News Progress

25 Years Ago This Week

Ice? We don’t need ice. Sullivan hockey players Scott England, John Pruitt, Michael Rogers, Jake Shasteen and Tyler Burich strapped on their inline skates and let the games begin at Wyman Park. Mid-February temperatures were in the 50s as March approaches.
Nancy Schaljo, Judy Marrs, Bob Hagen, Gordie Wood and Rita Florey have volunteered to man the phone bank during the Easter Seals fund drive on WAND-TV.
The Sullivan Redskins held Monticello to eight points in the third quarter but couldn’t hold on as the Sages rallied for a 79-66 win. Zach Hilliard scored 19 points and Jake Moore added 18 for the Sages. Travis Florey led the Redskins with 19 points, Kenny Webb and Kevin Towle scored 12 points and Greg Yoder pitched in with ten points.
Lovington scored 34 first half points in their cruise to a 56-37 win over Villa Grove. Josh Born scored 21 points, Jim Minor added 11 points, Ed Sanner scored nine and Kevin McGregor added seven points. Read More

•February 26, 2020•
By Jerry Ginther
NP Guest Columnist

Gone are the days of party lines and wall phones with the hand crank on the side. Few of us can remember the days when a party line may consist of half a dozen or more persons sharing a phone line, especially in rural areas.
If you have never experienced this situation you’ve missed out on a great deal of frustration and contempt that comes with the sharing.
The contempt we shared was for the lack of privacy and access to the phone line when we needed it. Clearing the line for an important call was sometimes difficult. Whoever was on the line was on first and often refused to give it up right away. After they hung up, they would listen in to see if your call measured up to their definition of “important.”
If you had the old wall phone, once you cleared the line you hung up your receiver and gave the crank several swift turns, lifted the receiver and waited for the operator to answer. You hoped sooner or later she would, so you waited patiently. She would answer with, “operator” or “central.” You gave the phone number you wanted to call and waited some more. You didn’t leave anything on the stove, because you knew you would be tied to the phone for quite awhile, not talking, but waiting. Read More

Photo furnished

•February 19, 2020•
Twenty-one students from Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond High School attended the Illinois Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) Section 7 Leadership Conference on February 11, 2020 in Tuscola, Illinois. FCCLA members from eight area schools made up the nearly 125 participants in the day-long event. The theme for the meeting was “Leadership through the Years.” Members in attendance from ALAH High School were: Katelyn Ahrendt, Alexis Barnes, Kaci Beachy, Kassidy Bissey, Adriana Burton, Hunter Carson, Kirsten Corum, Madi Crafton, Josie Hale, Shalonda Hettinger, Andalyn Hodge, Layna Kapp, Ryli Kauffman, Hailey Miller, Mackenzie Parrish, Jordan Quertermous, Erin Schrock, Kaylee Schrock, Brook Tucker, Mikayla Williams, Kaitlyn Zander and Mrs. Voegel, adviser. Read More

•February 19, 2020•
By Jerry Nowicki
Capitol News Illinois

The Illinois State Police director said this week that his department has stepped up illegal firearm ownership enforcement methods, but it needs greater resources to continue the job — including fingerprints of Firearm Owner Identification Card applicants.
During a news conference Thursday, ISP Director Brendan Kelly gave an update about enforcement efforts and announced support for Senate Bill 1966, a measure that would increase FOID card fees and mandate fingerprinting of applicants.
The House passed the bill in May, but a Senate measure to agree with that final language stalled before a vote. It remains in the Senate assignments committee but could be taken up this legislative session.
Under the bill, sponsored in the House by Rep. Kathleen Willis, D-Addison, new applications for FOID cards and renewals — which would be required every five years — would cost $20, up from the current cost of $10. The fees would fund law enforcement revocation efforts for those not legally allowed to own FOID cards or guns. Read More

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