Franklin County Sheriff’s Office Arrest Report
IDOT pushes back Route 34 closure between Thompsonville and Galatia
CARBONDALE – The Illinois Department of Transportation would like to alert motorists traveling on IL 34 near Thompsonville in Franklin County of an upcoming ROAD CLOSURE.
Beginning Monday, March 19, 2018, Tuesday, February 20, 2018, at 8:00 A.M., IL 34 approximately 1.75 miles east of Thompsonville will be closed to traffic. This closure is necessary to facilitate the repair of a drainage structure. The road is expected to be open by 5:00 P.M. on Friday, March 30, 2018, Friday, March 2, 2018.
Motorists should use the marked detour or seek an alternate route.
Message boards and signs will be in place to alert motorists of the closure.
For IDOT District 9 updates on twitter, follow us at https://twitter.com/IDOTDistrict9.
Frankfort CUD #168 meets in special session tonight
BOARD OF EDUCATION
FRANKFORT COMMUNITY UNIT SCHOOL DISTRICT #168
Thursday, February 15, 2018
At Central Junior High School – Library, 1500 E. Ninth St., West Frankfort, IL
SPECIAL MEETING 5:30 PM
AGENDA
1. Call to Order, Roll Call, and Establishment of Quorum.
2. Hearing of Delegates or Visitors and Public Comments.
3. Appointment of Hearing Officer (A)
4. Closed Session – To hold hearings regarding student disciplinary cases. [5 ILCS 120/2 (c)(9)]. (A)
5. Return to Open Session. (A)
6. Possible action on student disciplinary hearings. (A)
7. Adjournmen
Former Zeigler treasurer accused of fraud was scheduled to plead guilty today, instead he asked for more time
BENTON — According to documents, Ryan Thorpe, the former treasurer of Zeigler who is accused of wire fraud and embezzlement after allegedly stealing money from the city, was scheduled to enter a plea of guilty Thursday in federal court, but instead the court kicked the can down the road to March 1.
Defense attorney Randy Patchett said the reason for his motion for continuance was simple — his client needed more time to understand the charges against him.
Thorpe was indicted by a federal grand jury in October on three counts of wire fraud and two counts of embezzlement from a local government. An audit done after federal agents raided city hall revealed that the city was missing $315,000. The charging documents allege that Thorpe took the money between March 4, 2013, and Aug. 3, 2017.
Please click on the link for the full story from Isaac Smith of the Southern Illinoisan.
Marginal risk for severe weather this afternoon and evening …Special weather statement regarding gusty winds

The Storm Prediction Center in Norman Oklahoma has raised part of the Quad State region to a Marginal Risk of Severe Thunderstorms this afternoon and through this evening. The Marginal Risk area is along and north of a line from Owensboro Kentucky to Goreville and Chester Illinois. A broken line of showers, along with widely scattered to scattered thunderstorms is expected develop this afternoon over parts of southern Illinois along and north of the Interstate 64 corridor. A few of these storms could produce damaging wind gusts, especially in and near small bowing clusters of storms. In addition, a small and brief tornado cannot be ruled out through early this evening along a slowly approaching cold front. Small hail is also possible with a few of the storms. With existing river flooding, the rain associated with the cold front will only aggravate minor flooding that is occurring on some river systems in the Quad State region.
Special Weather Statement
…Strong Gusty Winds This Afternoon… While winds will average 15 to 30 mph out of the south or southwest this afternon, some isolated gusts to as high as 40 or 45 mph are a possibility. These strong winds and gusts will continue into early this evening, before diminishing off their peaks.
Expect these strong winds to impact area travel and outdoor work, so be advised, especially if driving a high profile vehicle. Also on area lakes, the southern orientation of the wind will create especially choppy wave heights for north to south running lakes, like Barkely and Kentucky, as well as all bodies of water, rivers and lakes.
Hazardous Weather Outlook
.DAY ONE…This Afternoon and Tonight There is a marginal risk of severe thunderstorms from mid afternoon to early this evening, mainly along and north of a line from Carbondale, Illinois, to Owensboro, Kentucky.
If a storm develops and becomes severe, damaging winds, is the primary severe weather hazard anticipated, although small hail is also possible. An isolated tornado would not be out of the question.
Otherwise, thunderstorms are forecast for the area in entirety through tonight, with locally heavy rainfall the primary storm related hazard. In addition, south to southwest wind speeds will average 15 to 30 mph this afternoon, and may gust up to 40 mph at times, until early evening. Flooding is occurring along the Green and Ohio rivers. Refer to those warnings and statements for details.
.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN…Friday through Wednesday Light snow, possibly mixed with a little sleet and freezing rain, is expected Saturday morning. A dusting to a couple of tenths of an inch of snow is possible mainly in southeast Missouri and southern Illinois, but any accumulations should melt by early afternoon.
A prolonged period of wet weather is forecast to set up over the Ohio and Mississippi River Valleys next week. As such, the potential for flooding will need to be monitored in the coming days as we gain a better idea of where and exactly how much rainfall may occur. There is a chance of thunderstorms from Monday night into Tuesday night. Severe weather is not anticipated. Flooding is forecast to continue along the Green and Ohio rivers. Refer to those warnings and statements for details.
.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT… Spotters should maintain alert status and monitor the latest forecasts for any updated information.
Royalton man arrested after firing gun into air outside Carbondale business
CARBONDALE – A Royalton man was arrested Monday after shooting a gun into the air, according to the Carbondale Police Department.
Jordan Kalinsky, 20, has been charged with unlawful use of a weapon by a felon.
Please click on the link below for the full story from the Southern Illinoisan.
A taste of late March weather this afternoon

While there will be a chance for showers on today along with much warmer weather, better chances of showers and thunderstorms will arrive late today into tonight and early Friday. Rainfall totals of one half to one inch are expected through Friday.
Hazardous Weather Outlook
.DAY ONE…Today and Tonight A few thunderstorms are possible late this afternoon into early this evening along and north of a line from Greenville Missouri to Cape Girardeau to Evansville Indiana. Severe storms are not expected, but brief heavy rainfall is possible. .
DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN…Friday through Wednesday Light snow, possibly mixed with a little sleet and freezing rain, is expected Saturday morning. A dusting to a couple of tenths of an inch of snow is possible mainly in southeast Missouri and southern Illinois, but any accumulations should melt by early afternoon. A prolonged period of wet weather is forecast to set up over the Ohio and Mississippi River Valleys next week. As such, the potential for flooding will need to be monitored in the coming days as we gain a better idea of where and exactly how much rainfall may occur. There is a chance of thunderstorms from Monday night into Tuesday night. Severe weather is not anticipated. .
SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT… Spotter activation will not be needed.
Seven Day Forecast
Area high schools prepare for competitions at SIU Engineering Day
CARBONDALE, Ill. – High school students from throughout the area will descend on Southern Illinois University Carbondale this month to learn more about engineering and how it impacts daily life.
The College of Engineering’s annual Engineering Day is set for Thursday, Feb. 22. About a dozen high schools and an estimated 200 students are expected to take part in the event, which includes various engineering-related activities.
The event will start with registration at 8:30 a.m. in the breezeway at the Engineering Building on the SIU campus. Design competitions and hands-on activities and demonstrations will run 9 a.m. to noon at various locations throughout the building, culminating with an awards ceremony at noon at the Student Center.
Responding to high schools
Dean John Warwick said this year’s activities are a response to area high school teachers, who asked to include several projects that students would design, build, report on and then enter into the competition.
The college’s Registered Student Organizations came up with the projects and sent out the rules and construction guidelines to the high schools before Thanksgiving to get the students thinking about and working on their projects.
“All high school project teams will bring their machines and structures to Engineering Day, where they will be evaluated,” Warwick said.
Other events, such as a robotics demonstration, also will interspersed throughout the day, keeping the students occupied and engaged for the duration.
Challenging projects
The machines and structures the students are building include:
A counterbalance trebuchet: A scaled-down version of a war machine from the Middle Ages, the apparatus uses a counter weight drop to swing an arm and launch a projectile. It differs notably from a catapult, which uses tension to store the mechanical energy needed to launch.
Truss design: Trusses are used to support spans, such as roofs and bridges. In this competition, the students will design and build the strongest, most efficient truss to span a distance of 12 inches. The truss design will then be destructively tested.
Bottle rocket design: In this challenge, students will compete for the longest flight time for rockets built using a 2-liter soda bottle. Each bottle rocket will be filled with 1 liter of water and air-pressurized to 40 pounds per square inch.
Speed boat race: Students will design and build their own 6- to 12-inch speedboats using only foam, popsicle sticks, tape, a battery, wires and a propeller. The boats will then square off against each other in races, with the fastest boats winning the competition.
To RSVP or for more information, contact Jennifer Langin, office administrator, at 618/453-4321 or jlangin@siu.edu.
SIU’s College of Business incorporates a focus on advanced analytics and artificial intelligence
By Kristi Mathis – SIU News Service
CARBONDALE, Ill. – A College of Business research facility at Southern Illinois University has taken on a new, cutting-edge role and name: The Pontikes Center for Advanced Analytics and Artificial Intelligence.
It’s the first such university-affiliated center and it allows the business college to partner with corporations and businesses to offer a program that fulfills the need within various industries for big data and analytics while also providing a unique training ground and research facility for students.
In conjunction with this big change, SIU is also now offering for the first time an optional MBA concentration in analytics for managers.
A unique “think tank”
The Pontikes Center was originally established in 1989 by Kenneth Pontikes, a 1963 marketing alumnus, as an information management research center. But, the center now has a new and different focus to address current corporate and business student needs.
Jim Nelson, associate professor of management, said he’s thrilled to serve as the new director of the center which is essentially a “think tank” wherein faculty, staff and students will partner with industries to research, collect and analyze specialized data.
“There are universities with analytics programs but we are different because we combine analytics with artificial intelligence,” Nelson said. “Artificial intelligence is extremely important in making sure the analytics works well. It can recognize change in the playing field and adjust to keep the data relevant,” Nelson said.
Focus on Artificial Intelligence as an important part of data collection
In a highly competitive marketplace, companies are always looking for that extra edge to assure their longevity, productivity and profitability, and that’s why analytics is so important, college officials said.
Adding the artificial intelligence component enables researchers to collect the very specialized data industries need to make wise choices while saving time and money that might otherwise be spent wading through large pools of data to hone in on the information that is most applicable to their business needs.
“Our programs will focus on providing executives a working knowledge of analytics. Business leaders of today need to know how to work with analytics experts and interpret the data,” Nelson said. “I am excited to be part of a program that will prepare our students to work in some of businesses’ fastest growing fields.”
Board includes analytics experts from major players in the field
Nelson’s first goal has been establishing an advisory board, networking extensively with potential corporate partners to bring on board analytic experts from eight target industries: engineering, finance, health care, human resources, insurance, manufacturing, logistics and retail.
The inaugural board for the center includes:
- Niki Allen, director of the office of the CIO and chief of staff to Ted Colbert, The Boeing Company chief information officer and senior vice president of information and analytics
- Andy Greenberg, analytics principal at Edwards Jones
- Ian Stewart, senior vice president of revenue cycle at Presence Health
- Jim Boudreault, executive director and global head of data science and intelligence for CME Group
- Alex Perez, director of data science at NIKE Inc.
- Dan Organ of Caterpillar Inc.
The board also includes Terry Clark, dean of the College of Business; Kristen Kordecki, director of corporate and foundation relations for the SIU Foundation; and Nelson.
The board will help shape the courses students take through the center to assure they acquire the knowledge and training to positively impact businesses. Board members will also speak to classes and interact with students online via videos.
New MBA concentration in analytics for managers
In addition, preparations are underway for the college’s new MBA concentration in analytics for managers, a program that will prepare graduates for careers in one of the world’s fastest-growing fields.
SIU will continue to offer the traditional MBA degree as well as an option for a concentration in agribusiness economics. But, beginning this spring, the college is offering a completely online MBA program with a focus on analytics, assuring graduates are trained to identify, sort and understand what is important within the endless streams of information available in the world today.
Improving technology offers vast potential for business
According to Nelson, the world’s computer power doubles about every 18 months, meaning we have about 100 times the computer capacity available today for the same cost as what was available in 2007.
That means the potential to store 100 times more data and process it 100 times faster than just a decade ago. Companies can find additional data storage in the cloud. But, sifting, analyzing and interpreting all of this data is what really matters and that’s what the new Pontikes Center and MBA analytics concentration are all about.
Students will learn to decipher big data
Students will develop an understanding of all of the tools available for analyzing big data, including analytics techniques and artificial intelligence, which has increased productivity and the quality and complexity of analytical models.
“Corporate executives and managers make strategic decisions based on data so company marketing efforts reach the customers most likely to respond,” Nelson said. “Business finance and accounting officials need to know where to invest and how to analyze the results. Analytics is critical to success in every phase. That’s where SIU’s analytics program comes in. We’re addressing the human side of analytics.”
More information
For more information about the Pontikes Center for Advanced Analytics and Artificial Intelligence or the new analytics courses, contact the SIU College of Business at 618/453-3328 or by email at info@business.siu.edu. Or, find details about the center and the MBA analytics concentration online.
SIU’s online MBA program earns national recognition
By Chirsti Mathis – SIU News Sercice
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Once again, Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s online MBA program has earned national recognition, claiming the No. 24 spot on the inaugural Poets & Quants Online MBA Ranking list.
Just 25 programs across the U.S. were ranked. According to the list, which was released today, SIU has the top program in Illinois.
Significant ranking
“This is a wonderful external endorsement proving the quality of our program,” Terry Clark, dean of the College of Business, said. “It is a validation of our product from someone who sets the standards.”
Clark noted that Poets & Quants founder/editor John Byrne is the former editor of “Business Week” and the originator of the concept of ranking business schools. He said Byrne, who recently chaired a session on rankings at a major conference, is highly regarded in the world of business schools and rankings. So, earning this ranking from Byrne’s publication is a significant honor for SIU.
“This is a very impressive ranking to get,” Clark said. “Just look at the field of schools we are in. We have great company there. We benchmark to see what other schools are doing and work hard to differentiate ourselves and our program and this proves we are doing that well.”
Repeat recognition
This is the second time in as many months that SIU’s online MBA program has garnered national attention.
The university tied for the No. 54 spot in the country on the U.S. News and World Report Best Online MBA Programs rankings released in January. On that list, SIU was also given the top spot in the state and was the only Illinois program in the top 60.
What sets SIU apart
Poets and Quants used three factors in determining its rankings: the quality of the incoming students, an assessment by graduates of the academic and extra-curricular MBA experience, and the career outcomes for graduates.
Clark said one of the ways SIU sets itself apart from other schools is when choosing students to admit to the online MBA program.
At Carbondale, the professional and personal experience of prospective students as well as grades and other factors are taken into account. Doing so affects the university’s admission selectivity data; SIU would have ranked even higher otherwise. But, the career success of program graduates has been proof that admissions decisions have been wise, Clark said.
The U.S. News and World Report’s Best Online Programs rankings are based on program student engagement, faculty credentials and training, student services and technology, peer reputation and admissions selectivity.
New MBA concentration in analytics for managers
SIU’s online program is just a few years old, but has continued to grow and evolve, all the while racking up numerous national rankings.
Recently, the university added a new option to the online MBA program – a concentration in analytics for managers. This new concentration, offered for the first time in summer 2018, prepares graduates for careers involving the analyzation of data. It’s a growing and exciting field, Clark said.
In addition, in partnership with the College of Agricultural Sciences, the College of Business launched an optional agribusiness economics concentration online MBA in 2016 for professionals who are interested in career advancement in the growing field of agribusiness.
Few institutions of higher learning in the country offer either concentration. But, at
SIU students can choose three paths for their online MBA: a traditional MBA, an MBA with concentration in analytics for managers, or an MBA with concentration in agribusiness economics.
Completely online
The online MBA program at SIU is exactly that – completely and totally online. The program takes 23 months to complete and students participate in courses together via an interactive format.
A new online MBA cohort begins each summer and applications are now being accepted for the summer 2018 class.