Photo by Crystal Reed
A group of Moultrie County residents gathered to prepare and deliver 13 Thanksgiving baskets to families on November 23. Pictured are Michelle and Rob Young, Lisa and Phil Ozier, Melissa Hughes and Jeff Webb.

•December 1, 2021•
by Crystal Reed
NP Writer

A group of local residents gathered to organize and deliver Thanksgiving baskets for those in need on Tuesday, November 23. This year Rob and Michelle Young, Phil and Lisa Ozier, Melissa Hughes and Jeff Webb gathered in a garage to fill the baskets with all the fixings for a meal. According to Rob, all the food items were purchased from IGA, pies and cinnamon rolls from Moultrie County 4-H and the baskets from Dollar General.
The group raised over $3,000 to fund the baskets this year. They post that they are doing this on Facebook and people with a need request a basket or a family. Items in the baskets included turkey, ham, potatoes, canned yams, canned corn, french fried onions, cool whip, marshmallows and more.
The Young’s and Ozier’s both own businesses in the county and see this as an opportunity to give back to the community.

Photo furnished
Faith Lutheran Church welcomes their new pastor Justin Cullen. He is pictured with his wife Kimberly and four children: Allison, Benjamin, Nathan and Mary.

•September 22, 2021•
Pastor Justin Cullen was born and raised along the Chesapeake Bay in Hampton Roads, Virginia and spent half of his childhood in the city of Hampton before moving to Urbanna, Va. Cullen grew up mainly around extended family (aunts, uncles, and cousins), who still live along the east coast. He was baptized and confirmed at St. Mark Lutheran Church (ELCA), Yorktown, Va. and attended an LCA turned ECLA parochial school in Hampton until the third grade. When he was a teenager, his parents moved to the LCMS because of developing doctrinal differences with the ELCA, and they attended a small LCMS church in Urbanna, Va.
Cullen graduated from Middlesex High School in 2002 with a class size of 47. His college experience was a little untraditional. Cullen joined the Virginia Army National Guard after graduating from high school and became a student at Virginia Commonwealth University, majoring in Political Science with a minor in Russian. However, Cullen transferred to the regular Army after only completing two academic years. While on active duty, he completed an Associate in General Studies from Central Texas College, a Bachelor of Science in Religion from Liberty University, and a Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary. This was accomplished through night classes and distance learning. Read More

Photo by Crystal Reed
An outdoor view of the storefront for Meadowview Herbs located at 160 E CR 240 N in Arthur. They have recently added organic produce and whole foods to their store inventory.

•June 23, 2021•
by Crystal Reed
NP Writer

One Arthur business has recently added organic produce and whole foods to what they offer in their store. Meadowview Herbs has been in business for five years and until recently has focused mostly on herbs and essential oils.
Owners William and Elizabeth Schlabach decided to shift their focus slightly to include organic foods. According to William, a few years ago his wife Elizabeth contracted Lyme’s disease and was very sick. One of the ways that she treated it is by eating organically. “Proper food is key in staying well,” William said. Read More

Photo by Crystal Reed
The Sullivan Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development held a ribbon cutting for Lakewood Cottage, a new Air B&B in Sullivan last Thursday. Pictured from left to right are owners Josh and Marissa Born, Mayor Richard Glazebrook, Sullivan Chamber and Economic Development Executive Director Laurrie Minor, Brad Pullen and Josh Milliman.

•March 10, 2021•
by Crystal Reed
NP Writer

The Sullivan Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development held a ribbon cutting for Lakewood Cottage, a new Air B&B here in Sullivan owned by Marissa and Josh Born.
When the Borns purchased the property from Vickie and “Fuzzy” West, the house was not finished.
It took 1-½ years for the Borns to finish the home. They were originally going to have a family member live there, but that person passed away. Read More

•December 23, 2020•

Dawn Kelley and her children Austin and Annika decided to make gifts for those living in nursing homes for Christmas. They made bracelets for the women and bought socks for the men. “We have a lot of friends on Facebook that have relatives in nursing homes,” said Dawn. “We just wanted to do something to spread cheer to those in nursing homes in Sullivan.” In total she and her children made 214 bracelets and bought 137 pairs of men’s socks to give to those in the nursing homes.