Category Archives: Top Stories

A Twist of Fun Followed by the Sound of Laughter

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Photo By Mike Brothers Deb Joy Hart brought the WorldLaughterTour to Mason Point as part of National Nursing Home Week activities.

Photo By Mike Brothers
Deb Joy Hart brought the WorldLaughterTour to Mason Point as part of National Nursing Home Week activities.

•May 18, 2016•

National Nursing Home Week brought a variety of activities to area facilities May 8-14. The sounds of laughter arrived when Mason Point residents in Sullivan met Deborah Joy Hart.

Hart, a laughter therapist, is part of the WorldLaughterTour and stopped by Mason Point May 10 for…you guessed it…a few laughs.

“Laughter has psychological and physiological benefits for the body, mind and spirit.” Hart of St. Joseph, Ill. has spread laughter therapy all over the world.

“I was the class clown in school, and while I was a nurse I saw the positive effect humor had in healing and health,” she said of her start in applied and therapeutic humor. Read More

ALAH District Board Reviews School Lunch Programs

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•May 18, 2016•

By Ariana Cherry
For the News Progress

Last school year after experiencing rising costs in services with Aramark, Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond questioned the possibilities of finding alternatives. The new 2016-2017 contract with a 2.6% increase (due to cost of living) was brought to the table at the last ALAH board meeting.

“With new regulations and menus that have come about in the last few years, it would be a huge undertaking to find other companies,” commented superintendent Kenny Schwengel .

“High school lunch numbers have gotten bigger since there is an open menu. More kids eat here,” noted principal Buck Condill.

“The menu has changed drastically since last year,” said Lindsay Blickenstaff, Atwood-Hammond elementary principal. “Some complaints I have heard are portion size—some students may not be getting enough to eat. Although our breakfast numbers are large, there are a lot of people who eat breakfast,” she added.

At Lovington Elementary School, the story was a little different. “Our lunch numbers are down,” informed principal Brandon Stone. “The main complaint heard in Lovington is the variety. Variety is lacking. Even the students who receive free and reduced lunches are bringing their own lunch. That is rare,” he said.

Sage Hale, principal of Arthur Elementary School reported little change in numbers served. After some discussion among the administrators and school board, the 2016-2017 contract was approved unanimously. Read More

Holocaust Survivor Shares His Story

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Photo courtesy Jessica Voyles Sullivan High School English teacher Rebecca Lawson left introduces Holocaust survivor Jerry Koenig, who gave his account of Poland under the Nazis during World War II.

Photo courtesy Jessica Voyles
Sullivan High School English teacher Rebecca Lawson left introduces Holocaust survivor Jerry Koenig, who gave his account of Poland under the Nazis during World War II.

•May 11, 2016•

Eleven people hidden in a hole under a barn in Poland lived in fear of death for 22 months during World War II.

Jerry Koenig, Holocaust survivor of that ordeal, told Sullivan students what life of a persecuted group was like under the Nazi reign of terror. Only 10 percent of the Jewish population in Poland survived the Holocaust.

Sunday, May 1 was Yom Hashoah (Day of Remembrance of the Holocaust), making Koenig’s presence historically significant for those gathered in the Sullivan High School gymnasium.

“After Germany took over Poland in 1939, they forced Jewish people to wear a white arm band with the Star of David,” Koenig, who was nine years old then, recalled. “Then they started rationing food to give the army first priority.”

Koenig and his middle class family lived in Pruszkow but were soon trucked to Warsaw ghettos where the Nazis were starting the starvation process to exterminate the Jews.

“There were 300,000 people crammed into a walled neighborhood and survival depended on how much food we could buy from the black market,” Koenig, said, recalling his father arranged an escape to the country for his mother, younger brother and himself. Read More

Talent Management Pipeline Program Fills Skill Gap

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Photo furnished Culvert Replacement Sullivan Township Road Commissioner Elmo Weaver explained Moultrie County Road 1100N, south and east of Kirksville will need to be closed a couple days when weather permits. Then this drainage improving 50 foot long, six foot tall culvert can be installed. Above Township operator Rich Rutledge puts pressure on end loader tires as he unloads the five ton culvert, which was trucked from Kirksville, Missouri to Kirksville, IL.

Photo furnished
Culvert Replacement
Sullivan Township Road Commissioner Elmo Weaver explained Moultrie County Road 1100N, south and east of Kirksville will need to be closed a couple days when weather permits. Then this drainage improving 50 foot long, six foot tall culvert can be installed. Above Township operator Rich Rutledge puts pressure on end loader tires as he unloads the five ton culvert, which was trucked from Kirksville, Missouri to Kirksville, IL.

•May 11, 2016•

By Ariana Cherry
For the News Progress

Those attending the No Job Left Behind May 3 session at Yoder’s Kitchen in Arthur learned the value of the Talent Management Pipeline.

Guest speakers Vicky Haugen, Executive Director and Kim Kuchenbrod, Workforce Development of Vermillion Advantage presented the Talent Management Pipeline Program.

Several businesses were in attendance: Hydro-Gear, Agri-Fab, GSI, IHI Turbo, Moultrie County Counseling Center, MasterBrand Cabinets, U of I Extension, several school officials and business teachers, Arthur Tourism and the City of Arcola.

The Talent Management Pipeline Program was put into movement in 2014 to help an American economy  facing threats with a skill gap that is hindering growth and competitiveness of companies. A growing number of students are finding trouble managing their transition to employment and business. In a troubling economy, there are businesses who are in need of new workers with fresh talent. Read More

Street Closings Accompany Square Improvements

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Photo by Mike Brothers New curbs, gutters and ADA approved sidewalks in Sullivan are nearing completion by Walker Construction of Mattoon. Work has begun milling pavement around the square with motorists dealing with street closings and detours for awhile.

Photo by Mike Brothers
New curbs, gutters and ADA approved sidewalks in Sullivan are nearing completion by Walker Construction of Mattoon. Work has begun milling pavement around the square with motorists dealing with street closings and detours for awhile.

Time and Patience Required

•May 4, 2016•

By Mike Brothers

The good news is the streets and sidewalks around the Sullivan square will look great when finished.

And the bad news has already hit some of the businesses around the square.

Starting Wednesday, May 4 the north and west sides of the square are closed.

On Thursday, May 5 the east and south sides of the square are being closed for more extensive construction.

As the city’s complete resurfacing project continues, side street closings started May 3 and extend through Thursday, May 5.  Read More

ALAH Funds Technology with Outside Resources

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•May 4, 2016•

By Ariana Cherry
For the News Progress

No state funds force the Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond School District, teachers and other staff to look for other ways to pay for the tools they need to continue to educate students as well as cope with the rising costs of technological needs.

With the advancements in technology and learning, schools’ funding needs are more pressing. While ALAH is in good shape from a network point of view in the technology department, there are still several items the district needs to continue to grow.

“Over the last two school years Quality Network Solutions of Sullivan has done a great job of renovating the wired and wireless infrastructure in all four of our district’s buildings,” technology coordinator Jeremy Rodebaugh told the board. “This work has been done in large part due to a $119,698.34 federal grant we received this school year. This hard work has left our district in very good shape from a network standpoint for the foreseeable future,”  he added. He did state that the wiring in the high school and a server at Atwood-Hammond are in need of updating, which could cost approximately $15,000 for both projects.

Rodebaugh said, while it isn’t urgent, the district will need to look to grants and other outside funding in order to make those projects happen. Without funding from the state though, providing adequate bandwidth will be an issue for all of the schools within the district. Read More

Reaching Out is Part of a Full Life

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Photo furnished Bowers getting “Roasted” at April 2 retirement party.

Photo furnished
Bowers getting “Roasted” at April 2 retirement party.

David Bowers Keeps Going

•April 27, 2016•

By Mike Brothers

David Bowers has spent the better part of his life in Lovington reaching out to touch someone.

Even though he retired from family owned Moultrie Independent Telephone Company at the end of March he isn’t going to stop being involved.

“When you live a full life, life is fulfilling,” Bowers said, noting his retirement as vice president and plant supervisor gives him time to concentrate on other community needs.

Shawnee Communications purchased the family phone company, which is going through a fifth plant rebuild as fiber optic cable delivery comes to Lovington customers, who started receiving telephone service from wires strung along fence posts 71 years ago.

‘I remember when I was five years old sitting on the operator’s lap while I plugged a call into the switchboard,” he recalled, noting he and his brothers worked at the phone company part time while growing up in Lovington.

“We had some wonderful and inspiring teachers in Lovington,” he said explaining his career path was guided by those educators but didn’t exactly go as he planned.

“What I really wanted to be was a teacher and football coach,” Bowers recalled attending North Central College in Naperville for his bachelor’s degree. Read More

Kiwanis Bedding Collection Saturday

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At Jackson/Hamilton Intersection 

•April 27, 2016•

The Sullivan Kiwanis Club bedding collection drive is at the corner of Jackson and Hamilton streets 10 a.m-noon Saturday, April 30.

Located at the northeast corner lot, Kiwanians will be on hand to accept new and slightly used bedding for donation to those in Sullivan with a need.

“There is help for struggling families with food and other essentials,” Sullivan Kiwanis treasurer Marci Thompson said. “More people than we realize simply can’t afford bedding.”

She explained this is a part of the Kiwanis mission serving the children of the world.  Read More

Finding Greenhill Cemetery Spaces

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Monte Greenhill Cem

Photo by Mike Brothers Using Sullivan’s existing Geographic Information Service (GIS) City Clerk Monte Johnson created a computer application for locating sites at Greenhill Cemetery.

•April 20, 2016•

By Mike Brothers

The city of Sullivan has been able to use existing Geographic Information Services to help find spaces in Greenhill Cemetery.

GIS coordinator and city clerk Monte Johnson has spent the past three years building a user friendly application to find spaces in the city-owned cemetery without leaving your home computer.

After getting on the city of Sullivan website, in the center of the page is a cemetery photo with the Greenhill Cemetery Viewing Application—click there.

Once you are on the Greenhill page you may search for the desired burial plots by name of the person or by the section and space number if a person has a deed. The application will then direct you to the location within the cemetery.

Johnson noted if a person has accurate GIS on their cell phone or tablet the GIS locator will take them within a few feet of the cemetery space.

This user friendly system didn’t appear overnight, and the process of getting every space in the cemetery into a mapping application has slowed in the older sections where little accurate information is available. Read More

Moultrie County Board Green Lights Early Liquor Sales

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•April 20, 2016•

Moultrie County Board members gave the green light to 6 a.m. liquor sales and granted land use changes for portable building manufacturing at the April 14 meeting.

Liquor commission chair David McCabe presented the 6 a.m. liquor sales proposal effective with the next license renewals, which was approved unanimously.

The combined Class J liquor license fee was limited to $1000 maximum; previously individual $750 fees were charged to same locations containing two liquor licenses.

Special event licenses were approved for “T-1” for wine for Vine LLC and Tuscan Hills Winery. The Hob Nob Back Forty Market at the Great Pumpkin Patch is the special event location May 20 and 21. All motions were approved.

Planning and zoning chair Todd Maxedon presented a variety of requests: Special mobile home use permit for Jason Stroud and variance to build 10 feet from west property line was granted.

Glen Chupp’s request to C-1 from A-1 for a bulk foods shop and portable building manufacturing location, and build variances were granted.

Wilmer Herschberger was granted to rezone to C-1 from A-1 for manufacturing portable buildings. Read More