News Progress

•August 13, 2025•

The Illinois Army National Guard’s 634th Brigade Support Battalion Forward Logistics Element returned home on Saturday, Aug. 2, after supporting U.S. Special Operations Command Africa for approximately six months. 

The unit of a little more than a dozen Soldiers was divided into two teams during the deployment, with the majority, led by Maj. Donald Tucker of Mattoon, based in Africa, and the rest, led by 1st Sgt. Colton Love, stationed in Germany. Both teams traveled frequently, providing logistics wherever needed to support U.S. military operations on the African continent. 

•August 13, 2025•

The Illinois Amish Heritage Center will hold their Fall harvest event “Harvest to Home” on October 10 and 11 on their campus. The event features harvest activities from yesteryear.

The Lincoln Way

•August 13, 2025•

by Janet Roney

What route did Tom Lincoln follow through Moultrie County when he brought his family from southern Indiana to Macon County, Illinois in March of 1830? Back in 1915, the state of Illinois, along with Kentucky and Indiana, began collecting information about their possible route. The affidavits collected at that time are valuable sources of information about early trails, but many don’t agree. 

•August 13, 2025•

In alignment with a growing national movement and supported by recent research, Windsor and Martinsville School Districts are implementing phone-free policies for the 2025-2026 school year to enhance student focus and well-being. In partnership with the Regional Office of Education #11, both districts have invested in secure phone storage solutions to ensure compliance while prioritizing a distraction-free learning environment.

2015

Quick action by two young Sullivan teenagers at a neighbor’s house fire Sunday may have saved the day. The Sullivan Fire Department decided to honor that brave effort. “These boys thought quickly,” fireman Dan Baugher said of their reaction to the fire at Jim and Shelia Smith’s house in Country Club Estates. “They saw a situation that was bad and tried to make it better,” Baugher said, noting that the Department appreciated that effort and gave them honorary firefighter T-shirts. Leyton Burcham, 14, and Patrick Owen, 13, noticed the blaze at their neighbor’s and immediately got a ladder, two hoses, and went to work.

The sixth annual ‘Cruisin the Cornfields’ bicycle tour fundraiser, sponsored by SAArts had 48 riders. “The ride went really well this year,” event coordinator Stepheny McMahon said, noting that the weather was perfect and all the roads were clear and smooth.