•February 3, 20201•
By Ellen Ferrara
NP Guest Writer
When America’s founding fathers envisioned this new nation, they were united in the pledge that it would be a democracy governed by the will of the people and never by a king, dictator or autocrat.
To ensure that government of the people, by the people and for the people would long endure they created an election process whereby every citizen should have a free and equal vote to decide who would govern them. Over 200 years later, we still struggle with ensuring equality in our voting system.
In the most recent 2020 election there was an unprecedented assault on the validity of our election process – the very cornerstone of our democracy. Even the integrity of our United States Postal Service was compromised. This happened in part, I believe, because people do not know or understand completely how our election process works. There is so much more to it than just completing a ballot and inserting it into a machine. Read More

•February 3, 20201•
By Crystal Reed
NP Writer

Chase Eller, 16, of Sullivan is being called a hero after he stepped in while a baby was choking and saved the baby’s life. Last Friday evening, Eller while at dinner in Decatur with his girlfriend heard a baby coughing and then choking.
He saw the mom of the baby trying to help her choking baby but doing so incorrectly. He remembered from his health class that sticking your fingers down a choking baby’s mouth will only make the situation worse. Instead, Eller knew the right thing to do was turn the baby upside down and try to dislodge whatever was stuck in the baby’s throat; so Eller jumped into action. He said that he approached the mother and immediately turned the baby upside down and whatever was dislodged in the baby’s throat came loose. Read More

•January 27, 20201•
By Crystal Reed
NP Writer

Teachers from Lovington and Okaw Valley have received grants from the Illinois Retired Teachers Association. The Association had 247 applications in 2020, and these projects were two of the recipients.
Jennifer Hostetler, a third-grade teacher at Lovington Grade, was one of two recipients from this area. She will use the $250 grant she received to purchase coding robotics Dash and Dot. According to Hostetler, Dash is the most powerful robot companion that kids can use to apply and extend their coding knowledge. Packed with sensors and capabilities, kids may program the robot to move, light up, make sounds, avoid obstacles and even respond to their voices. Read More

Brad McGill presents $1,000 in memory of his son, Brandon

•January 27, 20201•
By Ariana Cherry
NP Writer

Coach Brad McGill, who recently lost his son Brandon McGill, attended the school board meeting to present a check for $1,000 in memory of Brandon. “There are no words that adequately express the love and appreciation from this district and community,” he stated. Brad and his wife also wanted to publicly acknowledge their thankfulness and appreciation of everyone’s prayers, thoughts, support and donations. The $1,000 donation will be used as the #BeStrong and #BeKind Brandon Memorial Award. The $1,000 will be split into $250 awards to anyone who has received special services from the district.
Kyle Loyd of Future Green gave a presentation concerning the possibility of using solar energy in the school district in the future. If the district moves forward with the project, Future Green will lease the space (the roof), and they would give the school power which would be at a “X” discounted rate (15-20% estimate). The district will not have to provide a deposit or money upfront. The lease is for 25 years, and after 20 years, the school will be given a choice whether to renew. After 15 years, the district may decide whether they want to purchase depending on what the cost is at that time. The condition of the roof where the system would be placed is very important before beginning the project. At this time, there is still more work that needs to be done to the roof. Read More

•January 20, 20201•
By Crystal Reed
NP Writer

The Moultrie County Board approved two motions related to the Illinois Route 32 and County Highway 4 intersection during their meeting Thursday evening. The first item was a cost sharing agreement with the Illinois Department of Transportation for the improvement of the Illinois Route 32 and County Highway 4 intersection.
The second item was a Moultrie County Funding resolution regarding the improvement of the Illinois Route 32 and County Highway 4 intersection in the amount of $2,900. According to County Engineer Jeff Birch, the final cost for the project will be determined by the bid cost. He anticipates that IDOT will take the project for a March bid letting. Read More