•April 9, 2025•
The 2025 application and affidavit for Senior Citizens Assessment Freeze Homestead Exemption is available at the Moultrie County Assessment Office, Moultrie County Courthouse, 10 South Main Street, 2nd floor Sullivan, Illinois or by calling (217)728-4951 between the hours of 8:30 am to 4:30 pm Monday through Friday, except for legal holidays. The applications are also available on the County’s website at moultriecountyil.gov.
Read More•April 2, 2025•
On May 14, Jenna Slaughter with the East Central Illinois Worknet - Douglas County will be conducting a Career Development Workshop at the Arthur Public Library. The workshop will take place from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. and will benefit individuals who need assistance with career readiness. Some highlights to career readiness include creating a standout resume, effective job search strategies, mastering interview skills, building professional skills, navigating the job market, and personal branding for career success.
This is an opportunity for individuals to grow professionally and make a lasting impression in the workforce. All ages are welcome and asked to attend.
For more information, email Jenna Slaughter at jslaughter@ccrpc.org (Douglas) or hfyke@ccrp.org (Piatt).
Reinvigoration of the “Health IT” initiative
•April 2, 2025•
The Social Security Administration (SSA) announced today a renewed emphasis on expanding opportunities for organizations to join the agency’s Health Information Technology (Health IT) program. Health IT allows SSA to use electronic data exchanges to obtain medical records directly from the provider, resulting in faster disability determinations for people applying for benefits. Faster allowances means putting much needed benefits in the hands of people in critical need. Additionally, expanding Health IT helps save taxpayer money, as each year SSA receives over 3 million new applications for disability benefits and spends over $500 million dollars to collect medical records for applicants. Health care organization partners benefit through cost reduction, streamlined operations, and providing better customer service to their patients.
Read More•April 2, 2025•
The Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) approved its annual five-year Crossing Safety Improvement Program (FY 2026-2030) to implement life-saving safety upgrades at highway-rail crossings across Illinois. Over $400 million from the Grade Crossing Protection Fund (GCPF) and Rebuild Illinois (RBI) will help local communities pay for much-needed improvements at over 900 crossing locations.
“Illinois’ rail system is made up of more than 10,000 public crossings. The ICC’s Crossing Safety Improvement Plan is an essential tool for improving our state’s rail infrastructure and reducing the risk of collisions,” said ICC Commissioner Michael T. Carrigan.
Read More•April 2, 2025•
In observance of safe digging month, the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) is reminding citizens they can reduce utility outages by calling 811. The state’s annual proclamation is a reminder to professional excavators and DIY homeowners alike to call 811 to safely mark utility lines before starting a digging project.
“The warmer weather can inspire us get started on home improvement projects, but underground utility lines can be unintentionally damaged during a digging project. Remember to call 811 before you dig for projects of any size,” said ICC Chairman Doug Scott.
Read More•April 2, 2025•
Everyone knows there’s no cure for the common cold. Though colds can strike at any time, cold season tends to occur when the weather cools down and people spend more time indoors. Inside viruses can circulate and spread more easily, thus leading to elevated rates of infection.
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•April 2, 2025•
Combining brain power and teamwork, the Sullivan High School Scholastic Bowl Team’s competitive season comes to a successful end. Scholastic Bowl is a fast-paced, quiz-based competition where teams of five students from different schools compete by answering trivia questions on a variety of academic subjects. The team that correctly answers a toss-up gets control of the bonus set. There are 24 toss-ups in each match, and each bonus set has three questions. All correct answers are worth 10 points.
In conference matches, the Varsity’s record was 11-1, and the JV’s record was 7-3. The Varsity team placed at every tournament, earning third place at the Turnabout Tournament and the Illinois Masonic Academic Bowl. They had a second-place finish in the Lincoln Prairie Conference, losing to Cumberland. During the Regional Championship against Marshall, Sullivan was down by 110 points at the half, but made a comeback to win Regionals with a final score of 380-330. At Sectionals, they won against Dieterich and Cisne but lost to Cumberland.
Read More•April 2, 2025•
Peace Meal helps boost the nutritional health of older adults by providing healthy pre-cooked meals, conducting nutrition assessments and education, and sharing food safety instructions.
March 31: Sloppy Joe’s and buns, German potato salad, corn, fruit.
April 3: Orange chicken over rice, broccoli, Midori vegetables, pineapple.
April 4: Salmon burger and bun, macaroni salad w/vegetables, baked beans, cherry crisp.
Read More•April 2, 2025•
Sports card and memorabilia dealers and collectors will be at the Decatur Civic Center, 1 Gary Anderson Plaza, Decatur. on April 12 from 9am-3pm for the second annual “Play ball! Sports card and memorabilia show.” History of the Heartland is sponsoring the event. Admission is free.
by Cheri Burcham
Extension Educator
U of I Extension
Several of our family life educators including Emily Harmon have become certified in teaching Tai chi and have been offering classes. Emily has written this article to explain the benefits. She says: “Tai chi is the practice of slow, gentle movements while having a meditative state of mind and mindful breathing. This form of exercise has been found to be a safe exercise because of the slow, gentle movements. Tai chi was originally founded in China, but you can see it being done worldwide today.”
I’m sure I am like many of you who have seen tai chi being done by others, or maybe you have even done it yourself. It was honestly something I was never interested in for one reason or another. Last summer, a group of Extension Educators were trained in Tai Chi for Arthritis and Fall Prevention. This was completely out of my comfort zone but something I wanted to push myself to do. Going through the training, I learned that this isn’t a high-intensity exercise, like doing a set of high jumps. Just like the definition of tai chi says, it is a very mindful exercise that incorporates your whole mind, body, and soul.
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