Photo by Keith Stewart
State Senator Chapin Rose (R-Mahomet) speaks with Sullivan mayor Ann Short (center) and Sullivan
Chamber and Economic Development Director Stephanie McMahon (left) just outside the Eagle Creek
Resort Friday, April 25. They along with several other local offi cials toured the perimeter of the facilithy
after holding a public meeting in Findlay discussing the future of the resort.

IDNR reps. say demolition not in their plans

by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com

In a meeting Friday, April 25 in Findlay, local officials along with members of the public and IDNR representatives met to discuss the long-condemned Eagle Creek Resort and its future.

In the face of recent speculation about demolishing and/or handing the resort back to the US Army Corps of Engineers, the meeting didn’t offer up much in the way of specifics but instead hinged on hope that the resort would not only remain just outside Findlay but that it would see the necessary improvements to reopen, in time.

“DNR at this point is focused on reopening the resort,” said Todd Rettig of the department. “What we want to make sure we’re doing when we reopen it is we have a successful pathway forward. We’ve had a number of operators in there that struggled. We don’t want to repeat that. I just want to ensure you that DNR’s focus as we stand here today–we came over here because we’re interested in making sure you understand that we do want to reopen the resort.” Read More

Photo by Keith Stewart
Sullivan school administrators and staff leave the high school Tuesday morning and head north on Main Street in search of a female student who had gone missing around 10 a.m. The student was later found safe by a resident volunteering in the search effort.

Found within two hours by local resident

by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com

A female student at Sullivan Elementary School went missing briefly Tuesday morning before being found on the west end of town.

According to Sullivan police chief John Love, the approximately 10-year old girl was originally seen running out the east doors of the school around 10 a.m. Tuesday. Sullivan PD were then contacted by the school to help in locating the child. Officer Andrew Pistorious was then dispatched. The girl’s father, who lives near the school, was contacted by both Pistorious and Sullivan superintendent Brad Tuttle. Love then notified all city utility workers, providing a description of the girl, in the event they came across a similar child. Read More

Photo by Keith Stewart
Moultrie County Historical Society family researcher Kaye Webb sorts through files at the heritage center in Sullivan.

One man’s genealogical search to find long-lost great-aunt brings surprise discovery

by Jake Dilley
Reporting in Sullivan

Peter Strandberg was in search of his great aunt, Orianna. He had never met her, but now he was in search of her. He had a birth certificate and knew that she had passed away in Sullivan. But that was about it.

Unable to locate an obituary for her, the Scottsdale, Ariz. resident reached out to the newspaper in Sullivan and contacted managing editor Keith Stewart, asking if they could locate Orianna’s record in their archives. To Strandberg’s misfortune, none could be found. But all was not lost yet. He was then directed to Kaye Webb, a local family researcher in Sullivan, who would end up helping Strandberg unearth the ultimate genealogical discovery. Read More

Council also hears update on Sullivan fireworks

by Joash Tiarks
Reporting in Sullivan

The city council Monday moved forward with combining computer networks across the city of Sullivan’s departments.

As a follow up on the discussion and recommendation made by the council at the Feb. 24 meeting, the city is moving forward to have QNS combine the computer networks of the different departments into one that can be monitored, tracked, and protected as a unit.

Previously each department had a network unto themselves, with each computer having access as soon as it was turned on. This not only exposed the city’s digital resources to potential unauthorized access but also made it impossible for the city to keep track of its resources and to monitor unauthorized activity. Moving forward, each employee will have their own personal access passcode, both for their own safety and to track web activity. Network administrators will then be able to solve problems quickly and specifically, as well as impose a web filter and block access to any unnecessary websites by department. Read More

Photo by Keith Stewart
Eagle Creek Resort’s fate is once again up in the air after BMDD Resorts, the vendor who was awarded the bid to renovate the resort in 2010, officially packed up earlier this week and walked away from the project after what they cite as a frustrating relationship with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

Agreement to effectively dissolve March 15

by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com

The vendor that IDNR chose in 2010 to renovate and ultimately reopen Eagle Creek Resort has issued the state agency a notice of termination effective later this week.

The contract that BMDD Resorts and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources entered into in July 2010 will be terminated effective March 15, according to Dennis Ballinger, CEO of BMDD Resorts out of Decatur.

“We’ve tried not to make this a public issue, but finally, it had to,” said Ballinger in a phone interview Tuesday evening. Read More