Rend Lake College Foundation director Leuty receives Presidential Award

December 10, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Rend Lake College Foundation board member Jim Leuty receives the RLCF Presidential Award at the foundation’s annual dinner Thursday night. Presenting the award to Leuty is RLC President Terry Wilkerson, left, and RLCF CEO Shawna Hall.

STAFF REPORT

Jim Leuty received the Rend Lake College Foundation Presidential Award during the RLCF Annual Dinner Meeting Thursday night at the Mount Vernon Holiday Inn.

Leuty, 49, of Mount Vernon, is a CPA and partner at Krehbiel and Associates accounting firm. He is one of the newer members to the RLCF Board of Directors. However, his firm’s work on the Foundation’s audit in past years makes him very familiar with its functions.

With another firm conducting the most recent audits of the RLCF, Leuty found himself on the other side of the process. Foundation officials said it was his work on this audit that made Leuty deserving of the RLCF Presidential Award.

Shawna Hall, CEO of the Foundation, said Leuty was active in a series of long meetings about the audit.

“His expertise was vital,” said Hall. “I can’t thank him enough for his willingness to go above and beyond for the Foundation. It was reassuring to have him there as we went through the audit. But it doesn’t stop with the audit. Jim is always there to help out with our monthly financials or anything else we need.”

The RLCF Presidential Award is among the institution’s most prestigious honors and is reserved for an RLCF Board Member who shows exemplary service. The first recipients were Hunt Bonan, Mildred Fitzgerrell, Richard Garner and Howard L. Payne in 1995. Jim Kelly was the 1996 recipient, followed by Sam Mateer in 1997, Jimmy Fulks in 1998, Wendell Maulding in 1999, Rich Yunkus in 2000, Dr. Warren Petty in 2001, Bill Regenhardt and Mark Ballard in 2002, Dr. Gene Stotlar and Dr. Charles W. Roe in 2003, Dr. Robert Parks in 2004, Terry Addington in 2005, Millie Caldwell in 2006, Bob Thomason in 2007, Mary Ellen Aiken in 2008, Ed Cunningham in 2009, and Steve Rowland in 2010.

For more about the Foundation, visit online at www.rlc.edu/foundation.

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Bearcats defeat Hamilton County, improve to 7-1

December 10, 2012 By Leave a Comment

By Tom Wheeler

Coach Eric Stallman’s Christopher Bearcats played their third game of the week, all with the same results — wins. The Cats defeated the Hamilton County Foxes 52-40 at home on Saturday night to give then a 7-1 record on the young season.

If anybody would have told coach Stallman before the game that his Bearcats would defeat the always tough Foxes by 12 without their leading scorer Tyler Atchison scoring a field goal, he might not have believed you, but that is what happen.  Atchison only scored three free throws but his defense on the all-south candidate of the Foxes Levi Lueke set the tone for the game. The Cats showed they are not a one man team and have five guys capable of being the leading scorer each night.

Junior Eric Young led the Cats scoring with 19 points after dropping 24 on the Foxes last year.

Christopher jumped off to a quick 12-5 first quarter lead behind eight points from junior sharp shooter Eric Young. The home team outscored the Foxes by five in the second frame to go into half time leading 26-14 as big Kevin Mercks chipped in seven of his thirteen points and Young added four charity tosses on his way to scoring 19 on the night.

The third quarter the Foxes scored 15 points but still trailed 38-29 going into the final eight minutes. It was then time for junior point guard Jake Towers to step up.  A true point guard’s job is to protect the ball and hit his free throws and Towers showed the maturity of a seasoned veteran as he knocked down 8-of-10 free throws with the game on the line.  Towers joined Young and Mercks in double figures with 13 points on the night while senior R.J.Kuh had a hustling game scoring four points including two crucial free throws early in the last frame. Freshman Haunter Wheeler and Josh Calloni saw limited action without scoring.

The game was won at the free throw line for the Bearcats who hit 19-26 (73 percent) free tosses compared to 9-18 (50 percent) for the Foxes.

Hamilton County was led in scoring by Lueke with 11 who sat out most of the last quarter with foul problems. Logan Billington scored 9, Tyler Cross 5, Baliee Gay 5, Garrett Biggerstaff 5, Nathan Anselment 3 and Travis Stevens chipped in 2.

When Fox coach Keith Welch was asked about Young’s scoring he answered “it wasn’t a surprise, he dropped 24 on us last year at Mcleansboro.”  Christopher coach Eric Stallman called the victory “a big win for us.”

The Bearcat junior varsity of Coach Jeremy Varner also won all three games this week to raise their record to 3-0 going into Tuesday night’s home game with Cobden.

Filed Under: Christopher High School Sports, Christopher News, Franklin Co. News, High School Sports

Lady Indians score road victory at West Frankfort

December 8, 2012 By Leave a Comment
BY BRUCE A. FASOL
A furious third quarter comeback by the West Frankfort Lady Redbirds could not keep visiting Johnston city from scoring a 49-44 victory Saturday afternoon. The non-conference game was played at Max Morris Gym.
Johnston City dominated the first half, leading 9-5 after one quarter. In the second quarter the Indians took a commanding27-17 lead into the locker room. But, the Lady Redbirdss caught fire in quarter three and made up a huge difference outscoring Johnston City 12-4. The Indians stopped the comeback with an 18-14 advantage in the
last frame.
Scoring for the lady Redbirds: Wilce 12, Calvert 9, Cunningham 8, Stewart 8, Melvin 4, and Sailiez 1.
Filed Under: High School Sports, West Frankfort High School Sports Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Patriots beat Redbirds in Ohio opener

December 8, 2012 By Leave a Comment

By BRUCE A. FASOL

The Massac County Patriots defeated the West Frankfort Redbirds Friday night. The game was the conference opener for both ball clubs. Once the Patriots ran their lead to double digits, they seemed to draw a line in the sand. Only a few times did the pesky Redbirds cross that line, getting no closer than 4 points.  And, Massac County began drawing that line by first quarter’s end, up 19-10.

The Redbirds were outscored 12-10 in the second quarter, after making some runs at the Patriots. In the second quarter, the Patriots found some holes in the Redbird defense that allowed Devontay Blye to drive to the goal. Autin Kendall hit a shot and got a stick back bucket as well to lengthen the Patriot lead to 31-20 at intermission.

The third quarter turned into a Dalton Mitchell-Braxton Koehl heavyweight match up. Mitchell blistered the nets for 10 points in the third quarter. He sank two three-point shots in the process. Sophomore Koehl, a Redbird starter, added a dozen points in the frame, with two field goals and ten for ten free throw accuracy. But, by quarter’s end, the determined Redbirds still trailed, but by only 10 points,51-41.

Massac County put the game away with a 23-11 scoring advantage over the last eight minutes. Trenton Easley sank a three-point shot as a highlight of the frame for West Frankfort.  The Redbird bench added the only other two field goals, one by Jacob Bartoni and one by Drew Maller.

Scoring for the ‘Birds included: 15 for Koehl, 11 Easley, 9 for Fort, 8 Maller ( who started game for injured Christian Dunning), 6 for Nic Korolenko, 2 Bartoni and 1 point for Evan Keller.

Unofficially, Massac County out-rebounded the home team 28-22. Both teams turned it over 13 times in the game.

With the loss, the Redbirds are now 1-4 for the season. They drop to 0-1 for the Ohio Division play.

The next game for the Redbirds will be a Friday road game at Herrin. The Junior Varsity lost their game 60-27 and remain winless.

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Late basket lifts Lady Redbirds

December 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment

By BRUCE A. FASOL

A late basket by senior Rebecca Cunningham lifted the West Frankfort Lady Redbirds to a thrilling 28-27 win over visiting Anna-Jonesboro on Thursday night.

The Lady Redbirds had built an early 7-2 lead, and it was their largest of the game. In the second half, it also looked like the ‘Birds would pull away after building a 4-point lead. However, a determined Lady Wildcat team kept cutting those leads. After trailing initially, Anna-Jonesboro held a 15-13 lead at the half. and, indicative of the flow of this game, the Lady Redbirds had grabbed off a 23-21 lead going into the fourth quarter.

AJ took a one point lead after a dramatic three-point shot by Kaitie Grant with 5:16 to play. The Redbirds tied the game with a free throw at the 4:48 mark left. The game stayed tied at 26 apiece until Grant hit a free throw to give the visitors the one point lead with :53 seconds to go.
Both teams could not find the range, and both teams committed mistakes as the clock wound down. With just :13 seconds remaining Rebecca Cunningham fired a little jump shot in the lane to give the Redbirds a 28-27 lead. Anna-Jonesboro had a chance down the stretch but missed a key free throw, as did the Redbirds. A final shot hit the rim that could have won the game for the Wildcats.
West Frankfort Coach Matt Hampleman was happy with the win, but still admitted there were a lot of things to work on.
“We ran the sets we wanted to run, but couldn’t finish it off,” he said.
One of the areas needing work was free-throw shooting where the Redbirds were 5 of 12, or 42 percent, from the line. The Redbirds were also plagued by turnovers.
Coach Hampleman pointed out that the Birds are somewhat young, at times with three freshmen on the floor.  But, Hampleman put it into perspective, saying,  “Any win is a good win in front of our fans.”
Scoring for the Redbirds included Kiarha Wilce 10, Rebecca Cunningham with 8,Lindsey Williams 5,Jacklynn Calvert 4 and Hanna Melvin 1.
The game also marked the return of Jordan Crowder. However, it was short lived on Thursday as she was re-injured in the contest.
With the win, the Lady Redbirds are 3-7 and will host Johnston City on Saturday.
Filed Under: High School Sports, West Frankfort High School Sports Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

JALC Trivia Team is on a roll

December 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment

By TERI CAMPBELL, Logan Media Services

The John A. Logan College trivia team has been on a roll lately. The team racked up three victories in November and those wins are part of a long history of success.

Dr. Jane Bryant, professor of political science at JALC, has been a member of the team since its inception.

“Russ Williams, who used to be a part-time faculty member here, started the team in 2006 to participate in a fundraiser for the Lighthouse Shelter in Marion,” Bryant said. “We won that event in 2006 and 2007. Once we got a taste for the competition, we started looking for other contests to play in. Now we do about eight to 10 fundraisers a year.”

Bryant believes diversity is one of the team’s strengths.

“The members of the team have changed a little bit over time, but a few people have stayed the same, and everyone is affiliated with Logan in some way,” Bryant said. “One of the things that makes us strong is that we’re from all different departments on campus. We all have our areas of expertise and that helps make us a winning team.”

Rebecca Bostian, a reference librarian at JALC, joined the team in 2008 and sometimes serves as the captain.

“When I started working here four years ago, I became part of the team and took on the responsibility of finding events for us to play in and getting everything organized,” Bostian said. “We have a good time and we do pretty well. I believe we win between 80 and 90 percent of the fundraisers we play in, and we always donate the money we win back to the charity. We just play for the fun of it.”

Bostian said the team members can be superstitious.

“We had come in second at two contests in a row, and we were pretty bummed out about it. Then someone brought Fritos to the next event, and we won it,” Bostian said. “So we brought Fritos to the next one, and we won again. So now someone has to bring Fritos to every competition we play in.”

Kenneth “Fog” Gilbert, instructor of English at Logan, has been a long-time member of the team.

“I enjoy getting together with my colleagues outside of work and these contests give me the opportunity to do that,” Gilbert said. “This team is a lot of fun. I like the camaraderie and the challenge of the competitions.”

Along with Bryant, Bostian and Gilbert, the other regulars on the team are Mark Rogers, assistant professor of computer information systems; Tom Bell, associate dean for learning resources; Tom Carroll, professor of history; Jennifer Jeter, assistant professor of mathematics; Charles Rudolph, instructor of English; and Dr. Rick Gardner, instructor of music.

“The regular players can’t always make it to every contest so we’ve had many substitutes join us and fill in over the years,” Bostian said. “We welcome anyone at the college to play with us if they are interested in trivia and like to have a good time.”

The JALC trivia team will be back in action on Dec. 8 when it participates in a fundraiser for the Marion High School Library Club.

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Lady Vols come up short at SWIC

December 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment

By JOHN D. HOMAN, Logan Media Services

All-American candidate Jannelle Cannon poured in 32 points Wednesday night to lead the Southwestern Illinois College Blue Storm to a 61-54 Great Rivers Athletic Conference home victory over John A. Logan College.

Cannon, who was leading the nation in scoring at 25 points per game prior to Wednesday’s match, knocked down 9-of-22 shots from the field and 13-of-14 free throws in tallying her 32. She also had four rebounds and four steals. No other SWIC player reached double figures.

JALC sophomore transfer Autumn Miller goes up for two of her team-high 18 points Wednesday night at Southwestern Illinois College in Belleville. It marked Miller’s highest offensive output of the season. (Photo courtesy Jonathan LeBlond)

Logan was led by sophomore guard Autumn Miller’s 18 points (5-of-8 from the field, including 4-of-6 from three-point land) and 4-of-6 at the charity stripe. Freshman post player Ashley Yateman contributed 10 points for the Vols, who fall to 7-3 overall, 1-1 in the conference. Adding eight points each were Kyra Navarrete and BreAnn Denny.

Logan trailed 26-24 at the half thanks to an 11-2 run to close out the first 20 minutes. The Vols had led by seven at 22-15 as Yateman scored four consecutive lay-ins off feeds from her teammates.

The Vols pulled within two in the second half at 37-35 on a jumper by Navarrete, but would get no closer. Cannon scored the next four points to give the Blue Storm a more comfortable spread.

The Vols shot poorly overall, converting 20-of-60 shots, including 6-of-18 from long range.

Logan head coach Marty Hawkins took the loss in stride.

“Once we got behind in the second half, it was hard for us to catch up, especially with all the free throws they were making (17-of-22),” Hawkins said. “I thought Autumn rose to the occasion and Ashley gave us a good run there in the first half. But we did a poor job against their 2-3 zone in the second half, throwing the ball away – a lot of high school floater passes.”

The Vols close out the first half of the season Dec. 15 with a 1 p.m. game against Mineral Area College in Carterville.

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Vols’ Thompson signs with Illinois State

December 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment

By JOHN D. HOMAN, Logan Media Services

John A. Logan College sophomore pitcher/outfielder Derek Thompson has signed a letter of intent to play baseball on scholarship next fall for Illinois State University.

JALC sophomore Derek Thompson signs a letter of intent to play baseball on scholarship at Illinois State University next fall. A native of Teutopolis, Thompson was recruited as a lefthanded pitcher. He also plays outfield for the Volunteers. (Photo courtesy Jonathan LeBlond)

A native of Teutopolis, the former prep All-Stater turned in an amazing freshman season for the Volunteers last spring, going 8-2 with a 1.92 earned-run-average and four shutouts. The lefthander struck out 103 and walked only 29.

Thompson was also a force to be reckoned with limited playing time on offense, batting .299 with two home runs and six runs batted in. He had 20 hits in 67 at bats and scored 11 runs. And defensively, he was nothing short of outstanding with several diving catches in the postseason.

Thompson was instrumental in Logan winning the Great Rivers Athletic Conference with a mark of 23-5 and posting a 41-22 overall record, which included a second straight Region 24 championship and advancement to the Northern District championship game against Iowa Western, also for the second straight year.

“Derek is a definite impact player,” said Vols head coach Jerry Halstead. “I expect him to be our No. 1 starter next spring and will start in the outfield when not pitching.”

Halstead said Thompson possesses an above-average fastball and sharp curve. He is still working on developing a better change up.

“Simply put, he’s a special player. It’s quite a coup for Illinois State to keep him here in the state considering Derek was being recruited by some schools in the Southeastern Conference. When he fills out and matures at 6-foot-4 and 220 to 230 pounds, he’s going to be something out. Probably the only reason we got him was because he was about 180 when he got here and needed time to mature.”

Thompson said coming to Logan was the right choice for him.

“Last spring was great and I’m very much looking forward to next spring,” he said. “I think we have a lot of depth on this team and am excited about our chances within the conference and then again at the regional at the end of the season.”

Thompson said that while he enjoys playing multiple positions, he realizes that pitching is probably his strong suit.

“I just need to keep focused and make sure my mechanics are OK. As long as I can do that, as well as add a few miles-per-hour to my fastball and locate my pitches, I should be fine.”

Thompson said he also looks forward to competing at Illinois State next fall.

“Believe me, I’m excited about it. Just one step at a time, though. We have some unfinished business here at Logan first.”

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West Frankfort native releases Christmas CD

December 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment

West Frankfort native Jonathon Willis

By LEIGH M. CALDWELL

As many people adopt the “Shop Local” and “Shop Small” mantras at Christmas, Franklin County residents can ensure that even their Christmas music was “made in Southern Illinois,” so to speak.

Jonathon Willis, a West Frankfort native, has released “This Christmas Night,” a CD of his original arrangements of classic sacred Christmas songs, just in time for enjoyment and gift-giving this season.

Willis was born into a musical family — his father, Gary, a piano player, and his mother, Harriet, a singer. It was no surprise, then, that Willis was a “natural” when he began taking lessons at a young age. After graduating from Frankfort Community High School in 1988, he continued his musical training at Murray State University in Murray, Ky.

During his formative years, he also discovered a love and an aptitude for computers, and began to find ways to marry the two disciplines together. Willis moved to Nashville in the late 1990s, and there he became an in-demand music technology expert and consultant, as well as an arranger, producer, and player.

He has appeared on many artists’ recordings, including Phil Keaggy, Neal Morse, Newsong, Laura Turner, and Jim Weatherly. He has also written, arranged and produced music for several record labels, as well as music for Carnival and Celebrity cruise ships.

Willis has recorded several solo piano records over the years, and self-released a new CD of original music called simply “Solo Piano” in 2010.

This year has seen the release of his first Christmas album.

“I have had a lot of people over the years ask me when I was going to get around to putting out a Christmas CD,” Willis said. “I’ve been performing my own arrangements of many Christmas songs for a long time at different events. I just felt the time had come to go ahead and do it.”

“This Christmas Night” includes classic Christmas carols, such as “Joy to the World” and “Away in a Manger,” as well as more contemporary sacred Christmas songs, such as “Mary Did You Know” and “Breath of Heaven.” The music is a mix of classical, easy-listening and jazz piano styling, all with Willis’ personal stamp.

“There are songs on this project that really take me back to my childhood, that I think really help evoke a Christmas mood,” Willis said. As for his personal favorites on the album, “I’ve always enjoyed the mystery of the Christmas story, so I’m really drawn to the classic melodies and lyrics of songs like ‘O Come, O Come Emmanuel’ and ‘What Child Is This’.”

For a sampling of the music on “This Christmas Night,” click play on the video below for a short montage of three different songs from the album.

Willis said he made the conscious decision to keep sacred and secular music separate, and just put sacred Christmas music on this album. He plans to release an album of secular holiday music in 2013.

Willis, 42, lives in Spring Hill, Tenn., with his wife of 19 years, Diana, and the couple’s three children.

“This Christmas Night” can be ordered from Willis’ Web site, http://jonathonwillismusic.wordpress.com/ for $15, which includes shipping.

Filed Under: Featured, Franklin Co. News, Living, West Frankfort News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Franklin County Farm Bureau news for Dec. 7

December 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment

By LARRY MILLER

We have just returned from the IAA annual meeting in Chicago. I always enjoy this meeting, but the only problem is that I have to leave home and go to Chicago to be there!

Our three delegates this year were Leon McClerren, Ralph Smith, Debbie Fisher and Michael Browning served as an alternate. These folks voted on every proposed resolution and represented Franklin County farmers very well.

The policies that they adopted are in a 118-page document that gives the organization positions on a host of agricultural issues. With these adopted policies, farmers can expect these issues to be guarded by the IAA board and staff to protect the interest of farmers as we labor to produce food, fiber and fuel. All of this for a $65 investment in our industry.

If anyone would like a copy of this document, we would be happy to provide them to you free of charge.

There are several issues that will be discussed and hopefully acted on in the General Assembly and Congress in the next few weeks but the cloud that hangs over our future is the financial cliff that is on the news everyday. Farmers could be affected negatively if nothing is done about the estate tax provision that will expire on Jan. 1.

We have been asking members to call their Senators and Representative to ask them to support the present position at the $5 million level rather than at $1 million. If you made a call, please let us know so that we can report to the IAA.

Ironically, all that we hear about is that offers have been made to increase revenue (tax increases) but no one is talking about spending reductions. Sixty-five percent of the federal budget is obligated to entitlements and that is where we must start to solve this problem.

The President is asking for increased revenue and increased spending not spending cuts. My calculator will not compute that into a more balanced budget. We are headed to a cliff whether it is the first of the year or at some later date.

We now have a debt that is greater than our Gross Domestic Product (GDP). What that means in terms of the common man is that you owe more than you produce in one year. What you produce does not equal or exceed your profit. Some people say that there is no concern about the debt problem and most of the rhetoric is simply to frighten the public. As a common man, I do not need a very sharp pencil to understand this dilemma.

We need to pray that common sense would pervade our halls of the Capital buildings and that old-fashioned economics would become the common sense of the day.

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

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