Category Archives: News Section

Moonlight Acres Ready for the Holiday Season

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Photo by Crystal Reed
Angie (left) and Cory Neal (right) at their farm Moonlight Acres outside of Bethany. Currently the farm offers Christmas trees, wreaths, garlands, and grave blankets and pillows for sale.

•December 1, 2021•
by Crystal Reed
NP Writer
Moonlight Acres is ready for the holiday season. The farm which is located near Bethany has shifted their focus to the holiday season with Christmas trees, wreaths, garlands, grave blankets and pillows. They have Frasier, Balsam, White Pine and Concolors for sale. Last year they received reports that their trees and wreaths held up and stayed green into the month of January.
This is the second year of business for Cory and Angie Neal. Earlier this year they planted their own trees, but they will not be ready for seven years. Grave blankets and pillows may be ordered and are decorated for no extra charge. “We want people to feel like we did it just for them,” Angie said. Read More

One Book, One Sullivan Presents “The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise”

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Photo by Crystal Reed
One Book, One Sullivan revealed their book pick for this year during an assembly on November 22. This year’s book is ‘The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise’ by Dan Gemeinhart. They were joined by Sullivan Rotary members Stan Parks and Lori Shasteen.

•December 1, 2021•
by Crystal Reed
NP Writer

After showing a book trailer, One Book, One Sullivan revealed this year’s book to their middle school classmates during an assembly at Sullivan High School November 22. The group narrowed down the options for this year’s selection by reading books from the 2021 Rebecca Caudill list.
Over the summer, One Book, One Sullivan students read their way through the reading titles and met in person once a week. In late September, they announced the top four titles which were Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes, Free Lunch by Rex Ogle, From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks and The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart. Members of the group distributed some copies of the book to students during the assembly. Read More

Family Reading Night 2021

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Photo by Crystal Reed
Family Reading Night
Okaw Valley Elementary School Principal Heidi Vander Burgh reads a story during Family Reading Night at Marrowbone Public Library.

Photo by Crystal Reed
Demonstrating Musical Instruments
Kathy Doty, Music and Tech teacher at Okaw Valley Elementary School, demonstrates a didgeridoo during Family Reading Night. This year’s theme was Can You Read Music?

COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic

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Photo by R.R. Best
COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic
Moultrie County Health Department, in conjunction with IDPH-IEMA, hosted two COVID-19 Booster and Vaccine Clinics last week at the Sullivan American Legion. The next clinic will be held on Friday, December 10 from 9 am to 2 pm at the Sullivan American Legion. This clinic will have Adult Covid-19 (including Pfizer for ages 12 and up) vaccines and boosters and pediatric (Pfizer for ages 5-11). For more information visit www.moultriehealth.org.

Turkeys Donated To Moultrie County Food Pantry

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Turkeys Donated To Moultrie County Food Pantry
The tenth annual Sullivan IGA Roundup collected $1,200 from October 31 to November 6 when customers rounded up their grocery bills to donate to the Moultrie County Food Pantry. Those donations purchased 55 turkeys and 70 turkey breasts that were donated to the food pantry. Sullivan IGA meat department delivery crew delivering the donation are (from left to right): Mason Harner, Julie Delpino, Cameron Eccles and Seth Cobb, Tim VanDeursen.

Author Kevin Corley Speaks at MCH&G Society Dinner

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Photo by Ellen Ferrara
Kevin Corley, a retired teacher and school administrator from Shelbyville, spoke at the Moultrie County Historical and Genealogical Society annual dinner on Thursday, November 18.

•November 24, 2021•
By Ellen Ferrara
NP Writer

Members and friends of the Moultrie County Historical and Genealogical Society gathered November 18 for the annual dinner meeting at the Sullivan American Legion Hall. The guest speaker was author and historian Kevin Corley.
Corley taught history and coached several sports for many years in local high schools. Since retiring, he has pursued his real love of writing about the history he had shared with his students. His particular focus has been on some of the darker historical events in central and southern Illinois.
His first novel, “Sixteen Tons”, tells the incredible, violent story of central Illinois coal mining from 1898-1933. Corley used a power-point presentation with photographs for each of his five novels. Read More

City Council Approves TIF District Redevelopment Agreement

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•November 24, 2021•
by Crystal Reed
NP Writer

The Sullivan City Council met Monday and approved a TIF District Redevelopment Agreement by and between the city of Sullivan and Main Street Capital Partners, LLC. Mayor Richard Glazebrook said this would be developed in phases. The 80% being asked falls within somewhat of the same range that the city has priorly done. Glazebrook reported that a large subdivision has not been done for some time. There will be 40 houses developed. When the vote was taken, Commissioner Mike Fowler abstained. Read More

Command Sergeant Major Richard Carroll Speaks at Sullivan VFW

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Command Sergeant Major Richard Carroll from the Illinois National Guard speaking to a crowd at Sullivan VFW on Veterans Day.

•November 17, 2021•
by Crystal Reed
NP Writer

Sullivan VFW welcomed Command Sergeant Major Richard Carroll of Mattoon to speak about what it means to him to be a veteran on Veterans Day.
In June 1987, he was 17 years old and stepped off the bus at Fort McClellan in Alabama. He revealed that he joined the National Guard for the discipline and focus. In the summer of 1990, he was working security at the State Fair in the National Guard tent.
The next thing he knew, a few months later, he found himself in the middle of the desert during Operation Desert Storm and Desert Shield. Carroll exited the Army in 1995 to pursue a family and his career in law enforcement. “It just never left me, and I think a lot of people who have served feel the same way,” he said. Read More

Country Financial Office Welcomes New Agent

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Photo by Crystal Reed
The Houser Agency
Production Assistant Jorjia Clements, Insurance Agent Kyler Houser and Financial Representative Elizabeth Houser.

•November 17, 2021•
by Crystal Reed
NP Writer

Elizabeth Houser has added a new agent to her office, her son Kyler. A meet and greet was held at Country Financial at the end of October. With the addition of Kyler, the agency has become the Houser Agency.
Elizabeth started with Country Companies on March 28,2011. She has made six All Americans in a row. Recently there had been discussion about bringing in an associate agent but after another Country Companies agent retired recently Kyler was brought in as an agent.
Kyler graduated from Sullivan High School in 2016 and from Eastern Illinois University in 2020 with a degree in broadcast meteorology and earth science. Prior to going into insurance he worked for Marvin Keller. In his spare time he enjoys flying drones, ping pong and solving Rubik’s cubes.
He is fully licensed in auto, home, life, health, farm and commercial insurance as well as brokerage policies and medicare supplement.
According to Elizabeth their clients have 24/7 access to them whether it be by text, calling or e-mail. The Houser Agency is located at 1102 W. Jackson in Sullivan and can be reached by phone at 217-728-2591.

Structure Fire

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Structure Fire
Sullivan Fire Department received a call for a structure fire north east of Sullivan at 6:36 pm on Sunday, November 14. Bethany and Arthur Fire Departments were called in for mutual aid. The structure was a complete loss. There were no injuries.