•August 26, 2020•
by Crystal Reed
NP Writer
Michael Castelli, 52, of Lovington was killed in a two vehicle crash at County Road 2400 N and County Road 400E last Wednesday. Read More
Category Archives: News Section
Drew Kirk Creates, Plans and Places Signage For Water Trail
Photo furnished
Drew Kirk has created, planned and placed signage for the Lake Shelbyville Water Trail. From left to right: Illinois Corps of Engineers volunteer Erica Nabers, Andrew Kirk and SPARK volunteer Laurrie Minor.
•August 26, 2020•
While many people enjoy fishing and other watersports on Lake Shelbyville, Drew Kirk hopes to get people out in kayaks and canoes with the completion of his Eagle Scout Project.
Kirk’s project was planning, creating, and placing signage for the Lake Shelbyville Water Trail, a project developed by the Sullivan SPARK’s Park and Recreation Committee, the US Army Corps of Engineers, and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
“The trail was initially proposed by the Corps, “Kirk noted. “It starts at the Denham Pit access area north of the main lake and goes with the current allowing people to travel with ease.”
While the trail signs are not all installed yet, people are already using the trail. Read More
Coffee, Cookies and Conversation with the Mayor
Photo by Ellen Ferrara
About 20 people attended last Wednesday’s Coffee with the Mayor held at the Sullivan McDonald’s..
•August 26, 2020•
by Ellen Ferrera
for the NP
Last Wednesday was the perfect, sunny fall day for Mayor Richard Glazebrook to pitch a tent in McDonald’s parking lot and coffee klatch with Sullivan residents.
Between 7 and 9 a.m. some twenty people formed their portable lawn chairs into a tight semi-circle while enjoying coffee, chocolate chip cookies and the almost lost art of gentle conversation. Several city workers, dressed in their neon yellow, came by as did others in their vehicles to wave support for the Mayor.
Mayor Glazebrook made several announcements to the group, the first being that future meetings of the City Council would be held at the Little Theatre so more people could attend and social distancing possible. All attendees to the Council meetings must wear masks as this is the Theatre’s policy. Read More
MCHD Acknowledges COVID-19 Exposure and Takes Prompt Action
•August 20, 2020•
Sometimes the enemy is closer than one thinks. The Moultrie County Health Department (MCHD) has received notice of a COVID-19 exposure in its office. For the safety of those the department serves and to reduce the risk of further COVID-19 transmission, the MCHD building will be closed to the public through Thursday, August 27, 2020. Until then, the health department will remain partially staffed and available for calls during regular business hours. Due to concerns about potential identification, additional information about the case/exposure is not being released.
“It is essential that we continue to serve our county to the best of our ability during this critical period,” said Moultrie County Health Department Administer Angela Hogan, RN, MSPH. “Staff and services will remain available as feasible by phone, Mon.-Fri., 8:30 a.m. - noon and 1- 4:30 p.m. Please call our office at 217-728-4114 if you need to schedule an appointment or to obtain immunization records, information or other assistance.”
Hogan noted that cases of COVID-19 are on the rise in Moultrie County and asks that all individuals join the department in reducing the transmission of the COVID-19 virus. She expressed confidence in our ability to achieve this reduction and reiterated the following four steps:
Wear a mask when in public or with anyone who is not a household member;
Watch physical distance from others in social situations and gatherings;
Wash hands frequently;
Stay home if ill or experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19.
Hogan goes on to say, “To every person in Moultrie County, the MCHD Staff greatly appreciates your patience and understanding during this challenging time. We are in this battle together, and our staff will continue to do our part to assist you in every way possible. Please do your part to protect each other and reduce the burden which COVID-19 places on our residents, schools, businesses and communities.”
For more information on the Moultrie County Health Department’s news, events and services and COVID-19 updates, please visit www.moultriehealth.org and follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/moultriecountyhealth.
Sincerely,
Glenda Plunkett
Moultrie County Public Health Department
Public Health Services Coordinator
202 S. Main St. l Sullivan, IL 61951
Office: (217) 728-4114 l Fax: (217) 728-2650
Sunflower Field
Photo by R.R. Best
Luke and Melanie Beyers sunflower field in rural Sullivan. Luke plants the flowers every year to feed the birds. Sunflowers can grow to 120 inches or more.
Sullivan School District’s Return to School Plan
Both in-person and remote options are available
•August 19, 2020•
by Ariana Cherry
NP Writer
According to the Sullivan School District’s “Return to School Plan” handbook, “Sullivan CUSD #300 believes that on-site learning can occur with proactive measures and collaborative efforts from stakeholders.”
The Sullivan School district is providing both in-person and remote learning options in order to meet the variety of needs from its students. Should the regional and local statistics and metrics change, the district will be reaching out both to the Moultrie County Health Department and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH).
As stated in its “Return to School Plan,” the district says, “We are working diligently to bring our students back to school safely. The safety measures that the school district is taking include:
• Require the use of face coverings (e.g. masks) and appropriate protective equipment.
• Require additional hand hygiene measures including hand sanitizer in each room.
• Prohibit more than 50 individuals from gathering in one space.
• Require social distancing to be observed as much as possible.
• Require individuals to self-certify that they are symptom free before entering onto school buses and into school buildings.
• Require an increase in school wide cleaning and disinfecting. Read More
Two Car Accident
Photo by R.R. Best
Two Car Accident At Intersection Of Route 32 and County Road 800N
A two car accident occurred at the intersection of Route 32 and County Road 800N on August 11 at 3:47 pm. The driver of the Dodge Caravan was ticketed for failure to yield. The driver of the Dodge Caravan was uninjured but the driver of the other vehicle was transported to Sarah Bush Lincoln where they were treated and released.
County Board Rescinds Action Consolidating Precincts
•August 19, 2020•
By Crystal Reed
NP Reporter
The Moultrie County Board voted to rescind a motion and action from the June 9, 2020 county board meeting which consolidated Sullivan Precincts 1 and 6 into Sullivan 1 and Sullivan 2 and 5 into Sullivan 2, placing them back to their original precincts and polling locations during their meeting last Thursday.
State statutes limit the size of precincts to a maximum 800 voters but there are a number of precincts throughout the state of Illinois that exceed that. “Consolidation would have saved the county several thousands of dollars and its actually costing us some money to put it back as it was,” Dave McCabe said.
The board heard from Derek Righter about the Final FY2019 audit by West and Co. prior to approving the audit. The fund balance increased by about $200,000 said Ryder. “Dispersements and depreciation increased by $840,000 over the previous year because the county highway had a resurfacing project that had $180,000 more this year over the previous year,” he noted “the special bridge had two projects with Dora township and Jonathan Creek township and that increased expenses by $130,000. Also, the general fund was up by $260,000 which is mainly attributable to health insurance, there was an increase in claims. Read More
Check Presented To Sullivan School District For LED Lighting Project
Photo by Crystal Reed
Check Presented To Sullivan School District For LED Lighting Project
A check was presented to Sullivan School District #300 on Tuesday from the Illinois Municipal Electric Association in the amount of $17,993.74 as a rebate for their LED project at Sullivan Elementary School. The entire building was upgraded to LED lighting and the district should see $750 to $800 a month utility savings. The IMEA offers grant money for upgrades like this and for individuals as well. Pictured from left to right: Mike Fowler, Sullivan Mayor Richard Glazebrook, Kevin Landrus, Sullivan School Board President Jeff White and Sullivan Superintendent Ted Walk.
14 Illinois Counties at Warning Level for Coronavirus Disease
•August 14, 2020•
SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 14 counties in Illinois are considered to be at a warning level for novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). A county enters a warning level when two or more COVID-19 risk indicators that measure the amount of COVID-19 increase.
Fourteen counties are currently reported at a warning level – Bureau, Cass, Clinton, Franklin, Greene, Grundy, Hancock, Jefferson, Kane, LaSalle, Moultrie, Perry, Union, Will.
These counties saw cases or outbreaks associated with weddings, businesses, birthday parties, long-term care facilities and other congregate settings, bars, sports camps, and spread among members of the same household. Public health officials are seeing people in some communities are not wearing masks, or if they are, they are being worn incorrectly. Local health departments are finding it challenging to obtain the information necessary to halt local transmission, by quickly identifying exposures from contacts of cases and businesses. Inconsistent messaging from local elected leaders are contributing to on-going transmission in some communities where there is little public concern for consequences or enforcement of social distancing, banning large gatherings, or quarantine/isolation orders.
Several counties are taking swift action and implementing mitigation measures to help slow spread of the virus. Examples include increasing the availability in testing in their community and working with local businesses to educate and spot check mask wearing and guideline adherence.
IDPH uses numerous indicators when determining if a county is experiencing stable COVID-19 activity, or if there are warning signs of increased COVID-19 risk in the county.
• New cases per 100,000 people. If there are more than 50 new cases per 100,000 people in the county, this triggers a warning.
• Number of deaths. This metric indicates a warning when the weekly number of deaths increases more than 20% for two consecutive weeks.
• Weekly test positivity. This metric indicates a warning when the 7-day test positivity rate rises above 8%.
• ICU availability. If there are fewer than 20% of intensive care units available in the region, this triggers a warning.
• Weekly emergency department visits. This metric indicates a warning when the weekly percent of COVID-19-like-illness emergency department visits increase by more than 20% for two consecutive weeks.
• Weekly hospital admissions. A warning is triggered when the weekly number of hospital admissions for COVID-19-like-illness increases by more than 20% for two consecutive weeks.
• Tests perform. This metric is used to provide context and indicate if more testing is needed in the county.
• Clusters. This metric looks at the percent of COVID-19 cases associated with clusters or outbreaks and is used to understand large increase in cases.
These metrics are intended to be used for local level awareness to help local leaders, businesses, local health departments, and the public make informed decisions about personal and family gatherings, as well as what activities they choose to do. The metrics are updated weekly, from the Sunday-Saturday of the prior week.
A map and information of each county’s status can be found on the IDPH website at https://www.dph.illinois.gov/countymetrics.