Recent Obituaries: Barry Hagerman

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Barry Hagerman Barry Vandeveer Hagerman, 61, of Sullivan, died 4:16 p.m. Wednesday (July 6, 2016) in his home.  Funeral services will be 11:00 a.m. Sunday at the Elim Springs Church of Jesus Christ, Sullivan with Felix Hagerman and Vanessa Patient officiating. Burial will be in the Greenhill Cemetery. Visitation will be one hour before the funeral at the church. Online condolences may be sent to the family at reedfuneralhome.net. Memorials are suggested to the Elim Springs Church of Jesus Christ. Reed Funeral Home, Sullivan is in charge of arrangements.  Barry was born March 4, 1955 in Champaign, IL, the son … Read More

Recent Obituaries: Rene’e Downs

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Rene’e Downs Rene’e Lucille Downs, 62, of Lovington passed away 8:10 a.m. Tuesday, July 5, 2016, at Decatur Memorial Hospital. A Memorial Service will be held at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, July 23, 2016, at McMullin-Young Funeral Home, Lovington. Visitation will be held an hour before the service on Saturday at the funeral home in Lovington. Memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society. Rene’e was born on December 27, 1953, in Fairfield, CA, the daughter of Stanley Martin and Janet Ruby (Whitehouse) Rothenbuecher. She enjoyed cooking, fishing, camping, playing the guitar and singing, but most of all she loved … Read More

First Mid-Illinois Bancshares Joins Russell 3000® Index

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•July 6, 2016• First Mid-Illinois Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ: FMBH) today announced that, effective after the US market opened on June 27, it joined the Russell 3000® Index following the Russell US Indexes annual reconstitution. Annual reconstitution of the Russell US indexes captures the 4,000 largest US stocks as of the end of May, ranking them by total market capitalization. Membership in the US all-cap Russell 3000® Index, which remains in place for one year, means automatic inclusion in the large-cap Russell 1000® Index or small-cap Russell 2000® Index, as well as the appropriate growth and value style indexes. FTSE Russell … Read More

Extension Programs: Helping People Help Themselves

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•July 6, 2016• By Emily Stutzman For the New Progress University of Illinois Extension is about helping people help themselves.” This is how Cheri Burcham, Family Life Educator with the University of Illinois Extension, describes her job in a nutshell. Burcham has worked with Extension since 1998 and says that the chance to reach people of all ages, empowering them and assisting them in attaining a better quality of life, is what makes her career so worthwhile. Burcham covers the five counties of Coles, Douglas, Moultrie, Cumberland, and Shelby and is one of the six Family Life Educators in the … Read More

Critical Response, Safety Programs at IEMA , Move Forward With Funds

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•July 6, 2016• Illinois Emergency Management Agency continue its mission to protect the residents of Illinois from a variety of hazards and respond to disasters throughout the state following the state’s funding approval. “This spending plan is good news for IEMA and our many local public safety partners,” said IEMA Director James K. Joseph. “We sincerely appreciate the efforts of the governor and the General Assembly in ensuring that these critical public safety programs can continue, and we look forward to passage of a balanced budget with structural reforms in the near future.” SB 2047 will allow IEMA to allocate … Read More

Director Leaves, Economic Development Moves Forward

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Sullivan Honors McMahon •July 6, 2016• By Mike Brothers Sullivan Chamber and Economic Development improved the city in the 13 years Stepheny McMahon served as director; times are changing though. The first director’s last day is Friday, July 8 as she moves on to First Mid Illinois Bank, and Laurrie Minor is interim director during the search. Members of the economic development committee gathered at Cathrine’s Gallery Gifts & More last week to reflect on economic development’s role since the committee started 13 years ago. Before Ann Short was mayor she was among the founding members of the city’s Economic … Read More