INA, Ill. – The 40th Annual Benton Lions Club All-Star Basketball Classic will take place Friday night, March 30, on the hardwood at Rend Lake College’s James “Hummer” Waugh Gymnasium. The girls’ game will tip-off first at 6 p.m., followed by the boys’ game at 8 p.m. More than 100 players have been invited to participate. A mandatory practice will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday, March 25, at RLC for all athletes planning to play. Rosters will be announced following the practice.

The event features the best in boys’ and girls’ high school basketball from the area. The price of admission is only $5 for adults and $3 for students. A dunk contest will take place in between games and three-point shoot-outs will happen at halftime of each game. MVP awards will be presented at the conclusion of each game.

Boys Coaches: Eric Griffin (Meridian), Matt Morgan (Zeigler-Royalton) & Pete Gordon (Thompsonville)

Girls Coaches:Jerry Johnson (Meridian) & Doug Althoff (Nashville)

Players:

Anna-Jonesboro – Jake Parr, Sheldon McGrath
Anna-Jonesboro Girls – Connor Hadley
Benton — Parker Williams, Gehrig Wynn, Cade Thomas, Hamilton Page
Benton Girls – Ebriessa Casey
Cairo – Damarius Taylor
Carbondale – Darius Beane, Kani Acree
Carbondale Girls – Maddie Doan, Atlexus Green, Amiya Moore, Brianna Simelton, Elixis Richardson
Carlyle – Tyler Siever
Carmi-White Co. – Travis Black, Bryce Northcott, Justin Lamp
Carmi-White Co. Girls – Abby Vaughan
Carterville – Justin Johnson
Centralia – Javon Williams Jr. , John Keeler, Jordan Maines
Century – Casen Hight, Marcus Davis
Chester – Josh & Jake Haberberger
Christopher – Bradley Young, Jared Curry,
Cobden – John Russell
Cobden Girls – Flamm
Crab Orchard – Vinson Stevens
Fairfield – Colby Dagg, Jaden Lewis
DuQuoin Girls – Grace Haney
Egyptian – Gavin Arnhart-Powell
Egyptian Girls – Rileigh Petermichel
Eldorado – Atterbery, Traxler,
Galatia – Austin Stevens, Ben Mitchell
Gallatin Co. Girls – Hailey Chubbs
Goreville – Braden Webb, Tanner Dunn, Peyton Massey
Hamilton Co. – Jake Whipple, Matt Rubenacker
Hamilton Co Girls – Kathrine Drone
Hardin Co. – Jamison Hicks
Harrisburg -Isaiah Salsberry, Blake Drue
Harrisburg Girls – Lotte Miller, Maddie Haskins, Jessica Hopson
Herrin – Nessler
Herrin Girls – Madison Russell, Marissa Russell
Joppa – Kaleb Cox
Marion – Lacey , Fletcher, Sadoris
Massac Co. – Cole Vickers, Isaiah Thompson, Noah Taylor
Massac Co. Girls – Lauren Coakley
Meridian – Darnell Lowe, Ja’quan Jones , Demareon Nicholson and Demond Vasser
Meridian Girls – Alexis Crain, RaKyah Jeter, Cymone Vallard, Rakeya Jeter
Mt. Carmel – Jackson Marcotte
Mt. Vernon – Zach Williams, O’Shea Hardin
Mt. Vernon Girls – Taylor Thompson, Savannah Childers
Murphysboro – Jeremy House, Jaron Gaston
Murphysboro Girls – Arie Ciganovich, Kayla Walker
Nashville Girls – Karly Stanowski, Paige Kasten
Okawville – Luke Hensler
Pinckneyville – J.C .Moll, Grant Jausel
Salem – Demond Crosby, Cord Brown
Sesser-Valier – Lukas Gunter, Joshua Gunter, Preston Launius, Addison Page
Sesser Girls – Paige Tucker, Jaycee Gunter, Jada Hale , Brooke Wilderman
Sesser Girls – Paolina Marlo, Adrianna Fedderke
Trico – Jared Meyerhoff,
Vienna Girls – Holhubner
Wayne City – Jaxon King
Wayne City Girls – Lucille Smith
Webber Township – Charles Neal, Dylan Stratton
West Frankfort – Keagan Rash
West Frankfort Girls – Cali Wright, Megan Beery
Woodlawn – Blake Fewkes
Woodlawn Girls – Alisa Doza , Hannah Espes Breanna Sanders

On March 22, 2018 at approximately 11:15 p.m. Benton police conducted a traffic stop in the 700 Block of East Main street.  The driver, 44 year old Randy A. Pulliam of Benton, was operating a vehicle on a revoked driver’s license.  During the stop, Benton Police K9 “Ranger” alerted to the odor of illegal narcotics in the vehicle.  A subsequent search revealed methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.  Pulliam was charged with unlawful possession of methamphetamine, nnlawful possession of drug paraphernalia and driving on a revoked license.  Pulliam was transported to the Franklin County Jail.

On March 23, 2018 at approximately 1:15 a.m. Benton Police, while conducting a narcotics investigation in the 500 Block of Lawrence Street, found 27 year old Shane M. Tate of Benton to be in possession of methamphetamine.  Tate was charged with unlawful possession of methamphetamine, resisting a peace officer and transported to the Franklin County Jail.

Rend Lake – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Rend Lake is announcing that the Rend Lake dam road from the intersection with the Rend City Road on the west to the end of the Spillway bridge on the east, including the spillway bridge, will be closed to all through traffic during the period of April 3 & 4, 2018.

This closure is necessary for routine, scheduled maintenance to take place. During the maintenance, contractors will be utilizing a crane, positioned in the roadway, to replace structures within the outlet works. The main purpose of the outlet works is to maintain a constant, regulated flow of water down the Big Muddy river during times of low lake levels.  Access to the South Marcum Boat Ramp, Spillway Recreation Area, Spillway Dedication Lot, and the Rend Lake Bike Trail will remain open during this time frame. Watch for closure signs at Sugar Creek parking lot and the west entrance to the Rend Lake dam road. The staff of the Corps of Engineers at Rend Lake reminds you to exercise caution when near these areas as construction will be taking place.

Updated information on this project 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.

On March 21, 2018 at approximately 4:30 p.m. the Benton Police Department received a report of a missing 15 year old female juvenile.  Concerns for the child’s health at the time of her disappearance were expressed to the police.  The juvenile was safely located the following day at approximately 9:45 a.m.

State Rep. Terri Bryant held onto GOP support in the primary race Tuesday for the 115th House seat.

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

Victories in Tuesday’s primary election by Republican incumbent Gov. Bruce Rauner and Democrat J.B Pritzker sets the stage for a November showdown of two billionaires and what could be the most expensive gubernatorial campaign in history.

Here’s the link at the Chicago Sun-Times.

SPRINGFIELD — Gov. Bruce Rauner proclaimed today National Agriculture Day in Illinois and encouraged Illinoisans to celebrate the rich agricultural heritage of the state. This is the 45^th anniversary of National Ag Day and this year’s theme is “Agriculture: Food for Life.”

“As one of our largest industries, a thriving agricultural sector is crucial for the future viability and prosperity of Illinois,” Gov. Rauner said. “The billions of dollars generated from agricultural production, processing, and manufacturing in Illinois strengthen our rural and urban economies, providing quality jobs across the state. I hope that young Illinoisans recognize the variety of significant roles in agriculture and take advantage of those opportunities.”

Career paths in agriculture have greatly expanded from traditional farm roles to also include agribusiness management, sales and accounting, agronomy, pest control, and a wealth of technical roles. USDA projections show that job opportunities in the agricultural and environmental industries are expected to grow through the year 2020. However, colleges and universities currently train only enough students to fill 61% of the expected 57,900 average annual job openings in those industries. These figures highlight the importance of encouraging young Illinoisans to join and advance the state’s agriculture sector.  

“The world-class caliber of our farmers, the richness of our land, and the convenience of our quality transportation network gives Illinois deep roots as a national leader in agriculture,” Gov. Rauner said.

In 2017, Illinois had a record high corn yield and a three percent increase in soybean production from the previous year. Home to more than 72,000 farms, Illinois ranks first in soybean and pumpkin production, second in corn production, and fourth in pork production. Additionally, the state leads the nation in food processing sales.

The Rauner administration has worked to ease various burdens on the agricultural industry. In November, Rauner declared the state’s first harvest emergency in response to rain-related delays in getting products to market. From a regulatory standpoint, the Department of Agriculture has focused on a legislative agenda that reduces regulatory burden and modernizes the Department’s interaction with Illinois’ food and agriculture community.

 “Agriculture is the foundation for a healthy and prosperous nation which is made possible by the hard work of Illinois’ farm families,” said Raymond Poe, director of the Dept. of Ag. “Today we celebrate the nutritious and plentiful contributions of our state’s farmers, ranchers and producers.”

 According to the Agriculture Council of America, the amount of people each American farmer feeds has increased from 25 in the 1960s, to more than 165 people today.

Here’s everything you need to know from Tuesday’s primary election.

Here’s the link at the Southern Illinoisan.

INA, Ill.  – When it comes to navigating any number of technical or health care industries, Rend Lake College is here to help. This year, RLC is combining the popular Discovery Camp with new Career Technical Exploration (CTE) camps to offer more chances for middle and high school students to learn more about their future in these careers.

Students, specifically those between seventh and twelfth grades, are invited to attend one, two or three different camps on June 19-21 to learn more about the agriculture, computer science, health care, manufacturing, unmanned aircraft or drone, and welding industries. All of the camps are free to attendees and include a camp T-shirt.

Students enrolled in Agriculture Camp will experience being in the driver’s seat of a growing industry, featuring crops, soils, tractors, heavy equipment, and much more. This camp will address the many different career opportunities in agriculture while offering fun hands-on activities. The camp meets from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Tuesday, June 19 at the RLC Student Center on the Ina campus.

The multi-day Health Care Camp, also known as Discovery Camp, will immerse students in the world of health care. On day one, campers will learn about many health care fields, such as Emergency Medical Services, Radiology, Nursing, Medical Coding, Health Information Technology, Phlebotomy, and Medical Assisting. The second day of camp will be held at a local hospital for campers to interact with health care professionals and equipment.

The camp meets from 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 20 at the RLC Student Center on the Ina campus, and from 8:30 a.m. – noon, Thursday, June 21 at a local hospital. Additional details will be provided following receipt of registration.

Transportation will be provided to Health Care camp both days by establishing some pick-up and drop-off points throughout the area. Pick-up and drop-off points will be in McLeansboro, Mt. Vernon, Pinckneyville and the RLC Ina campus.

Students will learn about the viability of two popular production industries during Manufacturing and Welding Camp. The camp meets from 9 – 11:30 a.m. Thursday, June 21 at the RLC Student Center on the Ina campus.

Campers will get answers and help with two unique industries during Computer Science and Drones Camp. Get hands-on with state-of-the-art computer equipment and learn how to fly a drone while taking photos and film footage. The camp meets from 12:30 – 3 p.m. Thursday, June 21 at the RLC Student Center on the Ina campus.

Lunch will be provided during Agriculture and Health Care camps, and for those who attend both camps on June 21: Manufacturing and Welding camp in the morning and Computer Science and Drones camp in the afternoon. Parents and guardians are invited to attend with their student.

Applications are available by contacting RLC’s Community and Corporate Education Division at 618-437-5321, Ext. 1714 or commcorped@rlc.edu. Submit all completed applications to the division at 468 N. Ken Gray Pkwy, Ina, IL 62846. These camps are provided for free to local students, thanks to sponsorships.