Photo by Ellen Ferrera
Pictured is the Mason Point Chapel Garden.

•August 16, 2017•

By Ellen Ferrera
for the News Progress

With a grant from the Chapel Fund, the maintenance and ground staffs at Mason Point have been able to create a new flower garden and reinstall the entrance lamps to the Mason Point Chapel.

The right side of the walkway was edged in concrete blocks, and a raised flower bed complete with a stone bench was created on the left side of the walk. My Garden staff designed and supervised the plantings while the ground crew filled in the soil and mulch. The original Gothic entrance lamps were refurbished and reinstalled on either side of the entrance steps to complete the makeover.

In 1925 the original chapel was created at the end of a corridor in what was the Royal Arch Hospital and had a pulpit and the newest moving picture screen and projecting equipment obtainable. The chapel was used for religious services, weddings, entertainment and funerals.

This arrangement soon proved unsatisfactory as anyone entering the chapel had to pass through the hospital. The board of directors made the decision that a new chapel would be built and would be independent of the hospital and dormitories. At that time, before automobiles, the Masonic Home staff lived in dorms or small rooms within the complex. Read More

•August 16, 2017•

Lovington Village Board held a meeting July 10 and followed up with a special meeting July 24 as a planning session.

Two hours of the planning session were spent in executive session, returning to open session to discuss seeking bids on the village insurance coverage including health and liability and vehicle converge.

The condition of some properties within the village were discussed, and a guest to the meeting Dennis Day asked for village assistance with property across the street from him. Read More

Longevity Increases Proposed

•August 9, 2017•

By Mike Brothers

The Moultrie County Board personnel committee heard different views on how to approach future salary schedules among the 20 courthouse employees.

Jeff Birch, supt. of highways, was appointed to chair an ad hoc committee consisting of courthouse elected and appointed officers by county board chairman Dave McCabe to make recommendations of the future salary structure for courthouse employees.

Birch presented the committee chair Bill Voyles and members with a schedule that would tie county employee salary increases annually to the consumer price index. Birch plotted the scale based on the CPI from 2009 to 2016. By increasing salary levels with the CPI the $19,000-21,000 starting based recommended would have improved to $21,215-$23,455 range for first year courthouse employees. Read More

OVHS Dual Credit Program Expands

•August 9, 2017•

By Brody Sparks
for the News Progress

Dual credit programs allow students to earn college and high school credits simultaneously by participating in college level courses.

These courses are taught by high school teachers who are certified to instruct college classes. Okaw Valley High School is on the forefront of making these opportunities available to students.

“Okaw Valley High School is one of the leading schools in the area when it comes to dual credit offerings,” said OVHS principal Matt Shoaff. “Last year OVHS offered 50 hours of dual credit, and that increases to 65 for the 2017-2018 school year.”

Dual credit classes are available for Okaw Valley students in a variety of subjects including nine credit hours in agriculture, nine hours in business, 12 credit hours in English, 26 hours in math, six hours in social studies, and three hours in science. Generally, an associate’s degree requires 60 credit hours (around 20 college courses).  Read More