•February 10, 20201•
by Jason Brown
NP Sports
The Sullivan boys’ basketball team had to complete a fourth quarter comeback to win its season opener against Paris Saturday.
The Redskins fell behind 13-8 after the first quarter. Sullivan cut the deficit to five at half, 26-22.
The Redskins again cut into the lead in the third by outscoring the Tigers 10-8 to cut the lead to 34-32.
In the fourth quarter, Sullivan took the lead, outscoring Paris 24-17, for the eventual 56-51 win. Read More
Jacob Moxley
Jacob Allan Moxley, 34, of Sullivan, passed away at 1:45 a.m. Wednesday, February 3, 2021, at his home in Sullivan surrounded by friends and family. Read More
25 Years Ago This Week
A prom problem drew a capacity crowd of students and parents to the school board meeting. Because their fundraising efforts fell short this year, juniors asked the school administration to permit them to eliminate the dinner portion of the prom in order to cut costs. Students would go to dinner on their own and attend the dance later under the plan. But Sullivan High School Principal Stuart Hott and Superintendent Rich Voltz vetoed the idea, on the grounds that students driving to dinner on their own in area towns would court increased danger and the fact that they would not be supervised during dinner. Read More
•February 10, 20201•
Prolonged cold weather opens many recreational opportunities. It also opens up the potential for tragedy.
Curt Sinclair, University of Illinois Extension 4-H natural resources specialist, offers these guidelines for assessing whether icy ponds and rivers are safe.
“A minimum of four inches of clear, newly-formed ice is needed to support one person on foot,” Sinclair says. “New ice is usually stronger than old ice, and clear ice is usually stronger than ice that appears cloud.”
Ice across a pond is seldom uniform, Sinclair says. Water movement and snow cover can cause vast differences in ice thickness and strength. Moving water under frozen streams will slow the freezing process.
“A pond may have 12 inches of ice in one area and only 1 inch of ice only 10 feet away,” Sinclair says. Illinois 4-H offers a new winter ice safety video at go.illinois.edu/icesafety to teach youth basic ice safety guidelines.
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources offers anglers these ice fishing tips at its website:
Test the thickness of the ice in several areas.
Wear a personal floatation device under winter gear.
Don’t fish or play on the ice alone and keep a safe distance from others on the ice.
Carry a rope to pull someone out of the water if needed.
Carry a pair of ice picks to pull oneself out of slippery-water-covered ice.
For more information on University of Illinois Extension programming in Coles, Cumberland, Douglas, Moultrie and Shelby county, visit our website at http://web.extension.illinois.edu/ccdms/index.html or call us at (217)849-3931. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time for meeting your access needs. The University of Illinois Extension provides equal opportunities in programs and employment.
Submitted by Judy Mae Bingman, Illinois Extension, Marketing and Communications Manager
•February 10, 20201•
by Jason Brown
NP Sports
The Okaw Valley boys’ basketball team opened the season with two wins.
The Timberwolves knocked of Villa Grove/Heritage Friday and Windsor/Stew-Stras Tuesday, Feb. 2.
Against Villa Grove/Heritage, only ten points were scored in the first quarter total when Okaw Valley took a 6-4 lead.
The Timberwolves doubled up Villa Grove/Heritage 10-5 in the second quarter to take a 16-9 halftime lead.
Okaw Valley extended that lead by four in the third quarter and eventually won 44-30. Read More
•February 10, 20201•
Capitol News Illinois
The state administered 64,469 COVID-19 vaccinations statewide over the weekend following a single-day record for vaccinations on Friday. As of Monday, Feb. 8, the state has issued over 1.3 million doses, with 2.3 percent of the population having been fully vaccinated.
Illinois has ranked near the bottom of all 50 states in vaccines administered thus far, according to a New York Times database, leading some state lawmakers to call for increased transparency and a more effective process for allowing eligible residents to receive vaccines.
On Monday, Senator Julie Morrison, D-Lake Forest, announced that the Senate Health Committee will hold a special hearing on Thursday regarding the state’s COVID-19 vaccination plan.
“The COVID-19 vaccine is the greatest line of defense we have against the pandemic,” Morrison said in a Monday news release. “Unfortunately, many people across the state who are eligible for the vaccine haven’t been able to get their dose – and that’s disheartening.”
The release said that the hearing has been scheduled amid “hundreds of questions and concerns from constituents” regarding the rollout of the vaccine, citing a “confusing” scheduling process.
“I hope this hearing will lead us toward a path of greater efficiency,” Morrison said in the release.
The virtual hearing, scheduled for noon on Thursday, will feature Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike, as well as representatives from the Chicago and Sangamon County Health Departments. Read More
•February 10, 20201•
Ignoring a chronic condition will not make it go away, and suffering is simply a poor management technique. So, if you live with a long-term health condition, why not learn how to more effectively manage it and live an active and fulfilling life? Believe it or not, although the specifics of managing each condition vary, the skills for managing most chronic conditions are actually quite similar. Take Charge of Your Health is a program designed to help you become a better health manager! Cheri Burcham of University of Illinois Extension and Penny Arthur of Moultrie County Counseling Center have teamed up to provide this program online. Classes will be offered weekly on Wednesday afternoons starting Feb. 24 and ending March 31, from 3:00 – 5:30 PM. Read More
•February 10, 20201•
Cheri Burcham
Extension Educator, U of I Extension
I think winter is officially here! I actually enjoy the snow and watching the birds at my feeders. I feel that this is usually the time to slow down a little, reflect and regroup, and especially this year more than ever. I found a great article by Extension Program Coordinator Wendy Ferguson on the Extension blog “Naturalist News” about storytelling and some recommended reads in the areas of nature, environment and stewardship. I thought this would be a good time to share it with all of you. Wendy writes:
Welcome to winter. During this cold and snowy time, many American Indian cultures use the time for traditional storytelling. Storytelling serves two main purposes, entertainment and education. And the really good stories do both. Hearing a story or reading a book is like receiving a gift from the storyteller or author. In Native American cultures, a gift of tobacco is offered to the storyteller before the story begins as a sign of respect. The storyteller will often take the tobacco outside and place it on the earth as an offering to the spirits of the story. So in these months dedicated to storytelling here are a few authors worth reading, no tobacco needed. Read More
Photo by Crystal Reed.
Chase Eller (right) receives a certificate from Mayor Richard Glazebrook (left) during the city council meeting. Eller recently saved a baby from choking when he was dining at a restaurant in Decatur.
•February 10, 20201•
by Crystal Reed
NP Writer
Citizens expressed their concerns about utility rates during Monday’s meeting of the Sullivan City Council. Allison Beard addressed the council saying her utility bill this past month was almost $400.
“My boyfriend has recently started going to work early every day of the week just so we can afford to pay this extremely high utility bill,” she said. Beard added that she has had several people reach out to her saying their bills are high as well.
Mayor Richard Glazebrook said the staff has put a lot of time in this and received a lot of calls. He said that the usage is up and is a lot more than it was last year. Read More
•February 10, 20201•
by Jason Brown
NP Sports
Whether coming off a good year or a bad year, coaches will tell everyone before the season starts that each year has different players and last year’s record doesn’t matter.
Last season, Okaw Valley coach Brad Ackers was rattling off each one of those sentiments after his team had come off a trip to the state basketball tournament.
This year, Ackers might have been saying the same things but for completely different reasons.
Those sentiments are more applicable to this unprecedented season than ever before.
First, each team has about half the games scheduled than last season.
Second, without much conditioning and practice before games started, players began in mid-season but are not necessarily in mid-season shape. Read More