Sullivan 4th of July fun

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•June 24, 2026• The 4th of July parade in Sullivan will begin at 12:00 p.m. this year, beginning at Sullivan High School following its annual route, so don’t forget to get your chairs, blankets, and candy bags for the kids, and set up your spot early for what promises to be as entertaining as always. Food and lemonade vendors will be in the American Legion parking lot from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Park Games will begin at Wyman Park at approximately 2:00 p.m., and the turtle races, watermelon eating contest, and sack races that have become a holiday staple … Read More

Recent Obituaries: Greg Dirks

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Greg A. Dirks, 65, of Sullivan, passed away 2:57 a.m. Monday, June 22, 2026 in his home. Celebration of Life services will be 12:00 Noon Friday, June 26, 2026 at the Sullivan Faith Lutheran Church with Pastor Justin Cullen officiating. Burial will be in the Zoar Cemetery, rural Mattoon. Visitation will be Friday from 10:00 a.m. until 12:00 Noon at the church. Memorials are suggested to the Sullivan Faith Lutheran Church for youth activities. Reed Funeral Home, Sullivan is in charge of arrangements. Online condolences may be sent to the family at reedfuneralhome.net. Greg was born May 29, 1961 at Lincoln, … Read More

Recent Obituaries: Alison Fort

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Alison S. Fort, 66, of Decatur, formerly of Sullivan, passed away at 4:10 a.m. Saturday, June 20, 2026 in Memorial Medical Center, Springfield. Celebration of Life services will be 1:00 pm. Sunday, June 28, 2026 in the Reed Funeral Home, Sullivan. Visitation will be from noon until service time. Memorials are suggested to Paw Print Ministries, 2555 East Federal Drive, Decatur, IL 62526. Online condolences may be sent to the family at reedfuneralhome.net. Alison was born April 1, 1960 in San Antonio, Texas, the daughter of Doris Stine Russell. Alison had worked at the Illinois Masonic Home in Sullivan and was an associate at … Read More

Recent Obituaries: June Foreman

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June Foreman, former resident of Sullivan, passed away June 20, 2026 at a care center in Luverne, Alabama. She was 96 years old. Born Francis June Bell in the cold pre-dawn of Christmas at the start of the Great Depression in 1929, she grew up on a red dirt road where water came from a well, and light from oil lamps. Her father, Johnny, ran a small farm and worked timber while her mother, Beatrice, wrangled chickens and made biscuits in a cast iron pan. As the  middle child, June worked the mule-plowed fields, picked cotton, and tended livestock as readily … Read More

Recent Obituaries: Nancy Elaine (Schmollinger) Weaver

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Nancy Elaine (Schmollinger) Weaver, 89, of Sullivan passed away 11:27 p.m. Sunday, June 21, 2026, at Sullivan Rehabilitation and Health Care Center. A Celebration of Life will be held 11:00 a.m. Thursday, June 25, 2026, at McMullin-Young Funeral Home, Sullivan. Visitation will be held an hour prior to the service on Thursday at the funeral home. Burial will be in Greenhill Cemetery, Sullivan. Memorials may be made to the Allenville Christian Church or to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital: 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105 Nancy was born December 7, 1936, in Pocahontas, Illinois. Her parents were William and … Read More

Recent Obituaries: Mary N. Dotson Lane

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Mary N. Dotson Lane, 90, passed away peacefully Sunday, June 14, 2025, at her home in Gulf Shores, Alabama, surrounded by her loving family following complications from a stroke and long-term battle with severe arthritis. Mary was born February 17, 1936, in rural Macon County, Tennessee, the fourth of seven children to parents Curf and Artie Dotson. After moving to Sullivan, Illinois, she met Roger, a classmate at Lowe Elementary School. They grew up together and married in 1955. She worked at the First National Bank in Sullivan until 1958, when she decided to stay home and take care of … Read More

Illinois High School Shrine Football Game

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•June 17, 2026• The Illinois Coaches Association and the Shriners of Illinois will present the 52nd Annual Illinois High School Shrine Game, scheduled for Saturday, June 20, at Tucci Stadium on the campus of Illinois Wesleyan University. Kickoff is at 11:00 a.m., with pregame festivities beginning at 10:00 a.m. … Read More

Bats and rabies: A public health concern

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•June 17, 2026• by Angela Hogan, R.N.,  MSPH, Administrator MCHD Bats are a vital part of our ecosystem. They eat disease-carrying mosquitoes and crop-consuming insects. Unfortunately, bats also carry diseases that can be transmitted to humans. Bats are the leading cause of human rabies deaths in the United States. According to the CDC, at least 7 out of 10 Americans who died from rabies in the U.S. were exposed to infected bats. Bats are nocturnal creatures that typically avoid humans. Bats exhibiting unusual behavior, such as being active during the day, unable to fly, or easily approached, could be sick … Read More