by ReAnne Palmer, Rend Lake College Public Information

INA, IL– Coming in September, Rend Lake College and Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance Foundation will be partnering to assist individuals with legal barriers to employment. Attorneys from Land of Lincoln will provide on-site free legal services by appointment from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Friday, Sept. 29, at Rend Lake College in Applied Science Center, Room 103.

Land of Lincoln attorneys will assist clients with filing petitions for the expunging or sealing of criminal records and will address other employment barriers. It is preferred that attendees bring their criminal records, but it is not required. The services are free and open to the public.

If you are interested in attending the event or would like more information, please contact Charah McKinzie, paralegal for Land of Lincoln, at 618-457-7800, Ext. 133, or Kaylee Smith, Career Services Specialist at Rend Lake College, at 618-437-5321, Ext. 1264.

by Pete Rosenbery, Southern Illinois University News Service

CARBONDALE, IL – Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Career Services Center will host two career fairs next week that are open to students and alumni.
The STEM Career Fair is from 1 to 5 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 19, at the SIU Arena. Held each fall, the career fair provides an opportunity to connect with employers hiring in the science, technology, engineering and math fields. The University Career Fair will be from 1 to 5 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 20, also at the SIU Arena. Visit siu.joinhandshake.com to pre-register and see the list of visiting employers for both career fairs.
Industry areas include K-12 education; aerospace technology; automotive; banking; defense; food and beverage; internet and software; manufacturing, real estate, research and wholesale trade.
About 50 employers have registered with Career Services for the STEM Career Fair. Industry areas include K-12 education; aerospace technology; automotive; banking; defense; food and beverage; internet and software; manufacturing and research. The employers include Aisin Manufacturing Illinois, LLC; Banterra Bank; Boeing; Consolidated Electrical Distributors Inc; Cummins, Inc.; the Defense Intelligence Agency; Flight Safety International; Jasper Engines and Transmissions; The Korte Company, Vecro Blue Farms and the United States Transportation Command.
Nearly 70 employers registered for the University Career Fair. Employers include Academy for Urban School Leadership, Bankers Life, Bridgestone Tire Operations, LLC; Carbondale Police Department; Cushman & Wakefield; Federal Bureau of Prisons; Hormel Foods; Isle Casino Cape Girardeau; Pepsi MidAmerica; Southern Illinois Healthcare and West Point Financial Group.
For each fair, job seekers should bring multiple copies of their resumes and any other pertinent credentials, and should dress professionally.
For more information, contact Career Services at 618/453-2391 or by email at careerservices@siu.edu.

Press Release from the office of State Representative Dave Severin

MARION,  IL – State Representative Dave Severin (R-Benton) spoke to students and teachers at Unity Christian School on Monday as the school held a ceremony in honor of Patriot Day.

Rep. Severin talked about how incredible of a country the United States is and the importance of patriotism.

“There are still people in other countries that do not have electricity, running water, and other basic things we all take for granted have in our lives,” Severin said. “God has truly blessed the United States and it takes patriots to protect it. We saw this when police officers and firefighters rushed into those burning towers 16 years ago on September 11.”

The representative also spoke about his memory of 9/11 and what the day means to him.

“It is one of those days in our history where anyone you talk to will remember where they were when they heard the news. It was a terrible day, and one you cannot forget, but in the chaos we saw tremendous acts of patriotism which revealed the true character of our country.”

http://www.bentongazette.com/news/council-approves-purchase-orders-to-outfit-new-police-vehicles/article_e3d1cffa-933a-11e7-ae12-d70289b80f26.html

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

– At the August 28 Benton city council meeting, Public Safety  Commissioner Don Story made a motion to approve purchase orders to outfit the Benton Police Department’s two new squad cars, which the city recently bought.

The purchases included two Feniex interior light bars for $499 apiece, two Feniex exterior rear light bars, also for $499 apiece, Infinity grill lights for $60, and Feniex hideaway lights for $74 apiece for a $592 total price, Feniex soundoff intersection lights for $296 apiece for a total of $593, Feniex  siren lights and controllers for $199 and siren speaker for $99. Total shipping cost was $55 for a final cost of $3,594.08. Motion seconded by Finance Commissioner Dennis Miller and passed 5-0.

by Chirsti Mathis – Southern Illinois University News Service

CARBONDALE, IL  — Southern Illinois University Carbondale has earned a spot on the “Top 100 Safest Colleges in America 2017” rankings released recently by the National Council for Home Safety and Security.

SIU claimed the No. 86 ranking on the list compiled by the national trade association that includes licensed alarm installers, contractors and other related trade groups from across the United States. The organization evaluated nearly 2,200 four-year public and private colleges and universities using the most recent data available from the FBI’S Uniform Crime Reporting and the National Center for Education Statistics in order to create the rankings.

The statistics were weighted so that crimes such as murder/manslaughter, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, rape, motor vehicle theft, arson as well as crimes involving violence against women, including domestic violence and stalking, counted more than arrests for drug and liquor law violations and illegal weapons possessions. Both campus and local crimes were taken into account.

The rankings are featured on www.alarms.org, the council’s official website.