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Obituaries 7-23-2025: Roger Maxedon

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Roger Maxedon

Roger D. Maxedon, 88, of Effingham, passed away peacefully on July 20, 2025, at Willowbrook Memory Care in Effingham.

Funeral services will be held 11:00 a.m. Friday, July 25, 2025, at McMullin-Young Funeral Home, Sullivan. Visitation will be held an hour prior to the service Friday at the funeral home. Burial will be in Oak Grove Cemetery, Bethany. Memorials may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association: 225 N. Michigan Ave., Fl. 17Chicago, IL 60601 or to the American Heart Association: PO Box 840692, Dallas, TX 75284-0692

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Obituaries 7-23-2025: Fern Marshall

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Fern Marshall

Fern Marshall, 89, of Sullivan, passed away 1:25 a.m. on Friday, July 18, 2025, at the Odd Fellow-Rebekah Home, Mattoon.

As per her wishes, no services will be held. Memorials may be made to the Sullivan Senior Center. McMullin-Young Funeral Home is in care of the arrangements.

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Obituaries 7-23-2025: Randall Harris

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Randall Harris

Randall Lane Harris, 71 of Peoria, formerly of Sullivan, passed away on July 17, 2025, with his family at his side.

He was born to William “Bill” Floyd and Lorene (Lane) Harris in Decatur, IL. He married Mary Sue Potter Theinert in 1989 in Socorro, NM.

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Obituaries 7-23-2025: Martin “Marty” Harbaugh

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Martin "Marty" Harbaugh

Martin W. “Marty” Harbaugh, 68, of Sullivan passed away 9:25 p.m. Saturday, July 19, 2025, after a short battle with lung cancer.

Visitation will be held from 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Thursday, July 24, 2025 at McMullin-Young Funeral Home in Sullivan. Funeral services will be held at 1:00 p.m. Thursday, at McMullin-Young Funeral Home, Sullivan. Memorials may be made to The Little Theatre On The Square or to the Sullivan AMBUCs.

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Obituaries 7-23-2025: Michael Cruit

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Michael Cruit

Michael Paul Cruit, 78, of rural Bethany died on July 16, 2025, in St. John’ s Hospital in Springfield following a series of strokes.   

Graveside services were held Sunday, July 20, 2025, at Locust Grove Cemetery, Pickaway Township, with Rev. Ron Dickinson officiating and military rites by the Clarence Bixler American Legion Post #409 of Findlay, IL. Arrangements by Howe & Yockey Funeral Home, Shelbyville. 

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LLC hosting ‘Fast track to Fall’ registration 

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•July 23, 2025•

Lake Land will be hosting a Fast Track to Fall registration event on Wednesday, August 6th, from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. at the College’s new Effingham Technology Center. 

The event will serve as a one-stop shop for students to enroll at the college, register for classes, and apply for scholarships. Lake Land College staff members from Admissions, Counseling, Perkins, TRIO, and Financial Aid will be present to answer questions and guide students through the onboarding process. 

“If you’re planning on joining us this fall, or even just considering taking a class or two, we definitely recommend you come by for this event,” Pam Hartke, Associate Dean of Recruitment & Enrollment Management, said. “This is the perfect opportunity to make sure you’re all set for the new semester, and you’ll also get a chance to check out the brand-new Effingham Technology Center.”

The Lake Land College Effingham Technology Center is located in Effingham at 1201 Althoff Drive. To learn more about the Lake Land College Fast Track to Fall event, contact Hartke at 217-238-2705 or phartke@lakelandcollege.edu.

A Look Back…7-23-2025

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2015

Windsor’s yard of the month winner was Noel and Gloria Helton. Making good use of perennials and annuals in their flower beds made this a favorite drive by spot of many in Windsor, and the new log siding on their home has been a long awaited goal. The WHAT group, Windsor’s Happenings Around Town, is a mapping group that was working on beautification of Windsor. 

Children who participated in the park recreation lemonade stand raised $1,000 and donated it to the Sanders’ family following the tragic passing of Sullivan first grade teacher Christina Sanders.

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Bluey visits ETML, and young fans are not disappointed

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•July 23, 2025•

by DM Williamee

This past Saturday, July 19th, Bluey paid a visit to his fans at Sullivan’s Elizabeth Titus Memorial Library. In addition to hugs and playing games with Bluey, stations were set up that attendees enjoyed, such as an arts and crafts station, a coloring station, face painting, balloon games, and a playtime library checkout desk, which allowed for a popular game of pretend. 

Parents and grandparents alike attended with their children and found that the timing could not have been better, with rain curtailing many outdoor activities as summer winds down, and many are preparing for the school year to begin. 

One parent stated, “The programs here at the library are great; we almost never miss a week, and on a day like this with the rain, humidity, and heat- it just worked out perfectly!” 

City Council hears “Economic Development Report”

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•July 23, 2025•

by Sharon Barricklow

The Sullivan business outlook is very good, and hopes are high for additional restaurants, the City Council heard at their July 14 meeting. Sullivan Economic Development Director Laurrie Minor gave the council an updated report including new housing starts, business development, and economic development goals. “Right now our biggest goal is attracting more restaurants,” she said.

Minor brought along Lake Shelbyville Operations Manager Jon Summers, who praised the city’s initiatives for development. “I sit on a lot of boards and go to a lot of meetings,” Summers said. “Sometimes there is barely an agenda, but in Sullivan it’s several pages long and real work gets done.”

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Sullivan’s ‘Guns and Hoses’ softball fundraiser knocked it “outta the park”

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•July 23, 2025•

by DM Williamee

Photos by DM Williamee and R.R. Best

Braving predicted thunderstorms and high temperatures as well as humidity, this past Sunday the first responders of Moultrie County came together to play a “Guns vs. Hoses” softball game in Wyman Park. This game was held to raise money for school supplies and other needs for students in the Sullivan, Bethany, and Lovington school districts. In addition to the game, there were bounce houses and pre-game events for the kids (and kids at heart), and food and beverages for the fans. The planned finale, a fireworks show scheduled for 9:00 p.m. by DC Wholesale and Pyrotechnics, had to be cancelled due to inclement weather. 

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