Francisco Pena will again have a chance to secure the role as Cardinals backup catcher.
Here’s a link to the story at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Cardinals bring back catcher Pena on minor-league deal
December 28, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Pastor Rick Warren: Two Questions to Ask of Your Goals
December 28, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Two Questions to Ask of Your Goals
By Rick Warren
1
“When you eat or drink or do anything else, always do it to honor God” (1 Corinthians 10:31 CEV).
It’s important to set goals. But not every goal that you can set is a good goal that God’s going to bless.
So how do you know the kind of goal that God will bless? Ask yourself these questions:
“Will my goal honor God?”
What kind of goal brings glory to God? Any goal that causes you to trust him more, to depend on him more, to love him more, to love other people more, to serve him, to serve others, to be more unselfish.
The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 10:31, “When you eat or drink or do anything else, always do it to honor God” (CEV). Everything can be done to honor God. You can honor God by taking out the trash. You can honor God by washing the dishes. You can honor God by doing that mundane task at work. How? By doing it with the right motive: gratitude. If you want your life to bring honor to God, set goals that help you be the best you can be for God’s glory.
“Is my goal motivated by love?”
God is not going to bless a goal motivated by greed, envy, guilt, fear, or pride. But he does honor a goal that is motivated by a desire to demonstrate love to him and to others, because life is all about learning how to love.
Why is it important to have goals based on love? Because if you set loveless goals, you’re going to treat people as projects. You’re going to run all over them to reach your goal. You’re going to run over your spouse, your family members, our friends, and other people as you climb up the ladder of success. God says, “No. You’ve got it all wrong. It’s not about accomplishments. It’s about relationships. It’s about learning how to love.”
“Do everything in love” (1 Corinthians 16:14 NIV). Your number one goal in life should be to learn how to really love your family, your neighbors, and even those who are hard to love. That makes you more like God, because God is love.
PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick
Talk It Over
What goals will you set for yourself for the next year? How do they hold up under these two questions?
How does your attitude toward menial daily tasks change when you consider that everything can be done to honor God?
Have you considered how your goals affect other people? When you do, how do your goals change?
Give hope, prayer, and encouragement below. Post a comment & talk about it.
Thompsonville gets past Goreville to remain undefeated
December 28, 2018 By Leave a Comment
SESSER — The clock appeared to be ticking on Thompsonville’s 14-game winning streak Thursday night
Here’s a link to the story at the Southern Illinoisan.
Sex abuse survivors group not shocked by revelation of 500 additional allegations against the Catholic Church
December 28, 2018 By Leave a Comment
A sex abuse survivors network wants attorneys general in other states to follow Illinois’ lead in independently investigating the Catholic Church and holding it accountable failing to report allegations of child sex abuse.
Here’s a link to the story at Illinois News Network.
Transgender woman suing IDOC gets transfer to women’s prison
December 28, 2018 By Leave a Comment
CARBONDALE — A year into a legal battle with the Illinois Department of Corrections, Strawberry Hampton, a transgender inmate who alleges she’s been abused at state men’s prisons — including Menard and Pinckneyville — has been transferred to a women’s facility.
Here’s a link to the story at the Southern Illinoisan.
As lawmakers eye spending priorities, new report puts numbers in focus
December 28, 2018 By Leave a Comment
State government researchers released a new report this week detailing how Illinois’ taxes and business climate compare to other states as lawmakers study ways to pay for transportation projects throughout the state and Gov.-elect J.B. Pritzker looks to implement the promises he made on the campaign trail.
Here’s a link to the story at Illinois News Network.
Benton Police report
December 27, 2018 By Leave a Comment
On December 15th, 2018 at approximately 2:20 a.m. Benton Police conducted a traffic stop at the 100 block of South Jackson Street.
Upon investigating, police arrested Ian D. Markham, age 31, of West Frankfort for driving under the influence.
Markham was charged and transported to the Franklin County Jail for further processing.
On December 15th 2018 at approximately 7:50 p.m. Benton Police arrested Robin Mocaby, age 52, of Thompsonville on an active Franklin County warrant for failure to appear.
Mocaby was transported to the Franklin County Jail for further processing.
On December 16th, 2018 at approximately 3:30 p.m. Benton Police were dispatched to the 1000 block of East Ruth Street in reference to neighbor dispute.
Upon investigating, police arrested Edward E. Morris, age 66, and Garry M. Morris, age 34, both of Benton for battery.
Both were charged and transported to the Franklin County Jail for further processing.
On December 17th, 2018 at approximately 3:20 a.m. Benton Police were dispatched to Huck’s located at 1200 North Main Street in reference to a retail theft.
Upon investigating, police arrested Aaron B. Mandrell, age 37, of West Frankfort for retail theft.
Mandrell was charged and transported to the Franklin County Jail for further processing.
On December 17th, 2018 at approximately 11:20 p.m. Benton Police reported to the 200 block of West Sixth Street in reference to a drug offense.
Upon investigating, police arrested Amy S. Hicks, age 38, of Benton for unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia and unlawful possession of methamphetamine.
Hicks was charged and transported to the Franklin County Jail for further processing.
On December 18th, 2018 at approximately 4:30 p.m. Benton Police were dispatched to the 100 block of West Adams Street in reference to a stolen vehicle.
Upon investigating, police later arrested Leslee N. Miller, age 33, of Benton for unlawful possession of a stolen vehicle, identity theft, theft, unlawful possession of methamphetamine, unlawful possession of a controlled substance, and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia.
Miller was charged and transported to the Franklin County Jail for further processing.
New law exempts nonprofits with affordable-housing focus from mortgage license requirement
December 27, 2018 By Leave a Comment
SPRINGFIELD — A new law making it easier to submit required mortgage activity reports to authorities in Illinois has been signed by Gov. Bruce Rauner. Enactment of House Bill 5542 will exempt nonprofits focused on affordable housing from having to obtain a residential mortgage license while also fostering reallocation of resources for improved tracking of market trends.
Instead of filing separate reports, mortgage professionals now can use the Nationwide Multistate Licensing System and Registry (NMLS) to comply with state reporting requirements.
“The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation strives to be innovative so that licensees can focus on their jobs and offer excellent service to the public,” said IDFPR Secretary Bryan Schneider. “NMLS is a superior tool for capturing data and will make the reporting process less burdensome for both the Department and licensees.”
“House Bill 5542 is an initiative of the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, based on a request from the Habitat for Humanity organization,” said State Sen. Chuck Weaver, R-Peoria. “The purpose of the new law is to exempt nonprofit organizations focused on affordable housing from having to obtain a residential mortgage license. This, in turn, helps them promote affordable housing or home ownership education or similar services for people in need of such assistance.”
“I was proud to be the sponsor of this legislation. It is a great bill,” said Rep. Mark Batinick, R-Plainfield. “For years, the state has treated nonprofits like Habitat for Humanity as your everyday mortgage company. This bill sheds those regulations and allows Habitat and other nonprofits to get back to serving our communities.”
IDFPR can now compile the information received to reflect a more comprehensive view to better inform the public and track market trends. In addition, eliminating duplicative and obsolete reports will save Department resources and allow the reallocation of resources to better provide relevant information.
Franklin County Sheriff’s Department make arrests
December 27, 2018 By Leave a Comment
12-19-18 at approximately 5:13 pm Luke A. Edmunds of Carbondale was traveling westbound on St. Hwy. 34 when he fell asleep. Yvonne N. Isaacs of West Frankfort was traveling eastbound on St. Hwy. 34 when she observed Edmunds traveling westbound into her lane of traffic. She pulled her vehicle over the right side of the shoulder when Edmunds sideswiped her vehicle. Both refused medical treatment. Edmunds was ticketed for failure to drive on the right side of the roadway.
12-23-2018 at approximately 1:13 pm Michael P. Hosick of Thompsonville was traveling eastbound on #9 Blacktop and south of Melvin Road when he swerved to miss a deer. Hosick left the roadway and struck a ditch/embankment. There were no injuries and Hosick was ticketed for having an expired driver’s license.
12-23-18 at approximately 7:03 pm Dennis C. Donaldson age 49 of Thompsonville was traveling northbound on Akin Blacktop while on his cell phone. Donaldson went off the road and into a ditch with moving water. The driver refused medical treatment. Donaldson was arrested for driving under the influence and a failure to appear warrant. Donaldson was ticketed for operating an uninsured vehicle and improper use of an electronic communication device.
12-24-18 at approximately 7:52 pm Deputies were made aware of a domestic battery complaint. Randy R. Robey age 61of Thompsonville was arrested for aggravated domestic battery and possession of a firearm without a valid FOID card.
WARRANT ARRETS
12-20-18 Dante R. Putnam age 23 of West Frankfort. Failure to appear on aggravated criminal sexual abuse charges.
12-21-18 Melanie D. Malone age 39 of Eldorado. Warrant for civil contempt.
The public is reminded that all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
First Responder Bowl’s cancellation over lightning zaps enthusiasm of Boise State, Boston College players, fans
December 27, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Fans and players who traveled to Dallas from halfway across the country were left wondering Wednesday why no contingency plans were in place after the scheduled ServPro First Responder Bowl — pitting No. 25 Boise State against Boston College — was abruptly canceled due to lightning.
Here’s a link to the story at Fox News.
