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Two Strong Wins and a Cold Start for ALAH Girl’s Basketball Team

News Progress Posted on by

•January 29, 2020•
By Jason Brown
NP Sports Editor

The Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond girls’ basketball team defeated Cerro Gordo/Bement twice but lost to Villa Grove/Heritage this past week.
Monday night, the Knights took down the Broncos for the second time in two days
In a regular-season LPC game, ALAH defeated CGB in Arthur.
After taking an 18-6 first quarter lead, the Knights held on for the 44-29 win.
Mackenzi Bowles scored a team-high 14 points and 11 rebounds to go with three assists. Read More

Superintendent-Y-Stuff: A Walk with Mr. Walk

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•January 29, 2020•
By Ted Walk
Supt. SCUSD #300

Though we are still at the beginning of the new semester at Sullivan High School, now is the time that we look towards the future schedules of our students.
We approved course description changes at our most recent meeting of the Board of Education. Read More

Correction

News Progress Posted on by

•January 29, 2020•

The Moultrie County Board report in the January 22 News Progress contained some errors in the discussion of quadrennial year assessments.
The part of the story in error begins when Christa Helmuth pointed out Assessed values increased 157% and 240% in her neighborhood. (I incorrectly referred to real estate taxes).
Those percentages are figured by taking the 2019 assessed value subtracting the 2018 value and dividing the 2018 value by the difference.
Vanguard did not help in converting the property record cards. “I saved the Townships and the County $500,000 by having the assessment office staff do the conversion. Vanguard is the company name of the CAMA program that the county is using and has been using for commercial since 2011.” Supervisor Barringer said.
To complete a land study the state requires 25 good sales in a 3 year period. There was not 25 good sales in a three year period.
Therefore, the Supervisor of Assessments looks at coefficient of dispersion (land to building ratio) based on good sales with buildings on them that occurred in the three year period (2016, 2017 & 2018).
“This is how I determined the land value for Moultrie County in tax year 2019,” Supervisor of Assessments Lori Barringer explained.
Farmland has been assessed every year. It has been 12 years (2007) since the last residential land study was completed for Moultrie County. This means residential land value has not changed since 2007 in Moultrie County.
Barringer noted once through the transition, assessed values should have minimal increases or decreases because with a digital system for keeping records this is a more efficient way to look at the market every 4 years as per property tax code.
Moultrie County has gone to DIGITAL property record cards!
January 20, 2020 and thereafter, it will cost $1.00 to email a property record card.
A paper copy of a property record card will cost $0.25 per page.
Property record cards will be available on our website January 20, 2020, with a subscription fee of $10.00 per month or $120.00 per year. Contact our office to learn more on subscribing.

Nuzzo Makes Monmouth College Dean’s List

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•January 29, 2020•
Jadon Nuzzo from Sullivan has made the Dean’s List at Monmouth College for the fall semester of 2019.
Founded in 1853, Monmouth College is a nationally ranked liberal arts college. Affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and the birthplace of the women’s fraternity movement, the college offers 38 majors, 42 minors, 17 pre-professional tracks, and two innovative Triads in Global Food Security and Global Public Health.

Redskins Push Cardinals Down to the Wire in OT Action

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Photo by R.R. Best
Sullivan junior Colin Chappel wrestles for the ball against Clinton at home Friday night. Chappel contributed four rebounds, two assists and five points in the game.

•January 29, 2020•
By Jason Brown
NP Sports Editor

The Sullivan boys’ basketball team dropped three Central Illinois Conference games last week.
The Redskins lost to Warrensburg-Latham Monday and Clinton Friday in heartbreakingly close games; then again to Meridian last Tuesday.
Monday night at home against the Cardinals, Sullivan fell behind 12-2 to start the game.
W-L took a 26-12 halftime lead but Sullivan battled back in the second half.
With 6:14 left in the fourth quarter, Plank hit a corner three to cut the lead to 44-36.
After a defensive stop, Plank missed a corner three from the same spot but an Elder rebound-put-back basket cut the lead to 44-38.
With 3:49 left, Colin Chappel hit a three-pointer to cut the lead to 45-41. Read More

What Would Wolfie Do?

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Photo by R.R. Best
What Would Wolfie Do?
During a break in the action at an Okaw Valley High School home basketball game cheerleaders Madalyne McPheeters, Marissa Bell and Autumn Burns plan their next fan boosting move with school mascot Emileah Drake, Wolfie.

SHS Mirror Images Present GROW at The Little Theatre

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Photo furnished
Troubled Family
Gunyr Fitzgerald ( as Paul Wiseman), Peyton Isaacs ( as Damien Wiseman), and Miriah Booker ( as Tanya Wiseman) are a troubled family on their way to school at the opening of the play.

•January 29, 2020•
High school isn’t easy, growing up is hard, and everyone can grow and become a better person.
These are just three of the issues addressed in GROW, an original play written and performed by students in Sullivan High School’s Mirror Images under the guidance of Rebecca Lawson, SHS English teacher.
The public performance of GROW will be Friday, January 31, at 7 p.m. at the Little Theater on the Square. Admission is $5, and the doors will open at 6:30. Tickets may be purchased at the door or from members of the cast and crew.
The story follows the lives of nine students through a school year. They have problems with their parents, interesting incidents in their classes, and stressful and exciting times with each other, including auditioning for and performing in a school talent show.
Junior Anna Mathias noted, “Writing the play, we knew we wanted to do something about growth from the beginning. As said by my character Heather Prauer, ‘High school is a time for you to change, grow, and try new things.’ We wanted to bring that message to the student body at Sullivan High School and the general public in the form of a play aptly named ‘Grow.’ This is one of my favorite shows written and performed by the Mirror Images group so far, and I can’t wait to show you everything we’ve worked on.” Read More

OVHS Girls Come Back Over Blue Ridge

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•January 29, 2020•
By Jason Brown
NP Sports Editor

The Okaw Valley girls’ basketball team finished the week 1-2 in Lincoln Prairie Conference action.
The Timberwolves lost to Villa Grove Heritage last Monday and Blue Ridge on Thursday in the Lincoln Prairie Conference Tournament game.
But four days later, OV avenged the Blue Ridge loss by knocking off the Knights at Farmer City.
The Timberwolves fell behind 18-9 in the first quarter, but OV slowly battled back in the next two quarters to cut the lead to 30-28.
OV then went on a 14-7 run to take the lead and game 42-37. Read More

Moultrie County Farm Bureau Serves More Than Farmers

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Tyler Harvey

•January 29, 2020•
By Ellen Ferrera
for the News Progress

The Illinois Farm Bureau (officially the Illinois Agriculture Association) was founded in Illinois in 1916 and in Moultrie County in 1918.
It is a private entity that provides education and information to help farmers while supporting legislation and lobbying for agricultural issues.
The IAA supports many affiliates such as Country Financial, GrowMark, FS, Prairie Farms Dairy and the beef, pork, corn and soybean associations along with the county Farm Bureaus.
Today there are 96 county Farm Bureaus in Illinois with 400,000 members. Approximately 25% of the Illinois population works in the agricultural industry. Agriculture is, after all, the largest industry in Illinois.
Since 2014 Tyler Harvey has been the Farm Bureau Manager for both Moultrie and Douglas counties.
“I wear a lot of hats.,” Harvey says of his various duties. “One day I may be in a suit attending a Springfield meeting and the next day in jeans touring a farm. Advocacy on so many levels comprises a lot of our work.” Read More