Benton, West Frankfort, Illinois News | Franklin County News
Newspaper covering Franklin County, Illinois
Illinois high school students posted the highest average ACT score in at least nearly three decades, but that achievement is tempered by the tremendous drop in the number of students who took the test.
Here’s a link to the story at the Chicago Tribune.
Democratic governor candidate J.B. Pritzker’s record $146 million in self-funding of his campaign has been documented in real time, but campaign finance reports filed late Monday show just how much he and Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner are spending.
Here’s a link to the story at the Southern Illinoisan.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Illinois officials have a message for voters this election season: Your vote is safe.
Here’s a link to the story at the Southern Illinoisan.
BELLEVILLE — The two challengers in Illinois’ 12th District contest had the conversation all to themselves Tuesday during the first of two public debates — incumbent Mike Bost had other plans.
Here’s a link to the story at the Southern Illinoisan.
Board adopts 2018 tax levy
The board adopted the 2018 tax levy (payable 2019). The corporate and special purposes levy went from $3,547,797 in 2017 to $3,692,953 in 2018, an increase of 4.09 percent. The debt service levy went from $3,117,676 in 2017 to $3,180,426 in 2018, an increase of 2.01 percent. Because the corporate and special purposes levy is not greater than 105 percent of last year’s levy, no Truth in Taxation hearing is required.
Metzger retires from Math Division
The board accepted with regret the retirement resignation of Diane Metzger, Math Professor, effective November 1, 2018. Metzger was hired full-time in August of 1984 after working for the college part-time for four years. At the time of her retirement, Metzger sits on the top of the RLC unofficial seniority list. In her resignation letter, Metzger wrote, “I feel very fortunate to have had a career I love for over 34 years at Rend Lake College. I am grateful to my students for giving me the opportunity to learn as much from them as they learned from me. I am also grateful to my colleagues and co-workers for this cooperation and support, and to the administration and Board for allowing me to have my dream job.”
Two resignations approved
The board approved the resignation of two staff members with regret:
Accreditation update
The board heard an update on the college’s accreditation activities. The college had its comprehensive evaluation by a Higher Learning Commission peer review team last month. The team was on campus Monday and Tuesday, Sept. 24 & 25, and met with several groups of employees as well as students, community members and the Board of Trustees. Prior to their arrival, they had read the Assurance Argument and received feedback on our federal compliance filing from another reviewer. The reviewers will finalize their report, and in the coming weeks, should respond with a draft of their review. The final report will lead to an HLC action regarding the college’s accreditation.
In other business, the board …
Mark your calendars …
BENTON, ILLINOIS — Following “National Preparedness Month” in September, individuals and communities throughout Franklin County will participate in the Great Central US ShakeOut earthquake drill.
Held annually on the third Thursday of October, the International ShakeOut Day is set for Thursday, October 18, 2018. During the self-led drill, participants practice how to “Drop, Cover, and Hold On” at exactly 10:18 AM.
Endorsed by emergency management officials and first responders, the safe response to an earthquake is to:
DROP where you are, onto your hands and knees. This position protects you from being knocked down and also allows you to stay low and crawl to shelter if nearby.
COVER your head and neck with one arm and hand
HOLD ON until shaking stops
The April 2015 M7.8 Nepal earthquake and M8.3 September 16, 2015 earthquake near Illapel, Chile serve as reminders that large earthquakes can occur with little to no warning. Citizens in Southern Illinois are not immune to earthquakes—the region is home to several active seismic zones capable of producing damaging earthquakes, including the New Madrid and Wabash Valley Seismic Zones.
According to Director of Emergency Management Ryan M. Buckingham, “Damaging earthquakes can occur at any time with no warning, and it is vital that you Drop, Cover, and Hold to protect yourself when the shaking starts”. Buckingham also suggests taking steps in your home or business to mitigate the risk of damage and injury from an earthquake. “Taking time to perform earthquake mitigation steps such as securing heavy furniture that can overturn, or strapping down your hot water heater can prevent injuries and damage during a large earthquake” added the Director.
The ShakeOut Earthquake Drill is free and open-to-the-public, and participants include individuals, schools, businesses, local and state government agencies, and many other groups. To take part in the ShakeOut, individuals and organizations are asked to join the drill by registering to participate www.shakeout.org. Once registered, participants receive regular information on how to plan their drill and become better prepared for earthquakes and other disasters.
To date, 2.4 million people are registered to participate in this regional event, however Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drills will also occur throughout the nation and in several countries worldwide. More than 35 million people around the globe are expected to participate; and in addition to safety drills, many participants take extra steps to become more prepared for earthquakes or other disasters.
Donald Trump may be remembered as the most honest president in modern American history. Don’t get me wrong, Trump lies all the time. He said that he “enacted the biggest tax cuts and reforms in American history” (actually they are the eighth-largest) and that “our economy is the strongest it’s ever been in the history of our country” (which may one day be true, but not yet). In part, it’s a New York thing — everything is the biggest and the best.
Here’s a link to the editorial at the Chicago Tribune.
At some point in life, we all have to decide whether we want to be victims or victors. Do we want to be defined by slights and wrongs, ones that are perceived or real? That we suffer at the hands of others. Two hundred and forty-two years ago, our forefathers made the decision that kind of sitting around bemoaning our fate under British rule wasn’t going to get us anywhere. They decided to do something about it.
Here’s a link to the editorial at Fox News.
By Rick Warren
”Don’t you see that you can’t live however you please, squandering what God paid such a high price for? . . . So let people see God in and through your body” (1 Corinthians 6:20 The Message).
So in light of what Jesus has done for us, how should we respond? We must be grateful. One way we can show our gratitude to God is by making our lives count.
You can’t really understand the grace of God and the price he paid to make it available to you while living how you want to live, ignoring the commands of Jesus, or wasting your life on things that don’t matter. The Bible says it this way: “Don’t you see that you can’t live however you please, squandering what God paid such a high price for? . . . So let people see God in and through your body” (1 Corinthians 6:20 The Message).
After the failed assassination attempt against President Ronald Reagan, I remember him saying, “I have a new sense that I was spared for a purpose and that all my time belonged to God after that.”
We all should have the same sense of purpose. Because of what Jesus did for us on the cross, we were spared for a reason: to make a difference with our lives. Jesus didn’t die on the cross so we could go on living any way we like. He made us for a purpose—and he redeemed us for a purpose, too. He wants us to fulfill that purpose.
The Bible says in 1 Peter 4:10, “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms” (NIV). You were given spiritual gifts, abilities, education, and relationships for a reason—to help other people and tell them about Jesus.
God saved you so he can use you.
Have you trusted Jesus for your salvation?
The Bible says we can only get to heaven by trusting in God through his Son, Jesus Christ. And we don’t have to earn God’s love or work our way into heaven. The Bible says, “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV).
If you haven’t trusted in Jesus and committed to following him, why wait any longer? If you’re ready to step across that line and make a decision to believe in Jesus Christ and follow him, pray this prayer:
“Dear Jesus, you have promised that if I believe in you, everything I’ve ever done wrong will be forgiven, I will learn the purpose of my life, and you will accept me into your eternal home in heaven one day.
“I confess my sin, and I believe that you are my Savior. You have promised that if I confess my sin and trust you, I will be saved. I trust you when you say that salvation comes by grace, through faith, and not by anything I do. I receive you into my life as my Lord. Today I’m turning over every part of my life to your management. You have the right to call the shots in my life.
“Jesus, I want to relax in your love. Thank you that I don’t have to earn it or work for it. I want to use the rest of my life to serve you instead of serving myself. I humbly commit my life to you and ask you to save me and accept me into your family. In your name I pray. Amen.”
If you just prayed to accept Jesus, please email me at Rick@PastorRick.com and let me know about it. I’d like to send you some free materials to help you start your journey with Jesus.
A Prayer for When You Grieve a Loved One in Heaven
By Lisa Appelo
He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” – Revelation 21:4
I stooped to give my 7-year-old a goodnight hug and pray with him. He’d made a pallet on the carpet in my bedroom, something he often did after Dan died.
By day, he played like all the other little boys in neighborhood. You’d never know he was carrying a heavy blanket of grief.
On this night, I listened as Matt prayed. He thanked God for the good day and prayed for kids all over the world that needed help. And then he closed with this:
Tell my dad I said hello.
A thousand knives went through my heart.
Those words held pain but they also held connection.
Dan on that side of heaven, us on this side. Him in the presence of God, us still walking it out in faith. Him face to face with God, us still veiled from full glory.
Heaven had always seemed far off in time and space. It was a sure thing but a someday thing, so distant from the busy days of our life raising kids and paying bills.
And then it wasn’t.
Death had brought pain but it also brought connection. I wish I could say I felt that connection to heaven before, but Dan’s death made it immediate and palpable. Like we had a deposit, waiting for us just after we met Jesus.
Because when you love someone in heaven, you carry part of heaven in your heart.
It was in church that I could most easily picture Dan in heaven. Caught up with the words and music of worship, I imagined him just the other side of eternity.
Us in our pew, him in the true tabernacle. All eyes on Christ. All of us worshiping. All of us part of one body.
The body of Christ is more than my congregation. It’s more than the believers in the next city over and next continent over. The body of Christ includes believers right now in the presence of God.
As we worship God here, we’re joining the chorus of believers worshiping in heaven.
As we serve God here, we’re joining the band of believers serving in heaven.
As we praise God here, we’re joining the multitude of believers praising in heaven.
The seen and the unseen. The groaning and the freed. Those whose life is Christ and those whose death is gain.
Yes, Lord Jesus. Tell him we said hello.
A Prayer for When You Grieve a Loved One in Heaven
Lord, my heart is feels like a thousand knives are running through it. I am weary, spent, and just so sad. Please, help me! Hear my prayers. Hold me and my family up. Give us strength. Be present. Be persistent in your love. Carry us through this heartache. Sustain us. Bring us joy and hope. In Your Name I pray, Amen.
