News Progress

•May 18, 2016• Millikin University will celebrate its Spring Commencement with two ceremonies the weekend of May 21-22. Millikin’s traditional ceremony for students will be 2 p.m. Sunday, May 22 in the Decatur Civic Center. Millikin will host a ceremony for graduates of its Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Degree Program and Master of Business Administration (MBA) Degree Program at 7 p.m. Saturday, May 21 in Albert Taylor Theatre inside Shilling Hall on Millikin’s campus. Tickets are required for admission to both ceremonies. Traditional Student Commencement … Read More

Compiled by Bekki Ferguson-Stevens 25 Years Ago This Week Several ribbons were awarded during the Festival of Stars sand sculpture contest Saturday in Sullivan. In the preschool category Emilee Sanders won first place for her volcano sculpture, and Andrew Crawford, with the help of his brother Chris won second place. Alex Knobloch and Matt Mossman won first place for their castle in the K-2 category. Second place went to Dane White. In the 3-5 category, Lori Halford won first place for her castle, and Casey Matthews and Norah Hanford won second for their turtle. Seventy-eight runners participated in the Festival of … Read More

•May 18, 2016• Plans underway for seventh Annual Amish Country Tractor Cruise set for June 18. The 7th Annual Amish Country Tractor Cruise will be held on Saturday, June 18 in Arthur. A 40 mile cruise will take riders on a picturesque cruise through the heart of Illinois Amish country and along the Kaskaskia River that will feature the communities of Arthur, Bagdad, Skyline Springs, Cooks Mills, Jackson Park, and Fuller’s Point. Registration for the cruise will begin at 6:30 a.m. at Arthur’s Yoder’s Kitchen, located on IL 133, and then departs at 8:30 a.m. A rest stop will be … Read More

•May 18, 2016• By Tyler Harvey, Douglas-Moultrie Farm Bureau Manager Spring is once again upon us, and planting is well underway for area farmers. As of May 9, the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) reported that Illinois farmers had 88% corn planted compared to a five-year average of 64% planted. Soybeans came in at 33% planted compared to the five-year average of 19%. Even with the wet and cool weather, both corn and soybeans are above the five-year average for crop emergence with corn at 42 % emerged and soybeans at 11%. With the dreary weather pattern, though, those percentages will … Read More