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Emergency Preparedness Seminar

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•September 22, 2021•

The Arthur Public Library and Douglas County Medical Reserve Corps will present an Emergency Preparedness Seminar on Saturday, October 2 at 1:00 pm. Masks must be worn at all times and seats will be limited so reservations must be made by calling 217-543-2037.

Moultrie Moment of the Week

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Pictured above is an aerial shot of Lovington taken in the 1940’s. Please submit photos to the News Progress for future consideration. Originals will be saved for return or forwarded to Moultrie County Historical Society. If you have any other information, please contact the Moultrie County Historical Society at 217-728- 4085.

Recent Obituaries: Jean Cruit

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Jean Cruit

Jean Cruit, 92, of Sullivan, formerly from Dalton City, passed away at 1:10 a.m. Friday in Aspen Creek, Sullivan.

Celebration of Life services will be 11:00 a.m. Wednesday in the Reed Funeral Home, Sullivan with Pastor Gail Allen officiating. Visitation will be from 5-7 p.m. Tuesday. Burial will be in the Marrowbone Township Cemetery, Bethany.  Memorials are suggested to the Cumberland Presbyterian Church or to Aspen Creek. Online condolences may be sent to the family at reedfuneralhome.net. Masks are suggested for the visitation and funeral.
Jean was born February 10, 1929 in Decatur, the daughter of Franklin and Gladys Cantrell Parris. She was a member of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church and the Moultrie County Republican Women. She married Byron Smith ‘Smitty’ Cruit on July 2, 1949 in Decatur and he preceded her in death on September 15, 2008.
Surviving are her children Byron Smith Cruit, Jr. (Susan) of Augusta, Georgia, Calvin Deon Cruit (Peggy) of Sullivan and Gay Lee Thomas (Jack) of Dalton City; grandchildren Stanley Cruit, Shelly (Dave) Smith, Byron Thomas, Dustin Thomas, Eric Thomas, Tyler (Laney) Cruit and Leah (Terry) Akers; six great grandchildren; two step great grandchildren and a step great great grandson.

She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, two sisters and a brother.

Recent Obituaries: Peter Van Hook

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Peter Van Hook

Peter Van Hook, 88, of Sullivan, passed away at 8:34 a.m. Wednesday, September 15, 2021 at Courtyard Estates, Sullivan.

Celebration of Life services will be 9:00 a.m. Sunday at the Elim Springs Church of Jesus Christ, rural Sullivan with Vanessa Patient and Brigham Hagerman officiating. Burial will be in Greenhill Cemetery.  Memorials are suggested to the church. Reed Funeral Home, Sullivan is in charge of arrangements. Online condolences may be sent to the family at reedfuneralhome.net.
Mr. Van Hook was born on March 26, 1933 at Sullivan, Illinois, the son of Donald and Elinore Hagerman Van Hook. Peter was a salesman for many years and later in life worked for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources at Eagle Creek. He enjoyed photography, especially of the area around his home on the Columbia River, and many other interests such as landscaping, gardening, bar-b-queing and, as a young man, mountaineering. He was a member of the Elim Springs Church of Jesus Christ. Peter married Aimee Sue Persons on December 30, 1958 at Portland, Oregon and she preceded him in death on April 2, 2014.
Survivors include his daughter Kirsten (Martin) Conley of Cape Coral, Florida; grandson Daniel Conley; nieces Emily (Nathan) Beagle of Sullivan and Shelley Mork of Las Vegas.

He was preceded in death by his parents, sister Sara Moore and brother Stanley Van Hook.

Recent Obituaries: James Lawrence Scheer

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James Lawrence Scheer

James Lawrence Scheer, 71, of Sullivan, passed away 11:00 p.m. Monday, September 13, 2021, at Decatur Memorial Hospital.

Visitation will be held from 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Saturday, September 18, 2021, at McMullin-Young Funeral Home, Sullivan. Funeral services will be held at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, September 19, 2021, at McMullin-Young Funeral Home, Sullivan. Burial will be in Greenhill Cemetery, Sullivan, with Military Rites by the Sullivan American Legion Post #68. Memorials may be made to the Faith Lutheran Church:  RR 32 South Sullivan, IL 61951
James was born December 27, 1949; the son of Lawrence and Lucille (Schnake) Scheer of St. Peter. He was a graduate of LaGrove High School in Farina and Wabash Valley College in Mt. Carmel. He was drafted into the U. S. Army serving in Vietnam and later stationed in Germany working in military intelligence. His work took him to many countries across Europe. James especially enjoyed traveling through Switzerland and the Alps. After being discharged, he continued working for Interstate Producers Livestock Association in Fairfield and Greenfield before being offered the job as manager at the Sullivan branch market. After the market closed, he worked for Hydro Gear before retiring. He married Linda M. Mann on October 21, 1972, in Fairfield. He and his wife enjoyed traveling and spent winters in Florida. While growing up he worked in the family business, Schnake Grain which was later sold to ADM.
He was a member of the Faith Lutheran Church in Sullivan, and had previously served as Sunday school teacher, treasurer and trustee.
He is survived by his wife, Linda Scheer of Sullivan; daughters, Stacey (Shane) Calvert of Paris and Shannon (Jason) Cobb of Mattoon; granddaughters, Mya Cobb, Jada Cobb, Kimber Calvert; grandson, J.R. Calvert; sisters, Sandra (David) Radden of O’Fallon, Beverly Lungwitz of Belleville; nieces and nephews and his aunt, Ruth Schnake of Effingham.
James was preceded in death by his parents, granddaughter, Savannah Cobb and brother-in-law, Ray Lungwitz.
Condolences may be offered to the family at www.mcmullinyoung.com

Flannell No Longer City Administrator Of City of Sullivan

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•September 16, 2021•

The City of Sullivan's City Council released a statement late Wednesday afternoon that City Administrator Dan Flannell will no longer be employed by city. The release said "As of September 15th the City of Sullivan has decided to move the city in a new direction and will no longer require the services of our city administrator, Dan Flannell. The council thanks him for his service to the community and wishes him the best in his future endeavors."

‘All The Men and Women Merely Players’

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•September 15, 2021•
By Jim Baumann
NP Guest Writer

Reader Bill Thomas served me up a softball question for last Sunday’s column before getting to the meat of his email.
At the risk of his hogging my attention, it’s a topic worth exploring in its own column.
Without further ado, the windup aaaand the pitch:
“How did the title ‘actor’ ever get applied to named women acting on stage and movies? Shouldn’t ‘actress’ be the correct term?” he asked.
Gulp.
“I recognize that an actor is defined as one who acts. An actress is defined as a woman who is an actor,” he wrote. “My traditional understanding is that ‘actor’ was used as the male’s title and actress was the female’s title. Do we need to designate a different title for men who act?”
This is a difficult topic. Read More

CD Release Concert

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•September 15, 2021•

Southern Gospel musician Gregory Ridenhour will be having a cd release concert on Saturday, September 18 at 6 pm at Allenville Christian Church, 201 Allen St. in Allenville. For more information contact Greg Ridenhour at 217-317-1419 or greg@afcministries.com.