Benton, West Frankfort, Illinois News | Franklin County News
Newspaper covering Franklin County, Illinois
Winnetka venture capitalist Bruce Rauner has jumped out to a big lead in the Republican race for governor after spending millions of dollars on television ads to introduce himself to Illinois voters, a new Tribune/WGN-TV poll found.
Here’s the link to the story in the Chicago Tribune.
A former high-ranking employee for Illinois State Treasurer Dan Rutherford dropped bombshell allegations in federal court Monday – charging that Rutherford sexually harassed him and used his state office to further his political aspirations.
Here’s a link to the story in the Chicago Sun-Times.
Ed Michalowski, right, has accused state Treasurer Dan Rutherford of sexual harassment in a federal lawsuit filed Monday.
Benton police reported the following activity during the past weekend:
On February 8, 2014 Benton Police arrested Ronald D. Gillihan, age 48, of Benton for resisting a peace officer. Gillihan was also cited for leaving the scene of an accident. Gillihan was charged and transported to the Franklin County Jail for further processing.
On February 8, 2014 Benton Police were dispatched to the 100 Block of East Reed Street in reference to a domestic disturbance. Through investigation, police arrested Tony D. Jackson, age 36, of Benton for domestic battery. Jackson was charged and transported to the Franklin County Jail for further processing.
On February 6, 2014 Benton Police were dispatched to Huck’s Convenient Store located at 102 North McLeansboro Street in reference to an intoxicated customer. Through investigation, police arrested Steven D. Sullivan, age 47, of Thompsonville for driving under the influence. Sullivan was also cited for improper lane usage. Sullivan was charged and transported to the Franklin County Jail for further processing.
WLS radio in Chicago is reporting that a complaint will be filed against Illinois state treasurer Dan Rutherford, who is a Republican gubernatorial candidate in the March 18 primary election.
Here’s a link to the story.
By Tom Weber
SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill. – Tyler Smithpeters is the last of five sons to play for legendary Harrisburg High School coach Randy Smithpeters, and he may turn out to be the best.
Three of his older brothers played junior college basketball, but Tyler became the only one to earn a Division I scholarship when he signed with Southern Illinois last spring. That’s a point of pride for the 6-foot-3 guard who spent his childhood trying to measure up to his older siblings.
Tyler Smithpeters
“Being the youngest out of the five brothers, there were a lot of fights in the backyard and in the gym growing up, a lot of walking home mad with bloody noses,” he said. “It’s probably where I get most of my competitiveness from.”
That competitive, almost defiant spirit showed up early in his high school career.
“I’m not going to lie, I got kicked out of practice a couple of times for talking back to my dad,” he admitted.
His fiery attitude helped him become one of the best high school players in Southern Illinois and deliver a Class 2A state championship to Harrisburg in 2013. Smithpeters and teammate Capel Henshaw, who now plays for Division II Lewis University, were the Co-Players of the Year in the area last season. The team finished 33-1 and Smithpeters was named First-Team All-State. Of all his high school accomplishments, though, he’s most proud of the state title.
“My dad really wanted one and I wanted to be the first one to do it for him,” Smithpeters said. “It also gave me bragging rights among my brothers because they didn’t win a state championship.”
He waited patiently for a Division I offer from nearby SIU that never seemed to come, and was about to make a visit to conference rival Evansville, when he received a call from Saluki head coach Barry Hinson with news of a scholarship.
“That was the one I wanted,” he said. “It’s the closest to home and ties in to the family.”
One of his older brothers, Kyle, was a walk-on guard who played on SIU’s 2005 and 2006 NCAA Tournament teams. He had only a small role on those teams, scoring nine points in his career. Kyle is currently the head coach at John A. Logan College in nearby Carterville.
“When I grew up and watched my brother play here, I wanted to follow in his footsteps and maybe do some bigger things than him,” Smithpeters said.
Tyler’s freshman season got off to a good start at Missouri, where he scored five points and played 26 minutes, but playing time quickly tailed off after that game. In fact, Smithpeters scored only five points combined in SIU’s next 15 games and he didn’t even make an appearance in five of those contests.
“I wasn’t expecting to get a ton of minutes, but not playing at all made me hungry to get out there and work harder,” he said.
His first big break came on Jan. 14 against Northern Iowa when he played 17 minutes and scored eight points.
“Being in there for longer minutes in the Northern Iowa game really helped me adapt to the college game,” Smithpeters said.
After going scoreless at Bradley, the Harrisburg native poured in 12 points in 20 minutes against Drake and earned a starting spot at Missouri State on Feb. 8. He answered the call against the Bears with a career-high 16 points and five assists. In the overtime win over Loyola last Saturday, he was 1-for-6 from the field but made two game-saving free throws with 1.0 seconds left in regulation.
“I think that the most impressive thing is that he’s hung in there,” said Hinson. “He’s had his tail chewed out on several occasions, but he’s a coach’s son so he’s used to that. His legs are fresh, and with our injuries he’s been adapting to getting more playing time.”
One of the knocks on Smithpeters is his slightly built 170-pound frame and whether it can hold up at the college level. He’s gained a little bit of weight since coming to Southern, but the 20-year-old rookie says he has trouble maintaining it.
“I’ll gain weight and then lose it right back,” he explained. “Looking at my brothers, they’re stockier, but you really never know.”
Kyle was the same height as Tyler but 45 pounds heavier when he played at Southern, so perhaps staying trim is to Tyler’s advantage.
“Kyle still says he can beat me but he can’t really,” Tyler laughed.
SPRINGFIELD – As the clock ticks down on the March 18 Republican primary election, state Treasurer Dan Rutherford says there is no timeline for an independent investigator to finalize a probe into misconduct allegations made by a former employee.
Here’s the link to the story in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
The Gathering of the Juggalos will not return to Southern Illinois this year, organizers say.
Instead, The Gathering and the 10,000 fans who attend the five-day event are headed to Kaiser, Mo. The event, entering its 15th year, has been held at Hogrock Campgrounds at Cave-In-Rock since 2007.
Here’s the link to the story in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
INA, Ill. – Rend Lake College sophomore pitcher Trey Garrett recently signed a national letter of intent to play next year at Florida International University in Miami. FIU is an NCAA Division I Program in the Conference USA.
Trey Garrett
The 6-foot-1 Benton native is the son of Mike and Julie Garrett. He played for Benton Community High School before coming to RLC, where his arm strength helped him excel on the pitcher’s mound. Coming out of BCHS in 2012, Garrett was one of the top recruits in the state.
Garrett came into the fall with no offers, but after several strong performances at showcase events, he picked up the interest of many Division I schools.
“I didn’t really have a plan for where I was going to go. The fact that it’s in Miami and in warmer weather helped me make that decision,” said Garrett.
Last year as a Warrior, the criminal justice major had 10 appearances as pitcher with seven game starts. The right-hander posted a 5.45 ERA with 22 strikeouts in 36 innings. Offensively, he hit .242 with four doubles, 25 runs, 21 RBI and nine stolen bases.
Garrett also played over the summer for the Richmond RiverRats, a collegiate summer baseball team out of Richmond, Ind., where he made 19 appearances. He ended the summer with a 3.26 ERA at 21 strikeouts in 30 innings.
When it comes to this spring season, Garrett says he’s looking forward to helping the Warriors have a successful season.
“Hopefully we can get a bunch of wins this year and go further in the postseason,” he said.
Head Coach Tony Etnier added, “Trey is a gifted athlete who played the outfield and pitched for us last year. This summer in the Prospect League, his ability as a pitcher really took off. The increase in his velocity and the development of a legitimate out pitch is what attracted so many Division I 1 programs this fall. I am very happy for Trey and think that Florida International will be a great fit for him next year.”
For more information, contact Etnier at 618-437-5321, Ext. 1282. For all things athletic at the Lake, visit www.rlc.edu/warriors.
INA — The Franklin County Sheriff’s Department is investigating an armed robbery, home invasion and unlawful restraint that took place at the Rend Lake College Place Apartments Saturday night. The apartment complex houses athletes and is located on the south side of the RLC Campus in Ina.
The sheriff’s office was notified about the incident at 8:06 p.m. on January 18 by RLC security.
According to the police report, three individuals, armed with long guns and hand guns, entered one of the apartments and held four residents of the apartments at gunpoint. The perpetrators told the victims they were looking for two individuals who reside at the apartments. The two individuals being sought were not at the apartments, authorities said.
After holding the four athletes hostage for more than an hour, the three intruders took cash and other items from the victims apartment. They then fled in what is believed to be a silver four-door Oldsmobile Alero. There were no injuries.
All the victims are RLC athletes. The sheriff’s department is asking for assistance from the public in identifying the perpetrators. Anyone with information is asked to call 618-438-4850 or the Tip Line at 618-439-9561.
The investigation is continuing.
ST. LOUIS (AP) – The Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge is scheduled to open early next month.
The new bridge will carry Interstate 70 over the Mississippi River. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports the four-lane, cable-stayed bridge and associated highway projects are being funded with a combination of Missouri, Illinois and federal money.
The Missouri Department of Transportation says the bridge will be open from noon to 4 p.m. on Feb. 8 to walkers, runners and bicyclists who want a close-up view of the bridge. Festivities include a ribbon-cutting and a 3 p.m. parade.
Department spokesman Andrew Gates says the agency is preparing for as many as 20,000 people to attend the events.
Gates says the bridge is expected to open to traffic Feb. 9.
