Category Archives: News

Partners in Produce Seeking Donations to Provide Fresh Produce

News Progress Posted on by

•August 16, 2023•

by Crystal Reed

Partners In Produce, a partnership between Arthur Produce Auction Inc. and the Illinois Extension is seeking financial assistance to continue to provide fresh produce to food pantries in the Extension Unit 19 Area. The Extension Unit 19 Area serves Coles, Cumberland, Douglas, Moultrie, Shelby counties and beyond. The partnership started in 2019, and on auction days throughout the season, Mary Beth Massey, Susan Stollard and others attended the produce auction to receive donations of fresh produce.

According to Massey, from May-October she visits the produce auction where Amish farmers grow vegetables and bring it on Tuesdays and Fridays where people come and buy for farmers markets, grocery stores and other purposes. So far this year 57,432 pounds of produce have been purchased and distributed through the program. Produce is delivered to food pantries, Eastern Illinois Food Bank and Catholic Charities. Read More

County Board Sets Pay for Election Judges, Hears from Liberty Systems Representative

News Progress Posted on by

•August 16, 2023•

by Crystal Reed

The Moultrie County Board held a regular meeting Thursday, August 10. All board members except for Marsha Kirby were present. 

Alex Hansen of Liberty Systems, the supplier of the county’s voting equipment provider for the last 17 years, came to answer questions that county board member Scott Buxton had asked at last month’s meeting. The system they use is manufactured and developed in California. She said they are required to support voting systems for 10 years after purchase.

Hansen said the county’s current tabulators are in good condition, and they have not had any issues with them. The tabulators are stored in Moultrie County, and any work the company does on them to get ready for the election is done in county as well as maintenance, testing and audits. Read More

City Council has First Reading for Appropriations

News Progress Posted on by

•July 12, 2023•
by Crystal Reed

The Sullivan City Council held a regular meeting Monday, July 10. Commissioner Doug Shook attended the meeting via phone.
Nancy Barker inquired about the possibility of a new restaurant going in by State Farm, and Mayor Mossman said he didn’t know anything about it.
Under the consent agenda passed by the council was the approval of minutes of the regular meeting held on June 26 and the special meeting held on June 30, approval of claims, approval of a project authorization with Milano and Grunloh for the design and construction engineering on the sanitary sewer extension to the lumber company, approval of banking resolution 23-R, approval of pay estimate #1 for $267,707.48 to Beniach Construction for the Industrial Way project, approval of pay estimated #8 for $33,250.00 to Grunloh Construction, Inc. for the Water Treatment Plant project and approval of pay estimate #12 for $483,754.58 to Grunloh Building for the Water Treatment Plant project.
Commissioner Abbey Sherwood thanked Theresa Poland for painting the dugouts. She noted that the splash pad equipment has been delivered, and it is hoped construction will start this fall and be finished in the spring. Read More

Moultrie-Sullivan Fair Held 2023

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photos by Crystal Reed
Moultrie-Sullivan Fair Held
The Moultrie-Sullivan was held on Friday, June 23 and Saturday, June 24. The fair included a cattle show, goat show, poultry and rabbits as well as a swine show. There were also non-livestock categories such as arts and crafts, clothing and foods. Results from the fair will be printed in a future edition.

Bike Blessing and Freedom Ride

News Progress Posted on by

photo by Crystal Reed
Bike Blessing and Freedom Ride
Motorcycle riders pray before departing on a freedom ride on Saturday, July 1 in the parking lot at New Life Church.

Sullivan Resident Inducted into Wyotech Hall Of Fame

News Progress Posted on by

•July 5, 2023•
Zeth Key, a Sullivan resident and Sullivan High School alumnus, was recently inducted into the inaugural Wyotech Hall of Fame. He was one of six Wyotech grads to be inducted. Wyotech is a trade school located in Laramie, Wyoming.
The six that were selected for the honor were picked out of students from as far back as 1966 when the university started and were chosen out of 60,000 graduates over the entire history of the school. Graduates had to be nominated by someone or multiple people then the selection committee deliberated regarding the qualifications of each nominee which included success, integrity, work ethic, giving back to the trade industry and your community.
Key first started getting interested in working on cars when he bought his first car, a 1977 Chevy Nova, and started working on it with his dad. In high school he took automotive technology classes with Joe Scribner and mentored at a GM/Chrysler dealership called HPR automotive. Read More

ALAH School Board Approves $0.25 Increase to School Lunches

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•July 5, 2023•
by Ariana R. Cherry

After several years of not adjusting lunch prices, the ALAH School Board approved a $0.25 increase at their school board meeting held Wednesday, June 21. The school district is currently looking at a loss of $17,000 due to unpaid lunch bills, increases in food and operating expenses. With the new increase, the cost of elementary student lunches will be $3.15, and the cost for junior high and high school will be $3.25. There also is a $0.10 raise for the cost of breakfast. Superintendent Shannon Cheek stated that for the district to break even, they should be charging about $3.80, but with the $0.25 increase, it should at least get the district moving in the right direction.
Along with approving an increase to school lunches, the board also approved the final year for its Aramark food contract. The district has been in contract with them for five years. Next year, there is a plan to take bids to see what other companies are available. The cost to this year’s Aramark contract was raised 11% due to inflation.
Other items discussed/voted on include: Read More

Arthur Village Board Hears about Dementia Friendly Moultrie County

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•June 28, 2023•
by Ariana R. Cherry

“Dementia is a symptom of a disease,” stated Sheila Greuel, an independent consultant with the East Central Illinois Area on Aging who gave a presentation about a Dementia Friendly Moultrie County at the Arthur Village Board on June 19. It is a symptom of other diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. According to the Illinois Department on Aging, there were about 220,000 people living with Alzehimer’s disease in 2018, and that number is expected to increase by 18.2% by 2025 (260,000).
Greuel has been working with Moultrie County to do a community wide assessment of dementia. There are about 26 states that are now considered “Dementia friendly,” with Great Britain being the first country to be labeled as such. Illinois is now on its way to becoming a “Dementia Friendly” state also. A person who is considered “Dementia Friendly” has been trained professionally or casually on how to interact with someone who has dementia. Read More