Photo by Crystal Reed
Scott Bales teaching the Sullivan High School Spanish Club CPR, which actually turned into a surprise retirement party.

•April 26, 2023•
by Crystal Reed

The Sullivan High School Spanish Club gathered on Friday, April 14, early in the morning to learn CPR. At least that’s the reason for which physical education and health teacher Scott Bales thought he was in the commons area in the high school that morning. Little did he know that the Spanish Club and the high school Spanish teacher Patricia King had a surprise for him.
After Bales had demonstrated how to administer CPR on mannequins and also demonstrated how to operate an AED, there was an announcement made that they had invited him not for a CPR lesson but to celebrate him as he is retiring at the end of this school year. Bales has spent 34 years in the teaching profession, 25 of those in Sullivan. Read More

•April 19, 2023•
Spores and More Festival will be held in Windsor on Saturday, April 29 from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. There will be food trucks, small businesses, vendors, live music, great deals and morel mushrooms. The event will be held on Maine Street and at the Red Barn.
At 11 a.m. the Windsor American Legion will serve mushroom soup and spaghetti with traditional or mushroom sauce. This year there are over 40 vendors set to attend the festival. Vendors will have a variety of items including homemade crafts, ceramics and jewelry. Read More

Photo furnished
Moultrie County Supervisor of Assessment Lori Barringer was presented the 2023 Outstanding Achievement in Property Assessment Award (Small Jurisdiction) during the Illinois Property Assessment Institute banquet on March 27 in Normal.

•April 19, 2023•
The Moultrie County Supervisor of Assessment Lori Barringer was presented the 2023 Outstanding Achievement in Property Assessment Award (Small Jurisdiction) during the Illinois Property Assessment Institute banquet on March 27 in Normal. Barringer was nominated by Mark Armstrong and the award was presented by Mary Tamez.
According to the speech given at the event. Barringer has hit the ground running since the start of her assessment career. By statute, counties of fewer than 50,000 persons should have a coefficient of dispersion of 30% or below. Barringer’s jurisdiction has a population of less than half of that. With such a small sample size and a large rural area containing a significant number of farm parcels, reaching that target is difficult. In the face of challenges, however, Barringer has met this goal every year she has been in office, with an average coefficient of 26.3% during that time. Read More

•April 12, 2023•
Illinois Amish Information Exhibits Inc., known as Illinois Amish Heritage Center, has been awarded a $500,000 grant through the Tourism Attractions and Festivals Grant program. Designed to support local festivals and attractions and drive tourism across the state, Illinois increased the funding available from $15 million to $22.5 million in order to support additional attractions. The additional $7.5 million was secured during the Illinois General Assembly legislative session in early January 2023 and the program is funded by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).
The total project budget projection for the visitor center/museum building is $2 million. The visitor center/museum building for the IAHC will serve as a welcome center, museum, archive, event center and portal to tourist experiences available in the Douglas, Moultrie and Coles County region. The welcome center/museum will provide a place where visitors can begin their exploration through interpretive exhibits, classroom space, archive and theater and gather afterwards for more information and even the opportunity to purchase crafts and goods made by local Amish artisans on site and further into the communities around the site. Read More

•April 5, 2023•
Senator Steve McClure is a new legislator to Shelby and Moultrie Counties, and his willingness to learn about the region was evident as he went back to school last week. During a break in the state senate, Senator McClure spent a day visiting schools with Regional Superintendent Dr. Kyle Thompson.
Their road trip began with introductions at Shelbyville Bridges, an alternative school led by Thompson’s Regional Office of Education #11. Dr. Zakry Standerfer provided Senator McClure with an overview of safe schools and how the program serves students in grades 6-12 who find success in the alternative education sites. Read More