New Perspectives
•June 25, 2025•
by Janet Roney
Travel leads to new perspectives, they say. It causes travelers to drop their prejudices and see the world around them with a new perspective. Our family hike along the old Charleston Road in the summer of 1982 did that for us, but not in ways I had expected. Our hike did not transform our children into eager students of local history, as I had hoped.
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•June 25, 2025•
by R. Eden Martin
Rick Atkinson is one of America’s most highly acclaimed historians. Known for both his scholarly rigor and his narrative skill, in the field of military history, he surely has no contemporary equal. He is perhaps best known for his widely-praised liberation trilogy — his three books which tell the story of the Allied invasions and campaigns in Europe during World War II: North Africa, Italy, and Normandy.
Atkinson is now well into his next trilogy, which tells the story of America’s battles for independence from Great Britain, as well as the related political and military struggles in Europe involving France and Spain. The first of these volumes, published in 2019, The British Are Coming, received high praise for weaving the large picture of events and strategy with the day-to-day lives of soldiers and civilians caught up in the conflict. The second volume, entitled The Fate of the Day, was published two months ago and has already received equally enthusiastic praise from reviewers. The New York Times called it “great history … compulsively readable … There is no better writer of narrative history than the Pulitzer Prize-winning Atkinson.” This new volume covers the middle of the war, 1777–1780, from Fort Ticonderoga to Charleston.
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The Sullivan Bakery returned! Two hours after opening its doors, they were sold out. The bakery was owned and operated by the Risley family - JoBeth Risley, her daughter Danielle Risley LaBarbera, husband Jerry Risley, and daughter Drew Zbinden.
Sullivan High School baseball team held their awards banquet, recognizing the following individuals: Nick Frerichs-offensive award and first team all-Central Illinois Conference; Matt Sparrow-Redskin award and second team all-CIC; Drew Harris- most improved; Zach Hrvol- pitching award and second team all-CIC; Dylan Hart- offensive award and first team all-CIC; and Jacob Piper- defensive award and all-CIC honorable mention; Levi Nadler-Redskin award and all-CIC honorable mention.
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•June 18, 2025•
•June 18, 2025•
On Saturday the 14th, locals turned out despite iffy weather for Sullivan American Legion Post 68’s Dash n’ Bash fundraiser for St. Jude’s, despite the Car Show cancellation due to an early morning drizzle. Festivities included a raffle, beer tent, food and beverage services, duck derby, 5 K walk/run, slow-pitch tournament, and a late afternoon ‘Kids Korner’, which consisted of inflatables and a dunk tank.
•June 18, 2025•
On Monday, June 9th, two individuals broke into Panther’s Pride Gaming Parlor in Lovington at approximately 12:30 a.m. and attempted to remove money from the gaming machines, but were unsuccessful. No machines were damaged, but this is the fourth such break in they have experienced this year. Both front glass doors were damaged beyond repair, requiring extensive cleanup and replacement of the doors. The two individuals responsible are described as riding bicycles and wearing white Nike tennis shoes. Anyone having information is encouraged to call the Moultrie County Sheriff’s Department at (217) 728-4386.
•June 18, 2025•
Free laundry days in Moultrie County at Sullivan Wash n’ Fold, presented by Moultrie and Shelby County’s ROSC and individual sponsors, are as follows: Thursday, June 26th from 9:00 a.m. to noon, sponsored by Ace, and Thursday, July 24th from 9:00 a.m. to noon and sponsored by Ace and the Couve family. If you would like more information or to sponsor, contact Skyler Miller at skylark@hourhouserecovery.org, or call (217) 549-7427. Funding for this project is provided in whole or part by the Illinois Department of Human Services, Division of Substance Use Prevention and Recovery.
•June 18, 2025•
On July 11th, the Okaw Valley Academic Foundation will be holding its 30th annual Golf Outing at Eagle Creek Golf Course in Findlay. Registration begins at 10:30 a.m., with a shotgun start at 11:00 a.m. Cost is $80.00 per person. Includes 18 holes of golf with a cart, one meal, three drink tickets, and bottled water on the course. Hole sponsorship is $50.00/hole, cart sponsorship is $25.00/cart. All money raised is used to purchase academic and technology supplies for Okaw Valley Schools. For more information or to register, contact Greg Dickens at (217) 972-5245 or email at gregd@agri-fab.com.
More Big Kitties
•June 18, 2025
by Janet Roney
Cala Sawyer Graham’s story about panthers screaming all night long from the top of the old well at their Half-Way House Inn on the old Charleston Road captivated me, especially after hearing more and more stories about recent cougar sightings in the county like this one from my friend, Sue.
One early morning in 2005, Sue watched a cougar for two or three minutes as it moved along a deer trail in a wooded area across the road from her house. When it turned so she could see its full length, there was no doubt. Its long tail stretched behind it “in full glory”. Sue lives near where muddy big cat and baby cat footprints were seen on the road.
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•June 18, 2025•
Sarah Bush Lincoln Hospice will host three volunteer training classes to inform and educate volunteers on how to assist people in SBL Hospice care and their families.
Each class will last from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the following dates: Friday, July 18th; Friday, August 15th; and Friday, September 26th. The classes will be held at the SBL Willow Breeze Hospice House, located on the north side of the Health Center at 10660 CR 800N, Mattoon.
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