Photo furnished
Easter Hunt Surprise
Following the Sullivan Fire District Easter Egg hunt at Courtyard Estates Sunday Montana Roberts got a surprise egg from boyfriend Preston Wagner. Inside the egg, an engagement ring!
Easter Hunt Surprise
Letter Carriers’ 27th Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive
Second Saturday in May
•May 1, 2019•
The National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) will conduct its 27th annual national food drive Saturday, May 11.
The Stamp Out Hunger® Food Drive, the country’s largest single-day food drive, provides residents with an easy way to donate food to those in need.
Customers simply leave their donation of non-perishable goods next to their mailbox before the delivery of the mail on Saturday, May 11. Letter carriers will collect these food donations on that day as they deliver mail along their postal routes and distribute them to local food agencies. Visit stampouthungerfooddrive.us to learn more. Read More
Major Area Partnerships Visited by General
Photo by Mike Brothers
Major General Richard Kaiser (center) learns about the Lake Shelbyville Fish Habitat Alliance cube builds from Chip Christensen (right) along with Lake Shelbyville Director of Operations Jon Summers.
•May 1, 2019•
Major General Richard Kaiser and other Corps of Engineer employees visited partners Okaw Valley High School and Chip’s Marine last week.
Okaw Valley has been in a partnership with the Corps since 2016. Okaw Valley won the Excellence in Partnerships Award.
The Lake Shelbyville Corps of Engineers won the National Stem Award for the success of the partnership.
Okaw Valley and the Corps of Engineers continue to work hard to create learning opportunities for students with General Kaiser’s visit verifying the successful partnerships.
General Kaiser stated, “In America we need doers, and this program creates doers. This program creates interest and allows students to find a path to career.” Read More
OVHS Prom King and Queen 2019
Photo courtesy Jeni Yantis
OVHS Prom King and Queen
Parker Perrine and Kailynn Bobbett were crowned as the 2019 Okaw Valley Prom King and Queen Saturday, April 27 at the OV Jr/Sr Prom.
Karaoke Success
Photo furnished
Karaoke Success
Celebrity Karaoke Night was held for the founding 78 members of Sullivan American Legion Post 68 raising funds to purchase bricks for each member which will be included in the 100th anniversary Post 68 Walk of Honor. Pictured from left Karaoke coordinators Becky Lawson, Tina Bolsen and Post Commander Bob Sims with Karake finalists Greg Gadberry, first place; Christina Baker and Monty LeCrone.
Sun for Easter
R.R. Best photo
Sun for Easter
The Sullivan Fire Protection District’s annual Easter Egg Hunt held at Courtyard Estates drew a huge crowd of eager young egg hunters and adults. Basking in the warm afternoon sunshine the hunt crowd charge began at 3 p.m. with every child blessed with plenty of colorful plastic filled Easter eggs containing a variety of prizes.
Free Rides for Hunt Winners
•April 24, 2019•
It was a beautiful weekend for Easter Egg hunting in Sullivan and Lovington with everyone getting plenty of plastic egg filled treats and several winning grander prizes. Read More
The End of an Era in Sullivan Government
•April 24, 2019•
By Mike Brothers
It was the end of an era in Sullivan city government.
The April 22 meeting was the last one for City Clerk Monte Johnson, Mayor Ann Short, as well as commissioners Mike Mossman, Mike Kirk, Grant Wade and Jerry Risley.
City Administrator Dan Flannell remarked on the importance of Monte Johnson’s 22 years of service to the city.
“Each and every citizen will feel the loss of Monte for years to come,” Flannell said of the person who brought Sullivan into the 21st century with his IT knowledge. “The citizens of Sullivan should prepare for a lack of efficiency for a while.”
Flannell continued addressing the existing council, which is being replaced as result of the last city elections. Read More
19th District Quarter Auction
•April 24, 2019•
The 19th District American Legion Auxiliary is holding a quarter auction Sunday, April 28 at Sullivan American Legion Post 68.
Doors will open at 1:15 p.m. with the auction starting at 2 p.m. Items range from $0 to $50 retail. One quarter bid - item value $0-$15; two quarter bid-item valued $16-$30; three quarter bid $31 and up. Read More
NASA Rover Competition for SHS Graduate
Rover Builder Lake Atchison
•April 24, 2019•
By Ellen Ferrera
for the News Progress
Lake Atchison from a young age was always curious about how things worked. “He was always taking things apart and putting them back together,” mother Nicole recalled.
A 2017 graduate of Sullivan High School, Atchison, a sophomore in mechanical engineering at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, has taken his youthful curiosity to outer space.
He was a member of Southern’s Moon Buggy Design team which competed in the NASA Human Exploration Rover Competition in Huntsville, Alabama.
“The most difficult part is deciding what you think you can accomplish in the given time,” Atchison explained his team’s strategy. “You are forced to make real-time decisions so we elected to do only three tasks.”
Each team, comprised of one female and one male, is given two excursions over the course, and the higher score is taken as the final score.
The competition is more than a race. The teams have seven minutes of available oxygen in which to complete a ¾ mile, 16 obstacle course. They must also perform tasks such as gathering soil and liquid samples, planting a flag or taking solar panel pictures. Read More