Five people were killed, including four from Collinsville, in a weekend crash in an area known as “Thrill Hills” in Hamilton County, near the Indiana border.
Here’s the link to the story in the Belleville News-Democrat
Archives for 2013
Authorities believe fatal Hamilton County crash might have been caused by ‘hill-jumping’
November 26, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Several area communities to host Thanksgiving dinners
November 25, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Several Southern Illinois communities will host Thanksgiving dinner this year. Everyone is welcome. All meals will be on Thanksgiving Day. For more information, call the numbers listed below.
Carbondale: Noon to 2 p.m., Newman Catholic Student Center, 714 S. Washington St., 618-529-3311.
Carterville: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Carterville Community Center, 715 S. Washington St., 618-438-7661.
Christopher: Noon to 2 p.m., Christopher Civic Center, 618-724-7648.
Eldorado: 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., First Baptist Church, 1101 Second St., 618-273-8206.
Harrisburg: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., First Baptist Church, 204 N. Main St., 618-252-0565.
Herrin: 8 a.m. to midnight (dinner served from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.), Herrin Civic Center, 101 S. 16th St., 619-942-5080. There will be football, movies, games and a dance. Meal delivery available to homebound Herrin and Energy residents; call 618-942-3175 by 4 p.m. Tuesday.
Johnston City: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., First United Methodist Church, 400 W. Broadway, 618-983-5150.
Marion: 11:30 to 1 p.m., Ministerial Alliance, 103 E. Calvert, 618-993-8419.
Mount Vernon: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Primary Center, 401 N. 30th St., 618-687-3258.
Murphysboro: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Knights of Columbus Hall, 606 Plum St., 618-687-3258.
(This story was published in the Southern Illinoisan)
Forecasters: 24 tornadoes hit Illinois on November 17
November 25, 2013 By Leave a Comment
CHICAGO — The National Weather Service says two dozen tornadoes struck Illinois and another 28 hit Indiana during a violent weather outbreak earlier this month.
This aerial view on Monday, Nov. 18, 2013, shows homes that were destroyed by a tornado that hit the western Illinois town of Washington on Sunday. It was one of the worst-hit areas after intense storms and tornadoes swept through Illinois. The National Weather Service says the tornado that hit Washington had a preliminary rating of EF-4, meaning wind speeds of 170 mph to 190 mph
The agency’s release of the latest figures only underscores what officials have been saying since the tornadoes roared through the Midwest on Nov. 17: There’s never been a November day like that one on record.
The tornado that cut a half-mile swath through the central Illinois community of Washington the strongest in November in Illinois since modern records began being kept in 1950. And forecasters say the 28 tornadoes in Indiana were the third-highest total in that state’s history and the most ever recorded there in November. There were also tornadoes reported in Michigan, Kentucky and Ohio.
Six people died in Illinois and 147 people were injured.
(This story is by the Associated Press)
Ruling points at coal plants’ unsteady future
November 25, 2013 By Leave a Comment
CHICAGO — The Illinois Pollution Control Board will decide this week whether to give a Houston company extra time to install pollution controls at five Illinois coal-fired power plants that it doesn’t even own yet, a scenario that underscores the uncertainty facing an industry squeezed by environmental regulations and competition from natural gas.
Here’s the link to the story by the Associated Press in the Southern Illinoisan.
Benton’s Kelly Stewart named superintendent of the year by IASA
November 25, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Staff Report
Benton Consolidated High School Superintendent Kelly Stewart is the 2014 Illinois Superintendent of the Year.
Stewart was selected for the honor by the Illinois Association of School Administrators and received the award Saturday at the Joint Annual Conference in Chicago cosponsored by the IASA, Illinois Association of School Boards and the Illinois Association of School Business Officials.
Kelly Stewart
“Dr. Stewart is an educator who has dedicated her professional career to the vision of the IASA, which is ‘Maximum Educational Success for All Students,’” IASA Executive Director Brent Clark said in a news release. “Her work in the Benton district is a testament to that and she is most deserving of this honor.”
Stewart, a 1977 graduate of BCHS who earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees and PhD at SIU, has been an educator for 30 years, serving the last 12 as superintendent of the BCHS district.
“Receiving this award is a tremendous honor that has flooded me with a wide range of emotions including: shock, humility, elation, and affirmation. The most powerful of these has been affirmation,” she said. “My
main goals in life have been simple: to make a difference and to make my parents proud of me. This honor is the ultimate pat on the back for a job well done and the fact that is comes from my peers gives it great significance. While I am humbled to be the one to hold the title, it represents all of us that work tirelessly for the children of Illinois daily.”
Stewart was nominated for the honor based on a number of accomplishments in the district during her tenure, according to the news release, including increased opportunities for students through curriculum development and providing financial stability through innovative leadership that resulted in an agreement with a new coal mine to provide an in-kind donation in lieu of property taxes that were going to be abated.
That agreement will earn the district more than $4 million over the next 12 years.
Stewart is also active in the community as a member of the Benton Rotary Club and the Benton Lions Club. She previously served on the St. Joseph Catholic Church Finance Council and the Williamson County Child Advocacy Center Board.
The Illinois Superintendent of the Year award comes with a $1,000 scholarship for a high school senior of high academic and moral character. Stewart will choose a scholarship recipient from BCHS in the spring.
She is also be in the running for the American Association of School Administrators National Superintendent of the Year award to be announced at the national conference in February.
Obituary – Stanley Melvin Galloway – Sesser
November 25, 2013 By Leave a Comment
SESSER – Stanley Melvin Galloway, 80, died Friday, Nov. 22, 2013, in Mount Vernon Healthcare.
Stanley was a coalminer and he loved going camping, working in his garden and being in the outdoors.
Stanley was born Nov. 15, 1933, in Sesser, to Stanton and Irene (Joiner) Galloway.
He was first married to Glenda (Mendenall) Galloway and she preceded him in death. He then married Joann (Bloom) Galloway.
He is survived by his children, Mike and Patty Galloway of Scheller, Steve and Freida Galloway of Sesser, Cynthia Giordano of Walpole, Maine, Cheryl Sanders of Sesser, Jackie McRae of Christopher, and Tracy Galloway of Walpole, Maine; several grandchildren; and one brother, Ray and Beverly Galloway of Sesser.
He was preceded in death by his parents, first wife, one brother and two sisters.
Funeral services will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 26, in Brayfield-Gilbert Funeral Home in Sesser, with Brother Robert Wininger officiating. Interment will be in Maple Hill Cemetery, in Sesser. Visitation will be from noon to 2 p.m. Tuesday at the funeral home.
For more information, visit www.gilbertfuneralhomes.com. –
FCA Daily Devotion – Authority
November 25, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Hebrews 13:17
Who has more authority on your team, the wet-behind-the-ears freshman walk-on or the Head Coach? Well that should be obvious… How about between the new graduate assistant and the fifth year captain of the team? That’s a little tougher. Let’s consider this matter by thinking about this scripture.
In Hebrews chapter 13 and verse 17 we read, “Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for our souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.”
The writer uses two words which are very tough for competitors who are rather independent and strong-willed. Obey and be submissive.
Obey – why? Because our coaches and team leaders are not only responsible for their own actions and attitudes, but for those of the whole team as well. We owe them obedience because of their incredible investment in us and the great responsibility they carry.
Submissive – why? Because they have to give an account to people like the administration, to parents, to alumni, to the press and everyone who thinks himself an expert on the game. They need us to fit in and to keep ourselves in line so that their lives are full of joy rather than grief.
Let’s work together in today’s competition and bring joy to our team’s leadership. That will be most profitable for us all.
SIC splits conference openers with Olney Central
November 25, 2013 By Leave a Comment
By Greg Keller
SIC Public Information
Harrisburg, Ill. – In doubleheader action Saturday afternoon in Harrisburg, Southeastern Illinois College and Olney Central College split their Great Rivers Athletic Conference season openers.
Women’s Game – OCC 91, SIC 75
In the first game, the OCC women used a dominating 21-4 stretch in the first seven minutes of the second half to cruise to a 91-75 victory.
SIC’s Nakaila Sheppard drives against Olney Central’s Kelsee Ennis. Sheppard had 11 points, but SIC fell 91-75.
The Lady Falcon hosts had made a stronger showing in the first half, taking the lead at 13-11 after back-to-back three-pointers by Victoria Mandrell and Sydney Clark, halfway through the first half.
From there, OCC started establishing its serious size advantage, pounding the ball inside repeatedly to Kelsey Pilant and Samantha Shoulders, running off 17 of the game’s next 21 points to increase their lead to 28-17 at the five minute mark. The Lady Falcons were then able to close the deficit to nine at the half, before the early second half implosion.
Not giving up the fight, SIC rallied, forcing several OCC turnovers and generating a run – largely via sophomore guard Anna Best, whose three-pointer after forcing a steal cut the deficit to 64-52 with 10:30 left.
The hosts were never able to cut the lead under 12, though, and the Lady Blue Knights were able to pull away for the victory.
SIC got 20 points from Best, 18 from Alexis Jones, 12 off the bench from Mandrell, and 11 from Nakaila Sheppard.
OCC was led by Pilant, who scored 27 on 11-16 shooting.
Men’s Game – SIC 92, OCC 89
After building a lead as big as 15 early in the second half, the SIC men had to endure a serious challenge at the end, watching a last-second heave by OCC’s Brook Pampe that could have sent the game into overtime hit only backboard.
SIC’s Randell Pickett drives past Olney Central’s Brook Pampe. Pickett had a team-high 28 points and 11 rebounds in SIC’s 92-89 victory.
Southeastern had control for much of the first half, establishing a seven point lead on a three-pointer by James Williams and extending their lead to 43-33 with 1:30 left, before OCC scored the final four points of the half.
From there, SIC ran off 11 of the first 13 points of the second stanza, capped by back-to-back long-range bombs by Randell Pickett and Alan Long that pushed the lead to 54-39 three minutes into the second half.
Olney Central made a couple of big incursions as time slipped by, first slicing the lead to 66-61 on three foul-shots by Jaquan Grissett with 8:30 left, only to see Southeastern score 11 of the next 14, closed out by a steal and score by Robert Barnes that bumped the score to 77-64 with just over five minutes remaining.
The guests quickly cut the lead to five thanks to back-to-back treys by Dominic Jackson with 3:50 left, before Barnes scored on a drive to stem the bleeding again.
The Falcons just couldn’t put the game away for good, though. A three-pointer by Tyler Brough and an easy layup by Brook Pampe cut the lead to 92-89 with 2.9 seconds left.
After SIC’s Jamar Rivera drew a foul, he hit the first free throw, but committed a lane violation in attempting to follow his second foul shot, negating the fact that it went in, and setting up Pampe’s last-second attempt from just beyond halfcourt, which went far left.
Pickett led the charge for SIC with 28 points and 11 rebounds, team highs in both categories. Also in double figures for the Falcons were James Williams, with 16 and 9 rebounds, Long, who scored 15, and Jaylen Carter, with 13.
Olney Central got 27 from John Brown, 18 from Jaquan Grissett, and 14 from Trey Mitchell.
SIC’s homestand continues with another doubleheader on Tuesday, as they play host to GRAC foe Wabash Valley, with the women’s game starting at 5:30 and the men’s game to follow.
Women: OCC 91, SIC 75
OCC (91) Ennis 3-7 0-0 7, Scott 4-9 4-4 12, Callaway 3-7 0-1 6, Shoulders 5-11 0-0 10, Pilant 11-16 5-5 27, Samsil 3-7 3-4 10, Barton 2-4 0-0 4, Yando 1-2 1-3 3, Myers 4-9 4-5 12, Rubin 0-0 0-0 0, Meinhart 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 36-73 17-22 91.
SOUTHEASTERN ILLINOIS COLLEGE (75) Best 7-17 2-4 20, Sheppard 3-9 3-5 11, Jones 7-12 2-2 18, Dodane 1-5 0-1 2, Simmons 0-3 2-3 2, Clark 1-5 0-0 3, Mandrell 4-12 2-2 12, Mixen 0-2 3-3 3, Prizer 1-4 2-2 4. Totals: 24-69 16-22 75.
Halftime Score: OCC 40, SIC 31. Rebounds: OCC 45 (Myers 9), SIC 28 (Jones 7). Turnovers: OCC 23, SIC 25. Three-point field goals: OCC 2 (Ennis, Samsil) Southeastern Illinois College 11 (Best 4, Sheppard 2, Jones 2, Mandrell 2, Clark).
Men: SIC 92, OCC 89
OCC (89) Grissett 5-16 6-9 18, Smith 0-2 0-0 0, Rowell 2-5 0-0 4, Pampe 1-5 0-0 2, Brown 10-14 7-10 27, Cummings 1-1 2-2 4, Jackson 3-9 2-2 10, Reaves 0-0 0-0 0, Brough 2-3 0-0 6, Mitchell 5-13 2-4 14, McClure 2-3 0-1 4. Totals: 31-71 19-28 89.
SOUTHEASTERN ILLINOIS COLLEGE (92) Carter 4-9 2-2 13, Pickett 10-16 5-6 28, Rivera 2-8 2-4 6, Williams 7-10 1-2 16, Long 6-8 0-0 15, Hughes 0-0 2-2 2, Thomas 0-3 5-6 5, Osemwegie 0-1 0-0 0, Barnes 3-5 1-2 7, Carr 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 32-64 18-24 92.
Halftime Score: SIC 43, OCC 37. Rebounds: OCC 35 (McClure 7), SIC 37 (Pickett 11) Turnovers: OCC 11, SIC 13. Three-point field goals: OCC 8 (Grissett 2, Jackson 2, Brough 2, Mitchell 2), SIC 10 (Carter 3, Pickett 3, Long 3, Williams).
RLC women win, men lost to Lincoln Trail
November 25, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Lady Warriors basketball fought for first conference game win against Lady Statesmen
INA, Ill. – On Saturday, the Rend Lake College Lady Warriors pulled out a stop against the Lady Statesmen with a 76-67 win, moving them to 4-3 on the season and 1-0 in the Great Rivers Athletic Conference (GRAC).
The Lady Warriors will play Shawnee in Ullin tomorrow. They will finish up the year with two home games against Southwestern Illinois on Dec. 4 and Southeastern Illinois on Dec. 7. For all things athletic at The Lake, visit www.rlc.edu/warriors.
RLC Warrior basketball team struggled, lost at home against Lincoln Trail Statesmen
INA, Ill. – Over the weekend, the Rend Lake College Men’s Basketball team took a loss at home from the Lincoln Trail Statesmen 86-102. The game was the first Great Rivers Athletic Conference (GRAC) game for the team.
Now 5-3 on the season, the Warriors will play Lincoln Land in Springfield tomorrow before returning home to face Southwestern Illinois on Dec. 4 and Southeastern Illinois on Dec. 7. Their last game of 2013 will be against Lincoln on Dec. 8. For all things athletic at The Lake, visit www.rlc.edu/warriors.
Saluki Men’s Basketball picks up first win, tops Missouri S&T, 96-74
November 22, 2013 By Leave a Comment
By Tom Weber
SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill. – Southern Illinois put its first mark in the win column with a 96-74 victory over Division II Missouri S&T on Thursday night, as three players topped 20 points for SIU.
Anthony Beane
The Salukis (1-3) overcame a sluggish first half to out-score the Miners, 60-45, in the final 20 minutes. A staggering 63 fouls were called in the game, and with 10 minutes remaining, four players had already fouled out for Missouri S&T.
“We have seen that in every single basketball game this year,” said Miners’ head coach Jim Glash. “It’s a horrible way to have to play. You saw teams make a decision to put their heads down and drive toward the basket knowing the whistle is going to blow. I don’t think in this economy, people should be paying for tickets to watch teams shoot free throws.”
After watching his team convert 23-of-38 free throws on the night, SIU head coach Barry Hinson agreed.
“I think we’re absolutely ruining the game,” he said. “No one wants to come and watch free-throw shooting. It’s not the officials’ fault at all — it’s the NCAA’s fault. Last time I checked this game wasn’t broken. It’s amazing what we’re doing to this game.”
The game plan was pretty simple for both teams — drive it to the basket. In the second half, the Salukis attempted only four jump shots, while the Miners took six. The remaining 41 field goal attempts were driving layups, and that doesn’t include the attempts in which fouls were assessed.
Fortunately for Southern, they had three players who were basically unstoppable on their way to the rim. Desmar Jackson had his second-straight double-double with 24 points and 10 rebounds. Jalen Pendleton also had 24, while Anthony Beane broke out of a recent shooting slump with an 8-for-10 night and 20 points.
“With Jackson and Beane, how are you going to stay in front of them if you’re not allowed to touch them at all and you’re not allowed to take charges?” asked Glash.
The game got off to a sluggish start. Missouri S&T applied a full-court press after every made basket and the first seven fouls were called on the Miners. After 13 minutes of stop-and-start play, the visitors led, 21-20.
Southern finally gained the upper hand with a 10-0 run sparked by a couple of fast-break buckets by Beane. SIU led, 36-29, at halftime, and the lead remained in single digits until midway through the second half when three starters and a key reserve had all fouled out for Missouri S&T.
“It’s a shame that these kids are so well-conditioned, so physically strong, and now they can’t use it,” said Glash, after watching Bryce Foster, Nusrath Khan, Danylo Zuikov and Tyler Anderson join him on the bench.
The Salukis took advantage of the Miners’ depleted roster, outscoring them 33-21 in the final 10 minutes, capped off by a 3-pointer by walk-on Colby Long with 31 seconds remaining. Hinson said there was little joy in the Saluki locker room after the long and ragged affair.
“You’ve got a locker room of guys that won a 22-point ballgame and their first win of the year, and it looks like they’re beat down and lost the game,” he said. “It’s not even fun for them.”
SIU will head to Florida next week for the three-day Gulf Coast Showcase tournament with a slightly depleted roster. Forward Bronson Verhines sprained an ankle and could be out for two weeks, Hinson said. Sophomore guard Hunter Gibson also indicated his intention to transfer at the semester break and will not accompany the team to the Sunshine state.
