“Tiaras & Ties”

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•February 5, 2025• Sullivan Dance Studio is hosting “Tiaras & Ties” on Saturday, February 15th, from 5:45-7:30 p.m. at Building 1225. This event is recommended for princesses aged 3 & up accompanied by their special guy. Dancing, a photographer, crafts, and refreshments are part of the fun. A VIP Experience is available, including a catered dinner, a princess gift, a VIP dessert, early entry seating, and more. VIP registration closes on February 5th. VIP experience doors open at 4:45 p.m., and general admission doors open at 5:45 p.m. Register online at www.sullivan5678.com/tiaras-ties. For more information or questions, contact the dance … Read More

Project HELP

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•February 5, 2025• The Okaw Valley School District and the Project HELP Preschool program will be offering free developmental screenings to provide parents an opportunity to discover how their child is developing in the areas of speech, language, concepts and motor skills. Vision and hearing screenings will also be provided free of charge. For an appointment for the March 13 and 14 screenings call Tracy Ryherd at 217-665-3541. The screenings will take place at First Christian Church, 312 W. South Water in Bethany. … Read More

Recent Obituaries: Mary Grooms

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Mary Grooms, 102, of Sullivan, died at 10:25 p.m. Monday, February 3, 2025 at the Odd Fellow-Rebekah Home in Mattoon.Mary was born June 25, 1922 in Humboldt, the daughter of Oliver and Bessie Seeley Starwalt. She married John W. “Jack” Grooms in Humboldt on June 7, 1941; he preceded her in death on May 11, 2001.Survivors include her daughter, Mary Ann Sphar of Phoenix, AZ; son, John R. (Debbie) Grooms of Sullivan; grandchildren, Leigh Anne Sphar of Phoenix, AZ; Angie (Steven) Avila of Mesa, Arizona; Kristen (Brad) Hubble of Leroy, IL; Nick (Dr. Heidi) Grooms of Sullivan; Tyson (Kasey) Grooms … Read More

Pork chop dinner

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The Sullivan High school will be hosting the Boys’ Senior Night on Thursday, February 20th 5-7 p.m. Tickets for the dinner are $15, ticket sales are open.   For more information or to purchase tickets for the Senior Night, contact stinebring@sullivan.k12.il.us. … Read More

Basket Bingo

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•January 29, 2025• To raise funds for the 2025 Prom, the SHS Prom Committee will be hosting Bingo, including prizes, raffle, silent auction and a bake sale along with food and drinks available.    The Basket Bingo will be held on February 21st in the high school commons. Doors for the event open at 5:30, game will begin at 6:30. Tickets for Bingo are $15 if bought by February 17th and $20 at the door.   To purchase tickets contact a prom committee member or Marsha Kirby at kirbym@sullivan.k12.il.us. … Read More

Sullivan Dance Studio’s competition team hosts preview show

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Sullivan Dance Studio Competition Team hosted their annual Preview Showcase in Sullivan Elementary School’s Gym on Sunday, January 19. Friends, family and the public were invited to attend. Competition season for the team begins in just a few weeks and will continue through June.  This year’s team members include (in no particular order): Hadlee Blakey, Sophie Elliott, Zola Krieger, Katie Plank, Aubrey Young, Natalia Beals, Blair Camp, Caroline Hobbs, Kaylee Hostetler, Tiffany Hostetler, Mara Inman, Gianna Krieger, Mia Lovett, Abigail Plank, Knox Weakly, Alayna Young, Sophie Foster, Tinley Krieger, Alayna Ard, Addi Finn, Brinnley Hobbs, Emma Hostetler, Aubrie Payne, Elizabeth … Read More

Educational Lunch for Girls

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•January 29, 2025• On February 22nd from 8:30am to 3:30pm, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in collaboration with Ameren Illinois will be hosting a “Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day’ for all middle and high school students. Attendees can expect keynote speaker – Angela Heise, a SIUE computer science alumna who currently serves as Corporate Vice President for Microsoft Worldwide, public sector. There will be hands-on engineering activities in computer science, electrical/computer, mechanical, civil and industrial engineering. Continuing there will also be professional panelists, discussion with Q&A and intern/co-op info sessions.    The event is free to attend with registration, registration … Read More

Illinois Department of Revenue announces start of income tax season

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Eligible taxpayers will be able to use free, direct file tax option •January 29, 2025• The 2025 tax season has started, and the Illinois Department of Revenue (IDOR) announced recently it has begin accepting and processing 2025 tax returns. Illinois is participating in the IRS Direct File program this year. Eligible taxpayers will be able to use the program to electronically complete their 2024 federal tax returns for free. Eligibility can be confirmed by visiting https://directfile.irs.gov . After filing a federal return using Direct File, the program will connect taxpayers to Illinois’ free state income tax filing system, MyTax Illinois, … Read More

Alternatives to screen time

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•January 29, 2025• Cheri BurchamExtension EducatorUniversity of Illinois Extension       Like many things, there are positive and negative effects of screen time for all of us, and it can be hard to come up with that magic amount of time that should be spent interacting with a screen. We do know that too much time spent on screens can be detrimental to youth – they can experience sleep problems, lower grades in school, reading less, spending less time with family and friends, and can also lead to weight problems, mood problems, poor self-image and body image issues, fear … Read More