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VFW Post 6410 Voice of Democracy
Second Place
The VFW Post 6410 second place local winner was Olivia Cordes who is pictured with Jennifer Hobbs.
VFW Post 6410 Voice of Democracy Second Place
VFW Post 6410 Patriot’s Pen
photo furnished
VFW Post 6410 Patriot’s Pen
The VFW Post 6410 recently sponsored the Patriot’s Pen and Voice of Democracy essay contests. All three local winners of the Patriot’s Pen contest were from Okaw Valley. They were first place-Benjamin Engler, second place-Jonnie Hart and third place-Magdalene Patient. Engler went on to win second place at the District 11 judging. They are pictured with Jennifer Hobbs.
Assistant States Attorney Addresses Lawsuit from Zillow During Board Meeting
•February 21, 2024•
by Crystal Reed
The Moultrie County Assistant States Attorney Elizabeth Dobson spoke during the regular meeting of the County Board on February 15 about a lawsuit that has been brought up against the Moultrie County Office of Assessments. Dobson said that the case is a public case and open file that anyone can look at. The case number in Piatt County is 2021-MR-37. She said it is a lawsuit under the Freedom of Information Act that started in August of 2021. “The Zillow company retained a law firm from Springfield, that specializes in FOIA lawsuits,” she said “Make no mistake that Moultrie County is being targeted here.”
Dobson said that if anyone has questions about this lawsuit or the Assessment Office, Lori Barringer cannot answer questions at this time because the lawsuit is still pending. She said that she has seen many things on social media in regards to the case and questions regarding it. Dobson said the attorney’s filed the lawsuit against Moultrie County and the Assessment Office. Read More
East Central Illinois Area on Aging Holds Moultrie-Douglas County Conversation
•February 14, 2024•
by Crystal Reed
The East Central Illinois Area On Aging (ECIAAA) held the Moultrie-Douglas county conversation at the Elizabeth Titus Memorial Library Thursday, February 8. The mission of the ECIAAA is to lead and advocate for inclusive resources and services that empower their optimal aging of Central Illinois’ diverse older adults, individuals with disabilities and their care partners. The three objectives of these programs are to present the FY 2023 Performance Outcomes Report to the Public on the Older Americans Act, obtain input from County Conversation Participants on how they can improve services provided and serve as an advocacy platform to inform lawmakers of the importance of these programs. Read More
Multiple Departments Respond to Structure Fire in Bethany
photo by R.R. Best
Bethany firefighters/first responders, John Smith and Dakota Briggs give medical attention to one of the two dogs that was found and rescued from the structure fire on Friday, February 9.
•February 14, 2024•
The Bethany Fire Department was dispatched for a structure fire at 11:53 am on Friday, February 9. They arrived within a few minutes to find fire coming out of one window. Crews did an initial attack from the yard while the scene was being sized up determining a room and contents on fire. Read More
Sullivan Area Ministerial Association Holds Open House
photo by Crystal Reed
Sullivan Area Ministerial Association Holds Open House
The Sullivan Area Ministerial Association (SAMA) held an open house event at Sweet Vail on Wednesday, February 7. The event gave members of the community the opportunity to talk to local pastors and learn about the activities and initiatives that their churches are involved in.
Take Charge of Your Diabetes Classes Being Offered
•February 7, 2024•
Diabetes is on the rise but can be a very manageable illness. If you or someone you care for has diabetes or is pre-diabetic, why not learn how to more effectively “take charge” and live an active and fulfilling life? Take Charge of Your Diabetes is designed to teach those with diabetes tools and techniques to help them become better health managers. Read More
Local Emergency Responders Obtain Certification
•February 7, 2024•
Twenty local first responders recently completed an Emergency Medical Responder course held in Sullivan. Fourteen members from the Sullivan Fire Protection District and six members from the Bethany Fire Protection District participated in the six week course that took over 56 hours to complete. The class met two evenings a week and every other Saturday to meet all the objectives of the program.
Students developed skills in the assessment and treatment of childbirth, respiratory, environmental, behavioral, traumatic and many other medical emergencies that they could encounter working in the prehospital setting. Read More
Award Winning Sullivan Quilter Speaks at Arthur Public Library
photo by Crystal Reed
Karen Edwards of Sullivan talks about quilting at Arthur Public Library on Saturday, February 3. She spoke about the quilting techniques she uses to make art quilts and showed some of her original creations and well as quilts made from others designs. She is pictured with an original quilt called My Mother’s Window of a stained glass window from her childhood home.
•February 7, 2024•
by Crystal Reed
Karen Edwards of Sullivan presented a program Saturday, February 3 at Arthur Public Library on the techniques she uses to create art quilts and some of the supplies used in the process. She was the Grand Prize winner at the 2023 Amish Country Spring Quilt Show in Arthur with a quilt titled “My Childhood Home.” Edwards learned to sew at the age of nine because she wanted to make a dress.
She first got into quilting when she became engaged, and she sorted through fabrics and made a scrap quilt. After she retired, she decided to return to making quilts. In the beginning of the pandemic, she made masks and noted that she stopped counting after she made 500. Read More
Holocaust Education Center Announces New Art and Writing Contest for Area Students
•January 31, 2024•
Local student artists, writers, and filmmakers are invited to submit pieces to Through Their Eyes: A Holocaust Art and Writing Contest sponsored by the Holocaust Education Center of the Champaign-Urbana Jewish Federation.
The deadline for submissions by 5th through 12th grade students who attend public, private, or home schools in Champaign, Clark, Coles, Cumberland, Douglas, Edgar, Ford, Macon, Moultrie, Piatt, Shelby, and Vermilion counties is March 22, 2024.
“We hope that area students and their teachers will participate in this new contest,” said Rebecca Lawson, a co-director of the Holocaust Education Center and director of the contest. Read More