For as long as I can remember I have been an avid news junkie, a voracious newspaper reader and in recent years I spend many hours weekly reading online news sources.

Local, state, federal or world news – it doesn’t matter – I’ve always religiously followed what’s happening, many times following stories from other regions that have no actual bearing on me or my life.

Several years ago I recall my dad telling me that he quit watching the evening news on television because it made him mad, frustrated and many times nervous. Perhaps it’s an age-thing – or maybe it’s just another example that I’m turning into my dad – but I understand more and more what he meant. While I don’t see me ever giving up following the news I also have those same feelings more and more these days.

Many times as a columnist I will take two two story-lines and attempt to turn them into a single thought. Such is the case today.

The first is out of Springfield, Missouri but really could be from Anytown, USA. Sadly, I guess it’s just another tragic example of life in the 21^st Century.

On Feb. 19 Hailey Owens, a 10-year-old fourth-grader, was walking home from a friend’s house after school when she was abducted in broad daylight. She was two blocks from her home. Neighbors watched in horror as she was dragged into a gold-colored Ford Ranger pickup truck. One neighbor even gave chase but lost the vehicle.

Hailey Owens

A few hours later police arrested Craig Michael Wood, 45, a middle school teacher’s aide and football coach. Wood was driving a gold-colored Ford Ranger. When authorities gained access to his home they found Hailey’s body stuffed in trash bags and inside a large plastic container. She had been raped and shot in the head. There was still wet bleach on the basement floor from an attempt to clean up the murder scene. More than a dozen guns and child pornography was also found in the subsequent search. Wood was charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping and armed criminal action in Hailey’s death. He is being held without bond in Greene County Jail. In his initial court appearance he pleaded not guilty. Greene County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Patterson said he was considering pursuing the death penalty for Wood. Hailey was buried Feb. 26.

The second story, also out of Missouri, involves an execution earlier this week when Michael Taylor died by lethal injection 25 years after he abducted 15-year-old Ann Harrison while she was waiting for a school bus. She was raped and then stuffed in the trunk of a car where she was stabbed to death. Taylor admitted to the crime, saying that it was fueled by crack cocaine.

The story went on to note that attorneys for Taylor, through the years, had launched a string of appeals that had allowed him to remain on Death Row for a quarter of a century. The final appeal that was denied by the U.S. Supreme Court, asserted that the drugs used for lethal injection could subject Taylor to a “slow and tortuous death.”

As I read the story about Taylor’s 25 years on Death Row, I thought of 10-year-old Hailey Owens and the man accused of ending her young life – Craig Michael Wood. And as I stewed about my feelings – feelings about worthless appeals that allow child killers to languish in prison, children being raped and murdered and the pure evil that exists in the world — I thought of a line from one of my favorite movies, “Unforgiven” where Clint Eastwood talked about killing another person.

“It’s a helluva thing, killing somebody,” Eastwood’s character the murderous William Munney said. “You take away all they’ve got … and all they’re ever going to have.”

‘ … all they’ve got … and all they’re ever going to have.’

Let’s take that line and look at Hailey Owens young life that was snuffed out by a pedophile.

Hailey was forever taken away from her parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends, classmates and on and on and on. The second part of that movie line – ‘all they’re ever going to have’ is the saddest aspect. Clearly, police have the right guy, so Craig Michael Wood took away from Hailey the wonder of grade school, graduation from junior high, a first boyfriend, a first kiss, proms, football and basketball games, high school graduation, college, becoming a wife, a mother, enjoying a career and every other joy and accomplishment that would have been her life.

And the possibility that Wood could be on Death Row for 20-25 years is nothing short of repulsive to me. While we have the greatest judicial system in the world it is badly broken when confessed and convicted killers are allowed to live for decades after a jury finds them guilty. Can you imagine what that must be like for an already grief-stricken family? It’s salt in an open wound.

If it wasn’t so sad and tragic it would laughable that an attorney could file an appeal that drugs used for lethal injection would result in “cruel and tortuous death.”

Cruel and tortuous death? Seriously?

That particular appeal, which is becoming more and more popular these days in keeping murderers alive, is yet another example that we live in a world where the perpetrator is now the victim.

Just to set the record straight, a cruel and tortuous death is the way that Hailey Owens and Ann Harrison died.

When you read this several of us will have just returned from the Governmental Affairs Leadership Conference in Springfield. Some of the workshops that we will be attending are:  Farm Bill, Renewable Fuels Standard, Transportation & Infrastructure, Water Quality Issues, Trucking Regulations and many more.

Larry Miller, executive director Franklin County Farm Bureau

This is always a good conference to attend because these are some of the more important issues that our farmers are concerned about.

Speaking of Trucking Regulations – we will be having a seminar on Monday, March 3 at noon at the Farm Credit Service building in Mt. Vernon.  This is open to the public and lunch will be served at noon.  Kevin Rund will be able to answer any questions that you may have.  Please call the office at 435-3616 if you plan on attending this seminar so that we can plan on the amount of food to prepare.

Last week I discussed the many state wide benefits that are available to Franklin County Farm Bureau members and today I want to discuss the local member benefits.  The following businesses have some discount available to Franklin County members – must show a valid Franklin County Farm Bureau Membership Card –

Big O Farm & Garden – Thompsonville -5% of pet food
FB McAfoos – Benton – 15% off Kubota Logo merchandise
Benton Dairy Queen – Benton- $1.00 off Royal Treat $1.00 off round of mini-golf
Extreme Auto – Benton – free detail with service work of $300 or more
The Weeping Willow – Benton – 15% off $35 purchase
West Frankfort Bowl – West Frankfort – free drink with purchase of meal of free shoe rental
Fast Truck & Trailer – Benton – proudly supporting Franklin County Farm Bureau
Rhino Linings of Southern Illinois – Benton – 10% off Rhino and accessories
Martin’s Restaurant – Benton free drink with $5.00 purchase
Stark’s Total Fitness & Tanning – Benton – one month free of unlimited classes with new membership and any new tanning package get 50% off lotion
Four Season’s Ace Hardware – Benton – 10% discount on entire purchase of $50 or more
Earth Works – West Frankfort – 10% off any rock, mulch, flowers, plants or trees
Christopher Subway – Christopher – buy one 6” mealt @ regular price get 6” sub for $.99
Concepte of Illinois – Benton – for all your computer needs
Rend Lake Marine – Rend City Road – 10% off week day boat rental (no holidays)
Leedle Houme Bees – Mulkeytown – 10% off on honey
Benton Lawn & Garden – Benton – 5% off on parts & labor
The Wild Trillium – Benton – items from local artisans
Benton Save A Lot – Benton – stop in for weekly specials

The Rural Nurse Practitioner Scholarship Program offered by Illinois Farm Bureau (IFB) does double duty. How so? It helps out nurses and it helps out rural healthcare. It’s a win-win for everyone!

Twenty percent of the U.S. population live in rural areas, but only nine percent of physicians practice there. The Rural Nurse Practitioner Scholarship Program (RNPSP), now in its twenty-second year, supports nurses who want to become nurse practitioners and serve in rural communities.

There will be five scholarships, worth $4,000 each, granted this year to nurse practitioner students who agree to practice for two years in an approved rural area in Illinois. The program is sponsored by the Illinois Farm Bureau and the illinois State Medical Society.

To be eligible for the scholarship, students must be Illinois residents and be a Registered Nurse accepted or enrolled in an accredited Nurse Practitioner Program. Funding is provided by the Rural Illinois Medical Student Assistance Program.

According to Mariah Dale-Anderson, who heads up the program for IFB, “This scholarship has helped many qualified applicants hurdle financial needs or borderline academic barriers to receive a medical education. In all, more than 55 students have benefited from loans and recommendations to the University of Illinois.”

Applications are available at county Farm Bureaus® throughout the state, on the Rural Illinois Medical Student Assistance Program website at RIMSAP.com, or by writing Mariah Dale-Anderson, Special Services Manager, Illinois Farm Bureau, PO Box 2901, Bloomington, IL 61702-2901.
Applications are due May 1.

Remember we are farmers working together. If we can help let us know.