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Assessment Officer to hold Annual Meeting

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•December 14, 2022•

As required by Section 200/9-15 of the Property Tax Code, Moultrie County Chief County Assessment Officer, Lori Barringer, advises that she will be holding her Annual Meeting with the Moultrie County township and multi-township assessors on Wednesday, December 21, 2022, at 8:30 a.m. in the Moultrie County Board Room, 2nd Floor, Moultrie County Courthouse, 10 South Main Street, Sullivan, Illinois. The purpose of this meeting is to consult with and instruct the assessors in the uniformity of their property tax listing and assessment functions. The meeting is open to the public.

Master Gardener Program Offers Hybrid Training

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•December 14, 2022•
For 46 years, University of Illinois Extension Master Gardeners have measured success by gardens planted, insects identified, produce harvested, and the millions of hours volunteers have logged by helping others learn to grow.
From farms and small-town to suburbs and the inner city, more than 2,600 volunteers statewide put their mission of “helping others learn to grow” into practice by providing gardening education and outreach in their communities. Take your love of gardening to the next level by joining the Master Gardeners in 2023. Read More

Breakfast in Bethlehem 2022

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Photo by Crystal Reed
Taking Part in the Christmas Story
Every child that attended the event was able to choose a part that they would act out during the telling of the Christmas story at Breakfast in Bethlehem. There were angels, stars, shepherds and wise men but also the main characters Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus.

Photo by Crystal Reed
Making Blessing Bags
Livie and Sadie Lane make blessing bags during Breakfast in Bethlehem held at Sullivan First United Methodist Church.

Photo by Crystal Reed
Games and Activities
Wade Wilson colors a picture during Breakfast in Bethlehem on Saturday, December 10.

Photo by Crystal Reed
Candy Cane Game
At right, Kyler Smith plays a candy cane game at Breakfast in Bethlehem. The concept was to stand on the chair and drop a candy cane so that it would catch on one of the red ribbons below. Other activities included activity sheets and making items for parts in the Christmas story that was read at the end of the program.

FCCLA Breakfast with Santa 2022

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Photos by Crystal Reed
Sullivan FCCLA with Santa
Sullivan High School’s FCCLA hosted Breakfast with Santa on Saturday, December 10. Pictured are FCCLA members and advisor as well as Miss Sullivan Kaitlin Kirby and Little Miss Sullivan Lydia Cummings.

Photo by Crystal Reed
Visiting Santa
Reese, Alexis and Gabrielle Pullen enjoyed visiting with Santa during Breakfast with Santa on Saturday, December 10.

Photo by Crystal Reed
Breakfast with Santa
Waylon and Fallon Vincent wore matching pajamas to enjoy some pancakes and visit with Santa at Sullivan High School.

OVHS Senior Citizens Christmas Dinner

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Photo by Crystal Reed
OVHS Senior Citizens Christmas Dinner
The 50th Annual Senior Citizens Christmas Dinner provided by the Okaw Valley School District was held on Friday, December 9 in the high school cafeteria. Music was provided by students who were accompanied on piano by Kathy Doty. Pictured in no order are Garrett Ferguson, Eli Peters, Sayj Jean, Kayla Fleshner and Lydia Webner.

Shine for Makenna Day

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Photo furnished
Shine for Makenna Day
Windsor High School students were encouraged to wear neon on Wednesday, December 7 to honor “Shine for Makenna Day.” The high school student council also collected funds to take to Stewardson-Strasburg High School. Makenna was the granddaughter of varsity boys basketball coach Shane Smith. She passed away on Friday, December 9.

Christmas event hosted by BASO 2022

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Photo by Crystal Reed
Grinch Game
Aidyn and Kate McBride had a game where children could shoot a nerf gun at balloons bearing the image of the Grinch.

Photo by Crystal Reed
Festive Face Painting
MacKenzie Kidwell has glitter applied to the candy cane that was painted on her face during the BASO event at Okaw Valley Elementary School.

Photo by Crystal Reed
Visiting with Santa
Maximus Tranten and Mike McBride visited with Santa in Bethany on Saturday, December 3. Children who attended were encouraged to bring donations for the Bethany Food Pantry. Children who donated were entered into a prize drawing.

Photo by Crystal Reed
Playing Christmas Games
Adelyn Doty plays while parents Michael and Jessica look on. The game she was interested in involved tossing soft characters through the cornhole ramp. The event brought together children of all ages and those young at heart.

Photo by Crystal Reed
Bethany Celebration Royalty Meet Santa
Bethany Celebration royalty passed out stocking filled with treats to children visiting Santa at Okaw Valley Elementary School. From left to right are Junior Miss Lydia Webner, Little Miss Khali Creek and Miss Madalyne McPheeters. Not pictured is Young Miss Livie Lane.

Photo by Crystal Reed
Royal Game
Little Miss Bethany Khali Creek plays a game during the Christmas event hosted by BASO at Okaw Valley Elementary School on Saturday, December 3.

English Students Express Opinions in Letters to the Editor (Continued from Last Week)

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•December 14, 2022•
Editors Note: The following letters to the editor were submitted by Cami Badman’s honors English students at Sullivan High School. Studnts picked a debatable topic of their choice and used the techniques they learned in class. Several letters were provided to us and we have chosen to print the following letters. These are a continuation from last week’s edition.

Dear Editor,
Throughout recent years, standardized testing has become more prevalent across the United States. Millions of students are forced to test long hours and told to try their best. However, these tests fail to accurately measure the students of America. All things considered, there should not be standardized tests in schools. Derrick Meador, an education expert, exclaims,“ Students are tested on grade-appropriate material but they are not retested to determine if they have learned information they tested poorly on the year before.” If students are not retested, how would anyone know whether they have improved or not? With inaccurate tests, there should be no point in requiring students to take the tests in the first place. Read More

Federal REAL ID Deadline Extended

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•December 14, 2022•

Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White announced last Monday that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has extended the federal REAL ID deadline an additional two years, from May 3, 2023, to May 7, 2025. With this extension, current standard Illinois driver’s licenses or ID cards will continue to be accepted at airports for domestic air travel until May 7, 2025.
Illinoisans interested in applying for a REAL ID are encouraged to visit REALID.ilsos.gov and use the interactive document checklist. This checklist is designed to help ensure REAL ID applicants gather all the documents required by the federal government to obtain a REAL ID before visiting a Driver Services facility. First-time REAL ID applicants are required by DHS to visit a Driver Services facility in person. Read More