Benton, West Frankfort, Illinois News | Franklin County News
Newspaper covering Franklin County, Illinois
The number of women locked up in Illinois prisons would be cut by as much as half under an ambitious proposal by reform advocates who argue that the corrections system has largely ignored the needs of female inmates, many of whom suffered years of trauma, abuse or poverty before winding up behind bars.
Here’s a link to the story at the Chicago Tribune.
SPRINGFIELD — Gov. Bruce Rauner today signed legislation that expands the Illinois Veterans’ Home at Quincy and cuts the red tape on future construction projects, allowing the administration to move quickly to build a new state-of-the-art facility at the campus.
“We’re building a brand new facility and making sure our veterans have a safe place to call home,” Rauner said. “Building this new facility should not be caught up in the bureaucratic process. Our veterans deserve the best. They have fought to secure our freedom and we’re fighting to make sure they have the care they need for generations to come.”
Rauner signed Senate Bill 3128, allowing the state to use the design-build delivery method to renovate, rehabilitate and rebuild the Illinois Veterans’ Home at Quincy. This method will eliminate redundant steps in the traditional state construction process, shave months off the overall project time and save taxpayer dollars.
One inmate is at large after escaping from Pulaski County Detention Center in Ullin.
Gayla Jones, contract liaison with Pulaski County Detention Center, told The Southern that two inmates escaped on Tuesday but one has been caught.
EAST ST. LOUIS — Strawberry (Deon) Hampton, the transgender woman who has sued multiple times the Illinois Department of Corrections for repeated alleged abuses, has again filed for emergency relief.
Here’s a link to the story at the Southern Illinoisan.
SPRINGFIELD — Gov. Bruce Rauner today signed legislation that expands the Illinois Veterans’ Home at Quincy and cuts the red tape on future construction projects, allowing the administration to move quickly to build a new state-of-the-art facility at the campus.
“We’re building a brand new facility and making sure our veterans have a safe place to call home,” Rauner said. “Building this new facility should not be caught up in the bureaucratic process. Our veterans deserve the best. They have fought to secure our freedom and we’re fighting to make sure they have the care they need for generations to come.”
Rauner signed Senate Bill 3128, allowing the state to use the design-build delivery method to renovate, rehabilitate and rebuild the Illinois Veterans’ Home at Quincy. This method will eliminate redundant steps in the traditional state construction process, shave months off the overall project time and save taxpayer dollars.
GRANITE CITY — Gov. Bruce Rauner today vetoed Senate Bill 2368, saying it was a politically motivated attempt to undercut the good work of the Metro East Sanitary District (MESD) Board of Commissioners.
The sanitary district provides flood protection and sewer services within numerous communities near the Mississippi River in Madison and St. Clair counties. The bill, passed by both Houses in May, would in effect replace a current Madison County-based commissioner with the mayor of Granite City and oust the sanitary district’s executive director.
Rauner called the measure a state intrusion on local government business with no evidence that the change would benefit MESD taxpayers.
“As currently comprised, the district is being effectively managed and has made great strides toward financial stability that will allow it to better address the needs of those it serves going forward,” Rauner wrote in his veto message. “This change to state law is both unnecessary and inappropriate as a politically motivated maneuver that will undercut the good work of the Board of Commissioners.”
In fact, the district cut two dozen jobs and ran a surplus budget in 2017 for the first time since 2007.
The bill would shift one seat on the five-member MESD board from being an appointee of the county with the highest equalized assessed valuation to the mayor of the city with the highest equalized assessed valuation, presently Granite City. It also would require that the executive director reside within the district. The current executive director, Stephen Adler, resides north of the district in Godfrey.
“This piece of state legislation appears to be geared toward manipulating the balance of power on a local government board, and would grant undue influence to a single municipality over decisions that affect a much broader population,” Rauner said. “I’m vetoing it in full, and I urge members of the General Assembly to uphold my veto.”
Rep. Charlie Meier, R-Okawville, applauded the governor’s action.
“This bill would be detrimental to Metro East taxpayers, which is why I voted against it in the House,” Meier said. “Today, MESD is operating at a surplus and now can afford to make repairs due to the fact that new leadership took over in 2017.”
“This veto is a prime example of the work we need to continue to do to break down the cycle of patronage hiring practices in Illinois,” said Sen. Paul Schimpf, R-Waterloo. “I commend Gov. Rauner for putting our taxpayers first.”
Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner on Tuesday vetoed legislation that would have withdrawn Illinois from a controversial multistate voter registration system, dismissing Democrats’ concerns that it’s vulnerable to hacking as “politically motivated.”
Here’s a link to the story at the Chicago Tribune.
The Illinois State Fire Marshal has awarded several rural Southern Illinois fire departments grant funding for equipment purchases.
The funding is awarded through the Small Firefighting and Ambulance Service Equipment Grant Program; money goes toward purchases of safety equipment and protecting clothing.
In Southern Illinois, these departments received funding:
From the Southern Illinoisan ––
The Walker’s Bluff General Store will be closing as part of a reorganization in operations, according to a news release from Walker’s Bluff.
The move come in preparation for the final months before the Illinois General Assembly considers measures related to adding more gambling in the state. Walker’s Bluff has been lobbying for a gaming license since 2015 so it can develop a resort that would include two hotels, an indoor water park, deluxe spa and a casino.
The Franklin County Farm Bureau along with Franklin County COUNTRY Financial Representatives Mike Brachear, Krista Menckowski, Gavin Suver and Adrienne Mason sponsored the Customer Appreciation Picnic for Farm Bureau members and COUNTRY Financial clients at the 4-H Fairgrounds adjacent to Rend Lake College on Tuesday, July 10th at 5:00 p.m.
This was the eleventh year that the Franklin County Farm Bureau and the Franklin County COUNTRY Financial Representatives have been at the fairgrounds to cook and serve the meal. We served 200 people this year and in addition to drinks and chips they grilled butterfly pork chop sandwiches and hotdogs, had pasta salad and baked beans and thanks to a partial donation from Prairie Farms we served a new milk product – Milk Snacks – Chocolate Covered Cake Bar that does not need to be kept in the freezer, just the refrigerator.
The Franklin County Farm Bureau Young Leaders sold squares for Cow Chip Bingo for a 50/50 drawing and made $46 toward scholarships for 2019. They also helped out with other activities in conjunction with Family Fun Night.
