The new Moultrie County Health Department will break ground at 11 a.m. Tuesday, November 12. Located south of the Elizabeth Titus Memorial Library, the ground breaking will include appearances by State Senator Chapin Rose and Representative Adam Brown. The public is encouraged to attend. Following the ground breaking, refreshments will be served at the library.
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Trivia Night Saturday
The Sullivan Singers Boosters are holding a trivia night fundraiser this Saturday at the American Legion, beginning with registration and table decorating at 6 p.m.
The trivia session will begin at 7 p.m. with prizes being awarded to the winning team as well as the best themed table.
There will also be a 50/50 drawing, prizes for trivia, and more. All proceeds will go towards the 2013-2014 show choir season.
For additional information, contact Rikki Ray at rayr@sullivan.k12.il.us or Christine Grohler at 433-0635 or at cgrohler@hotmail.com
Care Packages for Military Service Personnel
The local organization, Moultrie County Until They All Come Home, is requesting the names and addresses of those who have relatives currently serving either here in the U.S. or abroad. It is asked that if you have previously submitted this information, to resubmit it so the organization may cross-reference it with what they currently have on file.
If the individual is stationed overseas, the organization then requests the country and/or base in which he or she is located. In addition to providing the name and address, the organization is asking for a list of items he or she might need or use.
For more information contact Linda Qualls at 728-7369.
Annual Scouting for Food Saturday
Boy Scout Troop 39 and Cub Scout Pack 39 will hold their annual “Scouting for Food” food drive Saturday, November 9 to benefit the Moultrie County Food Pantry. Sullivan residents are asked to place nonperishable food items or paper products in grocery bags in a visible location at their front door or porch by 9 a.m. Saturday for pick up.
Area Veterans Day Events
Each of the following events encourages the public’s attendance, including, in particular, those who are U.S. veterans:
Okaw Valley High School Assembly
•Fri., Nov. 8, 9:15 a.m.
A biscuit and gravy breakfast will begin at 8:15 a.m. for any veteran in attendance
Lovington Grade School Assembly
•Mon., Nov. 11, 8:30 a.m.
Will feature Lovington American Legion Post 429 color guard.
Sullivan Elementary School Assembly
•Mon., Nov. 11, 8:30 a.m.
Arthur-Lovington High School Assembly
•Mon., Nov. 11, 9:30 a.m.
The FCCLA will provide refreshments to those veterans in attendance. It is asked of anyone planning on attending to RSVP to Wendy Leenerts at 543-2146, ext. 245.
Sullivan VFW Breakfast
•Sun., Nov. 10, 7-11 a.m.
A free breakfast will be provided to veterans, consisting of biscuits and gravy, sausage links, scrambled eggs, farmer’s casserole, doughnuts, orange juice, coffee, and more. Any member of the public wishing to eat may do so for a fee.
Arthur Cemetery Wreath Laying Ceremony
•Mon., Nov. 11, 11 a.m.
Will feature both the Arthur and Lovington American Legions.
Free Suits for Veterans Until November 11
In their commitment to supporting the nation’s armed forces, especially as they enter the civilian work force, the Gary Sinise Foundation, along with Jos. A. Bank are providing a free suit to qualifying veterans and service members through a national promotion.
In order to qualify for a Jos. A. Bank free suit, applicants must provide the proper documentation by faxing 818.432.8999 or emailing contact@garysinisefoundation.org a DD214 form, a statement of service if still active duty, or make a copy of the front and back of the military ID.
The suits will be distributed on a first come, first served basis, so information should be submitted in a timely fashion. Applicants should keep in mind that the voucher must be redeemed at a Jos A. Bank location before the expiration date, November 11.
Additionally, applicants should include their full name as it appears on their identification, address, city, state, and zip code along with the best contact phone number and email address. For additional questions, email: contact@garysinisefoundation.org.
Halloween Parade Relocated to SHS
With today's weather forecast, the AmBucs Halloween parade has been relocated from outside on Sullivan's square to indoors at the Sullivan High School gymnasium.
Lineup will still be at 5:45 p.m. with the parade beginning at 6 p.m.
For more information or questions, contact the Sullivan Chamber and Economic Development at 728-4223.
Community Night November 5 at Monical’s Pizza
The SES PTO will sponsor a community night at Monical’s pizza in Sullivan Tuesday, November 5.
For all dine-in and carry-out orders, 20 percent of the total will be donated to the SES PTO, if presented with the fundraiser’s flyer, which may be picked up at any of the local schools, the Elizabeth Titus Memorial Library, IGA, and various other locations in Sullivan.
For carry-out orders, customers should notify Monicals’ staff that he or she has a flyer before picking up their order.
For more information, visit the fundraiser’s Facebook event page at https://www.facebook.com/events/430640993697773/. There, viewers may also access the flyer.
Topinka Opens the Warehouse to Illinois Taxpayers
Portal puts local finances at residents’ fingertips
Illinois Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka on Monday launched The Warehouse, a comprehensive online database that puts local government financial information and tens of thousands of records at a single location for taxpayer review.
Speaking in Chicago at the first stop of a three-day, seven community announcement, Topinka explained that the comptroller’s office collects financial reports from 5,200 counties, municipalities and special taxing districts across the state. In creating The Warehouse, she has made those records and other pertinent local financial information collected by her office immediately available to residents.
The Warehouse is available at warehouse.illinoiscomptroller.com.
“This user-friendly database allows taxpayers to scour our office ‘Warehouse’ from wherever they are located,” Topinka said. “There is no reason that residents should have to file Freedom of Information requests or sort through mountains of paper to see how their money is being spent. That information should be at their fingertips, and that’s what The Warehouse accomplishes.”
Warehouse visitors are able to search records by report type, unit of government or community name. Once a local government is selected, users will be taken to a landing page where they may view a snapshot of local finances, annual financial reports and audits. The site also offers a “compare data” feature allowing visitors to see how one government stacks up against another.
The unveiling of The Warehouse follows Topinka’s launch last year of a similar transparency website for state finances, The Ledger, which allows taxpayers to click their way through everything from the state’s daily receipts and bill backlog numbers to state agency budgets and an employee salary database.
Both initiatives are part of Topinka’s ongoing effort to increase transparency and accountability in state and local government. In 2012, she successfully pushed for legislation requiring local governments to file annual financial reports electronically and implementing penalties for late reports. Last spring, she worked to pass similar legislation for TIF Districts.
“The fact is that government acts more responsibly when it knows people are watching,” Topinka said. “The Warehouse builds on the tremendous success of The Ledger - and let me assure you, we’re not done yet.”
Fall Back Sunday
Need some much-needed extra sleep? As part of daylight saving time, Sunday will mark just the occasion when individuals should turn their clocks back one hour, beginning at 2 a.m.