Commissioner Bill Hagen Retires from Sullivan Council

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•February 22, 2017• By Ariana Cherry for the News Progress “It has been my pleasure to sit on city council and with all the commissioners….I wish the council good luck on behalf of the city residents,” said commissioner Bill Hagen as he announced his retirement, effective March 27, 2017. Health and Safety Commissioner Hagen began working for the city of Sullivan at the age of 13 and later enlisted in the Army. After returning from the Army, Hagen returned to work for the city once again. “The city has been very good to me,” he concluded. Mayor Ann Short and … Read More

Obituaries 2-22-2017: Johnny B. Ralph

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Johnny B. Ralph Johnny B. Ralph, 91, of Decatur died Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2017 in his home. Funeral services were held at 1 p.m. Friday in Brintlinger and Earl Funeral Home in Decatur. Burial with military rites by Macon County Honor Guard was in Friends Creek Cemetery in Argenta. … Read More

Recent Obituaries: Mary Jane Harshbarger

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Mary Jane Harshbarger  Mary Jane Harshbarger (affectionately known as “Teeter”), 90, of Springfield, IL, originally of Atwood, IL passed away gracefully at 3:50 a.m., Friday, February 10, 2017 at HSHS St. John’s Hospital, Springfield, IL. Mary Jane was born on December 25, 1926, the adopted daughter of Leslie and Alta (Green) Collins. She married Robert E. Harshbarger in 1962 and he later preceded her in death in addition to her parents and sister, Martha Jean Swartz. Survivors include her nephew, Eric “Nick” Swartz, and many great and great-great nieces and nephews. Once a Candy Striper, Teeter is known to those … Read More

Recent Obituaries: Randy Lee Crowe

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Randy Lee Crowe Randy Lee Crowe, 59, of Flora, formerly of Sullivan, passed away 7:47 p.m. Tuesday, February 14, 2017, at Carbondale Memorial Hospital. Funeral services will be held 2:30 p.m. Saturday, February 18, 2017, at McMullin-Young Funeral Home, Sullivan. Visitation will be held one hour before the services. Burial will be in French Cemetery, Allenville, with Military Rites by the Sullivan American Legion Post #68. Memorials may be made to the Prairie Heart Institute. Randy was born August 1, 1957, in Mattoon, the son of Hue Tim and Ruth (Moran) Crowe. His family was an important part of his … Read More

Obituaries 2-15-2017: Paul Stone

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Paul Stone Paul Stone, 101, passed away February 11, 2017 in his home in Sullivan. Visitation will be 5-7 p.m. Friday, February 17 in McMullin-Young Funeral Home, 503 W. Jackson in Sullivan with Masonic Rites at 7 p.m. by the George A. Sentel Lodge #764 of Sullivan. Services to celebrate Paul’s life will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, February 18 in Sullivan First United Methodist Church, 216 W. Jefferson in Sullivan. Burial will follow in Greenhill Cemetery in Sullivan. … Read More

Local Players Advance in Three Point Competition

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•February 15, 2017• Okaw Valley junior guard Paige Robinson and Sullivan junior guard Lizzie Green advanced out of their respective regionals to the IHSA sectional Three Point Showdown competition next week. Robinson enjoyed home court advantage and made 10-for-15 in her competition at the Class 1A regional at Bethany, Thursday. Robinson is scheduled to shoot at 5:30 p.m. in Arcola Thursday, Feb 16. … Read More

Understanding Illinois: We Live In A Dicey Cyber World

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•February 15, 2017• By Jim Nowlan NP Guest Columnist I was at a desktop computer in a public library recently when the internet went down. The distraught looks of my fellow library patrons stimulated me to wonder how they (and I) would react if a real digital disaster struck. That same afternoon my New Yorker arrived, carrying a disturbing article about how so many Silicon Valley centi-millionaires and above are making plans for the apocalypse (“Survival of the Richest,” Evan Osnos, Jan. 30). Osnos reports that as many as half of these entrepreneurs are preparing, for example, by having laser … Read More