•January 1, 2025•

January

The Moultrie County Childcare Committee announced the awarding of a substantial grant totaling $21,600 to Sullivan Preschool in acknowledgment of its exemplary commitment to providing exceptional childcare services in Moultrie County. This grant reflects the committee’s dedication to supporting and enhancing early childhood education within our community.

The Sullivan City Council agreed to helping the Sullivan Fire Department during their regular meeting on Monday, January 8.

The first item under new business was discussion and possible approval of a TIF agreement with the Sullivan Fire Protection District. The fire protection district has asked help to purchase a new truck. They asked for $40,000 a year for ten years out of TIF funds. Doug Shook said that fire trucks are important and that he would hate to lose a house in Cedar Dale or elsewhere. “If it can prevent one house fire I think it would be money well spent,” he said. The council agreed and approved the help.

•December 25, 2024•

by Sharon Barricklow

A 45 year old former Okaw Valley school teacher was sentenced to a total of five years in the Illinois Department of Corrections on December 12 after pleading guilty to Grooming, a Class 4 Felony, and Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor, a Class 2 Felony. 

Jason R. Engler of Shelbyville was a teacher and junior high cross country coach at the time of his arrest. He was sentenced in Moultrie County Court and still faces charges in Shelby County. Investigators said Engler sent pornographic pictures of himself to victims and a journal investigators entered into evidence showed he planned to take one student to his native Ohio and “make her his wife”. 

•December 4, 2024•

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 (IDOR). 

 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 was no equalization among counties, substantial inequities among taxpayers with comparable properties would result. 

•November 27, 2024•

by Megan Russell  

Sullivan has officially started the festive season with the set-up and decorating of the very large Christmas tree on the square. The tree set-up, spanning over two to three days, is a hometown tradition of the season, marking a point of no return into the holiday. Groups of two to four people, two on the lift and two watching the ground, began day two of set-up for the tree. Filling the monstrous wire base with dark green leaves and a mixture of silver, red and green matte and glossy ornaments.  The set-up crew started to decorate from the top of the tree and had close to five plastic totes filled with decorations accompanied by two large bags filled with even more décor for the grandiose tree. While the weather warmed up for the decorating of the tree on Tuesday, November 19th, the workers tasked with setting the large tree rings up the day prior were subjected to chilling winds and rain while assembling the metal bits, securing the base for the heavy leaves and ornaments. The tree can be seen in full on the corner of East Harrison and South Washington, next to the Metro Communications building. The tree, now taller than the building stands to beautify the downtown area for the festive season as an opportunity to give back to the community of which Metro grew and gained support.