Photo courtesy Gene Mueller
Habitat Home Blessed
Moultrie County Habitat for Humanity and the remaining Habitat Care-A-Vanners gathered at the Eden Street build in Sullivan on Oct. 12 for the House Blessing. Above MCHFH Board member Gene Mueller presents the keys to the home to Patricia Conklin and her son David.
Photo by RR Best
Sullivan High School Band flutist Joann Mathias plays in the 2018 Homecoming parade Friday, Oct. 4.
•October 10, 2018•
It’s Round up time at Sullivan IGA from Oct. 28 to Nov. 3 giving every customer a chance to help buy turkeys for Moultrie County Food Pantry’s Thanksgiving.
“We are kicking off the seventh annual round up to go along with our four day meat sale from the 31st through Nov. 3,” IGA manager Pat Stinson said, emphasizing customers can take advantage of great meat savings and help a good cause as well.
During that week customers at Sullivan IGA may round up their grocery bill to the next dollar which goes toward purchasing Thanksgiving turkeys for the Moultrie County Food Pantry.
Those round up donations totaled $1200 last year and supplied 125 families with turkeys.
“We really appreciate the generosity of IGA customers helping supply turkeys to the food pantry for Thanksgiving,” Stinson said.
“The food pantry gives out Thanksgiving meals in November, and we count on the money raised from the Round Up to purchase the turkeys each year,” CEFS Food Pantry Coordinator Kristy Dawson said. Read More
•October 10, 2018•
Jalon Warren waived a jury trial at an October 9 hearing in Moultrie County Circuit Court.
Warren, 18, of Sullivan will appear in court at 9:30 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 8 for a pretrial motion hearing.
Warren was charged in connection with a threatening note found in a Sullivan High School restroom in March 2018 which prompted early dismissal of school. Read More
Photo by Ellen Ferrera
Happy Retirement. Left to right: Asst. IGA Manager Karen Golden, Donut Lady Peggy Booker, IGA Manager Pat Stinson and Bakery Manager Angela Cuttill.
•October 10, 2018•
By Ellen Ferrera
for the News Progress
After 35 years, Peggy Booker, “the doughnut lady of IGA” will be retiring. The public is cordially invited to her retirement party 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Friday, October 12 at Sulllivan IGA. Cake and punch will be served.
Peggy grew up in Sullivan and rode a pony to school. She had one brother 17 years older and another five years older to spoil her and take her places girls of her age seldom got to visit.
She graduated high school in 1952 and married William Booker the same year. Because she married she had to forfeit a scholarship she had won to Eastern Illinois University as was the custom in those days.
She and Bill raised five children including one set of twins. Read More
Photo by R.R. Best
Head on Crash
Moultrie County Sheriff Chris Sims directs traffic with a demolished GMC dually in the background. A Mattoon man was killed and two Sullivan men injured in the 2:20 p.m. crash on CR800N in Moultrie County October 3. Sheriff Sims’ reported Albert Mokrejs, 20, of Mattoon was traveling east in a Ford passenger car and crossed over the centerline hitting a westbound GMC dually head on. Mokrejs was pronounced deceased on the scene by Moultrie County Coroner Lynn Reed. Driver of the truck, John R. Grooms, 70, and passenger Paul R. Voegel, 76, both of rural Sullivan were transported to Carle Hospital with injuries and later released.
Following impact the GMC truck ended up on its passenger side in the north roadside ditch. The Ford spun around, crossing back over the eastbound lane, ending up on the south shoulder facing west. Both vehicles received extensive front end damage.
Sheriff Sims noted the crash investigation by the Moultrie County Sheriff’s office is ongoing.
Photo furnished
LFD Fields Several Fires
Lovington Fire District had a busy week. On Wednesday October 3 two fires were called in at the same time Lovington Chief Gary Smith explained. Mutual Aid was requested from Bethany and Hammond for a field fire on County Road 700 E. Lovington firefighters responded to a combine fire on 2500N to assist Dora Fire District. Lovington was the first on the scene and the combine was fully engulfed. Darren Powell had been driving the combine and was there and also a past fireman. They helped pull a line while the chief turned on the pump. The wind was blowing hard enough to make it hard to get to the fire. Dora Fire Dept. arrived and started a line from their truck.
Shortly after Mt. Zion and Long Creek departments arrived with three trucks. The airport truck was directed to the field that was burning from sparks off the combine. Jeff Davis contributed a tractor and disk to contain the fire spread. Bethany and Hammond got the first fire extinguished and came over to assist. There were seven trucks and approximately 17 firemen, one tractor and driver on the scene. Mt Zion fireman reported someone called it in, and they responded even though it was out of their district. “With a fire like this and us being a volunteer fire unit, it’s everyone’s district,” Smith said.
As the Lovington firefighters returned to the station and filled the tank with water they received another call of a field fire east of Lovington on 1200N. Lovington responded with Hammond and Arthur on their way to back up. While the Lovington truck started spraying water, Steve Helton, who was disking for Mark Yoder across the road, came over and helped by disking around the border to keep that fire from spreading.
•October 3, 2018•
Early voting gained popularity with numbers doubling according to Moultrie County Clerk Georgia England.
“September 27 was the first day of early voting, and comparing the number who voted Thursday to the number on the first day in November 2016, we doubled,” England said.
In November 2016 15 people voted on the first day of Early Voting. Read More
•October 3, 2018•
By Ariana Cherry
for the News Progress
Members of the Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond School Board had a budget hearing and passed the FY2019 budget at their last scheduled meeting.
The total expenditures for the year totaled $13,441,616.00. Superintendent Ken Schwengel noted that the district still has not received state transportation reimbursement and is anticipating a payment of $135,000 from last year. Read More
•October 3, 2018•
By Ariana Cherry
for the News Progress
Sullivan has been looking into new and innovative ways for the city to track energy use and read meters.
City Clerk, Monte Johnson shared a presentation with members of the Sullivan City Council recently for a new AMI System (Advanced Metering Infrastructure) through Nexgrid. After looking through various options, Johnson introduced Nexgrid reporting on a trip he made to their headquarters to see how the software and its application worked.
Through Nexgrid, customers will have the ability to download widgets/apps to their computers, phones or tablets and actually see their energy use in real time and adjust accordingly to see how they can save on their monthly bills. Johnson noted that implantation will take some time as the city will have to manually put everything in – such as receivers and other devices.
There will be new meters for reading energy use, and the city will be able to see the information from office desktops. After everything has been installed, there won’t be a need for individuals to personally go out and read every single meter. Read More