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Letters to Santa

News Progress Posted on by

•November 25, 2020•

The Moultrie County News Progress is offering a chance to send letters to Santa.
Santa’s North Pole drop box will be placed in front of the Monroe Street office this week.
Plans are to publish all letters in The News Progress on Wednesday, December 16 to give Santa Claus time to figure out who has been naughty or nice.
Letters may also be sent to santa@newsprogress.com or by mailing to Santa Claus c/o News Progress PO Box 290, Sullivan 61951.
Letters should be received no later than Friday, December 11.

Flowers For Long Term Care Residents

News Progress Posted on by

•November 25, 2020•
The holidays will look a little different this year, especially for those in long term care, assisted living, and memory care facilities. The Sullivan Chamber and Economic Development would like to provide each resident at all of the facilities in Sullivan: Mason Point, Sullivan Rehabilitation & Healthcare, Eastview Terrace, Green Gardens, Courtyard Estates, and Aspen Creek with a special live plant this holiday season from Buxton’s Garden Farm to show them they are on our minds. There are a total of 305 residents and they are looking for sponsors to send these arrangements to them. The cost is $15 each which includes tax and delivery. If you would like to sponsor, email information@sullivanchamber.com, call 217-728-4223, or mail your sponsorship to P.O. Box 234, Sullivan, IL 61951. They can accept credit cards.

IDPH Offers Holiday Food Safety Tips

News Progress Posted on by

•November 25, 2020•
While Thanksgiving and other holidays will look different for many of us as we forgo getting together with friends and extended family, and instead opt to connect virtually to help prevent spread of COVID-19, cooking and baking likely will continue to be staples of the holidays.
“While we are focused on doing what we need to do to prevent COVID-19 – washing our hands, watching our distance, and wearing our mask – it is important not to forget food safety,” said Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike. “This holiday season, I recommend following several food safety steps to help prevent foodborne illness.” Read More

Sullivan Boys Golf Players Earn All Area Honors

News Progress Posted on by

•November 25, 2020•
By Jason Brown
NP Sports

This season, the Sullivan boys’ golf team had one of the best season of any Redskin golf team, but without a state golf meet, the team can never really know its final place in state.
The year’s successes were on display when the Champaign News Gazette announced All-Area Boys’ Golf Teams this past weekend.
Four Redskins earned the all-area honors.
Senior Leyton Ellis and senior Drew Rogers were named to the all-area second team.
Junior Camden Dwyer and senior Logan Westjohn earned all-area honorable mention honors. Read More

IDPH Preps for Expected Initial 400,000 Doses of Vaccine

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First batch of vaccines will go to hospital workers, first responders

•November 25, 2020•
By Sarah Mansur
Capitol News Illinois
smansur@capitolnewsillinois.com

After Pfizer submitted its application for a COVID-19 vaccine to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration last week, Illinois public health officials have continued preparing locations to store and distribute the vaccine that could be released to frontline hospital workers in a matter of weeks.
Pfizer announced Friday that it planned to submit its COVID-19 vaccine application for emergency approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration — a process that could take between two and four weeks, Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said during Friday’s daily news conference.
On Friday, Ezike said she expects the state will receive about 400,000 doses of the vaccine in the first round of distribution.
“That is the number that we’re working with to identify how we will partition that out for the first phase,” she said.
“And we already know that we heard directly from General (Gustave) Perna that, as soon as FDA approval is granted, the next day they would start shipping out vaccines,” she added. Read More

One Book, One Sullivan Presents The Only Road

News Progress Posted on by

•November 25, 2020•
by Crystal Reed
NP Writer

One Book, One Sullivan revealed this year’s book in a slightly different way last Friday morning. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic they were not able to have an all school assembly to announce the book. Instead the One Book, One Sullivan group gathered in the gym and through technology broadcasted the announcement to classrooms in the building.
The list of books that was chosen from for this year was narrowed down slowly until the group settled on three titles. Prior to the announcement of the chosen book students presented the other two books that were also being considered. Runners up included ‘Nowhere Boy’ by Katherine Marsh and ‘Resistance’ by Jennifer Nielsen.
During the presentation the One Book, One Sullivan group showed a trailer of the winning book, which featured students reading selections from the book and explaining some of the plot points. Students from One Book, One Sullivan were also sent out to each classroom to deliver a copy of the book to them. Read More

Businesses To Participate In Small Business Saturday

News Progress Posted on by

Photo by Crystal Reed.
Allie Bridges works on a floral arrangement at The Flower Pot Florals and Boutique. The business will be offering specials during its Black Friday event which will carry over into Small Business Saturday.

•November 25, 2020•
By Crystal Reed
NP Writer

Small Business Saturday is a shopping holiday held during the Saturday after Thanksgiving. American Express created the event during the recession in 2010 to encourage people to shop small and bring more holiday shopping to small businesses.
One local business that is participating is Buxton’s Garden and Flower Shop located on 121 between Bethany and Sullivan. They started as a small roadside stand selling sweetcorn out of the back of a pick-up truck and have grown into a year round garden center.
Buxton’s will have their Christmas décor out in the shop and also will have two small businesses vendors setting up there on Saturday. Those businesses are Small Town Chic Boutique and Felt and Born. Read More

City Council Hears About Chamber’s of Commerce’s Christmas Plans

News Progress Posted on by

•November 25, 2020•
by Crystal Reed
NP Writer

During Monday evening’s Sullivan City Council meeting the council heard about the plan that the Sullivan Chamber of Commerce has for the holiday season. Director of Sullivan Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Laurrie Minor told the council that the chamber has an effort to try and provide every long term care resident in Sullivan a plant. They are $15 and the chamber only needs 86 more donations to make this effort possible.
Another event that they are doing is a reverse lighted parade. Instead of people lining up along the parade route people will drive through. At the end of the parade there will be the option to see Santa and give him a letter. Santa will be there to give children a candy cane as well with social distancing in effect.
There is also the Light It Up, Sullivan holiday decorating contest. The chamber asks that you send them a short video or picture of your house or business. Entries can be submitted to the chamber by Facebook messenger or e-mail information@sullivanchamber.com by December 10. Winners will receive utility bill credits. Read More