Category Archives: News

Complaints About Drinking Water Addressed

News Progress Posted on by

•June 30, 2021•
by Crystal Reed
NP Writer

Commissioner Chuck Woodworth addressed complaints that the city of Sullivan has received about drinking water during Monday’s City Council meeting. “First thing I want to let everyone know is that the water is bacteriologically safe to drink. It has been tested for bacteria and passed each time, and we will continue to monitor for bacteria,” he said. “Your safety is our number one goal. The chlorine feed has been turned up to ensure it is safe.” Woodworth went on to say that first thing Tuesday morning another round of samples will be collected and sent to the lab to test for bacteria. Each month, several samples are collected and submitted to EPA for analysis for detection of chloroform or bacteria to confirm the water is safe. This is a monthly requirement of the IEPA. Read More

ALAH District Adopts Mystery Science and Open SciEd Curriculum for K-8

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by Ariana Cherry
NP Writer

At the opening of the June 17th ALAH school board meeting, parent Stephanie Madis requested that masks be made optional for the children in school. “ISBE is giving a recommendation, and it isn’t a law,” she stated. She also showed a photo published in a local newspaper where it pictured children in a library sitting around each other unmasked. The board thanked her for her statements.
“We received two donations this month. One was from Masonic Lodge ($3,000) and the other MasterBrand ($1,200) which totaled $4200. We are very grateful for that,” reported Superintendent Shannon Cheek. Read More

Windsor Residents to Compete in Shelby County Pageants

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Submitted photo
The 2021 Miss and Junior Miss Shelby County Pageants will be taking place on June 27. The pageants are not open to the public. Pictured above are Windsor contestants with the outgoing Miss Shelby County, who is also from Windsor. From left to right: Junior Miss contestant Payton Shupe, 2019 Miss Shelby County Adilyn McCray and Trinity Shupe all of Windsor.

•June 23, 2021•
by Crystal Reed
NP Writer

The Miss and Junior Miss Shelby County Pageants are making a comeback after taking a year’s hiatus due to COVID.
Trinity Shupe, 18, of Windsor is competing for the title of Miss Shelby County. She is a 2021 Windsor High School graduate and will attend Lake Land College this fall majoring in business. Shupe has been competing in pageants since the age of 15.
In 2019, she was crowned Miss Cowden Pioneer Days. Shupe won People’s Choice at the 2019 Miss Shelby County Fair pageant. She said, for her, pageants are about the experience, public speaking and making friends.
In her free time, she likes to take photos and be outdoors. “I took a CEO class and created a photo business so I’ve been taking photos for a year,” Shupe added.
Her sister Payton Shupe is also competing in the pageant, seeking the title of Junior Miss Shelby County. This will be her first pageant. “I had watched a few pageants because of my sister and thought it looked fun,” Payton said. Her favorite part of the pageant so far has been meeting all the girls and making new friends. Read More

Sullivan American Legion Post 68 Honors Flag Day With Ceremony

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Photo by Ellen Ferrara
The Sullivan American Legion Post 68 Honor Guard and Boy Scout Troop 39 retire worn flags during a Flag Day ceremony held the evening of June 14.

•June 23, 2021•
By Ellen Ferrara
NP Writer

Every year on June 14 Americans celebrate Flag Day. Not surprisingly, it is considered the most appropriate day to hold flag disposal ceremonies which are often held in the evening.
And so, on June 14 at 6 p.m., the Sullivan American Legion Honor Guard with assistance from local Boy Scout Troop 39 conducted a flag retirement ceremony in accordance with the United States Flag Code.
Just as there is etiquette for displaying Old Glory, there is also proper etiquette for the respectful disposal of torn, faded and worn-out flags no longer suitable for display. Read More

Fourth of July Celebrations in the Local Area

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•June 23, 2021•
by Crystal Reed
NP Writer

The Sullivan 4th of July celebration will be held July 1 through 4 at Wyman Park and is sponsored by the Sullivan Area Merchants and Sullivan American Legion Post #68. The carnival will be Thursday through Sunday. Hours are Thursday, Friday and Saturday 5 p.m.-10 p.m. and Sunday 1 p.m.- 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. On Sunday the carnival provided by Conner Family Amusements will open after the parade. Read More

City Council Sets Sewer and Water Rates

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•June 16, 2021•
by Crystal Reed
NP Writer

The Sullivan City Council approved an ordinance revising sewer and water rates for the city of Sullivan during Monday’s meeting. Commissioner Chuck Woodworth said the rate changes within this ordinance include the four percent discussed and authorized at the last meeting. It also includes a tiered rate for those who use more than 4,000 gallons a month. The reason for adding the tiered rate is to make the city eligible to qualify for hundreds of thousands of dollars of grant money from the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for water main replacements and other water projects. If they are not awarded a grant, they can remove the tiered rate at that time. Read More

County Board Fails to Pass Remapping of Sullivan Township Precincts

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•June 16, 2021•
by Crystal Reed
NP Writer

The Moultrie County Board failed to pass a motion to approve remapping of Sullivan Township precincts. The current existing map of the precincts was set up by County Clerk Richard Purdeu in June 1989. The proposed map put to the board was drawn up by Bruce Harrison and Associates which is a firm that does considerable work for the county through the assessor’s office.
John Fayhee made a motion which died for lack of a second. Brad Graven, a former county board member, expressed concerns about how the proposed map is put together. “A committee of citizens could have sat down with a voter registration list, and I can tell you how many voters are in each one of those sections,” he said. “I’m not sure why a consultant had to be hired to do that.” Read More

Girl Scout Cadettes Donate LEGO STEM Kit to Library

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Photo by Crystal Reed
Girl Scouts cadettes from Troop 3070 present Elizabeth Titus Memorial Library staff with a robotics kit and iPad. From left to right: Madison Flexser, Addison Brush, Library Director Michelle Nolen and Assistant Director/Children’s Librarian Laura Davison.

•June 16, 2021•
by Crystal Reed
NP Writer

Madison Flexser and Addison Brush, Cadettes in Girl Scout Troop 3070, have donated a LEGO STEM kit and iPad to Elizabeth Titus Memorial Library. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.
They donated the kit and iPad as their Girl Scout Silver Award project. The Girl Scout Silver Award is the highest achievement a Cadette can achieve. It requires identifying an issue in the community about which they care, building a team and developing and completing a project related to the identified issue. Read More

St. Jude Dash and Bash 2021

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Photo by Crystal Reed.
Kids Bags Tournament
The Kids Bags Tournament at the St. Jude Dash and Bash this past Saturday attracted several competitors. From left to right: Kaley Herschberger, Caysen Dringenberg, Rhett Lehman and Kaden Herschberger.

Photo by Crystal Reed
Duck Derby
St. Jude Dash and Bash Duck Derby was held on Saturday afternoon at Wyman Lake.

Photo by Crystal Reed
5k Run/Walk
The 5k run/walk was held bright and early at Wyman Park on Saturday morning for the St Jude Dash and Bash. The top two finishers were Ailey Mitchell, age 19, and Antonio Chavez, age 22. In addition to the 5k run/walk there was also a 1 mile run/walk and a tot trot. Pictured above are runners on the course at Wyman Park.

Village Of Bethany To Make Water System Upgrades

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•June 9, 2021•
by Crystal Reed
NP Writer

The Village of Bethany has plans to make upgrades to their water plant, water tower and water lines. According to Village President Jonathan Book the project is estimated at $3.6 million.
Book said that the project is being funded by the United States Department of Agriculture rural development program that will be part grant and part loan. The village is currently awaiting their award letter to find out how much will be grant and how much will be loan. Read More