Photo by RR Best
Engulfed in Flames
Fire had engulfed the front porch and two rooms of a house at the corner of Hunter and Graham streets when Sullivan firefighters arrived at 12:28 a.m. Wednesday. Fire Chief Mike Piper noted Matt and Nikki Nohren, their two kids and dog were alerted by smoke detector and were safely outside at that time. The house owned by Corey Davis received heavy fire, heat and smoke damage. Lovington and Bethany fire depts. assisted until 4:00 a.m. The Red Cross was called to assist the family.

Photo furnished
OVHS Band Excels
The OVHS Marching Timberwolves had a great Saturday at the Effingham band competition. They were awarded first place in General Effects, second in class, right behind Sangamon Valley who has much larger numbers and tied for second in visual with Sangamon Valley. They were third in music and percussion. They travel to the University of Illinois Saturday, Oct 21 for another competition.

ILMEA Audition for OV Junior
Bella Benning, Okaw Valley junior,  auditioned for ILMEA (Illinois Music Educators Association) District 5 choir, which is a step toward ILMEA All-state. This is the third year in a row that Benning has been selected. Students are given five musical selections and are required to prepare all five but will be judged on only two pieces. The first All-State selection is announced, but students do not know until the day of auditions what the second selection will be. ILMEA uses a blind audition format with judges only knowing students by an ID number rather than name and school. Benning also had to perform tonal skills consisting of two scales and three triads. She will perform with the District 5 choir November 18 at Eastern Illinois University.

Photo furnished WHS Sponsors Blood Drive Windsor High School National Honor Society and student council want you to donate blood and help save a life. The blood drive is noon-5 p.m.Thursday, October 19 in the Windsor High School gymnasium. The goal is 25 units.

Photo by Mike Brothers
SYATP Sullivan
Sullivan District #300 students gathered around the flag pole in front of the middle school Sept. 27 to say a prayer. See You at the Pole (SYATP) is an annual gathering of thousands of Christian students at a flagpole in front of their local schools for prayer, scripture-reading and worship, during the early morning before school starts. It takes place on the fourth Wednesday in September. The events began in 1990 in the United States. It is now an international event; in 2005 more than two million students in the U.S. participated, as well as students in Canada, Cote d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ecuador, Ghana, Guam, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Kenya, South Korea, Malaysia, Nigeria, Norway, Peru, Portugal, Scotland, and South Africa.