Supt. Schwengel’s Last Meeting

•June 26, 2019•
By Ariana Cherry
for the News Progress

At the last board meeting the Arthur Lovington Atwood Hammond school board looked into changes to the student handbook which included drug testing, student parking and use of electronic devices.
The ALAH School Board held a hearing for the FY 2019 amended budget after it had been available to the public for the past 30 days. A few minor adjustments were made to supplies and expenditures as well as transferring money from the education department to transportation.
Superintendent Kenny Schwengel commented that funding for transportation may come in after July. After the hearing, board members voted on the budget and passed it for approval.
Schwengel informed the board that the district’s current balance is $4,525,647.87 and that the funds were in pretty good shape.
High school principal Steffanie Seegmiller discussed some of the changes to the high school student handbook. Starting in the 2019-2020 school year, students will be required to register their car and pay for a $2.00 parking tag. They also increased parking spaces for faculty and reserved parking space for visitors. Read More

Photo by Mike Brothers
Shelby County Dive Team rescues Brittany Landreth and her two daughters from flood waters that threatened their home on N. Church Street in Bethany.

•June 26, 2019•
What happens when four inches of rain falls in half an hour?
Bethany was hit with four inches of rain within half an hour on June 19 that left streets flowing like an angry river and residents still dealing with flood conditions.
With a torrent of water rushing down North Church Street, Bethany Fire District called on the Shelby County Dive team to rescue Brittany Landreth and her two daughters by boat, while Bethany personnel escorted son Alex from Tamara Lillico’s house next door, utilizing guide ropes to steady the team against the rushing water.
“It came on all at once,” Bethany Fire Chief Tom Rucker said of the 1 p.m. deluge of water. “Firefighters turned out well for the middle of the day, and we first went to the grade school where water got inside the building.” Read More

•June 19, 2019•
Moultrie County is in good financial shape according to the audit presented by West and Company at the regular June 13 meeting of the Moultrie County Board.
According to the FY2018 audit the county enjoyed a $1.5 million net increase with $760,000 in cash. An increase of $130,000 in detention income from the Moultrie County Detention Center and a one time Ameren payment of $477,000 account for most of the increased income.
Health insurance coverage grew to $350,000 keeping with a $100,000 per year increase experienced recently. The audit was approved unanimously.
An additional $150,000 was approved for special projects for the Highway Dept. Committee chairman Kevin McReynolds explained some road and bridge project bids came in higher than anticipated requiring the extra funds. Read More

•June 19, 2019•
Throughout her advising career and now as a longtime retiree, Carol Smith has served scholastic journalism admirably, for her Lovington students and consolidated school community, for her mentees and for the state organization.
During her long career as newspaper adviser at Lovington High School, Carol inspired her students and community.
She molded close relationships with area professional media, she taught her students solid reporting and editing skills, and she stood up for them in various arenas.
She is still in contact with many of her former students, and she is continually proud of their accomplishments, whether they stayed in journalism or not.
Smith continued to educate herself on journalism curriculum, ethics and law, and she was an early supporter of the IHSA state journalism tournament––and she even judged two categories last year. Read More

•June 12, 2019•
By Mike Brothers

The new state formula to generate revenue for road and bridge repairs could be a good thing for Moultrie County.
Proposed increased taxes at the gas pump have created speculation, but restricting the tax for road and bridge repair is a step toward improving the state’s infrastructure.
Motor Fuel Tax is collected by the state with a share distributed to local governments for use in annual road maintenance.
Moultrie County Highway engineer Jeff Birch explained the county’s share of MFT funds will double when the July 1, 2019 bill takes effect.
“Granted we won’t get all the funds at once, but doubling MFT funds gives the county a chance to develop future projects,” Birch said.
The one million Wilborn Creek Road project a few years ago utilized federal funds with local matching funds recycling the existing surface into a county highway that has withstood extensive boat as well as neighborhood traffic. Read More