Zoos Now Allowed Inside Moultrie

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Ordinance amended Thursday to allow for wildlife parks April 15, 2015 by Keith Stewart keith@newsprogress.com Moving their monthly meeting to a third floor courtroom Thursday to allow for more members of the public to attend, the Moultrie County Board approved by a vote of 8-1 to amend the zoning ordinance to allow for zoos and wildlife parks in the county. The board’s decision followed more than 45 minutes of public comment, 30 of which were from Urbana attorney Kent Follmer, who is representing 17 landowners opposed to, not only the zoning amendment, but also a specific wildlife project that has … Read More

Sullivan Basketball Program to Host Camps in May

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April 15, 2015 The Sullivan boys’ basketball program is having fundamental basketball camps starting in May. These camps are for all boys in the third – 11th grades. Campers will be taught the fundamentals of the game of basketball by the boys’ basketball coaching staff. Current third-fifth grade camp is 3:30- 5 p.m. May 11, 12, 13 and 15 in the Sullivan Elementary School gym. All campers will receive a shirt and basketball. Camp forms may be found in the SES office or on the SHS website under boys’ basketball. … Read More

Undefeated Okaw Valley Sweeps Double Header Against ALAH

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Once again, big innings and bats provide win April 15, 2015 By Matt Kracht & Keith Stewart keith@newsprogress.com The Lady Timberwolves took two games in convincing fashion from Arthur-Lovington/Atwood-Hammond Monday night. Okaw Valley scored 10 runs in the bottom of the fifth to win 10-0 in the first contest and then rolled on to a 19-2 victory in the finale. Amanda McClain got her fifth win of the season and is now 5-0 leading a dangerous Timberwolves team. But ALAH kept it competitive early in both games, yet the offensive onslaught proved too much. Timberwolves head coach Dave Benning thought … Read More

Cause Undetermined in Vehicle Fire Investigation

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Fire spreads to garage of triplex April 15, 2015 by Keith Stewart keith@newsprogress.com A garage belonging to a three-apartment structure suffered damage Wednesday, April 8 from a parked vehicle that previously caught fire. According to Sullivan Fire Captain Chris Wright, a vehicle belonging to Cynthia Fleming caught fire Wednesday afternoon after being parked and idle for approximately an hour. The vehicle was in close proximity to a garage door belonging to a triplex, which caught fire but did not spread beyond the garage. Fleming added that she only discovered the fire after a neighbor notified her. A phone call was … Read More

Sullivan Shows Off in Tuscola Showcase

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Redskins net four big bombers Friday April 15, 2015 by Keith Stewart keith@newsprogress.com “This kid isn’t going to ding it.” “He ain’t no dinger.” “Oh my god! He dinged it!” If you were sitting in the stands of Friday evening’s Tuscola Showcase opener between Sullivan and Danville Schlarman, you too would have heard that conversation by way of a few shocked and awed Lanark Eastland baseball players waiting to take the field. The Lanark team made it just in time to see Levi Nadler demo a ball back over the left-field wall for a two-run homer, putting Sullivan up 18-0. … Read More

Understanding Illinois: Body Cameras Put All On Best Behavior

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April 15, 2015 By Jim Nowlan Outside Columnist Recent high-profile police shootings have put local law enforcement across the country under scrutiny. Will body cameras on police provide, as some experts think, a high-tech tool to improve behavior by both police and suspects, and thus de-escalate tensions over time? The Economist, a highly respected United Kingdom weekly, offers trenchant analysis of American society by thoughtful outsiders. In December, the magazine excoriated U.S. policing for excessive use of force. The publication noted that police in the U.S. shot and killed at least 458 people last year. In contrast, English “bobbies” felled … Read More

Knights Finish Top Three at Home Track Invite Friday

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SOV boys take 11th April 15, 2015 by Keith Stewart keith@newsprogress.com Competing in the annual Arthur Invite, the host’s girls finished second, the boys third, while SOV’s boys took 11th. The Redskins’ best finish was junior Zane Uphoff’s third place in the triple jump, going 40 feet, 6 1/4 inches. He would also earn seventh in the long jump (18-10). “Well, obviously Uphoff has been jumping pretty well and has become more consistent this season,” said SOV boys’ head coach John Bertetto. “He had another PR on Friday night.  We are just going to keep working to where he will … Read More