Benton, West Frankfort, Illinois News | Franklin County News
Newspaper covering Franklin County, Illinois
http://www.onlyinyourstate.com/illinois/fall-foliage-map-il/
(Elizabeth Crozier, Only In Your State. Please click on the link above for this interactive page. Here is the introduction below)
Fern Clyffe State Park near Goreville is part of the foliage trail.
As summer comes to its end, you may find yourself anticipating the impending joys of autumn. Soon, fall foliage will be everywhere you turn in Illinois. Leaves will go yellow, orange, and red, and eventually, you’ll find them crunching under your feet. Thanks to researchers over at Smoky Mountains, we can loosely predict when will be the best time to take a picturesque fall hike.
(Brandon Richard, WSIL-TV. Please click on the link for the full story and video. Here is an excerpt below)
Researchers say thousands of people would likely be injured or killed in Southern Illinois, along with thousands of others across an eight-state region, if a major earthquake, like the one in Mexico City, struck along the New Madrid fault
A comprehensive 2009 report from the Mid-America Earthquake Center said a 7.7 magnitude earthquake, which scientists believe would probably be the strongest that could occur along the New Madrid, would damage or destroy 65,000 buildings, including more than 40,000 homes, in Southern Illinois.
“The potential of a major earthquake is the disaster I feel would be the most catastrophic,” said Ryan Buckingham, director of the Franklin County Emergency Management Agency. “If you have a catastrophic earthquake it’s definitely going to be a regional disaster.”
“In a situation like a hurricane or earthquake, recovery is not going to be a matter of months , it’s going to be years,” said Buckingham.
WSIL-TV
(Amber Kanuckel, farmersalmanac.com. Please click on the link above for the full story. Here is an excerpt below.)
Man dowsing wirh dividing rod to locate ground water under surface or currents of earth radiation to check home for safe zones.
Some call it “the gift.” Others refer to it as “twitching,” “doodlebugging,” or “water witching,” the practice of locating water underground using a forked stick. Sounds simple, but does it work?
According to the American Society of Dowsers, divining the location of water dates back many millennia. In the Tassili Caves of northern Africa, an 8,000-year-old cave painting depicts a man holding a forked stick, apparently using it to search for water. In fact, historical images that appear to represent dowsing appear all over the world – in the temples of Egyptian pharaohs, in ancient Chinese etchings and more.
Although most would say that dowsing is nothing more than a myth, there are quite a few people today who believe in this practice. In fact, many drought-stricken Californians have been turning to local dowsers to uncover hidden sources of water. And, despite the skepticism, there are even a few scientists that think there’s more here than meets the eye.
(Ravi Zacharias- Guest Columnist, Washington Post. Please click on the link above for the full story. Here is an excerpt below.)
The first time I saw him, he sat at a table across from me, one of his legs constantly moving almost subconsciously, as though he was warming up for a run. It was a habit of his restless disposition to stand and gallop. I asked if we could talk about his mission in life. He joined me in the back seat of the car, that leg still moving.
That was Nabeel Qureshi. He hated sitting still. He was a man with a mission, ready to run. Sadly, for us, he died Saturday at a young age of 34 after a year of battling stomach cancer. Nabeel, who was raised in a Muslim-American family and converted to Christianity after a fellow college student sparked his interest in Christianity, worked with me in Christian apologetics.
Nabeel held dear the gospel of Jesus Christ as revealed in the Old and New Testaments and carried the message of salvation. He said that for years as a young man, he labored and struggled to gain “righteousness before God” only to find out that righteousness was already found in the cross through Jesus. That was his message in his best-selling book, “Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus.”
By Steve Dunford
ALBION, IL- A 3.8 magnitude earthquake on the Richter Scale happened at 4:47 this morning. The epicenter was five miles ENE of Albion. This was on the Wabash Valley Seismic Zone which is a branch off the New Madrid fault.
In 1968, the seismic zone produced a 5.4 magnitude earthquake. The epicenter was near Broughton, just north of the Saline-Hamilton county line. It was felt as far north as Chicago. There was some damage in Thompsonville, especially to chimneys and it broke plates that came out of cabinets.
Just recently, I spoke with Kyle Peach, news director of NewsChannel 15 in Mt. Carmel. He said there is no reported damage in the region at this time.
Below is a link to the US Geological Society’s website. It is interactive, so you will find several links for information about the New Madrid fault.
https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/nm60207021#executive
From Tom Weber, Associate Athletic Director/Communications – Southern Illinois University
CARBONDALE, IL. – Walt “Clyde” Frazier, one of Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s legendary alumni, returns to campus next month as “Heroes, Myths and Traditions” are celebrated during Homecoming 2017 festivities, Oct. 8-15.
Frazier, the homecoming grand marshal, will participate in the parade at 10 a.m. on Oct. 14.
Walt Frazier, SIU file photo
A two-time All-American, Frazier led the Salukis to national fame and the 1967 NIT (National Invitation Tournament) basketball championship. The tournament MVP, Frazier, a 1987 selection to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, was a first-round draft pick by the New York Knicks. He was first Saluki to have his jersey (No. 52) retired and he helped the Knicks to NBA titles in 1970 and 1973; enjoying a 13-year career with the Knicks and the Cleveland Cavaliers. A seven-time NBA All-Star, Frazier was named one of the league’s 50 greatest players in 1996 and his No. 10 Knick’s jersey is retired.
Frazier is a Knicks analyst on the Madison Square Garden Network and he has earned numerous Emmy nominations for his work. Earlier this year, Frazier was selected to the 12-member Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2017. He is involved with efforts and organizations that help children achieve their goals.
Homecoming parade entries are being accepted. Marching bands, small and large floats, walkers, car/truck entries and equestrian units are welcome to join the celebration. Homecoming festivities will include a window decoration contest for Carbondale area businesses along with a door decoration contest on campus. Entry forms and additional information for the parade and other contests are available at homecoming.siu.edu/forms/index.php.
Other plans for Homecoming festivities include a big concert, talent and comedy shows, the Salukis football game against Illinois State, tailgating, and more, as the 50-year Class of 1967 is recognized.
The schedule continues to evolve and grow. Keep an eye on www.homecoming.siu.edu and the SIU Homecoming Facebook event page for the updated schedule and details. In coming weeks, SIU will also be spotlighting university Heroes, Myths and Legends.
by Reece Rutland, Rend Lake College Public Information
INA, Ill. (Sept. 15, 2017) – What do you call a collegiate basketball standout, a United States Army veteran, a doctor with over four decades of serving his community (not to mention delivering around 1,500 babies), a community leader with a boundless passion for improving the area around him and was born on New Year’s Eve no less? We call him an icon and an influencer, but most people just know him as “Dr. Stotlar.”
Dr. Gene Stotlar poses with RLC student Mike Jones of Nashville. Jones is one of the many students that Stotlar helped through college with his scholarship contributions. The pair pose in front of the Rend Lake College Murphy-Wall Pinckneyville Campus, a facility that Stotlar helped cultivate. (Rend Lake College photo.
As a student-athlete at Southern Illinois University, Gene Stotlar was the starting point guard as a freshman for the 1946 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) National Champions.
He was recognized as the Tournament Most Valuable Player and First-Team All-America.
His heroics were not forgotten. Stotlar was one of 75 individuals (60 players, 15 coaches) named to the NAIA 75th Anniversary All-Star Team in 2012.
After graduating from Saint Louis University School of Medicine, Stotlar started practicing at a city hospital at the age of 23. He served two years in the U.S. Army and moved to Pinckneyville at age 27.
In 1955, he joined his brother, Dr. James B. Stotlar, and Dr. G.H. Edwards in medical practice in Pinckneyville, where he practiced for 36 years, retiring in 1991. During this time he served on the Pinckneyville Grade School Board, the St. Bruno School Board and the Rend Lake College Foundation.
He summed up his chosen endeavors directly, “It’s simple. We do it to help kids get an education.”
Stotlar went on to serve on the RLCF for 15 years, stepping down in 2010.
“We have accomplished a lot of good things . . . but I’ve been there and done that,” he said at a ceremony honoring his service to Rend Lake College and its students. “I feel like it’s time to get some new blood on the board.”
No one could argue with the accomplishments.
For years, Stotlar and his wife Ramona provided scholarships to RLC students.
But, his dedication didn’t end there. Of all the RLCF campaigns Stotlar has been a part of during his tenure, the establishment of a satellite campus in his hometown was the most rewarding for him, he said.
Before there was the Murphy-Wall Pinckneyville Campus, very little RLC presence existed in the community, nestled on the southeastern boundary of the college district. Before Murphy-Wall, night classes were held in the local high school and some individualized training was offered in industrial facilities.
After the completion of the campus, Stotlar wasn’t content to rest on his laurels.
Stotlar’s parting words to the Board included a challenge. He said a lab still stood in the way of students being able to complete a degree at the Murphy-Wall Campus, without ever having to make the long drive to the Ina campus. He said he would like to see that lab become the next project the Board tackled.
The board and the community responded, raising the funds needed for a science/computer wing at the campus. For his part, Stotlar was honored with the Dr. Gene Stotlar Computer Classroom, gracing the halls of the facility he worked so hard to see completed.
“. . . Our country and our well-being is centered on education. If you don’t have education you are kind of going to be out of luck. We are blessed that kids are wanting to get an education and further blessed that Rend Lake is in on it. It’s going to happen. It’s going to happen right here,” Stotlar said.
