Benton, West Frankfort, Illinois News | Franklin County News
Newspaper covering Franklin County, Illinois
KFVS image
GRAND RIVERS, KY — WPSD-TV is reporting fire departments across Western Kentucky are fighting a kitchen fire at the popular eating establishment, Patti’s 1880 Settlement.
Grand Rivers Mayor Tom Moody says the kitchen area of the restaurant is on fire.
Further updates will be provided as well as video updates from Channel 6, will be provided on the Franklin County News Online Facebook page.
By Steve Dunford
In this past, this used to be one of my favorite days of the year. This year, I am not watching one down of the Super Bowl.
I watched the fourth quarter of the AFC championship game. I felt like I was doing something dirty, like I was sneaking to do something like I shouldn’t do as a kid. I was a good boy overall, but I was all boy at times.
I am not a fly by night NFL fan. This will be the first one in four decades I am going to miss. The players kneeling for the National Anthem, turned my stomach.
Miami Times image
I was going to watch the Super Bowl, but when the league refused to show an add for AMVETS, is when I made up my mind to not watch “the big game.”
The first Super Bowl I can remember was in 1977. It was the Denver Broncos vs. the Dallas Cowboys. I remember the Orange Crush shirts.
The next season, I fell in love with the Pittsburgh Steelers. I had a Bradshaw Jersey that I wanted to wear to school as soon as my mother washed it. I wanted to wear it to church. Mom limited me to wearing it one day a week. She was afraid the women of Thompsonville would talk that I had few clothes.
Those Cowboys became public enemy number one. I still don’t like them. They have climbed up or below what ever you want to interpret as my third least favorite team from the Patriots and the Rams.
The Steelers were my AFC team, but my NFC team was the St. Louis Cardinals. If St. Louis would have built Bill Bidwell a stadium, they would have never left in my opinion.
After the reality of the Big Red leaving the city of St. Louis decided to build a stadium, in a “Field of Dreams” moment, if they build it they will come.
The Rams came to St. Louis in 1995. There was some bad football in the early days. I decided that I was going to like this team win or lose. It was like drinking castor oil in the early days.
I remember the late Jack Buck who called Super Bowl I for CBS, three years before I was born. He went on a rant during a rain delay of a Cardinal game. It was during a time baseball was hurting.
He said “I give the Rams 15 years before they move back to LA.” His prophecy was right on the money, only five years short.
The “Greatest Show on Turf” gave me some wonderful memories with winning a Super Bowl in 1999, led by QB Kurt Warner, RB Marshall Faulk and WR Torry Holt.
I endured some bad football, when majority owner Georgia Frontiere’s estate sold to a majority group led by Walmart tycoon Stan Kronke, I thought was a good move.
The league refusing ownership of the to minority owner Rush Limbaugh raised my eyebrows of the political correctness of the NFL. With Cape Giraudeau being his hometown, the NFL feared he would want to keep the Rams in St. Louis.
Being sore about the Rams moving has not healed with me. I adopted the Packers.
It was week two of this season, I had an afternoon planned of “remote control aerobics” flipping between football games and the NASCAR race.
The Steelers were going to be shown on CBS. It was kneeling or locking arms. I applaud West Point graduate and former Army Ranger Alejandro Villanueva for standing in the tunnel for saluting the flag.
I cancelled my subscription to Red Zone. I was going to get the sports package out of my house. It is worth the five bucks to me watch college basketball, the NFL Network is part of it.
One thing that understand is there have been people angry with me for my stance. It might be one, but I do not want my cable box monitoring I am watching NBC. I also refuse to watch any commercial online.
There was a Super Bowl party planned at my apartment. The only thing I did not know about it. If someone will knock at my door with chicken wings, I am saying I will eat your wings, but we are not watching the game.
There is another sport that I will give up if they strike. The current collective bargaining agreement in Major League Baseball expires in 2022.
Agents are calling for players to boycott spring training. Any player that refuses to play, there is someone in AAA that would love to have your spot on the roster.
Yu Darvish, Lance Lynn, and Jake Arrieta is still on the market. Honestly, in this trio, are these guys worth $20 million to pitch every five days?
There are guys that are making eight figures to play a game. With the NFL, it disgusts me when players disrespect the flag and the league refuses to sell a 30 second spot to an organization made up of men and women who fought to give them the right to play football.
I thought what is going on in MLB goes hand in hand. Cardinal pitcher Adam Wainwright made a statement. “The first million dollars means you will live more than comfortable the rest of your life. The rest you can help people in a world that needs it the most.”
This is my view, and I will stick to my guns. I hope it is not taken as being a crepe hanger.
Every event like the Super Bowl there will be posts on social media, how much football players are paid and how less career people are paid like nurses, policeman, and teachers.
I am not knocking the three professions at all. They do a lot of work for low pay.
The only ones that will not be richer than Justin Timberlake on the field today will be the owners. It seems like the same crowd that gripes about sports figures does not care that rock starts, actors and Oprah makes.
I tried to keep this under 300 words. I apologize for going over the four figure mark. I just had a lot to say.
The NFL has left me behind. This old geezer does not understand the lack of patriotism. If Major League Baseball “wildcats”, using an old coal mine term, I will be done as well.
By Tom Weber- SIU Sports Information
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Southern Illinois scored nine unanswered points in the final two minutes to rally from a three-point deficit and beat Valparaiso, 65-59, in front of a raucous crowd of 5,694 at SIU Arena on Saturday night.
The Salukis (16-9, 8-4) played from behind most of the game, but drew energy from a packed student section to make a late surge.
Saluki Center Kavion Pippen survived his mid season slump, with 21 points six boards and four steals in SIU’s win last night. (Madison Case, SIU Sports Information, photo)
Trailing, 59-56, SIU center Kavion Pippen scored over 7-foot-2 center Derrik Smits, was fouled and completed the three-point play to tie it with 2:07 to go. After both teams had empty possessions, SIU’s Armon Fletcher hit the biggest shot of the game, draining a 3-pointer from the left corner with 44 seconds left to break the tie. The crowd erupted and everyone in the building could sense the tide had irreversibly shifted.
“I cried,” said SIU head coach Barry Hinson, who grabbed the mic afterward and thanked the crowd. “I cry at a great-looking piece of brisket. I was emotional. I want to tell you right now, we don’t win the game unless it’s for the crowd.”
The game had big implications for Southern, which won its fifth-straight game and took sole possession of second place in the Missouri Valley Conference standings behind Loyola. The last four wins have all been decided in the game’s final minutes.
“With four minutes to go, for whatever reason, this year’s team lights up,” Hinson said. “We certainly don’t panic. We embrace it.”
The Crusaders (12-13, 3-9), who seemed to have answer to every Saluki run, missed their final five shots. Newcomers to the MVC, Valpo is still in search of its first league road win.
“I thought our youth showed a little bit tonight, but we were right there and if we execute a little better down the stretch and make some free throws, the outcome would be different,” said Valparaiso head coach Matt Lottich. Tevonn Walker led Valpo with 16 points but missed three crucial free throws late, including a one-and-one.
Both teams shot 49 percent form the field, but both teams struggled from long distance. SIU made 3-of-15 from three, while Valpo hit 6-of-19. The difference in the game was Pippen’s 21 points in the post and Southern’s 24-11 advantage in free throws. Both of Valparaiso’s 7-footers picked up four fouls.
“Our bigs weren’t allowed to be very aggressive,” said Lottich. “I think we got a little bit tentative and (Pippen) was able to get some deep spots on us.”
Valparaiso built a 31-25 halftime advantage despite committing 14 first-half turnovers. The Salukis had plenty of first-half opportunities but seemed to press on offense. They were just 1-of-10 from 3-point range.
“We kind of reverted back to our old ways there, took bad shots, became selfish, let our offense dictate how we played defense,” Hinson said.
The final 10 minutes of the game had fans on the edge of their seats with 10 ties or lead changes. SIU couldn’t string together a run and sew up the win until it absolutely had to.
A very loud crowd of nearly 6K was on hand to watch the Saluki’s comeback win against Valpo last night.
“I told our staff before the game we’re going to struggle today because of the crowd,” Hinson said. “I’ve been in it too long. We won’t the next time. I think we’ll embrace it next time. We were too juiced up. We looked like deer in the headlights.”
The victory was No. 300 for Hinson, who is in his 17th year as a Division I head coach.
“I’ve had the opportunity to coach basketball for 37 years,” he said. “God has blessed me being surrounded by unbelievable student-athletes and great assistant coaches.”
INA, Ill. – Taxidermy class instructor Fred Lawrence, LEFT, assists Matthew Smith, RIGHT, of Norris City with his bobcat project. Smith was one of eight students enrolled in the class this spring. All eight students completed at least one project.
(RLC Public Information)
CARBONDALE — An ethics inquiry into the hiring of Southern Illinois University Carbondale Chancellor Carlo Montemagno’s daughter and son-in-law has been passed from the university’s internal ethics office to the state inspector general, according to the SIU president.
On Thursday, SIU President Randy Dunn opened up two inquiries into hires related to the chancellor. One investigation involves the hiring of Melissa and Jeffrey Germain, Montemagno’s daughter and son-in-law, as part of negotiations of the chancellor’s employment. The other involves Montemagno’s reported recommendation of former colleagues to multiple campus positions.
“Our system Office of Internal Audit, Compliance and Ethics, in reviewing its standards and talking with the state agency, has made a determination that they just need to go ahead and give that inquiry on the family members directly to the Office of Inspector General,” System President Randy Dunn said during an interview with The Southern on Friday in the Stone Center.
Please click on the full story from K. Janis Esch of the Southern Illinoisan.
HARRISBURG – Lawmakers returned to Springfield this week, coming together for a joint session of the General Assembly to hear the annual State of the State Address. State Senator Dale Fowler (R-Harrisburg) joined his fellow lawmakers on January 31, listening as Governor Bruce Rauner delivered his annual review of the state.
For this year’s address, the major themes included creating more jobs, spending within the state’s means, ending the practice of borrowing to cover the state’s deficits, addressing the state’s pension crisis, and lowering the tax burden on families and businesses.
Sen. Fowler says considering some of the major challenges facing Illinois, including a tremendous bill backlog, mounting debt obligations and property taxes that drive out residents, lawmakers need to work together to help Illinois move forward. After hearing the address, Sen. Fowler is hopeful that this coming session will not be a repeat of last year. Instead, he hopes that lawmakers can come together, leave behind the divisive actions of the past that have prevented progress for far too long and pass the structural reforms needed to turn things around for the state.
In the midst of State of the State activities, Sen. Fowler had the chance to welcome visitors from his District, including our very own Southeastern Illinois College (SIC) Social Science Division Chair, Matt Lees, his District staff and their families and Grant Loudy, a general education student from SIC. They joined the Senator for the day, spending time in the Capitol and witnessing the General Assembly in action.
After session activities concluded, Sen. Fowler returned to the District, joining Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner to tour one of Southern Illinois’ well-known manufacturers, Com-Pac. The Carbondale-based business opened their doors, inviting lawmakers into the facility to learn more about the business and the products produced in the facility, including plastic bags and zippers. Sen. Fowler was excited to see a local business receive attention, noting the importance that businesses, such as Com-Pac, play in Southern Illinois’ economy and the need to push for more pro-business reforms when lawmakers return to the Capitol for session.
Earlier this week, Sen. Fowler also had the opportunity to attend the Hospice of Southern Illinois Red Carpet Gala. The Hospice of Southern Illinois has played a big role in the community for almost 40 years, offering support and care to individuals and their families as a not-for-profit hospice provider.
In other news, Sen. Fowler is sharing information about a new program being offered by the State Fire Marshal and Illinois Safety Alliance. “Be Alarmed!” is a new program that will provide free smoke alarms, education about fire safety, and proper smoke alarm installation to people throughout the state through their local fire departments.
Finally, with tax season fully underway, both the state and federal governments are now accepting 2017 income tax returns. For more information on state returns, go to tax.illinois.gov and to check the status of your refund, go to revenue.state.il.us/Individuals/Refunds.htm.
Mrs. Mary Catherine (Woodring) “Woody” Williams, age 95, of Benton IL; passed away at 5:11 p.m. Thursday, February 1, 2018 at Helia Healthcare of Benton.
Funeral Services will be held at 1:00 p.m. Monday, February 5, 2018 at the Leffler Funeral Home with Bro. Joe Zbinden officiating. Burial will be in the Elder S.M. Williams Cemetery of Ewing. Visitation will be from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Monday, February 5, 2018 at the Leffler Funeral Home of Benton.
Mary Catherine was born on August 21, 1922 in Morganfield, KY, the daughter of Forrest Brody Woodring and Mable Everett (Knight) Woodring. She married Ora Stanford Williams in 1943, and he passed away on March 26, 1999.
She formerly worked at Ordill Ammunition Plant of Crab Orchard, and Turco of DuQuoin.
Woody was a former member of the Young Republicans and Willing Worker’s Club. She was a member of the Steel City Missionary Baptist Church.
She enjoyed swimming, riding motorcycles, dancing, and singing. She especially loved kids and spending time with her family.
Mrs. Williams is survived by her children: Jim Fones and wife Edith of Temecula, CA, Guy Williams of Benton, R. David Williams and wife Debbie of Benton, Stanley R. Williams and wife Jean Ann of Benton, Jeanita Spillman and husband Merv of Springfield, TN, Terry R. Williams and wife Mary of Benton, Rita E. Arcieri and husband Kevin of Conroe, TX; 21 grandchildren; 24 great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents; husband; a son Andy Williams; and two brothers: William E. Woodring and Forrest T. Woodring.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Steel City Missionary Baptist Church or the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and will be accepted at the funeral home.
To leave online condolences to the family, or to share memories of Woody, visit www.lpfuneralhome.com
SPRINGFIELD – Some of the largest earthquakes ever recorded in North America rocked the mostly rural central U.S. between December 1811 and February 1812, including parts of Southern Illinois. The strongest earthquakes in this series were estimated to be around magnitude 8.0, and were felt as far away as the East Coast.
Today, this multi-state region is heavily populated and highly developed. A similar earthquake now would cause widespread devastation to buildings, utilities, roads, bridges and other infrastructure, as well as result in many injuries and deaths. While damage would be less severe in other parts of Illinois, utility outages, road closures and disruptions to deliveries of essential supplies would significantly impact the lives of most Illinoisans.
Atlantic Magazine graphic
Recognizing the earthquake risk in Illinois, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) and local emergency management agencies will promote earthquake preparedness throughout February.
“In addition to the New Madrid Seismic Zone, where the 1811-12 quakes occurred, southern Illinois is also adjacent to the Wabash Valley Seismic Zone,” said IEMA Interim Director Jennifer Ricker. “We can’t predict when the next devastating earthquake in this region will happen, but we can help people learn how to protect themselves and reduce damage to their homes.”
Ricker said people need to remember to “Drop, Cover and Hold On” when they feel the ground shaking: “Drop” down to the floor, take “Cover” under a sturdy desk, table or other furniture, and “Hold On” to the furniture item and be prepared to move with it until the shaking ends.
There are several steps people can take to help prevent injuries and property damage at home, such as strapping water heaters and large appliances to wall studs, anchoring overhead fans and light fixtures, and securing cabinet doors with latches. IEMA offers several short videos on do-it-yourself earthquake home mitigation projects at https://www.illinois.gov/iema/Mitigation/Pages/EarthquakeMitigationVideos.aspx.
For additional earthquake preparedness information, visit www.Ready.Illinois.gov or follow IEMA on Facebook (www.facebook.com/ReadyIllinois) and Twitter (twitter.com/ReadyIllinois).
SPRINGFIELD – As America’s football fans gear up for one of the most anticipated sporting events of the year, the Illinois Department of Transportation and Illinois State Police are taking a timeout to spread an important safety message: Fans don’t let fans drive drunk.
Illinois Tollway Ticket
“Avoid the unsportsmanlike conduct of impaired driving by handing off your keys before the party starts,” said IDOT Deputy Secretary Omer Osman. “Designate a sober driver, use public transportation or call a taxi or rideshare service so that you, your passengers and everyone on our roads make it home safely.”
Even a small amount of alcohol can impair judgment and reaction times, making driving unsafe. The Illinois State Police and nearly 100 local police departments and sheriff’s offices will be stepping up impaired driving enforcement efforts around the clock this weekend. Motorists can expect to see an increase in safety patrols, seatbelt enforcement zones and roadside safety checks.
“DUIs are responsible for nearly one-third of all fatal crashes in Illinois. A single DUI can cost thousands of dollars, suspension of driving privileges, jail time and potentially cause serious injury or death,” said ISP Director Leo P. Schmitz. “Troopers will be out in force conducting roadside safety checks and roving patrols to remove drunk drivers from Illinois roadways. Please plan ahead to arrive home safe this Super Bowl weekend by designating a driver or alternate transportation. Everyone wins when we all make it home safe.”
The Super Bowl enforcement campaign is part of the Illinois Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over and Click It or Ticket programs funded with federal highway safety dollars administered by IDOT.
Last year’s maroon out game at the Arena (SIU Media Services photo)
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Southern Illinois hosts Valparaiso on Saturday night in a special Maroon Out game at SIU Arena. The Salukis are aiming for their first five-game winning streak in two years (the 2015-16 squad won six straight). The last time SIU won five-straight conference games was when it won 10 in a row during the 2006-07 Sweet 16 season. During the current winning streak, SIU is shooting .539 from the field and .463 from 3-point, while averaging 75.8 points per game.
The Salukis are 2-3 all-time versus Valparaiso with wins in 1979 and 1980, and losses in 1929, 1956 and 2018. The teams met at Valparaiso on Jan. 6, a game the Crusaders won, 83-72. Valpo used a 23-2 run in the final eight minutes of the first half to take control of the game. SIU’s Armon Fletcher had a career night with 32 points and 14 rebounds.
Head coach Barry Hinson met with the media prior to Thursday’s practice.
Valpo’s 7-footers gave you some problems the first game (Jan. 6) — what has to be different this time?
First of all, we have to play better. I specifically remember this game. Aaron (Cook) shouldn’t have played, he had the flu. Rudy (Stradnieks) had the flu. We had what I would say was a despicable day of preparation the day before Valpo — so bad that I threw them out of practice. We didn’t play hard. This wasn’t a fluke. They just absolutely whipped our butts. Certainly they have size, they destroyed us on the interior, they destroyed on the exterior. If we don’t play better the same result will happen. You can’t look at places in this league. You can’t look at records. We did everything we could do to beat Indiana State here, and Valpo beat them last night. Next game up, next play, here we go. That will continue to be our message.
Is there actually something you as coaches can do to improve the start of second halves? It’s up to the players, right?
I’m going to tell you what I did at Drake. We’d had it two-straight games in a row. At halftime I made all the managers and all the coaches come into the coaches locker room, separate of our players. I said, ‘when we walk out this door, I want nothing but positive energy. When we get out on the bench, I want you out on the floor, I want you tapping them, getting them going and all this stuff.’ I really thought I was going to get these guys going, and then (Drake) started whooping our butts. To answer the question, we’re going to do some different stuff with warmup and how we come back out on the floor as a group. Right now, we’re doing what I call the NBA two-line layup warmup. We’re more worried about how we look than getting our bodies ready. We’re going to come out with an absolute organized warmup (on Saturday).
How much pressure has there been on (Kavion) Pippen to be a difference maker?
I think we’re all dealing with pressure. We have no margin for error, none, zero. Even the guys coming off the bench, I hope they don’t feel pressure. It’s our responsibility as a staff to get these guys as comfortable to play as they can be on the floor, but they know, you’re magnified. If you come in the game and you don’t produce, and if you can’t help us, you can’t stay out there very long. Kavion hit the lull like most junior college players do. When we recruited Kavion, we recruited him to be the backup to Thik (Bol). Never once did he think he would be playing 30-plus minutes. Never once in junior college or high school did this young man play the amount of minutes that he’s playing right now, nor did he have the workload of what a student-athlete does every day. When that hits you, there’s going to be a period when that wears you down. I think we’ve gone through that lull period and he’s getting his second wind, and we need him to play well for us to be successful, specifically on Saturday.
Is there a part of you that’s afraid you peaked too early?
No. My experience has always been that the people that play well down the stretch play well in the last two weeks of January and the month of February. That’s the key. If you look at a week before the halfway mark, I told you guys to relax, not foreseeing what we’d do, but I specifically said that. I’ve been in this a long time, been in this league when they wanted to send the trophy at the halfway mark to somebody. It’s a long season, there’s a lot of games to go, there’s a lot of things that can happen on both sides. We feel like we’ve had some upsets. I don’t feel like we’ve gone into any games where you would say people upset us. I think we’re the underdog. Quite frankly, with the amount of guys we have, I think we’re going to be the underdog in every game we play. I’m ok with that. I’ll accept that role in a heartbeat.
What would win No. 300 in your career mean to you?
Hmm. First I’ve thought about it. I think it just tells you how fortunate I’ve been to have the amount of good players and great assistants. I think it speaks volumes with that right there. We have put ourselves in a position where you guys, I know you didn’t think we’d be this time of the year. Let’s just continue to do what we’re doing.
Have you gotten any reports on ticket sales for Saturday?
I’ve talked to our ticket office, our marketing people, our administration, and they said the phones are ringing off the wall, which is great news. I go out to eat every day, every lunch, and everywhere I’ve been people are excited and said they can’t wait to get to the game. We have special stuff planned for this game, specifically for our students, the dawg pound. I think it’s going to be an exciting atmosphere. It would be nice in all honesty, you have Valpo, Bradley, Loyola on Senior Night, and you have Missouri State, I think we have four games coming up, I’ll be disappointed if we don’t start tapping the 7,000 mark. You guys can help us with that as much as anything, spread the word.
Dawg Bites
•With a lifetime record of 299-232, Barry Hinson needs one more win to reach the 300-win plateau in his career.
•SIU has shot better than 50 percent during the second half in six-straight games.
•Five of SIU’s seven conference wins are by five points or less. The Salukis are 6-2 in games decided by five points or less this season.
•Barry Hinson (262) passed Gregg Marshall (261) on Saturday for fourth all-time among league coaches in wins.
