Photos by R.R. Best
Field Fire
The Sullivan Fire Department responded to a field fire last Wednesday at 3:25 pm on Cooks Mills Road just east of New Life Church.
Field Fire
Category Archives: News
Halloween Decorations A Family Tribute
Photo by Ellen Ferrara
Michelle Campbell (right) and daughter Amanda pose with their Halloween decorations.
•October 21, 2020•
By Ellen Ferrara
NP Writer
Going in and out of Sullivan on Route 121 one cannot help noticing the imaginative and fantastic Halloween display in the yard on the corner of Eastlawn Drive. Every inch of the lawn is decorated in skeletons, witches, graveyards, spiders and much more.
Michelle and Roger Campbell and their family are the creators of this Halloween fantasy land loosely organized around this year’s theme of Sleepy Hollow and the Headless Horseman. Read More
Candidate Forum 2020
•October 16, 2020•
The Sullivan Chamber and Economic Development and the News Progress are hosting a candidates forum on Wednesday, Oct 21 at 6 pm at the Little Theatre On The Square. Join us to hear from candidates running for office.
Churches Adapt To COVID-19
Photo by Ellen Ferrara
Shirley Rodgers checks the temperature of her husband Don at First Baptist Church.
•October 14, 2020•
by Ellen Ferrera
NP Writer
Fifty years from now today’s generation will recall 2020 as the year of the great pandemic. They will talk of the masks, the plastic shields, the marked standing spaces in stores and speak reverently of those who died alone in hospital beds. They will remember the creative ways in which we were forced to adapt.
Science tells us that adaptation is the first law of survival. Covid-19 has required that we very social humans greatly alter the ways in which we interact with each other. This has placed a great burden on schools, nursing homes and, especially, churches where our one foundation is Jesus Christ our Lord but weekly offerings pay the bills.
A recent Sunday was devoted to visiting several local churches to see what protocols they had instituted to protect the congregations and how the pandemic had altered their Sunday services. Read More
City Council Approves Motions For Eastview Subdivision and Sidewalk Program
•October 14, 2020•
by Crystal Reed
NP Writer
During Monday night’s Sullivan City Council meeting motions were passed to proceed with the Eastview Drainage project and to implement a sidewalk program. The motion for the Eastview Drainage project was to pursue solutions to the drainage issues in the Eastview Subdivision.
Commissioner Peggy Hargis asked that they not do this at this time. “I think this is my job to put this on the agenda,” she said. The motion was passed with Commissioner Hargis voting no.
The next motion was to implement a sidewalk program. The motion was to pursue a funded citywide sidewalk replacement and construction program. Commissioner Hargis said that according to ordinances that the homeowner has to pay for that. The motion passed with Commissioners Abbey Sherwood and Peggy Hargis voting no. Read More
Reflective Signs Make it Easier to Find Addresses
Photo by Crystal Reed
Sullivan firefighters Rob Young and Kaleb Randol with an example of the reflective signs that Sullivan Fire Department makes for residences or businesses to help their addresses be more visible.
•October 7, 2020•
By Crystal Reed
NP Writer
When it’s an emergency locating a person’s address on their home or business is critical to getting assistance to a person in an emergency. Sullivan Fire Protection has the ability to help your home or business be more visible with signs that display the address number using reflective numbers.
According to Sullivan firefighter Kaleb Randol, the signs are made at the fire department all that they need to make them is a person’s address. He recommends that those who live in the country get one of the signs but also stresses the importance of those who live in the city to have visible their numerical address number. Read More
Sullivan Show Choirs to Host Fall Revue
•October 7, 2020•
By Crystal Reed
NP Writer
The Sullivan Show Choirs invite you to come enjoy an evening of vocal music this coming Saturday, October 10 at 7 p.m. or Sunday, October 11 at 2 p.m. at the Sullivan High School football field. The theme for the fall revue is ‘Decades’ with music from various decades in the past.
This year’s middle school group Singers Jr has 33 performers and the high school group Singers has 38 performers. The show choir director is Chris Wilson and choreographers for the fall revue are Kyle Aiden and Chris Wilson. Read More
Local University of Illinois Extension Educator Wins National Awards
Cheri Burcham
•September 30, 2020•
University of Illinois Extension Educator Cheri Burcham (pictured) along with team members Cara Allen (retired), Karla Belzer, Chelsey Byers, Tessa Hobbs-Curley, Molly Hofer and Susan Sloop were honored recently at the National Extension Association for Family and Consumer Sciences (NEAFCS) 86th annual session, whose theme was “Life Elevated”. The team received Second Place Central Region NEAFCS Educational Curriculum Package Communications Award at the conference held virtually on September 14 - 16, 2020. Read More
Council Approves Raises For Full Time Non-Union Employees
•September 30, 2020•
By Crystal Reed
NP Writer
The Sullivan City Council approved full-time non-union employee raises after having a closed session on Monday night.
The council approved a wage increase of 2.75% for all non-union full time employees with the said increase to be retroactive to May 1, 2020 for those employees who were non-union as of May 1, 2020.
Also the council moved that the increase be retroactive to August 1, 2020 for employees of the gas, street and sewer departments who were formerly covered by the collective bargaining agreement that expired July 31, 2020.
The board also approved a bid for the Hagerman Street project. The bid was awarded to Wallace Excavating in the amount of $35,370.64. A bid was also approved for the Titus Home Demolition Project which was awarded to Yoder Farm and Drainage in the amount of $52,600. Read More
ALAH School District Makes It Through During COVID Pandemic
District is now officially a one-one device learning district
•September 23, 2020•
By Ariana Cherry
NP Writer
At the opening of the most recent ALAH School Board meeting, a number of new teachers were introduced. Some were brand new to the teaching field whereas others had previous experience. At least half of the public “audience” for last Wednesday night’s meeting was made up of the district’s new teaching staff. Teachers were from Lovington Grade School, Atwood-Hammond and Arthur Grade School. They all introduced themselves and their positions with the district. Excited to be a part of a wonderful district, they were eager for their introductions and a few stayed behind for the remainder of the meeting.
After the warm welcome to the new teaching staff, a budget hearing for FY21 was in session. Shannon Cheek explained that nothing much had changed since last month’s meeting and that the budget had been available for viewing for the appropriate time. Afterward, the hearing was closed, and the board would go on to vote for the budget later in the meeting, which was approved. Read More