Category Archives: News Briefs

Evelyn Burtcheard-Sullivan Author

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•October 31, 2018•

Editors Note: Evelyn Burtcheard wrote to clarifiy some points concerning the article about her in the Oct. 24, 2018 edition of the News Progress.
I had three younger brothers. The two youngest were six and eight years old when Mom passed away. My dad promised my mother while she was in the hospital (and had been told she was not going to live) that he would keep all four of us children together.
I was not there. My promise was to my mother (on one of the few visits home from the hospital) that I would take care of the two little ones as she had cared for me. Read More

Helping Veterans And Active Duty Military Members

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•October 31, 2018•

By Gerald Tilley
Social Security District Manager

Every year on Veterans Day, we honor the people who risk their lives to protect our freedom. Social Security honors veterans and active duty members of the military every day by giving them the respect they deserve. Social Security’s disability program is an important part of our obligation to wounded warriors and their families.
For military members who return home with injuries, Social Security is a resource they can turn to. If you know any wounded veterans, please let them know about Social Security’s Wounded Warriors website. You can find it at www.socialsecurity.gov/woundedwarriors.
The Wounded Warriors website answers many commonly asked questions, and shares other useful information about disability benefits, including how veterans can receive expedited processing of disability claims. Benefits available through Social Security are different than those from the Department of Veterans Affairs and require a separate application. Read More

Parlor Games Opens at OVHS Thursday

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Drama Club On Stage - Canaan Christensen, Gavon Hargrove, Shelby Hagerman, Kaylee Taylor (front), Mikhalya Ward and Isaac Dickens (back) rehearse a scene from OV’s Parlor Games.

•October 31, 2018•

The Okaw Valley Drama Club will present the play “Parlor Games” by James C. Wall at 7 p.m. Thursday, November 1-Saturday, November 3 in the OVHS gym.
Practical joker Mort McNulty hosts his own wake so that he can hear what people will say about him after he’s dead, before he’s dead. Mort’s wife, Tricia, gets unwillingly drawn into the action and apologetically tries to convince everyone that Mort is playing another joke.
We meet a variety of wake-goers—some there on purpose, some not—who eventually, with the right amount of suggestion and imagination, convince themselves that Mort is dead and Tricia is in denial.
The mistaken identities, chases, and jokes within jokes within jokes culminate in Tricia turning Mort’s wake into a surprise party as she tries to teach her husband a lesson about practical jokes. Read More

Remember When? 10-31-2018

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25 Years Ago This Week

Lovington celebrates Homecoming ‘93. In the parade, kids flocked to the remote-controlled police safety vehicle. The Arthur-Lovington Knights were defeated by Cerro Gordo 41-6. The celebration ended with the coronation of Homecoming King and Queen Dustin Ozier and Shannon Phillips.
Twelve-year-old Christina Marshall’s essay on why she wanted a quarter horse was selected from thousands across the country to win her a free horse during the Solid Gold Futurity Horse Giveaway Contest held at the Illinois State fairgrounds. Marshall is now the owner of a male quarter horse which was recently delivered to her home. Read More

OVHS Band Competes at Pinckneyville

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OVHS Band Competes at Pinckneyville
The OVHS band traveled to Pinckneyville Saturday for the annual field show competition and also marched in the parade. The band came away with a second place finish for their field show performance in Class 1A. Pictured are OV seniors who performed in their last marching performance.

ALAH District Joins School Conditions Survey

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•October 31, 2018•

Arthur CUSD #305 will join the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) in the seventh statewide survey of school climate and learning conditions. The survey provides a unique opportunity for students, teachers and parents to have a voice in improving their schools. From November 15 through January 18, students and teachers will be asked to take a 25 -minute research-based survey to help identify strengths and weaknesses in their school’s learning environment. The parent survey supplement will be administered from October 23 through January 18. These surveys will serve as an opportunity for schools to reflect on progress since the last statewide implementation. Read More

Workshop at SAIL

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•October 24, 2018•

SAIL, Soyland Access to Independent Living, will host a free workshop concerning Scams, Fraud and ID Theft 1:30-3 p.m. Tuesday, October 30 at First United Methodist Church, 216 W. Jefferson in Sullivan. The speaker is Shari Rowe, Postal Inspector with United States Postal Inspection Service.
The workshop is free; reservations are not required. For more information call Betty Watkins, Rural Outreach Coordinator, at 774-4322.

Martins Host Benefit Recital

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•October 24, 2018•

Philip and Nina Martin will host a piano recital in their home at 2 p.m. November 3 to benefit the Moultrie County Beacon and the Moultrie County Counseling Center.
Admission to the event is free and open to the public, but a free will offering to benefit these nonprofit agencies will be collected. Read More

OVHS FFA Harvests

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OVHS FFA Harvests
Okaw Valley FFA recently harvested their ag plot behind the school. The plot had corn this year, and the yields were very good. Monsanto helped with the test plot looking at the numbers of the different varieties of corn before taking it to the elevator. Brody Bland, plot manager, ran one of the combines and allowed OV to use some of his equipment. The Park family allowed the students to use a wagon and truck with which Devin Park hauled the corn to the elevator throughout the day. The FFA will harvest their beans on the Corps of Engineer property in a couple of weeks.

Remember When? 10-24-2018

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25 Years Ago This Week

The Sullivan Band of Redskins, more than 75 members, recently marched in the Eastern Illinois University Marching Band Invitational and the Mahomet-Seymour Invitational. At EIU the band earned high marks in showmanship, expression, adaptability of the show, variety, creativity and marching analysis. They received awards for first runner-up brass and auxiliary. In the Mahomet contest, the band earned second place trophies in Class AA for band, winds, percussion, flags and drum major.
Matt and Janet Kracht of the Moultrie County Foreign Studies program took six Sullivan students on a 10-day tour of France and Italy. The six students were Marti Ray, Jesse Horton, Terry Doyle, Krystal Horsman, Wendy Gilmore and Stacy Collins. This year’s trip started in Paris and ended in Rome. Read More