Category Archives: News Briefs

Committee Flumoxed Over New Treasurer’s Salary

News Progress Posted on by

•April 11, 2018•

Circuit Clerk Cindy Braden has accepted a position with the Illinois Courts Administrative office in Springfield starting May 1.

Braden, who started her fourth term as Moultrie County Circuit Clerk in 2016 and has been a county employee for 34 years including her time with the Moultrie County Sheriff’s Dept., informed members of the county board personnel committee of the decision April 4. Braden will be a court operations analyst with the Court Services Division of the Administrative Office of the Illinois Court

Braden is a Democrat with the selection of her replacement recommended by the county Democrat Central Committee. The person appointed will run for a two year term in the November election.

County Board Chairman Dave McCabe thanked Braden for her years of service to the county. Read More

Gold Slip Students

News Progress Posted on by

Photo furnished
Gold Slip Students
Students who go above and beyond expectations at Sullivan Elementary School are awarded “Gold Slips.” Three students were recognized for this honor in March. Cabella Williams (left) and Josh Bailey (middle) helped out their classroom teacher by getting pencils out of the back of a bookcase that the teacher could not reach. Emma McCain (right) stepped right in to help a student tie his shoe without even being asked.

Pastor’s Ministry Comes Full Circle with Return to Area 

News Progress Posted on by

Photo furnished
Pictured are Pastor Mike Jones with his wife.

•April 11, 2018•

Pastor Mike Jones was unanimously voted to be the pastor at Prairie View Baptist Church of Lake City Jan. 28.

Born and raised in Decatur, Pastor Jones has come full circle in the ministry, relocating with the Lake City church.

More than 25 years after he left, Jones has been called to minister to his hometown area.

He has been in the ministry for more than 20 years and has served as an assistant pastor in several congregations, including recently in the Branson, Missouri area.

Jones accepted Christ as his Savior and followed the Lord in believer’s baptism at the Central Baptist Church currently on Jasper Street in Decatur. Soon after, under the ministry of Pastor Dave Brown at Central, he accepted the call to preach at the age of 12. Read More

Moultrie County Farm Bureau Farm Tour Visits Reedy Farm

News Progress Posted on by

Photo furnished
Moultrie County Farm Bureau Treasurer Lucas Roney explains the several types of equipment farmers use throughout the year to Sullivan third grade students.

•April 11, 2018•

The Moultrie County Farm Bureau held their annual Ag Education Farm Tour Friday, March 16 at Mike and Joel Reedy’s farm in rural Lovington. More than 100 students went through farm machinery, farm safety, chemical look-a-like, seed and livestock stations.

The farm tour gave local schools a chance to bring their pre-school and third grade classes out and learn about a day on the farm. The children learned about seed, fertilizer, equipment costs and the steps the farmer takes in preparing the fields from planting through harvesting the crops.

Students were also taught about chemical look-a-likes presented by Angie Welker from the University of Illinois Extension.

Jonathon Manuel from Champaign SWCD demonstrated the rainfall simulator which visually taught students how rainfall is affected by the type of surface it connects with and how water runoff occurs on particular surfaces.

Okaw Valley FFA led the livestock and ATV safety stations.

Remember When? 4-11-2018

News Progress Posted on by

25 Years Ago This Week

Winter weather lingers on in Moultrie County. Snowy slick roads forced drivers off the roadways. Three accidents were reported on Saturday, March 13.

One of Sullivan’s first certified paramedics has retired after 37 years of service. Bob Hess started his career in 1957 as a volunteer fireman while he and his wife also operated Bob & Lida’s Cleaners. When Sullivan got its first ambulance, Hess was one of three to become the first certified EMTs in town. His son Jim is now a firefighter/paramedic for the Sullivan department. Read More

First Mid-Illinois Bank & Trust Gives Back To Area Organizations

News Progress Posted on by

Photo furnished
Sullivan Rotary Receives Donation from First Mid. Pictured left to right are Brad Pullen, Sullivan Community President, Sullivan Rotary President Dan Fultz, and members Joe Keller, George Levi and Doug Smothers.

•April 11, 2018•

Investing in the communities it serves is important to First Mid-Illinois Bank & Trust, and in 2017 First Mid employees volunteered more than 18,000 hours within its 37 communities in Illinois and Missouri.

First Mid recently recognized the top five volunteers and donated $500 each to the charity of their choice.

Brad Pullen, Sullivan Community President, was a top volunteer and has selected both the Arcola Junior Football League and Sullivan Rotary Club to receive donations from First Mid. The Arcola JFL promotes having fun, learning the fundamentals of football, safety, teamwork and sportsmanship for boys and girls starting in fourth grade.  Read More

Science Fiction and Pulp Literature Featured at EIU by English  Scholar

News Progress Posted on by

•April 11, 2018•

English scholar Dr. Jad Smith will discuss how science fiction writer Alfred Bester combined elements of modernism and popular pulp fiction to transform the field of science fiction on Tuesday, April 10, 2018 at 9 am in the Coleman Hall Auditorium on the campus of Eastern Illinois University. The talk is free and open to the public. Read More

“It’s A Spring Thing” in Blue Mound

News Progress Posted on by

•April 11, 2018•

Do you love hand made items or have a favorite direct sales representative? Do you need a special something for you or your home?

Mark your calendars for Friday, April 27th from 4:00-8:00 pm and Saturday, April 28th from 9:00-3:00 pm. at the Blue Mound Civic Center located at 551 N. Lewis Street in Blue Mound.

There  will be 30+ vendors featuring Wreaths, Grave Saddles, Candles, T-shirt Quilts, Embroidery, Wood Crafts, Local Honey, Homemade Fudge,and much more.  Read More

Thinking About Health States Developing Solutions To ‘Dental Deserts’ Problem

News Progress Posted on by

•April 11, 2018•

By Wendell Potter,
Rural Health News Service

Access to dental care is a serious and worsening health problem in rural America. But now many states are beginning to enact legislation that could ease the pain.

The federal government says 63 million Americans live in dental deserts — areas where few if any dentists practice — and that more than half of those who live in the deserts are in rural areas.

Hundreds of counties throughout the United States have no dentist, meaning residents often have to drive long distances for dental care. https://datawarehouse.hrsa.gov/topics/shortageAreas.aspx

Nebraska is among the states with a severe shortage of dentists, at least in its rural areas. The state has designated more than half of its 93 counties as general dentistry shortage areas. In 2012, according to a study by the University of Nebraska Medical Center, 20 Nebraska counties did not have a single dentist. (https://www.unmc.edu/publichealth/chp/research/2013-access-to-oral-health-care-in-nebraska.pdf) Read More