Benton, West Frankfort, Illinois News | Franklin County News
Newspaper covering Franklin County, Illinois
by Steve Dunford
The Storm Prediction Center in Norman OK, has placed Southern Illinois under a marginal risk (Level 1) for severe weather today and Friday. At this time, the confidence is very low. The National Weather Service in Paducah is stating spotter activation is not likely in their hazardous weather outlook.
At mid afternoon yesterday, KFVS -TV Meteorologist Brian Alworth discounted the severe threat. He said today would be a repeat of Monday.
The only threat I see of anything coming severe if the line of showers and thunderstorms would maintain some energy before they get there. At this time I do not see the atmosphere being juiced enough when they arrive.
The biggest threats for today is heavy rain and possibly some lightning out of these storms.
The confidence is not very high at this time for Friday either, There is only a 20% chance of showers and thunderstorms. We are heading into the time of year in which that chance could happen every day.
SPRINGFIELD, IL – (Greg Bishop, Illinois News Network. Please click on the link above for the full story, Here is an excerpt below.)
School districts across the state could be without funds if there’s not an evidence-based school funding reform measure, sought by House Speaker Michael Madigan, in place soon.
Gov. Bruce Rauner’s veto message of the budget said that it “holds schools hostage to force a Chicago bailout,” because if education funding reform legislation doesn’t become law soon, no money goes out to any school in August.
The Democrats’ measure passed both chambers some time ago but has yet to be sent to the governor. Republicans criticized that plan because they said it includes what amounts to a bailout of Chicago Public Schools. They proposed what they said was compromise plan, but that was never allowed to come for a vote.
The Democrats’ measure passed both chambers some time ago but has yet to be sent to the governor. Republicans criticized that plan because they said it includes what amounts to a bailout of Chicago Public Schools. They proposed what they said was compromise plan, but that was never allowed to come for a vote.
http://www.illinoishsglorydays.com/id691.html
MACEDONIA, IL – (Illinois High School Glory Days. Click the link above for the full story. Here is an excerpt below.)
Macedonia (population 51) is located on the Hamilton-Franklin County line, midway between McLeansboro and Benton. Modern-day Macedonia consists of the crossroads of two county roads, with one “loop” street, known as Benton Street. The 2000 census states that there were 17 households remaining in Macedonia. The Big Muddy River runs one mile to the north of the village.
The 1930-31 Macedonia basketball team. The mascot is unknown. (Photo submitted to Illinois High School glory days by Dennis Downey)
Macedonia had a 3-year high school from 1928 to 1936. Under the rules of the time, any elementary district which was not included in an established high school district could operate a high school of 3 years or less, and draw state elementary funds to pay for at least part of the program. Many small rural villages, particularly in the southern half of the state, took advantage of this.
by Steve Dunford
Happy 4th of July everyone. If you missed today’s game you did not miss a whole lot.
Greg Garcia put the Cardinals on the board with a two run homer in the bottom of the fifth driving in SS Paul DeJong to make the score 2-0 after five. Garcia got the start at 3B for the injured Jedd Gyroko who is day to day.
The wheels fell off in the top of the sixth as Christian Yelich hit a three run homer of starter and losing pitcher Lance Lynn (6-6), Then Marlin SS J.T. Riddle drove in two with a single off of reliever Tyler Lyons to make it 5-3.
John Brebbia worked a scoreless 7th, giving up two hits, Trevor Rosenthal worked a perfect 8th, and Sueng Hwan Oh worked a perfect ninth.
Matt Carpenter, who started his second game in a row at 2B, had two hits. Luke Voit was back in the lineup today going 1-4.
The Cardinals struck out 12 times on the afternoon, nine by their outfielders. Tommy Pham (4), Stephen Piscotty (3), and Randall Grichuk (2). In my opinion there were a lot of AB’s taken where they were swinging for the fence, instead of trying to make contact. There were several fly outs to the warning track.
Jose Urena (7-3) picks up the win for the Marlins A.J. Ramos picks up his 14th save.
The Cardinals (40-43) fell to 4 1/2 games behind first place Milwaukee, who beat Baltimore 6-1 this afternoon. The keep pace with the Cubs who fell to the Devil Rays 6-5,
Mike Leake (6-6) 2.97 goes against former Red Edison Voquez (4-8) 3.97. Game time is 7:15 p.m. tomorrow night.
Again, happy and 4th of July and have a great rest of the day. Never take for granted our freedom.
http://www.onlyinyourstate.com/illinois/restaurant-bistro-il/
The interior of Seasoning Bistro. (Only in Your State photo)
BENTON, IL – (Elizabeth Crozier, Only in Your State. Please click on the link for the story. There is a lot of pictures. Here is an excerpt.)
As Midwesterners, we know the best places to get a bite to eat aren’t always as fancy looking as the Ritz, and oftentimes, the best food comes out of restaurants you’d never expect. We’ve found an Illinois treasure that is more than meets the eye, and it serves upscale dishes in a modern atmosphere.
Benton is a small town of about 7,000 people located between Mount Vernon and Marion. It is full of museums and parks.
The menu of original dishes includes burgers, steaks, seafood, salads, and so much more.
Meals are made with fresh ingredients that support local farmers and which are designed to be healthier than fast food fare.
SPRINGFIELD, IL – (Greg Bishop and Dan McCaleb, Illinois News Newtork. Please Click on the link about for the full story. Here is an excerpt.)
by Steve Dunford
I usually wait when something is confirmed by several news sources before I comment on something.
Hernandez locking horns with Giants Manager Bruce Bochy, (Inquisitor.com)
Umpire Angel Hernandez has filed a racial discrimination suit against Major League Baseball in which commissioner Rob Mansfield is named. Hernandez claims he has been passed over for promotions because of race.
I can tell you why he has been passed over bluntly. He is terrible. In my opinion, he is the worst umpire in the game. When reading through comments, when this was shared on social media, not one person came to Angel’s defense to give him some love.
When there were separate umpires in both leagues, you could keep track of the crews. I have always been a National League guy. If I am flipping channels, I will stop to watch an NL game. I rarely watch the American League.
Since there is no longer separate crews for both leagues, it is tough to keep up with the men in blue. Angel Hernandez is probably the most “famous” umpire in the big leagues. His fame does not come from good job performance.
I used to officiate basketball. Dallas Bigham, a long time official, was a mentor to me. He said something that has stuck with me a long time after I hung up the whistle. He told me if you go into a strange place and the fans don’t know your name after the final horn sounds, you called a good game.
Every game Angel calls, especially when he is behind the plate, there is some kind of controversy or drama. If he was promoted to a crew chief, could you imagine three others just like him?
I have said over the years, Hernandez thinks you pay or watch a game on TV to watch him umpire. I guess my lack of recognition over the years by the majority of umpiresm means they are doing a good job. The adding of instant replay has made the umpires less recognizable. I miss the days of the manager coming out of the dugout, chewing on the umpire, and kicking dirt on home plate when they get ejected.
You might hear ESPN jump on this story and support Hernandez. They have pushed the liberal agenda hard over the years. Sports to me are a break from the political world. It is something where conservatives and liberals can unite together rooting for their team.
It is an issue that has nothing to do with race, he does not deserve a promotion.
by Steve Dunford
I have a little more information about the daily post looking back in the archives. I am getting this information from the following website Illinois post season scores. The link is below.
https://sites.google.com/site/xtmi2000/
The Redbirds defeated Arthur Trout’s Centralia Orphans 20-18 in the West Frankfort Regional final. According to the IHSA website, Trout was the coach.
They finished fourth in the state, being defeated by the Canton Little Giants in the 3rd place game. This is ironic because the Redbirds were defeated by Canton in the first round of the playoff last fall in football.
I will share the scores until we get into the 1960’s. Then you will see feature stories from time to time on the great teams of Southern Illinois.
The scores of the West Frankfort Sectional are below.
West Frankfort
West Frankfort 25-14 Metropolis
Flora 20-17 Marion
Centralia 28-21 Bridgeport
Belleville 19-12 Trenton
West Frankfort 21-11 Flora
Centralia 15-13 Belleville
West Frankfort 20-18 Centralia
WEST FRANKFORT (20): Lockman 9, Culley 6, Syfert 5.
CENTRALIA (18): Kell 8, Saul 4, Roanole 4, Lacy 2.
