Photo by Keith Stewart
Check
Donation
Sullivan girls’ basketball coach Sheri McCain was presented with a $360 check by Roger Bragg of E.K. Petroleum at last Thursday’s awards banquet. During the season, the company pledged $3 for every three pointer the team made. McCain was also recently named the IBCA Coach of the Year for the region and will be presented with her award in April.
Fireworks fundraiser underway
by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com
When Mike Keown and his family moved to Sullivan in 1958, the only thing more memorable than Richard Nixon’s visit to Wyman Park was the fireworks display that the local American Legion had routinely sponsored.
“They were spectacular,” said Keown. “The night sky was just lit up. Even though we lived right by the park, we all took a blanket and went to Wyman Lake.”
But now, the certainty as to whether Sullivan will continue to have its annual display is up in the air, or perhaps, not quite yet.
“The Legion has always paid the cost of the fireworks as long as I can remember,” said Keown. “But right now, we can’t do that. We don’t have the money to pay it.” Read More
Photo by Keith Stewart
Eagle Creek Resort’s fate is once again up in the air after BMDD Resorts, the vendor who was awarded the bid to renovate the resort in 2010, officially packed up earlier this week and walked away from the project after what they cite as a frustrating relationship with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
Agreement to effectively dissolve March 15
by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com
The vendor that IDNR chose in 2010 to renovate and ultimately reopen Eagle Creek Resort has issued the state agency a notice of termination effective later this week.
The contract that BMDD Resorts and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources entered into in July 2010 will be terminated effective March 15, according to Dennis Ballinger, CEO of BMDD Resorts out of Decatur.
“We’ve tried not to make this a public issue, but finally, it had to,” said Ballinger in a phone interview Tuesday evening. Read More
Submitted
Visiting Booth
Students from Sullivan High School visited Booth Library on the campus of Eastern Illinois University recently.
The students who were conducting research for argumentative papers on social issues took a tour of the library and were given a demonstration on finding resources both on the bookshelves and through the library’s online database.
Pictured, front row from left to right: Noah Workman, Walker Byers, and Travis Hanson. Second row: Adam Davis, Macy Cornwell, and Hailey Moyer. Third row: Liz Inman and Alex Love. Fourth row: Baylee Cohan, Tori Floyd, and Kathy Albin. Fifth row: Christina Brown, Gaby Uphoff, and Rachel Stutzman. Back row: Patrick Hogan, Jesse Parra, and Alex Davison
The average statewide temperature for the three core winter months of December, January, and February was 20.8 degrees. It was 8.2 degrees below avg. and the fourth coldest December-February period on record, according to Illinois State Climatologist Jim Angel at the Illinois State Water Survey, University of Illinois. Read More
Photo by Keith Stewart
An Advanced Disposal garbage truck is seen in the parking lot of McDonald’s Tuesday afternoon in Sullivan.
Ties contract term to license term
by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com
At their second meeting last month, the Sullivan city council approved an ordinance, amending a section on garbage regulations meant to curb the length of contracts with which collectors could provide customers.
Ordinance 14-4, which passed unanimously at the February 24 meeting, simply ties the length of any contract garbage collectors issue customers with the term of their license they receive from the city. Since garbage collection licenses enjoy a one year shelf-life before expiring each May, contracts with customers are now stipulated to the same one year time-frame. Read More
Special meeting sees both support and opposition to longer hours
by Joash Tiarks
Bethany Reporter
The Bethany village board formally approved the wording to one of last month’s proposed amendments to the liquor ordinance Monday in a special board meeting.
Last month a motion was passed, in the absence of trustee Steve Ozee, to amend the village liquor ordinance to allow for longer serving hours and to remove the prohibition of gambling devices within the village. At that time there were several members of the community present to voice their support of any actions the board could take to benefit local businesses, in particular Hired Hand Winery and Saloon. That motion, however, was to go before the village’s attorney to be proofread and refined for language before being formally accepted. Read More
by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com
A new school name has been chosen for next year’s annexation of Arthur-Lovington and Atwood-Hammond school districts, and the victor isn’t much of a stretch.
According to Arthur-Lovington superintendent Travis Wilson, students voted last week on four possible school names, including Grand Prairie High School, Heartland High School, John A. Timm High School, and, the eventual winner, Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond. Read More
High-voltage transmission line approved to run through county
by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com
The future location of a high-voltage transmission line has been moved back into Moultrie County after a hearing last Thursday.
Known as the Illinois Rivers Transmission Project, the $1.1 billion, 375 mile long, 345 kV transmission line, Ameren’s largest-ever transmission project, will span from near Quincy, Ill. and the Mississippi River all the way across the middle of the state to the Indiana border near Terre Haute. The project, which is the longest single transmission line project in state history, also represents four of six multi-value project here in Illinois that will allegedly strengthen the reliability of the power-grid within the Midcontinent Independent System Operation’s north and central regions, which is a regional transmission organization that serves all or parts of 11 states. Read More
Submitted by Don Rousser
Arctic Blast
Swim Meet
The Sullivan Blue Dolphins traveled to Terre Haute, Ind. Feb. 14-16 to compete in the Arctic Blast Meet hosted by the Terre Haute Torpedoes at Terre Haute South High School. High point winners included: 6 and Under–1st place Mason Booker, 2nd place Jonathan Iacobazzi. 7-8 year old division–1st place Ethan Schmohe, 2nd place Madalyn Booker. 9-10 year old division–1st place Gabrielle Spain, 2nd place Noah Spain. 11-12 division–1st place Natalie Drury. 13-14 division–1st place McKenna Kull, 2nd place Dylan Sanders; Open Division–1st place Brynna Sentel, 2nd place Michaela Donnel, 1st place Grant King, 2nd place Bryce King.
The next stop is Regionals February 28 – March 2 for swimmers who qualified and then on to State Age Group March 13-16.