Category Archives: Top Stories

Coffee, Cookies and Conversation with the Mayor

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Photo by Ellen Ferrara
About 20 people attended last Wednesday’s Coffee with the Mayor held at the Sullivan McDonald’s..

•August 26, 2020•
by Ellen Ferrera
for the NP

Last Wednesday was the perfect, sunny fall day for Mayor Richard Glazebrook to pitch a tent in McDonald’s parking lot and coffee klatch with Sullivan residents.
Between 7 and 9 a.m. some twenty people formed their portable lawn chairs into a tight semi-circle while enjoying coffee, chocolate chip cookies and the almost lost art of gentle conversation. Several city workers, dressed in their neon yellow, came by as did others in their vehicles to wave support for the Mayor.
Mayor Glazebrook made several announcements to the group, the first being that future meetings of the City Council would be held at the Little Theatre so more people could attend and social distancing possible. All attendees to the Council meetings must wear masks as this is the Theatre’s policy. Read More

County Board Rescinds Action Consolidating Precincts

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•August 19, 2020•
By Crystal Reed
NP Reporter

The Moultrie County Board voted to rescind a motion and action from the June 9, 2020 county board meeting which consolidated Sullivan Precincts 1 and 6 into Sullivan 1 and Sullivan 2 and 5 into Sullivan 2, placing them back to their original precincts and polling locations during their meeting last Thursday.
State statutes limit the size of precincts to a maximum 800 voters but there are a number of precincts throughout the state of Illinois that exceed that. “Consolidation would have saved the county several thousands of dollars and its actually costing us some money to put it back as it was,” Dave McCabe said.
The board heard from Derek Righter about the Final FY2019 audit by West and Co. prior to approving the audit. The fund balance increased by about $200,000 said Ryder. “Dispersements and depreciation increased by $840,000 over the previous year because the county highway had a resurfacing project that had $180,000 more this year over the previous year,” he noted “the special bridge had two projects with Dora township and Jonathan Creek township and that increased expenses by $130,000. Also, the general fund was up by $260,000 which is mainly attributable to health insurance, there was an increase in claims. Read More

14 Illinois Counties at Warning Level for Coronavirus Disease

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•August 14, 2020•

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 14 counties in Illinois are considered to be at a warning level for novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). A county enters a warning level when two or more COVID-19 risk indicators that measure the amount of COVID-19 increase.

Fourteen counties are currently reported at a warning level – Bureau, Cass, Clinton, Franklin, Greene, Grundy, Hancock, Jefferson, Kane, LaSalle, Moultrie, Perry, Union, Will.

These counties saw cases or outbreaks associated with weddings, businesses, birthday parties, long-term care facilities and other congregate settings, bars, sports camps, and spread among members of the same household. Public health officials are seeing people in some communities are not wearing masks, or if they are, they are being worn incorrectly. Local health departments are finding it challenging to obtain the information necessary to halt local transmission, by quickly identifying exposures from contacts of cases and businesses. Inconsistent messaging from local elected leaders are contributing to on-going transmission in some communities where there is little public concern for consequences or enforcement of social distancing, banning large gatherings, or quarantine/isolation orders.

Several counties are taking swift action and implementing mitigation measures to help slow spread of the virus. Examples include increasing the availability in testing in their community and working with local businesses to educate and spot check mask wearing and guideline adherence.

IDPH uses numerous indicators when determining if a county is experiencing stable COVID-19 activity, or if there are warning signs of increased COVID-19 risk in the county.

• New cases per 100,000 people. If there are more than 50 new cases per 100,000 people in the county, this triggers a warning.
• Number of deaths. This metric indicates a warning when the weekly number of deaths increases more than 20% for two consecutive weeks.
• Weekly test positivity. This metric indicates a warning when the 7-day test positivity rate rises above 8%.
• ICU availability. If there are fewer than 20% of intensive care units available in the region, this triggers a warning.
• Weekly emergency department visits. This metric indicates a warning when the weekly percent of COVID-19-like-illness emergency department visits increase by more than 20% for two consecutive weeks.
• Weekly hospital admissions. A warning is triggered when the weekly number of hospital admissions for COVID-19-like-illness increases by more than 20% for two consecutive weeks.
• Tests perform. This metric is used to provide context and indicate if more testing is needed in the county.
• Clusters. This metric looks at the percent of COVID-19 cases associated with clusters or outbreaks and is used to understand large increase in cases.

These metrics are intended to be used for local level awareness to help local leaders, businesses, local health departments, and the public make informed decisions about personal and family gatherings, as well as what activities they choose to do. The metrics are updated weekly, from the Sunday-Saturday of the prior week.

A map and information of each county’s status can be found on the IDPH website at https://www.dph.illinois.gov/countymetrics.

27 New Positive COVID-19 Cases in Moultrie County

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20 in a Long Term Care Facility
•August 12, 2020•

The Moultrie County Health Department (MCHD) has confirmed 27 positive cases of the novel coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19). Of this total, 20 individuals are associated with the Sullivan Rehabilitation and Health Care Center (SRHCC), located in Sullivan, Illinois. These individuals who reside in Moultrie County include one staff member and 19 residents of the facility. They range in age from 20-80 years, and five are currently hospitalized.

The other seven individuals are unrelated to the long term care facility and range in age from one to 60 years. All are isolated at home. Public health officials are notifying all close contacts.

To date, 2,470 Moultrie County residents have been tested for COVID-19. Of those tests, 99 have been confirmed positive for COVID-19. Of the community cases, 12 are still in isolation.

The SRHCC has notified all residents, family members, staff and contacts. Per CDC requirements, all residents and staff have completed COVID-19 testing. All individuals who tested positive or were exposed have been isolated and quarantined for safety concerns. The facility continues to closely monitor all residents and staff. Visitation is currently restricted for the continued protection of all residents, friends, family members and staff.

The SHRCC continues to work closely with the Moultrie County Health Department and the Illinois Department of Public Health. Updates to this situation will be provided as they become available.

“On behalf of all involved, we at the Moultrie County Health Department understand that this is very stressful for everyone,” said Moultrie County Health Department Administer Angela Hogan, RN, MSPH. “We ask for your patience, understanding and support for the Sullivan Rehabilitation and Health Care Center and these special members of our community during this difficult time.”

The Moultrie County Health Department is asking all individuals and businesses to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 in our communities by using the three basic Ws:
Watch physical distance and keep six feet from others.
Wear a mask when in public places.
Wash hands routinely.
The CDC recommends that individuals who are experiencing COVID-19-like symptoms stay at home and away from other people until:
At least 10 days have elapsed since symptoms first appeared and
In the last 24 hours the individual has been fever-free without fever-reducing medication and
Symptoms have improved.
People with weakened immune systems may need to self-isolate longer than 10 days.

Information on area testing sites can be found at https://dph.illinois.gov/testing.

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.

The Little Theatre Extends Closure

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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

City Personnel Moving This Month

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•August 5, 2020•
by Crystal Reed

At last week’s Sullivan City Council meeting the council approved the moving of personnel from City Hall to 304 S. Hamilton Street.
The motion that was proposed by Abbey Sherwood was for the mayor to enter into a four month lease with the owner of the property Don Frevert at $1,400 a month. According to Dan Flannell, City Administrator there is an option to renew for two month increments for the total of one year. Read More

Ten Year Old Drowns At Sullivan Beach

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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

Vote By Mail Applications Being Mailed To All Moultrie County Registered Voters

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•July 22, 2020•
A recent law passed by Legislators and signed by the Governor on June 16 states, in part, that an Application for a Vote by Mail Ballot must be mailed to all voters who voted in 2018, 2019, 2020.
Vote by Mail applications to residents will allow more people to exercise their right to vote from the safety of their own homes and help reduce the spread of COVID-19.
Official Vote-By-Mail Applications will be mailed to all registered voters in Moultrie County on July 28, 2020
The Vote by Mail Application has caused quite a bit of confusion. Hopefully, the following Questions and Answers will explain:
Q: Do I have to Vote by Mail?
A: NO. All Moultrie County registered voters will receive an Official Vote by Mail Application. However, it is up the voter to decide if they wish Vote by Mail rather than in-person. If they do not want to apply for a Vote by Mail ballot, they can simply dispose of the Application, and Early Vote in the County Clerk’s office beginning September 24 or go to the Polls on November 3. Read More

Returning to The Classroom

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•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

Moultrie County Adds Three More Positive COVID-19 Cases

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•July 14, 2020•
Moultrie County Health Department (MCHD) has confirmed three more cases of the novel coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19) in Moultrie County. The individuals range in ages from 40’s to 60’s. Two are recovering at home in isolation and one is hospitalized. Public health officials are notifying all close contacts.
To date, 1,357 Moultrie County residents have been tested for COVID-19. Of those tests, 27 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
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.