Sullivan approves utility software

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•June 24, 2026• by Sharon Barricklow A $400,000 purchase of software for the city’s electrical plant was approved without going through the bid process at the Sullivan City Council’s June 6 meeting. Commissioner Mike Kirk, who oversees the city power plant said the  software was an upgrade only available through ViPower LLC and is necessary for the city’s transmission of electrical power. “We have to have it,” Kirk said. “And there’s no one else who provides it.” … Read More

Celebrating 250 years of freedom

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•June 24, 2026• The Elizabeth Titus Memorial Library has some free, fun, and family-friendly events planned to help the community commemorate and celebrate America’s 250 years of freedom. On June 29th at 3:00 p.m., the ETML will be hosting an event where attendees can learn about and celebrate our nation’s colors and on July 1st at 3:00 p.m., join them in celebrating the United States’ 250th year of freedom with friends, family, and the community at the ETML 4th of July party. To sign up, register at https://forms.gle/6TCpH8vsPntVDPmb8, or visit the ETML Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100082637979457 and use the QR … Read More

Library to host TOPS

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•June 24, 2026• Cheryl Avitts, the Facilitator for the TOPS Club Inc. (Take Off Pounds Sensibly), has announced that the public is invited to attend their meetings in Sullivan, to be held at the Elizabeth Titus Memorial Library, 2 W. Water Street, in Sullivan, in the Conference Room. TOPS generates positive awareness for weight loss by encouraging a healthy lifestyle through support, education, and accountability. TOPS will meet once a week on Tuesdays, with weigh-ins at 9:30 a.m. and a lesson from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. … Read More

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