7-20-18 at 3:24 pm Deputies responded to a two vehicle traffic crash at Il. Rt. 148 at Park St. Road. A 1999 Ford Econoline driven by Michelle J. Leeper age 50 of Herrin was east bound on Park St. Road and failed to stop at the stop sign at the stop sign at the intersection with Rt. 148. The Econoline traveled through the intersection, into the path of a north bound 1997 Ford Ranger, driven by Gaylord E. Eckhoff age78 of Sesser. Gaylord Eckhoff was not injured. Michelle Leeper received minor injuries but refused medical treatment. She was ticketed for disobeying a stop sign.

7-20-18 at 5:00 pm Deputies responded to an incident in rural Thompsonville in which the complainant stated he has been the victim of a theft and also had been struck by a vehicle as the alleged thief fled the scene. The investigation led to the arrest of Dara L. Doan age 39 of West Frankfort. She was charged with aggravated battery, misdemeanor theft and misdemeanor criminal damage to property. The incident is still under investigation and more arrests are possible.

7-21-18 at 5:49 am a Deputy responded to a reported domestic dispute in rural Ewing. The Deputy arrested Joseph J. Chaney age 29 for aggravated domestic battery and was placed in handcuffs in the patrol cars prisoner cage. The Deputy, who was working alone, was attending to the complainant and left Chaney unattended for a short time. During this time, Chaney was able to free himself by apparently “slipping” the handcuffs and escaping the patrol car’s inmate cage by damaging the car’s rear door. A manhunt then began and other Sheriff’s Deputies were summoned, joined by Benton and West City Police Officers. Chaney was eventually located and taken into custody at Lake Benton at approximately 1:00 pm. Both Chaney and a Sheriff’s Deputy were treated for heat exhaustion at a local hospital. Chaney is being held in the Franklin County Jail on charges of aggravated domestic battery, felony escape from a Peace Officer and felony criminal damage to Government supported property. Both the Sheriff’s K-9 and Benton Police’s K-9 were deployed in the manhunt. The Sheriff’s Office gratefully acknowledges the assistance of both the Benton and West City Police, as well as Abbott E.M.S.

7-21-18 at 4:30 pm Deputies responded to a reported domestic dispute at the North Marcum Beach area of Rend Lake. The investigation resulted in the arrests of Jeremy L. Connor age 34 and Michelle A. Connor age 33, both of Christopher and both for domestic battery.

7-21-18 at 10:34 pm Deputies responded to a reported disturbance in the North Sandusky Campground at Rend Lake. The investigation resulted in the arrest of Caleb M.D. Czak age 19 of Mt. Carmel for aggravated battery.

7-22-18 at 5:37 pm Deputies responded to a two vehicle traffic crash on Rend City Road ¼ mile east of Water Road. A 2001 Oldsmobile Alero was west bound on South Rend City Road behind a 2014 Chevrolet Equinox that was also west bound. The Alero attempted to pass the Equinox as the Equinox was trying to make a left turn, causing a collision. There were no injuries and the driver of the Alero, Breanna L. Slack age 16 of Sesser was ticketed for improper passing and failing to reduce speed to avoid a crash.

7-23-18 at 9:38 am Deputies responded to a single vehicle traffic crash in Orient. A 2004 Chevrolet Silverado, driven by Fredrick N. Bowling age 33 of West Frankfort, was south bound on Lincoln Street, lost control, ran off the roadway to the west, over corrected and ran off the roadway to the east, struck a utility pole and then a tree. The driver received major injuries and was transported to a local hospital by West Frankfort Fire E.M.S. He was ticketed for failure to reduce speed to avoid a crash.

7-23-18 at 3:28 pm Deputies responded to a two vehicle traffic crash on Yellow Banks Road at Dry Road. A 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan driven by Jacqueline Reimer age 51 of Christopher was east bound when a 1985 Honda 3-wheel A.T.V. pulled into the path of the Grand Caravan from Dry Road, attempting to cross Yellow Banks Road and proceed south on Dry Road. The A.T.V. was driven by Matthew D. Gunn age 26 of Christopher. He received major injuries and was transported to a local hospital by West Frankfort E.M.S. He was ticketed for failure to yield right of way, operating an uninsured vehicle and improper operation of an A.T.V. on the roadway. A passenger on the A.T.V. Katie N. Gunn age 26 of Christopher received major injuries and was air evacuated out to an out of state hospital. There were no injuries reported to any of the occupants of the Grand Caravan.

7-24-18 at 12:37 pm Deputies responded to a two vehicle traffic crash on Il. State Highway Rt. 149 just east of West Frankfort. A 2007 Hyundai Sonata driven by Shirley F. Mondino age 72 of West Frankfort was stopped on Rt. 149, facing east waiting for traffic to clear intending to make a left turn (north) into a private driveway. A 2010 Chevrolet Traverse, driven by Judith E. Prock age 75 of Thompsonville, was also east bound and struck the Sonata in a rear-end type collision. Shirley Mondino received major injuries and was transported to a local hospital by West Frankfort Fire E.M.S. Judith Prock also received major injuries and was transported to a local hospital by West Frankfort E.M.S. Prock was ticketed for failure to reduce speed to avoid a crash.

7-24-18 at 5:56 pm Deputies responded to a domestic dispute in Orient. The investigation resulted in the arrest of Rachael E. Pollack age 40 of Orient for domestic battery.

7-24-18 Deputies are investigation the thefts of two vehicles from the same rural Mulkeytown residence. One of the vehicles was subsequently recovered near Desoto in Jackson County. Another vehicle reported stolen from the state of Kansas was also recovered in the general area in rural Mulkeytown. These thefts may be related to a series of vehicle thefts that occurred in Perry County.

7-25-18 at 9:44 pm Deputies responded to a reported disturbance in Freeman Spur. The incident resulted in the arrest of Jesse D. Mcclure age 47 of Freeman Spur for an active warrant for failure to appear on traffic charges and for resisting arrest.

7-25-18 at 6:37 pm Deputies are investing a motor vehicle theft in rural West Frankfort. This theft is believed to be related to an earlier motor vehicle theft that occurred in Benton. A 17 year old male has been arrested in connection with that theft. He is being held in the Franklin County Juvenile Detention Center. More arrest are anticipated. The vehicle stolen from rural West Frankfort has been recovered in rural West Frankfort, wrecked in a ditch.

WARRANT ARRESTS

7-23-18 Kevin R. Lee age 48 of West Frankfort. Failure to appear on unlawful violation of an order of protection.

7-24-18 Jeromy V. Boccok age 37 of Marion. Predatory criminal sexual assault of a child and aggravated criminal sexual abuse.

7-25-18 Trina L. Greenwood age 49 of Benton. Failure to appear on traffic charges.

7-27-18 Michael A. Perkins age 38 of West Frankfort. Failure to appear for residential burglary.

The public is reminded that all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

If you live in the Illinois countryside, don’t be surprised to hear that a developer wants to build a solar farm in your neighbor’s field.

Here’s a link to the story at the Belleville News-Democrat.

REND LAKE FISHING REPORT

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Phone (618) 724-2493
Fax (618) 724-4089
e-mail : rendinfo@usace.army.mil
Web site http://www.mvs.usace.army.mil/rend
“Like” us on Facebook at Rend Lake Project Office/Visitor Center

MAIN LAKE AND TRIBUTARIES

SPECIES RATING BAIT OF CHOICE SUGGESTED LOCATIONS REGULATIONS

LARGEMOUTH BASS
Fair Minnows, spinner baits, worms, and black and blue jigs, soft plastics. Reports of fish being caught around Jackie Branch, Sandusky Cove, and South Marcum Cove. Fish in shallow bays near brush cover and bushes. Fish around bridges and along the rocks. 14” minimum length limit, 6 daily creel limit.
1 fish daily creel limit in PONDS 14” minimum length.

CRAPPIE

Good Meal worms. Small or medium minnows (8-10 ft. deep).
Quarter-ounce pink and white tub jigs.
Fish are moving out to the main lake points and can be found at main points south of Hwy 154. Best action is 8-10 feet deep near brush. From shore, fish near structures, hot spots are South Sandusky, North & South Marcum. Brush piles are holding lots of fish. Try main lake drop off areas. 25 fish daily creel limit with no more than 10 fish 10 inches or longer

BLUEGILL

Fair Small jigs, worms, meal worms, wax worms, crickets. From shore try Sailboat Harbor and Mine 21 Road. Fish shallow with crickets, worms or small jigs. Set bait at half of water depth. Fish in the back of necks and on flat shallow banks and on the rocks. 10 fish daily creel limit in PONDS.

CHANNEL
CATFISH

Good Large minnows, leeches, cut shad, shrimp, dip bait, night crawlers, and Sonny’s stink bait. Hoss’s Hawg Bait. Try leeches in moving water. Drift fish the flats. Set line 3-4’ from the shore over rocks and in shallow bays. Waltonville Dam, Turnip Patch, and Jackie Branch. 10-1 feet depth. Creeks doing well. 6 fish daily creel limit in PONDS.
Jugs must be attended at all times while fishing.

WHITE BASS
Fair In-line spinners, jig and curly tail grubs. Reports of fish being caught around the 154 bridges. Fish around along the rocks and drop-offs. Fish in shallow bays near brush cover and bushes. 20 fish creel limit.
No more than 3 fish 17” or longer daily

Information as of: 07/28/2018
LAKE LEVEL: 406.31 AVERAGE POOL FOR THIS DATE: 406.87 WATER TEMP: 82°F
Use of a minnow seine, cast net, or shad scoop for bait collecting within 1000 yards downstream of the Rend Lake dam and spillway is prohibited.
Maps of the Fish Attractor tree locations along with GPS locations are available at the Rend Lake Corps of Engineers Project Office or online at www.enjoyrend.com. Contact Mark Cazier for more information at (618) 724-2493.

BENTON, IL – Join the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Rend Lake on Saturday, July 28th, as they host Free Again Wildlife Rehabilitation Center for a special late night program.

This program, titled “Night Owls”, will give the audience a chance to get up close and personal with live, rehabilitated owls. Presented by Bev Shofstall of the Free Again Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, this entertaining program will introduce the audience to these nocturnal birds of prey as they learn their stories, their unique characteristics, and their importance in Illinois ecosystems. Free Again Wildlife is a rehabilitation center focused on conservation and education efforts based out of Carterville, IL. Don’t miss this chance to see and meet these wonderful creatures in this nighttime program.

“Night Owls” will be presented on July 28th, 2018 from 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. at the Rend Lake Visitor Center and Project Office. Programs featuring live animals tend to fill up very quickly, so please plan accordingly as seating is limited. As always, Environmental Science Series programs are free, open to the public, and appropriate for all ages.

The 2018 Environmental Science Series at Rend Lake will continue next week with the “Babaloo Music and Fun Show”. Enjoy this one-man musical comedy act with fun songs to entertain children, adults, and families. This program will take place on Saturday, August 4th, 2018 from 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. at the Rend Lake Visitor Center and Project Office.

Gay Bowlin, Manager

The Franklin County Farm Bureau received a $750 grant from the Illinois Farm Bureau and Illinois Farm Families for the purpose of face-to-face communication between adult non-ag consumers and farmers with the ultimate goal to build trust in farmers and our farming practices.

We partnered with the University of Illinois Extension, Ag in the Classroom, and the Early Head Start Program for Franklin and Williamson Counties. Each month the Early Head Start meets at the U of I Extension office in Franklin County and does a program about food preparation. It was just so easy for us to partner up with this effort.

In June Mary Bolen from the Benton Farmers Market came and talked about the foods that are available at the market and to inform them that Benton Farmers Market now takes SNAP and that there are many benefits to eating local fruits and vegetables. Mary handed out a sheet to inform them of when the fruits and vegetables are ready to eat and would be available in our area.
Melissa Lamczyk, Ag in the Classroom Coordinator from Franklin County spoke about the ways in which AITC helps the communities and teaches children about planting and growing healthy foods. Because Melissa is also an active farmer she talked about her and her husband Marc’s farming practices and what they grow and harvest.

On a normal month when this group meets they cook several different meals, eat and then walk away with the recipes. In June Jennifer Newbury and Hannah Sickmeyer from the University of Illinois Extension cooked Chicken & Rice Casserole and had it ready to eat at the end of the program. After the participants ate they were then given an Illinois Farm Bureau insulated bag and filled it with the non-perishable food items that it takes to make this meal at home. They were also given vouchers to go to Save A Lot in Benton where they could pick up the perishable items as well.
At the July session Easy Vegetable Soup and Fruit Salad with Vanilla Yogurt was on the menu. Each family once again received the insulated bags that we had ordered from the Illinois Farm Bureau and we able to “shop” for the non-perishable items that we had on-hand. Save A Lot in Benton once again provided vouchers for all perishable items.

Hannah Sickmeyer, Jennifer Newbury and Melissa Lamczyk all spoke about the ways to freeze foods – type of item, length of time and thawing times were all discussed. Several of the families are already freezing but the ones who don’t already found this to be very interesting information.
Carrie Eldridge from Franklin-Williamson Bi-County Health Department spoke on car seat safety which concluded with on-site inspections for everyone who needed it. Between the two sessions we had 19 kids under the age of 5 attend.

Sixteen families participated in the June session and 15 families in the July session. Each family consists of at least 4 family members with several having over 6 in the family unit.
Remember we are farmers working together. If we can help let us know.

MARION — Williamson County Board of Commissioners Chairman Jim Marlo was ready to move forward with asking November voters their thoughts on gun control, but was stopped short in the board’s meeting Thursday when the other two members declined to bring the matter to a vote.

Here’s a link to the story at the Southern Illinoisan.

INA, Ill. – Local high school students saved their families over $1 million this year by participating in Rend Lake College’s dual credit program. Wrapping up its 17th year, RLC’s program saved a total of 2,798 students (duplicated) approximately $1,405,130 in tuition and textbook fees during the last academic year.

The dual credit program offers tuition-free courses with a reduced rate for textbook rental for in-district high school students. For the 2,791 students (duplicated) who enrolled in 8,841 credit hours in the Fall 2017 and Spring 2018 semesters, the savings in tuition alone is $972,510 at $110 per credit hour. Students who enroll in both semesters are counted twice for official reports.

Through this program, juniors and seniors take general education and career technical courses during the day at their high school, meeting graduation requirements at both the high school and RLC. The courses are taught by both college and high school instructors.

For the first time ever, Benton Consolidated High School had the most participants in the dual credit program at 484 (duplicated), earning a total of 1,448 credit hours in two semesters and saving approximately $159,280 in tuition. Mt. Vernon Township High School students earned the most credit hours at 1,596, saving $175,560 in tuition. See the chart below for tuition savings by high school.

In addition to tuition savings, students enrolled in the dual credit program also qualify for reduced textbook rental rates. For the average RLC student, renting a textbook costs $40, but for dual credit students, that cost is lowered to $10. This year, students saved $432,620 by renting textbooks instead of purchasing. Not all textbooks can be rented, depending on usage. See the chart below for textbook savings.

“On behalf of the faculty, staff, and administration at Rend Lake College, I want to congratulate these overachieving students for their hard work and dedication to their education,” said Lisa Price, Vice President of Student Services. “It takes a unique determination and focus on the future for these students to enroll in college-level courses while still in high school. I look forward to working with these students in the future, on their campuses and ours.”

All 13 public high schools in RLC’s district are registered with the program, and 12 participated last year. RLC also had seven students (duplicated) from Marion High School participate in the program, earning 21 credit hours and saving $2,310 in tuition fees.

Students must meet placement requirements and prerequisites prior to enrolling in the courses. Approval for students to participate in dual enrollment must be obtained by a high school official. Students also must adhere to the RLC drop policy. The grade will become a part of the college transcript.

Tuition is waived for eight hours per semester. For those wanting to take additional classes, approval from the Vice President of Student Services is required. For more information on dual credit, contact the Student Services Department at 618-437-5321, Ext. 1266.

Action expected to fuel jobs, economic development statewide

PEORIA — Gov. Bruce Rauner today signed SB 3527, a bipartisan bill improving and expanding the River Edge Redevelopment Zone (RERZ) Historic Tax Credit. The successful economic development incentive now will be available to communities statewide.

“This legislation opens up millions of dollars in economic incentives in the form of tax credits for historic preservation projects throughout Illinois,” Rauner said after signing the bill at the Peoria Riverfront Museum Plaza. “It is imperative that we add jobs and fuel economic development. This bill will help Illinois achieve those goals while also preserving our past and making our state even more beautiful to visit.”

Established in 2012, the RERZ originally was a five-year pilot program allowing a 25 percent state income tax credit for qualifying projects in blighted, historic riverfront areas in Peoria, Rockford, Elgin, East St. Louis and Aurora.

SB 3527, which passed both Houses in May, expands availability of the historic tax credits to similar projects across the state. It also adds a new Illinois Historic Preservation Tax Credit with $15 million in credits to be administered by the Historic Preservation Division of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources each year between January 2019 and December 2023.

On July 21, 2018 at approximately 4:00 a.m. Benton Police conducted a traffic stop in the 1500 block of North Main Street after observing a vehicle swerving while travelling on N. Main St.  Upon investigating, police arrested Aron J. Kays, age 28, of Benton for driving under the influence.  Kays was also cited for improper lane usage.  Kays was charged and transported to the Franklin County Jail for further processing.

On July 22, 2018 at approximately 1:40 a.m. Benton Police were dispatched to the 700 block of East Burkitt Street in reference to a domestic disturbance.

Upon investigating, police arrested Matthew J. Hartman, age 34, of Benton for two counts of domestic battery.

Hartman was charged and transported to the Franklin County Jail for further processing.