New Mayor and Board for Sullivan

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•April 3, 2019•

By Mike Brothers

The city of Sullivan has a new mayor and board of commissioners following the Tuesday, April 2 elections.
Richard Glazebrook won the mayor’s race with 521 votes followed by William Burger with 223 and incumbent mayor Ann Short with 209 votes.
Abbey Sherwood is Accounts and Finance Commissioner with 507 votes over incumbent Mike Mossman with 443.
Chuck Woodworth won the Health and Safety Commissioner’s seat with 484 votes to Grant Wade’s 448.
Peggy Hargis led the three way race for Streets and Public Improvements with 524 votes. Edna M. Bailey received 210 votes and Nancy Barker 185.
Michael C. Fowler became Public Property Commissioner with 408 votes. Austin Hunter was second with 348 and incumbent Mike Kirk received 193 votes.
In the Sullivan Community School Board #300 race the three way race for township 12N range 5E Jeff White received 1,101 and Justin R. Florey 987 winning those two seats. Nancy J. Elder received 665 votes in that race. Joshua E. Green won his unopposed seat with 671 votes.
Okaw Valley CUSD #302 proposed a $6.5 million bond referendum for new construction with 351 Moultrie County residents voting no and 185 yes.
The Dora Township tax proposition was approved 48-25.
Of the 8,698 registered voters 2,333 ballots were cast for 26.85%.[/s2If]

OVES Students Collect Above and Beyond

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Photo furnished
Okaw Valley Elementary students who collected $25 or more to help exceed the school’s goal.

•April 3, 2019•

Okaw Valley Elementary students went way above and beyond their goal in collecting donations for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
OVES students set a goal of $750 in the Pennies for Patients program. Students brought in donations throughout the month of March and were also able to create online donation pages to collect from out of town friends and family.
“It is so important for our students to know that no matter the amount they were able to give, they have made a difference in someone’s life.” Guidance Counselor Paula Coffer said. Read More

Tabor Park Erosion Continues as Long as the Water Flows

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Photo by Mike Brothers
Asa Creek is a powerful force during spring rains with water eroding the banks of the waterway that runs through Tabor Park.

•March 27, 2019•

By Ariana Cherry
for the News Progress

Tabor Park has been a favorite site to visit to both residents and out-of-town visitors in Sullivan.
Its beautiful scenery, the calming path along the creek and forest-like setting is like a “mini-getaway” within the city. So it was only natural when a resident of Sullivan showed concern about erosion in the park and brought it to the attention of the city council.
With Tabor Park being such a vital part of Sullivan, it is important that the park be maintained as nature attempts to take its course.
To begin dealing with the erosion issues at Tabor Park, Herb Bricker, met with Wayne Kenney, a Stream Specialist of Midwest Streams from Oakdale, Illinois on February 12.
The two also met with park commissioner Mike Mossman and a contractor who was employed to remove unwanted vegetation from the stream corridor. Most of the unwanted vegetation consisted of bush honeysuckle. Read More

Ribbon Cutting Celebration Open for 1225 Building in Sullivan

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•March 27, 2019•

By Ellen Ferrera
for the News Progress

The 1225 Building at 1225 S. Hamilton in Sullivan and Second Chance Gym will have their official ribbon cutting ceremony at 1 p.m. March 31. The public is cordially invited to attend the afternoon festivities.
Pastor Jim Plank of the Vineyard Church, 1225 Building owner, said of the venture, “Our church was a launching pad to engage the community, and it was a leap of faith for us. Our next step was to figure out how to invest in the community, and this building represents that investment.” Read More

Construction Before Dawn

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Photo by R.R. Best
Construction Before Dawn
Construction at the new Dollar General location on Jackson St. in Sullivan got an early start as concrete finishing crews were floating floors at 6:30 a.m. last Tuesday. This Tuesday the steel frame is going up.
Overland Corp of Missouri is developing the $1.4 million property for Dollar General Stores. The property is the former location of Jackson Chevrolet which had been abandoned for a decade.
According to Dollar General completion of the 106 N. Main St. store is expected in the fall of 2019.
The store is the Dollar General Plus format. The Plus format is the traditional store with an additional 2000 sq. ft. additional sales space to include expanded cooler and freezer space.
Dollar General has not sought TIF financial relief.
Sulllivan has upgraded electrical service, and developers have paid for gas line relocation.

Sullivan High School Spanish Students Host a Blast to the Past

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Photo by Señora King
Karoake came alive at Mason Point when SHS Spanish students visited recently.

•March 27, 2019•

On February 20 some of the Spanish III students of Sullivan High School visited Mason Point nursing home in Sullivan for a game of bingo, trivia, karaoke, and music. Famous celebrities of the 1950s and 60s with whom the residents were familiar were the topic of the evening.
After the game of bingo, juniors Aaron Garvey, Gary Herschberger, and Seth Mayberry, (who were dressed up as Johnny Cash, Paul McCartney, and Buddy Holly respectively) read facts about the person they were representing for a game of trivia.
Juniors Adalee Nichols and Kaitlyn White helped with the planning of prizes and trivia questions about Elvis Presley as well.
Following the trivia games, the floor was open for anybody wanting to sing their favorite song from the 1950s and 60s. A few residents sang songs like Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire.” Read More

Senate Bill Would Allow More Seniors To Freeze Their Property Valuations

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•March 27, 2019•

By Peter Hancock
Capitol News Illinois

The Illinois Senate is poised to take up a bill that would make it easier for some seniors to access a state program that limits property tax increases on their homes.
Under current law, people age 65 and older with incomes up to $65,000 can claim the Senior Citizens Assessment Freeze Homestead Exemption, which effectively freezes the taxable valuation of their homes so that their tax bills cannot go up simply because the market value of their home rises.
Senate Bill 1346, which cleared the Senate Revenue Committee on Wednesday, would expand that slightly, starting in the 2019 tax year, by allowing seniors to deduct from their income whatever money they spend on Medicare premiums. That would allow some people with incomes just above the $65,000 cap to claim the exemption. Read More

Battle of Badges Pleases Crowds, Recognizes First Responders

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Photo by R.R. Best
Cheers all around for the members of the Law Enforcement basketball team at Battle of the Badges held at Sullivan High School gymnasium March 14 to benefit the Sullivan Elementary P.T.O. Above Coach Don Typer, Moultrie County Sheriff Chris Sims, Sullivan Chief of Police Jim Waggoner and Illinois State Trooper Thomas Houser applaud the win.

•March 20, 2019•

The Battle of the Badges was a crowd pleasing fund-raiser for the Sullivan Elementary School P.T.O. on March 14.
Moultrie County’s law enforcement team won the game over the Sullivan Fire Protection District. The game, which benefits school children, is a spirited competition that still has some players feeling muscle pain .
Members of the Larry and Ruby Schrock family, whose daughter was severely burned during a home explosion in February, attended the event to witness awards presented to first responders for their efforts above the call of duty on that day.
Sullivan Fire District Chief Mike Piper recognized Josiah Davison, Drake Grubb, Travis Reed and Derek Carter of the SFPD; Mark Risely, Caleb Smith and Brandon Beckwith of the Moultrie County Sheriff’s Dept. and Tom Lehew and Brody Bickle of the Sullivan Police Dept. Read More

School Board Candidates Limited

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•March 20, 2019•

Moultrie County has four school districts that elect board members by Congressional Townships.
They are Arthur CUSD No. 302, Mattoon CUSD No. 2, Sullivan CUSD No. 300 and Windsor CUSD No. 1.
Board membership is restricted to a maximum of three members from any one Congressional Township, with the board member serving for a term of four years.
Those elected in 2017 will serve until April 2021. Slots available in a township for the 2019 election are, therefore, determined by how many are currently serving from the 2017 Consolidated Election. Read More