Two men seriously injured in plane crash south of Murphysboro

http://www.kfvs12.com/story/36231851/2-men-hurt-in-plane-crash-in-jackson-co-il

MURPHYSBORO, IL-  (Brittany Jacob, KFVS-TV.  Please click on the link above for the full story.  Here is an excerpt below.)

Brittany Jacob, KFVS-TV

Two men were hurt in a plane crash in Jackson County, Illinois on Monday, Aug. 28.
According to Captain Michael O’Leary with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department, someone from the Southern Illinois Airport Tower called the department at 9:10 a.m. to report an aircraft that was in distress about seven miles south of the airport.

Just moments later, 911 calls started coming in about a plane crash in an orchard near Grammer Road south of Murphysboro.

The plane crashed near Kite Hill Vineyard.

Benton Police make three arrests over the weekend

From the Benton Police Department

BENTON, IL – On August 25th, 2017 Benton Police were dispatched to the 1100 block of Grayson Street in reference to a domestic disturbance. Through investigation, police arrested Amanda M. Stroud, age 38, of Benton for domestic battery. Stroud was transported to the Franklin County Jail.

On August 26th, 2017 Benton Police arrested Clarence B. Braden on an active McCracken county warrant for failure to appear. Braden was transported to the Franklin County Jail for further processing.

On August 26th, 2017 Benton Police conducted a traffic stop in the 1400 block of Stonebrook Drive. Through investigation, police arrested Collin Donaldson age 22, of Valier for driving while license revoked. Donaldson was charged and transported to the Franklin County Jail for further processing.

Approximately 1,000 People Watch Solar Eclipse at Benton Community Park

http://www.bentongazette.com/news/approximately-people-watch-solar-eclipse-at-benton-community-park/article_ad9c0d6c-8a5f-11e7-b921-674da77af4d4.html

BENTON, IL –  (William McPherson, Benton Gazette.  Please click on the link for the full story.  Here is an excerpt below.)

Those who have received unexpected last minute guests know the hustle and bustle that goes into accommodating them. Now try 1,000 of them.

That’s exactly what went down in Benton last week, as more than 1,000 people viewed the Great American Solar Eclipse at the Benton Community Park on Monday, according to early estimates.

“I know we had people from Canada, and I will say we had at least 12 states represented,” said Benton Community Park Superintendent Bill “Scooter” Nelms, who said the crowd began pouring in around 7:30 a.m. with many exiting after the 1:21 p.m. totality event had ended, and a few sticking around until around 3 p.m. when the entire eclipse event had dissipated. “We had not a cloud in the sky throughout the whole time,” Nelms noted. This was in contrast to the many people who had the misfortune of missing most of the eclipse at SIU Arena in Carbondale due to cloudy weather conditions.

Gas leak on South Main St. in Benton caused area businesses to be evacuated this morning

by Steve Dunford

BENTON, IL – In the last half -hour, an accident caused a gas leak on the 100 block of South Main street in Benton.   Franklin County Emergency Management issued a Nixle alert around 15 minutes ago,

Area buildings have been evacuated, including the Campbell Building which there is offices for Franklin County Government.  I am unsure of the status of the courthouse.

The Benton Fire Department confirmed the square is still open at this time.

I will provide further updates as information becomes available.

UPDATE:  11:10 a.m.  Franklin County EMA released a statement about five minutes ago, stating the scene is secure.  At this time the 100 block of South Main from the Public Square to Church St. is still closed.

 

Murphysboro children go on shopping spree with Senator Fowler

http://www.wsiltv.com/story/36227675/murphysboro-children-go-on-shopping-spree-with-senator-fowler


Senator Fowler shops with kids from the Murphysboro Children’s home with part of the money raised from the Fowler-Bonan foundation. (WSIL TV-Photo)

CARBONDALE, IL –  (Hannah Gerbresilasse, WSIL-TV.  Please click on the link above for the full story.  Here is an excerpt below.)

Several Murphysboro children took a trip to Kohl’s in Carbondale on Sunday for a shopping spree with the Fowler-Bonan Foundation

.
The Foundation teamed up with Innov8, another philanthropic group, to host the shopping day.

Ten children from the Murphysboro Children’s Home each got to spend $150 on “back to school” clothes.

Thank you for making Week 1 High School Football coverage a success

by Steve Dunford

I am amazed by the numbers of the Week 1 preview and the High School Football scoreboard from last night.

Between the five posts, there has been a reach of approximately 6,600 views on Facebook alone.

I am getting ready to go into coverage mode from last night, and will have something on all four games.  I was at West Frankfort last night, and will watch game film from Benton some time today.

The page has grown by nearly 1,700 on Facebook alone since January.  It is quickly  approaching the 5k mark,  That is because of you.  I am very humbled and grateful for the confidence you have shown.

Franklincounty-news.com is the only daily publication in Franklin County now.  The website will be your news, sports, and weather source for Franklin and surrounding counties.  During emergencies, we will provide timely information that needs to get out to the citizens of this area.

If you would like to partner with us in this growing venture, and help us expand as well as your business grow, please contact me at 937-0253, email me at sdunford1970@hotmail.com, or send me a message on Facebook.

You can also contact the owner/publisher, Jim Muir at jmuir@frontier.com,  give him a call at 525-4744 or send him a message as well.

 

Rend Lake College offering Community Education computer classes

From Reece Rutland, Rend Lake College Public Information

INA, IL – Have you ever wanted to brush up your computer skills? Well, with classes offered through Rend Lake College’s Community and Corporate Education Division there are plenty of opportunities to pick up some useful computing knowledge.

The cost for each class will be $45 and will be taught over the course of two class sessions.
The offerings start with Beginning Computers taught over two classes from 6 – 8 p.m. on Tuesdays 9/5 and 9/12. The class will be held in the RLC Murphy-Wall Pinckneyville Campus, Room 102.

Also in Pinckneyville, interested learners will have an opportunity to take Beginning Microsoft Word from 6 – 8 p.m. on 10/10 and 10/17. Students will be taught the fundamentals of work processing using Microsoft Word and will discover how to use the menu system and toolbars; pen, reopen, print, save and close documents; insert/delete text, reverse an edit operation, apply font attributes to text, and move text blocks. Students will also be trained on how to use Spelling/Grammar Checker, Thesaurus, the Help menu and how to customize the AutoCorrect Dictionary. Cost of the course includes the text book.

Rounding out the Pinckneyville offerings is Beginning Microsoft Excel. Taking place from 6 – 8 p.m. on 11/7 and 11/14, students will learn how easy it is to work with numbers by picking up skills in the fundamental operations of spreadsheets. Participants will learn how to use the menu system and toolbars; open, reopen, print and close workbooks; and enter labels. Students will also be taught adding values and formulas into worksheets, formatting spreadsheets by adjusting the size of columns/rows, using borders/shading, and changing the page setup. The cost of the course includes the book.

For those closer to Mt. Vernon, many of the same offerings will be held at the Rend Lake College MarketPlace campus, room 338.

Beginning Microsoft Word will be offered at the MarketPlace from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. on 9/19 and 9/26.

The MarketPlace will also have Beginning Microsoft Excel from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. on 10/3 and 10/10.

Then, in an offering unique to the MarketPlace, students can take Beginning Microsoft Publisher from 5:30 – 7:30 on 10/17 and 10/24. In that course, students will learn how to use Microsoft Publisher to create professional looking publications, such as flyers, greeting cards, brochures, and more. The class will cover basic skills needed in Publisher and will include how to find images/graphics online. The cost of the course includes the book.
In addition to those classes, there will be a number of Personal Enrichment offerings related to computers and technology.

In Internet and Email Basics, students will learn basic internet and email skills. Participants will learn about different browsers, links and web addresses to get started with the internet. Once internet basics are down, the class will show how to obtain an email account, check email, attach pictures and more.

The cost of the class is $10 and it will meet from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 16 in on the Mt. Vernon MarketPlace Campus, Room 338.

The course Linux for Home User will cover the basics of using Linux Mint, an easy-to-use operating system for personal use. The free system offers excellent security and provides all the basic programs needed to surf the web, send emails, create documents, produce presentations and much more. Linux also offers countless applications free to download, giving students limitless options for personalizing their own machine. Each student will get their own computer to customize. The instructor will be on hand to illustrate how to connect to the internet, help with downloading free applications and answering any questions. Thanks to local donations, all participants will be able to keep their customized computer, excluding the monitor.

The cost of the class will be $50 and it will meet from 5 – 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 20 in the Advanced Technology Center, Room 175 on the Ina Campus.

Rep. Bost to Hold Media Availability Following Farm Progress Show Listening Session

Rep. Bost to Hold Media Availability Following Farm Progress Show Listening Session

Press Release from George O’ Connor, Communications Director for Congressman Mike Bost

Washington, D.C. – On Wednesday, August 30, U.S. Representative Mike Bost (R-Murphysboro) will join House Agriculture Committee Chairman K. Michael Conaway (TX-11) and members of the committee to host a farm bill listening session, “Conversations in the Field,” at Richland Community College Shilling Auditorium in Decatur, Illinois at 9:00 a.m. CT.

 

WHAT: Media Availability with Rep. Mike Bost, Chairman Conaway, and members of the House Agriculture Committee
WHEN:  Wednesday, August 30th
WHERE: Farm Progress Show, BASF Media Tent, Decatur, Illinois

House Ag Committee members attending the listening session include:

Chairman K. Michael Conaway (TX-11)
Ranking Member Collin Peterson (MN-07)
Rep. Rodney Davis (IL-13)
Rep. Mike Bost (IL-12)
Rep. Darin LaHood (IL-18)
Rep. Cheri Bustos (IL-17)
Rep. Glenn Thompson (PA-5)

 

Severin’s Helping Paws Legislation Becomes Law

Press Release from the office of State Representative Dave Severin

Marion IL – On Friday, State Representative Dave Severin (R-Benton) joined Governor Bruce Rauner in Marion for the signing of House Bill 2897 into law. The new law, sponsored by Rep. Severin, amends the Unified Code of Corrections to allow the Helping Paws Service Dog Program to begin training service dogs for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or depression.

 

“I am proud to have sponsored HB 2897, a law that will help veterans suffering from PTSD or depression,” Severin said. “I also want to thank Governor Rauner for signing the bill in Marion, where the Marion VA Hospital serves thousands of veterans from Southern Illinois and beyond.”

Severin noted that PTSD and depression are serious mental health issues affecting many veterans, and service dogs have proven to help them cope.

This new law will help us keep our promise to provide top quality care for our veterans,” Severin said. “The program has had a positive impact for the Illinoisans it currently serves, so I’m proud that we’ll now be able to utilize it to benefit veterans suffering from PTSD and depression. I’m thankful to my colleagues in the House and Senate and the Governor for recognizing the importance of helping our veterans that are struggling from the mental scars of war.”

The Helping Paws Service Dog Program is administered by the Illinois Department of Corrections. HB 2897 received unanimous support in both the House and the Senate and is the first bill initiated by Representative Severin to be signed into law.

SATURDAY AT THE DU QUOIN STATE FAIR

Check out these fun, family-friendly events at the Du Quoin State Fair

Press release from the Illinois Department of Agriculture

Du Quoin, IL. – Welcome to the weekend!  The fair gates open today at 10:00am, and the Carnival will be churning out thrills and shrills starting at noon.  Be sure to check out some of these other fun, family friendly activities at the Du Quoin State Fair.

Heartland Coca-Cola Horse Arena: Mule Show starts at 1pm

Beer Tent: The Phillips Band performs at 2pm

Southern Illinoisan Free Tent: The Alley Cats perform at 2pm, 8pm

Heartland Coca-Cola Expo Hall: Ponytail/Pigtail Contest begins at 3:30pm

Southern Illinoisan Free Tent:  Hooper the Hypnotist at 4pm, 7pm

Hayes Avenue:  Cirque Extreme show begins at 4pm, 6:30pm, 7:30pm

Heartland Coca-Cola Expo Hall:  Smile Contest begins at 4:30pm

Beer Tent:  Southern Thunder Band performs at 5pm

Cattle Barn: Junior Swine Showmanship begins at 5pm

Expo Drive:  Natural Horsemanship begins at 5:30pm

Main Street:  RC Racing begins at 6pm, 7pm

Southern Illinoisan Free Tent:  Magic Mike performs at 6pm

Grandstand:  Nelly featuring Chel at 7:30pm (tickets still available!)

Beer Tent: The Brat Pack performs at 8:30pm

Check out all of the fun activities planned for the 2017 DuQuoin State Fair by visiting our website, www.duquoinstatefair.net.

 

Benton, West Frankfort, Illinois News | Franklin County News