Category Archives: News

County Board Approves Tax Levy for Fiscal Year 2024 Budget

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•December 20, 2023•

by Crystal Reed

The Moultrie County Board held a regular meeting Thursday, December 14, at the Moultrie County Courthouse. County Board members Kenny Graven and Billy Voyles were absent. The board approved the Tax Levy for Fiscal Year 2024 budget. The total levy is $2,602,843.00. Board members Scott Buxton and Aaron Wilhelm voted no.

Wilhelm explained his reason for being a no vote, saying he has been a no vote through the process because he made a promise when he was running for office that he wouldn’t vote for any kind of tax increases. “I’m going to stand by my vote this year,” he said. “I made that commitment before I had a true understanding of how taxation worked at the local level.” Read More

Christmas in Latin America

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photo by Crystal Reed
Christmas in Latin America
Sullivan High School Spanish Club celebrated Christmas in Latin America on Friday, December 1 in the high school commons. Students were assigned a country in Latin America and brought a dish representing a recipe from that country they also decorated Christmas trees themed to their assigned country. There was also a Secret Santa exchange where students using hints they had received throughout the week guessed who was their gift giver was while speaking in Spanish.

Houser Agency Makes Donation to Sullivan Legion

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photo by Crystal Reed
Houser Agency Makes Donation to Sullivan Legion
Country Financial representatives Elizabeth and Kyler Houser have made a donation of $3,000 to the Sullivan American Legion as part of the Country Financial Operation Helping Heroes. The donation was made on Wednesday, November 29 at the Legion. They have given to the police department and fire department as well as teachers and healthcare workers in past years. The Legion will be using the funds for new flooring in the members area. Front row: Mike Black and Mike Keown. Back row: Mike Daily, Elizabeth Houser, Rick Read, Kyler Houser and Bob Sims.

FCCLA Holds Breakfast with Santa 2023

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photo by Crystal Reed
FCCLA Holds Breakfast with Santa
Hallie Bertetto was one of many children that came to the Sullivan High School commons on Saturday, December 9 for the Sullivan High School FCCLA Breakfast with Santa.

photo by Crystal Reed
Photos with Santa
Carson Swaim, Little Miss Sullivan Brystol Wiltermood and Junior Miss Sullivan Miah Voegel visited with Santa during the Sullivan FCCLA Breakfast with Santa.

photo by Crystal Reed
Working on Crafts
Delilah and Charlotte Cannon work on crafts during Breakfast with Santa. Besides breakfast, attendees could made a variety of crafts, decorate cookies, visit with Santa and more.

Lovington Grade Students Decorate Courthouse

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photo by Crystal Reed
Lovington Grade Students Decorate Courthouse
Lovington Grade students visited the Moultrie County Courthouse on Wednesday, December 6 and decorated the Christmas tree in the rotunda. Students also were able to visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus.

City Council Ordinance Amendment Allows Raising Chickens in City Limits

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•December 13, 2023•

by Crystal Reed

The Sullivan City Council held a regular meeting on Monday, December 11 at the Elizabeth Titus Memorial Library. All commissioners were in attendance with Commissioner Chuck Woodworth attending by phone. The meeting began with two public hearings. One was for a proposed federally funded Community Development Block Grant project for storm sewer system improvements and the other was for the tax levy. 

The public hearing on the CDBG grant was in regards to the city applying for a $650,000 community development block grant to help fund storm sewer improvements. The grant is funded by the federal government and administered by the state. The amount of CDBG funds proposed to be used for activities that will benefit low to moderate income persons is $371,540. This was approved later in the meeting under new business.  Read More

Marny’s Miniatures on Display at MC Historical Center

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photo by Crystal Reed
Marny Ennis Elliott and her son Charles hold a few of her framed needlepoint designs. She has a display of her dollhouse room boxes, handmade miniature furnishings and needlepoint on display until March 31, 2024 at the Moultrie County Historical Center.

•December 13, 2023•

by Crystal Reed

Marny Ennis Elliott of Champaign, formerly of Lovington, has a special exhibit of dollhouse room boxes and their handmade miniature furnishings on display at the Moultrie County Historical Center until March 31, 2024. The exhibit is called “Marny’s Miniatures.” Elliott recalls receiving a metal dollhouse at age six from Santa in 1949. The walls and floors were printed with rugs and pictures and plastic furniture. She donated it to the less fortunate. Read More

Santa’s Little Helper Workshop 2023

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photo by Crystal Reed
Santa’s Little Helper Workshop
Calvin Lawler works on a craft during the Santa’s Little Helper Workshop activities held at the Masonic Temple in Sullivan. Activities included Christmas crafts, cookie decorating, writing letters to Santa and refreshments. The event was free and offered by Dove, Inc.

photo by Crystal Reed
Christmas Fun
Alexis Rosine and Han Warren enjoy the activities in Santa’s Little Helper Workshop.

photo by Crystal Reed
Santa Letter Writing
Employees at Moultrie County Counseling volunteered at Santa’s Little Helper Workshop offering children the opportunity to write letters to Santa and coloring pages. Pictured are Mary Stutzman, Alexa Matthies and Alejandra Huerta.

photo by Crystal Reed
Helping Out at Santa Workshop
Molly Tenuto with Dove and her daughter Maddy helped out in Santa’s Little Helper Workshop prior to the Sullivan Christmas parade the evening of Friday, December 1.

photo by Crystal Reed
Visiting with Santa
Sawyer and Patsy Woodworth visit with Santa during the Sullivan Chamber and Economic Development’s Christmas activities on Friday, December 1.

Santa at the Bethany Depot 2023

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photo by Crystal Reed
Santa at the Bethany Depot
Aria Lane visited with Santa when he visited the Depot in Bethany on Sunday, December 3. Santa rode into town in an antique fire truck and the Okaw Valley band played as he rode up to the Depot.

photo by Crystal Reed
BASO Volunteers
Pictured are some of the volunteers that made Santa’s arrival in Bethany possible in front of the village’s Christmas tree.

photo by Crystal Reed
Bethany Royalty Help Santa
Bethany royalty helped Santa at the Bethany Depot. Pictured are Young Miss Bethany Archer McPheeters, Little Miss Bethany Davanee Lenover, Miss Bethany Julia Hildebrandt and Junior Miss Bethany Falynn Irvin.

photo by Crystal Reed
Reindeer Games
Evie Law plays a ring toss game with Bethany Free Methodist Church Pastor Chris Benton. Santa came to Bethany on Sunday, December 3 and activities were held in the library’s community room, Santa photos at Bethany Depot and a tree lighting at the village hall.

ALAH BOE Approves Tentative Tax Levy

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•December 6, 2023•

by Ariana R Cherry

The ALAH Board of Education approved a tentative tax levy at their school board meeting Wednesday. November 15. The tax levy was figured at 5.6%. Since the levy is over 5%, it will require the board to have a Truth and Taxation hearing. While the levy is over 5%, it still is considerably lower than last year’s which was 9%. The formula to configure the levy is established by state code. Superintendent Shannon Cheek also looks at other counties when he tries to estimate the EAV (equalized assessed value). In his research, he found that Moultrie County had a 7% increase, Piatt County was at 8% and Coles County was 6%.  There will be a hearing at the next school board meeting in December, and the tentative tax levy will be on file for the next 30 days.

The district received a matching maintenance grant from the ISBE (Illinois State Board of Education) of $50,000 to help cover the cost for the renovations of the bathrooms at Arthur Grade School and Lovington Grade School. Grunloh Construction’s bid of $537,000 was the one awarded to complete the project. Read More