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Project Help Preschool Round Up 

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•January 14, 2026•

The Arthur School District and the Project HELP Preschool program will be offering free developmental screening to provide parents with an opportunity to discover how their child is developing in the areas of speech, language, concepts, and motor skills. Vision and hearing screenings will also be offered, free of charge. It’s time to think about Pre-school and Kindergarten for the upcoming school year for your child. To find out what preschool options are available in your community or to pre-register your child for kindergarten, schedule an appointment to have your child screened.

This screening will take place on Friday, April 10th, at the Lovington United Methodist Church, 241 South Broadway Street in Lovington. For an appointment, call Tiffany Reedy at (217) 873-4318. Signed parent or guardian permission is required. Screenings are required for potential enrollment in the Project HELP preschool program. To pre-register your child for kindergarten, bring a certified copy of their birth certificate, a physical with immunization records, dental and vision exams will also be accepted, if available.

Agri Fab Inc. to host community blood drive  

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•January 14, 2026•

Agri Fab Inc. will host a Community Blood Drive with ImpactLife, the provider of blood components for local hospitals. The blood drive will be from 11:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 27th at 809 S Hamilton ST, inside the Gold Classroom To donate, contact ImpactLife Urbana at (800) 747 5401 or visit www.bloodcenter.org and use code 71025 to locate the drive. Appointments are requested. Potential donors must be at least 17 years of age (16 with parental permission form available through www.bloodcenter.org) and weigh more than 110 pounds. A photo I.D. is required to donate. For questions about eligibility, please call ImpactLife at (800) 747 5401. Donors who last gave blood on or before 12/2/25 are eligible to give at this drive.  

Sparrow’s Unlimited bfast

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•January 14, 2026•

Sparrow’s Unlimited will host a breakfast at Church of God Family Life Center in Lovington on Saturday, January 17 from 7:00-10:00 a.m. Delivery is available for Lovington residents 60 and older by calling 217-201-0662. The menu will consist of biscuits and gravy, hash brown casserole, sausage patties, cinnamon rolls and pancakes. Meal is by donation.

HICF gives grant to the Life Center of Sullivan

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Submitted

Just before Christmas, one of Santa’s elves stopped by the Life Center of Sullivan to deliver a $1,500 food insecurity grant from the Heart of Illinois Community Foundation. Pictured is Reverend Grant Wade, on behalf of the HICF, presenting the grant to Debra Dolan of LCS.
This grant was designated specifically for the Life Center food pantry, which continues to serve families in Moultrie County with consistency, compassion, and care. Dedicated volunteers and leaders ensure shelves are stocked, and neighbors are fed, not just during the holidays, but all year long. HICF has partnered with the Life Center before, and will continue to be inspired by the quiet, faithful way they meet real needs in Moultrie County.
To those seeking a way to support their work, the Life Center currently has a new forklift on its Christmas list to help with daily operations. That wish list can be found on the Heart of Illinois Community Foundation website for anyone who would like to help make that need a reality: heartofillinois.org/community-wish-list.

Music bingo fundraiser

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•January 7, 2026•

The Empower Academy Competition Team, parents, and the 5678 Booster Club will be hosting a music bingo fundraiser on Saturday, January 10, at Willow Ridge Winery. With help from the Prairie Fire DJ Service, the event will start at 6:00 p.m. Tickets can be purchased from participating dance team parents. The event is 18 years of age and over only. Tables for 8 can be purchased for $200, or individual seats for $30. For more information, contact Ginger Voegel at (217) 549-3877 or email sdsboosterclub@gmail.com.

Sampling of Illinois laws in effect as of Jan. 1st

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•January 7, 2026•

Beginning January 1st, 2026, new laws take effect in Illinois, with many focusing on issues such as privacy, immigration, and education. Illinois also gains an official state bean, and of course, there are a few that impact roadways and youth employment. A Senate Bill also addresses aid in dying. Below are a few of the highlights.

House Bill 3773, introduced by lawmakers in 2023, regulates employer use of artificial intelligence. An amendment to the Illinois Human Rights Act, this bill makes it a civil rights violation for employers to use AI tools that result in discrimination based on race, gender, age, or disability in hiring, promotion, discipline, termination, or other employment terms.

House Bill 1615 permits the U.S. flag to be displayed on the grounds of a courthouse. Previously, the law was that the nation’s flag could only be displayed on top of a courthouse.

House Bill 4439 has designated the soybean as the official state bean.

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Remembering Who We Are………91

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Thirteen Generations Plus Five Hundred
•January 7, 2026•

by Janet Roney

Generation after generation of people have found everything needed for life here in central Illinois. The first historic people were the French who  passed through Moultrie over three hundred years ago. At twenty-five years per generation, that’s at least thirteen generations ago.

My Uncle Cliff used the same Jonathan Creek fishing holes as those who built the ceremonial mound in the corner of his cow pasture. The shell casings left from our son-in-law Craig’s deer hunt mingle with arrowheads waiting to be found  along the eroded banks of the Kaskaskia. Our Uncle Vern and Aunt Ruth gathered poke shoots, sour dock greens, and sassafras roots for their spring “physic” on Grandpa Roney’s hillside just like ancient people did before them. The corn that now covers Moultrie’s prairies descends from the same type of corn raised thousands of years ago along the West Okaw in Cornbread Bottom. That’s where avid arrowhead hunter Randy found an artifact certified to be 13,000 years old. That’s five hundred generations ago!

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Moultrie County ‘Year in Review’continued

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•January 7, 2026•

March

Continued from 12.31.25 Issue

The City of Sullivan Fire Department provided free smoke detectors and installed them for local homeowners in their fire district. They also provided free smoke detectors to renters if the landlord contacted the fire department on behalf of the tenant.

The United Women in Faith were taking orders for their homemade chocolate Easter eggs. Decorated peanut butter and vanilla eggs were available for purchase for family, friends, co-workers, and neighbors.

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