American Legion Auxiliary Unit 280 meets
Franklin County Farm Bureau News
By J. Larry Miller
The weather this past week has been nothing short of wonderful with cool temperatures, heavy morning dew and soils damp with moisture. Crops are certainly looking very good with the possibility of corn yields being the best ever on some farms. Soybeans are looking very good also but it will be another 30 days before the outcome will be more certain. In the next couple of weeks we will be having our annual Corn Yield Tour which will give us a better handle on the yields in Franklin County.
All of these are only predictions at this point but as farmers we know it is not certain until it is in the bin.
On Tuesday, I attended a conference at Rend Lake College concerning hydraulic fracturing of oil wells. As most of you know the Illinois General Assembly passed legislation regulating this practice and the governor recently signed it into law which experts say is the most restrictive in the nation. This conference provided information about the law, the process of fracturing, the possible development of new oil exploration and economic boom that could result. There were 300 people that attend which indicates the interest that this project has generated.
This exploration has resulted in an economic boom in North Dakota, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Because of this new technology the U.S. has surpassed Russia in natural gas production and could well be the leader in oil production by 2017!
I have believed that this technology and the economic development that would follow is very real. With this being said, we have sold several plat books to oil groups that have been doing work at the courthouse for the last couple of years that were involved in the developments in other states.
There is a website www.energyindepth.org that provides a lot of good information about energy development in this country. Information such as our CO2 emissions are now the lowest since 1992. This was an excellent conference provided by our own Rend Lake College.
This July has marked the 20th anniversary of the Great Flood of 1993. There were catastrophic damages throughout much of the Upper Mississippi River Basin with 47 deaths, flood impacts over $15 billion, 72,000 homes were damages and one 200 mile section of the Mississippi River was left without a bridge crossing.
On Monday and Tuesday the Illinois Farm Bureau co-sponsored breakfast meetings to discuss Policy Development issues with local farmers. We discussed fracking, animal rights, farmer image and EPA regulations. Those in attendance not only left the meeting with a full stomach but became better informed on these issues.
Remember we are farmers working together. If we can help let us know.
Madigan, Cullerton file lawsuit over lawmakers missed paychecks
CHICAGO — Leaders of the Illinois House and Senate sued Gov. Pat Quinn on Tuesday over what they called a “purely political and unconstitutional” move to block lawmaker paychecks because of inaction on the state’s nearly $100 billion pension crisis.
Here’s the link to the story in the Springfield State-Journal Register.
Judge rejects bid to allow concealed carry immediately
A federal judge is rejecting a legal bid by gun-rights advocates who wanted people to be able to immediately carry firearms in Illinois under the state’s new concealed carry law.
Benton police report arrests during weekend
Benton police reported a pair of arrests during the weekend:
On July 26, 2013 Benton Police arrested Ashley Tirey, age 32, of West Frankfort for driving while license suspended. Tirey was also cited for operating an uninsured vehicle and was transported to the Franklin County Jail for further processing.
On July 27, 2013 Benton Police were dispatched to the 700 block of Frisco Street in reference to a domestic disturbance. Through investigation, police arrested Phillip D. Balota, age 38, of Benton for battery. Balota was charged and transported to the Franklin County Jail for further processing.
Bost enters the race for 12th Congressional District
MURPHYSBORO – State Rep. Mike Bost is making the rounds today in three Southern Illinois communities, making it official that he will run for the 12th congressional district on the Republican ticket in 2014.
Here’s the link to the story in the Southern Illinoisan.
Obituary – Patsy Canada – West City
She was born Dec. 31, 1938, in Parrish, the daughter of Mildred Crawford. She married Jack Canada on June 24, 1954, in Marion, and he survives.
Mrs. Canada was a homemaker. She was a loving wife, mother, grandmother and sister.
She also was an excellent cook, and according to her son-in-law, Scott, she fixed the world’s greatest baked beans. She was “Mimi” to several children.
Survivors include her husband, Jack Canada of West City; four children, Debbie Canada, Keith Canada and David Canada, all of West City, and Sue McClearin and husband, Scott, of Benton; two grandchildren, Jamie Gray and husband, T.J., of West City and Russell Gulley of Benton; great-grandson, Chase, who was her pride and joy; and sister, Doris Stewart and husband, Arnold, of Beecher.
She was preceded in death by her mother; and granddaughter, Amanda Gulley.
Services will be at 1 p.m. Tuesday, July 30, in Morton and Johnston Funeral Home in Benton with Pastor John Neace officiating. Burial will be in Masonic-Odd Fellow Cemetery in Benton. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday at Morton & Johnston Funeral Home.
For those who wish, memorials may be made in Mrs. Canada’s memory to a charity of the donor’s choice .
Vaughn enters not guilty plea
Thomas L. Vaughn, 68, of Benton, appeared in Franklin County Court on Wednesday and entered a not guilty plea to charges that he sexually assaulted a child.
Vaughn is facing charges that he “groomed” and then later sexually assaulted the child that is under the age of 13. Vaughn allegedly “seduced, lured and enticed” the child through online social networking between the dates of May 28 and June 26 and then committed predatory criminal sexual assault of the child on June 26, according to information filed by the Franklin County State’s Attorney. In addition Vaughn is also facing a charge of possession of child pornography.
Vaughn’s next court date is set for Sept. 18 with a final pretrial hearing slated for Oct. 31 and a jury trial scheduled for Nov. 5. Vaughn remains in jail on $500,000 bond.
Arraignment hearing for Depler continued, rescheduled for Aug. 7
BENTON – A court hearing for 32-year-old Michael A. Depler, of Valier, — scheduled for Wednesday — was pushed back for two weeks on a continuance motion filed by defense attorney Jordan Campanella.
Depler was arrested following a fatal ATV accident last month in Franklin County that resulted in fatal injuries to Eco C. Edmonds, 26, of Mulkeytown.
Last week a Franklin County Grand Jury handed down a seven-count indictment charging Depler with aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol, failure to stop after having an accident involving personal injury, unlawful possession of a controlled substance, unlawful possession of cannabis, improper operation of an all-terrain vehicle on a roadway, driving while license suspended and failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident.
Following the continuance Depler is now slated to appear in Franklin County Court for an arraignment hearing on August 7 at 1:30 p.m.
Our Universities: Borders of the Mind
The beauty of American higher education is the coupling of thought and action: Thinking people putting ideas to work make a university strong. It’s the foundation of a free society to boot. But is it a disappearing reality?
“You see, idealism detached from action is just a dream. But idealism allied with pragmatism, with rolling up your sleeves and making the world bend a bit, is very exciting. It’s very real. It’s very strong.”
Bono
________________________________________________________________
By Walter V. Wendler
Hank Williams twanged Clarence Williams’ (no kin) ballad “My Bucket’s got A Hole in It” in 1949. We have two holes in our higher education bucket in 2013 and they need plugging.
Brain drain, not a flush but a slow leak, of students into Canada to places like McGill University in Montréal is gaining momentum. Speculation on causes of the migration proliferates. Six percent of the McGill’s students are U.S. citizens, and the number is growing. In an April 24th NBC report, Rehema Ellis and Jeff Black argue the primary reason for students departing the U.S. for Canada is cost.
McGill University is an excellent institution. Comparison with U.S. institutions is difficult. This much is clear: costs are 25 cents on the dollar. The decisions are value judgments: Is a domestic degree worth four times what you would pay for its Canadian counterpart? It’s a family decision.
The growing number of students in default on college loans, north of 15%, increasingly pinpoints cost as the central variable in the education equation. The days of the idea that, “No matter what it costs it’s worth it.” are numbered. Or evaporated, like a few of the 5,439 cubic miles of water in the Great Lakes, currently at their lowest level since 1918, according to a National Geographic study.
I know it’s a trickle, a few vapors. And nobody sees it happen. But it does.
The number of students studying at Canadian institutions has increased by 50% over the last decade. The deep discounts compared to competitors south of the 49th parallel are magnetic: Tens of thousands of dollars per year is real money to real people.
Our universities are built on the Western European model, reinvented and I believe perfected, 150 years ago, ignited by U.S. ingenuity driven by pragmatism at the pinnacle of the Industrial Revolution.
Our northern neighbors use a similar model. Merit-based admission, test scores, class rank, grades, good faculty and facilities as well as reasonable approaches to “other-than-academic” amenities are the benchmarks.
Thoughtful American students are being siphoned off.
The open intellectual market should be the stone on which U.S. institutions whet their edge to meet the demands and needs of students, culture, and country, by helping people generate razor sharp insight and exceptional intellectual capability.
A second leaking of intellect is reported in a July 16, New York Times column. Richard Perez-Pena reveals the increasingly common occurrence of cyber attacks at U.S. universities. With greater frequency, intellectual property departs our borders over the Internet via stolen patents. Citizens of nations less concerned about the value of intellectual property — knowledge and insight expressed in action — than we have historically been in America wantonly steal what’s not theirs.
This electronic larceny is directed towards the backbone of our republic — ideas — the cold steel of opportunity fired by opportunity.
These two leaks, one over the lakes, the other over the network, yield a costly impact on American economic vitality.
The trickle is starting. A torrent may follow.
American pride’s seed is the “idea.” We develop the patents for the VCR or the microwave and, if Japan, Taiwan, Korea, or Vietnam can produce the device at a lower cost, the U.S. still benefits… as long as our nation values the intellect and the property produced by it. When we allow either to leave, we lose.
Our universities face significant challenges. We better get smart about controlling costs and quality. Likewise, the intellectual kettles in the kitchens of our nation should be carefully tended. The leaking bucket undermines American contributions to the democracy of ideas.
The nurture and protection of our insight and wisdom in every manifestation create a stronger nation and a better world.