LGS Jump Rope for Heart 2015

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Photos by Keith Stewart LGS Jump Rope for Heart 2015 The Lovington grade school P.E. classes from kindergarten through fifth grade participated in the event April 13-30 and collectively raised  $5,193.85 to donate to the American Heart Association.  From left to right: Chilton Ingram, Xander Barrett, Jaydon Hopkins, Isaiah Bates, Wyatt Hilligoss, Carter Pratt, Devon Barron, Ashylnn Baker, Lucy Duran, Chloe Franklin, Brady Moore, Josie Hale, Cole Wardrip, Caden Schmidt, Hunter Carnahan.  Pictured above are members of Sara Kveton’s fourth grade class who were the top fundraisers with a total of $981.46.

Photos by Keith Stewart
LGS Jump Rope for Heart 2015
The Lovington grade school P.E. classes from kindergarten through fifth grade participated in the event April 13-30 and collectively raised  $5,193.85 to donate to the American Heart Association. 
From left to right: Chilton Ingram, Xander Barrett, Jaydon Hopkins, Isaiah Bates, Wyatt Hilligoss, Carter Pratt, Devon Barron, Ashylnn Baker, Lucy Duran, Chloe Franklin, Brady Moore, Josie Hale, Cole Wardrip, Caden Schmidt, Hunter Carnahan.  Pictured above are members of Sara Kveton’s fourth grade class who were the top fundraisers with a total of $981.46.

Pictured is Daylon Doggett of Pam Boddy’s class, who was the top individual fundraiser with $311.

Pictured is Daylon Doggett of Pam Boddy’s class, who was the top individual fundraiser with $311.

MCRTA’s First Annual Meeting

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Submitted by Jim Luedke MCRTA’s First Annual Meeting The Moultrie County Retired Teachers held their first meeting of the year April 18. Connie Miller, a volunteer at the Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum in Springfield, presented information about special events taking place this year at the museum. Pictured, left to right are: Jim Barr, IRTA Region 13 Director; Ellen Feeler, MCRTA secretary; Connie Miller, speaker; Dennis Hutchings, MCRTA president; Linda McCabe, MCRTA vice-president; and Larry Jones, MCRTA treasurer. Moultrie County Retired Teachers meet four times a year. An annual scholarship is awarded to a Moultrie County graduating senior who is going into the education field. Also, one or more teacher grants are awarded to teachers in Moultrie County each year. The next meeting of MCRTA is June 6 at 11:30 a.m., at the First United Methodist Church in Sullivan. Any former teacher who is retired from a school in Moultrie County, or any retired teacher living in Moultrie County is eligible to join MCRTA.

Submitted by Jim Luedke
MCRTA’s First Annual Meeting
The Moultrie County Retired Teachers held their first meeting of the year April 18. Connie Miller, a volunteer at the Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum in Springfield, presented information about special events taking place this year at the museum. Pictured, left to right are: Jim Barr, IRTA Region 13 Director; Ellen Feeler, MCRTA secretary; Connie Miller, speaker; Dennis Hutchings, MCRTA president; Linda McCabe, MCRTA vice-president; and Larry Jones, MCRTA treasurer.
Moultrie County Retired Teachers meet four times a year. An annual scholarship is awarded to a Moultrie County graduating senior who is going into the education field. Also, one or more teacher grants are awarded to teachers in Moultrie County each year. The next meeting of MCRTA is June 6 at 11:30 a.m., at the First United Methodist Church in Sullivan. Any former teacher who is retired from a school in Moultrie County, or any retired teacher living in Moultrie County is eligible to join MCRTA.

Mo-Co Rush Earns Second in Effingham

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Submitted Mo-Co Rush Earns Second in Effingham The 2015 Mo-Co Rush 10U competed in their first tournament of the spring/summer the weekend of April 25-26 in Effingham. The Rush came away with a second place finish and qualified for the 2015 NSA World Series in Indianapolis. The Rush started the weekend against the Mattoon Cobras and one of the best pitchers in the area in Karlie Bean. It was their first outing of the season against Bean, and the Rush lost the opener 6-0. The Rush then won five straight games over Jasper County, St. Anthony, CI Diamonds, Mattoon Pride, and the Cobras. The last two wins came off of last inning come from behind finishes. They trailed the Pride, a team that defeated them twice in the fall, 5-2 heading into the bottom of the third but rallied to score two in the third, one in the fourth, and one in the bottom of the fifth to win. That win propelled them into the championship where they needed to defeat the Mattoon Cobras twice to win the title. In game one the Rush were down 7-4 in the bottom of the sixth when they rallied to score four runs to win the game and force the extra game. However, the Rush ran out of gas and lost 9-1 to the Cobras and Bean in the finale. Hit leaders for the weekend were Sullivan’s Kinley Hill and Arthur’s Alisha Frederick, both with seven each, while three others had four hits each. The trio of Arcola’s Keira Hohlbauch, Sullivan’s Katie Honchell, and Arthur’s Ryli Kauffman pitched well all weekend. Arthur’s Charley Condill also caught in six of the seven games and threw out eight base runners. The Rush travel to Charleston and Terre Haute in May for their next two tournaments. For more info on the Rush go to www.mocorush.com. Pictured front row, left to right: Bailey Bennett-Bethany, Alisha Frederick-Arthur, Alaina Moore-Sullivan, Ryli Kauffman-Arthur, Mikaela Moore-Sullivan, Mackenzie Condill-Arthur. Back row: Kayla Schnippel-Mt. Zion, Mia Harris-Bethany, Kinley Hill-Sullivan, Keira Hohlbauch-Arcola, Charley Condill-Arthur, Katie Honchell-Sullivan.

Submitted
Mo-Co Rush Earns Second in Effingham
The 2015 Mo-Co Rush 10U competed in their first tournament of the spring/summer the weekend of April 25-26 in Effingham. The Rush came away with a second place finish and qualified for the 2015 NSA World Series in Indianapolis.
The Rush started the weekend against the Mattoon Cobras and one of the best pitchers in the area in Karlie Bean. It was their first outing of the season against Bean, and the Rush lost the opener 6-0. The Rush then won five straight games over Jasper County, St. Anthony, CI Diamonds, Mattoon Pride, and the Cobras. The last two wins came off of last inning come from behind finishes. They trailed the Pride, a team that defeated them twice in the fall, 5-2 heading into the bottom of the third but rallied to score two in the third, one in the fourth, and one in the bottom of the fifth to win. That win propelled them into the championship where they needed to defeat the Mattoon Cobras twice to win the title. In game one the Rush were down 7-4 in the bottom of the sixth when they rallied to score four runs to win the game and force the extra game. However, the Rush ran out of gas and lost 9-1 to the Cobras and Bean in the finale. Hit leaders for the weekend were Sullivan’s Kinley Hill and Arthur’s Alisha Frederick, both with seven each, while three others had four hits each. The trio of Arcola’s Keira Hohlbauch, Sullivan’s Katie Honchell, and Arthur’s Ryli Kauffman pitched well all weekend. Arthur’s Charley Condill also caught in six of the seven games and threw out eight base runners. The Rush travel to Charleston and Terre Haute in May for their next two tournaments. For more info on the Rush go to www.mocorush.com.
Pictured front row, left to right: Bailey Bennett-Bethany, Alisha Frederick-Arthur, Alaina Moore-Sullivan, Ryli Kauffman-Arthur, Mikaela Moore-Sullivan, Mackenzie Condill-Arthur. Back row: Kayla Schnippel-Mt. Zion, Mia Harris-Bethany, Kinley Hill-Sullivan, Keira Hohlbauch-Arcola, Charley Condill-Arthur, Katie Honchell-Sullivan.

Okaw Valley District Looking into Possibility of Closing Elementary School

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With state funding cuts, board discusses proactive vision for future

May 13, 2015

by Joash Tiarks
Bethany Reporter

At a special meeting May 4, after the culmination of more than an hour of discussion, the Okaw Valley School Board assigned superintendent Kent Stauder what amounts to a mini research project, some of which will deal with the possibility of closing the elementary school in Bethany.
Guest speaker Larry Dirks, Director of Field Services with the Illinois Association of School Boards, kicked off the meeting with a small presentation related to the district’s goals and objectives. Every few years the board reviews and updates their ‘Goals and Objectives” document, available on the okawvalley.org website, which is essentially a strategic plan for the coming years. Dirks’ presentation was aimed at giving the board tools to clarify and give focus to the objectives laid out in the document, outlining measurable steps toward their completion. This would help to give more clear direction as well as evaluate what progress has been made.
This is not the first time the veteran board has faced this process. The consensus among the board members was to remain proactive, with a long term plan, rather than try to react to whatever the state may or may not do.
“I don’t want to see us forced into anything,” board member Brooke Bartimus said. “I want to see us having a vision”. Read More

Sullivan Seniors Receive Recognition on Awards Night

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May 13, 2015

Listed below are the various scholarships/awards followed by the students who received them during Sullivan High School’s annual Awards Night, which was held May 6:
American Legion Post #68-Keegan Kruckeberg;Barbara Steffens Scholarship-Ariel Heppe; Billy Harris Educational Scholarship-Elissa Stewart and Tori Murphy; Blake Lane Scholarship-Jed Wheeler; Calvin Family Memorial Scholarship-Dakota Clayton; DAR Good Citizens Award-Kennedy Lucas; David Elzy Memorial Scholarship-Kenneth Farley and Nick Cravatta; Delmar Elder Scholarship-Becca Pratt; Dr. Joseph Schrodt/DMH Scholarship-Dylan Hart; Ellsworth & Nellie Lehman Collegiate-Brent Mauck; First National Bank Scholarship-Zac Mayberry; George A. Sentel Lodge #764-Kennedy Lucas; Helping Hands Scholarship-Liam Bechtold; J. Leonard Brown Scholarship-Ariel Heppe; Julio “Jibby” & Ruth Florini Memorial Scholarship-Keegan Kruckeberg; L.J. Hollonbeck Track Memorial Award-Emily Neuhauser; Leon Lane Memorial Scholarship-Dylan Hart; Lewis Lingafelter, Jr. Memorial Read More

Team Wise Benefit Planned for Saturday in Bethany

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Submitted Pictured is Christina Wise, a Bethany native that was recently diagnosed with Lyme Disease and is currently undergoing treatment. A benefit will be held this Saturday at the Bethany Fire House to raise money for her ongoing treatment and to raise awareness about the disease. Pictured along with Christina is her husband Wes and their children Amelia and Parker.

Submitted
Pictured is Christina Wise, a Bethany native that was recently diagnosed with Lyme Disease and is currently undergoing treatment. A benefit will be held this Saturday at the Bethany Fire House to raise money for her ongoing treatment and to raise awareness about the disease. Pictured along with Christina is her husband Wes and their children Amelia and Parker.

Mother/daughter from Bethany each suffer from Lyme Disease

May 13, 2015
by Ariana Cherry
Arthur/Sullivan Reporter

Mothers and daughters hope to share many parts of their lives together as they grow older. That may include dances, weddings or even children. But one thing that mothers and daughters hope not to share - is battling the same disease.
Christina Wise has had Lyme Disease for at least 20 to 25 years.The doctors believe she contracted the disease between the age of five to seven years old. Her mother Karen Allen was diagnosed in November of 2014 after experiencing chronic fatigue and major joint pain in her knees, hips and elbows. Since then, the two have been battling the disease together.
“It’s unknown how I contracted it. I was probably five to seven years old. We don’t ever remember a tick biting me, and I never had the bulls eye rash, (a rash that gradually spreads over about 12 inches as part of it clears -appearing like a “bull’s-eye” -CDC.gov) but we went camping and fishing all the time. We were constantly outdoors,” noted Wise. “My mom asked me to get tested. I always had a bad immune system, but we never thought I was ever this sick and that there was a reason for my sickness,” she added. After having a Western Blot Test, (a test done that confirms the diagnosis and detects antibodies), it was confirmed that Wise had Lyme Disease. Read More

Building a Total Loss in Sunday Afternoon Fire

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Photo by RR Best Local firefighters work to extinguish a blaze that fully engulfed a building and two vehicles at the Kaskaskia Biological Station west of Allenville Sunday afternoon.

Photo by RR Best
Local firefighters work to extinguish a blaze that fully engulfed a building and two vehicles at the Kaskaskia Biological Station west of Allenville Sunday afternoon.

Biological station near Allenville suffers damage

May 6, 2015

by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com

A fire that occurred Sunday afternoon resulted in the total loss of a garage-type structure, a camper, and two vehicles parked nearby.
According to Sullivan fire captain Larry Edwards, his department received an emergency call at around 2:02 p.m. Sunday of a fire located at the Kaskaskia Biological Station west of Allenville, also more commonly known locally as Fish Hook. Sullivan personnel arrived at approximately 2:18 p.m. and observed a garage-type structure that had been converted into a conference/break room fully engulfed, in addition to two parked vehicles and a camper. Read More

Miss Arthur 2015

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BeccaGreathouse GraciePlank

Submitted Miss Arthur Above are the three young ladies who will be competing for the crown of Miss Arthur at the Miss Arthur Pageant Saturday, May 9 beginning at 7 p.m. From top to bottom: Becca Greathouse, a college freshman who is sponsored by AAEDC Arthur Area Economic Development Corporation and whose parents are Jay Martin & Tracey Greathouse; Gracie Plank, a 10th grader who is sponsored by CHI and whose parents are Mike & Lashelle Plank; and Hannah Leal, an 11th grader who is also sponsored by CHI and whose mother is Liz Garza.

Submitted
Miss Arthur
Above are the three young ladies who will be competing for the crown of Miss Arthur at the Miss Arthur Pageant Saturday, May 9 beginning at 7 p.m. From top to bottom: Becca Greathouse, a college freshman who is sponsored by AAEDC Arthur Area Economic Development Corporation and whose parents are Jay Martin & Tracey Greathouse; Gracie Plank, a 10th grader who is sponsored by CHI and whose parents are Mike & Lashelle Plank; and Hannah Leal, an 11th grader who is also sponsored by CHI and whose mother is Liz Garza.