Benton, West Frankfort, Illinois News | Franklin County News
Newspaper covering Franklin County, Illinois
WEST CITY –Ameren will conduct a planned power outage Tuesday, February 13, from 11:00 pm until 5:00 am in the Village of West City.
This is for only 131 customers in West City. Ameren has replaced an 80 foot pole and needs to move the service over to the new pole. If all goes well, the outage should only be within the specified time range
SPRINGFIELD – A high-ranking member of House Speaker Mike Madigan’s political organization has been fired after an investigation into sexual harassment allegations, Madigan said Monday.
Kevin Quinn, who’s worked with Madigan’s political committees for nearly 20 years and previously worked in the House speaker’s state government office, was let go for engaging in “inappropriate conduct.”
“In November, a courageous woman made me aware that a high-ranking individual within my political operation had previously made unwanted advances and sent her inappropriate text messages,” Madigan said in a prepared statement. “I immediately consulted with my attorney, Heather Wier Vaught, and directed her to conduct a thorough investigation.
Please click on the link for the full story from Illinois News Network.
https://www.ilnews.org/news/state_politics/top-madigan-political-aide-fired-over-sexual-harassment-allegations/article_cb1a2da8-100e-11e8-8c8f-27135b866080.html
SPRINGFIELD – The Serve Illinois Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service (Serve Illinois) is accepting nominations for the ninth annual Governor’s Volunteer Service Awards. These awards recognize individual volunteers and for-profit businesses and highlight the importance of community service in Illinois.
“Each year, millions of Illinoisans take time out of their busy lives to help their neighbors,” said Scott McFarland, Executive Director of Serve Illinois. “These volunteers are helping keep children safe, keeping our environment pristine, helping people find jobs, and so much more. They improve and save lives each and every day, and with these awards, we recognize the best of Illinois.”
Serve Illinois will present individual awards to one youth (18 years and younger), one adult (19-54-years-old), and one senior (55 years and older) in each of Serve Illinois’ five volunteer network regions across the state (Northeast, Northwest, East Central, West Central, and Southern). Serve Illinois will present National Service Awards to one AmeriCorps member, one Senior Corps member, and one for-profit business in each of the five service regions.
Nominations are due to Serve Illinois by February 16, 2018. Please visit www.serve.illinois.gov for nomination forms and more information. Serve Illinois will host a ceremony on April 18, 2018 at the Old State Capitol in Springfield to honor recipients.
The Serve Illinois Commission is a 40 member (25 voting and 15 non-voting), bi-partisan board appointed by the Governor and administered by the Illinois Department of Public Health. Its mission is to improve Illinois communities by enhancing volunteerism and instilling an ethic of service throughout the state. The Commission is accomplishing this mission through the support of local community-based efforts to enhance volunteer opportunities and the administration of Illinois’ AmeriCorps program. For more information on Serve Illinois, or to find one of more than 2,500 volunteer opportunities in the state, please visit www.serve.illinois.gov.
Shannon Carr – WSIL image
BENTON – In this week’s Unsung Hero, a Benton woman spends her days volunteering. Shannon Carr has been recognized for her generosity several times in the community.
Shannon has been helping with the cub scouts for about four years, planning activities for more than 25-boys.
The mother of four has been “filling a need” most of her life. She’s also organizer for her church’s free clothing store.
But it doesn’t stop there, Shannon is the fill in van driver for her church, cooks for Vacation Bible School, and organizes the church’s Christmas toy drive all while working a full-time job.
Please click on the link for the full story and video from Evie Allen of WSIL-TV.
http://www.wsiltv.com/story/37467807/unsung-hero-shannon-carr
BENTON – On February 10th, 2018 Benton Police arrested Craig Dillard, age 28, of Benton for driving while license revoked. Dillard was charged and transported to the Franklin County Jail for further processing.
Bud Norris in his playing days with the Houston Astros. Zimbo image.
ST. LOUIS, MO – Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic and KMOV-TV in St. Louis reported within the last hours the Cardinals have signed journeyman pitcher Bud Norris as a free agent.
The starter turned reliever had a record of 2-6 last season, with a 4.21 ERA last season with 19 saves for the Anaheim Angels.
Norris pitched the first five seasons of his career (2009-2014) with the Houston Astros. He struggled against the rest of the league, but he had the Cardinals’ number when Houston was in the National League.
Further information will be added to this story as it becomes available.
http://www.kmov.com/story/37484507/reports-bud-norris-signs-with-cardinals
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/n/norribu01.shtml
Agenda for the Rend Lake College Board of Trustees meeting for Tuesday, February 13, at 6:30 P.M. at Rend Lake College. 468 N Ken Gray Parkway, Ina, Ill., 62846
I. Call to Order
II. Roll Call
III. General Information
A. Announcements
1. January 15 – March 2, 2018 Visiting Artist: Erica Burton Theatre Lobby
2. Saturday, February 17, 2018; 5:30pm Warrior Superfan Shoot-Out James “Hummer” Waugh Gymnasium
3. Tuesday, February 20, 2018; 8:30 – 3:30 Faculty & Staff In-Service Rend Lake College, Ina Campus
4. Tuesday, February 27, 2018 RLC Basketball Homecoming Games vs. Lincoln Trail Women’s @ 5:30pm; Men’s @ 7:30pm James “Hummer” Waugh Gymnasium
5. Friday, March 2, 2018 Career Fair Rend Lake College, Ina Campus
6. Monday, March 5, 2018; 6:30pm Spoken Word & Open Mic Night King City Books, Mt. Vernon
7. Friday, March 9, 2018; 5:30pm Cosmic Bingo The REC
8. Tuesday, March 20, 2018 Transition Summit Rend Lake College, Ina Campus
9. Thursday – Friday, March 22 – 23, 2018 Kickstart Your Journey RLC Campus
10. April 5-7 @ 7pm nightly, April 8 @ 2pm Spring Musical: The Addams Family Rend Lake College Theatre
11. Thursday – Monday, April 5 – 9, 2018 HLC 2018 Annual Conference Hyatt Regency Chicago 12. Thursday, April 12, 2018; 3:00 – 6:00 pm Job Search Party Mt. Vernon Hotel and Event Center
13. Thursday, April 12, 2018 Trivia Night The REC
14. Thursday, April 19, 2018; 2:00pm Phi Theta Kappa Induction Rend Lake College Theatre
15. Thursday, April 19, 2018; 5:00pm Lake Reception King City Books, Mt. Vernon
16. Thursday, April 26, 2018 Children’s Health Fair The REC
17. Thursday-Friday, April 26-27, 2018;10a &1p Flummoxed Fairytales Rend Lake College Theatre
IV. Closed Session – The Board may go into closed session pursuant to Section 2(c)(1)(2)(11)(21) of the Open Meetings Act.
Subsection (1) appointment, employment, and compensation of specific employees; (2) collective negotiating matters; (11) litigation; (21) approval of meeting minutes.
V. Resume Open Meeting
VI. Approval of Consent Agenda
VII. Approval of Minutes of the: 02 * January 09, 2018 Board of Trustees Meeting;* * January 09, 2018 Board of Trustees Executive Session*
VIII. New Business
10 * A. Approval to Create Rend Lake College Policy & Procedure 4.1260 – Review and Publication of Student Right-To-Know & Campus Security Disclosures, Student Policies, and Recruitment Materials (Second Reading)
12 * B. Approval of Revisions to Rend Lake College Board Policy & Procedure 6.7 – Fees
31 * C. Approval of Revisions to Rend Lake College Board Policy & Procedure 3.1115 – Stipends
33 * D. Approval of Revisions to Rend Lake College Board Policy & Procedure 3.1205 – Performance Evaluation and Tenure of Faculty Members
39 * E. Course / Curriculum Approvals
41 F. Ratify the Approval of EMT Handbook (TO BE PROVIDED)
42 G. Approval of Student Trustee Election Notice
44 H. Approval of Tuition Rates for FY 2019
45 I. Approval of Revisions to Rend Lake College Board Policy & Procedure 2.1510 – Social Media (First Reading)
47 J. Approval of Statement of Final Construction Compliance and Statement of Final Completion
iv
50 K. Permission to Create Stipend and Job Description for Entrepreneurship Facilitator
52 L. Permission to Create Stipend and Job Description for Director of Entrepreneurship
IX. Personnel
A. Ratify the Acceptance of Resignation 55 1. Coordinator of Data Information Systems 58 2. Associate Professor, Mining Technology
B. Tenure 61 1. Physical Science Instructor 64 2. Medical Assistant Program Director 67 3. Director of Health Information Technology Program
70 D. Approval of Renewal of President’s Contract (First Reading)
X. Financial Information 86 A. Ratification of the Payment of College Expenses including Travel Expense Reimbursements
B. Financials
XI. Reports
1. Academic Council
2. ICCTA Representative
3. Rend Lake College Foundation
4. Accreditation Report
XII. Public Comment
XIII. President’s Comments
XIV. Adjournment
By Tom Weber- SIU Associate AD/Sports information –
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Center Kavion Pippen had 21 points on 10-of-12 shooting, and Southern Illinois made four 3-pointers during a three-minute stretch of the second half, to blow open a close game and beat Bradley, 74-57, on Sunday at SIU Arena.
Combined with Illinois State’s loss at Valparaiso, the Salukis (17-10, 9-5) regained sole possession of second place in the Missouri Valley Conference with four games left to play. They trail first place Loyola by two games and have a one-game lead over ISU and Drake.
Kavion Pippen going up for two of his game high 21 points against Bradley at the SIU Arena yesterday, (Photos from Tom Weber)
A burly 6-foot-10 junior college transfer, Pippen has emerged as one of the league’s most dominant big men. He has scored double figures in five-straight games, including a pair of 21-point outings.
“Kavion’s getting better,” said SIU head coach Barry Hinson. “Coach (Brad) Autry is doing a great job with Kavion and his development. He’s starting to be more comfortable. He hit that wall (earlier in the season) and we backed off him a little bit in practice.”
Pippen, who was battling a stomach bug, made 5-of-7 shots in the first half and all five of his attempts in the second. Still, the Salukis were trailing, 36-33, early in the second half before Aaron Cook got hot from three. First, he buried a trey from the left corner to tie the game. On Southern’s next possession he drained a triple from the right corner.
“Those were kerosene shots — the igniting that we needed,” Hinson said.
The hot shooting was contagious, as Armon Fletcher hit a 3-ball the next trip down the court. Cook’s final 3-pointer with 14:24 left gave SIU a 47-39 lead. Tyler Smithpeters also made two 3-pointers as SIU connected on 7-of-10 from long range in the second half after going 1-for-4 in the first.
“Give Southern Illinois credit, they made some tough threes that really opened up the game for them,” said Bradley coach Brian Wardle, whose team dropped to 1-6 on the road in MVC games.
Bradley came as close as seven, 62-55, on a Jayden Hodgson 3-pointer with 6:00 remaining, but the Braves missed 10 of their last 11 shots and SIU finished the game on a 12-2 run.
Southern shot 56 percent from the field, compared to 38 percent by Bradley.
“I did not think we could win this ballgame unless we got the percentages in the low 40s or high 30s,” Hinson said.
Reserve post player Jonathan Wiley gave the Saluki’s some much needed minutes off the bench in his return.
SIU senior forward Jonathan Wiley made his first appearance for the Salukis since Dec. 31. Hinson said he has three ligament tears in his knee and is playing in pain, but he gave the team 13 minutes off the bench and scored four points and added four rebounds.
“I can’t begin to tell you how much a plus this is going to be for us,” Hinson said.
The Salukis split the season series with Bradley, avenging a six-point loss in Peoria on Jan. 9.
“I think we’re a different team now because everybody is comfortable with their rotations, they know they’re going to play, they’re telling us when their tired now,” Hinson said.
http://siusalukis.com/boxscore.aspx?id=8038&path=mbball
SPRINGFIELD, IL – Suspected EHD (Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease) cases were reported again in Illinois in 2017, but in low to moderate levels. A total of 66 reports were received from concerned landowners and hunters totaling 169 deer from 32 counties, according to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR). In comparison, 2012 was the worst year for EHD in Illinois with 2,968 dead deer reported to IDNR from 87 counties.
EHD is a viral disease, spread by biting gnats, which can cause high fever and severe internal bleeding in deer. While often fatal to deer, EHD is not hazardous to humans or pets. EHD-like symptoms in cattle have been reported where EHD has been confirmed in deer. Cattle can be successfully treated with medications. EHD is often confused with bluetongue, a similar disease that can affect sheep and cattle.
EHD was reported at low levels in the southern third of the state, as well as in west central Illinois extending up the Illinois River valley. A more intensive outbreak was reported in the west central Illinois county of Pike (80 cases).
EHD does not impact deer populations evenly across the landscape. A mixture of deer combined with the presence of the virus and midges (biting gnats) that transmit the disease between deer are necessary for an EHD outbreak to occur. Heavy deer mortality can be observed on one farm, while the farm down the road will be hardly affected.
EHD affects bucks as well as does, adults as well as fawns and yearlings, though individual deer vary in their susceptibility to the virus. Some deer become infected and will be dead within 48 hours, while other deer will be minimally affected. Survivors of infection develop immunity to the virus.
Dead deer are often found near water sources such as lakes, ponds, or streams, though a deer carcass found away from water is also likely to have succumbed to EHD.
EHD-related mortality occurs every year, but becomes more severe during droughty conditions. Limited water sources concentrate deer near exposed mudflats resulting from receding water levels. Midges hatch from these exposed muddy areas, resulting in abundant insect populations.
There is no effective management treatment for this disease. EHD outbreaks end when a heavy frost kills the midges necessary for transmission.
For more information about the EHD in Illinois, contact Doug Dufford, Wildlife Disease and Invasive Species Program Manager with IDNR by email at doug.dufford@illinois.gov or by phone at 815-369-2414.
A table showing the number of reports and cases by county is presented below. A map showing the distribution of EHD-related deer mortality reports in Illinois for 2017 is also presented below.
| Table 1. 2017 EHD Suspected Case Summary by County | ||
|
County |
# Reports |
# Deer |
| Adams |
1 |
1 |
| Alexander |
1 |
8 |
| Bond |
1 |
2 |
| Carroll |
1 |
1 |
| Cass |
1 |
2 |
| Clay |
1 |
2 |
| Clinton |
1 |
1 |
| Fayette |
2 |
2 |
| Franklin |
1 |
3 |
| Fulton |
1 |
2 |
| Hamilton |
1 |
2 |
| Hancock |
1 |
2 |
| Hardin |
1 |
1 |
| Jasper |
1 |
3 |
| Jefferson |
1 |
2 |
| Jersey |
1 |
1 |
| Johnson |
3 |
4 |
| LaSalle |
1 |
1 |
| Lawrence |
2 |
2 |
| Marion |
1 |
1 |
| Marshall |
1 |
1 |
| Monroe |
1 |
1 |
| Peoria |
1 |
1 |
| Perry |
2 |
5 |
| Pike |
17 |
80 |
| Randolph |
5 |
13 |
| Sangamon |
5 |
5 |
| St. Clair |
1 |
1 |
| Union |
3 |
7 |
| Wayne |
3 |
4 |
| White |
1 |
1 |
| Williamson |
2 |
7 |
| Total |
66 |
169 |
Ronald (Ronnie) Lynch, 73, of Ewing passed away Sunday morning, Feb. 11, 2018 at SSM Health Good Samaritan Hospital in Mt. Vernon.
He was born in Benton, IL on July 28, 1944 the son of Ira & Marie (Briley) Lynch.
He married Carolyn Sneed on August 16, 1962.
Mr. Lynch is survived by his wife, Carolyn Lynch of Ewing; two sons; Dan Lynch and wife Susan of Benton and ,Craig Lynch & wife Shari of Mulkeytown three grandchildren, Brooke Lynch Cecil,Dustin Lynch and wife Tori, and Kassie Lynch.
He is also survived by three brothers; James Lynch and wife Barbara of Benton, Alfred Lynch and wife Annette of Benton, Michael Lynch and wife Debbie of Mulkeytown; two sisters-in-law; Janet Wilson & husband Bill of Benton, Judy Smith and husband Tom of Benton; a brother-in-law Ronald Newcomb of Ewing; along with numerous nieces, nephews, step-grandchildren, and step great grandchildren.
Mr. Lynch was preceded in death by his parents, by a sister: Sissy, by a sister-in-law: Evelyn Newcomb; by a Brother-in-law: Bob Payne.
Funeral services will be held at 10:00 A.M. Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2018 at the Morton & Johnston Funeral Home in Benton with Rev. Mark Minor officiating. Burial will be in the Masonic & Oddfellows Cemetery in Benton. Visitation will be from 6:00 to 8:00 PM Tuesday at the funeral home.
For further information, or to share a memory, please visit our website at https://www.mortonjohnstonfuneralhome.com/.
