Benton, West Frankfort, Illinois News | Franklin County News
Newspaper covering Franklin County, Illinois
Speaker Michael Madigan ousted his longtime chief of staff on Wednesday after a House staff member accused the top aide of sexual harassment over several years and fostering “a culture of sexism, harassment and bullying that creates an extremely difficult working environment.”
Here’s a link to the story at the Chicago Tribune.
| “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” |
| Matthew 5:13-16 (Read all of Matthew 5:13-16) New International Version |
Kowalczyk came to Illinois after serving as athletics director at Colorado State from 2006-11 and Southern Illinois from 2000-06. During his time at SIU, the Salukis won 15 conference championships in seven sports. While Kowalczyk was at CSU, the Rams won 10 conference championships in four sports.
“I want to thank Josh Whitman, who had enough confidence and trust in me to make me a part of his staff,” Kowalczyk said. “He’s the real deal, a class act, and it’s been an honor and privilege to work for him and this great university. I also wish to thank Mike Thomas for hiring me and giving me the opportunity to work at this great university.
Kowalczyk joined the Fighting Illini administrative staff as senior associate athletics director in August 201
“I will miss, more than I can adequately explain, having Paul in the office next door to mine,” Whitman said. “Having sat in the athletic director’s chair at two previous Division I institutions, and having served as the interim AD at Illinois, Paul has been an invaluable resource and mentor to me as I have gotten my start here in Champaign. On the surface, his calm demeanor never wavered, but it masked a fiery competitor with a quick wit. He has been a tremendous friend and colleague, and I look forward to many more years of friendship as he and Peg transition to a much-deserved retirement.”
A native of Warren, Ohio, Kowalczyk earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting at Kent State in 1980 and his master’s degree in sports administration at Kent State in 1986. He was named Athletics Director of the Year, 1-AA Central Region, by NACDA in 2006 and received the General Robert R. Neyland Outstanding Athletic Director Award in 2004.
Kowalczyk was the NCAA Leadership Council Representative for the Mountain West Conference from 2008-11 and served as the AD Chair for the Mountain West in 2011.
— Illinois Media Services
HARRISBURG, Ill. — Thirty-two boats roared out of the Golconda Marina on the Ohio River Saturday morning, June 2, to compete in the annual Rodney J. Brenner Memorial Buddy Bass Tournament sponsored by the Southeastern Illinois College Foundation. The 64 anglers headed for their favorite fishing holes in hopes of catching enough large-mouth bass to win the event’s $1,603.80 first place prize money.
At the end of the day, 12 anglers received $3,894 in total prize money. Jody Betz of Stonefort and BJ Betz of Marion weighed in 11.225 pounds of fish to capture the top prize. The team of Tom Griffaw and Ted Ing both of Cape Girardeau, Missouri, took second place with their 10.72 pound catch. They took home $891 for their efforts.
With 7.69 pounds of fish, Edd Penrod and Jerry Penrod from Eldorado earned third place honors and $534.60 in prize money. Golconda’s James Conkle and Elizabethtown’s Tom Oxford finished in fourth place with 7.535 pounds of bass, garnering them $356.40 in winnings. Finally, fifth place prize money of $178.20 went to the team of Brandon Broadway of Golconda and Melvin Jeffords of Grantsburg for their 7.365 pound catch.
In the Big Bass competition, Griffaw and Ing won first place and a $198 check for landing a 3.84 pound fish. Second place and $99 went to Ben Adams of Vienna and Eric Brannock of Eldorado with a bass weighing in at 3.665 pounds, while the team of Betz and Betz caught a 3.46 pound bass to claim third place and a check for $33.
Major sponsors of this year’s tournament were All In One Real Estate Company (Elite Sponsor); Taylor Eye Care (Master Sponsor); Cherry Street Printing & Awards (Angler Sponsor); Morello’s Restaurant & Catering (Angler Sponsor); Williams & Associates Insurance (Angler Sponsor); and Banterra Bank (Angler Sponsor). Other sponsors included Oasis on the Ohio Golconda Marina, Dunn’s Sporting Goods, Timberline Fisheries, and the Herald-Enterprise.
The SIC Brenner Memorial Bass Tournament was established by the Southeastern Illinois College Foundation in remembrance of Mr. Rodney J. Brenner to raise funds for scholarships for incoming SIC students from the college district. Brenner was a charter member of the Southeastern Illinois College Board of Trustees and was instrumental in pursuing Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) funding for the development of the Golconda Marina.
Federal award for 75th Street one of largest ever for Illinois, construction begins in fall
CHICAGO – Gov. Rauner announced on Tuesday the U.S. Department of Transportation will be awarding $132 million toward the 75th Street Corridor Improvement Project that’s considered the linchpin of the Chicago Region Environment and Transportation Efficiency (CREATE) Program. The award, through the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America program, leverages additional private and public contributions for a total investment of $474 million to fix the country’s most complex and complicated segment of railroad.
“This award will result in a significant advance for our transportation system,” Gov. Rauner said. “It means we can finally eliminate the 75th Street bottleneck and start enjoying the commercial benefits that come with modernization and more efficient movement of goods and people through Chicago and Illinois, the nation’s most important transportation hub. It is a tremendous achievement by all of the partners involved.”
The grant is the largest received by Illinois under the two previous U.S. DOT’s discretionary grant programs and one of the largest ever. The accomplishment was made possible by the work of the entire Illinois congressional delegation, especially U.S. Reps. Rodney Davis and Dan Lipinski.
“While the 75th Street Corridor Improvement Project is located in Chicago, it’s progress is critical to the entire state of Illinois,” said Davis. “The award Governor Rauner and Secretary Blankenhorn have helped secure will go a long way in alleviating train congestion in the Chicago area that has slowed down the movement of ag products and other goods and prevented access to reliable, high-speed rail between Chicago and downstate Illinois.”
The 75th Street corridor serves more than two million freight cars annually. In addition, more than 30 Metra trains and 10 Amtrak trains pass through it daily. The corridor improvement project will eliminate multiple conflict points, add double-tracking and enhance key linkages to improve capacity and efficiency, leading to an estimated $3.8 billion in economic benefit.
The major elements include a CSX Railroad flyover bridge to eliminate intersections with other tracks, a 71st Street underpass just east of Western Avenue that will erase 10,000 hours of motorist delay annually, and new tracks and crossovers at the belt railroads, where trains presently travel as slow as 10 mph. Construction is scheduled to start this fall.
Also included is funding to complete studies and designs for a second set of Belt Railway Company of Chicago tracks and a new rail flyover connecting Metra’s Rock Island District and SouthWest Service lines.
The $132 million federal award is matched by $111 million from the Illinois Department of Transportation, $116 million from the American Association of Railroads, $78 million from Cook County, $23 million from Metra, $9 million from the City of Chicago and $5 million from Amtrak.
“The 75th Street Corridor Improvement Project represents a true partnership,” Illinois Transportation Secretary Randy Blankenhorn said. “Thanks to Gov. Rauner’s leadership and the determination by everyone involved, we have arrived at a solution that not just helps the region, but the entire country.”
The grant will be officially announced on Friday by the USDOT in Washington, D.C.
Visit createprogram.org for more information about CREATE.
A pair of right-handed pitchers from the metro east got calls from Major League Baseball teams during the second day of the first-year player draft Tuesday.
Here’s a link to the story at the Southern Illinoisan.
A juror in the trial of a man charged with first-degree murder in the death of a 19-year-old Southern Illinois University Carbondale student asked to be excused Tuesday before opening statements were set to begin.
Here’s a link to the story at the Southern Illinoisan.
Now that the state has a budget and lawmakers have left Springfield for their districts for the summer, the floodgates of legislation that cleared both chambers this year will soon hit Gov. Bruce Rauner’s desk.
Here’s a link to the story at Illinois News Network.
CHICAGO — Illinois’ imprisoned ex-governor, Rod Blagojevich, has filed paperwork asking President Donald Trump to commute his 14-year prison term for corruption that included seeking to sell an appointment to the Senate seat Barack Obama vacated to become president.
A spokesman for Blagojevich’s lawyers told the Chicago Tribune it was submitted Tuesday to the Department of Justice. The Chicago Sun-Times reports the paperwork is a formality and that Trump doesn’t necessarily require it to act.
By Rick Warren
“When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12 NIV).
One of the major causes of stress comes from trying to be somebody you’re not. When you are fearful that someone’s going to find out what you’re really like and that you might not be able to keep up the façade, it causes stress.
The only way you can counterbalance outside external pressures is to have an internal sense of satisfaction about who you are and who God made you to be. You discover who you are by knowing whose you are.
The Bible says that you were created by God. You are deeply loved by him. You are accepted as you are. He has a plan for your life. Until you settle this issue of identity, you will be insecure and you will be pressured by stress. You cannot serve other people until you settle this issue.
Jesus constantly did things that surprised everybody else. He put himself below others and served them. None of the disciples would have ever thought to wash each other’s feet in the Upper Room because of their insecurity. But Jesus always served from a position of strength. He knew who and whose he was, so it didn’t matter that he lowered himself to serve them.
Service comes from self-esteem. Until you overcome your insecurity and feel good about yourself, you won’t feel like helping anyone else. Be secure in who you are and whose you are so that you can effectively serve others.
