Benton, West Frankfort, Illinois News | Franklin County News
Newspaper covering Franklin County, Illinois
by Steve Dunford
MARION, IL – Democratic Party County Chairmen from Franklin, Williamson, Johnson, and Massac counties, caucused and appointed Lorie LeQuatte to succeed Matt Donkin as ROE district #30 Superintendent.
LeQuatte and Donkin – WSIL file photo
LeQuatte a 1989 Zeigler-Royalton, John A. Logan, and SIU graduate, will be taking office on July 1st. She was the principal of Project Echo, and Star Quest which is alternative school programs near Johnston City. LeQuatte resides in Herrin.
Donkin stepped down to become Superintendent of Frankfort Community District #168 in his hometown. Before taking over as Regional Superintendent, he was a Social Studies teacher and later an administrator at Frankfort Community High School. He steered a troubled office in the right direction, taking over for Barry Kohl.
http://www.kmov.com/story/35710406/settlement-reached-in-lawsuit-over-michael-browns-death
FERGUSON, MO – (AP Story, Shared by KMOV-TV. Please click on the link for the full story. Here is an excerpt below)
A federal judge on Tuesday approved a settlement in the wrongful-death lawsuit filed by the parents of Michael Brown.
Friday, the City of Ferguson told News 4 it confirmed that $1.5 million “was paid by its insurance carrier on behalf of multiple defendants.”
Michael Brown Sr. and Lezley McSpadden sued the city, former Police Chief Tom Jackson and former police officer Darren Wilson in 2015. They argued that the death of their son deprived them of financial support through his future potential wages.
Press Release from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Rend Lake Project office
BENTON, IL – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Rend Lake will be hosting a backyard campout and owl prowl program at the Rend Lake Project Office/Visitor Center on June 24, 2017.
The fun begins at 8:00 p.m. as Rend Lake Park Rangers assist with making s’mores over a campfire and leading campfire songs. Throughout the night there will also be backyard games to entertain people of all ages. Then, put your senses to the test as we “sniff” for spiders.
To end the night, Park Rangers will lead a walk through the woods for an “Owl Prowl” to see “Who” we might find. Listen to the calls of our native owls and maybe spot other nighttime creatures along the way. So join Rend Lake Park Rangers and various creatures of the night at the Rend Lake Project Office/Visitor Center on Saturday, June 24 from 8:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. for the Backyard Campout and Owl Prowl.
This program is an outside excursion so it is recommended to bring lawn chairs, bug spray, and a flashlight.
Then join us Saturday July 1 from 4:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. for the annual Fireworks Festival. This event is hosted by the Benton/West City Chamber of Commerce and the Corps of Engineers. The fireworks will be shot from the Spillway Event area beginning approximately at 9:30 p.m. Kids’ activities, music, and food vendors will be available on the east end of the Rend Lake dam from 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
For more information on the Environmental Science Series programs presented at the Rend Lake Visitor Center call the Rend Lake Project Office at 618-724-2493.
Press Release from State Senator Dale Fowler’s office
Note – Please check out the video on franklincounty-news.com’s Facebook page as KFVS-TV’s Carly O’ Keefe interviews Senator Fowler. He addresses education issues in detail.
HARRISBURG, IL – Budget inaction and continued uncertainty were on the minds of area superintendents during a June 20 meeting convened by State Sen. Dale Fowler (R-Harrisburg) to discuss area schools’ cash flow issues.
“Our school superintendents are increasingly frustrated with the ongoing impasse, and that associated uncertainty weighs heavily on their decisions when roughly 80 percent of my supers indicate that they have less than 120 days of working cash,” Fowler said.
“How can they think about improving educational quality for Southern Illinois students, when they are more concerned with ensuring that the doors are able to open in less than two months?”
The meeting was attended by 22 Southern Illinois superintendents, from 10 of the 13 counties that make up the 59th Senate District. At least four school districts indicated that they doubt they have enough working cash to open the doors in August. A series of education cooperatives throughout the 59th have already prepared to close without a budget. Those closures and other uncertainties have already resulted in dozens of educators and scores of other educational professionals knowing that they will not be retained for the 2017-2018 school year.
“I heard from one superintendent that he does his own diesel mechanicing on his district’s buses. These administrators have cut for years and now we are in crisis mode,” Fowler concluded.
The June 20 meeting was held on the eve of the Illinois General Assembly’s return to the State Capitol for a 10 day special session. Senator Fowler has been anxiously awaiting the return to Springfield to hopefully bring an end to the budget impasse.
Harrisburg Superintendent Mike Gauch offered the following comments: “I appreciated this meeting today, and I hope that we can do it more often. It was refreshing to have a legislator meet with us. We have a situation here in Southern Illinois where we need funding just to open our doors. We are all frustrated and we know that the taxpayers have done their part and we are obligated to open the doors.”
Vienna High School Superintendent Josh Stafford noted that, “We can’t continue to take in a nickel and spend a dime. Because of the absolute circus in Springfield, it’s putting our most precious resource, our youth, at risk because the school doors can’t open on time. The state cannot continue to pass along mandates without local control. We have to have a larger discussion on returning local control back to the local districts. On average, between the five schools in Vienna and the surrounding area that feed into Vienna High, we have approximately 85 days of working cash available.”
by Steve Dunford
SESSER, IL- The Anchor Grille opened for business this week in Sesser. It is located in the former Bruno’s Steakhouse building on the east side of town on State Route 154.
I spoke with owner Joshua Qualls last night, he says they have a full breakfast and dinner menu, specializing in burgers and seafood. They also have daily specials. I will post their menu below.
In conversations I have had and from reading social media posts, the vast majority says the food is excellent.
Please give them a try. They open at 7:00 a.m. Spending money locally benefits our communities.
Breakfast Menu:
Lunch and dinner menu
http://www.bnd.com/news/local/article157506764.html
Troy Police Department photo provided to KTVI-TV
EDWARDSVILLE, IL (Kara Berg, Belleville News Democrat. Please click on link above for the full story. Here is an excerpt.
An Edwardsville man posted on Facebook that he wanted to assassinate President Donald Trump, according to federal authorities.
Joseph Lynn Pickett was charged with threatening the president of the United States on June 15.
U.S. Secret Service Special Agent Vincent Pescitelli said Pickett threatened to “take the life of, to kidnap, and to inflict bodily harm” against Trump on Facebook, according to a criminal complaint filed with the charges. The complaint included screenshots of Pickett’s Facebook posts.
by Steve Dunford
Several media sources are reporting that each day the general assembly is in special session, called by Governor Bruce Rauner for the purpose of passing a budget, will be costing Illinois taxpayers nearly $48,000 daily.
State Senator Dale Fowler (R-Harrisburg) stated in a press release, that he will refuse to take mileage and pay for this special session.
The House only met a half hour yesterday. The Senate meet briefly. Speaker of the House Mike Madigan was a no show when the house convened. In several reports in the Springfield Journal-Register stated that lawmakers used the time for meeting with the press and caucusing with their own parties.
Madigan issued this statement in a press conference, “We are going to work on balancing the budget. That means cuts and revenue. I have said that for the last 2 1/2 years.
Franklincounty-news.com, will keep you informed of any progress throughout the special session.
MARION, IL – Today, State Representative Dave Severin visited the Veterans Affairs Department in Marion, to honor several Veterans Service Officers and volunteers for the work they do for Veterans. Ed Humphrey of AMVETS, Gregory L. Strong of the VFW, William Slider of American Legion, and Denton Vaughn of DAV all received an Illinois House of Representatives certificate of recognition from Rep. Severin for their work.
“I know each of these Veterans Service officers work incredibly hard for the veterans they serve.” Rep. Severin said, “While it often goes unrecognized, the work they do makes a world of difference for countless veterans. These certificates were simply my way of showing a little appreciation for the important services they provide.”
Caleb, and Charles Humphrey were also honored, they will be receiving the Daughters of the American Revolution National Youth Volunteer Service Award for Veterans on July 1st. Kathie Coates works for AMVETS and interacts with the Service Officers and volunteers on a regular basis and brought their work to Rep. Severin’s attention.
“These gentleman are truly awesome and a one of a kind group even though they work for different organizations.” Said Ms. Coates, “The veteran is what is most important to each of them, so they help each other out to make sure they are doing everything possible for each veteran
