Author Archives:

ALAH Volleyball Knocks Off Oakwood at Regionals

News Progress Posted on by

•October 31, 2018•

By Jason Brown
NP Sports Editor

The No. 4 seeded Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond volleyball team defeated Oakwood in its first game of the Class 2A Joseph-Ogden Regional but lost to the host team in the championship match.
In the regional title match, the Knights lost to the Spartans in straight sets, 25-17, 25-18.
Taylor Powell totaled five kills and eight digs, and Michaela Powell added four kills and four digs.
Marissa Herschberger recorded 13 assists, three digs and an ace.
Kara Yoder two kills and a one dig, and Addi Tinkle had one kill and three digs. Read More

Teutopolis Monastery Museum Opens

News Progress Posted on by

•October 31, 2018•

Visitors may view more than 30 rooms of the Teutopolis Monastery Museum 12:30-4 p.m. Sunday, November 4.
The museum is located on the second floor in the former Franciscan Novitiate building which is located behind St. Francis Church in Teutopolis. A chair lift is available for visitors who have difficulty with stairs. Read More

SHS Hosts Veterans

News Progress Posted on by

•October 31, 2018•

Sullivan High School’s Career English Class will hold a Veterans Day assembly at 10:15 a.m. Monday, November 12 in the high school gym.
All veterans and current members of the military are invited to attend and stay afterwards for lunch.
A group photo will be taken before the ceremony, and veterans are asked to arrive by 10 a.m. to get checked in and be in the photo.
The Sullivan High School band and the Sullivan Singers will perform several musical numbers, and several guest speakers will share their thoughts and stories.
For further information, contact Rebecca Lawson at 728-8311 ext. 1274.

OV Freshman Competes in Sectionals

News Progress Posted on by

Twitter photo: Okaw Valley coach Brennon Baker and Karlie Stauder.
OV Freshman Competes in Sectionals
Okaw Valley freshman cross country runner Karlie Stauder placed in the Decatur St. Teresa Class 1A Sectional meet at the Hickory Point Golf Course Saturday.
Stauder finished in 61st place with a personal best (by 12 seconds) of 20:58.37.

Obituaries 10-31-2018: Charles Stiner

News Progress Posted on by

Charles Stiner

Charles ‘Chuck’ Edward Stiner, 66, of Sullivan passed away at 11:41 p.m. Monday October 22, 2018 in his residence.
Memorial services were held at 6:30 p.m. Monday in Reed Funeral Home in Sullivan with Pastor Michael Loy officiating. Burial will be at a later date. Read More

Sparrow’s Auction

News Progress Posted on by

•October 31, 2018•

The Sparrow’s Unlimited Christmas auction is Dec. 1, and the Lovington-based non-for profit is asking local businesses help provide Christmas for the less fortunate.
Last year the auction’s success due to the generosity of businesses and individuals enabled Sparrow’s to provide Christmas to 170 children (coats, hats, gloves, boots, clothing and toys) as well as 20 mentally challenged people. Sparrow’s also delivered 125 fruit baskets to the elderly for Thanksgiving.
Sparrow’s Unlimited is a non for profit with 501C3 exemption status. A receipt is available upon request with the a Tax Exempt ID.
Sparrow’s primary mission to benefit families in need at Christmas is their primary focus; however, the group has evolved into a resource and support system for organizations such as Christ’s Pantry, Lovington American Legion Post #429, COLA, Boy Scouts and school organizations.
For more information on how to donate call Barry Morgan 217-433-6123 or Pam Anklam 217-201-0662. Items may be dropped off at Jerry’s East End Tavern in Lovington or mailed to Sparrow’s Unlimited, P.O. Box 742, Lovington, IL 61937.

Spark Sessions Create Common Focus on Community Assets

News Progress Posted on by

•October 31, 2018•

By Sonya Best
for the News Progress

When Sullivan Spark met last Thursday at Sullivan Church of God promoting two of the community’s greatest assets, Lake Shelbyville and the Little Theatre on the Square emerged as a common focus.
The enthusiastic volunteers divided themselves into four different groups and began brainstorming strategies to reach the goals to improve on four areas of the community that they feel need improvement: arts, culture and entertainment, parks and recreation, retail and dining, and housing. Read More

Nursing Home Violations Include Area Facility

News Progress Posted on by

•October 31, 2018•

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today announced the 2018 Third Quarterly Report of Nursing Home Violators is now posted on IDPH’s website. The report contains additional information about the violations.
The facilities listed below were cited with type “A” violations of the Nursing Home Care Act and processed between July-September 2018. An “A” violation pertains to a condition in which there is a substantial probability that death or serious mental or physical harm will result, or has resulted. Read More

Chicago is Known for Capone, but Illinois Gangsters had Much Wider Reach

News Progress Posted on by

Courtesy of the Franklin County Historic Preservation Society
This 1928 photo shows bootlegging gangster Charlie Birger, center, on the gallows just before his public hanging in Benton.

•October 31, 2018•

By Barbara Vitello
Of the Daily Herald

When it came to organized crime in Illinois, Chicago-based Prohibition-era gangsters loomed large during the 1920s and 1930s.
Al Capone, Frank Nitti, Lester “Baby Face Nelson” Gillis, Jack “Machine Gun” McGurn and George “Bugs” Moran earned international infamy that persisted for decades after their deaths. For years, the general perception was that when world travelers informed locals they hailed from Chicago, the locals responded with “bang, bang” and a finger-gun gesture.
The combination of enterprising criminals, complicit public officials and Prohibition gave rise to crime syndicates involved in bootlegging, gambling, prostitution, extortion and murder. Organized by ethnicity and geography, the syndicates were known as the Chicago Mob or the Outfit. They produced the likes of Capone, Nelson and Moran — Capone’s rival and the target of an attempted assassination in 1929 known as the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, which claimed the lives of seven men, including Moran associates and an innocent bystander or two. Read More