Photo by Crystal Reed.
Andrew Fultz of Bethany casts his vote on Election day at the Bethany Firehouse.

•November 11, 2020•
by Crystal Reed
NP Writer

The elections were held last Tuesday and the county saw one of the highest turnouts ever.
In the 2020 Moultrie County election Moultrie County Clerk Georgia England reported that there were over 3,000 people that went to the polls. There were 1,809 people that voted during early voting and 1,163 that voted by mail.
When it came to voting on the State of Illinois Constitutional amendment there were 1,477 votes for yes and 5,089 votes for no. There was also a referendum question for Illinois separation that received 4,610 yes votes and 1,969 no votes.
There were six candidates that ran for four County Board seats. Totals for the county board race were Elizabeth Houser 4,769; J. John Fayhee 3,854; Larry R. Baker 3,799; Neil Bryan 3,623; Rita Florey 2,549 and Gary P. Smith 2,417. Read More

Photo submitted
A sign in the Sullivan IGA promoting the 9th Annual Round Up which benefits the Moultrie County Food Pantry.

•November 4, 2020•
by Crystal Reed
NP Writer

It’s Round-Up time at Sullivan IGA from now to Nov 7 giving every customer a chance to help buy turkeys for Moultrie County Food Pantry’s Thanksgiving.
“It’s amazing how quickly it adds up,” IGA Manager Pat Stinson said of the ninth annual fundraising event for the food pantry.
“The most you can donate is 99 cents and even a penny makes a difference” he continued, noting the week long event contributes some $1,200 annually to the food pantry’s Thanksgiving meal giveaway.
Over the course of the week, Stinson explained, some 6,500 transactions at Sullivan IGA check out counter raise the funds a few cents at a time for the food pantry. Read More

•October 28, 2020•
By Crystal Reed
NP Writer

The Sullivan Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development and Moultrie County News Progress co-sponsored a candidate forum last Wednesday evening at the Little Theatre on the Square. The moderator for the event was Amanda Standerfer, and time keeper was Laurrie Minor. A video of the forum may be found on the News Progress Facebook page.
The first part of the forum was for Moultrie County Board. Gary Smith was the first to speak. He is a lifetime resident of Moultrie County and was raised on a farm south of Lovington. He went to school in Lovington and graduated from Lake Land College. Upon graduation he began working at the grain elevator in Lovington and finished his 45 years at the elevator, retiring in early October.
He has been mayor of Lovington for more than 20 years as well as the fire chief in Lovington and president of Habitat for Humanity of Moultrie County. Read More

•October 28, 2020•

Gary Smith

I have been a life-long resident of Moultrie County. My past civic duties include being the Village Trustee of Lovington, Mayor of Lovington, President of Central Illinois Municipal Officials Association, Moultrie County Board Member, and Emergency Medical Technician (EMT); some current duties are the Lovington Fire Chief, President of Moultrie County Habitat for Humanity, Sons of the American Legion, and Okaw Honor Fire Guard.
Having recently retired after 45 years managing the grain elevator in Lovington, I would like to focus more on giving back to the community. As a Moultrie County Board member, I will listen to everyone’s thoughts and my vote will be what is best for the citizens and wellbeing of Moultrie County. I have a proven record of working with the public in all aspects of my past career and civic experiences. Read More