St. Jude Dash n Bash: Four Years and Still Running Strong

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Photo by RR Best
Devoted St. Jude Runner training at 3 below zero.

•May 23, 2018•

By Mike Brothers

St. Jude Dash n Bash in Sullivan kicks off its fourth year Saturday, June 2 in Wyman Park with more than 90 percent of everything raised going to the St. Jude, Memphis and Midwest Affiliate in Peoria.

Over the past three years the event has given $32,000 to St. Jude Hospital Stephanie Helmuth, Sullivan event founder, said of the success.

St. Jude’s no cost treatment for children with the most serious health issues is offered regardless of race, religion or a family’s ability to pay.

Helmuth’s realization of what that meant came after the birth of her youngest child River who required infant heart surgery at the St. Jude Midwest affiliate in Peoria.

“Sitting in that hospital room let me understand what others faced,” said Helmuth of her incentive to start the run in Sullivan to help St. Jude.

She and other Sullivan area runners had participated in the St. Jude Mattoon/Peoria run so eight volunteers got together the first St. Jude Dash n Bash. Read More

Power Out

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Power Out
Around 1:00 p.m. Tuesday a John Deere with folding disc attachments, owned by Terry Warren, caught a power line at the corner of South Market and West Eden Streets in Sullivan, knocking out power to both Agri-Fab and Hydro-Gear, according to Sullivan Police Chief Jim Waggoner. City Administrator Dan Flannell commended Sullivan Electric Dept. employees who responded immediately and were able to replace the pole and restore power within 40 minutes.

Sullivan Schools Hire Coach and Music Teacher

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•May 23, 2018•

By Mike Brothers

Sullivan Community District #300 school board met May 14 hiring a head football coach and an elementary music teacher.

Following interviews by Sullivan and Okaw Valley athletic directors Ryan Aikman and Brooks Inman, high school principal Erik Young recommended employing Jeff Myers as head football coach. Myers replaced Andy Kerley who lost his job due to teaching staff cuts after one year.

Myers has previously coached at Central A&M and St. Teresa High School in Decatur. He resides in Shelbyville. Board members present approved including Steve Poland, Tyson Grooms, Erik Stollard, Zak Horn and president Jeff White. Read More

A Ground Breaking Facility for Okaw Valley Schools

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Photo by Mike Brothers
OVHS agriculture teacher and ag complex creator Wes Wise explained the inspiration for the collegiate styled facility and thanked all those who helped make this day possible. In background high school principal Matt Shoaff and Supt. Ken Stauder listen along with students, Corp representatives and community representatives gathered for the groundbreaking ceremony.

“Some men see things as they are and say, ‘Why’? I dream of things that never were and say, ‘Why not’?”
Robert F. Kennedy.

•May 23, 2018•

Why not OV? Reflects on the possibilities referred to by Kennedy. Okaw Valley CUSD #302 is a school district willing to dream.

On Thursday, May 17 Okaw Valley High School entered a new era of education breaking ground on a new 5000 sq. ft. agricultural complex.

Along with a classroom and lab the school will initiate animal husbandry, putting the 170 student high school in Bethany in the collegiate level of agricultural learning.

Supt. Kent Stauder told a crowd of students, educators, U.S. Corps partners and members of the community of how the school board asked him to come up with a “dream project”following the district’s success as a U.S. Corps of Engineers partner.

Stauder went to agriculture teacher Wes Wise, who came up with a hands on agriculture concept that incorporates the classroom and real learning modeled from a collegiate approach to learning natural resources, agronomy, animal husbandry and much more. Read More

Lovington Park Recreation Plan Approved

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•May 23, 2018•

Lovington Village Board’s April meeting involved discussion of a 9park board request for Park Recreation week Monday, June 4 through Friday, June 8.

Trustee Dennis Garmon reported the request was for $500 and events will include Scovill’s Mobile Petting Zoo with Thompson vending services Friday. Three members of the park board attended CPR and First Aid Certification classes at the library. Garmon moved the $500 request for Park Recreation and events be approved along with the $17.50 each for park board certifications. The motion seconded by Pam Anklam was approved by Brenda Wood, Pam Anklam, Garmon, Gary Clem and April Daily.  Read More

Sullivan High School Class Exclamation: “We did it!” 

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At the senior walk before Sullivan High School graduation Sunday students displayed their art work. Left to right: Bryce Hubbard, Tate Fultz, Andrew Matlock, Alyssa Dingman and Sky Cooley.

•May 23, 2018•

Three words expressed the feelings of 81 Sullivan High School seniors during commencement exercises held in the gymnasium at 2:30 p.m.  Sunday, May 20.

Class president Winchester Phelps reminded classmates that the dumbest ideas make the best memories and that with the help of school and family: “We did it!”

Salutatorian Trevor Elder said starting high school was like random pieces of a puzzle and that each year those pieces started to fit into a plan for the future. “You may fall down, you will make mistakes,” Elder said. “Pick yourself up and move forward.”

Valedictorian Laine Cameron contrasted the urgency for seniors wanting to finish their last year of high school with what it took to actually get it done. Read More

“Trucks are for Girls” Day Hosted by Marvin Keller Trucking

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“Trucks are for Girls” Day Hosted by Marvin Keller Trucking
Area Girl Scouts now have another patch to show they learned something new. Marvin Keller Trucking recently partnered with the Women in Trucking Association to sponsor a Trucks are for Girls Event for local Girl Scouts May 19.
Marvin Keller invited Girl Scout troops from Moultrie and Shelby counties for a fun-filled morning of learning. The purpose of the event was to teach the girls about the importance of trucking to our economy while they were able to get an up close view of a tractor-trailer. At the event, the scouts visited several activity stations throughout the Marvin Keller facility. They received their own dispatch, saw a pre-trip inspection, got to climb in a trailer, and even took a ride in a semi-truck. Volunteers who work at Marvin Keller were on site to help the girls with the activities and answer any questions they had about the transportation industry.
The girls each received a Transportation Patch which was created by the Women in Trucking Association in 2014.

Bethany Crash

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Bethany Crash
A passenger was taken to St. Mary’s Hospital by Bethany Ambulance following a 5:53 p.m. crash Friday. Moultrie County Sheriff’s Dept. responded to the accident at the intersection of West North Street and N. Jefferson in Bethany. According to the department accident report a 2004 Grand Prix driven by Michael Patterson of Bethany was traveling at a high rate of speed on N. Jefferson and failed to stop at the intersection. Patterson’s car hit the passenger side of a 2000 Lexus RX300 driven by Tristin Carr of Chatham. The Lexus hit a utility pole and came to rest in a neighbor’s yard. Carr’s passenger Savannah Gibbons of Bethany was transported to St. Mary’s Hospital with Sullivan Ambulance Service transporting Patterson and Carr for examination. Patterson was ticketed for driving too fast for conditions and failing to stop at the intersection.
Above Bethany Fire and Rescue team members Rob Martz and Rebecca Corwin work to release crash victims.

Community Effort Brings Concerts To Tabor Park

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Tabor Park’s Concert series began recently thanks to neighbor Bill Burger (back) who got help from Mason Point sponsor representatives Nikki White and Leeanna Stickels. In the front Vonnie Lee and Kathi Garvey from Mid Illinois Senior Services serve refreshments.

•May 16, 2018•

By Ellen Ferrera
for the News Progress

Bill Burger had wanted to showcase Tabor Park in Sullivan and thanks to Mason Point a concert at the park series began Friday, May 1.

For many years Sullivan residents have enjoyed the benefits of having two wonderful parks. The Tabor family donated the land for Tabor Park with the plan that benefits be free to all.

Sullivan City Council and the Sullivan Chamber and Economic Development, however, have been challenged to provide continuous programs for both parks. That’s where Bill Burger came in.

Burger lives near Tabor Park and runs there every day.

“Tabor Park is the best kept secret in Moultrie County,” he began. “It is a wonderful park. People walk their dogs there, and I have met many wonderful people there.”  Read More

Sudden Storms Wreak Havoc

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•May 16, 2018•

Storms wreaked havoc in Moultrie County with a cell hitting Bethany around 3:45 Tuesday afternoon, breaking a utility pole causing traffic delays on Hwy 121 then moving on toward Sullivan with high wind and water damage reported.

A slow-moving cold front triggered widely scattered strong to severe thunderstorms across south-central Illinois during the afternoon of May 15th.  One of the most significant cells formed over southern Macon County at around 3:30pm...then tracked SE across portions of Moultire, Coles, and Clark counties.  This particular storm downed numerous trees, large tree branches, and powerlines in Sullivan and Mattoon...and overturned three semis on I-70 near Martinsville.

The Mattoon Airport measured a wind gust of 71mph as the storm blew through.  Other cells impacted portions of Christian, Sangamon, and Dewitt counties with strong winds and heavy rain.  Due to the very slow movement of the storms at only 10-20mph, copious amounts of rain fell in a short period of time, creating flash flooding in a few locations.