Category Archives: News Section

Sullivan City Council Approves Ordinances Related to TIF District

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•December 14, 2022•
by Crystal Reed

The Sullivan City Council meeting began with a public hearing on the levy and assessment of taxes for the fiscal year beginning May 1, 2022 and ending April 30, 2023. The total levy is $1,204,613 which is up from prior years because TIF 1 has expired. Treasurer Sarah Golden said the tax rate is no higher than it was 10 years ago and the public will not see their tax bills go up.
The council addressed several items in regard to TIF District 4. The first item authorized the execution of a Professional Services Agreement with Jacob and Klein, LTS, The Economic Development Group and city of Sullivan. The group will provide technical advice to assist the city with the TIF.
Another resolution was a third amendment to Sullivan Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District 4 Central Properties and Investments, LLC Redevelopment Project. Mayor Richard Glazebrook said the area is located on Hamilton Street on the east side across from Industrial Way Road and will be apartments. The third item was another proposed third amendment to TIF 4 Legacy Post Frame Home, LLC Redevelopment Project. Read More

Metro Communications Places Christmas Tree

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Photo by Crystal Reed
Metro Communications Places Christmas Tree
A new Christmas Tree has been placed in Downtown Sullivan Illinois by Metro Communications. The tree was installed next to the Metro building on the corner of Harrison and Washington streets. Metro employees spent several days out in the chilly weather assembling and decorating the tree. Multiple motorized lifts had to be used to raise workers up to reach the highest of the branches. The artificial evergreen has been covered with silver, gold, red and green ornaments. The biggest size of the metallic spheres has a circumference of 24 inches. The Sullivan Chamber and Economic Development organization partnered on this project. Laurrie Minor, the Director of The S.C.E.D., said her organization is incredibly happy to be able to share Metro’s generosity with the community.

One Year Anniversary of Tornado Touchdown South of Windsor

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•December 7, 2022•
by Crystal Reed

On Friday, December 10, 2021, at about 9:50 p.m., a tornado touched down south of Windsor. Thankfully, no one was injured or killed that night. At that time the National Weather Service at Lincoln said when the tornado touched down, it caused the loss of roof panels to a farm outbuilding.
Then the tornado strengthened, causing total destruction of a farm outbuilding and breaking wood power poles southeast of Windsor. South Central FS saw significant damage west of Gays with numerous buildings damaged or destroyed, and three large tanker trucks were flipped. Read More

Windsor School District to Renovate 1980 Addition of Junior Senior High

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•December 7, 2022•
by Crystal Reed

The Windsor School Board made the decision to renovate the 1980 Addition of the Junior Senior High during their November 16 school board meeting. For four to five months, Windsor Superintendent Erik Van Hoveln and the board had been tossing around the idea of whether to renovate or build an addition onto the school. It was determined that it would be a better option to renovate.
Renovations will include upgrades to the ladies’ restroom near the gym making it ADA compliant, new flooring, new sinks, new stalls, new paint and ceiling. The gymnasium will get new bleachers, and the floor will be resurfaced, making it ADA compliant, and the new Hatchets logo will go on the floor. Van Hoveln said that in 2006 the volleyball lines were painted in the gym and that over the years they have blended into the floor due to fading and the oil-based seal of the gym floor. Read More

Lovington’s Christmas in the Park 2022

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Photo by Crystal Reed
Singing Christmas Carols
This group of ladies came to the event and sang several Christmas carols. Other activities during the event included vendors, cookies and hot chocolate, a craft for children and visits with Santa.

Photo by Crystal Reed
Handmade Decorations
For this Christmas tree entry, the decorations were all handmade and included snowflakes, round plaid fabric ornaments and a large snowflake tree topper. In total there were ten trees decorated by schools, individuals and businesses that were auctioned off.

Photo by Crystal Reed
Tree Decorating Contest
During Christmas in the Park in Lovington there were ten trees that were decorated and auctioned off. Trees were decorated by residents, schools and businesses. The tree pictured was decorated by the Lovington Grade School Student Council and they were the school winner. Residential winner was a tree decorated by Tracy Garmon and Alexandria Poe. Winner in the business category was TGM. Themes included board games, Star Wars, angels, Willy Wonka, and others.

Photo by Crystal Reed
Santa Photo
Santa was at Christmas in the Park on Saturday, November 26 in Lovington posing for photos and hearing requests from children and adults. He arrived at the park in style on a Lovington Fire Department fire truck.

Photo by Crystal Reed
Listening to Christmas Wishes
Santa heard requests from children during Christmas in the Park in Lovington. Here he talks to one of the local children.

Photo by Crystal Reed
Creating a Snowman Ornament
A young child draws a carrot nose on her snowman ornament during Christmas in the Park in Lovington with assistance from her mother. This is one of several activities that was going on that day.

ALAH Illinois State Scholars

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ALAH Illinois State Scholars
Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond High School recently announced the Class of 2023 Illinois State Scholars. They are Josie Hale, Alisha Frederick, Kaylee Schrock, Emma Edwards, Connor Edmonds, Clay Seal, and Charley Condill (not pictured). Students are selected based on their outstanding academic achievement and SAT scores.

City Council Approves Memorandum of Understanding with Agri-Fab

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•November 30, 2022•
by Crystal Reed

The Sullivan City Council approved a Memorandum of Understanding between the City of Sullivan and Agri-Fab. The memorandum involves an unused three-phase pad mount 1500 KVA transformer that was previously provided by the city. The city has requested possession of the transformer for use in another location. Agri-Fab has agreed to this on the condition that the city provide Agri-Fab with an equivalent replacement transformer. Commissioner Mike Fowler said they need permission from the company to move the transformer.
In attendance was Bob Ingram who asked whether the replacement transformer would be new or refurbished. According to Commissioner Abbey Sherwood there are two different copies of the agreement. One that was in the packet and one on which the lawyer changed the verbiage which said that it should be a new transformer given to Agri-Fab as a replacement. The transformer sits at Agri-Fab because they have vendors who require them to keep one in place should the one being used have a breakdown or malfunction. Read More

One Book, One Sullivan Announces Newest Book Selection

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Photo by Crystal Reed
One Book, One Sullivan announced this year’s book selection during an assembly on Tuesday, November 22. This year’s selection is The Blackbird Girls by Anne Blankman. One Book, One Sullivan members are (in no order): Adalyn Cruitt, Emma Drake, Alex Fultz, Ava Johnson (not pictured), Kent Lehman, Grant Martin, Vinnie McClellan, Daisy Richardson, Avery Renfro, Tenley Stollard, Mitchell Wesselman, Ronin Woods, North Dean, Isabel Donovan, Reading Interventionist Rikki Ray, Media Center Specialist Anna McClellan and Rotary member Susan Rauch.

•November 30, 2022•
by Crystal Reed

One Book, One Sullivan presented a book trailer to their middle school classmates Tuesday, November 22, in an assembly at the beginning of the school day. The group narrowed their top choices for this year’s selection by reading all 20 books from the Rebecca Caudill list. The group of 12 middle school students, two high school students and four staff members read the books from that list to pick one for the community reading program.
The committee meets weekly to discuss the books and debate to find the perfect one. They narrow it down to the top five and then down to the final selection. The top five books were Amari and the Night Brothers, Black Brother, Black Brother; The Total Eclipse of Nestor Lopez, When Stars are Scattered and this year’s selection Blackbird Girls by Anne Blankman. Members of the group distributed copies of the book to students during the assembly. Read More

The Little Theatre On The Square Preparing for White Christmas, Nominated for Broadway World Regional Awards

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•November 30, 2022•
by Crystal Reed

It may not look like it’s going to be a White Christmas outside, but inside The Little Theatre On The Square, it will be. Rehearsals for the theatre’s production of White Christmas began Saturday, November 26. The theatre’s last production of White Christmas was in 2017. The show will be onstage December 9-18, and some shows are already selling out.
This year’s production will be directed by Clint Hromsco with choreography by Kaitlyn Frank. The female lead Gretel Scarlett is back. She was also in the 2010 production of the show. Read More

Turkeys Donated to Moultrie County Food Pantry

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Photo by Crystal Reed
Turkeys Donated to Moultrie County Food Pantry
Sullivan IGA meat department delivered 50 turkey breasts and 25 turkeys to the Moultrie County Food Pantry on Monday, November 21. Those who delivered the donation were (in no order): Mason Harner, Meat manager Seth Cobb, Blake Eller, Cameron Eccles, Timothy VanDeursen and Judy Sumner.