•March 25, 2026•
The community is invited to celebrate the season at the upcoming Easter Market on Saturday, March 28th, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Building 1225, located at 1225 S. Hamilton St., Sullivan, IL. Hosted by Building 1225 and local organizers, this free indoor event offers a vibrant, family-friendly experience centered around supporting local businesses and bringing the community together.
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•March 18, 2026•
by Sharon Barricklow
Water issues continued to be on the agenda for the Sullivan City Council at their March 9 meeting, with how to find it and how to pay for it on the City Council’s mind.
Council member Chuck Woodworth, who oversees the water department, said a test well dug at the city’s well field had yielded good results. The city is waiting for approval of the water quality before moving any further ahead. And, Woodworth said, the drought that has caused the water shortage could be easing.
“They’ve downgraded the drought from extreme to severe,” Woodworth said. “I guess that’s good news.”
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•March 18, 2026•
by Sharon Barricklow
How much to pay Moultrie County’s elected officials was on the agenda for the Moultrie County board at their March 12 meeting.
The board has until 180 days before the election to vote on changes for officials like the County Clerk, County Circuit Clerk, Supervisor of Assessments and Treasurer. At Thursday night’s meeting, the board was asked to consider raising the Clerk and Treasurer, both on the fall ballot, to $70,000 with $1500 annual increases for the length of the terms.
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•March 18, 2026•
The Divas of Deliciousness are hard at work again, preparing custom-ordered and delightfully delicious confectionery Easter Eggs, as they have done for over twenty years. Funds raised from the sales of these delights is donated by the church to several local groups, including DOVE, CEFS food pantry, Sullivan’s Habitat for Humanity, the Sullivan Area Ministerial Association, Mary’s Weekend Food Bags, Kali’s Closet (high school), and overdue lunch accounts (high school), as well as the Cunningham Children’s Home in Urbana and Lessie Bates Neighborhood House in East St. Louis. The hard work of the hands that prepare these confectionaries benefit locals twice; first, in savoring the delicious confectioneries, and secondly, by providing vital financial support to local causes that give back to the local community, as well as adjacent programs.
•March 18, 2026•
by DM Williamee
Figures of speech have names, with some comical-sounding (oxymoron and assonance, for example). Many recall learning the parts of speech in school. Recently, I was speaking with someone about modern education, and we were reminiscing about our middle school days of learning parts of speech using ‘Mad Libs’ and finding that most youth in today’s world will never know the joy of creating a short story about how we used a purple spoon to drive a skateboard to a lake to jump rope with Elvis. (Bring back the Mad Libs!) Figures of speech can be just as fun, with many types, and each serving a unique role in speech. Below are some of the more common and their meaning.
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•March 18, 2026•
by DM Williamee
New Medicaid rules arising from the hotly debated, often criticized H.R. 1 (the 2025 federal budget reconciliation law) require that beginning January 1st, 2027, the majority of adults aged 19 to 64 who receive Medicaid also work or participate in ‘community engagement activities’ such as paid work, volunteering with a non-profit, enrollment in higher education or trade schools, and approved forms of training for at least 80 hours per month to maintain coverage.
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•March 18, 2026•
Submitted
On March 4th, the Moultrie County Impact Giving Circle held its first meeting of 2026. It was another encouraging evening of neighbors coming together to support their community. After hearing nominations and brief presentations from several local organizations, members voted to award two $2,000 grants.
The Sullivan Elementary School PTO received $2,000 to help provide students the opportunity to attend a children’s musical at The Little Theatre On The Square. Experiences like this introduce young students to live theater and the arts, something many children might not otherwise have the opportunity to experience.
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•March 18, 2026•
by DM Williamee
On Monday, March 9th, the Sullivan School District held its monthly regular meeting. All were present, except Mr. Grooms.
NHS/NEHS highlights: Maddie Shonkwiler presented and shared that in the last month, they signed and delivered letters and treats to staff for school staff appreciation days. They will have their club photo for the yearbook on Thursday, March 12th, with all members expected to wear their club shirts. She shared ongoing efforts for school clean up, indoors as well as on the property. At their last meeting, members made sure they had worked enough events to gain their board’s approval on decision day, explaining that every member has to work at least one minor event. Event examples shared were a concession shift, one to two school beautification days, and the annual pork chop dinner, as well as ‘Breakfast of Champions’, wrapping gifts when adopting a family, working the SCEF teacher appreciation dinner, or hiding Easter eggs. The monies raised this year will go to Post Pom.
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•March 11, 2026•
The Moultrie County Historical and Genealogical Society will present the “History of the Moultrie County Beacon” at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 19th, at the Moultrie County History Center, 1303 South Hamilton, Sullivan.
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•March 11, 2026•
Nearly 75% of individuals report a fear of public speaking, but 22 courageous 4-H youth from Coles, Cumberland, Douglas, Moultrie, and Shelby counties chose to face that fear head-on during the recent Confident Communicators Workshop hosted at the University of Illinois. Twelve participants were from Moultrie-Douglas County 4-H, including Aubrie Stenger, Bria Hershberger, Raegan Hershberger, Roxy Clark, Ben Stutzman, Sophia Horst, Perla Juarez, Lola Fifield, Emma Hostetler, Ellie Hensley, Jenna Welsh, and Gabby Welsh. The hands-on workshop was led by Dr. Laura Stengrim and two University of Illinois Speech Communication students. Throughout the day, participants engaged in interactive sessions designed to strengthen public speaking skills, boost self-confidence, and enhance message delivery.
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