•July 4, 2018•

By Mike Brothers

Sullivan schools welcome back a couple of alumni as teachers, following a special District 300 board meeting Friday, June 29.
With Ann Wheeler replacing the absent president Jeff White, attending members unanimously approved Craig Black as high school head basketball coach and physical education teacher and SHS alumnus Jacob Haegen as full-time elementary school teacher.
Black, a 2007 SHS graduate, replaces Chester Reeder who accepted the Teutopolis head coaching job. Black has coached at Oakwood High School for the past four years with the team named 2018 Vermilion County Tournament Champions.
Haegen, who lives in Sullivan with his wife, son and daughter, has taught kindergarten for 16 years at Stewardson-Strasburg Elementary School. Haegen replaces Cheryl Kramer who submitted her notice of retirement as elementary school teacher. Read More

•June 27, 2018•

By Ellen Ferrera
for the News Progress

Acclaimed actress and Emmy award winner, Colleen Zenk, commands the stage as that scheming matchmaker and compulsive meddler, Dolly Gallagher Levi, in “Hello Dolly” currently playing at the Little Theatre.
The musical is replete with colorful costumes, gorgeous sets and some of the most memorable music in American Theatre. This is a polished and well-chosen cast who will sing and dance their way into your heart.
The plot for “Hello Dolly” originated in an 1835 play, and Thornton Wilder adapted it into a play entitled “The Merchant of Yonkers”, a flop which he revised to “The Matchmaker”. David Merrick turned it into the musical with the late great Carol Channing who made it her signature role. It is one of the longest-running musicals on Broadway and currently in its fifth revival.
The time is late 1900s, and the brassy Dolly Gallagher Levi is in town. She is a meddler – making her living as a matchmaker, dance instructor, mandolin teacher and numerous other sidelines. She is looking for a wife for the grumpy Horace Vandergelder (Gus Gordon), but she makes it clear that she intends to snag Horace for herself. Ambrose Kemper (Luke Rose) wants to marry Horace’s niece Ermengarde (Shannon McEldowney) but Horace opposes the union so Ambrose has enlisted Dolly’s help. Read More

Photo by Ellen Ferrera
Pictured is Dan Moschenrose.

•June 20, 2018•

By Ellen Ferrera
for The News Progress

Dan Moschenrose is a 21-year veteran whose passion is his love of the history surrounding the birth of our great nation.
He has been concerned, however, that children are not being taught early American history in schools. “ They watch the fireworks and the parades, collect the candy and enjoy the cookouts, but they don’t know why we celebrate the day,” Moschenrose said of Independence Day.
To illustrate his point Moschenrose once promised money to a student trying to fund a school trip if the student could answer a history question. The question was, “In what year did Elvis and John Wilkes Booth declare independence from China?” The student thought for a moment and then gave the year he thought was correct - 1783.
Moschenrose was stunned that the student didn’t even know this was a ridiculous question and is still puzzled by how little kids know about the Revolutionary War. Read More

Photo furnished. Pictured are Carol Elder, Simon Parri and John Durbin.

•June 20, 2018•

By Ellen Ferrera
for The News Progress

Some 42 people donated $25 or more for a free plane ride as part of the recent charity cookout for Pastor Brandon Zoll. John Durbin’s Super Hawk 180 is the plane.
John Durbin, a flying enthusiast since the mid-70s, supplied the plane and fuel for the outings on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, June 5 and 6. The flights were about 20 minutes and gave the flyers breathtaking views of Sullivan, Bethany and Lake Shelbyville. In response to the thanks for his charity, John simply said, “It was the right thing to do.”
Besides his recreational flying John works with young people in the Young Eagles program which has taught some 1500 kids about aviation safety and provided the first airplane ride for many of them.

•June 13, 2018•

By Ariana Cherry
for the News Progress

Sullivan City Council at their last meeting decided to move forward with the construction of the square pavilion.

Up to $25,000 has been confirmed in donations with the council matching up to $25,000 with city TIF funds.

City Administrator Dan Flannell is reaching out to local contractors in an effort to decide whether the city could wave the bidding process. He emphasized this would get the project underway within a reasonable timeframe.  Read More