by Steve Dunford

After being in contact with each school district in the county, all Franklin County  schools have made the decision to close for Monday, August 21st.  A representative for BCHS said I should have an answer by tomorrow.   The first official day of school at Sesser-Valier is the 22nd.

John A. Logan College and Southern Illinois University have decided to cancel classes as well.  Rend Lake College will be in session on that day.

Rend Lake College will be in session on the 21st.

Outside of Franklin County, Johnston City and Marion will not be in session that day.  I will post a running list of cancellations every few days on the website.

I would appreciate if someone would share if your school, business, or organization will be altering schedules or plans for this day.  You can call me at 937-0253, call or text at 513-1274, e-mail me at sdunford1970@hotmail.com, or send me a message on Facebook.

https://www.franklincounty-news.com/2017/08/02/first-responders-dont-block-shoulders-eclipse-weekend/

DU QUOIN, IL – (Andrew Feather, WSIL, TV.  Please click on the link for the full story above and the video.  Here is an excerpt below.

Illinois Emergency crews want drivers to remember not to clog the roads the weekend of the eclipse.
With the tens of thousands of people expected to come to southern Illinois for the eclipse next month, traffic will be a major concern.

Stop-and-go, bumper-to-bumper traffic is expected on several roads throughout the region, congested with visitors in town for the event.

But with the frustration that traffic can bring comes the hazard of clogging up roadways for first responders looking to get to an emergency.

SPRINGFIELD, IL – State Sen. Dale Fowler (R-Harrisburg) offered the following comments after the Governor issued an amendatory veto of Senate Bill 1 on August 1.

“For our schools, families, and our communities, I hope that we are nearing the end of the education funding debate with a solution that will more equitably distribute funding to Southern Illinois schools,” Fowler said. “I am optimistic the Senate and House negotiators will be able to achieve a result which will be acceptable to both sides of the political aisle and the Governor.”