Category Archives: Top Stories

Remembering George

News Progress Posted on by

Submitted

Submitted

Former students still recall Casleton’s intrigue as teacher

by Christina Whitford
Sullivan Reporter

For many people, the late and former area teacher George Casleton is remembered for his dynamic teaching style, but few people are aware of the chance encounter that actually brought him to our community.

George Casleton was born in 1925 in the southern Illinois town of West Frankfort. He, along with his parents and two siblings, remained a part of this town throughout his adolescent years. While growing up, Casleton enjoyed banging on the drums and continued this passion for nine years as a member of the Ted Paschedag Band and Orchestra. After graduating from West Frankfort High School in 1943, Casleton went on to serve his country by joining the armed forces. Casleton was stationed in Italy during World War II and earned a Bronze Star.  Read More

Seniors Support Community Center Amid Rumors of Cuts

News Progress Posted on by

Photo by RR Best Sondra Daily of Sullivan was just one of many area seniors to attend last Monday’s conversation on aging held at the First United Methodist Church in Sullivan. The meeting gave the public an opportunity to voice their opinions on services and potential cuts before the ECIAAA submits its budget later this year.

Photo by RR Best
Sondra Daily of Sullivan was just one of many area seniors to attend last Monday’s conversation on aging held at the First United Methodist Church in Sullivan. The meeting gave the public an opportunity to voice their opinions on services and potential cuts before the ECIAAA submits its budget later this year.

Still reproach over frozen meals

By Derek Pope
Reporting in Sullivan

Moultrie County senior citizens showed up en masse on January 13 at a meeting held by the East Central Illinois Area Agency on Aging at Sullivan’s First United Methodist Church. A crowd of more than 50 people attended the meeting—most of them there to voice their avid support of Sullivan’s Mid-Illinois Senior Services and Community Center and their disapproval of any measure that might cut funding to it or change its services. The meeting was one of a 16 part series of community forums put on by the state, aimed at collecting public input and opinion across Illinois. The purpose of the meetings, according to the Area Agency on Aging, is to help in their goal of “enhancing the quality of life for older Americans and their families by providing information about and access to a variety of services.”  Read More

Casey’s Suffers Hit and Run

News Progress Posted on by

Photo by Keith Stewart The southwest corner of the Casey’s store front remains damaged after a hit and run incident occurred on December 28. The damage went beyond just the outside facade to include the kitchen and an office inside as well.

Photo by Keith Stewart
The southwest corner of the Casey’s store front remains damaged after a hit and run incident occurred on December 28. The damage went beyond just the outside facade to include the kitchen and an office inside as well.

Incident leaves kitchen and exterior badly damaged

by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com

The Casey’s General Store in Sullivan was the victim of a hit and run December 28, which in turn left the business badly damaged on both the interior and exterior.

Jermel D Barlow, 24, of Decatur was arrested by Sullivan police at 10:35 p.m. shortly after the incident.

According to the crash report, for reasons yet to be determined, Barlow allegedly accelerated, jumping the curb before then colliding with the south side storefront of Casey’s. Barlow then backed out and fled the scene but was stopped a few blocks away by police.

According to Casey’s general manager Samantha Drake, not only did the incident damage the exterior of the building, but it also damaged the kitchen, an office, and a freezer. As a result, the kitchen was closed both the day of the incident and another day for repairs to be made, each causing an inability to make food including pizza. Read More

White Out In Moultrie

News Progress Posted on by

A hawk sits in the middle of Harrison Street in Sullivan feeding on a cold meal Sunday morning.

Photo by Keith Stewart
A hawk sits in the middle of Harrison Street in Sullivan feeding on a cold meal Sunday morning.

First the snow, then the cold

by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com

“It’s for the birds.”

Likely, much of the midwest was saying just this when over the weekend and into Monday a 1-2 punch of winter weather stretched its way across the nation’s middle, dumping upwards of 30 inches according to preliminary snowfall reports Monday.

Here in Moultrie County official totals didn’t exceed eight inches.

The snow started later than at first expected, early Sunday morning, and continued for most of the day. That evening, wind gusts up to 35 mph caused drifts, some reported as tall as six feet, that in turn severely hampered travel and even ushered in the closing of dozens of IL roadways, including a portion of IL 121, 32, and IL 128 here in the county. As such, emergency crews had to wait for assistance from snow plows before being able to make treks into rural areas. Read More

Hundreds of New Laws on the Books in 2014

News Progress Posted on by

Laws from wasting deer meat to hand-held cellphone use

Photo by Keith Stewart Arthur-Lovington High School senior Brittany Rader dials a phone number prior to buckling up and driving. With the new ban on hand-held usage of cellphones beginning this year, drivers will either have to resort to headset devices or voice-controlled applications if they want to continue to use their electronic device.

Photo by Keith Stewart
Arthur-Lovington High School senior Brittany Rader dials a phone number prior to buckling up and driving. With the new ban on hand-held usage of cellphones beginning this year, drivers will either have to resort to headset devices or voice-controlled applications if they want to continue to use their electronic device.

by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogess.com

Its formal name is House Bill 1247 (HB1247), but to many drivers, it’s their next ticket.

Back in May of 2013, both houses approved the total ban on the hand-held usage of “electronic communication devices”–which to you and me means, largely, cellphones. Though the law also excludes hand-held personal digital assistants and portable/mobile computers, most of the attention is on cellphone usage, which now, must be hands free. The only way around the new law is to either not use your cellphone while driving or to do so with it out of your hands and with the help of bluetooth or other wireless headsets or voice controlled apps, such as Apple’s Siri. Read More

Alcohol Sales Underway in Bethany

News Progress Posted on by

Bethany Foods, Casey’s first to receive liquor licenses

Photo by RR Best Pictured from left to right are: Bethany Foods owner Atta Abbed, Bethany mayor Bill Ashley, village trustees Dick Roe and Craig Wigness and former Bethany mayor Barb Meador.

Photo by RR Best
Pictured from left to right are: Bethany Foods owner Atta Abbed, Bethany mayor Bill Ashley, village trustees Dick Roe and Craig Wigness and former Bethany mayor Barb Meador.

by Derek Pope
Bethany Reporter

With nearly a month of liquor sales on the books for most eligible businesses in Bethany, there is no doubt retail establishments have benefited from the repeal of alcohol prohibition in the small town. Local business owner, Atta Abbed, of Bethany foods said that liquor sales “have definitely been a plus” for his business, which has seen an increase in sales in excess of his initial expectations. Bethany Foods, along with Casey’s General Store, was among the first establishments to begin offering sales of alcohol in Bethany on November 6. Read More

The Last Time for Tea

News Progress Posted on by

In final year of teaching, LGS instructor hosts last holiday tradition

Photo by RR Best Lovington Grade School teacher Debbie Long reads a story to her students during her annual Christmas Tea Sunday at her home in Sullivan. Since this year marks Long’s last teaching, so will it for her holiday tradition.

Photo by RR Best
Lovington Grade School teacher Debbie Long reads a story to her students during her annual Christmas Tea Sunday at her home in Sullivan. Since this year marks Long’s last teaching, so will it for her holiday tradition.

by Christina Whitford
Sullivan Reporter

Growing up as a little girl in Decatur, Debbie Long always knew she wanted to dedicate her life to teaching children. With the support of her family, she was able to create a very successful career out of teaching, one that will culminate this year, her 35th.

Long followed her dreams and graduated from Illinois State University in 1978. From there she began her career teaching in Lovington in 1979.

“Ever since I can remember I wanted to teach children,” Long recalled. “I would get all the neighborhood kids and teach them in my school room in my basement. My grandpa even got me a chalk board out of an old one room school house and hung it up for me.” Read More

Tax Increase Approved Monday Night for Sullivan Schools

News Progress Posted on by

Head football coach resignation also accepted

by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com

The Sullivan school district approved their tax levy Monday night, representing a tentative net increase of $342,129 in tax dollars, an 8.78 percent increase over last year’s amount. Because the increase was more than five percent, the district held a truth-in-taxation meeting prior to the regularly scheduled meeting, giving members of the public an opportunity to voice either support for or opposition to the levy. Read More

Feeling the Proration Pinch, Sullivan Schools Max Rates

News Progress Posted on by

9.98 percent increase now, cuts to come later in school year

by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com

The Sullivan school district will vote on a tax increase next week, but not before holding a truth-in-taxation hearing.

At last month’s board meeting, the district preliminarily approved a tax increase resulting in approximately $234,901 of new money. This would result in a 22 cent or less increase per $100 equalized assessed value, or EAV. According to Superintendent Brad Tuttle, this would mean for a home with an EAV of $50,000, there would be an increase of $23.47 on their tax bill for the district’s portion. Read More

State Test Scores Released: Moultrie County Schools Left Wondering

News Progress Posted on by

Tougher standards implemented before instruction can catch up leaves ISAT scores laggingArthurLovingtonSchools

by Derek Pope
Bethany Reporter

At the beginning of November the state of Illinois made the scores of last year’s major standardized tests, the Illinois State Achievement Test (ISAT) and the Prairie State Achievement Test (PSAE), available to the public. The “State Report Cards”, as the Illinois Board of Education calls them, are released yearly, and this year the results are presenting a mixed message for schools all over the state—a problem since administrators and teachers alike rely upon the state report cards to guide instruction.  Read More