Photo by The Tintype, Arthur, IL
Mary Kate Singer and Curtis Plank were selected as Arthur/Lovington’s homecoming queen and king during the coronation Saturday, September 28.
Homecoming Queen and King
Poe Advances to Brown Belt
Submitted
Amber Poe, 13, daughter of Donald and Rhonda Poe of Sullivan has advanced to the level of brown belt in Taekwondo as well as the leadership class and qualified in sparring, weapons, form, and extreme martial arts.
Poe has been in Taekwondo for two years.
Color & Cardio Combo Helps Raise Money for Theatre
Photo by RR Best
Participants from Saturday's Dart for the Arts put a little funk in their step around Wyman Park in Sullivan.
Skippers, walkers, and runners partake
by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com
Parts of Wyman Park saw a colorful, if not temporary, string of runners, walkers, skippers, and the like Saturday evening for the inaugural Dart for the Arts 5k fundraiser.
Organized by Little Theatre company manager Mallory Murphy as a fundraiser for the Theatre, the event put a refreshing twist on what for some is an old habit, and for others, just plain boring.
Participants made their way through Wyman Park as volunteers hurled various colors of cornstarch at them, resulting in a rainbow of runners. Read More
Government Shutdown’s Effects Felt at Home
Both immediate and perhaps imminent effects in Moultrie
by Keith Stewart
keith@newsprogress.com
With the hand striking midnight Tuesday, the Federal Government officially shut down after House Republicans put several provisions in the appropriations bill, including one that delayed the individual mandate for the ACA by a year. The Senate, which has a democratic majority, rejected the bill, prompting the shutdown.
The shuddering of the government will affect thousands of federal workers with furloughs as well as citizens to varying degrees including those here in Moultrie County and central Illinois. Read More
Okaw Valley Cuts Budget Deficit Second Year in a Row
Board approves budget for 13-14 fiscal year
by Derek Pope
Bethany Reporter
Okaw Valley administrators have released their budget for the district’s 2013-2014 school year and the numbers appear promising.
A downward trend in the deficit two years in a row seems to indicate that administrators are curtailing a budgetary shortfall that arose back in 2011. The progress comes despite significant uncertainty in federal and state funding for schools throughout Illinois, particularly for smaller districts such as Okaw Valley, and amidst the appointment of a new superintendent for the district, Kent Stauder, following former superintendent Joel Hackney’s resignation this summer. Read More
After Nearly Three Years, Skatepark Officially Opens
Photo by Darian Hays
Lovington native Daniel Ledbetter was one of the first to give the new skatepark a go Monday.
Children in abundance Monday night for ribbon cutting
by Florence Hallford
Lovington Reporter
On January 29, 2011, two families from Lovington received news of a car accident that claimed the lives of Michael Martin and his two sons, Bryson and Braxton, as well as the children’s friend Dakota Hoffman.
As soon as the families and friends could begin coping with the loss, Chris and Candi Bennett, parents of Hoffman, began researching a way to honor the children.
Almost a year after the accident, the idea of a skatepark had surfaced, a way to reflect the childrens’ favorite activity: skateboarding. That January, the fundraising process began, and after a little more than another year, the Bennett family had raised $50,000, thanks in part to the surrounding communities. Read More
Council Approves Rezoning, Takes Step Closer To Alleviating Flood Issues
Barry Featheringill
Sullivan Reporter
In a brief city council meeting Monday, Sullivan officials approved the rezoning of property along the railroad tracks near S. Worth and Wagoner streets.
Commissioner Mike Kirk abstained from voting, as the property is located right across from his personal property. Kirk did express concern about drainage, and Jan Haegen of the zoning board pointed out that “before any building could be done, plans will have to be submitted and issues such as the water run off would be addressed at the time.”
The property owner, Bryan Vahling, requesting the change from R-3 to B-1 stated the “project would not be completed until sometime in the spring at the earliest,” and that he would have an engineer do a site plan before any work was done. It was also noted that much of the property along the railroad track is zoned for commercial usage. The council approved the rezoning with two commissioners and the mayor voting yes, one council member absent and one abstaining from voting. Read More
Oktoberfest to Enjoy a Decade of Entertaining with Both New and Returning Attractions
Mechanical bull ride to present fun challenge for courageous takers
By Christina Whitford
Sullivan Reporter
As the weather changes and we move into fall, the Sullivan Chamber and Economic Development office is working to prepare for Sullivan’s annual Oktoberfest event.
“This event is the longest running festival in Sullivan. It has been going for 10 years, which is even longer than the Festival of Stars,” explained Chamber Administrator Laurrie Minor. Read More
King & Queen
Photo by Jeni Yantis
Okaw Valley High School crowned Brody Sparks and Abigail Weybright as their 2013 homecoming king and queen at Saturday night’s dance.
Arthur-Lovington School Board Adopts Budget
Despite reorganization incentive funds being cut, budget in the black
by Ariana Cherry
Arthur/Sullivan Reporter
The Arthur-Lovington School Board adopted a new tentative budget for the 2013-2014 school year last Wednesday, with a beginning cash balance on hand of $2,125,989 as of July 1, 2013. The district estimates their ending cash balance at $1,598,966 for June 30, 2014.
“It’s a little better than I thought it would be a few years ago,” commented Superintendent Travis Wilson. “All funds are in the black.
“We received a few more thousand dollars from the state incentive money that we were promised,” Wilson noted. Arthur-Lovington’s second year reorganization incentive funding was cut by $121,000. Wilson stated that he was currently working to secure the rest of the funds by contacting state representatives. Read More