Severin to Hold Satellite Office Hours in McLeansboro with Illinois Comptroller’s Office

Marion, IL State Representative Dave Severin (R- Benton) will be holding Satellite Office Hours at McCoy Memorial Library on Wednesday October 18th from 12:00 – 3:00 pm. Rep. Severin’s staff will be on hand to take your opinions and assist you with any constituent related issues you may have.

Staff from Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza’s office will also be on hand and will be happy to help answer any questions you have for them as well, or work with you on any outstanding payments you may have with the State.
The address for McCoy Memorial Library is 118 S Washington St, McLeansboro, IL 62859.  If you would like to learn more about our office hours please contact Rep. Severin’s District Office at (618) 440-5090 or through the contact form on his website at www.repseverin.com. 

From the office of State Representative Dave Severin

Gov. Rauner continues Built in Illinois tour

Encourages women in manufacturing

CICERO, IL — Gov. Bruce Rauner continued his Built in Illinois tour today with a visit to United Scrap Metal Inc., an award-winning, woman-owned business in Cicero. The tour highlights the importance of the manufacturing industry to the Illinois economy as part of National Manufacturing Month.

“Marsha Serlin’s business story is inspiring,” Rauner said. “Started with just $200 and a rental truck in 1978, Marsha has built United Scrap Metal into a firm that employs 300 people. Seeing her operation, it is easy to see why she is called the ‘scrappiest entrepreneur’ in the industry.”

Serlin’s company is among the largest women-owned businesses in Chicago. It purchases, processes and markets recyclable commodities and serves 2,500 clients coast-to-coast.

“We want to see Marsha’s story repeated over and over again,” Rauner said. “That’s why my administration is trying so hard to get government out of the way of growth businesses.

“We need to create a climate that helps Illinois companies compete successfully so they can start up and grow and hire people,” he continued. “Cutting red tape and burdensome regulation is one way government can help fuel the engine of prosperity.”

Manufacturing is currently the second largest industry in Illinois. Ninety-two percent of the state’s exports are manufactured products. Nearly 600,000 Illinoisans are employed by over 12,000 firms whose products account for 13 percent of the state’s gross domestic product.

Recognizing the importance of the manufacturing sector to the state’s economy, Rauner proclaimed October Built in Illinois Month.

From Governor Bruce Rauner’s office

 

Dispatcher on administrative leave following sexual assault investigation

http://www.wsiltv.com/story/36577541/dispatcher-on-administrative-leave-following-sexual-assault-investigation

The Central Dispatch Board. (From WSIL-TV reporter Hannah Gebresialasse’s Twitter page

CHRISTOPHER, IL (Hannah Gebresilasse – WSIL-TV.  Please Click on the link for the full story.  Here is an excerpt below.

Board members of the Central Dispatch of West Franklin County voted Wednesday night to place former Franklin County Sheriff’s Deputy Christopher Hampton on unpaid administrative leave, indefinitely.

Hampton faces charges of criminal sexual assault and custodial sexual misconduct. The felonies stem from an incident in January of 2016. Following the incident, the Franklin County Sheriff placed Hampton on administrative leave and he later resigned then began work at the dispatch center.

Rebecca Whittington serves as general counsel for the West Franklin County Central Dispatch board. She told News 3 Hampton’s position will be held open, but he will not be on staff or payroll.

Du Quoin in early stages of a possible restoration of Grand Theater

http://www.duquoin.com/article/20171011/news/171019965/

Cinema Treasures photo

DU QUOIN, IL-  (Geoffrey Ritter, DuQuoin Call.  Please click on the link above for the full story.  Here is an excerpt below.)

Du Quoin’s beautiful but shuttered Grand Theater may find new life in the near future, but first there will be a healthy serving of due diligence.

The budget for Du Quoin’s tax increment financing districts, adopted at Monday’s city council meeting, lists as a new initiative an effort to “revive, redevelop, and reestablish” the Grand Theater, located at the corner of Washington and Main streets.

Mayor Guy Alongi said Monday that while the prospect of reestablishing the theater is exciting, the city will proceed cautiously and deliberately.

“We don’t want it to turn into a white elephant that we have to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on,” Alongi said. “We want to walk through this before we run

Below is a link to the website Cinema Treasures that tells the history of the Grand.  There will be an excerpt from the article as well.

http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/5655

The Grand Theatre is truly a movie palace. It’s small town location and continuous operation put in a very unique position. Most of the small town palaces are gone, they will never be back. If for no other reason the Grand Theatre should be kept going and if possible be restored. The Grand Theatre was closed on October 18, 2010 screening “Alpha and Omega” and “Let Me In”. However, after a two weeks closure, it was re-opened on November 5, 2010. The Grand Theatre was closed in January 2016.

 

RLC Warrior Fest events draw crowds, Car Show winners announced

by ReAnne Palmer – Rend Lake College Public Information

INA, Ill. (Oct. 11, 2017) – Nearly 90 cars, trucks and motorcycles braved the weather Saturday to attend the Rend Lake College Fifth Annual Warrior Fest Car Show with hopes of taking home the big trophy. There were 13 special awards for Car Show entrants, plus an award for club participation. The Car Show also handed out awards for the top 45 vehicles, door prizes, and a 50/50 raffle winner. All events raised funds for scholarships for Automotive Technology students. Warrior Fest also featured a dozen craft and art vendors, children and family-friendly events such as Big Truck Day, and much more.

Kurt Richter of Aviston, and his best of show, 1941 Willy’s Coupe. (RLC Photo by ReAnne Palmer)

Best of Show: Kurt Richter of Aviston, 1941 Willy’s Coupe.

Best Ford: Rod Wallace of Harrisburg, 1970 Ford Mustang

Best GM: Richard Brewer of Tamaroa, 1957 Chevy Bel Air Convertible

Best Mopar: Chuck Overbey of Opdyke, 2014 Dodge Ram 1500 4×4

Best Street Rod: Vince & Cheryl Brown of Mt. Vernon, 1932 Ford Roadster

Best Paint: Jerry Lampp of Tinley Park, 1963 Chevy Nova

Best Modified: Joe Johnson of Walnut Hill, 1999 Chevy S10

Best Motor: Bruce Briley of Collinsville, 1968 Chevy Chevelle

Best Rat Rod: Eddie Burgess of Mt. Vernon, 1946 Ford Pickup F1

Best Orphan: Marylee Holloway of Mt. Vernon, 1959 Nash Metropolitan

Best Truck: Hope Sugg of Greenville, 1968 Chevy C10

Best Sports Car: Corey Kimmel of Benton, 1964 Chevy Corvette

Best Motorcycle: Starr Williams of Mt. Vernon, 2007 Kaw ZX-14 Ninja

Top Club Participation: Kingsman Car Club of Mt Vernon

For pictures of all the cars, click on the following link below

https://www.flickr.com/photos/rendlakecollege/sets/72157661350028658/with/37618242151/

IDOT Seeks Feedback on Illinois Rest Areas

Survey asks travelers to provide opinions on services, locations, visiting habits

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Transportation is asking for the public’s help in developing a plan that will determine the best use of the state’s rest areas. An online survey, accessible at idot.illinois.gov, is available through Sunday, Oct. 29.

“Many of our rest areas have reached a point where it’s time to evaluate their future,” said Illinois Transportation Secretary Randy Blankenhorn. “The feedback this survey provides us will be incredibly valuable. We hope as many people as possible participate so our rest areas can better reflect the changing needs of today’s travelers.”

Paper copies of the online survey are available at select rest areas throughout the state. They also can be mailed upon request by calling (402) 399-1405.

The 20-question survey seeks feedback on how travelers currently use Illinois rest areas, their level of satisfaction with the rest areas they visit, the location of the rest areas and how important certain features are to them.

IDOT maintains a system of 30 rest areas and 11 welcome centers on highways throughout the state, serving more than 36 million visitors annually. They are open 24 hours a day and feature restroom facilities, picnic areas, lighted walkways, maps, security cameras, parking for recreational vehicles and commercial trucks, among other services.

For more information on Illinois’ rest locations, visit IDOT’s Rest Areas and Welcome Centers webpage.

Residents report recycle abuse at the city’s drop off site

http://www.wsiltv.com/story/36566617/residents-report-recycle-abuse-at-the-citys-drop-off-site

WSIL-TV photo

BENTON, IL (Evie Allen, WSIL-TV.  Please click on the link for the full story and video. Here is an excerpt below)

Some people in Benton reportedly cause a nuisance at the city’s recycling drop-off. Instead of dropping off their recyclables, someone has been dumping trash, glass and other unwanted items there.

Pictures were taken by neighbors who live next door this a “dump site.” The only problem is the site is not a place for dumping t”This is just another example or an instance where the minority ruins it for the majority,” adds Benton Commissioner Ronnie Baumgarte.

Commissioner Baumgarte says seeing the photo’s at Monday night’s council mee

ting angered him. Even with a clear sign right there, neighbors say unwanted items are still be dropped off, including glass.
The recycling place is located on the north east side side of town on Grand Street, but was once at the fire department until they ran into the same problem.rash.

 

Frankfort school board adopts $16 million budget

http://www.wfgazette.com/news/frankfort-school-board-adopts-million-budget/article_34990f3a-ab6d-11e7-b27d-bbc484d10b1f.html

WEST FRANKFORT, IL – (Tim Hastings, West Frankfort Gazette.  Please click the link above for the full story.  Here is an excerpt below.)

The Frankfort Community School District 168 Board of Education adopted a $16 million budget for the 2017-2018 school year after conducting a public hearing on Thursday, September 28, at the Central Junior High School cafeteria.  Superintendent Matt Donkin said the hearing elicited no questions or comments.

Fall like Conditions today….slight warming trend through the weekend

by Steve Dunford

There was thunderstorm wind damage across the Southern Seven Counties from last night’s line of thunderstorms in advance of an approaching cold front.

In the second round of precipitation, the Sesser area was hit the hardest with 2-3 inches of rain.  There were places along State Route 148 that water was over the roadway.

Enjoy the cooler but cloudy fall like weather today.  There will be a slight warming trend, with a chance of showers and thunderstorms over the weekend.

Seven Day Forecast

Today
Cloudy, with a high near 62. West wind around 10 mph.
Tonight
Cloudy, with a low around 53. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Thursday
Cloudy through mid morning, then gradual clearing, with a high near 71. Light and variable wind.
Thursday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 52. Light south southeast wind.
Friday
Sunny, with a high near 80. Calm wind becoming south southeast 5 to 7 mph in the morning.
Friday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 59. South southeast wind 3 to 5 mph.
Saturday
Sunny, with a high near 85. South wind 5 to 8 mph.
Saturday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 64. South wind around 8 mph.
Sunday
Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 82. South southwest wind 9 to 11 mph becoming west in the afternoon.
Sunday Night
A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 49. Northwest wind 7 to 9 mph.
Monday
Sunny, with a high near 68. North northwest wind 6 to 8 mph.
Monday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 46. North northwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Tuesday
Sunny, with a high near 72. Calm wind becoming west southwest around 6 mph in the morning.

ISP Cracking down in Jefferson, Franklin, and WIlliamson Counties on I-57

Here is something to take notice of. District 11 out of Collinsville is helping DuQuoin out. (ISP photo)

NOTE:  One of the hardest thing for me to report is a tragedy, especially when someone loses their life.  I reported of a wreck on 57 nearly every day over the summer.

There have been three times that I nearly have been ran over since I lost my license.  Each time it involved a cell phone.  The cars got close enough to me to tell what they were doing with their phone.  One was on Facebook.  One was sending a text.  One was taking a selfie.

ISP took several pictures of radar guns during this stretch over the summer that was triple digits.  It is not the Autobahn.   Yes I admit that when the speed limit was raised to 70, I set my cruise at 75.  When I get my license back, and I lost them for medical reasons, I will be taking 37.  I used to a lot anyway checking for rummage sales.

There were rumors out there the heavy police presence was them looking for Alonzo Young.  That was not the case.   – Steve

DU QUOIN, IL – As we continue to aggressively enforce the Fatal Four violations combined with the ongoing commercial vehicle enforcement activities, we are steadily making a massive dent in the number of people making poor choices behind the wheel. These details are a continuation of the I57 crash reduction initiative and are our contribution to the reduction of personal injury and fatal crashes in our area. Are you doing YOUR part??

We are also adding a component to protect us as well. Please, as you pass traffic stops we remind you to adhere to the Move Over Law. It requires you to move over out of the lane adjacent to a stopped emergency vehicle with lights activated. If you can’t move over safely, you must slow down and proceed with caution.

There will be a strong ISP presence on I57 through the I24 to I64 corridor today. Because we care about our communities, we ask, do you? Make safe choices today, because we can’t do this without you!!

 

Benton, West Frankfort, Illinois News | Franklin County News