•July 29, 2020•

The 2020 Main Street Cruise In Car Show hosted by the Bethany Advocates and Support Organization will be held on Saturday, August 22 from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm in downtown Bethany. Cost is $10 per entry and all makes and models are welcome. Dash plaques will be given to the first 100 entries. There will be a 50/50 jackpot and food vendors. Awards given will be mayor’s choice, chief’s choice and people’s choice and they will be awarded at 6:30 p.m. Contact Terry Muzzy at 217-412-0185 for more information.

•July 22, 2020•

The win may have slipped away from him one night ago, but on Friday night at Farmer City Raceway, there was no way Brian Shirley was going to be denied again.
The three-time and defending DIRTcar Summer Nationals champion found the pole for the 50-lap Feature and wasted no time, jetting out to a commanding lead inside the first 10 laps with Bobby Pierce following.
Pierce’s bad luck from Thursday night seemed to carry over, as he brought out the caution soon after, heading to the work area with a flat tire. He was able to rebound, however, coming back up through the field to finish 8th.
This opened the door for Shannon Babb to challenge Shirley out front, which he did for much of the next 20 laps through lapped traffic. At one point, the gap between them was just .168 seconds.
But in the end, Shirley was able to pull away from Babb and the rest of the field as the lapped traffic thinned out, taking the checkered flag untouched and notching his first Hell Tour victory of 2020 and his first at the Farmer City Raceway in Summer Nationals competition.
In Victory Lane, Shirley gave it up to his sponsors, his dedicated crew and especially his car owners Bob and Lisa Cullen for their efforts in keeping the operation alive in the middle of a pandemic-marred racing season.
“We went into a hole, just as far as keeping everything with the race team going,” Shirley said. “Bob and Lisa – they’ve had to step it up and take it out of their pockets, and that’s tough… they’ve given me the opportunity to come back out here and do what I do.”
Babb crossed the line in second while Frank Heckenast Jr. rounded out the podium after a great bounce-back run from his misfortune earlier in the week. Taylor Scheffler crossed the finish line in fourth but was declared six pounds light at the scales and was disqualified as a result, moving Jason Feger and Ryan Unzicker up into the top-five.

•July 22, 2020•

The Moultrie County Health Department (MCHD) has confirmed three more cases of the novel coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19) in Moultrie County. The three individuals range in age from teens to 30s. All are recovering at home in isolation. Public health officials are notifying all close contacts.
To date, 1,588 Moultrie County residents have been tested for COVID-19. Of those tests, 36 have been confirmed positive for COVID-19 and 27 are no longer in isolation.
As Illinois progresses through Phase 4 of Recover Illinois, the risk of COVID-19 transmission to others may increase.
It is important to self-monitor for possible COVID-19 symptoms. These symptoms include fever, chills, cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, muscle aches, headache, loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion, runny nose, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea.
It is also possible to be infected with the virus and have no symptoms. For this reason, the CDC recommends physical distancing and masks to help reduce the risk of transmission.
To minimize risk, the health department is asking everyone use the three basic Ws:
(1)Watch physical distance and keep six feet from others. (2) Wear a mask when in public places. (3)Wash hands routinely.
Illinois is currently experiencing a surge in testing for COVID-19. With this surge in testing, test result turnaround times may be slower. While awaiting a test result, it is important for those who feel ill to self-isolate.
If an individual is ill with symptoms associated with coronavirus and needs medical or emergency care, they should notify their physician or emergency medical service providers of their symptoms prior to arrival.
Information on testing sites can be found at https://dph.illinois.gov/testing.

•July 15, 2020•

The Moultrie County Historical and Genealogical Society will hold the July general meeting Thursday, July 16th at 7 p.m. in the Heritage Center in Sullivan. The topic for the evening will be American Indian Artifacts and the speaker will be Randy Fair of Lovington.
Please bring any artifacts you may have and wear your face masks. Social distancing will be observed as best as possible.
As a reminder the Historical Society office hours are Monday and Friday 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.

•July 15, 2020•

The city of Sullivan final City Clean Up Day is Saturday, July 18 for those living south of Harrison St.
Those not living in the corporate city limits are not eligible to participate in the clean up day; therefore, any items set out will not be picked up.
Items must be on the curb by 7 a.m.
Items not accepted for City Wide Clean Up pickup include but are not limited to include tires of any kind or size; car parts or components of any kind; solvents such as paints, oils, fuels, and thinners; yard waste such as clippings, trimmings, leaves, limbs, and branches; batteries; fluorescent light tubes; concrete, bricks, and rocks; burnt material/ashes of any kind; appliances (stoves, refrigerators, dishwashers, water heaters, dryers, freezers, and air conditioning units).
Waste electronic equipment such as computers, monitors, and televisions; asbestos materials/hazardous waste; petroleum-contaminated soil; industrial waste; chemicals; herbicides and pesticides; radioactive materials; flammable liquids; propane tanks or equipment; motor oil; transmission oil; lubricants/hydraulic oil/oil filters/contaminated; oils (mixed with solvents &/or gasoline); antifreeze; lead paint chips; railroad ties; medical waste; animals; and liquids are also not acceptable.