by Steve Dunford

I have always had the philosophy that if an error is made, err on the side of caution.

Here is the thing about the potential influx of people on Southern Illinois, we do not know what to expect.

I have started the process of being in contact with local officials and business to see what to expect here in Franklin County.

There have been some in conversations, and reading social media posts that say this is an eclipse not the apocalypse.  When Rick Linton, the Rend Lake Area Tourism Director issued the press release with how an estimated 25ok to a half million people could have on this area, raised the eyebrows of a lot of people.

I have read people say this is all media hype.  According to the weather, it could be more or it could be less that descend on little Egypt.

The two things that most releases I have read by officials, say that we as local people need to prepare like it is  a winter storm.  There have been comparisons that stores could be hit hard in a similar fashion like the May 8, 2009 storm.

I  was working at Walmart in Mt. Vernon then.  The shelves were bare on a lot of things.   In fact, my dad, who lives in Thompsonville,  was coming home from my nieces graduation from the University of Illinois.  He stopped in Effingham to stock up.  This was mid afternoon on May 9th.  The stores in Salem where hit hard from people from Franklin, Williamson and Jackson Counties.

A week from today, I would fill up my gas tank.  I would pick up some “bread and milk” like it is going to snow.  Cell and internet service might be spotty.  The back roads will need to be well traveled by us locals.

I am working on two stories as we speak.  One will discuss how retail establishments are gearing up.  The second will discuss how officials will handle the influx of people.

Here is my plan for the website.  The coverage will be similar to the April floods.  If you do not see the website updated, check the Facebook page.   When internet speeds are slow, it is easier to switch to Facebook only.  I learned this during the “Sectional Tournament” tornado event.

I appreciate the trust, you the reader, has placed in me.  I will do my best to keep all the county informed.  Other than sneaking outside to the parking lot of Calvary Baptist Church to watch it, I plan on spending the weekend at the keyboard.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/commentary/ct-michael-madigan-destroy-illinois-perspec-20170724-story.html

(Op.-Ed. Piece from  41st District State Representative Grant Wehrli (R-Naperville, submitted to the Chicago Tribune.)

A few days ago, state Rep. Sam Yingling, D-Grayslake, wrote a Tribune commentary accusing Gov. Bruce Rauner of not caring about the people of Illinois and state government’s role in serving their needs. I’m here today to disagree. To borrow the opening construction my colleague used in attacking the governor:

Mike Madigan doesn’t care. That’s the conclusion I’ve come to after serving in the General Assembly since early 2015.

It has been clear that he doesn’t care about the financial well-being of the residents and businesses of Illinois since he first took office in 1971. Unbalanced budgets, chronic overspending, increased debt load, underfunded pension schemes and expansion of entitlement programs have left Illinoisans paying one of the highest overall tax burdens of all 50 states. And it is still not enough to pay for his reckless ways. Madigan doesn’t care.

http://www.navigatorjournal.com/news/article_4f22a6b8-67e8-11e7-97c8-172176123522.html

ALBION, IL (Patrick Seil, Edwards County Navigator.  Graphic by Steve Hartsock.  Please click on the link above for the full story.  Here is an excerpt below.)

Ever get the feeling you’re no longer welcome in a place you call home?

The budget recently enacted by the Illinois General Assembly over the vetoes of Gov. Bruce Rauner certainly reinforce that feeling.

Raising the personal income tax 32 percent from 3.75 percent to 4.95 percent and the corporate income tax rate from 5.25 percent to 7 percent seems mighty inhospitable.

This newspaper is more than happy to oblige. If they don’t want us, we don’t want them.

by Steve Dunford

I need to say this, I have paced the floor on how to say this, I have been wanting to say this for a long time,  and I hope it comes out all right.

I start my day on hold with the IRS.  No, I am not being audited.  I have a refund that has been lost in cyberspace.  I will say this, the Internal Revenue Service has been more than helpful than trying to help out in this process.

While I was on hold, I began to scan through my newsfeed on Facebook.  I have several hundred media sources on my page, and second I get to find out about what you, the people of Franklin and surrounding counties  have on your mind.

There were some things during that time that I was shaking my head about.  (SMH to prove this old geezer is hip.)  First was a editorial that said the problem with “downstate” schools is paying teacher retirement pensions.

I read some before I had enough.  The piece painted this picture of Laura Ingalls Wilder standing out in front of a one room schoolhouse, laughing all the way to the bank when she retires.  It failed to mention how the state has raided TRS funds, and that school teachers do not participate.

Then there were a couple stories about some of the extras that Mike Madigan snuck in Senate Bill 9.  I then read the story about how he snuck in the nickel gas tax.  I read a story how PETA is up in arms about the selfie rights of monkeys.

There is something that has a lot of people up in arms this morning.  The website roadsnacks.net., gave West Frankfort (or West Skankfort as the call it on the post) as being the whitest trash in all of Illinois.

They took a few statistics, a picture on Google Maps of  Route 37 coming into town from, and make what they call their “scientific” determination.

This website has had several “flattering” reviews of Franklin County in the past.  I tried to pull up previous lists, but one thing that comes to mind is the Benton Square is more dangerous than the streets of Chicago and East St. Louis.  This had everyone up in arms about a year ago.

One of the things that put West Frankfort in this rating was saying there were eight payday loan places.  I can think of four, maybe.  Also in their assessment there are only a couple hundred that are not “White Trash” that live here.

I think the blockbuster, “Poor White Trash” being filmed here put WF over the edge.  Watching it was two hours of my time that I will never get back.

To the south in Williamson County, Johnston City made the list, and they did not consider Marion the “Hub of the Universe.”

“This article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. Don’t freak out.”  This is a disclamor that is before everyone of their top tem lists.  Some people are doing the opposite and really freaking out.

I tried to do a little research on roadsnacks.net today.  I could not find any specifics, but it is national, having top ten lists in all 50 states. When the list on Benton came out, I thought it was a few kids in the collar counties in their parents basement making up the facts.

I actually spent more time looking at how they are using GoogleAds for their site.  It is something that you will see implemented on here as well soon.

I have lived in Franklin County all my life.  This is home to me.  Here is one thing that I have observed over the last few years that is starting to disturb me.  I am trying to find the right words to say, but the county is starting to develop an inferiority complex subtly.

I had a conversation about how I have witnessed this change with my son last night.  I hear this in daily conversations how people talk about what we are not in this county.

From our rich history, to having Rend Lake in our back door, school systems that our students are performing well above the state average, we have a lot to be proud of to be residents of this county.

No matter what a click bait site says, this is an awesome place to live.  It is home.  If you don’t like how something is done, try to change it and don’t gripe about it.

I can go on and on about the benefits of living here, but I would like to issue a challenge to every one of you each and every day.  Ask yourself how can I this day, make my community a better place to live.  It does not have to be something great, it could be something as small as a kind word or gesture.  If each of us do this, the world as a whole would be a much better place.

By the way here is a link to Road Snacks latest post.

These Are The 10 Most White Trash Cities In Illinois

by Steve Dunford

Whether growing up as a kid, or even in my adult life, this time of year meant the annual  trip to Reeves Boomland in Charleston, Missouri.

I guarantee if you drove down there today, at least eight out of ten license plates would be from Illinois.  If you would go to a fireworks tent in Cape Girardeau or McBride MO, across from Chester, you would see the same thing.

Here is my reasoning, it is obvious the State of Illinois is beyond broke.  Every Illinois plate at a fireworks stand, results in sales tax revenue that is lost to Missouri   The trip to to Boomland, usually calls for hopping back on Interstate 57, and heading to Lamberts.  That is more tax revenue lost for the state.

I remember when I was a kid, we took a family trip to  Springfield for a couple days.  After touring the capital, there was a fireworks stand within a block.  They were not selling smoke bombs, snakes and sparklers either.  The Black Cat flag flying in front, was an attention getter of two grade school boys.  It was so close, the stand could have been set up in the rotunda.  Yes, fireworks were illegal in Illinois then.

Compliance for this law is minimal.  It is a law that is very tough to enforce.  I admit this pyromaniac has not been a law abiding citizen around this time of year.  Unfortunately, our law enforcement agencies are kept unusually busy on holiday weekends, by  people choosing to misbehave, and in recent history, they are working a wreck somewhere on I-57.  Being on bottle rocket and firecracker patrol  ends up taking a low priority.

I watched out my window last night and there was a good display.  I enjoyed watching them.

Even though they are illegal in Illinois, there will be lots of non-compliance over the next few days.  Please be careful, safe, and use some common sense.  Alcohol and explosives do not mix.  Please do not keep the area Emergency Rooms hopping being foolish.

I realize it does not get totally dark until after 9:00 p.m.  Please be respectful to your neighbors.  Past 11 p.m. is too late to be shooting them off.

We live in the greatest nation in the world.  If you live in this country, you have a high standard of living, compared to those across the globe.   Pause and remember those who paid the cost for our freedoms.  Enjoy the time with your family and friends the next few days, and make it an effort to create some lifelong memories.