Category Archives: News Section

Bethany Fire Protection District Presented With Plaque

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Photo by Crystal Reed
Bethany Fire Protection District Presented With Plaque
Last Monday afternoon, June 21, Richie McCabe Jr. presented a plaque to members of the Bethany Fire Protection District. McCabe Jr. said that it took 3 to 4 days to construct the plaque as well as paint and stencil it. He presented the plaque as a thank you to the members of the department for being there for two of his family members when they needed the department’s assistance. “It’s a thankless job so when we get recognized it feels good,” Bethany Fire Chief Mike Jennings said “Realistically people call us on their worst day so when they come back and thank us it means it made a difference.” From left to right: James Burns, Willy Kastning, Richie McCabe Jr., Fire Chief Mike Jennings and Jim McMahan.

Knee High

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Photo by R.R. Best
Knee High
Harper and Hudson are this year’s knee high on the 4th of July gals. Harper recently competed in the National gymnastics tournament in Minneapolis.

Windsor Residents to Compete in Shelby County Pageants

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The 2021 Miss and Junior Miss Shelby County Pageants will be taking place on June 27. The pageants are not open to the public. Pictured above are Windsor contestants with the outgoing Miss Shelby County, who is also from Windsor. From left to right: Junior Miss contestant Payton Shupe, 2019 Miss Shelby County Adilyn McCray and Trinity Shupe all of Windsor.

•June 23, 2021•
by Crystal Reed
NP Writer

The Miss and Junior Miss Shelby County Pageants are making a comeback after taking a year’s hiatus due to COVID.
Trinity Shupe, 18, of Windsor is competing for the title of Miss Shelby County. She is a 2021 Windsor High School graduate and will attend Lake Land College this fall majoring in business. Shupe has been competing in pageants since the age of 15.
In 2019, she was crowned Miss Cowden Pioneer Days. Shupe won People’s Choice at the 2019 Miss Shelby County Fair pageant. She said, for her, pageants are about the experience, public speaking and making friends.
In her free time, she likes to take photos and be outdoors. “I took a CEO class and created a photo business so I’ve been taking photos for a year,” Shupe added.
Her sister Payton Shupe is also competing in the pageant, seeking the title of Junior Miss Shelby County. This will be her first pageant. “I had watched a few pageants because of my sister and thought it looked fun,” Payton said. Her favorite part of the pageant so far has been meeting all the girls and making new friends. Read More

Sullivan American Legion Post 68 Honors Flag Day With Ceremony

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Photo by Ellen Ferrara
The Sullivan American Legion Post 68 Honor Guard and Boy Scout Troop 39 retire worn flags during a Flag Day ceremony held the evening of June 14.

•June 23, 2021•
By Ellen Ferrara
NP Writer

Every year on June 14 Americans celebrate Flag Day. Not surprisingly, it is considered the most appropriate day to hold flag disposal ceremonies which are often held in the evening.
And so, on June 14 at 6 p.m., the Sullivan American Legion Honor Guard with assistance from local Boy Scout Troop 39 conducted a flag retirement ceremony in accordance with the United States Flag Code.
Just as there is etiquette for displaying Old Glory, there is also proper etiquette for the respectful disposal of torn, faded and worn-out flags no longer suitable for display. Read More

Blueberry Farm in Bethany Open for the Season

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Photo by Crystal Reed
Nichole Hendry and her three children in front of the general store at the Prairie Hill Blueberry Farm in Bethany. From left to right: Nichole, Addy, Amelia and Asher Hendry.

•June 23, 2021•
by Crystal Reed
NP Writer

Craig and Nichole Hendry didn’t originally set out to be blueberry farmers. “We sort of fell into it,” Nichole said. “We wanted to live in the country.” Someone asked the couple if they would be interested in a blueberry farm.
“We came out to look at it and fell in love with it,” she said. That was in the fall of 2019. Nichole says their first winter here they went to seminars and called other blueberry farmers to ask for advice. The farm has 1,000 bushes on the three acres, and there are five varieties of blueberries. Read More

Fourth of July Celebrations in the Local Area

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•June 23, 2021•
by Crystal Reed
NP Writer

The Sullivan 4th of July celebration will be held July 1 through 4 at Wyman Park and is sponsored by the Sullivan Area Merchants and Sullivan American Legion Post #68. The carnival will be Thursday through Sunday. Hours are Thursday, Friday and Saturday 5 p.m.-10 p.m. and Sunday 1 p.m.- 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. On Sunday the carnival provided by Conner Family Amusements will open after the parade. Read More

Day of Prayer and Appreciation for Law Enforcement

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Day of Prayer and Appreciation for Law Enforcement
Sunday, June 13, was a Day of Prayer and Appreciation for Law Enforcement. The Highway Church of Christ, along with the community, wanted to let the officers know they appreciate all they do and support them each and every day while on duty. Pictured from left to right are Sullivan police officer Brad McReynolds and Preacher Seth Myers.

City Council Sets Sewer and Water Rates

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•June 16, 2021•
by Crystal Reed
NP Writer

The Sullivan City Council approved an ordinance revising sewer and water rates for the city of Sullivan during Monday’s meeting. Commissioner Chuck Woodworth said the rate changes within this ordinance include the four percent discussed and authorized at the last meeting. It also includes a tiered rate for those who use more than 4,000 gallons a month. The reason for adding the tiered rate is to make the city eligible to qualify for hundreds of thousands of dollars of grant money from the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for water main replacements and other water projects. If they are not awarded a grant, they can remove the tiered rate at that time. Read More

County Board Fails to Pass Remapping of Sullivan Township Precincts

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•June 16, 2021•
by Crystal Reed
NP Writer

The Moultrie County Board failed to pass a motion to approve remapping of Sullivan Township precincts. The current existing map of the precincts was set up by County Clerk Richard Purdeu in June 1989. The proposed map put to the board was drawn up by Bruce Harrison and Associates which is a firm that does considerable work for the county through the assessor’s office.
John Fayhee made a motion which died for lack of a second. Brad Graven, a former county board member, expressed concerns about how the proposed map is put together. “A committee of citizens could have sat down with a voter registration list, and I can tell you how many voters are in each one of those sections,” he said. “I’m not sure why a consultant had to be hired to do that.” Read More

Girl Scout Cadettes Donate LEGO STEM Kit to Library

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Photo by Crystal Reed
Girl Scouts cadettes from Troop 3070 present Elizabeth Titus Memorial Library staff with a robotics kit and iPad. From left to right: Madison Flexser, Addison Brush, Library Director Michelle Nolen and Assistant Director/Children’s Librarian Laura Davison.

•June 16, 2021•
by Crystal Reed
NP Writer

Madison Flexser and Addison Brush, Cadettes in Girl Scout Troop 3070, have donated a LEGO STEM kit and iPad to Elizabeth Titus Memorial Library. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.
They donated the kit and iPad as their Girl Scout Silver Award project. The Girl Scout Silver Award is the highest achievement a Cadette can achieve. It requires identifying an issue in the community about which they care, building a team and developing and completing a project related to the identified issue. Read More