comment, Nancy Barker addressed Commissioner Doug Shook, who was attending the meeting via phone, in regards to his mileage report that he submitted to the city. She noted that the report was very thorough but she would like to know the places he has traveled in the city for that type of mileage. Barker noted that on the Fourth of July he recorded 15 miles.
Shook said that he drove around prior to the parade to check on projects. She said there was another for 21 miles and said that she would like to know where he went in the city. Shook said he was looking at projects to advise his crew and the council. Read More
•September 27, 2023•
By Jim Baumann
NP Guest Writer
When in doubt about the origin of an idiom, there are places to go, notably etymonline.com and idiomorigins.org.
I sometimes get lost in these websites because I learn so much every time I dip my toe in.
I decided to look up the birth of “eat crow” for reasons I’ll explain in a bit.
Idiomorigins.com calls it the American version of “eating humble pie.” It’s the act of admitting one’s mistake.
How does a mea culpa translate to eating crow? Crows, as you know, eat rotting flesh. Hence, it is believed crows themselves taste terrible. I wouldn’t know; I’ve eaten it only in an idiomatic sense. But something like that would be a humiliating experience. Read More
25 Years Ago This Week
Sullivan City Council members discussed the imminent closure of the indoor pool area at the Sullivan Civic Center which had been plagued by structural problems. The walls and roof of the structure had again been eroded by moisture and chemicals. Structural and mechanical repairs were estimated at close to $1 million. The pool was expected to close in November and remain closed through the winter and beyond.
“Professional volunteer” Joan Lundy Pound, Sullivan High School class of 1955 received the Who’s Who Award at the Sullivan High School Alumni Association banquet. Read More