Bluebirds Abound in Tabor Park

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•June 6, 2018• By Ellen Ferrera for the News Progress The trees in Tabor Park are alive with the sounds of four pairs of nesting bluebirds.  They are there because Bill Burger saw one while running one day and set about to attract more. To date, he has built and installed 14 bluebird boxes in the park and Greenhill Cemetery. A retired speech pathologist from Mattoon High School, Burger has always been an avid outdoorsman and does a lot of woodworking. It was natural to combine his two interests to benefit the park where he runs almost every day. In … Read More

June Walk Around For Fourth Fireworks Fund 

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•June 6, 2018• Fourth of July in Sullivan introduces a 55 foot Ferris wheel during the 2018 American Legion Post 68 sponsored event. Conner Family Amusements of Beardstown is ushering in their second year by introducing the Ferris wheel along with a variety of kid friendly and adult thrilling rides. Central States Fireworks of Athens is presenting the fireworks display in Wyman Park for the third year. … Read More

Miss Moultrie-Douglas Pageant 

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•June 6, 2018• Miss Moultrie-Douglas Fair pageant is accepting applications. Any young ladies who would like to participate in the 2018 Miss Moultrie-Douglas pageants – Miss (16-21), Jr Miss (11-14), Little Miss (4-6) should contact Sandy Hoke at 493-3583 or visit the website www.moultriedouglascountyfair.com and download the applications. Deadline for turning in applications is June 8. The new Miss Moultrie-Douglas will receive a $2000 scholarship. Scholarships will also be given to the first and second runners-up. … Read More

Understanding Illinois: Don’t Count On More Gambling To Save Illinois

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•June 6, 2018• By Jim Nowlan NP Guest Columnist State governments are salivating now that the US Supreme Court has cleared the way for them to authorize sports gambling, a legal (Nevada only right now) and illegal industry that experts say dwarfs the lotteries and casinos in dollars wagered. But don’t count on any future state tax revenues from sports betting to make a dent in our state’s huge budget deficit. Illinois has seven forms of legal gambling, in order of tax revenue to the state: the lottery, video gambling, casinos, horse racing, bingo, pull-tab and jar games. State revenue … Read More

WSS Hatchets Make Dream Come True

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2018 IHSA Class 1A State Champions By Jason Brown NP Sports Editor The Windsor-Stewardson-Strasburg softball team made school history with its first trip to the IHSA Class 1A State Softball tournament at the Eastside Centre in East Peoria Friday and Saturday. And they made the most of it, winning both games to capture their first ever state championship softball trophy. Friday the Hatchets traveled nearly two hours to play Argenta-Oreana, a team less than 35 miles away, then took on the Goreville Blackcats for the state championship game Saturday. The game against Goreville, originally scheduled for the afternoon, was changed to … Read More

Recent Obituaries: Michael Porter

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Michael Porter Michael W. Porter, 60, of Atwood, formerly of Sullivan, passed away 10:51 a.m. Thursday, May 31, 2018 in Carle Foundation Hospital, Urbana. Funeral services will be held 11:00 a.m. Monday, June 4, 2018 at McMullin-Young Funeral Home, Sullivan. Visitation will be held from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. Sunday, June 3, 2018 at McMullin-Young Funeral Home, Sullivan. Burial will be in Marrowbone Township Cemetery, Bethany. Memorials may be made to the donor’s choice. Mike was born November 13, 1957 in Decatur, the son of James W. and Dorothy Mae (Allen)Porter. He was a graduate of Sullivan High School in … Read More

Recent Obituaries: Clarence Ingram

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Clarence Ingram CLARENCE L. “DOC” INGRAM, 97, of Oakland, IL passed away at 5:45 A.M. on Tuesday, May 29, 2018 at Mattoon Rehabilitation and Health Care Center. Funeral services will be held at 6:00 P.M. on Friday, June 1, 2018 at the Edwards Funeral Home, 221 East Main St., Arcola, IL. Rev. Kent Conover will officiate. Burial will be in the Hugo cemetery at a later date. Visitation will be held two hours prior to the funeral from 4:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M. at the funeral home. Clarence was born on February 1, 1921 in Hugo, IL. He was a … Read More

Validating the Importance Of a Moment and a Memory

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•May 30, 2018• By Ariana Cherry of The News Progress The gym was filed with high energy and excitement as the Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond class of 2018 walked down the aisle to graduation – the last chapter of their lives as school students which they had been anticipating for so many years. Summer had set in early, and waves of commencement programs fluttered back and forth as family, friends and school faculty fanned themselves to stay cool. It was time to send another class of students out into the world. Sitting there, it was easy to reminisce of my own personal high … Read More

Summer Reading Kicks Off At Elizabeth Titus Library

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•May 30, 2018• By Ariana Cherry for The News Progress School is out, summer is here and the kids are home for the next couple of months. Before the summer “boredom” kicks in make sure they pick up a book and join in the reading fun at the Elizabeth Titus Memorial Library in Sullivan. The summer reading kick off is 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Friday, June 1. There will be no cost to the public-everything is free! The kids will have plenty of fun with kid carnival type games, two inflatables, a life-sized Candyland game, a book walk, crafts, cotton candy … Read More