Chance of wintry percipitation still exists for tomorrow

January 6, 2018 By Leave a Comment

Special Weather Statement

..Below zero wind chills expected early today…
…Light wintry precipitation possible Sunday afternoon into
Sunday night…

Another Arctic high pressure system will move southeast into the
Ohio Valley today. Morning temperatures will be in the single
digits and teens, except teens in parts of southeast Missouri.
Wind chills early today will be running from zero to 8 below in
much of the area east of the Mississippi River.

A south wind flow will develop on Sunday and Sunday night. The
south winds will bring moisture northward, setting the stage for
widespread light precipitation. The precipitation will spread
from west to east across our region Sunday afternoon and evening,
continuing into Monday morning. In some areas, the precipitation
may be in the form of a wintry mix of sleet and freezing rain
before enough warm air changes it to liquid rain by Monday
morning. Although heavy amounts are not expected, travel could be
impacted later Sunday afternoon into Sunday night if surface
temperatures fall back close to the freezing mark.

 

Seven Day Forecast

Today
Sunny, with a high near 22. Wind chill values as low as -1. East northeast wind around 6 mph.
Tonight
Increasing clouds, with a low around 15. South southeast wind 5 to 8 mph.
Sunday
A chance of snow before 1pm, then a chance of rain, snow, and freezing rain between 1pm and 4pm, then a chance of rain or freezing rain after 4pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 36. South wind 7 to 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
Sunday Night
Rain. Low around 34. South wind 7 to 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%.
Monday
Rain likely before noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 41. South wind 3 to 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Monday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 30. Light and variable wind.
Tuesday
Partly sunny, with a high near 44. Calm wind becoming east around 6 mph in the morning.
Tuesday Night
A slight chance of showers after midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 38. East wind 5 to 7 mph.
Wednesday
Mostly cloudy, with a high near 56. South wind 7 to 11 mph.
Wednesday Night
A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 50. South wind around 11 mph.
Thursday
Showers likely. Cloudy, with a high near 54. South wind 9 to 13 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 22 mph.
Thursday Night
A chance of rain and snow. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 26. North northwest wind around 9 mph.
Friday
A chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 33. North northwest wind 7 to 9 mph.

Filed Under: Breaking News, Franklin Co. News

Hone up on your computer skills at RLC

January 5, 2018 By Leave a Comment

INA, Ill. – It’s time to make good on those New Year’s resolutions to brush up on your computer skills, and classes offered through Rend Lake College’s Community and Corporate Education Division will help you get there.

The offerings start with Beginning Computers taught over two classes from 6 – 8 p.m. on Tuesdays 2/20 and 2/27. The class will be held in the RLC Murphy-Wall Pinckneyville Campus, Room 102. The cost of the class will be $20.

Over at the Mt. Vernon MarketPlace Campus, Beginning Microsoft Word will be taught from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. on Tuesdays 2/20 and 2/27 in room 338. 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. The cost of this class will be $55.

Beginning Microsoft Excel is also being held at the MarketPlace room 338 from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. on Tuesdays 3/20 and 3/27. In this class, 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. Cost of the course includes the text book. The cost of this class will be $55.

For those already experienced with Excel, there will be an Intermediate Excel class taught from 6 – 8 p.m. on 1/23 and 1/30 RLC Murphy-Wall Pinckneyville Campus, Room 102. The cost of the class will be $55.

Beginner classes wrap up with Beginning Microsoft Publisher class from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday 4/17 and 4/24 at Mt. Vernon MarketPlace Campus, room 338. Students will be shown how to create professional looking publications, such as flyers, greeting cards, brochures and more. This class will cover the basic skills needed in Publisher and will include how to find images/graphics online. The cost of the class will be $20.

Spring Computer Workshop classes conclude with QuickBooks Computer Accounting from 6 – 7:50 p.m., running on Thursdays from 3/8 to 5/3. This offering will be taught at the RLC Main Campus in Ina, in the Advanced Technology Center, room 175. The cost of the class will be $130.

Filed Under: Breaking News, Featured

Rend Lake Dam Road to be closed for improvements

January 5, 2018 By Leave a Comment

Staff Report

Rend Lake – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Rend Lake is announcing that the Rend Lake Dam and Spillway Bridge will be closed to all through traffic beginning Tuesday, January 16, 2018 at 7 a.m. and is tentatively scheduled to reopen in early February.

This closure is necessary for a routine scheduled maintenance project to improve the revetment protection along the upstream side of the Rend Lake dam.  Access to the South Marcum Boat Ramp, Spillway Recreation Area, Dedication Lot, and Rend Lake Bike Trail will remain open during this time. Watch for closure signs at Sugar Creek parking lot and the west entrance to the Rend lake Dam, and take caution when near these areas as construction will be taking place.

Updated information along with the later determined reopen date will be posted on the Rend Lake Project Office/Visitor Center Facebook page. For further information, contact the Rend Lake Project Office and Visitor Center at 618-724-2493.

Filed Under: Breaking News, Featured

Learn life-saving techniques with RLC and the American Heart Association

January 5, 2018 By Leave a Comment

Staff Report

INA, Ill. – One and two-day courses through a partnership between Rend Lake College and the American Heart Association (AHA) will give locals the chance to freshen up on their emergency services training, or learn a few new skills.

The AHA Training Center, located at the RLC MarketPlace in Mt. Vernon, will host several Basic Life Support (BLS), First Aid, and automated external defibrillator (AED) training courses; Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) provider and renewal courses; and Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) provider and renewal courses. Both ACLS and PALS required successful completion of a pre-course assessment.

BLS, First Aid and AED Training

One-day courses for BLS, First Aid and AED trainings have already begun, with many more dates scheduled for this spring. During this course, participants will learn about BLS and AED techniques used to save victims whose breathing or heartbeat has stopped. First Aid will also cover the assistance given to a person who has suffered a sudden illness or injury.

BLS, First Aid and AED trainings will meet from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Jan. 18; Feb. 1; Feb. 8; Feb. 12; Feb. 27; March 6; March 13; March 20; March 29; April 5; April 10; May 3.

PALS Provider and Renewal

Another two-day preparatory class, PALS aims to develop the knowledge and skills necessary for students to efficiently and effectively manage critically ill infants and children. The class meets from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Feb. 13-14, April 17-18 and July 18-19.

For those needing renewal, the one-day course will meet from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Jan. 10, March 22, May 23 and June 7.

ACLS Provider and Renewal

The AHA offers both ACLS Preparatory and ACLS renewal courses this semester to ready students for the urgent treatment of cardiac arrest, stroke, and other life-threatening medical emergencies. The preparatory class meets from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. on the following dates: Jan. 24-25, Feb. 22-23, March 27-28, April 25-26, May 16-17, June 20-21 and July 24-25.

The one-day renewal courses meet from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., on Jan. 11, Jan, 25, Feb. 6, Feb. 23, March 8, March 28, April 12, April 26, May 9, May 17, June 6, June 21, July 10 and July 25.

For more information about the trainings or to register, contact the AHA Training Center at 618-437-5321, Ext. 2032.

Filed Under: Breaking News, Featured

Agenda for 1/9/18 Rend Lake College Board meeting

January 5, 2018 By Leave a Comment

REND LAKE COLLEGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING

January 09, 2018 6:30 PM

Rend Lake College 468 N Ken Gray Parkway

Ina, IL 62846

I. Call to Order

II. Roll Call

III. General Information

A. Announcements

1. January 15 – March 2, 2018 Visiting Artist: Erica Burton Theatre Lobby

2. Thursday, January 25, 2018; 7:00pm Thespian Comedy Improv Theatre

3. Wednesday, February 7, 2018 WYSE 2018 Competition James “Hummer” Waugh Gymnasium

4. Tuesday, February 20, 2018; 8:30 – 3:30 Faculty & Staff In-Service Rend Lake College, Ina Campus

5. Tuesday, February 27, 2018 RLC Basketball Homecoming Games vs. Lincoln Trail Women’s @ 5:30pm; Men’s @ 7:30pm James “Hummer” Waugh Gymnasium

6. Friday, March 2, 2018 Career Fair Rend Lake College, Ina Campus

7. Monday, March 5, 2018; 6:30pm Spoken Word & Open Mic Night King City Books, Mt. Vernon

8. Thursday – Friday, March 22 – 23, 2018 Kickstart Your Journey RLC Campus

9. April 5-7 @ 7pm nightly, April 8 @ 2pm Spring Musical: The Addams Family Rend Lake College Theatre

10. Thursday – Monday, April 5 – 9, 2018 HLC 2018 Annual Conference Hyatt Regency Chicago 11. Thursday, April 12, 2018; 3:00 – 6:00 pm Job Search Party Mt. Vernon Hotel and Event Center IV. Closed Session – The Board may go into closed session pursuant to Section 2(c)(1)(2)(11)(21) of the Open Meetings Act.

Subsection (1) appointment, employment, and compensation of specific employees; (2) collective negotiating matters; (11) litigation; (21) approval of meeting minutes.

V. Resume Open Meeting

VI. Approval of Consent Agenda

VII. Approval of Minutes of the: 02 * December 12, 2017 Board of Trustees Meeting;* * December 12, 2017 Board of Trustees Executive Session*

VIII. New Business

10 * A. Approval of Revisions to Rend Lake College Policy & Procedure 3.1115 – Stipends

12 * B. Approval to Destroy Closed Session Tapes

13 * C. Approval to Release Closed Session Minutes

14 D. Approval to Create Rend Lake College Policy & Procedure 4.1260 – Review and Publication of Student Right-To-Know & Campus Security Disclosures, Student Policies, and Recruitment Materials (First Reading)

16 E. Acceptance of Bid for PoolPak Unit Replacement in the Aquatic Center

17 F. Recommendation to Approve 2017-2018 Family Handbook for the Rend Lake College Foundation Children’s Center IX. Personnel

36 A. Ratify the Acceptance of Resignation of Rend Lake College MarketPlace Coordinator

39 B. Ratify the Acceptance of Resignation of Financial Aid and Admissions Coordinator

X. Financial Information 43 A. Ratification of the Payment of College Expenses including Travel Expense Reimbursements

B. Financials (INFORMATIONAL; TO BE PROVIDED)

XI. Reports

1. Academic Council

2. ICCTA Representative

3. Rend Lake College Foundation

4. Accreditation Report

XII. Public Comment

XIII. President’s Comments

XIV. Adjournment

Filed Under: Breaking News, Franklin Co. News

Wildlife Winter Homes at the Rend Lake Visitor Center

January 5, 2018 By Leave a Comment

BENTON – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Rend Lake continues the “Small World” series with the program, “Wildlife Winter Homes.” Join Park Rangers as we learn about where our favorite creatures spend the cold winter months. The day will include hands-on activities, like building a model wildlife home, an indoor scavenger hunt, and a short optional hike to search for evidence of animal homes, weather permitting. This event is tailored for children ages 2 – 5 years old, but all ages are welcome to join the fun at the Rend Lake Visitor Center on Tuesday, January 9th, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.

As always, the programs presented at the Rend Lake Visitor Center are open to public and free of charge. The “Small World” series is best suited for children ages 2 – 5 years old, but everyone is welcome to join. For more information about programming call the Rend Lake Project Office at (618)-724-2493. Be sure to “Like” the Visitor Center Facebook page for the latest updates at facebook.com/rendlakeusace.

Filed Under: Breaking News, Franklin Co. News

Below Zero wind chills again overnight….wintry mix Sunday afternoon and evening

January 5, 2018 By Leave a Comment

Today
Isolated flurries before 9am. Partly sunny, with a high near 23. Calm wind becoming north northwest around 6 mph in the afternoon.
Tonight
Mostly clear, with a low around 5. Wind chill values as low as -3. North northeast wind around 6 mph.
Saturday
Sunny, with a high near 24. Wind chill values as low as -3. East wind 3 to 5 mph.
Saturday Night
Increasing clouds, with a low around 16. South southeast wind 3 to 6 mph.
Sunday
Rain likely after noon. Cloudy, with a high near 36. South wind 6 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Sunday Night
Rain, possibly mixed with freezing rain before 7pm, then freezing rain, possibly mixed with sleet between 7pm and 11pm, then rain after 11pm. Low around 32. South wind 5 to 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%.
Monday
A 30 percent chance of rain before noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 41. South wind around 6 mph becoming northwest in the afternoon.
Monday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 26. Northwest wind 3 to 6 mph.
Tuesday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 40. Light and variable wind becoming north around 5 mph.
Tuesday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 29. Light and variable wind becoming south southeast around 5 mph after midnight.
Wednesday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 48. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Wednesday Night
A slight chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 38. South wind around 9 mph.
Thursday
A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 47. South wind 8 to 10 mph becoming west in the after
Filed Under: Breaking News, Franklin Co. News

Steve’s Ramblings: Sears Holding company did not “Roll with the Changes”

January 4, 2018 By Leave a Comment

By Steve Dunford 

By April, you will have to go to Paducah, Fairview Heights. Evansville, or Cape Girardeau to buy Kenmore Appliances or Craftsman tools.

As I am writing this I am thinking about the REO Speedwagon song “Roll with the Changes.”

Before my time, you could buy anything at Sears and Roebuck.  Before the days of indoor plumbing, the catalog was used as toilet paper.

Sears like Kenmore appliances, had things manufactured under their name. Here is a page from the 1979 wish book, with their version of clone Mattell hand held games. (8bit.com)

I did not grow up as a Toys-R-Us kid, but I remember the days the Sears catalog at the Wish Book dreaming what I wanted Christmas.   I was a Toys-R-Us parent, buying things for my son at Christmas and birthdays though.

Most of us little boys grew up in Toughskin Jeans.  I think they were made out of some type of denim-canvas.  My mom would dress me in green or brown ones to cut down on the grass stains.

My go-kart as a kid came from Sears out of the catalog.  It came in a crate about the size of the leg lamp one.

For you young whippersnappers, there were Sears catalog stores in most small towns across America.  These were franchise businesses owned by independent operators.  The Sears store in Franklin County was in the building that houses First Financial Bank in West Frankfort now.

There was one in DuQuoin until the last few years.  I do not know if they replaced the one in Mt. Vernon, that opened after the retail store closed several years ago.  There was a catalog store still in Harrisburg, and I am unsure if it is still in operation.  Most of the recent ones specialized in lawn equipment and appliances.

Benton had the competitor catalog store, Montgomery Ward, a company that is now a distant memory.   The store was on East Main, around where Jack Russell Fish Company is now.

An add for a Sears and Roebuck house in the 1920’s (searsarchives.com)

There was a time that you could order complete houses from Sears.  In fact some of these still dot the countryside. They would be shipped to the nearest train depot.

Some houses that I can give you an example of is the Ernie Duckworth place on Route 34 between Thompsonville and Benton.  Another is the Organ Farms Pumpkin Patch on Route 14 between McLeansboro and Carmi.

Sears began to lose their hold on the market when Sam Walton had a new way of doing business.  He started in Arkansas right after Ben Franklin pulled his franchise.  The liquidation stock he rented a building and put Wal Mart on the front of it.  As Paul Harvey said, now you know the rest of the story.

The chain began to grow regionally.  Each store has a number.  It grew to Southern Illinois after buying out a local discount chain, Mohr Value.   Slowly every county seat had a Wal-Mart.  The store number in Benton-West City is 262, the sequence the store was built.  Now they are in five digits worldwide.

I was sitting in Econ 101 at Rend Lake College as a Freshman.  The instructor brought the latest copy of Forbes and a cut out article from the Wall Street Journal.  It said that Wal-Mart was going to roll out a business model called the Hypermart.  The major change was the stores would sell groceries and gasoline.   He said it was going to be the death of the growing retailer.

I don’t think I need to explain the Hypermart model to you.  It is basically every Walmart now.

In 1997 Walmart passed Sears as the world’s largest retailer.  I thought they replaced Sears as a blue chip stock, but Walmart replaced Woolworth, which is in existence as Foot Locker today.

Some accounts when Sears lost blue chip status, they were replaced by Microsoft, which tech companies were mainly traded on NASDAQ.  Some accounts said Home Depot.

On a record setting day the stock market hit a record high of over 25,000, Sears Holding’s was trading over three dollars a share.

There was a time that K-mart was the discount king in the 1970’s.  The stores had full service restaurants, and the “Blue Light Specials.”  Reflecting on things, a K-mart store has changed little in my lifetime.

At one time a mall was the hip place to go.   It was the hangout for the “preppy” teenagers.  (Preppy might be a word from the past.)  They are now a dying breed.

Malls are now dying.  The last time I was at St. Louis Mills was three years ago.  I loved the place.  Cabella’s helped me wanting to be there.  Bass Pro Shop down the next exit “enhanced” my shopping experience.  The Nike store was one of my favorites.

I remember as a college student walking in Illinois Center Mall.  I was thinking this place is is Marion.  It was at one time the showcase of Southern Illinois.

I have not been in it in a couple years, but it looks like skid row.  The trees in the middle were overgrown.  There was more vacant storefronts than open one.  I know it is worse now.  A place that was once bustling, is dying.  Sears closing might be the last nail in the coffin.

In my head when the Post Dispatch ran a story how empty the place was, I was saying to myself wow.

Walmart “rolled with the changes” with walmart.com.  I can sit at home, still be in my jammies, and by anything with a click of a mouse and debit card in hand.

Sears and Roebuck as well as K-Mart did not “roll with the changes.  With the force of the two companies behind them, they could have competed with Amazon and Wal-Mart.

Instead K-Mart was stuck in the 1970’s, Sears was in the 1980’s.  Soon, they will be part of history.

The majority of you know, that I have not driven in over three years because I suffer from non epileptic seizures from residuals of a stroke.  On days that I feel good, I will make the mile and a half stroll across the interstate.  It is good for me physically and mentally.

The last few times going to K-Mart here in West Frankfort, I could see the writing on the wall.  The stock was low.  If I had wheels, barring if there was not a wreck, I could hop on 57 and be at Walmart in five minutes.

Yes I will miss it.  However, I will not be deprived of anything with the closure of the store.  My heart breaks for the employees losing their jobs.

Dollar Tree, Dollar General and Kroger gets the most of my money.  There is always a trip into McDonalds to get some tea, and a hamburger on my day “adventures.”  I was going into K-Mart less and less.  They were out pricing themselves, and always out of stock on sale items.

I have never owned a retail business, but you have to find your niche.  One retailer that has is Dollar General, with small towns and neighborhood stores.  Benton has two, and soon there will be a second in West Frankfort, that will personally be handy for me.

Growing up in Thompsonville, I would never have dreamed a major retail chain would locate there.

Approaching fifty, this world leaves me more behind everyday.  The changes that are taking place makes my head spin.  I have learned to keep up the best you can and “roll with them.”

Sears and K-Mart will be leaving Southern Illinois in April.  They reason why, they did not “Roll with the Changes.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Breaking News, Columns, Opinion

SIH temporarily restricting patient visitation

January 4, 2018 By Leave a Comment

CARBONDALE – Due to increased flu activity, visitation to SIH hospitals is temporarily limited to individuals 18 years of age or older and a maximum of two visitors per patient at a time. Possible exceptions include, but are not limited to, end-of-life care. If you have any questions, please reach out to the hospital’s infection prevention department and/or ask to speak with the house supervisor.

SIH hospitals in the region include, Herrin Hospital, Memorial Hospital of Carbondale and St. Jospeh’s Hospital of Murphysboro.

Filed Under: Breaking News, Franklin Co. News

ISP District 13 Announces 2017 Activity and Enforcement

January 4, 2018 By Leave a Comment

DuQuoin, IL – Illinois State Police District 13 / 22 Interim Commander, Lieutenant Michael Alvey, announced today activity and enforcement figures for calendar year 2017 for Illinois State Police District 13. Troopers in District 13, which includes Randolph, Washington, Jefferson, Perry, Franklin, Jackson, and Williamson Counties, recorded 31,187 incidents during the year.

In addition, enforcement figures totaled 10,532 citations and 19,346 written warnings, including 4,829 speeding citations, 105 DUIs, 1 Zero Tolerance, 66 Underage Drinking arrests, 965 occupant restraint citations, 5,796 written warnings for speeding, 226 Distracted Driving citations, and 256 criminal arrests. Troopers also assisted 2,903 motorists, conducted 5,746 Motor Carrier Safety Inspections, and investigated 1,471 traffic crashes. Of those crashes, 54 were fatal traffic crashes resulting in 57 fatalities.

Filed Under: Breaking News, Franklin Co. News
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