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Two more conference wins for Lady Redskins

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•December 24, 2025•

by E. Scott England

The Sullivan Lady Redskins continued their dominance of the Lincoln Prairie conference last week. They hold the top spot with a record of 4-0 in conference play. The first game of the week was against the ALAH Lady Knights. The week wrapped up on the road against the Unity Christian Lady Lions.

Home against ALAH

ALAH came to Sullivan riding on the heels of their victory against Heritage. A smaller team with not a lot of depth on the bench, the Lady Knights struggled from the start against Sullivan and their widely rotated roster. The Lady Redskins started strong with a full pressure defense that led to many pass deflections, steals, and blocks. They held ALAH to just three points in the first quarter and seven points in the second quarter.

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Lovington fire displaces family, days before Christmas 

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•December 24, 2025•

by DM Williamee  

In what can only be described as heartbreaking, a Lovington family was displaced last week, the week before Christmas, after their home was destroyed by a fire on the afternoon of December 15th. 

Local support efforts began immediately to assist them, with a call to action by the community of Lovington. A Facebook post shared that clothing items were the immediate need of the family. In addition, gifts were accepted for the family at the ‘Breakfast with Santa’ event, allowing the family to have a Christmas celebration.  

A “GoFundMe” page was set up as well, and can be found at https://gofund.me/608412d9a. The Page articulates the following: “Today, Sonja and Tony’s family faced a devastating loss as their home was destroyed by fire, leaving them with nothing just days before Christmas. Their heartbreak is unimaginable, and they need our support now more than ever. Sonja and Tony are wonderful parents who have always been there for others, and it’s time for us to rally around them. Every donation, no matter the size, will help them rebuild their lives and find hope in this difficult time. Please like, comment, and share this post to spread the word and show them they are not alone. Thank you for your kindness and generosity.” 

Photo by R.R. Best

Letter to the Editor 12-23-2025

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To the Editor,

The News Progress

I read the recent article regarding water levels, drought conditions, and strain on Sullivan’s water supply.

What was missing from that discussion was not data, but honesty.

I live in Sullivan Township. I do not receive Sullivan city water. I pay my water bill to Moultrie County Rural Water, and the water delivered to my home comes from Lake Mattoon, a surface water source known for algae blooms and recurring boil advisories that township residents are not always clearly or promptly notified about.

This matters because while township residents are being told there are concerns about water availability, quality, and even future rationing, we are simultaneously watching new residential and commercial construction move forward at a rapid pace, particularly within TIF districts.

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Remembering Who We Are……….89

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Log Jams and Sandbars


•December 24, 2025•

by Janet Roney

The old man fishing from the Kaskaskia River bridge at Vandalia said, “It’ll be smooth sailing from here to the Mississippi, boys! There’s no more logjams for the rest of the river.”

This was good news to my three older brothers (teenagers at the time) and my father in the summer of 1952. They had lost track of the number of logjams they had portaged around since leaving Findlay a few days before. Every portage meant unloading their fourteen-foot wooden outboard motor boat, Ida, dragging the boat, motor, and supplies straight up steep banks, through brush, poison ivy, and cornfields on top of the bank, and lowering it all back down to the river so they could continue to the next logjam. When they were not portaging, they were often wading in the river, dragging their boat over sandbars. Their once-in-a-lifetime adventure floating down the Kaskaskia to the Mississippi had become hard work.

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A Look Back…12-23-2025

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2015

Shawnee Communications (Shawnee) and MultiCorp, Inc., announced that Shawnee, a rural provider of telephone and high-speed internet and other telecommunications services in five southern Illinois counties, acquired MultiCorp, Inc., the holding company of Moultrie Independent Telephone Company (MITC) and MITC’s affiliated companies, including One-Eleven Internet Services and Moultrie Telecommunications.

When inclement weather struck, the Sullivan School District delayed school opening by two hours. In an effort to accommodate parents with morning obligations, the district opened the Sullivan Elementary School Gym at 8:00 a.m. The Sullivan High School Gym was opened with supervision for middle and high school students who need to arrive earlier than 10:00 a.m.

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Redskins go 2-1; Big OT win against rivals

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•December 24, 2025•

by E. Scott England

The Sullivan Redskins are still looking to find their groove. And they did so this past week with a big conference win against Blue Ridge and a nail-biter against Shelbyville. The final game of the week did not go as planned against a tough Monticello squad.

First conference game

The Redskins have had a tough non-conference schedule to date. But they got the opportunity to show off their skills in their first conference matchup on the road against Blue Ridge. Shooting was above par from the onset for Sullivan, netting 24 points in the first quarter and another 23 in the second. Likewise, the defense did their job, allowing only 14 points in the first half. 

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IDNR collecting discarded Christmas trees for fish habitat

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•December 24, 2025•

Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) fisheries biologists are collecting live Christmas trees to be used as fish habitat in local lakes after the holidays.

The collected trees will be bundled together, weighted, and submerged at lakes, providing critical habitat for multiple fish species and promoting algae growth for insects that attract fish for anglers. The trees will naturally decompose over time.

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Moultrie-Douglas 4-H clubs unite for ‘Ainsley Acts of Kindness Birthday Bag’ project

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•December 24, 2025•

This holiday season, every Moultrie-Douglas 4-H Club came together for a heartwarming community service initiative: the Ainsley Acts of Kindness Birthday Bag collection. Youth across the two counties assembled special bags filled with everything a child needs to celebrate a birthday—cake mix, icing, a present, and festive decorations.

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