Author Archives:

Facts for Families: Ease Your Child’s Stress About Leaving For College

News Progress Posted on by

•August 4, 2021•
By Cheri Burcham
Family Life Educator

The summer between high school graduation and freshman year of college is cause for excitement and a feeling of pride. There are many celebratory events to attend and possibly even a college orientation. While it is a milestone that is filled with enthusiasm, it can also take a toll on the student’s mental well-being especially if they are going away to school later that summer.
Extension Educator Veronica Aranda has written this article that I wanted to share with you in preparation for your child leaving for college. Veronica says: Leaving home for the first time requires students to take on added responsibilities and make decisions for themselves. While the thought of moving away might excite them, sharing a room with a stranger or even a friend or acquaintance will bring about an array of challenges that they will need to learn to resolve. Read More

Coles County Man Sentenced

News Progress Posted on by

•August 4, 2021•
Alexander Fritz, 25, of Charleston has been sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment in the Illinois Department of Corrections.
At a hearing July 23, Judge Gary Webber accepted a plea in which Fritz pled guilty to the offense of armed violence, a Class X Felony, Moultrie County case 21-CF-37. Read More

BASO Main Street Car Show

News Progress Posted on by

•August 4, 2021•

The Bethany Advocates and Support Organization (BASO) and Village of Bethany are sponsoring the BASO Main Street Car Show in downtown Bethany on Saturday, August 21 from 4 to 7 pm. Entry fee is $10. Dash plaques will be given to the first 100 entries. Trophies will be presented at 6:30 pm, awards being given out will be People’s Choice, Mayor’s Choice, Chief’s Choice and Top Ten Awards-Participant Judging. All makes and model are welcome. There will be a 50/50 raffle. Music will be provided by Nidal Entertainment and food vendors will be Bethany Fire Department, Bethany Diner and ice cream and desserts by the Bethany United Methodist Church.

Relay For Life of Coles and Moultrie

News Progress Posted on by

•August 4, 2021•

Relay for Life of Coles and Moultrie County will be held on Saturday, August 21 from 3 to 10 pm at Peterson Park, located at 500 Broadway Avenue, in Mattoon. They can be found on Facebook at Moultrie County Illinois Relay for Life or Relay for Life of Coles County, IL. Registration can be done at https://secure.acsevents.org/site/STR?pg=entry&fr_id=101237

Local Districts Awarded Grants

News Progress Posted on by

•August 4, 2021•
More than 1.5 million students reached Secretary of State and State Librarian Jesse White has awarded over $1.4 million in FY21 School District Library Grant Program awards to 649 public school districts. More than 1.5 million Illinois students served by school library media programs will benefit from the grants. Read More

Moultrie Moment of the Week

News Progress Posted on by

This photo was taken at the Brown Shoe factory. It appears to have been taken on the 3rd floor with the North windows behind the three ladies. The lady nearest the windows is Stella Booker. 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: Barbara Vail

News Progress Posted on by

Barbara Vail

Barbara Ann Vail, 60, of Sullivan, passed away 7:04 p.m. Thursday, July 29, 2021, at Decatur Memorial Hospital.

Funeral services will be held 11:00 a.m. Monday, August 2, 2021, at the McMullin-Young Funeral Home, Sullivan. Visitation will be held from 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Monday, at the funeral home in Sullivan. Burial will be held at a later date in Greenhill Cemetery, Sullivan. Memorials may be made to the Allenville Christian Church; 201 S Allen St, Allenville IL 61951 or to the Moultrie County Habitat for Humanity; 401 S. Hamilton St, Sullivan, IL 61951.
Barb was born June 5, 1961, in Goshen, IN, the daughter of Orin Harold Pedigo and Beverly Joan (Colclasure) Stain. She married Robert L. Vail on December 4, 1999, in Windsor; he survives. Barb was a member of the Allenville Christian Church. She was an active member at the Sullivan VFW Post 6410 and a Board Member for the Habitat for Humanity. She was an avid Indianapolis Colts Fan. Barb loved her family and friends very much.
She is survived by her mother, Beverly Joan (Bill) Stain of Pana; husband, Robert Vail of Sullivan; daughter, Carrie Jo Parks of Boise, ID; step-sons, Matthew (Shelby) Vail of Charleston, Chad (Brandi) Vail of Urbana, Mark (Sarah) Vail of Mattoon and Jonathan (Amber) Vail of Missouri; brother, Charles (Patricia) Pedigo of Zephyrhills, FL; grandchildren, Wyatt John Buxton of Decatur and Elexa Vail of Mattoon.
She was preceded in death by her father and son, John L. Parks.
Condolences may be offered to the family at www.mcmullinyoung.com

Recent Obituaries: Marilyn Book

News Progress Posted on by

Marilyn Book

Marilyn Book, 76, of Sullivan, passed away at 10:39 a.m. Thursday July 29, 2021, in St. Mary’s Hospital, Decatur.

Celebration of Life services will be 10:00 a.m. Monday in the Reed Funeral Home, Sullivan with Rev. Mark Bjornbak officiating. Visitation will be Sunday from 6-8 p.m.  Burial will be in the Greenhill Cemetery, Sullivan followed by a lunch at the Sullivan First Baptist Church.  Memorials are suggested to the Sullivan First Baptist Church.  Online condolences may be sent to the family at reedfuneralhome.net.
Marilyn was born February 18, 1945, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, the daughter of Rev. Fred and Lillian Schmidt.  She then moved to Turtle Lake, North Dakota in 1945, then to Madison, South Dakota in 1950, then to Victor, Iowa in 1957 and attended nursing school at Swedish Covenant Hospital in Chicago, Illinois.  She then moved to Sullivan in 1963.  Marilyn was a very active member and pianist of the Sullivan First Baptist Church.
Marilyn married Roy Book on August 4, 1990.  They lived in Lovington and Sullivan and enjoyed a lifetime with their immediate and extended families.
Surviving are her husband Roy of Sullivan; sister Judy (Gary) Marco of Edwardsville; brother David Schmidt of Grayslake; the Book family; stepdaughters Sharon (Fred) Jones and Diana (Tim) Wilson of Decatur; eight step grandchildren and eight step great grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents and an infant brother.

Plant A Rainbow

News Progress Posted on by

Photo by Crystal Reed
Plant A Rainbow
Addy Hendry (right) fills a pot with soil before planting New England Aster seeds in it. Keegan Payne (left), an Environmental Educator at Douglas-Hart Nature Center looks on. Payne presented a program called Plant A Rainbow at Marrowbone Public Library in Bethany on Thursday, July 22. She talked about prairie animals and plants and the process of pollination. There were also two games that children played one about pollination and the other about migration and the importance of prairie plants to that process.

Sullivan Boys Head To Wisconsin Ohio Valley Regionals

News Progress Posted on by

Photo furnished
Caysen Harminson and Schafer Ogle, both of Sullivan, with the 2021 13 year old State Championship banner that their team, the Mattoon Area All Stars, achieved recently. The team will be traveling to the Ohio Valley Regionals on Wednesday, July 28 for the 5 day tournament in the hopes of advancing to the Babe Ruth World Series in August.

•July 28, 2021•
Caysen Harminson and Schafer Ogle, both of Sullivan, are members of the Mattoon Area All Star Team which is part of the Babe Ruth Little League. They recently traveled with the team to Chicago where the team won the Northern Illinois Babe Ruth 13 year old State Championship. Their team played two games, during those games only one run was given up and in the first game there was only one hit.
The first game was against Evergreen Park Mustangs and the score was 6-0. The championship game was against the Sheridan Park Generals which was a score of 1-6 with the All Star Team coming out victorious.
On Wednesday, July 28 they will be traveling to Eau Claire, Wisconsin for the Ohio Valley Regionals. This is a five day tournament that will run from Thursday-Sunday and will involve 16 teams. Schafer plays the positions of catcher and third base. Caysen plays the positions of pitcher and third base.
If the Mattoon Area All Star Team succeeds in the Regionals they will travel to Jamestown, New York for the Babe Ruth World Series in August. The team is coached by Tony Sharp and Justin Young. Both boys have regularly played for the Illini Crush of Okaw Valley which is coached by Tim Montgomery and Brad Saul.[/s2If]