Category Archives: News

Special Olympics: Becoming a Family and Not Just a Team

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Photo furnished
Special Olympic Hornets front row, L-R Cassi Connley, Tyler Hahn, Jerry Klein, Bradlee Todd and coach Leslie Todd.  Back row, L-R Coach Brad Duncan, David Conklin, Curtis Covington, Eric Fulton, Austin Jones and Brooke Whitrock.

Alpha Bears Win

•March 28, 2018•

By Ellen Ferrera
for the News Progress

The Region I Alpha Bears defeated the Chicago Independent Wolves 55-23 in a stunning upset on Sunday, March 18 in Bloomington, Ill. to win the Illinois Special Olympics state basketball championship.

Region I of Special Olympics covers the heart of central Illinois from Champaign to Effingham and west to Lincoln and has 130 Special Olympic teams. The Alpha Bears is a coed team with members from Sullivan, Mattoon, Arcola, Neoga and Shelbyville.

Sullivan residents Bradlee Todd and David Conklin, who works at Habitat, are members of the team. The coed team has two girls and seven boys. Read More

Bomb Threat Forces Early Spring Break at Sullivan Schools

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Photo by R.R. Best
Sullivan Chief of Police Jim Waggoner directs students a safe distance from Sullivan schools with city administrator Dan Flannell in background joining teachers, additional city employees and first responders to help keep the situation under control last Friday afternoon.

•March 28, 2018•

A threatening note led to early dismissal of Sullivan Schools for Easter break Friday. No credible threat was discovered with the responsible student taken into custody.

According to a press release from Supt. Ted Walk a note was discovered Friday, March 23, indicating a possible bomb threat to Sullivan High School. The credibility of the threat could not be immediately determined, and Sullivan schools dismissed students starting at 1:15 p.m.

Students were relocated to the American Legion and Sullivan Civic Center for parent reunification.

Law enforcement and school administration conducted a search of the buildings and grounds, and no evidence of a bomb was found.   Read More

County Board Seats New Member, Supports Tourism

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•March 21 2018•

Neil Bryan of Sullivan was appointed to the Moultrie County Board by chairman Dave McCabe at the regular March 15 meeting.

Bryan replaces Ron White, who recently stepped down after 15 years on the board. Bryan, who was sworn in by County Clerk Georgia England took his place with the board. He was assigned to serve on the Moultrie County Health Department Board; Public Health and Safety and Personnel and Election committees. Bryan will serve until the Nov. general election when the seat is up for a two year term.

“It will take some time for me to get up to speed, but I look forward to serving the county,” Bryan said of his board appointment.

Laurrie Minor of Sullivan Chamber and Economic Development and Sarah Haslett of the U. S Corp of Engineers at Lake Shelbyville reported on the tourism outreach partnership between the Corp and Sullivan. Read More

Lovington Village Boosts Fireworks Contribution

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•March 21 2018•

Lovington village board approved up to $7000  donation to the village fireworks show, following the Saturday, June 16 Community Club fish fry.

Lisa Kamm told board members the Fireworks fund raiser was set for the American Legion on March 17. Last year the Fireworks community donated $3000 toward the show and anticipates the same donation for the coming year, Kamm explained. The additional donation from the village will allow a $10,000 fireworks program Saturday, following the Lovington Community Club Fish Fry. Read More

Students Walkout in Effort to Stop Gun Violence in Schools

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Photo by Mike Brothers
Students at Sullivan Middle School and High School left classes for about 20 minutes last Wednesday in memory of the students who died in the Parkland, Fla shooting earlier this month. Some 33 students observed the 15 minute nationwide observation.

•March 21 2018•

By Mike Brothers

At 10 a.m. Wednesday March 14, one month after the Parkland, Fla school shootings, students from Sullivan Middle School and high school gathered at the flagpole to honor those killed in school shootings over the past few years.

“It’s a shame that we have to do this in an effort to save the lives of students who are just trying to get an education,” a SHS student commented on the walkout requesting tighter gun controls.  Read More

Sullivan Approves Subdivision

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•March 21 2018•

By Ariana Cherry
for the News Progress

The Sullivan City Council approved the preliminary plat for the new Burdick sub-division at the March 12 meeting.

The new sub-division will lie along the east side of Patterson Road and south of the White Heath Subdivision to the four way stop at Country Club Drive which is about a half mile east of Route 32 South. The driveways will back into Patterson Road.

Near the White Heath sub-division, Burdick sub-division consists of nine one to two acres sites.

Developer Darin Burdick noted a couple of sites were larger with one lot about three acres and another five. The city is installing utilities andthe subdivision has been zoned residential with “high-quality” homes. Read More

Bethany Village Board Runs Into Snag With Landlord/Renter Agreement

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Attorneys agree to exchange viewpoints

•March 14, 2018•

By Ellen Ferrera
for the News Progress

The village of Bethany and landlords ongoing issues over who pays utility charges for delinquent renters will wait for attorneys to review a possible compromise.

Andrew W. B. Bequette of Bequette Law Office in Urbana is representing Gary Meritt and other landlords regarding the village of Bethany’s proposed Landlord/Renter Agreement.

He asked the board to table any action they were contemplating until he and the village attorney could meet and discuss concerns. Bequette outlined some of those concerns and advised that some of the items in the agreement could leave the village open to litigation. The two attorneys exchanged viewpoints and agreed to meet. Read More

Moultrie County Candidates Turn Out for Chamber Forum

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•March 14, 2018•

By Mike Brothers

Moultrie County treasurer and judge candidates expressed their views at the candidates forum held Thursday, March 8 at Sullivan First United Methodist Church.

Sponsored by Sullivan Economic Development and the Moultrie County News Progress, Sullivan Unit #300 Supt. Ted Walk moderated the forum which was streamed live on News Progress FaceBook. Each candidate presented opening remarks, asked three questions, then allowed to close with a one minute statement.

County treasurer Marci Thompson is retiring with two candidates competing for the Republican nomination and two candidates competing for the Democrat nomination on the March 20 ballot.

Michelle Liddiard and Stephanie Helmuth are running on the Republican ticket;

Pam Wittkowski and Diane Waggoner are running on the Democratic ticket. Read More

Lovington Prepares for Town-Wide Rummage

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•March 14, 2018•

Registration is now open for the Lovington Townwide Rummage Sales to be held Friday, June 1 and Saturday, June 2. Sign-up forms are available at Village Hall, the Lovington Public Library and online on the “Putting Back the Love in Lovington” Facebook page.  Read More

ALAH School Board Discusses Possible Elementary Reorganization

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•March 7, 2018•

By Ariana Cherry
for the News Progress

At the most recent Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond School Board meeting members of the board discussed the possibility of reorganizing the grade school buildings within the district.

Presently, the junior high students have been bused to the high school building for physical education, and high school students have been having to find other additional rooms for study hall such as the cafeteria.

The district has considered converting the current grade school into an “attendance center,” which would contain specific grades in each center.  Read More