Photo furnished
The Little Theatre box office, usually a busy hub of activity, remains empty as the season closure is extended.

•August 12, 2020•
by Crystal Reed
NP Writer

Little Theatre On The Square Executive Producer John Stephens announced via Facebook on Monday that the theatre would be extending their shutdown. He said that the theatre board had a meeting last week to decide the next step.
Stephens estimated that the theatre has seen a $500,000 plus loss due to the closure. Stephens said that they have laid off all staff except for two people. He also said that the theatre has an annual impact of $3.5 million on the city of Sullivan. Read More

Prayer Vigil Planned

•July 29, 2020•
By Crystal Reed

Janiya Bennett, 10 year old Sullivan Elementary School student drowned at Sullivan Beach Sunday afternoon.
Mo Co Sheriff Chris Sims said the MCSO received the call to the beach at 3:49 p.m. Sunday where the girl had disappeared while playing in the water according to a group of swimmers.
Moultrie County Dive team, Sullivan Police Dept., Sullivan Fire District and U.S Corp of Engineers personnel worked some 40 minutes before finding the 10 year old. Read More

•July 15, 2020•

By Supt. Ted Walk
Sullivan CUSD #300

Though there could still be circumstances that cause a change to our return to school this fall, the current plan is for students of Sullivan Schools to return to in-person instruction five days a week, while remaining receptive to changing recommendations from the Illinois State Board of Education, Illinois Department of Public Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and, of course, the Moultrie County Health Department.
As information is changing monthly, weekly, and even daily, we are waiting to finalize a number of aspects related to the process of reopening, but we want our students, parents, and community to be able to plan on sending their students to school safely beginning on August 17th. Read More

•July 10, 2020•
The Moultrie County Health Department (MCHD) has confirmed the four more cases of the novel coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19) in Moultrie County. The individuals range in ages from 20’s to 70’s. They are recovering at home in isolation. Public health officials are notifying all close contacts. To date, 1,299 Moultrie County residents have been tested for COVID-19. Of those tests, 24 have been confirmed positive for COVID-19 and 18 are no longer in isolation. As Illinois progresses through Phase 4 of Recover Illinois, the risk of COVID-19 transmission to others may increase. It is important to remember that people of all ages are vulnerable to this virus, and everyone should take precautions to prevent infection. For public safety, the health department continues to ask everyone:  Maintain a physical distance of six feet from others  Wear a mask for source control when physical distancing is not possible.  Wash hands routinely According to the CDC, symptoms of the Novel Coronavirus-19 infection may appear from two to 14 days after exposure to the virus. These symptoms include fever, fatigue, dry cough, chills, body aches, headache, sore throat, a loss of taste or smell, diarrhea and vomiting.
It is important to note that individuals infected with COVID-19 can transmit the virus to others up to 48 hours before displaying any symptoms.
The CDC also expanded its list of those individuals who are more likely to be affected seriously by COVID-19 include:
• Chronic kidney disease
• COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
• Immunocompromised
• Obesity
• Serious heart conditions
Contact: Glenda Plunkett
Public Health Services Coordinator
Glenda@moultriehealth.org
217.728.4114
• Sickle cell disease
• Type 1 and 2 diabetes mellitus
• Asthma (moderate to severe)
• Cerebrovascular disease
• Cystic fibrosis
• Hypertension
• Neurologic diseases such as dementia
• Liver disease
• Pregnancy
• Pulmonary fibrosis
• Smoking
• Thalassemia If an individual is ill with symptoms associated with coronavirus and needs medical or emergency care, they should notify their physician or emergency medical service providers of their symptoms prior to arrival. For more information on the Moultrie County Health Department’s news, events and services, please visit www.moultriehealth.org and follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/moultriecountyhealth

•July 1, 2020•
Moultrie County State’s Attorney Tracy Weaver announced that after a sentencing hearing a Mattoon man was sentenced on two counts of attempted murder and one count of home invasion, stemming from an incident on February 4, 2019 in Sullivan, Illinois.
State’s Attorney Weaver identified the defendant as Alvan Booths of Mattoon, Illinois.
At the conclusion of the sentencing hearing Judge Hugh Finson adopted the State’s Attorney’s recommendation of the following sentence in Moultrie County case 19-CF-7: Read More