Benton, West Frankfort, Illinois News | Franklin County News
Newspaper covering Franklin County, Illinois
Stella A. Starkie, 89, of Benton passed away Friday, June 1, 2018 at the Herrin Hospital.
Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday, June 6 at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Benton.
Burial will be in the Mount Carmel Cemetery in Hillside, IL.
The Morton & Johnston Funeral Home in Benton is in charge of arrangements.
For more information or to sign the online guest register please visit www.mortonjohnstonfuneralhome.com
Virginia Harris, 88, of Benton, IL passed away Saturday, June 2, 2018 at the Helia HealthCare in Benton.
She was born in Benton, IL on January 5, 1930, the daughter of Ed & Sara (Sadler) Gibbs.
She was married to Darrell Harris, he preceded her in death in 1979.
Mrs. Harris is survived by her grandson, Jamey Tennyson, of Carrollton, TX; great-grandchildren Jonathan Tennyson and Autumn Boyd; daughter-in-law Sandy Tennyson, of Sesser.
Mrs. Harris was preceded in death by her parents, husband, by two sons, Roger and Wilbur Tennyson, and by four brothers and five sisters.
Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday, June 7, 2018 at Morton & Johnston Funeral Home in Benton with Pastor Ron Reynolds officiating. Burial will be in the Franklin Cemetery in Whittington. Visitation will be after 11 a.m. on Thursday at the funeral home.
For more information or to sign the online guest register please visit www.mortonjohnstonfuneralhome.com
From Illinois Review —
Chicago, IL – The Supreme Court, on Monday, ruled in favor of Masterpiece Cakeshop in the LGBTQ civil rights case Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission. Democrat gubernatorial candidate JB Pritzker issued the following statement in response:
While I’m disappointed by the Supreme Court’s decision to side with Masterpiece Cakeshop, I am encouraged by their emphasis that LGBTQ people must not be discriminated against, said JB Pritzker.
In this country, in 2018, there should never be a situation where any American is turned away from a place of business because of who they love. It goes against our foundational values of equality and equal treatment under the law. And it is fundamentally wrong. We’ve made incredible progress in the fight for LGBTQ equality and we can’t go backwards. As governor, I will use every tool at my disposal to fight discrimination and will ensure that we remain a welcoming state that treats every person with the respect and dignity they deserve.
By Rick Warren
“We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18 NIV).
This is also why some of God’s promises seem unfulfilled, some prayers seem unanswered, and some circumstances seem unfair. But this is not the end of the story.
Realizing that life on Earth is just temporary should radically alter your values. Eternal values, not temporal ones, should be the deciding factor for your decisions. As C. S. Lewis observed, “All that is not eternal is eternally useless.”
The Bible tells us to “fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18 NIV).
| Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. |
| Galatians 6:7-9 (Read all of Galatians 6:7-9) New International Version |
By Rick Warren
“Instead, there must be a spiritual renewal of your thoughts and attitudes” (Ephesians 4:23 NLT).
Think – Feel – Act
For instance, I can say, “I need to love my kids more,” but that isn’t going to work. Or someone can say, “I need to love my spouse more,” but that isn’t going to work. You can’t fight your way into a feeling. You must change the way you think about your kids, about your husband, about your wife, and that will change the way you feel, which will then change the way you act. The Bible says, “There must be a spiritual renewal of your thoughts and attitudes” (Ephesians 4:23 NLT).
Let me sum it up this way: You are not what you think you are, but rather, what you think, you are. The battle for sin, the battle to deal with those defects in your life that you don’t like — it starts in your mind. If you want to change anything in your behavior or anything in your emotions, you start with your thoughts and your attitude.
The renewal of your mind is related to the word “repentance.” I know repentance is a dirty word for a lot of people. They think it means something bad, something you don’t really want to do, something painful. They think of a guy standing on a street corner with a sign that says, “Repent. The world’s about to end.”
Repentance has nothing to do with your behavior. It is about changing your mind, learning to think differently. “Repent” simply means to make a mental U-turn. It’s something you do in your mind, not with your behavior. Changing the way you think will then affect your emotions and affect your behavior.
When I repent, I make a mental U-turn. I turn from guilt to forgiveness. I turn from purposelessness to purpose in life. I turn from no hope to new hope. I turn from frustration to freedom. I turn from darkness to light. I turn from hell to heaven. I turn from hatred to love.
I also change the way that I think about God. He’s not mad at me; I’m deeply flawed, but I’m deeply loved. I change the way I think about you, I change the way I think about my kids, and I change the way I think about my wife. I change the way I think about the world, I change the way I think about the economy, and I change the way I think about my past, my present, and my future.
So being renewed in your mind means more than changing the way you think about God and Jesus; it also means you change the way you think about your own defects. The Bible tells us, “Let this same attitude and purpose and [humble] mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5 AMP).
Wow – only 3 more days until 2018 Farm City Days – Saturday June 9th. The committee has worked very hard to make this an even better event than last year. We have many sponsors who have made it possible to make as much of this event free as possible. I would like to take the time to thank them for their donations.
State Bank of Whittington, Tabor Pest Services, Steve Vercellino’s Rend Lake Marina, Gesell’s Pump Sales and Service, Sheriff Don Jones, Pirate Pete’s, Week’s in Benton, COUNTRY Financial, Wm Nobbe John Deere, People’s National Bank, William Bryce Levanti – Attorney, Royal Brass and Hose, Tino’s on the Tee, Dunagan’s Collision Center, City of Benton, Midwest Threadwork Designs, TGW Custom Graphics and Dana Communications.
Also, Fast Truck & Trailer, Extreme Exigency/The Armed Barber, Blue Ridge Tractor, YourFranklinCounty.com, Hobbs Service Company, K & M Liquor, Hart Cantrell – Attorneys, Big O Farm & Garden, Consolidated Grain and Barge, Ranger Nation Auto, Evan Owens Family, Jack Russel Fish Co., Leffler Funeral Home, Buntin Bros. Farms, LaFiesta, F B McAfoos, MidwestCarShowOnline.com, Cassie’s Hair Salon and Farm Credit Services.
I have spoken with many farmers in the county and they all seem to have been able to plant a considerable amount of acres of corn and beans over the past couple of weeks. Even with the rain that we received over the weekend they were not discouraged. With more planting in the near future then the wait begins to see what happens in the fall.
The Illinois Farm Bureau anticipates that the Senate farm bill process will soon get underway. We’re working to get our priorities included in the Senate bill and will become increasingly engaged in that process as it moves forward. Our goal remains getting a farm bill passed that reflects Farm Bureau priorities through both the House and Senate before the current farm bill expires September 30.
As part of a 33-year effort to protect sensitive lands and improve water quality and wildlife habitat on private lands, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will resume accepting applications for the voluntary Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). Eligible farmers, ranchers, and private landowners can sign up at their local Farm Service Agency (FSA) office between June 4 and Aug. 17, 2018.
Syngenta has reached a settlement in the lawsuit concerning Agrisure Viptera and Agrisure Duracade corn seed that was sold to farmers who unknowingly purchased it before it was approved by China. The amount eligible claimants will receive depends on various factors, including the amount of the claimants’ interests in US corn priced for sale between September 15, 2013 and April 10, 2018. If you are interested in more information on this please call the office at 435-3616.
According to USA Today Bayer will retire the Monsanto name this week as the company closes its $63 billion buyout of the St. Louis-based seed and pesticide maker. “Bayer will remain the company name,” Bayer said in a statement. “Monsanto will no longer be a company the name. The acquired products will retain their brand names and become part of the Bayer portfolio.”
With summer here I just want to remind our members that we have many discounts – along with local savings at Holiday World and Six Flags – if you are a Farm Bureau member you can log onto the Abenity App and see all of the discounts available to you. The saving are tremendous. If you are not a Farm Bureau member then join today and discover how much you can save. Just call the office at 435-3616 for more information.
Remember we are farmers working together. If we can help let us know.
Tim Morthland promised economic revitalization for Franklin County and Southern Illinois by opening Morthland College and its family of businesses — a research park that would produce energy drinks, a music conservatory, phone screen repair, even a cafe on top of a proposed hospital, and a four-year private college based on Christian values.
Here’s a link to the story, written by Isaac Smith, that appeared in the Southern Illinoisan.
A professor teaching in Chicago wants President Donald Trump to send in the military to deal with gang violence.
Here’s a link to the story at Illinois News Network.
Liberty Counsel, which filed an amicus brief in the free religious exercise case in which the US Supreme Court sided with a Christian baker, says the decision could have an effect on Illinois as a state whose civil rights law mentions “sexual orientation,” “gender Identity” and “public accommodation.”
Here’s a link to the story at Illinois Review.
