Category Archives: News Briefs

SES Reads Across America 

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Photo furnished

•March 14, 2018•

Sullivan Elementary School celebrated Read Across America by honoring Dr. Seuss the week of February 26. Students participated in dress up days based on different Dr. Seuss books each day, and different activities took place throughout the week.

Stop Everything and Read for 15 minutes was held Monday. Everyone in the building stopped what they were doing and read a book.

Tuesday students decorated crazy socks that were displayed in the hallway.

Students did partner reading with students from different grade levels on Wednesday, and Thursday they were allowed to wear crazy hats.  Read More

Get Ready To Rock! Illinois State Fair Grandstand Line-Up

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Halestorm and Mastodon to co-headline

•March 14, 2018•

Fairgoers should get ready to rock on Saturday, August 11 at the Illinois State Fair.  Halestorm and Mastodon will be co-headlining on the grandstand stage.

Halestorm, one of the most iconic bands in modern rock, released their self-titled album in 2009, which led to their second album The Strange Case Of… released in 2012 that featured the Grammy award-winning single for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance, “Love Bites (So Do I).”  Read More

Operation Safe Kids Offered to Area Students

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•March 14, 2018•

How well children adapt to being home alone, whether the experience becomes a positive or a negative one depends primarily on three factors: age, maturity level and preparation.

Parents need to talk with children to determine their children’s level of self-confidence and maturity and they need to prepare their children before leaving them home alone. They should never expect their child to know what to do without any training.   Read More

Remember When? 3-14-2018

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25 Years Ago This Week

The second winter storm of the season has blanketed Moultrie County with more than four inches of snow causing school closings and game cancellations. Few accidents were reported on the slick roads.

Lovington business teacher, Don Bell, will be retiring after 31 years of teaching. His wife, Mary, will retire from Illinois Masonic Home also. They plan to travel the United States and maybe Europe.

Sullivan High School FFA members Zak Horn and Nick Voegel recently attended the FFA Made For Excellence Conference in Champaign. There they met Jason Kuhlemeir, State FFA president.

Lovington eighth grader Royce Bean was the winner of the Lovington Grade School spelling bee. Fourth through eighth grade students competed in the bee. He will advance to the Moultrie County spelling bee.  Read More

Letter to the Editor 3-7-2018

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To the Editor,

When a youth group and their sponsors try to provide a nice meal as a fund-raiser, there are several things that are quickly and soundly learned.

First, people who are in the restaurant business are geniuses. A good quality meal provided at a good price in a clean environment without a long wait is a truly remarkable feat. To do so with untrained teens is miraculous.

Second, those meal providers work hard in a pressure environment. They deserve good conditions, good pay and kindness. Read More

Applications Being Accepted for Arts in Decatur’s Park

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•March 7, 2018•

Applications are being accepted from artists interested in exhibiting at Arts in Central Park, a juried art fair held in Central Park in downtown Decatur September 15 and 16. Deadline to apply is June 1.

Artwork for jurying and inclusion in the show must be original. Assistance of commercial molds and kits may not be used. Resale of purchased item is not permissible. Read More

OVHS Dual Credit

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OVHS Photo
OVHS Dual Credit
OVHS dual credit students attending the LLC open house were: Row 1 - Beau Atchison, Brody Bland, Garrett Tippit and Baylie Wagner. Row 2 - Connor Sheehan, Ethan Bartimus, Hank Yowell, and Cohen Collins

Bats are Helpful in Mosquito Control

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•March 7, 2018•

By Ellen Ferrara
for The News Progress

“Illinois has 12 species of bats, most of which are small or large brown bats,”  Alysia Callison of Rock Springs Nature Center told the Mid-Illinois Senior Services audience Feb. 12.

The Sullivan based senior services center has contracted with the Macon County Conservation District for a series of monthly educational programs. These programs are offered free on the second Tuesday of each month.

Callison is Senior Program Naturalist at Rock Springs Nature Center and presented a lecture with slides on bats.

She explained that bats prefer to roost in caves, barns and other high places for protection from predators.

“So, if you see a bat on the ground, it is probably sick or injured, and you should leave it or call animal control,” Callison cautioned. Read More

OV Student Awarded National Scholarship

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•March 7, 2018•

Cohen Collins, a student at Okaw Valley High School in Bethany launched his own lawn care company when he was just 15 years old.

Collins has grown his business throughout high school, serving almost two dozen satisfied customers while remaining focused on his school work and holding down a second job at a local woodworking shop.

And he was able to accomplish all of this while coping with learning and attention issues (dysgraphia and dyscalculia). Read More