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Harner Interns
Lovington native, Maddison Harner (right) interned this spring and summer in the Communications Office of the Illinois Senate Republicans. She worked alongside Republican Senators, like State Sen. Chapin Rose (R-Mahomet) (left), helping the Senators with their communications to the public and media.
by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com
A four-year-old boy was pronounced dead last Tuesday after he was found unresponsive in a residential pool.
According to a press release by the Macon County Coroner Michael Day’s office, Seth A. Hilton, 4, of Lovington was pronounced dead at 8:25 p.m. Tuesday, June 16 in St. Mary’s Hospital in Decatur.
Hilton had actually been reported missing shortly after 7 p.m. Tuesday according to chief sheriff deputy Gary Carroll. A press release by the sheriff’s department states that Hilton was discovered at 7:35 p.m. in a pool located near his home. Carroll added that the pool was located two houses down from Hilton’s residence and that no one was at the residence at which the pool is located at the time of the incident.
CPR was conducted on Hilton prior to being transported to the hospital. Read More
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Sullivan Baseball Awards
Earlier this month the Sullivan high school baseball team held their awards banquet, recognizing the following individuals, pictured left to right: Nick Frerichs-offensive award and first team all-Central Illinois Conference; Matt Sparrow-Redskin award and second team all-CIC; Drew Harris-most improved; Zach Hrvol-pitching award and second team all-CIC; Dylan Hart-offensive award and first team all-CIC; and Jacob Piper-defensive award and all-CIC honorable mention. Not pictured is Levi Nadler-Redskin award and all-CIC honorable mention.
Victim of aggravated DUI wreck in Warrensburg Wednesday
by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com
A Sullivan woman endured life-threatening injuries Wednesday evening following a collision near Warrensburg.
According to a press release by the Macon County sheriff's department, a call came in at approximately 6:35 p.m. regarding the two-vehicle wreck. Once on scene, responders had to extricate a 69-year-old Sullivan woman from her 2011 Chevrolet after it collided with a 2009 Ford pickup truck, driven by Ryan M. Maurer, 41, of Harristown.
The release says that the preliminary investigation "indicates the Ford was northbound on Glasgow Rd and the Chevrolet was westbound on Park Rd. The driver of the Ford indicated he stopped at the stop sign and upon pulling into the intersection collided with the Chevrolet. The north-south traffic on Glasgow Rd. is controlled by a stop sign, while the east-west traffic on Park Rd. is not required to stop." Read More
After falling out of kayak, couple clings onto tree
by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com
A week ago Thursday Illinois Conservation Police rescued a Sullivan couple after they became stranded in the Kaskaskia River near Allenville.
According to Captain Jim Mayes with the Illinois Conservation Police, around 1:47 p.m. Thursday, June 11, the Moultrie County Sheriff’s Office received a call from an 11-year-old boy reporting that his grandparents, William and Madeline VanKeuren, had become stranded on the Kaskaskia river after they along with the boy, himself fell out of their kayaks. The boy was able to make it to the shoreline, but the VanKeuren’s could not and instead held onto a tree due to strong currents. Read More
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Coles-Moultrie Sponsorship
Coles-Moultrie Electric Cooperative and CoBank recently donated $6,000 in sponsorship funds to Sarah Bush Lincoln’s 26th annual golf benefit scheduled for Friday, June 12, at Meadowview Golf Course. Net proceeds from the event will benefit the construction of Sarah Bush Lincoln’s new Regional Cancer Center.
“We are delighted to support Sarah Bush Lincoln in its efforts to enhance cancer care for community members with a new modern facility,” Coles-Moultrie President and CEO Kim Leftwich said. “Coles Moultrie’s $3,000 donation was matched dollar-for-dollar by CoBank, as part of its ‘Sharing Success’ program designed to benefit cooperatives and the charitable groups they support throughout rural America,” Leftwich said.
Coles-Moultrie Electric Cooperative has been a sponsor of the SBL Golf Benefit since 1990, with donations totaling more than $76,000 over the 25-year period. For more information or to register for the golf benefit, please contact Kim Lockart in the SBL Foundation office at 238-4765.
Pictured are: (front, left to right) SBL Golf Committee members Patty Hedges and Linda Neeley; (back, left to right) Mary Bovard, Becky Taylor, Sam Adair, Coles-Moultrie President and CEO Kim Leftwich, Tim Kastl and Kim Lockart.
Suspect wrecks, suffers minor injuries
by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com
A 23-year-old man was arrested in the early morning hours last Wednesday after he fled police on a motorcycle.
Chris Tomasello, 23, of Decatur, was arrested last Wednesday morning for not only driving on a suspended license and operating an uninsured vehicle, but for also exceeding the speed limit by as much as 35 miles per hour.
According to Sullivan police officer Adam Collins’ report, at approximately 12:53 a.m. June 10, county deputy Clint Walker advised Sullivan PD that a motorcycle traveling at a high rate of speed was not pulling over and was headed westbound into Sullivan. Collins began to make his way east on Jackson and as he approved Madison Street observed a single headlight approaching. The officer then activated his radar and heard a “loud pitch.” Shortly thereafter, the radar then clocked the motorcycle at 98mph before the suspect turned north onto Calhoun. Read More
Former OV coach requests jury by trial
by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com
A former Okaw Valley middle school coach pled not guilty Monday to counts related to the sexual abuse of an underage girl.
Wade T. Burch, 25, of rural Shelbyville appeared before Judge Dan Flannell Monday afternoon along with his attorney Sean Britton for a preliminary hearing where a plea of not guilty was entered in regard to the two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse and criminal sexual assault he faces. Read More
Photo by Keith Stewart
Pictured is Sara Reinecke as Tracy Turnblad, the teenage girl who has aspirations to make it on to the Corny Collins Show.
June 17, 2015
By Dan Hagen
NP Theatre Critic
The dress rehearsal for the Little Theatre’s second show of the season reminded me just how well Hairspray works as a musical.
The John Waters story about outsiders (persecuted for their pounds and pigmentation) who are trying to get inside a local TV dance program in 1964 provides a perfect excuse for dance after dance. You realize that the large cast must be exhausted by the end of director Kevin Long’s brisk, high-energy show, although their smiles never show it.
Colorful costumes by Sherri Milo are shown off to good effect against a terrific set by Noel Rennerfeldt.
From the moment Tracy Turnblad (Sara Reinecke) emerges from her dramatically vertical bed to sing the life-affirming anthem Good Morning Baltimore, the comic book colors of the set catch and please the eye. I particularly enjoyed the big vari-colored light panels surrounding the stage and the angled, Seuss-like buildings.
Double kudos go to Lee Ann Payne as actor and choreographer. The Equity performer (Reno in 2014’s Anything Goes) brings stage presence and assurance to the role of mean mom Velma Von Tussle, glorying like Cruella De Vil in the memory of her triumph as Miss Baltimore Crabs. Read More
While a formality, board’s approval marks support for Governor’s reforms
by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com
At their regular meeting last month, the Moultrie county board unanimously approved Governor Bruce Rauner’s “Turnaround Agenda”, also known as the “Local Government Empowerment and Reform” resolution.
In what is only a show of support with no binding action, the nine-member board gave their approval of the call for reforms that the Illinois governor has been pushing now since he entered office, including those dealing with workers compensation, property tax freezes, term limits, prevailing wage, and empowerment zones or right-to-work areas where union membership and dues would be voluntary and that could be established by referendum or by a governing body’s ordinance or resolution. These zones have been labeled as anti-union by critics. Read More