Photo furnished
Performers at the Titus Opera House.

•March 8, 2017•

By Ellen Ferrera
for the News Progress

Long before Guy Little, Jr. had a vision for The Little Theatre on the Square, Sullivan enjoyed a storied musical past with the Titus Opera House.

It was Sullivan’s cultural center from 1871 to 1910.

Joseph Titus moved to Sullivan with his wife, Louise, and their talented daughter, Winifred. Mrs. Titus sang and played piano, sharing that love of music with the community.

Mr. and Mrs. Titus became patrons of the arts and built the opera house in 1871 for $30,000. Located on the northeast corner of the square where Dunscomb’s Furniture later resided, people began to come. Read More

•March 8, 2017•

By Ariana Cherry
for the News Progress

City council members discussed ordinances regarding cannabis and city curfew hours at the last meeting.

Illinois law on marijuana possession changed in 2016. It is now a civil offense for individuals who are caught with 10 grams or less of cannabis. The fine will cost such persons $200. The new law makes this punishable by fines – but not by jail time.

The council discussed whether they should pass a city ordinance creating a policy and setting fines.

Presently the county has an ordinance; otherwise, it is a state citation. Without an ordinance, the city loses the revenue from the citations.

City police chief Jim Waggoner reported six cases of individuals who have been caught with cannabis recently. No action was taken during the meeting regarding the ordinance. Read More

Photo by Mike Brothers
Moultrie County Counseling Executive Director Dave Cole, AgriFab Director of Human Relations Lori Foreman, and IPS Employment Specialist Jeremy Nolen.

•February 22, 2017•

Agri-Fab’s ability to employ 60% of its workforce locally and implement an employee friendly environment is the result of efforts to change the work environment over the past two years.

Director of Human Relations Lori Foreman told the Individual Placement & Support (IPS) of Moultrie County Counseling Center’s quarterly meeting about some changes that are helping retain employees at the 42 year old lawn equipment manufacturer in Sullivan.

“The six families who saved the company did so because they wanted to live here and keep jobs in the community,” Foreman said of Agri-Fab’s commitment to the area, noting the president of the company started out as a welder on the factory floor.

Besides making strides within the factory walls by reducing turnover with comprehensive benefits and better hiring practices, Agri-Fab is making strides with retaining employees by helping them stay healthier.

As part of the newly implemented health and wellness program the company provided a Fitbit for every employee and their spouse, Foreman said, noting the impact has been tremendous since being introduced during the summer.  Read More

•February 22, 2017•

By Ellen Ferrera
for the News Progress

Next year in February Moultrie County will celebrate its 175th anniversary of incorporation (1843). Sullivan was incorporated in 1850. There are various plans afoot for a celebration and, in that spirit, we revisit stories of Sullivan’s interesting past.

The famous Arc d’Triomphe in Paris was commissioned in 1806 after the victory of Austerlitz but was completed between 1833 and 1836. One of the world’s most beautiful monuments, it is 164’ high, 148’ wide and 22’ deep. It was used for victory and Bastille Day parades until Armistice Day, 1920, when the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was erected under the arch.

Parades now go around the arch rather than under it. A biplane was actually flown under the primary vault in 1919. Read More

File Photo
Kathy and Andy

•February 22, 2017•

By David McCumber
Special to the News Progress

Andrew Schneider, an acclaimed investigative reporter and public-health journalist, died Friday. He was 74.

Mr. Schneider, who lived in Missoula, Montana, died of heart failure in Salt Lake City, where he was being treated for pulmonary disease.

For several years, he worked at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and was remembered by colleagues Saturday as a relentless, inspiring reporter who built indelible relationships with people from all walks of life.

Mr. Schneider won two Pulitzer Prizes, journalism’s highest honor, while at The Pittsburgh Press — one for specialized reporting in 1986 and another for Public Service in 1987.

The public service Pulitzer was for “Danger in the Cockpit,” co-written with Matthew Brelis and photographed by Vincent Musi, a story revealing dangerous gaps in airline safety, including that pilots with alcohol and drug issues were not prevented from flying. The 1986 winner, written with Mary Pat Flaherty, detailed violations and failures in the organ-transplantation system in the U.S. Read More