•December 27, 2023•

The Charleston Elks #623 will be hosting their annual National Hoop Shoot on Saturday, January 13 at the Charleston High School gym, located at Route 130 and Lincoln Avenue. Registration will begin at 12:30 pm with competition starting at 1:00 pm. The National contest in it’s 52nd year is a free throw competition for age groups 8-13 years of age. There are three girls divisions and three boys divisions. They will shoot 25 free throws for the best score. Winners will advance to District in Champaign and possibly on to state, Iowa Regionals and the Chicago National Finals in April. Competing age groups are 8-9, 10-11, 12-13, girls and boys each. Ages will be based on how old they are on April 1, 2024. The Charleston Elks area includes boys and girls from Oakland, Mattoon, Ashmore, Kansas, Casey, Greenup, Toledo, Sullivan, Windsor-Gays, Arcola, Arthur, Tuscola, Charleston, Newman and Hume. The event is free and any travel expenses past local shoot will be covered by The Elks National Foundation. In 2023, over 240,000 girls and boys participated in the National Hoop Shoot. For further information contact Rod Franklin at 217-549-6376.

•December 20, 2023•

Brady Moore of Lovington has been named to the Chancellor’s Honor Roll at University of Mississippi Ole Miss. He is a graduate of the ALAH Class of 2023.

•December 13, 2023•

More than six million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s and millions more are affected as caregivers. A licensed clinical professional counselor (LCPC) led Alzheimer’s support group is now available at HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital. The group meets the third Thursday of each month in room 561 from 1 to 2 p.m.

“Our support group provides a safe and caring place for all to share the challenges they are facing,” said Karla Thornton, LCPC and spiritual care minister at St. Mary’s Hospital. “We hope to impart the compassion and understanding needed to equip each other with the courage to take one moment at a time, knowing we are not alone.”

St. Mary’s Hospital’s Alzheimer’s support group is designed to provide emotional, educational, social and spiritual support for caregivers or those affected by Alzheimer’s through regularly scheduled meetings. These meetings include expert speakers, specialized topics, shared discussions and refreshments.

Karla Thornton is certified by the National Council of Certified Dementia Practitioners and holds multiple certifications in the field.

For more information or to sign up for the monthly support group, please contact Karla Thornton at 217-464-2045 or email Karla.Thornton@hshs.org.

For more information about HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital, visit stmarysdecatur.com.

•December 13, 2023•

Keegan Rhodes, from Mattoon, graduated from Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) in Spring 2023. Rhodes received a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science with Honors. Students with a cumulative GPA of 3.70 or above are listed as having graduated with “High Honors.” Undergraduate students with a cumulative GPA between 3.20 and 3.69 are listed as having graduated with “Honors.”

•December 6, 2023•

Moultrie County has been issued a tentative property assessment equalization factor of 1.0000, according to David Harris, Director of the Illinois Department of Revenue.

The property assessment equalization factor, often called the “multiplier”, is the method used to achieve uniform property assessments among counties, as required by law. This equalization is particularly important because some of the state’s 6,600 local taxing districts overlap into two or more counties (e.g. school districts, junior college districts, fire protection districts). If there were no equalization among counties, substantial inequities among taxpayers with comparable properties would result.

State law requires property in Illinois to be assessed at one-third (1/3) of its market value. Farm property is assessed differently, with farm homesites and dwellings subject to regular assessing and equalization procedures, but with farmland and farm buildings assessed according to standards based on productivity.

The equalization factor is determined annually for each county by comparing the sales price of individual properties sold over the past three years to the assessed value placed on those properties by the county supervisor of assessments/county assessor.

If this three-year average level of assessment is one-third of market value, the equalization factor will be one (1). If the average level of assessment is greater than one-third of market value, the equalization factor will be less than one (1). And if the average level of assessment is less than one-third of market value, the equalization factor will be greater than one (1).

Assessments in Moultrie County are at 33.32 percent of market value, based on sales of properties in 2020, 2021, and 2022.

The equalization factor currently being assigned is for 2023 taxes, payable in 2024.

Last year’s equalization factor for the county was 1.0000.

The tentative factor is subject to change (1) if the County Board of Review takes actions which significantly affect the county assessments or (2) if local officials or others can present data showing that the Department of Revenue’s estimates of the average level of assessments in the county should be adjusted. A public hearing on the tentative multiplier will be held between 20 and 30 days after the tentative factor is published in a newspaper of general circulation within the county.

A change in the equalization factor does not mean total property tax bills will increase or decrease. Tax bills are determined by local taxing bodies when they request money each year to provide services to local citizens. If the amount requested by local taxing districts is not greater than the amount received in the previous year, then total property taxes will not increase even if assessments may have increased.

The assessed value of an individual property determines what portion of the tax burden a specific taxpayer will assume. That individual’s portion of tax responsibility is not changed by the multiplier.