•February 9, 2022•
The Lovington American Legion was broken into last Saturday, February 5. According to Moultrie County Sheriff Chris Sims, the department received a report of an activated burglar alarm at 3:56 am on Saturday morning. There was damage to an exterior door and one interior door. There was also damage to three Illinois gaming machines. Forced entry was made to two machines and damage was noted on a third machine but no access was gained to the machine. The incident is under investigation by the Moultrie County Sheriff’s Department.
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Moultrie County Dive Team Seeking New Members
Photo submitted by Moultrie County Dive Team
The Moultrie County Dive Team responding to a past flooding incident. The dive team is looking to recruit new members to their organization.
•February 9, 2022•
by Crystal Reed
NP Writer
The Moultrie County Dive Team is looking to recruit new members. They currently have nine members, five of whom are shore responders plus two trained divers, a commander.
Commander of the Moultrie County Dive Team Joash Tiarks said that most of the calls the dive team receives involve the recovery of vehicles and boats, some search and rescue, stranded boaters and people who drive into deep water and become stuck. “The more volunteers to help, the better,” he said.
To join the dive team, applicants must pass a background check.
If a person wants to become a member of the shore crew, there are no swimming or weight lifting requirements; however, there is a basic swim test they must pass. “We are looking for people available to help and who want to assist the community,” Tiarks said. Read More
Winter Storm Causes Hazardous Road Conditions, Power Outages in Areas
Photo by Crystal Reed
Snow removal was being done by equipment in the parking lot of the Bethany Village Hall on Friday morning. Removal of snow was complicated by high winds that caused drifting on Thursday.
•February 9, 2022•
by Crystal Reed
NP Writer
Last Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday the local area received rain, freezing rain, sleet and heavy snow. The situation was complicated when paired with winds gusting 30-35 mph causing blowing and drifting snow, which resulted in dangerous travel conditions. According to the National Weather Service at Lincoln, the highest snowfall totals ranged from 8-15 inches within a swath situated between the Illinois River and I-70.
NWS also reported that ice amounts were brief for most areas, with the largest accumulations situated south of I-72 where one to three inches were reported prior to the heavy snowfall. Over the weekend, the area saw bitter cold with wind chills in the negatives Friday night into Saturday. Ben Deubelweiss, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service at Lincoln, said the extended forecast had no precipitation expected through the middle of this week.
When it comes to snow totals, Debelweiss reported that the totals they had recorded for our area included Lovington at 9.9 inches of snow, Sullivan with 5.8 inches of snow and Windsor with 10 inches of snow.
According to Moultrie County Sheriff Chris Sims, during the period of time of the storm there were large amounts of slide-offs, vehicles that spun out and stranded motorists to which the department responded.
Sullivan Township Road Commissioner Rich Rutledge said his crew of five came in Thursday afternoon, but because of snow and wind, they ran emergencies only. At 10 p.m. Thursday, they began poking holes in the accumulated snow on the roads. On Friday at 4 a.m., they ran all roads and pushed back snow. Sullivan Township is responsible for 95 township and 16 county miles. Read More
Arthur CUSD 305 Vaccine Clinic
•February 9, 2022•
The State of Illinois is partnering with Arthur Lovington Atwood Hammond High School to bring a free vaccine clinic to the area on February 15 from 4 to 7 pm at Arthur Lovington Atwood Hammond High School, 301 E. Columbia St. in Arthur. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is authorized and recommended for persons 5 years of age and older. Appointments can be scheduled online at the Arthur CUSD website www.cusd305.org.
Agri-Fab to host Blood Drive
•February 9, 2022•
Agri-Fab will host a community blood drive on Friday, February 18 from 9 am to 2 pm at 809 S. Hamilton St, Sullivan inside the meeting room. To donate, contact Taylor Rothrock at (217) 728-8388 ext. 207 or visit www.bloodcenter.org and use code 71025 to locate the drive. Scheduling can also be done by calling ImpactLife to schedule at 800-747-5401. Masks and appointments are required. Donors who last gave blood on or before 12/24/21 are eligible to give at this drive.
Cadwell Blood Drive
•February 9, 2022•
A community blood drive will be held on Tuesday, February 15 from 3 to 7 pm at 1533 CR 1900N, inside a donor bus that will be parked by M&E Woodcrafts in Cadwell. To donate, please contact ImpactLife Urbana at (800) 747-5401 or visit www.bloodcenter.org and use code 70636 to locate the drive. Donors who last gave blood on or before 12/21/21 are eligible to give at this drive. Masks and appointments are required. A photo id is required to donate.
Auxiliary Wine Expo/Vendor Fair
•February 9, 2022•
The Sullivan American Legion Auxiliary is hosting their annual Wine Expo/Vendor Fair on Sunday Feb. 13th from 1-4pm at the legion hall. This is the 9th year for this event as fundraiser.
Three wineries in attendance that day that will offer wine tasting.There will also be a variety of vendors that will be set up that day with cash and carry items available. Food prepared by the S.A.L. will be available for purchase.
Entrance fee is $5 which includes wine tasting.
Sheila Benton Rader Benefit
•February 9, 2022•
There will be a soup and sandwich benefit for Sheila Benton Rader on February 26 from 11 am to 6 pm at the Lovington Fire Department. Sheila has been diagnosed with Stage 4 Throat Cancer. She has been employed with Agri-Fab for 17 years and is a long-time resident of Lovington. All proceeds will go towards medical expenses. Food served will be chili and vegetable soup along with cold cut sandwiches, tea, lemonade and water. There will be 50/50 throughout the day and meat board raffles as well as a silent auction and bake sale. If you wish to donate an item for the silent auction contact Pam Anklam at 201-0662 or Tina Webb at 521-2514. If you wish to donate baked goods contact Martina Emrick at 413-0371 or Tina Webb at 521-2514. There is a facebook event with a link to go fund me if you wish to donate and cannot attend.
Ruling on Legal Challenge to School Mask Mandates could come soon
•February 2, 2022•
By Capital News Illinois
A Sangamon County judge is considering a motion to block Illinois schools from requiring people to wear face masks in classes and excluding students and staff from school buildings if they’ve had close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.
Circuit Judge Raylene Grischow heard oral arguments last week in a class action lawsuit against 145 school districts that was filed last year by Greenville attorney Thomas DeVore, who has unsuccessfully challenged the state’s COVID-19 mitigation measures in several other lawsuits.
In September, DeVore filed a motion for a temporary restraining order to permit students to continue in-person learning in school. Read More
Shawnee Communications makes donation to District #305 Education Foundation
•February 2, 2022•
Shawnee Communications delivered a late Christmas gift to District #305 Education Foundation. On Wednesday, January 19th, Jamie Franklin, Customer Service Manager for Shawnee Communications, presented the District #305 Education Foundation with a much-needed donation. The $5,400 donation consisted of employee donations, which were matched individually by Shawnee’s four shareholders and then matched by the company. On hand to receive the donation were board members Carol Smith, Marty Yeakel and members of the “100 People Who Care” organization. Read More