Author Archives:

St. Jude Dash and Bash 2021

News Progress Posted on by

Photo by Crystal Reed.
Kids Bags Tournament
The Kids Bags Tournament at the St. Jude Dash and Bash this past Saturday attracted several competitors. From left to right: Kaley Herschberger, Caysen Dringenberg, Rhett Lehman and Kaden Herschberger.

Photo by Crystal Reed
Duck Derby
St. Jude Dash and Bash Duck Derby was held on Saturday afternoon at Wyman Lake.

Photo by Crystal Reed
5k Run/Walk
The 5k run/walk was held bright and early at Wyman Park on Saturday morning for the St Jude Dash and Bash. The top two finishers were Ailey Mitchell, age 19, and Antonio Chavez, age 22. In addition to the 5k run/walk there was also a 1 mile run/walk and a tot trot. Pictured above are runners on the course at Wyman Park.

Village Of Bethany To Make Water System Upgrades

News Progress Posted on by

•June 9, 2021•
by Crystal Reed
NP Writer

The Village of Bethany has plans to make upgrades to their water plant, water tower and water lines. According to Village President Jonathan Book the project is estimated at $3.6 million.
Book said that the project is being funded by the United States Department of Agriculture rural development program that will be part grant and part loan. The village is currently awaiting their award letter to find out how much will be grant and how much will be loan. Read More

Sullivan Chamber and Economic Development Golf Outing

News Progress Posted on by

Photo submitted by Timmy Valentine
Golf Outing
The Sullivan Chamber and Economic Development winning team was Agri-Fab. From left to right: Bob Schlechte, Dan Frerichs, Kerri Frerichs, Chad Frerichs.

Photo submitted by Timmy Valentine
Sullivan Chamber and Economic
Development Golf Outing
The Sullivan Chamber and Economic Development held their annual golf outing last Friday. Pictured from left to right are Stacey Uphoff, Laurie Minor, Director of the Sullivan Chamber and Economic Development, Sullivan mayor Richard Glazebrook and Matt Forcum, owner of Shelby Realty.

Lovington Townwide Cleanup Days

News Progress Posted on by

•June 9, 2021•

The Village of Lovington will have their townwide cleanup days on Friday, June 11 and Saturday, June 12. Dumpsters will be located behind Mechling’s Backhoe. Things that will not be accepted are paint, appliances, dimensional lumber, tires and electronics.

Revered Illinois Alumna’s $45M ‘Visionary Gift’ Lifts Connection to a New Level

News Progress Posted on by

•June 9, 2021•
Strengthening families and communities through gathering and connection have been important themes throughout Doris Kelley Christopher’s life and career. Now, a $45 million gift from the University of Illinois alumna will support the creation of an engagement-rich center located in the Arboretum on the Urbana-Champaign campus. Read More

Matheson Graduates From Olivet

News Progress Posted on by

•June 9, 2021•

Moranda Matheson of Bethany recently graduated from Olivet Nazarene University on May 9 as a first generation student with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Nursing. She also passed her state nursing boards on June 5 and has been accepted by the Illinois State Board of Nursing as an RN BSN. Moranda has accepted a job working with one of the top 100 hospitals in the country on a step-down intensive care unit. She is now pursuing her Master’s degree in Medical Business Administration and plans to open up nonprofit clinics for medically underserved areas in the future.

ALAH High School Holds Commencement For Class of 2021

News Progress Posted on by

Photo by Crystal Reed
Pomp and Circumstance
Arthur-Lovingtown-Atwood-Hammond High School held commencement for the Class of 2021 on Saturday, May 29. The graduating class of 2021 was 71 members. Pictured above are graduates marching into the ceremony.

•June 9, 2021•
by Crystal Reed
NP Writer

Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond High School held commencement for the 71 members of the class of 2021, Saturday, May 29, on the football field. The motto for the class of 2021 is this quote by Vince Lombardi, “Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence.”
Senior Class President Jack Martin said that perfection is not the word to describe the last 15 months. “We are leaving this high school after an entire year of being fully masked and fully distanced, but we must be fully confident moving forward,” he said.
Layton Hall, salutatorian, addressed those in attendance. He said that sports is one of the areas in which the class succeeded. Hall noted that the school band played at Millikin University last year, and the senior class won grand champion at the Effingham marching competition both their freshman and junior years.
He noted that their class was also active in agriculture. Read More

Prairie’s Edge Master Naturalists to Host Pollinator Week Walks

News Progress Posted on by

•June 9, 2021•
To celebrate our native pollinators during National Pollinator Week, the local Master Naturalist group will host a variety of walks and presentations. Learn about native pollinators, and flowering and host plants with Master Naturalist Kathryn Bulver during a series of guided pollinator walks at several local natural sites. We’ll start each walk with a short presentation on pollination and pollinators, then head out to see what we can find!
Interested in learning about our native bee species and how they live; including how you can buy or make a bee bath or bee houses? Join Master Naturalist Jane Zerkel on Wednesday, June 23, 6:30 PM at Whiteside Gardens for an informative presentation. Read More

Lawmakers Pass Follow-Up Criminal Justice Bill

News Progress Posted on by

•June 9, 2021•
By Raymon Troncoso
Capitol News Illinois

The General Assembly this week passed legislation addressing lingering concerns from law enforcement about a massive criminal justice reform omnibus passed earlier this year.
Introduced by Chicago Democratic Sen. Elgie Sims, an amendment to House Bill 3443 would act as trailer legislation for the SAFE-T Act, a major criminal justice reform backed by the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus that was signed into law by Gov. JB Pritzker in February. That measure mandated body cameras and changed use-of-force guidelines for law enforcement, created a new police certification system, expanded detainee rights and ends the use of cash bail in Illinois.
Unlike the SAFE-T Act, Sims’ new legislation has the support of the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police and the Illinois State Police and amends some controversial portions of the act that were opposed by law enforcement. Read More

2021 Theme Announced For Illinois And Du Quoin State Fairs

News Progress Posted on by

•June 9, 2021•
A message of unity will be the theme throughout the fairgrounds in Springfield and Du Quoin this summer. “One Illinois” is the theme which will be showcased throughout the 2021 Illinois and Du Quoin State Fairs. “One Illinois” is aimed at uniting Illinoisans after COVID-19 led to the cancellations of both fairs in 2020.
“Illinois’ proud agricultural tradition has long been the force that drives our state forward, and the last 18 months have been no different. In March of 2020, when the world seemed to come to a halt, our state’s number one industry kept right on going,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “While the COVID-19 pandemic demanded a temporary pause to the State Fairs, communities across the state will once again have a chance to come together as “One Illinois” this August to celebrate our number one industry and the people that keep us all going.” Read More