Photo furnished
OVES/OVMS Enjoy Maker Day
OVES and OVMS recently participated in Maker Days. A Maker Day is a facilitated event that requires participants to thoughtfully and fully engage in design thinking and creative problem solving and experience hands-on activities. Lara Macklin, OVHS media specialist, made the day possible with creative planning and help from OVHS students.
Photo by Mike Brothers
New Moultrie County Circuit Clerk Beth Pruitt, County Democrat Central Committee Chairman Stuart Wade and outgoing Circuit Clerk Cindy Braden following the county central committee selection of Braden’s replacement last Friday. Following county board approval Pruitt takes office May 1.
•April 11, 2018•
by Mike Brothers
for the News Progress.
Mary Beth Pruitt moved across the courtroom as she accepted appointment as Moultrie County Circuit Clerk on Friday.
The Democrat Central Committee, selected Pruitt to replace outgoing Circuit Clerk Cindy Braden.
Braden begins her new position May 1 as court operations analyst with the Court Services Division of the Administrative Office of the Illinois Court in Springfield.
Pruitt of Sullivan is a court reporter and has spent her career keeping track of the verbatim records of the courts; now she moves across the courtroom to handle the public side of court record keeping. Read More
•April 11, 2018•
The Lovington Village Board met in special session March 26 discussing issues regarding the village water leak adjustment calculator.
The regular meeting on March 12 included clean up day and townwide garage sale discussions.
President Roger Walker noted he has a problem with leak adjustments from unoccupied homes when pipes freeze and burst. “Because of the water leaks we have had, we need to do something that will help us,” Walker told the board. Read More
Photo by Ellen Ferrera
Chris Tippit and Christmas shoe boxes for children.
Reflects Love of Children and Community
•April 11, 2018•
By Ellen Ferrera
for the News Progress
The Findlay High School Alumni Association bestowed its Distinguished Alumni Award to Chris Eadie Tippit for her work with children and in community service.
“I never wanted or expected recognition for my work. I have simply done what God called me to do,” Tippit said,
She was born and raised in Findlay and has always had a love of children and people. After graduating from Eastern Illinois University, she taught for 37 years in Beecher City/Shumway, Pana, Tower Hill and Findlay. She and her husband, Fred, have a blended family of nine children and are further blessed with 24 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
The story doesn’t end there, however. Chris started bringing home struggling children to tutor them individually. The Tippit family became foster parents to 42 children over a 20 year period. Read More
•April 4, 2018•
This month’s annual quarter auction at the Sullivan American Legion starts at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 11.
All ages are welcome to attend and this month’s charity is the Moultrie-Sullivan Fair. The fair board is raising funds for needed improvements to the fairgrounds. Check out Moultrie-Sullivan Fair on Facebook for more information about the fair. Read More
Photo by Ellen Ferrera Sullivan High school English teacher Cami Badman and NPR Illinois essay winner Katie Webb with copy of her essay.
•April 4, 2018•
By Ellen Ferrera
for the News Progress
If ever anyone has spun gold cloth from the frayed threads of their life, Katie Webb is that person.
Webb, a Sullivan High School student, was recently chosen one of 10 state winners in the Illinois National Public Radio essay contest. From 200 entries, 10 were selected, each receiving a $100 prize for their composition on the topic “This I Believe.”
Cami Badman, Webb’s high school English teacher, assigned her class the task of writing the 500-word essay for NPR. “ I told the class that, as long as they had written the essay, they should enter the contest.”
Webb’s story strikes close to home—her parents were drug addicts. Her mother was rarely home, and her weekends growing up were spent visiting her incarcerated father. She realized at a young age that this was the reality of her life, and she has never shied away from openly discussing these circumstances. Believing having a truthful and open approach to life is the best policy, she conveyed that in her essay. Read More
Photo furnished
Original OVHS Art student designs on Vans shoes.
•April 4, 2018•
Okaw Valley art students designed Vans for the Custom Culture Contest.
The design team of seniors Hannah Landreth, Natalie Jeffers, Danielle Lochbaum, sophomores Isaac Tipsword, Jeramiah Wood, Emileah Drake and freshman Caiden Hansen developed a custom shoe design for the 2018 Vans Custom Culture Contest.
OVHS artists including seniors Kaytlyn Hinton and Kyra Jackson, junior Jewel Smith and freshman Olivia Whitney painted the shoes. The art classes are taught by Jeni Yantis. Read More
Photo by R.R. Best. Eager Easter Egg Hunters Cold damp weather did not deter these faithful seekers of the treasures contained in the sea of Easter Eggs Sunday, April 1. Mother Nature had the last laugh on April Fool’s Day, but the volunteers of the Sullivan Fire Protection District sponsored event prevailed as some 14,000 treasure-filled eggs awaited hundreds of diligent hunters at 3 p.m. in the field east of the Sullivan High School football field.
Photo furnished. Blowing Bubbles by Macelyn Boddy, Lovington.
•April 4, 2018•
Seventy pieces of art created by area school-aged children were entered in the Sullivan Area Arts second Youth Art Show which was held in conjunction with Youth Art Month. Art works were displayed at the Elizabeth Titus Memorial Library.
Ribbons and prizes were awarded for Best in Show and Merit in the following age categories: K-2, 3-5, middle school, and high school. Laney Banta, Tuscola, 10th grade, took Best in Show honors with Blooming Beauty. Merit awards were given for Blowing Bubbles, Macelyn Boddy, Lovington, 1st grade; Isabella Manna, Polar Bears,Lovington, 2nd grade; Cat in the Hat, Zoey Crothers, Sullivan, K; Moving Art, Addisyn Ploski, Lovington, 5th grade; Flowers, Austin Bates, Lovington, 5th grade; Sloth and Cactus, Elise Fleming, Sullivan, 5th grade; Magazine Bowl, Connor Edmonds, Lovington, 7th grade; Star Gazer, Janae Hopper, Sullivan, 11th grade; Frida in Cardboard, Karsyn West, Sullivan, 10th grade; and, Stipples Heart, Jessica Voyles, Sullivan, 11th grade.
•April 4, 2018•
By Ariana Cherry
for the News Progress
National Library Week kicks off April 8 and runs through Monday, April 14. Elizabeth Titus Memorial Library in Sullivan has plenty of plans to celebrate and thank patrons.
Cookies and donuts will be served daily throughout the week, and fines on overdue books will be waived.
There will be a seed library that allows patrons to bring in seeds that they cannot use and check out seeds they would like to use- such as flowers, fruits and vegetables.
On Tuesday evening, April 10 at 6:30 pm, poet and author Ariana R Cherry presents, “Rhymes Climbing Through Time.” She will explain the history of poetry, its use for communication and tell about some of the poets who have inspired her such as Shel Silverstein, Robert Frost and Edgar Allen Poe. Read More