•December 9, 2020•
The Moultrie County News Progress and The Fish Wrap will have early holiday deadlines for advertising and news. For the Wednesday, Dec. 23 edition of the News Progress and Dec. 24 edition of The Fish Wrap deadline is noon Friday, Dec. 18. The following week Wednesday, December 30 and December 31 edition deadlines are noon Wednesday, December 23. Have a Happy Holiday!
Vera Estella (Jividen) Myers
Vera Estella (Jividen) Myers, 94, passed away peacefully in her home, surrounded by loved ones, on December 4, 2020. Read More
•December 9, 2020•
By Jim Baumann
NP Guest Writer
If you had to choose one word to sum up 2020, what would it be?
Interminable?
Irredeemable?
Abominable?
Guano?
These are definitely in my Top 10. Come to think of it, these are probably the one-word reviews of my column on Twitter.
But if you work for Merriam-Webster and you have a tradition of coming up with a Word of the Year, you look beyond yourself and do some statistical analysis of words that people are looking up in your online dictionary in increasing numbers. Read More
•December 9, 2020•
The Moultrie County COVID-19 update for December 5-7, 2020 is 46 additional cases of COVID-19 with ages ranging from 1-101. The total residents tested positive to date is 1,006. Total COVID-19 related deaths to date is 11.
•December 9, 2020•
The Village of Bethany is going to continue the tradition of the Christmas Light Contest!
If you would like to participate:
1) Stop in, comment or call the Village Hall at 665-3351 to get your name on the list
2) From now until December 25th, make sure your Christmas light display is on from dusk until 9pm.
Our judges will come by at some point in that time frame to judge all the displays and will choose the winners!
This year’s prizes are:
1st Place: $100 Utility Credit
2nd Place: $50 Utility Credit
3rd Place: $50 Utility Credit
(4) Honorable Mentions $25 Utility Credit
We can’t wait to see all the beautiful Christmas light displays!!
•December 9, 2020•
The Findlay Fire Department will be taking Santa through the streets of Findlay on Saturday, December 19 starting at 4:00 pm. The parade route will be announced on the Findlay Fire Department Facebook page. Look for the lights on the big red truck as we drive by. If your child has his or her Christmas list ready, Santa will have his elves pick it up as he drives by.
•December 9, 2020•
The holidays are here and that means many will be decorating their homes. Hanging up decorations is fun, but keep in mind, holiday decorations can increase your risk for a home fire. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) more than two of every five home decoration fires occur due to decorations being placed too close to a heat source. More than one-third of home decoration fires are started by candles. The NFPA also reports that US fire departments responded to an average of 780 home structure fires per year that began with decorations between 2013-2017.
More than half of home decoration fires in December are started by candles. Candle fires peak in December followed closely by January. The top three days for home candle fires are Christmas Day, New Year’s Day and New Year’s Eve. Before you head to bed or out for the evening, extinguish all lit candles.
Pictured above is the Moultrie County Courthouse covered in Christmas lights in 1964. 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.
Photo submitted
Oath of Office
On Tuesday, December 1, 2020, Circuit Judge Jeremy Richey administered the oath of office to Moultrie County officials elected in the November election. The ceremony was held in Courtroom B on the third floor of the courthouse. Christa Helmuth was sworn in as Circuit Clerk, Lynn Reed as Coroner, and Tracy Weaver as State’s Attorney. Larry Baker, John Fayhee, Elizabeth Houser and Neil Bryan were sworn in as county board members. County board members in Moultrie County are elected on a county-wide basis. Following the swearing-in ceremony, the new county board met for a reorganizational meeting. David McCabe was re-elected as chairman and Larry Baker was elected as vice-chair.
Photo furnished
Nevill Promoted
Ethan Neville of Sullivan was promoted to the rank of corporal Dec. 5 during a promotion ceremony at Combat Training Center-Yavoriv in Lviv, Ukraine.
Neville is an 89B Ammunitions Supply Specialist assigned to Task Force Illini, 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team.