Benefit for Jent Set for Oct. 13

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A benefit, “Debbie’s Day”, has been scheduled  Sunday, October 13 at the Sullivan VFW beginning at 1 p.m. to raise money for Debbie Jent, who was diagnosed with stage 4b uterine cancer in March of this year. A lineup of bands will be featured including Shovelhead, Neon Rounders, Autumn Zero, and the Melvin Reynolds, Jr. Band. Raffles, 50/50s, as well as silent, basket, and live auctions will also be featured along with a bake sale, gun raffle, bags and horseshoe tournament, and a spaghetti dinner. Donations will be voluntary but encouraged. An account has been set up at First National … Read More

Courtyard Celebrates Five Years, Staff and Residents Alike

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Area bands, family and friends make for special day by Barry Featheringill Sullivan Reporter Five years ago this October, Mary Jane Harshbarger made the transition into assisted living, a move that can often times be difficult to make given many older individuals’ long-held love of independence. But it was upon her niece’s kind coercion and in light of Harshbarger’s difficulty taking medication on time, that Mary Jane became the first resident of Courtyard Estates in Sullivan. On Saturday, she along with her fellow residents, family members, and friends celebrated five years of assisted living at the Sullivan facility. … Read More

Color & Cardio Combo Helps Raise Money for Theatre

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Skippers, walkers, and runners partake by Keith Stewart keith@newsprogress.com Parts of Wyman Park saw a colorful, if not temporary, string of runners, walkers, skippers, and the like Saturday evening for the inaugural Dart for the Arts 5k fundraiser. Organized by Little Theatre company manager Mallory Murphy as a fundraiser for the Theatre, the event put a refreshing twist on what for some is an old habit, and for others, just plain boring. Participants made their way through Wyman Park as volunteers hurled various colors of cornstarch at them, resulting in a rainbow of runners. … Read More

Government Shutdown’s Effects Felt at Home

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Both immediate and perhaps imminent effects in Moultrie by Keith Stewart keith@newsprogress.com With the hand striking midnight Tuesday, the Federal Government officially shut down after House Republicans put several provisions in the appropriations bill, including one that delayed the individual mandate for the ACA by a year. The Senate, which has a democratic majority, rejected the bill, prompting the shutdown. The shuddering of the government will affect thousands of federal workers with furloughs as well as citizens to varying degrees including those here in Moultrie County and central Illinois. … Read More

Homecoming Parade Oct. 11

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Sullivan High School will hold its annual homecoming parade October 11. Those interested in participating may contact the Sullivan High School office at 728-8341. The parade will begin at 4 p.m., and there is no entrance fee. The parade and homecoming activities are being conducted by the SHS student council. … Read More

Okaw Valley Cuts Budget Deficit Second Year in a Row

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Board approves budget for 13-14 fiscal year by Derek Pope Bethany Reporter Okaw Valley administrators have released their budget for the district’s 2013-2014 school year and the numbers appear promising. A downward trend in the deficit two years in a row seems to indicate that administrators are curtailing a budgetary shortfall that arose back in 2011. The progress comes despite significant uncertainty in federal and state funding for schools throughout Illinois, particularly for smaller districts such as Okaw Valley, and amidst the appointment of a new superintendent for the district, Kent Stauder, following former superintendent Joel Hackney’s resignation this summer.  … Read More

Changes in Visitor Procedures for SHS

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Sullivan High School has updated the procedure for visitors entering the building. All visitors must report to the main office immediately upon entering the school building. All visitors, including parents and siblings, are required to enter through the front door of the building and proceed immediately to the main office.Visitors should identify themselves and inform office personnel of their reason for being at the school. Visitors must sign in, giving their name, the date and time of arrival, and the classroom or location they are visiting. Approved visitors will then take a visitor tag identifying themselves as a guest and … Read More