“TextMyGov” notification system announcement

News Progress Posted on by


•October 1, 2025•

Submitted

The City of Sullivan is introducing TextMyGov, a convenient and smart text messaging service. This service will enable residents to effortlessly receive important notifications and easily find specific information by texting the city.

Sullivan will officially launch the new text messaging system to the public on October 13th. Residents may receive a text message from 91896 from the City of Sullivan, initiating the service. Residents have the option to opt out at any time by texting STOP.

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‘Senior Expo’ draws crowds

News Progress Posted on by


•October 1, 2025•

by DM Williamee 

On Thursday, September 25th, in two sessions, nearly two hundred local seniors met with vendors at the Mid-Illinois Senior Center for their annual ‘Senior Expo’. The event was held in their new location at 113 Jefferson Street, Sullivan. The purpose of this event was to both celebrate and empower seniors, which it accomplished.

The Expo was enjoyed by friends and neighbors, with local businesses providing an opportunity for all attending to learn new information, get questions answered, receive gifts, and enjoy a free lunch. Take-out only lunch was provided by Griffin’s BBQ and catering, as a result of the generosity of multiple donors.

Said one attendee, “I have had this on my calendar since I found out about it, and I told my friends, too. As a matter of fact, three of us rode together today to come here, and I’m glad I did. There’s so much I didn’t know about a bunch of things!”

ALAH School Board holds a public hearing, discuss intent to sell bonds

News Progress Posted on by


•September 24, 2025•

by Ariana R Cherry

A public hearing was held to discuss the board’s intent to sell up to $22,000,000 in School Fire Prevention and Safety Bonds. These bonds are designated for the high school replacement project and are linked to a health life safety study conducted by BLDD, which was submitted to the state. The information provided by BLDD to the state determined the necessary repairs and their associated costs. After deliberation, the school board agreed to grant the district a fifteen-year repayment period for the bonds. Many believed this timeframe would offer the district financial flexibility, especially given ongoing state funding issues. The next board meeting will include a formal submission of the bonds, detailing the fifteen-year term, along with a resolution setting the tax levy and interest rate.

Other conversations from school board members included reaching out to former alumni and alumni groups who may have an interest in owning remaining pieces of the high school for memorabilia, which could be donated or sold for fundraising purposes. 

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Illinois ‘Safe Routes to School’: Sullivan community survey input needed

News Progress Posted on by


•September 24, 2025•

by DM Williamee

Residents of Sullivan have recently received a link to an online survey requesting input for the Illinois ‘Safe Routes to School’ project. The online survey is a brief, 2-minute survey with selection-style answers; it does not gather personal information, and it provides critical input from residents for the ‘Safe Routes to School’ project. A new round of emails will be sent out soon, and each response matters.

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Sullivan High School Honors English: Letters to the Editor

News Progress Posted on by


•September 24, 2025•

Photo courtesy of Cami Badman Front Row (L-R): Caleigh Dyer, Mya Dyer, Emerson Risley, Jennifer Lofland. Second Row (L-R): Adalyn Cruitt, Julia Moody, Cadence Schmohe, Ellie Lehman. Back Row (L-R): Claire Kursell, Austin Kelly, Brady Stollard, Grant Martin, Gavin Wade. Not Pictured: Synthea Doss and Kaylee Smith.

‘Letters to the Editor,’ written by Cami Badman‘s Honors English III students at Sullivan High School, explored controversial subjects with inquisitive minds and logic as well as emotion-based arguments. Badman opened the school year by challenging these 15 students to present well-rounded arguments for student-selected controversial subjects in the format of a ‘Letter to the Editor’. 

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SFD Cadets excel; moving to next steps

News Progress Posted on by


•September 17, 2025•

by DM Williamee

Photo Submitted Mitchell Bennett and Kaden DalPonte with their graduation certificates.

Two local Sullivan Fire Department cadets recently completed their nine-week academy orientation and are enrolled in Lake Land Community College’s EMT Basic program. They both received their Certificate of Graduation on August 26th. Mitchell Bennett and Kaden DalPonte will both remain with the Sullivan Fire Department as probationary volunteer firefighters. Sullivan Fire Chief Chris Wright shared that both are very capable, and SFD is excited to have them there as they progress in both their education and careers.

Photo Submitted Nathan Selby, FF/EMR and cadet coordinator, works with cadets Bennett and DalPonte.

County approves liquor license, appointments 

News Progress Posted on by


•September 17, 2025•

by Sharon Barricklow

The Great Pumpkin Patch will be able to sell alcoholic beverages this year under a liquor license approved last week by the Moultrie County Board. 

The license runs from September 12, 2025, through June 30, 2026, at a prorated amount for the popular fall attraction.

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Council hears cat complaints 

News Progress Posted on by


•September 17, 2025•

by Sharon Barricklow

The Sullivan City Council had almost an hour of public comment at their Monday, September 8 meeting, most of it discussing the problem of stray and feral cats in the city. Members of Moultrie County PAWS were asking the city to do a better job of capturing stray and feral cats and relocating them to area farms and also to Macon County Animal Control. Advocates said the cats are not properly acclimated to their new homes and often run away or are killed by predators. “It’s not their fault,” said one person about the stray cats.

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Community United: launch of the ‘Impact Giving Circle’

News Progress Posted on by


•September 17, 2025•

Photo by DM Williamee L-R: Andrea Gerhard, Chasity Casey, Susie Inman, Grant Wade, Linda Huber, Kaitlyn Farrar, Natalie Beck.

Submitted by Rev. Grant Wade

A new effort to strengthen local nonprofits took root last week, on September 9th, as residents gathered under a tent in downtown Sullivan for the launch of the Impact Giving Circle. The initiative, sponsored through the Heart of Illinois Community Foundation, is designed to pool community resources and direct them toward organizations serving Moultrie County.

The event celebrated its beginning by awarding two inaugural grants totaling $5,000 to local groups. More than the funding itself, however, attendees remarked on the spirit of unity that marked the gathering. One participant reflected, “This feels like a chance to remember what community is supposed to be, not arguing about what divides us, but working together on what matters most.”

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