Category Archives: Top Stories

Hand In Hand Kids Camp Makes For Happy Campers

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Photo furnished
Hand in Hand
The Hand in Hand group enjoys camp. See story on page 1.

•July 5, 2017•

By Ellen Ferrera
for the News Progress

Every child should grow up happy – it should be their unalienable right. Reality, however, is grim and often unfair. Special needs children face daunting challenges and some of these include not being asked to join teams or to sleepovers or to join other activities.

In Sullivan these children have two angels- Christine Grohler and Monica Green who received grant funds 15 years ago to found Hand in Hand Kids Camp for special needs children. Read More

Land of Lincoln Honor Flight Hosts Sullivan Veterans

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Photo by Mike Brothers
Floyd Dugan Sr. displays one of 70 letters he received at Mail Call during his recent Land of Lincoln Honor Flight to Washington, D.C.

•June 28, 2017•

By Mike Brothers

Floyd Dugan Sr. was one among five World War II veterans taking the Land of Lincoln Honor flight out of Springfield last Tuesday morning.

Dugan was joined by family and friends in Springfield where 68 veterans of WWII, Korea and Vietnam were treated to a long day of flying to Washington, D.C. to visit veterans’ memorials and tour the National Air and Space Museum.

Gordon Wood and William Zoetvelt, both Sullivan men who served during the Korean era, were also on the flight.

Each veteran’s trip is free with a guardian traveling with them to make sure all goes smoothly. Dugan was accompanied by son-in-law Wayne Claytor.

Claytor had taken the trip as guardian with his father four years earlier and shared some insight. Read More

Sullivan American Legion Plans Old Fashioned 4th Of July

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Photo furnished
Conner Amusements from Beardstown is joining Sullivan’s Fourth of July celebration sponsored by American Legion Post #68.

•June 21, 2017•

By Ellen Ferrera
for the News Progress

Since July 4, 1919 the veterans of WWI, WWII and subsequent wars have organized and presented Sullivan with a parade, carnival, lunch for parade participants and a spectacular fireworks display – all with volunteers.

Growing up in Bethany, the 4th was always a special day. Mother would pack a groaning basket of sun tea, mouth-watering fried chicken, her special potato salad, baked beans, cherry pie and fruit for a full day at Wyman Park.

There were swimming, a baseball game, horseshoes, maybe a movie, the carnival and my favorite – the fireworks which enchant me to this day.

This year Sullivan American Legion Post #68 would like to bring back that all-day participation where the parade attracted people, the carnival kept them entertained and the fireworks topped off the evening. Read More

Rubbish Fire Spreads Destroying Mast Construction 

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Drone photo by RR Best
The morning after the Mast Construction fire northeast of Sullivan. Fire destroyed building materials, completed prefab walls and three outbuildings at the business owned by Chester Mast Thursday, June 8. See more photos here.

Mutual Aid Helps Save Home

By Mike Brothers

A rubbish fire got out of control at Mast Construction northeast of Sullivan June 8, destroying three buildings plus raw construction materials valued at more than $250,000.

Sullivan Fire Department was dispatched at 7:14 p.m. to the 1560CR 1475E Sullivan location owned by Chester Mast whose business involves constructing prefabricated walls for homes. He stated that a large number of pre-fab walls were stacked outside ready to ship.

Those prepared walls along with multiple bunks of raw lumber stacked around the site created a scene of intense heat and fire by the time firefighters arrived on the scene.

Sullivan Fire Captain Larry Edwards explained that at 7:24 pm when equipment first arrived at the scene, fire had engulfed the first shed and the stacks of pre-fab walls. Read More

Joe Phillips Field Named for Softball Hall of Fame Pitcher

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ASA Hall of Famer Joe Phillips

•June 7, 2017•

By Mike Brothers

Hall of Fame pitcher Joe Phillips of Sullivan spent his career sweating on the south softball diamond at Wyman Park.

At 5:30 p.m. Friday, June 9 the city of Sullivan is honoring those years of sweat and devotion to the game by naming Joe Phillips Field after the fast pitch softball star who was inducted into the ASA Hall of Fame in 1995.

The Sullivan Chiefs fast pitch softball team was inducted into the ASA Hall of Fame in 2015.

Phillip’s son Terry will be at the dedication ceremony June 9 and recalled growing up on softball fields all over the prairie.

“When we weren’t traveling from town to town with the Sullivan chiefs, Dad was either coaching an up and coming softball team or umpiring girls’ softball games,” Terry recalled.  Read More

Greenhill Cemetery on Memorial Day

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•May 31, 2017•

Memorial Day opened in Moultrie County with a parade from the Sullivan courthouse square to Greenhill Cemetery.

Led by the Sullivan American Legion Post 68 Honor Guard the American Legion Auxiliary and  Boy Scouts from the Lincoln Trail Council, a crowd gathered at the Veterans Memorial inside the gate at Greenhill Cemetery.

Members of the Sullivan High School band, led by Brock Feece performed the Star Spangled Banner. Legion commander Bob Sims introduced featured speaker Paul Stone.

Stone referred to Civil War Major Sullivan Ballou’s letter to his wife Sarah before he perished in the first Battle of Bull Run to show the anguish of choice between family and country. Read More

SHS Seniors Enjoy Outdoor Graduation

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Valedictorian Maxwell Todd

•May 24, 2017•

Sullivan high school graduated 67 seniors during an outdoor ceremony held under cloudy skies at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, May 21.

Principal Erik Young presented the class of 2017 to board president Jeff White. Senior class president Morgan Miller opening the program reflecting on her high school experiences.

Maxwell Todd is valedictorian and Grace Mauck class salutatorian.

Maxwell noted in his address that goals are something for which to strive, but graduates have to be realistic.

“It is important to be a realist,” Maxwell said. “Know what you are good at and go from there.”

He went on to reflect on the closeness of growing up in a small town, “Where you know when the sun goes down, there will be fishing in the dark. Read More

Okaw Valley Schools Lunch Buddies Mentor Students

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Photo by Mike Brothers
Last week 36 Lunch Buddies from Okaw Valley elementary school in Bethany and the middle school in Findlay gathered at OVES to celebrate the year of companionships developed during lunchtime mentoring. Students presented their Lunch Buddies certificates following the celebration.

•May 17, 2017•

By Mike Brothers

Okaw Valley District schools realize it takes a village to raise a child, and the villages served get it.

Last week 36 Lunch Buddies gathered at the elementary school in Bethany honoring the adult and student mentors for these young students.

“At Okaw Valley we are a family” Lunch Buddy and Supt. Kent Stauder said. “We strive to help our students succeed in and out of the classroom.”

“What I have discovered is that we get as much from the time with our lunch buddies as we give,” he continued.

How the district got people outside the classroom involved began five years ago with an idea developed by two district staff members and a community member.

Middle and elementary school counselor Paula Coffer explained she, high school counselor Jena Atchison, and parent Vanessa Patient were brainstorming ways to collaborate with the community to help the kids. Read More

Sullivan Honors Students on Awards Night

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Photo by Mike Brothers
At Sullivan High School Awards night Bryce King sits with family and friends. Vocal music director Jeff Thomas announced that King and Tatum Ellis were Vocal Music Award winners.

•May 10, 2017•

Sullivan High School Honors and Awards night was May 3 in the high school commons with more that $40,000 in scholarships awarded, along with a variety of honors for attending students.

Lake Land Community College Foundation scholars: Jonathan Gavin, Devin Warren, Shelby Freeman, Cassandra Freese, Bretton Crouse, Blake Pistorius.

LLC Presidential scholars: Anne Hogan, Shelby Freeman, Colleen Miller, Alexis Elder, Grace Mauck, William Nolen, Cassandra Weber.

Eastern Illinois University Commitment to Excellence award winners: Ashlynd Risley and Parker Whitaker.

Business student of the year: Bretton Crouse. Band student of the year: William Nolen.

Vocal music students of the year: Bryce King and Tatum Ellis.

Read More

Sullivan City Council Welcomes New Member

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•May 3, 2017•

By Ariana Cherry
for the News Progress

A possible new online payment option (Payment Service Network) offer to the residents of Sullivan was discussed at the most recent council meeting. This new online option would have paperless billing and send email notifications to customers when their utility bill is due or late. Treasurer Sarah Golden advised that the city processed 3,000 bills per month. Going paperless would cut back on work for the clerks, and it would automate payments for the customers. In addition to saving paper, this could also save the city money on postage. The city would also be able to accept credit cards with the new payment option. The city would pay any additional credit card fees. Council members discussed this possible option and stated they would research it more before a decision was made to move forward.  Read More