Photo furnished
OV 8th Grade Boys Basketball win Regional Championship
The Okaw Valley 8th grade Boys Basketball team won the Regional Championship 45-33 over Kincaid on Monday night. The boys are 17-5 and will play St. Anthony at Effingham St. Anthony on Wednesday night at 6:30 pm in the IESA Sectional.
•February 9, 2022•
The Lovington American Legion was broken into last Saturday, February 5. According to Moultrie County Sheriff Chris Sims, the department received a report of an activated burglar alarm at 3:56 am on Saturday morning. There was damage to an exterior door and one interior door. There was also damage to three Illinois gaming machines. Forced entry was made to two machines and damage was noted on a third machine but no access was gained to the machine. The incident is under investigation by the Moultrie County Sheriff’s Department.
Photo submitted by Moultrie County Dive Team
The Moultrie County Dive Team responding to a past flooding incident. The dive team is looking to recruit new members to their organization.
•February 9, 2022•
by Crystal Reed
NP Writer
The Moultrie County Dive Team is looking to recruit new members. They currently have nine members, five of whom are shore responders plus two trained divers, a commander.
Commander of the Moultrie County Dive Team Joash Tiarks said that most of the calls the dive team receives involve the recovery of vehicles and boats, some search and rescue, stranded boaters and people who drive into deep water and become stuck. “The more volunteers to help, the better,” he said.
To join the dive team, applicants must pass a background check.
If a person wants to become a member of the shore crew, there are no swimming or weight lifting requirements; however, there is a basic swim test they must pass. “We are looking for people available to help and who want to assist the community,” Tiarks said. Read More
Photo by Crystal Reed
Snow removal was being done by equipment in the parking lot of the Bethany Village Hall on Friday morning. Removal of snow was complicated by high winds that caused drifting on Thursday.
•February 9, 2022•
by Crystal Reed
NP Writer
Last Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday the local area received rain, freezing rain, sleet and heavy snow. The situation was complicated when paired with winds gusting 30-35 mph causing blowing and drifting snow, which resulted in dangerous travel conditions. According to the National Weather Service at Lincoln, the highest snowfall totals ranged from 8-15 inches within a swath situated between the Illinois River and I-70.
NWS also reported that ice amounts were brief for most areas, with the largest accumulations situated south of I-72 where one to three inches were reported prior to the heavy snowfall. Over the weekend, the area saw bitter cold with wind chills in the negatives Friday night into Saturday. Ben Deubelweiss, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service at Lincoln, said the extended forecast had no precipitation expected through the middle of this week.
When it comes to snow totals, Debelweiss reported that the totals they had recorded for our area included Lovington at 9.9 inches of snow, Sullivan with 5.8 inches of snow and Windsor with 10 inches of snow.
According to Moultrie County Sheriff Chris Sims, during the period of time of the storm there were large amounts of slide-offs, vehicles that spun out and stranded motorists to which the department responded.
Sullivan Township Road Commissioner Rich Rutledge said his crew of five came in Thursday afternoon, but because of snow and wind, they ran emergencies only. At 10 p.m. Thursday, they began poking holes in the accumulated snow on the roads. On Friday at 4 a.m., they ran all roads and pushed back snow. Sullivan Township is responsible for 95 township and 16 county miles. Read More
Photo by Crystal Reed
Squirrel Strikes a Pose
This friendly squirrel was found in Wyman Park digging through the snow for food.
Photo by Crystal Reed
Snow Removal
A Sullivan School District plow removes snow last Thursday morning as the area received an accumulation. More snow is predicted for later this week.
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Mrs. Dickens Class Celebrates 100th Day
Mrs. Dickens class celebrated the 100th Day with songs and activities. This was also only the fifth day that all of her students were in attendance out of the 100 days.
•February 2, 2022•
By Sharon Barricklow
Correspondent
The Lake Shelbyville Fish Habitat Alliance and the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers have announced their spring schedule of building and placing fish habitats for the 2022 fishing season.
Events will kick off on February 12 with a “cube build” at the Corps Shelbyville Maintenance Buildings. Volunteers use PVC pipe and drainage tubes to construct structures that can be placed in shallow water around the lake. Read More
•February 2, 2022•
By Ariana Cherry
NP Writer
The principals from the ALAH District were allowed to skip the most recent meeting of the school board held on Wednesday, January 19. “I appreciate the board’s understanding about giving our administrators an excuse for the evening. They have been really busy lately,” commented Superintendent Shannon Cheek. Recently, the district has been responsible for having to do their own contact tracing with COVID-19 cases since the health department is no longer doing them, and after returning from Christmas break, the schools experienced a surge in cases. Many of the district’s teachers, principals and other staff have been finding themselves doing multiple duties throughout the day as there have been absences either because of positive COVID-19 cases, quarantines, or other seasonal illnesses.
During the Treasurer’s Report, Cheek informed the board that nothing has changed concerning transportation funds. “One payment was received from last fiscal year, one from this year and one is in the queue. It could be in that queue for a long time. Nothing new on that front,” he said. Read More
Photo by Crystal Reed
Sullivan High School’s Mirror Images will present ‘Invisible’, an original play, on Friday, February 4 at 5:30 pm at the Little Theater on the Square.
•February 2, 2022•
Sullivan High School’s Mirror Images will present Invisible, an original play, on Friday, February 4, at 5:30 p.m. at the Little Theater on the Square.
The show, written by members of the prevention theater group and director Krista Houk, is about a high school student who goes missing and the search to find them.
Houk explained, “Students work together to find a missing classmate. They learn it’s safe to share their secrets with each other.”
She added that the basic message of the play is that “it’s okay to rely on others and to reach out if you need help.”
The show centers on Joan Doe, a quiet student who goes missing; Addison a chess and Dungeons and Dragons player who is accused of causing Joan to run away; Charlie, Addison’s sister who doesn’t go after her own passions to make her parents happy; and Tony the Detective Janitor who feels it’s his responsibility to find Joan and bring them home. Sullivan High School’s principal Mr. Daniel Allen will also appear as the principal of the show’s school. Read More