All school track meet
Photo by Jason Van Loon
All school track meet
Sullivan Elementary School kids competed in an all school track meet at Victory Field Thursday after school. Students competed in the softball toss, sprints and long jump, as well as other events. Pictured above is 4th grader Mia Martin. More photos are on our website at www.newsprogress.com
Road across Lake Shelbyville Dam closed due to maintenance
•May 22, 2024•
The road across the main dam at Lake Shelbyville will be closed thru 12:p.m. on Friday, May 24th and again Tuesday, May 28th thru Friday, May 31st. The road should open each day at 5:00 p.m. The road will also be open for holiday weekend traffic. The closures apply to both vehicle and pedestrian traffic; however, access to the Dam West Overlook area will continue to be open during this time. Read More
ALAH Board of Education passes FY24 tentative amended budget
•May 22, 2024•
Changes made to high school handbook
by Ariana R Cherry
The ALAH School Board passed the FY24 Tentative Amended Budget at their most recent board meeting May 15, 2024. “The budget looks about what we thought it would look like,” noted Superintendent, Shannon Cheek. He also noted that the district has been receiving transportation payments earlier than normal. “We might actually receive a fourth payment this fiscal year,” Cheek added.
The fund balances for June 30, 2023 were listed as: Read More
“We’re very blessed” Sullivan City Council hears about developments
•May 22, 2024•
by Sharon Barricklow
More than $54 million in projected development and the potential for more than 100 new residents had Sullivan City Council members smiling at their regular meeting Thursday night.
Commissioner Douglas Shook told the council plans were moving ahead for several new developments including restaurants, small businesses and housing. One $11.5 million project will build 22 new homes throughout Sullivan through a federal program.
“The houses will be built on existing city lots where either the lot is vacant or the property abandoned,” Shook said. “It will help us integrate new housing and new residents into our existing community.”
Along with hoping to attract new residents, development projects in the works include a new day care center and other public facilities. Shook said the new development could add up to $60 million to the city’s tax base. Read More
Dancing Through The Eras
Photo by R.R. Best
Dancing Through The Eras
The Sullivan Dance Studio held their annual spring dance recital at the Mt. Zion High School this past Mother’s Day weekend. Pictured is Rudy Huber and granddaughter Addi Finn of Sullivan in the Daddy Daughter Dance routine.
Loop Lake Shelbyville bike ride
•May 15, 2024•
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Friends of Lake Shelbyville are hosting the Loop Lake Shelbyville bike ride on Saturday, June 8th. All rides will start from the Lake Shelbyville Visitor and will include options for a 30 mile, 48 mile or a 65 mile ride. Proceeds for the ride will benefit the Friends of Lake Shelbyville (FOLS). The FOLS provides education, historical interpretation, recreational and environmental improvements at Lake Shelbyville. Read More
Local students shine in Americanism Essay Contest
•May 15, 2024•
Students from the Arthur Christian School, ALAH High School, Arthur Grade School, Atwood-Hammond Grade School, and Lovington Grade School recently participated in the 2024 Americanism Essay Contest. Sponsored by the Arthur Legion Auxiliary #479, the Atwood Legion Auxiliary #770, and the Lovington Legion Auxiliary #429, the competition aimed to encourage students to reflect on the question “Why Am I Proud to be an American?” Read More
First graders visit Ballard Nature Center 2024
Photo furnished
First graders visit Ballard Nature Center
On May 8, first grade students from Sullivan Elementary School attended a field trip as part of their studies in life science. After several weeks of studying different habitats around the world, 72 students traveled to Ballard Nature Center in Altamont, IL. For many of these students, this was a new kind of experience. They learned about the different types of birds that are native to Illinois and how they interact within their native habitats. This trip was solely possible due to a grant through the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the Illinois Conservation Foundation. This grant is funded by the D.F. and M.T. Grohne Family Foundation and the Daniel F. and Ada T. Rice Foundation. Sullivan Elementary is grateful for this opportunity and for the support their students have been shown. More photos on page 11.
Northern Lights
Photo by Zach Brewer
Northern Lights
Last Friday night, photographer Zach Brewer posed his son Finn and Nephew Oakley Denton with the Northern Lights filling the sky behind them about a mile north of Sullivan.