Photo by RR Best
Sullivan firefighter David Welsh inspects the aftermath of a garage fire Sunday afternoon at 532. S. Sixth St. in Sullivan.

Severe smoke damage to residence, garage a total loss

by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com

The garage and parts of a home belonging to Gerald and Mary Nolen of Sullivan were severely damaged Sunday afternoon after an ember from a nearby burn barrel ignited a fire, according to Sullivan Fire Chief Mike Piper.

A call was received at 12:34 p.m., and the department’s time of arrival was 12:36 p.m. Piper says the scene was cleared at 2:28 p.m. and that the fire was extinguished around 1:10 p.m.

“The garage is a total loss, and they had a car in there, too, that was a total loss,” explained Piper. The home was damaged on the east end, including parts of a kitchen and dining area. Read More

Moultrie County State’s Attorney initiatives pass Illinois Senate 

Two initiatives of the Moultrie County State’s Attorney’s Office are halfway through the legislative process, thanks to the sponsorship of State Sen. Chapin Rose (R-Mahomet).

Senate Bills 3435 and 3547 will toughen penalties on those who assault children and also unsafe drivers. Read More

Most still see overall increase from Dec.

by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com

Moultrie County ranked the lowest among nine east central Illinois counties in unemployment for February.

Coming in at 7.5 percent, Moultrie is, in fact, tied for the fourth lowest rate of unemployment in the state with Washington county also at 7.5.

However, the county’s rate was an uptick from each of the two prior months, a trend nearly all other neighboring counties also saw. Read More

As much as $50,000 could go to OV

by Derek Pope
Bethany Reporter

Earlier this month Shelby County residents passed a new one percent sales tax aimed at helping area schools maintain their often-aging buildings. The referendum, which passed on March 18 and goes into effect April of next year, could bring Okaw Valley schools as much as $50,000 in increased revenue according to district superintendent Kent Stauder. Read More

High school students will have an opportunity to learn journalism hands-on from award-winning reporters, editors and photographers at the Illinois Press Foundation workshop at Eastern Illinois University on June 15-27.

Applications for the 13-day workshop, which is funded by the IPF, Dow Jones Newspaper Fund, Robert R. McCormick Foundation and EIU, will be accepted through May 10. Eighteen students will be selected to participate in this free journalism experience. Go to IPFworkshop.wordpress.com or contact director Joe Gisondi at jjgisondi@eiu.edu for further information. Read More