News Progress

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Pictured above are OV students Hannah Landreth and Garrett Tippit.

•February 10, 2016•

January students of the month At Okaw Valley are sophomore Hannah Landreth, daughter of Justin and Tai Landreth and freshman Garrett Tippit, son of Fred Tippit. Landreth is involved in Drama Club, Art Club, Science Club, FFA and is press secretary of Student Council, treasurer of FCCLA and treasurer of the sophomore class. She is also a member of the Lady Timberwolves basketball team.

Tippit is involved in FFA and is a member of the baseball and bass fishing teams. He is also one of the Timberwolf mascots.

•February 3, 2016•

Tax return and home-buying seasons are just around the corner, but saving enough money to qualify for a mortgage is one of, if not the, biggest barriers to buying a home.

Through the 502 Direct Single Family Housing Loan program, USDA Rural Development helps low income individuals and families purchase a home with 100% financing. As homeownership grows, rural communities across Illinois are strengthened.

Nancy had no idea where she would get the money for a down payment on a home. She and 256 other families around Illinois in FY2015, qualified for and purchased a home with 100% financing – a reality that would not have been possible for them without the Direct Single Family Loan program.

Rural housing loan funds are also available for qualifying families and individuals to build or rehabilitate a modest home in rural areas. Read More

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Dr. Martha Placeres

•February 3, 2016•

The Millikin-Decatur Symphony Orchestra (MDSO) will continue its 2015-16 performance season at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 6 in Kirkland Fine Arts Center.

The performance on Feb. 6 is the first of two guest-conducted concerts featuring one of the finalists for the position of music director and conductor of the MDSO. The guest conductor on Feb. 6 is Dr. Martha Placeres.

The concert will also feature performances from Millikin student soloists Kyle Johnson (piano), a junior vocal music education major from Hanover Park; John Robinson (trombone), a sophomore music performance major from Bloomington; and Abigail Karnes (soprano), a senior vocal performance major from Kearney, Mo. The students were named winners of Millikin’s annual Concerto/Aria Competition in Oct. 2015.

The concert will open with Sibelius’ “Finlandia.” Kyle Johnson will be the featured soloist on Mendelssohn’s “Piano Concerto No. 1,” while John Robinson will perform on Ferdinand David’s “Concertino for Trombone.” Abigail Karnes will be the featured soloist on Weber’s “Kommt ein schlanker Bursch,” Duparc’s “L’Invitation au voyage,” and Gounod’s “Ah! Je veux vivre.” Following an intermission, the MDSO will conclude the concert with a performance of Dvořák’s “Symphony No. 8.”

Dr. Martha Placeres is currently the orchestra director at Washburn University and performs as a violinist in chamber music in Mexico and the United States. Read More

•February 3, 2016•

The American Red Cross and the Sullivan American Legion will sponsor a blood drive at the Legion noon- 6 p.m. March 8. Blood supplies are critically low at this time, and every eligible donor is needed.

This drive will be dedicated and hosted in honor of two wonderful Red Cross volunteers who have recently passed. Nancy Park had been a greeter for the drives at the Legion for many years.

She spent countless hours getting donors signed in and ready to donate.  Read More

•February 3, 2016•

The Moultrie County Farm Bureau has announced that applications are available for the Charles B. Shuman Memorial Scholarship.

The $500 scholarship will be awarded to a resident of Moultrie County who is a graduating high school senior or currently enrolled in a University or Community College.

The successful applicant should be of good moral character and exhibit potential for successful completion of a course of study in agriculture or related fields. In addition to academic performance, extra curricular and community involvement will also be considered in the selection process. Read More