After the resignation last month of Lovington Village Board President Dennis Jarman the Lovington Village Board held a special meeting last week and elected Brittany Bates Village President. Bates had been serving as parks commissioner for the village.
Board member April Daily questioned Bates’ qualifications for the job, calling into questioned Bates’ current status with her cosmetology license. After some discussion, Bates was elected.
“I’m ready to learn and I think we’ve got plenty to look forward to,” Bates said.
New Moultrie County Board members were sworn I Monday morning and joined those whose terms were not up during the recent election. Seated in the front row: Travis Phelps - County Board Chair, Tyler Graven - County Board Vice-Chair. Standing left to right: Josh Roe, Scott Buxton, Aaron Wilhelm, Lisa Florey, Ralph Zancha, Kenny Graven, and Arlon Long.
The first regular meeting of the newly reorganized board is December 12 at 7:00 p.m. in the Board Room, Second Floor of the Courthouse.
Wednesday, November 27th was the last meeting of November for the Sullivan City Council with all commissioners getting their necessary decisions done within a short time, ending the meeting at 6:33pm.
Before the commissioners started their own reports some comments from the public were made about possibly funding a new pool liner for the Civic Center, stating that the liner was wearing out and would need to be replaced or the pool would have to shut down for a long maintenance. Commissioner Chuck Woodworth even stating that he would have no problem finding funding to help the Civic Center get the stated pool liner.
Sullivan has officially started the festive season with the set-up and decorating of the very large Christmas tree on the square. The tree set-up, spanning over two to three days, is a hometown tradition of the season, marking a point of no return into the holiday. Groups of two to four people, two on the lift and two watching the ground, began day two of set-up for the tree. Filling the monstrous wire base with dark green leaves and a mixture of silver, red and green matte and glossy ornaments. The set-up crew started to decorate from the top of the tree and had close to five plastic totes filled with decorations accompanied by two large bags filled with even more décor for the grandiose tree. While the weather warmed up for the decorating of the tree on Tuesday, November 19th, the workers tasked with setting the large tree rings up the day prior were subjected to chilling winds and rain while assembling the metal bits, securing the base for the heavy leaves and ornaments. The tree can be seen in full on the corner of East Harrison and South Washington, next to the Metro Communications building. The tree, now taller than the building stands to beautify the downtown area for the festive season as an opportunity to give back to the community of which Metro grew and gained support.
Friday, December 6th was the date marked for the Christmas Parade and other festive events on the square by the Sullivan Chamber just last Tuesday, November 19th. Line-up for the parade starts at five in the Sullivan High School parking lot with the parade starting just an hour later, following the traditional parade route. Before the parade will be events by the pavilion on the square starting at four.
For more information on the Christmas Parade or other festivities during the celebration contact the Sullivan Chamber and Economic Development at information@sullivanchamber.com, call (217)728-4223 or visit https://www.sullivanchamber.com/.
Turkey donation to Moultrie County CEFS Outreach Pictured left to right: Devon Winings, Shawn Eccles, Blake Eller and Cameron Eccles pose with just a few of the 80 Turkeys that were donated to the Moultrie County CEFS this year. Just as many years before, the delivery started at nine with the truck arriving in front of the Sullivan Bakery, just next door. The men posing with the festive bird were in charge of getting the turkeys to the CEFS building just in time for distribution for Thanksgiving.
We can help our seniors experience a joyful holiday season
•November 27, 2024•
by Angela Hogan
Christmas is hailed as a season of love, joy, and togetherness. Yet, for many seniors, it can be a time of loneliness and isolation. This year, let’s make a conscious effort to give the gift of connection.
Mark and Judi Seeley of Bethany gave the neighborhood a surprise just after the summer had officially started to dwindle, opening their very own homemade, handmade pizza’s. Mark Seeley, Sullivan native and Class of ‘79 graduate, started his deep dive into cooking upon buying his first smoker.
“It all started with this, smoked pulled pork and some other things, and then I got this barrel and made my own smoker out of the barrel” Mark explained while touring his house-side kitchen with the oven and smokers. “The barrel smoker was hand made and the oven was too.”
Moultrie County celebrated two exceptional community initiatives recently as part of the Heart of Illinois Community Foundation’s Impact200 Grant Program. In partnership with Decatur Earthmover Credit Union, the Heart of Illinois Community Foundation awarded $200,000 to local nonprofits at a special reception recognizing the transformative power of philanthropy. The event highlighted the foundation’s commitment to empowering changemakers across Central Illinois.
Left to Right: Mark Waelde, Kevin Landrus, Grant Wade, Brad Burcham, Dick Burcham.
Among the recipients honored were two organizations from Moultrie County, each receiving grants to support their critical programs. The Sullivan AMBUCS Chapter was awarded $10,000 to expand its Ramp Building & AmTrykes Program, providing mobility solutions to residents in need. The Sullivan Community Unit School District No. 300 (CUSD #300) also received $11,200 for its innovative “Buster the School Bus” School Bus Safety Program, an initiative designed to promote safety and awareness among young students.
The $10,000 grant for the Sullivan AMBUCS Chapter will support the construction of wheelchair ramps and the distribution of AmTrykes—customized tricycles that offer mobility to people with disabilities. The chapter’s work has transformed lives across the community by enhancing accessibility and independence for individuals facing mobility challenges. This funding will allow AMBUCS to reach even more residents in need, fulfilling its mission of creating a more inclusive, accessible community. Sullivan CUSD #300’s “Buster the School Bus” School Bus Safety Program was granted $11,200 to bolster school bus safety for elementary students. The program, centered around Buster, a robotic school bus, will engage students in interactive learning sessions about bus safety rules, encouraging lifelong habits of safe transportation.
The Sullivan Fire and Ambulance District recently donated $580 to the Sarah Bush Lincoln Regional Cancer Center in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
The shirts sold by the Sullivan Fire and Ambulance District are pictured.
Sullivan Fire and Ambulance District staff sold pink shirts during the month of October to raise the funds.
“We express our gratitude to all who contributed to this endeavor, enabling us to support those affected by breast cancer,” Chief Chris Wright said.
For more information about donating to SBL, call the SBL Health Foundation at 217-258-2511.
