Benton, West Frankfort, Illinois News | Franklin County News
Newspaper covering Franklin County, Illinois
Gov. Pat Quinn today inserted stricter gun control measures into a high-profile concealed carry bill, sending back the carefully crafted measure to lawmakers who are wary of any changes.
Here’s an updated story in the Chicago Tribune on Gov. Pat Quinn’s press conference concerning concealed carry.
Rend Lake – Drowning is a leading cause of accidental death, yet the number of deaths by drowning could be reduced drastically if everyone would wear a life jacket. Statistics show that 89 percent of those who drown at U.S. Army Corps of Engineers lakes and rivers may have survived if they had worn a life jacket. Here are some safety tips to help you have a safe and enjoyable Fourth of July holiday.
Swimming in open water is different and more difficult than in a swimming pool. You can tire more quickly and get into trouble due to waves, current, lack of experience, exhaustion or your abilities have decreased. You could find yourself in a situation where you are fighting for your life with no chance of survival. Even the best swimmers can misjudge their skills and abilities while swimming in a lake or river. Conditions can change quickly in open water, so before entering the water, please wear a life jacket. While wearing a life jacket you will not use as much energy, it will help you float and most importantly it will help ensure that you return home alive to those who love you. Peer pressure can sometimes kill people so friends should make friends swim in designated areas and wear a life jacket.
While on or near the water watch your children at all times. It only takes 20 seconds for a child to drown. National Water Safety Program Manager for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pam Doty stated, “Usually people believe that if someone is drowning they will yell for help and that is not the case at all. Several people drown every year within 10 feet of safety because the people around them did not recognize the signs of drowning.” This is because the four signs of a drowning victim can resemble someone just playing in the water. They include head back, mouth open gasping for air, no yelling or sound, and arms slapping the water like they are trying to climb out of the water. Properly rescuing someone should never include contact with them unless you are a trained lifeguard. Reach out to the victim with something to keep your distance or throw them something that floats to pull them to safety.
Boaters or those swimming near boats should be aware that carbon monoxide is an odorless, invisible, and silent killer. Carbon monoxide can accumulate anywhere in or around your boat regardless of what type of boat you have. It is heavier than air and lighter than water, so it floats on the water’s surface. Early symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include eye irritation, headache, nausea, weakness and dizziness. Knowing these signs what to do to prevent them can help you stay alive. Install and maintain carbon monoxide detectors on and inside your boat. Maintain a fresh circulation of air through and around your boat at all times. Avoid areas of your boat where exhaust fumes may be present. Do not let those you love swim under or around the boarding platform because this silent killer could be waiting for them and they will not even know it before it is too late. While having fun this 4th of July holiday remember these tips to help ensure you return home safely to those you love.
If you need a place to recreate during the holiday the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is the Nation’s largest provider of outdoor recreation, managing more than 420 lake and river projects in 43 states. To find a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project near you visit www.CorpsLakes.us.
INA, Ill. (July 1, 2013) – The Warrior Track and Field team added one more today as Austin Mapps of Du Quoin signed a national letter of intent to run hurdles at Rend Lake College.
Mapps, son of Tracy Mapps of Du Quoin, ran the 110 and 300 meter hurdles for the Du Quoin High School Indians last year as a senior, where he set personal records of 15.3 seconds in the 110 meter race and 39.9 seconds in the 300 meter race. Also during his athletic career at Du Quoin, Mapps competed in middle and long hurdles, and relays.
At RLC, Mapps will compete in the 400 meter hurdles for the Track and Field team, said Head Coach James Wooldridge, and he will also run on the Cross Country team to keep in shape.
Mapps had a bit of a scare on his road to the high school state finals, where he finished top three.
“I hurt my foot at a Sectional meet, but I never got a diagnosis. I was warming up and went over a hurdle when I landed, kind of awkwardly, on my heel. It sent this weird shock through my leg, but I went on with the race to make sure I qualified for State and got the job done,” said Mapps. “I qualified for State, but I think I could’ve done better. It’s still giving me a little bit of trouble, but nothing bad. I want to be the best I can be. I feel like I have a lot of room for improvement.”
Coach Wooldridge didn’t seem fazed by the injury, showing confidence in his newest competitor.
“He sounds like he’s versatile. He’s going to be alright and he’s going to progress and get stronger,” said Wooldridge.
Mapps said he plans to major in business while at RLC with no definite plans for the future. After graduating from RLC, he said he plans to attend a 4-year university to continue running hurdles. He credited RLC’s proximity to his home and friends already attending as reasons for why he chose Rend Lake.
Austin Mapps, Center, signs a national letter of intent Monday morning to compete in Track and Field at Rend Lake College. With Mapps was, from left, Head Cross Country and Assistant Track Coach Kent Leek of Du Quoin High School, Head Coach for RLC James Wooldridge, Mapps, Assistant Coach at RLC Matt Jackson and Head Track and Field Coach Derek Beard of Du Quoin High School. Mapps will be competing in the 400 meter hurdles for the Warriors. (ReAnne Palmer / RLC Sports Information
Attending the signing Monday morning with Mapps and Wooldridge was Du Quoin High School Track and Field Head Coach Derek Beard and Assistant Coach Kent Leek, along with RLC Assistant Coach Matt Jackson.
“I think one of the biggest things about Austin is that he’s a great competitor. No matter what the situation is, he’s going to compete,” said Coach Beard, who then spoke of an instance where Mapps did just that. “He came by us in the 300 meter hurdles at the State track meet in about eighth place with about 50 meters to go, and he ended up in third. He told us afterward, ‘I’m not going out in eighth place; I’m going to make a move,’ and he did.”
Coach Leek added, “When it’s time to race and time to go, he puts the extra effort in.”
Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn intends to take action today on legislation that would allow guns to be carried in public, and he’s widely expected to insert changes to the bill to try to put in place stricter regulations.
Here’s the link to the story in the Chicago Tribune.
Joyce Lynn Spencer, 76, of Whittington, passed away Sunday, June 30, 2013 at her home.
She was born in Whittington on Sept. 25, 1936 to Raymond and Vaneta (Winemiller) House.
She married James Spencer on Nov. 27, 1952. They were married for 60 years.
Mrs. Spencer was a former hairdresser and worked at H & R Block before retiring.
She is survived by her husband, James Spencer, of Whittington, three daughters, Brenda (David) Garvin, Carla (Bennie) Allsopp and Penny (Dale) Brookins, all of Whittington and two sisters, JoAnn Johnston, of Mt. Vernon and Jane Spencer, of Whittington.
Also surviving are five grandchildren, Adam (Shelly) Allsopp and Mathew Allsopp, both of Whittington, Ryan (Dawn) Garvin, of Benton, Kentucky, Mallory (Alex) Gibbs, of Benton, and Chelsea Brookins, of Whittington. Additional survivors include four great-grandchildren, Presley, Holden and Keira Allsopp and Kinlee Garvin. She was preceded in death by her parents.
Graveside funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, July 2 at Shiloh Cemetery with the Rev. Mark Minor officiating. There will be no visitation, those attending are requested to meet at the cemetery.
Morton & Johnston Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Benton police reported a busy weekend with multiple arrests.
On Friday June 28, 2013 Benton Police arrested Ronald W. England, age 59, of West Frankfort for driving while suspended. England was charged and transported to the Franklin County Jail for further processing.
On June 28, 2013 Benton Police arrested Bobby L. Williams, age 60, of Benton for criminal trespass and resisting a peace officer. Williams was charged and transported to the Franklin County Jail for further processing.
On June 29, 2013 Benton Police arrested Trevor J. Myers, age 22, of Benton for unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia, unlawful possession of cannabis, fleeing or attempting to elude an officer, and illegal transportation of alcohol. Myers was charged and transported to the Franklin County Jail for further processing.
On June 29, 2013 Benton Police arrested Kevin J. Phelps, age 31, of Thompsonville for driving while license suspended. Phelps was charged and transported to the Franklin County Jail for further processing.
On June 29, 2013 Benton Police were dispatched to the 700 block of Glendale Street in reference to a fight in progress. Through investigation, police arrested Ashley S. Adams, age 18, of Benton for unlawful consumption of alcoholic liquor. Police also arrested Linda Copher, age 54, of Benton for unlawfully permitting a minor to become intoxicated. Curtis R. Key, age 37, of Buckner was also arrested for endangering the life of a child. All suspects were charged and transported to the Franklin County Jail for further processing.
On June 30, 2013 Benton Police were dispatched to the 300 block of North Stotlar street in reference to a domestic disturbance. Through investigation, police arrested Cody D. Zinzer, age 25, of Benton for aggravated assault. Zinzer was charged and transported to the Franklin County Jail for further processing.
This column was originally published October 28, 2010. It’s easy to forget the purpose of universities and the essential — if at times testy — interplay of free thought in a free society. In an age that increasingly gives personal responsibility to the state, it’s easy to lose sight of the social value of deep free-will. Martin Luther postulated a relationship that is the seed of a free society. In 2010 some of my reflections regarding Luther were challenged. So be it.
— Walter V. Wendler
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By Walter V. Wendler
Halloween marks a number of occasions but none more important than the nailing of Luther’s 95 Theses on the Castle Church door at Wittenberg — the birth of a reformation that transformed the modern world on October 31, 1517.
This act changed things: not just the association of Christendom to the church; not just the relationship of Christendom to its namesake, Jesus Christ; not just the bond of a man to an organization; not just the suggestion that individuals are masters of their own fate; not just the impact of the printing press and the translation of the bible into German to make it accessible to all rather than just the few conversant in Latin; not just the concept that money could buy anything from happiness to heaven; not just the notion that a single man with a powerful idea could take on the largest multinational corporation in the world and start a revolution, a reformation; and certainly, not just the belief that concepts are important, even more so than the force of tradition and dogma, but rather that people with passion need to stand and risk.
“Here I stand. I cannot do otherwise”, he said. Just a man standing for what he thought right.
The Church was rocked, and the waves created extended well beyond its walls. The power of a thinking person changed the course of humanity. Other potent examples we know from world history.
I hope.
Here are ten individuals who had dramatic impact: Albert Einstein, Johannes Gutenberg, Jesus Christ, Muhammad, Cai Lun (said to have invented paper, without which poor Gutenberg would have been hopeless), St. Paul, Marie Curie, Confucius, Buddha, and Isaac Newton. Any historian worth his salt would affirm their inarguable influence.
Life as a lightning rod took its toll on Luther. Obsessions developed, manifested later in his life by anti-Semitism that bordered on hate and madness. His view, before the paranoia-poisoned madness set in, was that each person should discover his own way in the world. That the need for the insertion of any man between a person and the Creator was not only unnecessary and limited, but antithetical to Holy Writ and the exercise of free will. We must stand or not on our own actions and decisions, neither bought nor begged. Rugged individualists were needed, not beholden to a social or ecclesiastical organization contaminated by greed, avarice, or the collection of power. Even associations with the best intentions should not compel membership or ideas against individual free will.
Luther was a powerful free thinker who, by example, encouraged others to do likewise -to think freely – to make their own way guided by their own understanding of their place in the world, not by infringement of any kind.
This powerful thinking has little to do with candy corn and jack-o-lanterns, but much to do with the purpose of the university. Luther’s boldness when he nailed his Theses to the church door that day in Wittenberg changed the western concept of social order.
His idea — squeezed out of his faith and insight — to create an appropriate sense of self- determination was more basic than had been previously known.
This is without qualification the work of the university – allowing lives to be defined by aspiration and passion rather than acquiescence and passivity.
At a university, the power of free thought, and engaging it through scholarship and learning, faith and experience, is so central that I can say with confidence that institutions neglecting it do not fulfill their mission to their students.
I wish he had nailed his 95 Theses to the door on July 4, rather than October 31.
Illinois finished the fiscal year on Sunday $6.1 billion in the red. But Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka said Monday that the backlog of unpaid bills to schools, agencies, hospitals and businesses is expected to grow another $1.4 billion by next month.
MULKEYTOWN – Eco Christine Edmonds, 26, passed away Friday morning, June 28, 2013, in Franklin Hospital Benton.
Eco was born March 18, 1987, in Carbondale, to Bryan and Mary (Wade) Edmonds.
Eco graduated from Christopher High School in 2005 and studied at Rend Lake College. She was employed at American Legion Post 280 in Benton. She will be remembered by family and friends for her bubbly personality that would instantly put a smile on your face.
Eco is survived by a daughter, 7-year-old Julienne Christine Laurent; parents, Mary and Wade Chaplin of Benton and Bryan Edmonds of Mulkeytown; grandparents, Peggy and Dennis Caldwell, Bob and Kim Edmonds and Mary Rogers; great-grandparents, Abe Chestnut and Donald Wade; twin sisters, Whitley and Amber Ticer; brother, Kodiak Frye; uncles, Rob Edmonds and Marty Wade and wife, Tabitha; aunt, Missy Wade; and several other relatives and friends.
She was preceded in death by great-grandparents, Annis Chestnut, Ruth and Robert Edmonds and Ida and Charles Jelly.
Funeral services will be at 6 p.m. Wednesday, July 3, in Gilbert Funeral Home in Christopher, with Brother Cody Christianson officiating. Visitation will be from 4 to 6 p.m. Wednesday. Burial will be in Mulkeytown Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to an educational fund for Eco’s daughter, Julienne Christine Laurent and will be accepted at the funeral home.
BENTON – William Henry Warfel, 89, formerly of Christopher, died Wednesday, June 26, 2013, in Franklin Hospital emergency room in Benton.
Henry was a truck driver by occupation and was a member of Orient Church of Christ, and was an elder and Sunday school teacher.
He was a U.S. Navy veteran during World War II and was a member of the Masonic Lodge.
Henry loved to dance and tell stories and he was a friend to everybody he met.
Henry was born April 26, 1924, in Zeigler, to Henry and Anna (Gilson) Warfel.
Henry married Connie (Cockrum) Warfel and she preceded him in death. He was first married to Ruth (Gipson) Warfel and she also preceded him in death.
He is survived by a daughter-in-law, Laura (Wasson) Warfel of Park Forest; grandchildren, Elizabeth Suzanne and Jeremy Brown of Lubbock, Texas, William Thomas and Alana Warfel of Dallas, Scott Eugene and Meggan Warfel of Tulsa, Okla.; and four great-grandchildren.
Henry was preceded in death by his parents; one son, William Eugene Warfel; first wife, Cindy(Lazzeri) Warfel; four sisters, Frieda Blackard, Hallie Worthing, Nellie Reeves and Lois Lowery; and one brother, Edward Warfel.
Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday, July 2, in Gilbert Funeral Home in Christopher, with the Rev. Ed Pool officiating. Interment will be in Masonic and IOOF Cemetery in Benton. Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, July 1, at the funeral home.
Memorials may be made to Orient Church of Christ, P.O. Box 105, Orient, IL 62874.
For more information, visit gilbertfuneralhomes.com.
