•July 15, 2026•

by Jamie Crosier

The message appears on the cover of this year’s Findlay Walleye Festival booklet: “Grow Where You’re Planted.” Inside, that theme carries through nearly every page as organizers recognize local farming families, honor longtime volunteers and invite the community to celebrate the festival’s 38th year July 24-25. 

The cover describes farmers as “the backbone of our nation,” while a letter from the Walleye Festival Board thanks generations of farming families for helping feed America and recognizes the role they have played in building the Findlay community. 

•July 15, 2026•

by Jamie Crosier

For many students, summer break means time away from the classroom. For participants in Sullivan Middle School’s Tribe Trek program, it means learning through hands-on experiences across the Midwest.

On June 30, students traveled to Chicago to explore the Adler Planetarium, where they toured interactive exhibits and attended two shows inside the facility’s domed theaters. The visit was one of four educational and recreational trips offered through the Tribe Trek summer enrichment program.

The program was created to keep students engaged during the summer months while giving them opportunities they might not otherwise experience. Although Tribe Trek was originally scheduled to launch in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic delayed its start until 2021. This summer marks the program’s sixth year.

•July 15, 2026•

Want to make a real difference in your community? Become an Election Judge and help ensure fair, accurate, and secure elections. Election Judges are essential to the voting process. You’ll assist voters, help operate polling places, and work alongside fellow community members to uphold the integrity of Moultrie County elections.

•July 8, 2026•

by Jamie Crosier 

The Sullivan Community Unit School District 300 Board of Education approved several major financial and facility decisions Monday night, June 29, including a balanced amended budget, a contract for the district’s long-awaited track replacement project and the purchase of property that could support future transportation needs. 

The board unanimously approved the district’s amended fiscal year 2026 budget following a public hearing. Superintendent Dr. Walk reported the district finished the year with a budget surplus of approximately $111,900 while maintaining a balanced operating budget. 

Walk said the district experienced its first year in nearly a decade in which state and federal funding declined from the previous year. Transportation funding was particularly affected after the state reduced reimbursement payments. 

Even with those reductions, Walk said the district remains in stable financial condition. 

•July 1, 2026•

by Sharon Barricklow

Is your shrubbery looking jagged? Is your garden not producing? Are their hoof prints in the mud and something on the ground bigger than any dog business? If so, you may have been visited by Moultrie County’s resident deer.

Believe it or not, in 1900 the white tail deer population in Illinois was virtually extinct. Obviously, in the last 126 years that has changed, with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources estimating the state’s deer population at 660,000 in 2025. Moultrie County doesn’t have the largest deer population, that honor goes to Joe Davies County, but in 344 square mile Moultrie County, more than 700 are harvested annually during hunting season.