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Valentine’s Day breakfast at Heritage

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Photo by DM Williamee

On the morning of Thursday, February 12th, Heritage Woods of Sullivan held a Valentine’s Day breakfast for local seniors. The festively decorated atmosphere was one of lively chatter, laughter, and companionship amongst both friends and sweethearts. The menu featured fresh fruit, Denver omelets, bacon, and good old-fashioned biscuits and gravy.

Pictured are: Left, front to back: Johna Sims, Walter Jenkins, and Keith Richardson. Right, front to back: Beverly DeVore, Joyce Jenkins, and Ellen Feller. Keith and Beverly have been close friends for a long while, Ellen and Johna have been close friends for ‘ages’, and Walter and Joyce have been married for seventy years.

OVHS hosts grand opening of Career Exploration Center

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•February 18, 2026•

L-R: Olivia King, Jill Snearly, Shari Bryun, Brad Ackers, Gina Atchison, Matthew Shoaff, Grant Wade, Bonnie Scott, Kate Stauder, Kent Stauder, Andrea Gerhard, Andrew Fultz, Manny Guzman, Jenna Doty, and Sarah McDowell.

Okaw Valley Community Unit School District #302 celebrated the official ribbon cutting of the Okaw Valley High School Career Exploration Center on Thursday, February 12th, marking an exciting milestone for students, families, and the broader community. While the Center has been serving students throughout the school year, the ceremony marked its official grand opening.

The Career Exploration Center was made possible through a generous $13,000 grant from the Heart of Illinois Community Foundation, helping bring the space to life under the leadership of Jena Atchison, Bonnie Scott, and Matthew Shoaff. Representatives Grant Wade and Andrea Gerhard attended on behalf of the Foundation and joined students, educators, and community leaders as the doors officially opened.

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Sullivan City Council discusses water options, sets cleanup days

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•February 18, 2026•

by Sharon Barricklow

An unprecedented drop in the aquifer that supplies Sullivan’s public water supply has city council members discussing options after already declaring a “water emergency” at their February 9th council meeting. City engineer Lee Beckman told the council the aquifer had dropped 15 feet from previous levels. “We’ve never seen that before,” he said.

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ACOE: volunteers needed 

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•February 18, 2026•

Lake Shelbyville U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is looking to fill a few more volunteer positions for the 2026 season. They are seeking hard-working, dependable, and positive people to join their volunteer program. The current vacancies are as follows: Visitor Center host, Visitor Center garden, Lithia Springs campground cleaner, and Opossum Creek Campground host.

The position dates are Lithia Springs campground-April 16th-October 27th; Opossum Creek Campground -May 14th-September 8th; Forest Bo Woods-April 16th-October 25th; and Visitor’s Center-May through September. 

For more information, contact the volunteer coordinator at lakeshelbyville@usace.army.mil or call (217) 774-3951, extension 7047. To apply, go to volunteer.gov.

“Bo” Wood area temporarily closed

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•February 18, 2026•

The Bo Wood Recreation Area will be closed from February 17th through February 20th. This closure includes the entire area, including the entrance road, dog park, and boat ramp. Access will not be permitted for either vehicle or pedestrian traffic during this time. The temporary closure is necessary to allow maintenance teams to safely complete required maintenance work within the park. The Corps of Engineers recognizes the inconvenience these closures may cause and appreciates the public’s patience and cooperation as this work is completed. For additional information, contact the Lake Shelbyville Project Office at (217) 774-3951.

Findlay FPD annual ‘Soup Supper

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•February 18, 2026•

On Saturday, February 21st, from 4:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m., the Findlay Fire Protection District (FFPD) will be holding its annual ‘Soup Supper’ at the Findlay Firehouse, 301 E South 2nd Street in Findlay. This is a free-will donation meal/event open to the community and general public. All proceeds from this event will be used for the FFPD’s annual high school scholarship program, as well as costs for future events hosted by the department. 

The menu will be a variety of soups, hot dogs, peanut butter sandwiches, drinks, and desserts. This is AYCE.  The majority of the delicious items on the menu will be prepared by the always-appreciated and gracious volunteers of the department. There will also be a silent auction with numerous and varied items to bid on.

For additional information, contact Tina Martz via email at findlayems@gmail.com or call (217) 259-9267.

Recent Obituaries: William E. ‘Bill’ Drury

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William E. ‘Bill’ Drury, 84, of Sullivan, passed away at 7:20 p.m. Saturday, February 14, 2026 in his residence.

Celebration of Life services will be 10:00 a.m. Tuesday February 17, 2026, in the Reed Funeral Home, Sullivan, with Pastor Bob Vail officiating. Visitation will be from 9:00 a.m. until service time. Burial will be in the Mt. Zion General Baptist Cemetery, Sullivan, with military rites conducted by the Sullivan American Legion Post #68. Memorials are suggested to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Online condolences may be sent to the family at reedfuneralhome.net.

Bill was born September 13, 1941 in Charleston, the son of Lewis ‘Ez’ and Alleen ‘Shorty’ (Best) Drury. Bill had been a carpenter and worked out of the Local # 347 Union in Champaign. He was a U. S. Air Force veteran. Bill was Past Commander of the Sullivan American Legion Post # 68. He married Donna Houston on December 14, 1996 in Sullivan.  

Surviving are his wife Donna of Sullivan; sons Rob (Lori) Jones of Tremont and Mike (Jayde) Jones of Hammond; brothers Rick (Janice) Drury of Georgia and Dave (Sue) Drury of Indiana; sisters Norma Stanberry of Arcola and Mary Harding of Charleston; thirteen grandchildren and six great grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents, son Mark Jones, brothers John Drury and Paul ‘Dude’ Drury and a sister Donna Dyer.

Recent Obituaries: Phyllis J. Mocabee

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Phyllis J. Mocabee, 93, of Sullivan, passed away at 3:15 a.m. Wednesday, February 11, 2026 in the Sullivan Healthcare and Senior Living Center.

Celebration of Life services will be 2:00 p.m. Sunday February 15, 2026, in the Reed Funeral Home, Sullivan with Pastor Dave Dolan officiating. Visitation will be from 1:00 p.m. until service time. Burial will be in the Keller Cemetery, Lovington. Memorials are suggested to the Lovington Christian Church, the Elizabeth Titus Memorial Library in Sullivan or to the Sullivan Senior Center. Online condolences may be sent to the family at reedfuneralhome.net.

Phyllis was born March 19, 1932, in Lovington, the daughter of Charles F. and Celia O. Call Mocabee. She worked at the Illinois Masonic Home in Sullivan for six months before going to work as a machine operator for Borg-Warner in Decatur for thirty-six years. She then retired after ten years as a CRC 1 for the Department of Correction facility in Decatur. Phyllis was a member of the Lovington Christian Church. She was a lifelong conservative of Moultrie County and long-standing member of the Moultrie County Republican Women’s Club. She was an avid St. Louis Cardinals fan.

Surviving are her son Mike McDaniel of Sullivan; grandson Brock McDaniel of Hilton Head, South Carolina and special friend Pauline Rowles of Sullivan.

She was preceded in death by her parents and two sisters.

Mike and Brock would like to thank the staff at Sullivan Health Care and Senior Living Center for their great care.

Willoughby community benefit

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•February 11, 2026•

A Benefit Dinner, Silent Auction, a DJ, 50/50 Raffle, and a meat bundle auction will be held on March 28th at 5:00 p.m., at the Sullivan American Legion, located at 8 East Strain Street, for Avery Willoughby. Avery is currently battling metastatic carcinoma. Said Tracy of Avery, “He is the greatest person ever; he is kind, generous, and thoughtful, there isn’t anything he would not do for anyone else.”

The meal options at $10.00 per plate are BBQ Pulled Pork or spaghetti, and will be served with sides. Desserts and drinks are included. To have enough food prepared, it is requested that those attending RSVP by March 20th to Tracy Willoughby at (217) 402-2183 or email tracywilloughby57@gmail.com. Any donations are gratefully appreciated. There will also be T-shirts for sale with two different designs, sold for $20.00 each, as well as the ones sold by Agri-Fab for $25.00. To order T-shirts, contact Tracy at tracywilloughby57@gmail.com.

Women’s Auxiliary lunch

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•February 11, 2026•

On Sunday, February 22nd, the Lovington American Legion Post 429’s Women’s Auxiliary will be holding lunch from 11:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m., located at 32 W State Street in Lovington. The menu will be meatloaf, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, and a dinner. Tea and lemonade will also be served. Everyone is welcome. The cost for the meal is a donation. For more information, go to their Facebook page.