ALAH Board Uses Sales Tax Funds to Improve Elementary School

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New Members Join Board •May 3, 2017• By Ariana Cherry for the News Progress Superintendent, Kenny Schwengel told Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond board membersat the last meeting that the negative balance in the transportation fund will require a transfer from the education fund. The school district has not received any categorical payments, but the superintendent is hopeful a payment will arrive by June. He explained the district should get the total owed by the state after July 1 (the beginning of the next fiscal year). The total of all funds currently is $4,390,299.64. At the May meeting a tentative budget will be presented, … Read More

SOV Girls’ Track Captures Top Six Spots at Lady Sage Invite

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•May 3, 2017• By Jason Brown NP Sports The Sullivan-Okaw Valley girls’ track and field team competed in two meets despite the rainy weather this week. Thursday at the 18-team Monticello Lady Sages Invitational, Sullivan had four athletes place in the top six spots. Alaya Bolin tossed the shot put 32 feet 9.5 inches for fourth place, and Esther Miller high jumped 4 foot 8 inches for fourth place. Natalie Drury followed with a high jump of 4 foot 4 inches for sixth place, and Laine Cameron placed sixth in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 52.72. The Redskins … Read More

OVHS Student Awarded Shuman Memorial Scholarship

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•May 3, 2017• Kristina Burford of Bethany has been named recipient of the 2017 Charles B. Shuman Memorial Scholarship sponsored by the Moultrie County Farm Bureau. Ms. Burford is the daughter of Paul Burford and Elizabeth Burford. Kristina is currently a senior at Okaw Valley High School. Kristina plans to attend Lake Land College and then transfer to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She plans to study Ag Education.  … Read More

Okaw Valley Wins Big Over Broncos

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•May 3, 2017• The Okaw Valley baseball team defeated Cerro Gordo-Bement but lost its first game in more than five weeks to Morrisonville. Against the Broncos Monday night, the Timberwolves ended the game in the third inning with a 15-0 lead. OV scored seven runs in the first inning and eight runs in the second. The offense totaled 10 hits, and the defense played errorless in the field. Taylor Coleman, Hayden Francisco and Garrett Fritz each recorded two hits. Fritz also had a game-high five RBIs. Sam Hagerman and Hutson Dickens each had three RBIs. Coleman pitched a one-hit shutout … Read More

What You Can Teach Your Grandchild About Social Security

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•May 3, 2017• By Gerald Tilley Social Security District Manager One of the greatest gifts you can give a grandchild is the gift of financial literacy. Helping them save money early in life and showing them how to make wise spending decisions goes a long way toward a bright financial future. As they get older, they may want to save for special purchases or their college education. You can encourage them when they get their first job to begin saving for the future, including their retirement. Planning for the Future with my Social Security … Read More

Understanding Illinois: The Pols Won’t Do It, So You Balance State Budget

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•May 3, 2017• By Jim Nowlan NP Guest Columnist As we enter a third year without a state budget, I turn to readers to close a gap of about $9 billion between state expenditures of $72 billion (hard numbers difficult to nail down, as no budget) and annual revenues of about $63 billion. There are of course two ways to do this: cut expenditures and/or increase revenues. Nearby I lay out a necessarily compressed and incomplete set of prominent, quite real budget options. Can you select among the options to come up with $9 billion in actions that would close … Read More

Historic Amish Workshop To Be Moved To The New Amish Heritage Center

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•May 3, 2017• The historic 1860s workshop of Moses Yoder, one of the first three Amish settlers in the Arthur/Arcola area, will be moved to the new Illinois Amish Heritage Center located just west of Chesterville. The workshop is one of the earliest Amish buildings in the area. Moses Yoder purchased his farm east of Arthur in 1865. Soon after, he built a two-story, timber-frame house and various farm buildings. His house was moved to the Amish Heritage Center last September along with the 1882 Daniel Schrock house. The workshop was originally a multi-purpose building used for woodworking, blacksmithing, harness … Read More