Okaw Valley 2025 Prom Court
ETML Happenings for May: events galore
•April 23, 2025•
May 1st: Last homeschool meeting. The meeting will be at Wyman Lake at the park at 2:30 p.m., weather permitting.
Story times: Every Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. -May 7th, 14th, 21st, and 28th. The bounce house will be available after the story and craft project.
Every Monday at 9:00 a.m.: Memory Café. This is a social gathering for individuals with dementia and their caregivers. Get helpful information and support from others who also have loved ones who struggle with memory loss.
Every Tuesday at 6:00 p.m., the “Crochet Along” group meets.
Read MoreSBL Races for all Paces June 7
Fundraiser for SBL Dental Clinic
•April 23, 2025•
Spring is here, and that means it’s time to prepare for the Sarah Bush Lincoln Races for all Paces event, which is set for Saturday, June 7th, at Eastern Illinois University.
The multi-race event includes a 5K, 10K, one-mile run/walk, toddler trot, and diaper dash and raises funds for the SBL Dental Program. The program provides preventive and restorative care for children throughout the area. A dental team visits schools to provide preventive care while restorative care is provided in the dental clinic at 225 Richmond Avenue East, Suite B, in Mattoon. Volunteer dentists are key partners in the program, providing restorative care in their clinics for children who need additional or further extensive care.
“Races for all Paces is a great event for community members to have fun and exercise, and it garners a lot of support for the SBL Dental Program,” Tracy Haddock, SBL Healthy Communities director, said. “Many children in the community need quality dental care, and this annual event helps us continue to provide essential dental care.”
Read MoreSHS Students shine in Art/History project
Emotionally impactful exhibit provides a learning experience
•April 23, 2025•
High school students from Patricia King, Lori Kirk, and Lisa Bertetto’s classes recently completed a collaborative project inspired by a Moultrie County History Center workshop held last fall.
The student-created artwork is currently on display at the History Center.
King developed the project after attending a history-to-Go presentation about the Education Liaison’s World War II and Depression Era tub that was conducted by Becky Lawson and Connie Dunscomb. She was inspired to teach her students about the Nazi bombing of the city of Guernica by a photo that she saw in a LIFE magazine that was in the tub, the bombing, part of the Spanish Civil War and carried by the Condor Legion and the Italiana “Aviazione Legionaria,” was done through an agreement between Adolf Hitler and Francisco Franco.
Read MoreElectronics Recycling Event
•April 23, 2025•
The City of Sullivan will hold their annual Electronic Recycling Event on Saturday, June 7th from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the Wyman Park parking lot, south of Wyman Lake.
This event is open to those living within city limits and City of Sullivan utility customers. Bring proof of residency or a recent utility bill to participate, as City police officers will be present to check ID’s. Each household will be limited to a total of ten (10) items weighing 75 pounds or less.
4-H Multi-county Livestock Clinic
•April 23, 2025•
4-H members from Coles, Cumberland, Douglas, and Moultrie counties had the amazing opportunity to attend a Livestock Clinic on Saturday, April 12, at the CCEEBA Livestock Barn. The clinic focused on the four species of livestock shown during Master Showmanship shows: beef, goats, sheep, and swine.
Attendees started their day with an engaging talk on Animal Nutrition by Megan Torrance of Purina Foods. Megan had the members participate in hands-on activities and questions and sent them home with reading materials. Learning about proper nutrition is essential when caring for animals. The members gained a wealth of knowledge thanks to Megan’s expertise.
Read MoreRemembering who we are……………55
Heroes
•April 23, 2025•
by Janet Roney
When the radio said the Columbia Space Shuttle was past due, I knew that Willie McCool, the co-captain of the mission, and all his crew had been lost. In annual Christmas letters from his mother, my college friend, we followed Willie’s career…the Naval Academy, Navy pilot, astronaut, the Columbia.
What drove Willie, the little blonde-haired boy we once knew, to devote his life and risk everything for one hurtling ride into the dangerous unknown? …And what sent those 9/11 firemen up into those burning towers? ...Or what led Lovington’s Buddy to a Silver Star for his Vietnam War bravery? What makes heroes do what they do? Often they respond, “I just did what I had to do!”
Read MoreLake Land College launches new program
Laker Connect program for Dual-Credit students
•April 23, 2025•
Lake Land College is partnering with area high schools to launch Laker Connect, a redesigned and enhanced dual credit program aimed at increasing access to college-level course work for high school students.
With the new Laker Connect Dual Credit program, students can simultaneously earn high school and college credit for free by enrolling in college courses in an academic pathway taught by qualified high school instructors. The program also aligns Lake Land and high school course curricula to create a seamless educational experience between high school and college.
Read MoreAmish horses to break ground at Illinois Amish Heritage Center
Public invited to witness historic visitor center ceremony
•April 23, 2025•
The Illinois Amish Heritage Center is turning tradition into history with a public groundbreaking celebration like no other. On Friday, April 25 at 4:00 p.m., the Center will break ground on its future 10,000-square-foot Visitor and Museum Center - and after the Board taps into to the hard hats and shovels, a team of Amish horses will lead the ceremonial dig using a traditional slip scraper.
“We wanted this moment to reflect who we are - and there’s nothing more powerful or poetic than breaking ground with the same tools and spirit the Amish have used for generations,” said David King, Executive Director of the Illinois Amish Heritage Center. “This is living history in motion.”
Read MoreMid-Illinois Senior Services
More to it than meets the eye
•April 23, 2025•
While most in Moultrie County are aware of some of the events, meals, and activities that Moultrie County Senior Services (MISS) offers, what they provide is far broader than most realize. Through service, ongoing education, and a developed sense of community, MISS is the heart of the Senior Community.
In FY24, MISS Assisted: 333 clients with FREE Senior Information Services providing 1000 units of service (1 hour in our office = 1 unit of service); 78 clients with free Caregiver Advisory Services providing 3763 units of service; 153 clients with Medicare D issues; 96 clients with the Benefit Access Application (gives beneficiary a discount on one vehicle’s license plate sticker/household $10/year); 30 clients with Low Income Subsidy & other Medicare Savings Programs; 320 clients with SHIP Counseling services; 41 clients with Medicaid issues; 17 clients with Medicare Supplement issues; 10 clients with billing issues; 4 clients with FOID card renewals; 20 clients with license plate registration; 8 clients with Property Tax Freeze paperwork;2 clients with Veteran’s Administration issues; 3 clients handicap placard renewal; 5 clients with Fishing License renewal; and 16 clients with phone calls to Social Security Administration.
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