•September 12, 2018•

By Mike Brothers

A school resource officer could be on full time duty in Sullivan schools as early as Thursday, Sept. 20.
Supt. Ted Walk presented Sullivan Community Unit #300 school board members with an inter-governmental agreement with the city of Sullivan that will allow a full time Sullivan police officer on duty inside Sullivan schools 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. every school day.
“We have been discussing ways to increase safety for our students,” Supt. Walk said, noting staff discussions concerning the best approach led to requesting the school resource officer. Read More

Photo by Mike Brothers
U.S. 15th Congressional District Democrat candidate Kevin Gaither attended a Bethany Town Hall meeting at Marrowbone Library, August 23. Some of those visiting were Moultrie County Democrat Central Committee Chair Stuart Wade, Treasurer candidate Diane Waggoner, Connie Dunscomb, 15th District candidate Gaither, Circuit Clerk Beth Pruitt, Margi Gaither and Jim Gaither.

•August 29, 2018•

By Mike Brothers

Kevin Gaither, Democrat candidate for the 15th U.S. Congressional District, hasn’t got much money, but he does have a vision for the future.
Gaither, a Sullivan High School graduate, shared that vision at a town hall meeting held in Bethany at the Marrowbone Library on August 23.
In a campaign echoing predecessor Glenn Poshard, Gaither won the primary nomination accepting personal donations, without the benefit of party, political action committee or lobbyist funds.
Last week during Democrat Day at the Illinois State Fair U.S.Senator Dick Durbin recognized Gaither and his struggle to win the 15th district. “It was a thrill to have our campaign recognized by Senator Durbin in his opening remarks,” Gaither remarked, noting party recognition was gratifying. Read More

Photo by Mike Brothers
Governor Visits Sullivan Marina
Governor Bruce Rauner attended the Moultrie County Republican party Votes, Boats and Grub candidate gathering at the NorthEnd Pub, August 13. Among candidates attending were: front from left- State’s Attorney candidate Tracy Weaver, Circuit Clerk candidate Christa Helmuth, County board candidate Arlene Aschermann, Regional Supt. of Schools candidate Kyle Thompson, County board candidate Todd Maxedon; second row: County Chairman Dave McCabe, Circuit judge candidates Randy Rosenbaum and Roger Webber, County Treasurer candidate Stephanie Helmuth, Governor Bruce Rauner, County board candidate Tyler Graven, County board candidate Billy Voyles; back row: County board candidate Neil Bryan, State Rep. Brad Holbrook, Resident Circuit judge candidate Jeremy Richey and Sheriff Chris Sims.

•August 15, 2018•

Governor Bruce Rauner visited the Moultrie County Republican Central Committee candidate’s gathering at NorthEnd Pub and Grill at Sullivan Marina Monday, August 13.
Gov. Rauner pointed out that Central Committee Chair Dave McCabe and the Moultrie County Republican party are a passionate organization dedicated to party values and giving back to the community.
Before a crowd of 75 the governor emphasized his campaign pledge to work for term limits and replace Michael Madigan as leader of the State House of Representatives.
Gov. Rauner illustrated his commitment to helping pick up the nine seats needed to gain control in the state house. He is donating $50 million of his own money to the party to help elect Republicans statewide such as Attorney General candidate Erika Harold.
Citing a growing state immigration problem, he endorsed E-Verify, the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) website that allows businesses to determine the eligibility of their employees, both U.S. or foreign citizens, to work in the United States.
The governor indicated his resistance to raising income taxes and emphasized his support for the second amendment.
He urged Moultrie County to get the vote out. “This election is for all the marbles,” he said, explaining he needed to spend the next 90 days in Chicago suburbs where he contends for six million votes.

Photo courtesy Roberta Porter Brennan
The Amish Heritage Center’s Threshing event west of Chesterville is August 3-4. Above Glendon Herschberger shocks oats for drying prior to threshing.

•July 25, 2018•

The second annual Steam Threshing Show will be held August 3-4 at the new Illinois Amish Heritage Center three miles east of Arthur. Times will be 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. on Friday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday.
The 2018 show will be centered around harvesting and threshing oats rather than wheat. The oats will be cut and bound into sheaves by a horse-drawn mechanical binder two weeks before the event after which the sheaves will be stacked into shocks for drying in the field. On the day of the event, they will be loaded onto horse-drawn wagons and transported to the threshing machine which will separate the grain from the chaff and straw. The grain will be directed to a bin, and the straw will form a hay stack that will continually grow with each new round of threshing.
The threshing process will be done using antique farming equipment including a 1924 steam tractor and threshing machine made by the Keck-Gonnerman Company of Mt. Vernon, Indiana. Other antique and vintage agricultural equipment will also be on display, including a 1954 Massey Harris model 44 tractor owned by Sam Miller, a 1931 John Deere D owned by George Kauffman, and many other antique tractors. Farm equipment demonstrations will feature a John Deere stationary hay baler, old engines and steam engines, a grist mill, field demonstrations of plowing and disking, with Belgian horses and the old methods of threshing grain by hand with flails and a fanning mill. Blacksmithing will also be demonstrated as well as goat milking and butter churning. All demonstrations will be “learn abouts” as they will be accompanied by explanations of the processes. Read More

•July 11, 2018•

By Ellen Ferrera
for the News Progress

Summertime and America’s thoughts turn fondly to baseball. And there is no finer baseball musical than the sizzling production of “Damn Yankees” currently at The Little Theatre on the Square in Sullivan. Based on the old Faustian legend of a man selling his soul to the Devil, “Damn Yankees” opened in 1955 and made overnight stars of choreographer Bob Fosse and his future wife Gwen Verdon. It swept all the major Tony awards in 1956 and ran for nearly 2,000 performances.
It was revived in 1994, and this production is based on that 1994 shorter version.
It’s Washington in the 1950s, and Joe Boyd (Dick Borders) is sick and tired of his beloved Washington Senators getting beaten by those “damn Yankees”. If only the Senators had a young, strong, long ball hitter, they could tromp those Yankees.
Presto! The Devil appears in the guise of Mr. Applegate (Drew Stark) and offers Joe the chance to become “Joe Hardy”, the young, 22-year-old slugger the Senators need. The catch is Joe must give up his beloved wife Meg (Ann Borders). Joe accepts but the real estate agent in him makes him insist on an escape clause.
The Senators’ last game is Sept. 25, and if he plays in it, he must remain Joe Hardy forever. If not, he has until 9 the night before to walk away and resume his former life. Read More