Timberwolves Baseball Sharp in 9-1 Victory over LSA

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Still, still undefeated from the mound April 29, 2015 By Matt Kracht NP Sports Reporter Okaw Valley starter Devon Still (7-0) won his seventh game in as many starts while improving the Timberwolves overall record to 18-1, after defeating Decatur LSA. Still had an all-conference day fanning 10 of the opposition over seven innings of one-run ball, and helping his own cause at the plate going 4-4 with three RBIs. Coach Andrew Hagerman expected nothing less from his senior lefty. “Devon pitched well which is no surprise. He located all his pitches, and he played like a senior, and he … Read More

Loop Lake Shelbyville Bike Ride June 13

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April 29, 2015 The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Lake Volunteers Association are hosting the second Annual Loop Lake Shelbyville bike ride on Saturday, June 13. All rides will start from the Lake Shelbyville Visitor and will include options for a 22 mile, 52 mile or a 65 mile ride. Proceeds for the ride will benefit the Lake Volunteers Association (LVA). The LVA provides education, historical interpretation, recreational and environmental improvements at Lake Shelbyville. … Read More

Understanding Illinois: Why Can’t They Be Like Me?

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April 29, 2015 By Jim Nowlan Outside Columnist I travel the state a lot. On Amtrak, from western Illinois into Chicago’s Loop, I pass from left-behind rural towns and through new middle-class housing tracts on the suburban fringe. Next come older, wealthy suburbs like Hinsdale and farther on the mostly Hispanic towns like Cicero and Berwyn. After that it is the mean streets of poor, black and Hispanic Chicago before reaching the golden, gleaming city center on the lake. These varied worlds don’t communicate much with one another. Few in tony Hinsdale have in their world view the poor, often … Read More

Obituaries 4-29-2015: Mary Nolan

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Mary Nolen Celebration of Life services for Mary F. Nolen, 78, of Sullivan were at 10 a.m. Tuesday in Reed Funeral Home in Sullivan. Burial was in Jonathan Creek Cemetery in Sullivan. She passed away at 6:55 p.m. Friday April 24, 2015 in St. Mary’s Hospital in Decatur. … Read More

Sullivan Students Receive Sobering Message

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Prom-wreck simulation adds tragic story to presentation April 29, 2015 by Keith Stewart keith@newsprogress.com Last Thursday morning wasn’t your typical prom-wreck simulation at Sullivan High School. Though still present were the moving portrayals of a drunk teenager stumbling out of her car, “blood” smeared on her face, local police and emergency responders rushing onto the scene–also known as the north high school parking lot–and a motionless body in the back seat of another badly damaged car, this year’s simulation was also accompanied by a presentation by Samantha Kater, a former Charleston resident who in 2011 was directly involved in a … Read More

Obituaries 4-29-2015: Lucille Closson

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Lucille Closson Private family graveside services for Lucille Closson, 95, of Bethany were Sunday in Janesville Cemetery with Pastor Marge Overlot officiating. Arrangements were by Reed Funeral Home in Sullivan. She passed away at 7:15 a.m. Thursday April 23, 2015 in Mason Point in Sullivan. … Read More

Knights Rebound Against Broncos Friday with 11-5 Victory

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ALAH reverses tide, takes advantage of Cerro Gordo-Bement mistakes April 29, 2015 by Keith Stewart keith@newsprogress.com After just two innings in Arthur Friday evening, things looked as if they were going Cerro Gordo-Bement’s way. The Broncos led 3-0 going into the third after a two-error second saw the Knights begin to unravel. But head coach Craig Moffett remained calm in the dugout, telling his boys to keep their heads up and regain their composure. They listened. “We just tried to stay positive,” said Moffett. “Baseball can be a really frustrating game. I just tried to keep them confident, positive, and … Read More

Obituaries 4-29-2015: Lee Hopper

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Lee Hopper Celebration of Life services for Lee Hopper, 87, of Allenville were held at 10:30 a.m. Monday in Reed Funeral Home in Sullivan with Pastor Eddie Miller officiating, assisted by Pastor Al Rennert. Burial was in French Cemetery in Allenville. He passed away at 10:47 p.m. Thursday April 23, 2015 in St. Mary’s Hospital in Decatur. … Read More

Growing Up in Sullivan: Life After the Wars

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April 29, 2015 by Jerry Ginther NP Columnist My grandparents on both sides were born 20 to 30 years after the Civil War. They lived through two world wars, the Great Depression and the Korean War. The one thing they talked about the most was surviving the Depression years. My parents were both born shortly after the turn of the century; my dad in 1904 and mother in 1910. They, too, remembered the struggle of those infamous years. Their accounts of those hard times helped me appreciate how those struggles affected their lives going forward. The lessons they learned about … Read More