Photo by Crystal Reed
Siobhan and Austin Hunter of Sullivan recently found a box of family photos and memorabilia in a barn and returned them to Wayne Carter of Decatur. The Hunters were able to find Carter through a Facebook post that featured some of the photos and newspaper clippings in the box.

•June 2, 2021•
by Crystal Reed
NP Writer

Siobhan and Austin Hunter of Sullivan were cleaning out her grandfather’s barn and found a cardboard box with a protective fabric cover sitting in the loft area. Siobhan said they opened the box and didn’t recognize any of the photos or newspaper clippings.
A few of the items inside included a picture of a soldier and a document tube that held a purple heart certificate for Wayne Loeb. The couple went to the Sullivan VFW and Moultrie County Historical Society to see whether anyone had information that could help them discover whether there were any relatives still around to whom they could return the box of photos, newspaper clippings and other family memorabilia.
The document tube had a Sullivan address on it so they tried to see if they could find a lead that way. The Hunters made the decision to make a post on Facebook to see if someone recognized the name Wayne Loeb or any of the photos in the box. “Through Facebook and continued efforts, we found the person to give the box back to,” Austin said.
That person happened to be Wayne Carter of Decatur. Carter said that when he saw the post, he initially thought that he had been hacked. Some of the items in the box are from the mid to late 30’s. Read More

Submitted photo
Gary and Kathy Crowe in Sullivan School District work shirts.

•May 26, 2021•
by Crystal Reed
NP Writer

Gary and Kathy Crowe retired last week from the Sullivan School District. Gary retired after 35 years with the district and Kathy after 25 years. Gary was the custodian at the high school, and his wife Kathy worked as custodian at the Sullivan Elementary School.
Sullivan High School principal Daniel Allen said that Gary is pretty close to being a perfectionist. “He has a routine, and he does everything he can to make things clean,” he said. One of the things Allen has observed about Gary is that he could always be heard whistling in the hallways.
Besides making sure that the school was clean, he also did maintenance on occasion. “If he had time and the tools, he would take care of it,” Allen said.
He added that Kathy was an extremely hard worker, one of the hardest workers he knows, and was always willing to help out where needed. Read More

Photo by Crystal Reed
Mackenzie Wright, a student at Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond High School, holds a few of her candles from her business Moonlit Sky Candles during the Illini Prairie CEO Trade Show held last Wednesday.

•May 19, 2021•
by Crystal Reed
NP Writer

The Illini Prairie CEO class showcased their businesses during a trade show last Wednesday at Arcola High School. This year’s class had 13 students from the school communities of ALAH, Tuscola, Arcola and Sullivan that participated in this year’s course.
“CEO” stands for Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities. It is a year-long, experientially learning based course, designed to utilize partnership in the community to provide an overview of business processes and development.
Throughout the program year students have visited local businesses, heard from guest speakers, participated in operating a class business, written a business plan and from concept to reality built their own legal, functioning entity.
Mackenzie Wright, 16, a student at Arthur Lovington Atwood Hammond is one of the students showcasing their business during the trade show. Her business is called Moonlit Sky Candles.
She makes and sells organic soy wax candles and wax melts. “I’ve always been really creative, and when it came to picking a business to do, I thought that I’ve never done candles before,” she said. Read More