Photo by RR Best
Lines Drawn
With the aid of a helicopter, Ameren’s transmission line upgrade continues near the Roney farm north of Sullivan. The helicopter lowers a worker to prepare insulators for new power lines from the Andrews Street substation east of Dalton City to the Kansas Ameren substation as part of a major upgrade of service in central Illinois.
An act of courage
Photo by Ellen Ferrera
Cylus Booker (front) and buddies Nolan Hower (l), Sawyer Booker and Marshall Robison with the poster Cylus made.
•September 27, 2017•
By Ellen Ferrera
for the News Progress
September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month (CCAM) and this month nine-year-old Cylus Booker learned that he is now five years clear of the cancer that attacked him when he was four years old. His journey has been a profile in courage, faith and love.
His family had just moved from Sullivan to Princeton, Kentucky where his father was employed by Hydro-Gear, and his mother was just starting her teaching career. Cylus began complaining of pain and became incontinent. On September 14, 2012, he was diagnosed with a severe form of leukemia.
He had no white blood cells and, therefore, no immunity, and was airlifted to a children’s hospital. His mother remembers being so frantic she couldn’t find her car in the parking lot and that their pastor Brother Dwayne was standing there, and she believes that was an omen. Read More
•September 27, 2017•
Federal, State, Circuit Judge and Local candidates are circulating petitions seeking nomination to office in the March 20, 2018 General Primary Election. Successful candidates winning nomination will then be placed on the November 6, 2018 ballot for election. Read More
Photo by Mike Brothers
Sullivan Homecoming
Sullivan’s homecoming week parade featured a variety of floats like the one above with the future Redskins throwing candy to the parade audience on the square. The class of 1967 honored 50 years with a sock hop following the Friday night game.
Learns of OVHS/Corp Coop
•September 20, 2017•
By Mike Brothers
The Moultrie County Board received a report on the Okaw Valley School/Corp of Engineers coop from OVHS agriculture teacher Wes Wise at the regular meeting Sept. 14.
Wise explained the national recognized coop with the Lake Shelbyville Corp of Engineers demonstrated student involvement throughout the district was the key to success. The OVHS coop program has 21 acres that include corn crops, plus bee pollination stations plus hundreds of volunteer hours from students to help prepare campgrounds for the limited Corp staff. Read More
Photo furnished
Pictured is local artist Nick Beery.
•September 20, 2017•
Sullivan artist Nick Beery will complete the third of three downtown murals in Decatur this week. This mural for the Decatur Mural Project in 2017 will be at the 200 block of W. Main St. in Decatur (east wall facing parking lot).
Beery is a freelance artist and owner/founder/creative director of Beery Method. The design for the mural is made up of a series of light, medium, and dark shapes and based on a mathematical expression/pattern structure known as the golden spiral. The golden spiral is found in nature everywhere from nautilus shells and leaves to the arms of galaxies. Read More
•September 20, 2017•
Moultrie County, as Trustee, has completed their tax deed proceedings on real estate properties that were delinquent for 2013 and prior real estate taxes.
The County, as Trustee, will now offer for sale the real estate obtained to the public. They will offer approximately four items through a sealed bid auction sale. All sealed bids must be in the Moultrie County treasurer’s office located in the Moultrie County Courthouse, 10 S. Main Street — Suite 10 in Sullivan, Illinois 61951 no later than the close of business on October 6, 2017. Read More
PARCC/MAP Test Complete
By Mike Brothers
Sullivan schools approved the 2017-2018 budget with Supt. Ted Walk noting the net budget was balanced and District #300 would end the fiscal year June 2018 with $25,000 in the black.
In the budget summary education begins the fiscal year with a $3,645,588 fund balance, anticipating $3,527,948 in state resources included in the $7,458,329 in revenues. Expenses in education are expected at $7,518,893, resulting in a $35,488 deficit with the education fund showing a $3,549,536 balance June 30, 2018.
Operations and maintenance receipts are budgeted at $957,169 while expenses are expected at $1,008,059 for a $50,890 deficit. Fund balance June 30, 2018 is budgeted at $851,487. Read More
Photo by Mike Brothers
“Flowers of the Forest” a traditional Scottish Highland bagpipes song, is played for first responders who passed away on 9/11/2011 by Oakland piper Paul Hinson at the Patriots Day observation held at Sullivan schools Monday, Sept. 11.
•September 20, 2017•
Monday, September 11 was Patriots Day and the 16th anniversary of the Twin Towers terrorist attack. A day that changed America forever.
Sixteen years later a generation of students who weren’t as yet born at that time wrestle with understanding what 9/11/2011 was all about.
Rebecca Lawson’s Mirror Images class at Sullivan High School has established a Patriot’s Day observance tradition that keeps the memory of that day alive.
For the past several years Mirror Image students have put together combined high school and middle school assemblies honoring local first responders and the memory of the 2997 people who died that day. Read More
Photo furnished
WHS Longaberger Binga
The Windsor class of 2018 will host a Longaberger Binga Fundraiser October 7 at Windsor High School. Doors will open at 5 p.m., and the games start at 6 p.m. Tickets are on sale now; see a senior class member for tickets or call Elizabeth Robison at 459-2636. Tickets will be available at the door. Refreshments, 50/50, and raffle items will also be for sale. Pictured Left to Right: Caitlin Welsh, Mikayla Haddock, Kasey Bean, and Morgan Lesko.