Sullivan seniors ‘Dine with a Doc’: Alzheimer’s

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•February 11, 2026•

Photo by DM Williamee
Jake Lehr, Senior Program Manager for the Central Illinois Alzheimer’s Association, Illinois Chapter.

by DM Williamee

On Tuesday, February 3rd, the Mid-Illinois Senior Services hosted their monthly ‘Dine with a Doc.’ Their guest speaker was Jake Lehr, Senior Program Manager for the Central Illinois Alzheimer’s Association, Illinois Chapter. This highly engaging guest informed attendees about dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, from early detection and warning signs, therapies, and other forms of support, to healthy brain habits. Lehr clarified that dementia is an umbrella term for loss of memory and other thinking abilities severe enough to interfere with daily life, including the following: Alzheimer’s, vascular, Lewy body, frontotemporal, others, such as Huntington’s, and mixed dementia, which may have more than one cause. Lehr shared that everyone experiences Alzheimer’s differently and that Illinois is the first state in the nation to enact legislation mandating both state-regulated and private insurance plans to cover FDA-approved treatments, medications, and necessary diagnostic testing for Alzheimer’s disease. 

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Groundhog Day 2026: six more weeks of winter

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•February 4, 2026•

by DM Williamee

Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow on February 2nd, 2026, predicting six more weeks of winter. The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club confirmed that the groundhog saw his shadow at 7:25 a.m. EST in Gobbler’s Knob, Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, signaling a continuation of cold weather. 

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City declares water emergency 

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•February 4, 2026•

by Sharon Barricklow

Sullivan residents are restricted in some areas of water usage through February after the Sullivan City Council declared a Water Emergency at their January 26th meeting. A water emergency means non-essential water usage, specifically turf irrigation, filling swimming pools, and personal car washing during the emergency are punishable by a $750 fine. 

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February: ongoing polar vortex activity?

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•February 4, 2026•

by DM Williamee

As if the recent snowfall, wind, and colder temperatures were not sufficient to get everyone’s attention as we rang in the New Year, it is being predicted that the frigid weather will continue despite a warmer forecast over the next week to ten days. According to the National Weather Service, NOAA, and as cited by Accuweather, February is expected to bring with it an intense polar vortex, chilling weather patterns. A polar vortex refers to a large area of low pressure and cold air surrounding the Earth’s poles. When it weakens or shifts, it can push frigid air into lower latitudes. One is expected to impact the Midwest with another round of cold temperatures, brought down even colder with wind chills factored in

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SNAP benefits change now in effect

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•February 4, 2026•

by DM Williamee

Beginning on February 1st, SNAP benefits changes were put into motion by H.R. 1, or the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill Act’, signed into law last July 4th. This legislation enacted major changes to federal taxes, Medicaid, and other programs, becoming Public Law 119-21. The primary impact on SNAP is the changes to the work requirements. Adults aged 18 to 64 without dependents under age 14 must work, participate in employment and training programs, or volunteer at least 80 hours each month to receive benefits.

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Empower Academy’s Dance hosts preview showcase

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Empower Academy’s Dance Competition Team hosted its annual Preview Showcase at Sullivan Elementary School on Sunday, January 18th. Friends, family, and the public were invited to attend and view the team’s 28 different routines. Competition season for the team begins in just a few weeks.
This year’s team is made up of 29 dancers who range in age from 5 to 17 and come from Sullivan and surrounding towns. Members include (in no particular photo order): Adalee Foster, Addi Finn, Alayna Ard, Alayna Young, Aubrey Young, Aubrie Payne, Blair Camp, Brinnley Hobbs, Caroline Hobbs, Claire Kelly, Gianna Krieger, Hadlee Blakey, Harper Smith, Josslyn Brown, Kaylee Hostettler, Knox Weakly, Lexi Yoder, Lucille Pope, Mara Inman, Miah Voegel, Sophie Elliott, Sophie Foster, Synthea Doss, Tiffany Hostetler, Tinley Krieger, Vaeda Spencer, Zoe Lynch, and Zola Krieger. Empower Academy’s Dance Director is Melissa Krieger.

Sullivan’s First United Methodist has interim pastor

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•February 4, 2026•

by DM Williamee

Beginning on January 1st through to June 2026, Sullivan’s First United Methodist Church has an interim pastor, Mike Smith, a busy man. Pastor Smith is a retired UMC pastor with over fifty years of pastoral experience in local churches, serving in numerous conference leadership roles through the years. After retiring in 2020, he was appointed by three different bishops to serve several churches that needed short-term, transformative leadership. He has also developed an innovative/experimental program for churches to turn their stories around, with five churches currently engaged. He is also a part-time professional (certified) tour guide for Chicago, writes a blog, speaks at conferences, and has published a book (with more writing in the works) titled “Teaching the Preacher to Curse.” His wife Jie is the pastor of the Mansfield United Methodist Church, and they have three daughters and four grandchildren. 

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Sullivan Fire and Protection District: a busy 2025 saw more calls

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•February 4, 2026•

by DM Williamee

We see the lights and hear the sirens as the SFPD trucks mobilize on a call, but oftentimes we don’t see or know the outcome of that call. No story is reported in the newspaper or released online, and nothing is coming down the grapevine. That does not mean, however, that nothing important occurred on that call. Sullivan Fire Protection District’s team of staff and volunteers is continuously hard at work, and what we see is a small fraction of what happens behind the headlines. When not out on a call, the Sullivan Fire Protection District staff is involved in a multitude of diverse duties such as ongoing training, smoke detector installations, pre-plan development, and maintenance on a daily, weekly, and monthly (always ongoing) basis. And this list is not all-encompassing.

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Vote by mail disrupted, USPS changes impact widespread

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•January 28, 2026•

by DM Williamee

On December 24th, 2025, the United States Postal Service (USPS) officially implemented new procedures for dating mail—reflecting when it is processed at a Regional Processing and Distribution Center (RPDC) rather than when it is dropped off at a local post office. Ballots also will no longer be automatically considered priority mail, increasing the amount of time it will take to deliver them. These changes are part of the “Delivering for America” (DFA) plan to consolidate processing into regional hubs, which began implementing service standard refinements on April 1st, 2025. The new rule, which updates Section 608.11 of the Domestic Mail Manual (DMM), became effective December 24th, 2025. Sweeping changes to regionalized, automated postmarking is part of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s 10-year modernization plan. 

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Bethany American Legion donates to Danville VA

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On December 15th, Sam Scott, representing Bethany American Legion Post 507, donated an Infinity game board with an anti-blue light filter, gift cards to local restaurants, and several packages of t-shirts to the Danville Veterans Administration. Pictured is Sam Scott with Margie Hamilton, Volunteer Services. “This is something that we have done for many years to help out Illinois Veterans and provide for their needs.”