•March 23, 2016•

By Mike Brothers

As school technology expands so do the budgets required to keep pace.

Sullivan School Board members were updated on the FY 2017 budget by Supt. Brad Tuttle which includes a $34,938 increase from the prior year.

Formulated by the District Technology Committee the proposed annual budget is $268,003.

With the anticipated E-Rate reinbursment of $57,222 the total district cost should reduce to $210,781.

The iPad student program expands to include the ninth grade in the new budget. The purchase of 80 iPads and cases is $32,320. Read More

•March 16, 2016•

Sullivan Varsity Scholastic Bowl team won Regionals Monday, March 8 in Maroa-Forsyth.

The first match against Oakwood ended 320-110. Grace Mauck had five tossups, Ross Metzger three, Luke Delong three, and Ryan Baker two.

The second match of the night was against Argenta-Oreana. Sullivan was victorious winning 280-210. Leading were Ryan Baker and Grace Mauck with four, Ross Metzger two, and Luke Delong two.  Read More

•March 9, 2016•

State agencies can be consistently inconsistent,” was how Coles County Emergency Communications CECOM Director Bernie Buttram described attempts to file the joint Coles Moultrie County joint agreement for enhanced 911 service.

Buttram explained that the switch from the Illinois Commerce Commission to Illinois State Police control of the state emergency services system prompted CECOM to enlist the resources of the Coles County Regional Planning Commission to complete the filing.

The planning commission’s software provided better access to the new Illinois State Police system facilitating filing the two county agreement for CECOM to provide emergency service dispatch under the enhanced 911 system.

Buttram went on to explain the enhanced system is about 90 percent complete with the addition of Moultrie County land lines into the database as the last step.

Public health and safety member Kevin McReynolds noted that 911 calls now are located within a range, the enhanced 911 system actually pinpoints the call location. Read More

•March 9, 2016•

By Kennedy D. Nolen
For the News Progress

The Chamber of Commerce and select businesses in Moultrie County have teamed up with local school districts to help educate students about different career paths and job availability in the community.

According to the Skills Gap Survey conducted by ‘No Jobs Left Behind,’ 30 businesses, under four main sectors: healthcare, logistics, manufacturing, and technology and services, in Moultrie, Coles, Douglas, and Shelby counties projected an estimate of almost 800 jobs available in 2016 in a variety of fields; jobs varied from accountants to drivers and from mechanics to welders.  Some of these companies started lacking labor in their facilities, leading to a decrease in growth and expansion.

To solve the problem, the Chamber and businesses such as Agri-Fab, Hydro-Gear, Marvin Keller Trucking, Caterpillar, Justrite, MasterBrand, GSI, and Mid-State Tank offered tours of their facilities to students interested in career opportunities during Manufacturing Week last October 26-30. During that week of Manufacturing Month, 245 students from Humboldt, Sullivan, Okaw Valley, Shelbyville, Tuscola, Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond, and Windsor were able to see the facilities and talk with professionals about potential opportunities. Since this event was such a success, it will continue again this October. Read More

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•March 2, 2016•

By Nick Fiala
For the News Progress

Decatur Memorial Hospital recently celebrated its 100th anniversary.

The January first date was also a celebration of a Bethany woman who dedicated a significant portion of her time and energy to birthing the establishment a century ago.

Sue Hagaman (1841-1919) was known as “The Mother of the Hospital” by those who took up the task of finishing DMH’s construction after her.

The plans for the project began as early as 1901 with the encouragement of many prominent physicians of central Illinois. Finally, in 1916, she was present to literally turn the first shovel of dirt and witness the laying of the hospital’s cornerstone.

This inspirational effort came after Hagaman had already served for 35 years as a Sunday school teacher at the First Methodist Church of Decatur, as well as raised two biological children and no less than eight adopted orphans.  Read More