•May 11, 2022•
Mental health and substance use issues are common. Nearly 1 in 5 U.S. adults lives with a mental illness according to the National Institute of Mental Health. From 1999 to 2016, 630,000 people died from drug overdose according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Give someone in your community a hand by learning how to recognize and respond when someone might need help with a free Mental Health First Aid workshop offered by University of Illinois Extension and the North Central Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Center. Read More
On Cribbage Scoring and Standing People Up
•May 11, 2022•
By Jim Baumann
NP Guest Writer
If I know my readers, most of you are familiar with pickleball, waltzing, dinner by 5 and ... cribbage.
For those of a generation or two younger, today’s main topic might be foreign to you.
Tough beans. Cribbage is a terrific card game primarily for two players. It’s fast-paced and fun. Try it!
Reader Bev Cherney wrote with a question about cribbage’s lighting-fast self-scoring. Read More
Remember When? 5-11-2022
25 Years Ago This Week
Holocaust survivor Carl Ofisher visited Sullivan High School to tell his story. He was a survivor of the Auschwitz, Sachsenhausen, Liberose, Mauthausen and Kunskirchen concentration camps in Poland, Germany and Austria. His visit was part of a Sullivan Community Education Foundation sponsored workshop.
The northwest corner of the county was selected as the site of Moultrie County Animal Control facility. Read More
Sullivan AMBUCS Donate Amtryke
Photo furnished
Sullivan AMBUCS Donate Amtryke
The Student LIFE Academy in Mattoon received an AMTRYKE (adaptive tricycle) from Sullivan AMBUCS last week. This amtryke was “recycled” from a previous owner. Student LIFE Academy is a program through the Eastern Illinois Area of Special Education (EIASE). Pictured are Lisa Billman (Adaptive PE teacher), Lori Wolc (Early Childhood teacher), Patricia Spence (Vice Principal), and AMBUCS members Gary Hutchings, Bill Carter, Tony Feeler.
Master Gardeners Annual Plant Sale May 14
•May 4, 2022•
by Jenny Lee
Master Gardener/
Master Naturalist Coordinator, University of Illinois Extension Coles County
Master Gardeners are excited to announce their annual spring plant sale at Garden Fest. They will be selling a variety of plants at Lytle Park, Mattoon on Saturday, May 14, 2022, from 9 am-12 pm. Featured will be hanging baskets, vegetable plants for your garden, herbs, and houseplants. Gardening gloves, garden décor, and gently used gardening items will also be offered this year. Visit our Facebook page starting May 9 to see our featured plants. Read More
Moultrie County State’s Attorney’s Office Receives Specialized Grant
•May 4, 2022•
The Moultrie County State’s Attorney’s Office has again been awarded a specialized grant from the Illinois Attorney General’s office to assist victims of violent crime through the criminal justice process. This year’s grant award for 2022-2023 included a modest increase from the last fiscal year. Read More
Okaw Valley High School Prom Court
Photo furnished
Okaw Valley High School Prom Court
Okaw Valley High School will have prom on Saturday, May 7 at the Shelbyville Chautauqua Auditorium. Coronation is at 7:15 pm. The theme is Hollywood Nights. First row: Kylie Stauder, Amelia Landreth, Saskia Breeuwsma and Karlie Stauder. Back row: Cale Roley, Tyson Montgomery, Lathen McLain and Braeden Nichols.
Warm Weather Travel Could Put You in the Path of a Hurricane or Other Severe Weather
•May 4, 2022•
With many families poised for spring and summer travel, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) is helping get travelers ready for hurricane season by highlighting National Hurricane Preparedness Week, May 1-7, 2022.
“Our State Climatologist and Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) have forecasted an increase frequency and intensity of natural disasters like hurricanes,” IEMA Director Alicia Tate-Nadeau said. “So before your big vacation, find time to prepare for any kind of severe weather. It could save your life.”
With hurricane season spanning from June 1 – November 30, there are several practical ways that Illinoisans can better prepare and plan for hurricanes while traveling. Depending on your travel destination(s), the following steps are helpful to consider: Read More
Elizabeth Titus Memorial Library May Calendar of Events
•May 4, 2022•
Tuesdays - Yarn Matters at 6
Wednesdays - Storytime at 10
Fridays - Bouncing and Books from 9:30 - 12
Wednesday, Mary 11 - Family PJ Storytime at 6:30
Thursday, May 19 - DMV from 10-2
Monday, May 30 - Closed
May is Foster Parent Appreciation Month
•May 4, 2022•
May is Foster Parent Appreciation Month, a time to honor and celebrate the thousands of foster families across the state who have opened their hearts and homes to provide a temporary safe haven to vulnerable children and encourage more Illinoisans to join them by becoming licensed foster families.
Children are placed in the temporary care of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) by local courts when it is determined that their families cannot safely care for them. DCFS works with the family to make the positive changes necessary to reunite with their children while foster families step up and provide homes where the children are protected, nurtured and loved. Today, there are just under 21,000 children living in foster care in the state: 8,600 are living with foster families, 11,300 with relatives and 600 in group homes and institutions. Read More