Benton, West Frankfort, Illinois News | Franklin County News
Newspaper covering Franklin County, Illinois
Republican candidate Bruce Rauner said today that if he were governor, he would veto legislation lawmakers sent to Gov. Pat Quinn last week that would cut pension benefits for some city workers and allow aldermen to raise property taxes to shore up the retirement program.
Here’s the link to the story at the Chicago Tribune.
By Walter V. Wendler
“At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us, it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher.”
— Abraham Lincoln —
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Diversified Access – The student newspaper on the campus of Southern Illinois University, The Daily Egyptian, posted an editorial last week regarding the favored treatment of freshmen over transfer students regarding scholarships. I concur with Kayli Plotner that more opportunities for financial aid should be granted to transfer students. The inertia to treat new students as prized citizens of the university is well intended but out of date. Diminished financial aid opportunities for transfer students come from within the university. The tradition, bordering on arrogance, that community college students are inferior is unfounded. Institutions that graduate half their students on time should use the looking glass to see incapability. The face of reality is that transfer students, who have completed an Associate’s degree, graduate on time at a rate greater than native freshmen students.
Walter V. Wendler
Opening doors of support to students who have demonstrated the capacity for college-level work through the attainment of a two-year degree deserves greater attention from within the university community. According to the Chancellor’s office of the California Community Colleges, “Transfer students from the California Community Colleges to the University of California system currently account for 48 percent of UC’s bachelor’s degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.”
New Ideas – The Evolllution: Illuminating the Lifelong Learning Movement, (sic) identified “The Top Five Roadblocks to Innovation in Higher Ed” in a post by Mike Scheuermann of Drexel University last week. The lack of funding is driving institutions away from innovation, not towards it, he says. Universities seem to fear change. Silos exist; guardedness stunts collaboration and people incongruously believe that something new will automatically bring innovation.
Distance education, reduced time to degrees, integrated community college articulation for seamless transfer, transparency in degree value, employment potential and borrowing, weekend programs, and a host of other not so new, but very powerful ideas could help transform universities and simultaneously strengthen academic values. But, unfortunately, too many insiders find too many excuses to sustain business as usual, without regard for institutional ability to offer cogent educational opportunities to students. Again, we can’t blame bankers or politicians for this unfortunate circumstance. Rather, university personnel create resistance to change.
Multiple Approaches – Last week, the Huffington Post posted a report, “Fixing Higher Education Requires a Diversity of Assessments and Reforms.” A group of faculty at Brevard College suggested adherence to the traditions of the university has not produced desired results: 11% of business leaders and 14% of the broader population “strongly agree” that graduates are well prepared for employment. Universities are failing at the most basic level — outsiders and insiders know it. If the university was either a well-run business or a well-run academic organization, this would not be the case.
Regrettably, many campuses fear change even in the incremental manner suggested in the three scenarios above. We should have liberty rather than hide-bound traditions regarding college students and their aspirations that haven’t existed in decades. Insiders should embrace thoughtful, incremental change lest they become Lincoln’s “authors and finishers.”
These three forces — access, innovation, and diversity of approaches — suggest that a radical change is neither proposed nor needed. Rather approaches addressing the changing nature of our students, and the rising costs of our services, their necessity and value should be sought. Tradition, in this case, chokes institutional purpose and life.
Our universities should heed young Lincoln’s wise counsel. Pogo Possum did, and noted, “I have seen the enemy and he is us.”
Jeffrey Thomas Boyd passed away on Thursday, April 10, 2014 in his home due to his on-going battle with ALS (Lou Gehrig ’s disease).
Jeff was born on December 20, 1950 at Marshall Browning Hospital in Du Quoin, Il. Jeff was the youngest of three boys born to Loren Woodrow Boyd and Vera Galloway Boyd. Both of his parents preceded him in death.
Jeff is survived by his wife of 27 years, Christine (Dolce) Boyd of Sesser, Il and their children Cassie Hartwell and William of Sesser, Il. Jeff is also survived by his brothers Loren “Beau” Boyd and wife Cheryl of Benton, Il and Steve Boyd and wife Carolyn of Sesser, Il.
Jeff graduated from Sesser Community Unit schools in 1967. He continued on to the University of Missouri at Rolla. Jeff was raised on the farm operating heavy machinery and continued to do so until his death in his life-long career as a civil engineer. Jeff operated as an owner of Boyd Brother’s Inc of Sesser, Il and J.T. Boyd Construction Company of Sesser, Il.
Jeff was an avid bass fisherman, quail hunter, and Harley rider. He also enjoyed gardening outside with his wife and kids. Nothing made him happier than to spend time outside with the sun on his face and the wind in his hair. Jeff lived the fisherman’s dream and lived most of his adult life at his boyhood fishing spot . Jeff was a member of B.A.S.S. Master’s, the Masonic Lodge in Sesser, the Scottish Rite, and the Anid Temple of Shriners.
Jeff had been a member of 4-H as a youth and participated in 4-H with both of his children. Jeff had served as a member of the Franklin County Hospital Board and a member of the Sesser School Board. Jeff was also a member of the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 318 in Marion, Il.
Services to remember Jeff’s life will be held at the United Methodist Church in Sesser, Il on Tuesday, April 15, 2014. The church will open at 9:00 a.m. and the memorial service will begin at 11:00 a.m. The family asks that in lieu of flowers donations be made to the ALS association, the Shriner’s Hospital for Children in St. Louis, MO, or for college expenses for Jeff’s children.
Vera Romani 75 passed away April 12, 2014 after a brief illness.
She was born to Ole and Vera Olson in Oak Harbor, Washington on August 23, 1938,
She married Humbert (Humpy) Romani on October 30, 1953. He preceded her in death on March 14, 2001.
Vera was a homemaker and also helped her husband in several businesses they owned.
Survivors include her children Victor M. Romani and wife Trisha of Sesser. Annette Easter and husband CJ of West City, Darren M. Romani and wife Kimberly of West City, Teresa Hammond and husband Gale of Hendersonville, Tennessee.
A sister Dorathy (Tootsie) Gilbert and husband Eugene (Dud) of Oak Harbor, Washington, and a brother Hans (Swede) Olson and wife Marlene of Oak Harbor, Washington, and several nieces and nephews also survive
She is also survived by 17 grandchildren, 18 great grandchildren, and 1 great great grandchild. She will be sadly missed.
She was preceded in death by her parents, a brother Robert Olson, sister Nanny Lewin, and five children Tina Romani, Leslie Romani, Diana Romani, Lisa Sisney, Christopher Romani, one grandchild, and three great grandchildren.
Funeral Service will be Wednesday April 16, 2014 at 11 a.m. at the Brayfield/Gilbert Funeral Home in Sesser. Officiating will be Father Peter Balili, Visitation will be Tuesday April 15, 2014 after 6 p.m. at the funeral home. Interment will be in Maple Hill Cemetery in Sesser.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. • Faced with an expected $3 billion budget hole from an expiring income tax increase, Illinois lawmakers are grappling with whether to raise taxes to avoid major cuts to schools and social services next year.
Here’s the link at the St. Louis Post Dispatch.
INA, Ill. – For many students, on-the-job training and internships are just as important when it comes to learning about a career choice as the classes they take during college. This is especially true for Rend Lake College alumnus Cailah Brock, who turned her experiences at RLC into a career that she hopes to grow for years to come.
The Benton native and now resident of Herrin graduated from RLC in 2011 with an Associate Degree in Agricultural Business. Knowing what she wanted to do from the start, she set the foundation for her future in the classrooms of RLC.
Cailah Brock trained in Rend Lake College’s agriculture program before going to work at Precision Laboratories as a Product Specialist. She shared tips about entering the workforce at the 2014 Ag Banquet in April.
(ReAnne Palmer / RLC Public Information)
“When I went into Ag, I decided that I wanted to be a rep, and the classes at Rend Lake College definitely helped me with certain jargon and terminology. Also, to graduate, I had to take a class that was like a ‘getting you ready for life’ kind of class where we talked about tips and different avenues to look into. It was required at RLC and having it that early definitely helped,” she said.
As a part of the Agriculture program, Brock spent several summers working in an on-the-job training at Southern FS, getting first-hand experiences that prepared her for her future.
“To graduate from RLC with an Ag degree, you have to do on-the-job training for two summers. Not only did I get to work in the summer, but I got paid for it, and received three credits for each summer toward my degree. I worked at the same place, Southern FS, for three summers,” said Brock.
But it didn’t stop there for this former Warrior. After graduating, Brock said Southern FS helped her land the job she has now as a Product Specialist at Precision Laboratories, the job she hopes to build upon throughout her career.
“In January before I graduated, I sent out résumés, and Southern FS worked with Precision Laboratories, so Southern FS sent my information and Precision contacted me about the position. Southern FS really helped me get my job. I had no experience in sales, but Precision went by my connections,” said Brock.
Other than her on-the-job training at RLC, Brock said the individualized education in the classroom helped her get a step ahead of others in her field.
“The Ag program is really great, especially being around all of the other Ag students and instructors,” she said. “It really is a top notch program and I loved everything about it. One of my instructors, Kathy Craig, and I still talk. The job I’m in now had a six-week interview process, and I would talk to her through the whole thing for advice and tips. She’s been really great.”
Brock then added the small class sizes and one-on-one teaching time she received at RLC were a bonus when compared to her time in a university.
“The Ag program at Rend Lake College is really great, especially being around all of the other Ag students and instructors. It really is a top notch program and I loved everything about it.”
– Cailah Brock, RLC Ag Business, LEFT, pictured with Ag Associate Professor Kathy Craig, RIGHT.
“The smaller class sizes are very, very personal. I made several great relationships that I plan on keeping,” she said. “A lot of my friends were going straight on to SIU (Southern Illinois University) and I decided to save money and go to Rend Lake. The Ag Department is the best of the best in my book, and I consider choosing Rend Lake College over four years at SIU one of the best decisions I have made. Not many can say they graduated on a Saturday and started work that following Monday. RLC holds a very special place in my heart.”
Once graduated, Brock said the transition to SIU was a hard one, but thanks to her experiences at RLC, she was ready to dive in head first.
“I was terrified of going to SIU. On my first day, I remember I had a couple of general classes and an Ag class. I thought, ‘I don’t want to walk in here and be behind,’ so I was really nervous. When I got there, the instructor pulled out the book for the class and it was the exact same book that we had used in a class at RLC. All the weight of the world dropped off my shoulders and I felt so relieved,” she said.
Graduating in May of 2013 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Plant and Soil Science, Brock said she hopes to be able to grow in her career and stay in the area at the same time.
“I’m very family-oriented. That was one of the main reasons I decided to go to Rend Lake and SIU. My goal is to make a life here in Southern Illinois. The reason I wanted the job was because it is in Southern Illinois and I can continue to grow here,” she said.
For more information about Rend Lake College, visit www.rlc.edu.
Joeann Dardeen remembered me when I called this week. I had bumped my head on a hanging light in her kitchen during our last visit and she still recalled it more than 16 years later.
House Speaker Michael Madigan has pulled the plug on his proposed constitutional amendment to impose a surcharge on incomes over $1 million a year.
I’ve been told, and not always at pleasant times, that as a writer I sometimes wear my feelings and emotions on my sleeve. In order to remove any dispute about that claim let me say ‘guilty as charged.’ Furthermore, this offering will provide even more ammunition for those who make that accusation.
Today column is one of those instances where I take a couple of points and try to tie them together into a single thought.
As a youngster growing up in Sesser I learned early-on that for some people life is a daily struggle. I learned that by watching my Uncle Paul (Shepard) – a man who literally drank himself to death at age 40 and a man that most people in town would have referred to as the ‘town drunk.’ Looking back I couldn’t argue with that assessment of him; however I also remember seeing pictures and hearing family members tell stories that long before alcohol destroyed his appearance, his looks and his ambition he was a big strapping man with a quick wit, a ready smile and a keen sense of humor. Of course those who remember him stumbling down the street drunk on cheap wine wouldn’t recall those things.
I’ve mentioned Uncle Paul before in my writing and always note that his was a life that somewhere went far off course. I’ve often wondered how he went from being a decorated World War II Navy veteran at age 21 to a person who would gladly accept alcohol in exchange for a few hours work.
Even though I was only 14 when he died I still recall the feelings I had when his name was mentioned, oftentimes as the butt of a ‘drunk’ joke. Looking back it wasn’t a feeling that I had to defend him, after all how can you defend that type of behavior. Instead, it was more a feeling that life is very fragile and the potential is there for all of us to stray far off course.
Oddly, those old familiar thoughts and feelings about my Uncle Paul resurfaced this week when a story about the arrest of a Buckner man was highlighted on every news source known to man here in Southern Illinois.
Unless you’ve been in another state you no doubt heard the story about 27-year-old Jared Floro who was arrested on drug charges in West City.
Apparently under the influence Floro tried to gain entry to a house in West City and then ended up at the home of Steve Mumbower, the village’s police chief, where he walked by a squad car in the driveway. Floro then reportedly told Mumbower that he was in West City to trade some pills for cannabis at a residence in the same neighborhood.
Mumbower then notified other law enforcement agencies and the drug deal went down resulting in the arrest of Floro and Kevin McChesney, 28, of West City.
Before I continue on let me clarify a couple of important points. First, if a person is in possession or dealing illegal drugs they should be arrested, period. Secondly, the police did the right thing in this instance.
When I read the story about Floro I was saddened because I quickly remembered a better day. For 20 years I coached baseball in the Mustang League (boys age 9-10) in Benton. I’ve often said some of the nicest people I’ve met in life came through that association. I’ve given eulogies for three former players who died in car accidents. As I said, lifelong friendships were forged on Field No. 3 at Benton Community Park.
As I read the story I recalled the two years that Floro played for me. He was a tough competitor, a hard worker and as a catcher was hard-nosed. During that two-year span he made as much improvement as any kid I ever coached.
It wasn’t until the day after I read the story in the newspaper about Floro’s arrest that those old, familiar ‘Uncle Paul-feelings’ came back. As is the case these days in the media, where everybody is trying to one-up everybody else, radio and television jumped all over the story and basically made Floro the ‘butt’ of the joke.
On one morning radio show – one of those where they incessantly laugh too loud and too long at things that are not funny – the hosts were having a hoot at Floro’s expense. Just like those comments I heard about Uncle Paul four decades ago I can’t defend Floro, after all, as I said earlier, how can you defend that type of behavior. All I can say once again is that life is very fragile and the potential is there for all of us to stray off course.
But, the point I want to make today is that alcoholism and drug addiction is not funny and those who battle daily demons are not a punch line to be served up by a sanctimonious media looking for a laugh or a ratings increase.
All those who had a good chuckle this past week at the expense of somebody that is obviously battling those demons should step down from their ivory tower, pause for a minute and remember that very truthful adage that says, ‘there but for the grace of God go I.’
Raymond Mrogenski, 91, of Benton, passed away Sunday, April 6, 2014 at StoneBridge Senior Living Center in Benton.
Graveside funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, April 12 at Masonic & Oddfellows Cemetery in Benton with Father Joseph Trapp officiating. Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at Morton & Johnston Funeral Home in Benton with a prayer service at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the funeral home.
