St. Columcille Confirmation

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St. Columcille Confirmation
2019 Confirmation and First Communion with Most Reverend Bishop John Paprocki for Immaculate Conception, Mattoon, and St. Columcille, Sullivan, at Immaculate Conception Church on Sunday, October 13, 2019.
Front Row: Addison Montgomery, Logan Gowin, Morgan Moses, Colin Beals, Ellison Lynch, Finnegan Reardon, Belle Powers, Leonardo Carrillo, Lilly Schuler, Levi Risley, Emma Drake, Abel Gonzalez, Valerie Rodriguez, Liam Strader
Middle Row: Liam Donovan, Zaiden Kaufman, Griffin Walk, Simon Parri, Owen Burton, Ethan Rankin, Cian Lynch, Josie Auer, Aaron Blanchette, Jeremy Cunnings, Amaka Cunnings,
Back Row: Treyeson Scott, Emerson Risley, Audrey Dodge, Ella Bahney, Reese Dodge, Fr. John, Bishop Paprocki, Father Adam Pritchard, Deacon Gene Uptmor, Capone Matthews, Isabel Donovan, Kylie Voyles, Trent Hettinger

Chocolate Fund Raiser Boosts County Food Pantry Giving

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Members of Sullivan Rotary Club Derek Righter and Rudy Huber helped prepare Thanksgiving baskets for the Moultrie County Food Pantry last week.

•November 27, 2019•
Flesor’s Candy Kitchen fund raiser for the Moultrie County Food Pantry at Cathrine’s Gallery Saturday was big!
“The crowd was great on Saturday,” CEFS Outreach Coordinator Mariah White-Landrus said. “We’ve had people coming in all morning to pick up Thanksgiving boxes.”
From 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Saturday in Sullivan more than a hundred of Flesor’s signature Holiday baskets were sold, along with a variety of gift boxes making the single day fund raiser the largest since its beginning.
Saturday winners of a one pound box of candy and a $15 gift certificate from Flesor’s were: Karen Dwyer, Lori Shasteen, and Lois Shuman.
The Food Pantry receive a record delivery of more than 130 turkeys from Sullivan IGA Monday.
Volunteers from the Sullivan Rotary helped prepare Thanksgiving boxes last week. Sparrows of Lovington donated fruit baskets toward Thanksgiving dinner following their Fruit basket Thanksgiving community delivery. Read More

Nutrient Rich Farming Practices Promote Progress

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Photo by R.R. Best
Becca Dickens, she was showing us the paw paw plants they are attempting to grow

Farmers Market Response Inspired Expansion

•November 27, 2019•

O. Mac Donald
for The News Progress

Regenerative Life Farm started as a hobby for Becca Dickens and Jarrod Yantis of Findlay.
The popularity of their nutrient rich vegetables at Sullivan Farmers Market this season gave the Findlay couple inspiration to expand the operation.
“Regenerative gardening starts with the soil,” Dickens said of the natural growing process used.
That includes cover crops during the winter to reduce soil erosion and practicing chemical free production. Read More

Sullivan Moves Closer to New Metering Systems

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Street Dept. Gets Bucket Truck

•November 27, 2019•
By Mike Brothers

Sullivan City Council approved the purchase of $273,500 in ultrasonic water meters from Mueller Systems at the Nov. 12 meeting.
In Public Health and Safety commissioner Chuck Woodworth’s recommendation for bid waiving he explained the Mueller meters provided functions required for the Nextgrid meter conversion of the city’s utility metering systems. The bid was approved unanimously.
Competitive bids for a Small Wheel Loader for the department were opened with Commissioner Woodworth reserving a vote until a review of the bids which ranged from $59,650 to $99,700.
Street and Public Improvements commissioner Peggy Hargis proposed purchasing a 2009 bucket truck with a winch which could be used for the street dept. as well as the Parks Dept. and Public Health and Safety. Read More

Sullivan Show Choirs Preview For Food

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•November 27, 2019•

Sullivan Show Choirs preview night is coming at 6:00 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 18.
It is held in conjunction with a community food drive for the Moultrie County Food Pantry.
Two nonperishable food items are the price of admission.
For that you receive season preview performances by Sullivan’s show choirs at Sullivan High School.
Proceeds benefit the Sullivan Food Bank.
The Show Choir Preview/Community Food Drive is hosted by the Sullivan Singers Booster Club and Sullivan CUSD #300.

Coach Ruscin’s Long History With Lions Turkey Bingo

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Photo by Ellen Ferrera
John and Anna Ruscin started seeing each other when John started helping with Turkey Bingo.

And the Beginning of Life with Anna

•November 20, 2019•

By Ellen Ferrera
for the News Progress

John Ruscin has probably never undertaken any assignment for the short haul. He was a teacher/coach at Sullivan Elementary School for 37 years, then an IGA employee for 19 years and on November 8 he announced that he would be retiring after 68 years of volunteer service to the Lion Club’s Turkey Bingo.
“I came to Sullivan as a geography teacher and coach in 1951,” John recalled. ”Then Principal, Russell Ashbrook, actively recruited every male teacher to membership in the Lion’s Club. I have been there ever since.”
“I’ve been told that the turkeys were tossed off the roof of the Court House and the participants had to chase down their turkey,” He said it was an early story of how Thanksgiving Turkeys were distributed. Turkeys can fly can’t they?
“This practice was discontinued due to complaints about cruelty to the turkeys,” he continued.
Turkey Bingo was first held at Shasteen Motors, then moved to the Armory and finally to the American Legion Hall, John said, emphasizing more than 300 people have participated in the annual fundraiser each of the past two years.
The Lion’s Club helps those with vision issues and supports community programs including school scholarships. Read More

Titus-Sentel Sale: Big Crowd; Bigger Money

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•November 20, 2019•
By Mike Brothers

The crowd packed into the Sullivan American Legion Friday, Nov. 15 saw the Winifred Titus Sentel Trust farms sell for $10,971,883.
Busey Farm Brokerage managed the sale of seven tracts totaling 928.1 acres of land north of Sullivan city limits.
The city of Sullivan did not bid on any of the tracts of farm land, although the city council did purchase the Titus Home located at the south end of Wyman Park earlier.
“An unbelievable crowd attended the sale,” Mayor Richard Glazebrook said of the event which drew some 150 people. “This is a tremendous blessing for the city of Sullivan. Winifred Titus Sentel demonstrated extraordinary vision when she made her decision in 1960.” Read More

Saturday Crash Claims Sullivan Couple’s Lives

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•November 20, 2019•
Longtime Sullivan residents Bill and Jackie Protz were traveling home with granddaughter Jenna and her best friend Holly after watching the Vandalia football team in the state playoffs when tragedy struck.
According to the Illinois State Police District 18 report at 6:21 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 16 Jackolyn C. Protz, 72, of Sullivan was driving a 2010 Toyota Sienna east on Hwy. 185 near Coffeen when a 2016 Ford F-150 driven by a 17 year old male of Harvel crossed into Protz’s lane hitting the Toyota head on. Read More

OV Elementary Students Focus on Kindness

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Okaw Valley Elementary School celebrated National Bullying Prevention Month and Red Ribbon Week

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Okaw Valley Elementary School students Choose to Be Nice.


•November 20, 2019•
Through the application of their new SEL curriculum, Choose to Be Nice, OVES teachers concentrate on one character trait a month teaching students they have a choice on how to act and react.
Throughout the month of October, students and staff focused on their monthly word, KINDNESS.
In conjunction with Red Ribbon week, the last week of October, students also learned to be a buddy not a bully.
Students realized being kind is a choice they can make every day. Classroom lessons can be applied across the school curricula and locations, at home and in the community. Read More

Sullivan School Board Learns About Students’ Community Activities

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•November 20, 2019•
By Ariana Cherry
for The News Progress

The Sullivan School Board’s most recent meeting was Monday, November 11, 2019. The bills were accepted as presented. The balance from the Treasurer’s report was $11,977,818.84. The Education Fund is at $335,169.88.
Board members adopted a resolution for the Superintendent to begin preparing a tentative budget for the 2020-2021 school year so that it can be presented to the Board of Education on July 13, 2020. Afterward, it will be placed for public inspection on July 14, 2020 for at least 30 days. There will be a budget hearing at the following September meeting before its final adoption.
The board also discussed the district’s revenues to support expenses for a projected tentative 2019 Tax Levy payable 2020. The final levy will be obtained and approved at the regular December 2019 board meeting. Read More