From ReAnne Palmer, RLC Public Information 

INA – Presidents Terry Wilkerson, Rend Lake College, and Jonah Rice, Southeastern Illinois College (SIC), are ready for round two of their presentation series at the Higher Learning Commission in Chicago in April.

The two said they are humbled to be invited back to present on their shared services and programming. They will present “Building Bridges, Not Walls: Continuing Construction” the afternoon of Sunday, April 8, during the general session of the HLC Annual Conference.

“It’s important to realize that we as community colleges are not competitors,” said Wilkerson. “We both share the same goals of providing accessible education and career training for the people of our districts, and there are a lot of ways we can do that better together by pooling our resources.”

Rend Lake College President Terry Wilkerson (LEFT) and Southeastern Illinois College President Jonah Rice recently met on RLC’s campus to talk about the new training partnership in oil and natural gas. (Photo by Nathan Wheeler / RLC Public Information)

The two colleges recognized many years ago that working together rather than competing against one another is vital to serving Southern Illinois students and also managing precious taxpayer funds. Their presentation is a continuation of one they held on the same topic last year at the HLC conference, and due to large attendance and exceptional reviews, they were invited back this year to present on their latest partnerships.

The colleges collaborate at multiple levels as they transform each institution as co-providers for programs as well as services.

“The old model of competition in education is being replaced by collaboration,” said Rice.  “We are both stronger for it.”

The two colleges have shared academics with each other like Spanish and multiple general education courses. Career programs also have been shared such as Nursing and Criminal Justice.

One of the more assertive partnerships is the sharing of the Veterinarian Assistant program held between the two main campuses at SIC’s David L. Stanley Center in Carmi. The two will partner on Massage Therapy in the fall at the Carmi Center.

Services are also shared. They partner on adult basic education courses (formerly GED) and even maintenance personnel.

“This all only makes sense,” said Rice. “We’ve been asked to do more with less for years in Illinois, so we have to be creative and build these bridges to make sure we serve our students well.”

“We have been working together for several years, even before the state’s budget impasse, and that only made it more fitting for us to partner up and work together,” said Wilkerson.

The two colleges plan on more sharing in the near future, such as with a possible new allied health program and new venues in career technical education.

As partners, the two colleges are the largest community college in the southernmost region, and they actually have a combined freshman class that puts them on par with Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

“We teach a lot of students here at home,” said Rice. “And it’s nice to have a friend such as Rend Lake whom we trust and appreciate.”

Wilkerson echoed that thought. “We’re thankful to SIC for their friendship and partnership. We are looking forward to sharing our story and encouraging other institutions to look at new ways to work together.”

Special weather statement

…Cold temperatures and wind chills will continue to make it
very uncomfortable tonight…

Low temperatures tonight will drop into the 0 to 5 above zero
range. Combined with northwest winds at 3 to 6 mph, wind chill
readings will drop into the 0 to near 10 degrees below zero range
tonight through mid morning. These conditions will not only be
very uncomfortable, but it will make it very difficult for road
crews to continue to treat and clear area roadways. People need to
be very cautious when traveling, and wear plenty of warm clothing
when venturing outside.

Hazardous Weather Outlook

DAY ONE…This Afternoon and Tonight Wind chill readings will be in the 5 above to near 10 below zero range today into tonight.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN…Wednesday through Monday There is a slight chance of thunderstorms Sunday afternoon and evening, mainly in southeast Missouri. The probability for widespread hazardous weather is low.

Seven Day Forecast

By Gay Bowlin, Franklin County Farm Bureau Manager  

Hello 2018 – sorry for not having an article before now but I attended the American Farm Bureau Federation Annual Convention in Nashville, TN from January 5^th through January 9^th. I was able to see President Trump while I was there. Whether you are a fan or not it is still a thrill to get to see a seated President in person. Everyone in attendance (over 5,000 from across the U.S.) witnessed Him signing two Executive Orders for Rural Broadband Internet Service. I know in our area this is a huge issue as we are such a rural area.

At the AFBF “Our delegates successfully introduced several submittals on farm policy, Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), seed protection, property rights, environment and conservation issues,” said Richard Guebert, Jr., Illinois Farm Bureau president. “We expect Congress to debate and pass a farm bill in 2018. The policies adopted will better position us for those deliberations.”

Additional Illinois polices adopted by national farmer-delegates included:

– Allowing farmers to sign up once for the duration of a federal farm bill assuming no changes in a farming operation

– Requiring seed for government program acres to be free of invasive species of weed seed, such as Palmer amaranth

– A new section on solar energy designed to protect the property rights of farmers and other landowners

A new Illinois law that took effect Jan. 1 makes the bumper-to-bumper truck length on county, road district or municipal roads uniform with the length allowed on the state highway system, according to Kirby Wagner, Illinois Farm Bureau assistant director of transportation.

Under the new law, the overall limit from bumper to bumper increased to 65 feet from the previous 55 feet. On Class I and Class II routes, which include interstates and other major designated state and federal highways, the truck-trailer overall length is unlimited; however, a semitrailer length is still restricted to a maximum 53 feet.

This length uniformity will allow Illinois farmers to more efficiently haul from farm to market, especially on longer trips, Wagner noted.

Under the new law, units of local government are not required to widen or otherwise alter nonstate highways to accommodate the new truck and trailer lengths, Wagner said. That unit of government may also seek recovery for the cost to repair damaged highways that result from the operations of trucks under the new allowed length.

In addition, the law now sets the allowable kingpin-to-last-axle length to a maximum of 42 feet and 6 inches on local roads – the same restriction on most state highways, Wagner continued. He pointed out Class I and Class II routes have a kingpin-to-last-axle length restriction of 45 feet and 6 inches.

A separate law also makes frequency of safety inspections more uniform for truck-tractor semitrailer combinations operated in intrastate and interstate commerce. Semis operated within Illinois are now required to undergo a safety inspection only once every 12 months instead of every six months.

Trucks – other than semis – registered for more than 8,000 pounds and operated wholly within Illinois must still undergo twice-a-year inspections at licensed truck safety test lanes, Wagner said.

The new year brought final rules for the Unified Carrier Registration (UCR). Today, the federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration published rules for the 2018 fees, which will decrease an estimated 9.1 percent compared to 2017. States are recommended not to start enforcing 2018 compliance until 90 days after rule publication.

Any farm vehicle owner required to have and display a U.S. Department of Transportation number must also register and pay a UCR fee.

Remember we are farmers working together. If we can help let us know