Special Olympics Illinois Polar Plungers Jump into the Frigid Waters of Rend Lake on Saturday, March 3

March 1, 2018 By Leave a Comment

Benton, Ill. – Be a fan of brrr-avery! Support the Special Olympics athletes of Illinois by jumping into the waters of Rend Lake on Saturday, March 3 for the 2018 Rend Lake Polar Plunge. The funds raised from the Law Enforcement Torch Run Polar Plunge® will benefit the athletes of Special Olympics Illinois. Check-in for the plunge begins at 10:00 a.m. located at 12220 Rend City Road Benton, IL.

All Polar Plungers are required to collect a minimum of $100 in donations. People are encouraged to come in costume and to form teams. A team must consist of a minimum of five plungers.  Each team member must also raise the minimum of $100 in donations; all team members’ individual fundraising totals will be merged to form a combined team total.

Plungers will receive incentive prizes based on the amount of money they raise. By raising the minimum of $100, you will receive an official Plunge hooded sweatshirt. Sweatshirts will be available on a first come, first serve basis the day of the plunge. All individuals who do not receive a sweatshirt the day of the event will have one mailed to them in April. Other prizes are awarded at the $250, $500 and $1,000 levels and will be mailed to participants in April.

Plungers can register for the Plunge at www.plungeillinois.com or by contacting Rhonda Knight at 618-383- 4400. Plungers are invited to join the conversation and share who they will #PlungeWith on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

This is the 19th year of the LETR Polar Plunge. In 19 years, more than 66,000 plungers have raised more than $18.4 million. GEICO, RIU Hotels & Resorts, and Apple Vacations are proud to be the Statewide Presenting Polar Plunge Sponsors. This year’s Gold-Level Sponsors are WIthers Broadcasting/Dana Communications, WISH, WMIX, WDML WQRL, Southern Illinoisan, and WSIL TV3. This year’s Silver-Level Sponsors are Heartland Coca-Cola and Litton Ambulance. Thank you to all our 2018 Law Enforcement Torch Run Polar Plunge Sponsors.

About Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics

The Law Enforcement Torch Run® is the single largest year-round fundraising vehicle benefiting Special Olympics Illinois. The annual intrastate relay and its various fundraising projects have two goals: to raise money and to gain awareness for the athletes who participate in Special Olympics Illinois.

About Special Olympics Illinois

Special Olympics Illinois is a not-for-profit organization offering year-round training and competition in 18 sports for more than 23,000 athletes with intellectual disabilities and nearly 20,000 Young Athletes ages 2-7 with and without intellectual disabilities. Special Olympics transforms the lives of people with intellectual disabilities, allowing them to realize their full potential in sports and in life. Special Olympics programs enhance physical fitness, motor skills, self-confidence, social skills and encourage family and community support. If you are interested in learning more about Special Olympics Illinois, volunteering or providing financial support to help make Special Olympics programs possible, contact your local Special Olympics agency, call 800-394-0562 or visit our website at www.soill.org. Follow Special Olympics Illinois on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

Filed Under: Featured, Franklin Co. News

Simon Poll shows Rauner, Pritzker lead in primary elections

February 28, 2018 By Leave a Comment

From Southern Illinois University News Service

CARBONDALE, Ill. — Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Paul Simon Public Policy Institute has released its first poll for 2018. The most recent version of the Simon Poll™ shows Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and Democrat businessman JB Pritzker leading their respective party’s primaries.

Rauner leads challenger Jeanne Ives, a state representative from Wheaton, by 20 points, 51 percent to 31 percent. Pritzker leads State Sen. Daniel Biss of Evanston in the crowded Democratic primary by 10 points, 31 percent to 21 percent. Former University of Illinois Board of Trustees Chairman Chris Kennedy trails in third place at 17 percent.

Rauner trails both Democrats in general election

Peoria Public Radio image

In hypothetical general election matchups, Rauner trails both leading Democratic candidates by similar margins: Pritzker leads Rauner 50 percent to 35 percent; Biss leads Rauner 48 percent to 34 percent.

“It’s interesting that Pritzker’s and Biss’s margins over Rauner are essentially the same in The Simon Poll,” Charlie Leonard, an institute visiting professor involved in the polling, said. “One explanation may be that in the minds of voters — who may know little about either Biss or Pritzker — the decision may come down to ‘Rauner versus not-Rauner.’ If the election were held today, I’d rather be ‘not-Rauner.’”

Rauner has slight lead among downstate voters

Both Pritzker and Biss lead the governor by wide margins in the City of Chicago and the Chicago suburbs (see Table 9), while downstate, Rauner leads Pritzer by three points and leads Biss by eight points — keeping in mind the smaller sample sizes and wider margins for error in the geographic subgroups.

“It is three weeks to go until the March 20 primary and major events could still move these numbers,” said John S. Jackson, another designer of this poll. “However, for all the money and attention these two races have garnered, the results so far fairly faithfully reflect the bedrock strength of these two parties in the state of Illinois, and this advantages the Democrats.”

Harold, Raoul lead in Illinois Attorney General primaries

In the Republican primary for attorney general, Harvard Law graduate and Champaign-Urbana attorney Erika Harold, who is well known in Republican political circles, leads the lesser-known Gary Grasso, a DuPage County board member, 18 percent to 14 percent, with almost two-thirds undecided.

Eight candidates are vying for the Democratic party nomination for attorney general. State Sen. Kwame Raoul of Chicago leads the pack with 22 percent of those responding, with former Gov. Pat Quinn with 18 percent. None of the other candidates register double-digit support and 39 percent are undecided.

Detailed poll results are available online. 

Sample size and margin of error

The margin of error for the entire sample of 1,001 voters is plus or minus 3.1 percentage points. This means that if we conducted the survey 100 times, in 95 of those instances, the population proportion would be within plus or minus the reported margin of error for each subsample.

For subsamples, the margin of error increases as the sample size goes down. The margin of error was not adjusted for design effects. Among self-identified primary election voters, the margin is plus or minus 6 percentage points in the 259-voter sample of Republicans, and 4.5 percentage points in the sample of 472 Democrats.

Polling methodology

Live telephone interviews were conducted by Customer Research International of San Marcos, Texas using the random digit dialing method. The telephone sample was provided to Customer Research International by Scientific Telephone Samples.

Potential interviewees were screened based on whether they were registered voters and with quotas based on area code and sex (< 60 percent female). The sample obtained 51 percent male and 49 percent female respondents.

Interviewers asked to speak to the youngest registered voter at home at the time of the call. Cellphone interviews accounted for 60 percent of the sample. A Spanish language version of the questionnaire and a Spanish-speaking interviewer were made available.

Fieldwork was from Feb. 19 through Feb. 25. No auto-dial or “robo” polling is included. Customer Research International reports no Illinois political clients. The survey was paid for with non-tax dollars from the institute’s endowment fund.

The data was not weighted in any way. Crosstabs for the referenced questions will be on the institute’s polling website, simonpoll.org.

Polling data available for use by scholars and the public

The institute is a member of the American Association for Public Opinion Research’s (AAPOR) Transparency Initiative. AAPOR works to encourage objective survey standards for practice and disclosure. Membership in the Transparency Initiative reflects a pledge to practice transparency in reporting survey-based findings.

The Institute’s polling data are also archived by four academic institutions for use by scholars and the public. The four open source data repositories are:

 

Filed Under: Featured, Franklin Co. News, State News

80-year-old Elkville tornado survivor recounts one year ago

February 28, 2018 By Leave a Comment

Nadine Lacy and her daughter Nancy stand in front of their new home. (Source: Brittany Jacob/KFVS)

ELKVILLE, IL –  Wednesday will mark the one year anniversary of the devastating tornadoes that hit the Heartland region.

Many families lost their homes, their memories and even some of their loved ones. Despite the hardships the tornado brought, 80 year-old-survivor, Nadine Lacy, is holding up.

It was just one year ago when the city of Elkville witnessed one the most devastating tornadoes it had ever seen.

Please click on the link below for the story and video from Brittany Jacob and Carly O’ Keefe from KFVS-TV.

http://www.kfvs12.com/story/37551159/80-year-old-elkville-tornado-survivor-recounts-one-year-ago

Filed Under: Featured, Franklin Co. News

RLC crowns Bradley, Kovarik 2018 Homecoming King and Queen

February 28, 2018 By Leave a Comment

By ReAnne Palmer – Rend Lake College Public Information 

Lane Bradley and Amy Kovarik were crowned the Rend Lake College 2018 Homecoming King and Queen during halftime of the Warriors Basketball game Wednesday night. The King and Queen are voted for by the RLC student body every spring.
(ReAnne Palmer / RLC Public Information)

INA –  Rend Lake College announced the 2018 Homecoming King and Queen tonight during halftime of the Warriors basketball game tonight against Lincoln Trail College. Lane Bradley of Steeleville representing the Culinary Arts Club and Amy Kovarik of Sesser representing the Student Ambassadors were crowned King and Queen.

Bradley is the son of Tyler and Kristie Bradley. The Steeleville High School graduate is a Culinary Arts major at RLC. After graduating, Bradley plans to continue on to a four-year university to become a dietician.

Kovarik is the daughter of Mike and Dawn Kovarik. The Sesser-Valier High School graduate is a civil engineering major. Her future plans include transferring to Southern Illinois University to receive her Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering, and later finding a job in her field.

Runners-up for the evening were Cole Hutchens of Ewing representing the Student Ambassadors and Ellie Carlson of Pinckneyville representing the Women’s Golf team.

Hutchens is the son of Robert and Kathy Hutchens. The Benton Consolidated High School graduate is from Ewing and studies chemical engineering at RLC. After graduating, he plans to attend Missouri University of Science and Technology to continue studying chemical engineering.

The RLC 2018 Homecoming Court is, FROM LEFT, Cole Hutchens of Ewing; Amy Kovarik of Sesser; Brady Bibbs of Hornersville, Mo.; Kelsey Krutsinger of Flora; Garrett Jones of Bluford; Madison Webb of Dahlgren; Lane Bradley of Steeleville; and Ellie Carlson of Pinckneyville.
(ReAnne Palmer / RLC Public Information)

Carlson is the daughter of Jim and Cheryl Carlson. The Pinckneyville Community High School graduate is an undecided major at RLC. Her future plans include attending Southern Illinois University Carbondale to major in health care management.

Other King candidates were Brady Bibbs of Hornersville, Mo. and Garrett Jones of Bluford.

Bibbs is the son of Mark and Sarah Bibbs. From Hornersville, Missouri, the Senath-Hornersville High School graduate is a social work major at RLC who competes with the Baseball team. He plans to continue his academic and athletic careers in the future.

Jones is the son of Wayne Jones and Lori Hails. The Webber Township High School graduate is an engineering major at RLC who is representing the Thespians. In the future, he plans to transfer to Southern Illinois University Edwardsville to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering.

Other Queen candidates were Kelsey Krutsinger of Flora and Madison Webb of Dahlgren.

Krutsinger is the daughter of Chris and Joe Krutsinger. The Flora High School graduate is an elementary education major at RLC who competes for the Lady Warriors Softball team. She plans to transfer to a four-year school to continue playing softball.

Webb is the daughter of Ricky and Frankie Webb. The Hamilton County Senior High School graduate is a musical theatre major at RLC representing the Thespians. Her future plans are undecided.

 

Filed Under: Featured, Franklin Co. News, Slider

RLCD board passes 2.5 percent water rate hike

February 27, 2018 By Leave a Comment

WSIL image

BENTON – Water will be a bit more expensive for hundreds of thousands of people in southern Illinois.

The Rend Lake Conservancy District board passed a 2.5 percent rate hike Monday morning.

Rend Lake Conservancy District General Manager Keith Thomason said the increase gives the district flexibility down the road to complete repairs.

“The Rend Lake Conservancy District is attempting to make these repairs and never have a significant rate increase, which means we have to look into the future and that we will not ever go cash negative,” Thomason said. “We’re going to pay as we go and we are not going to take big debt which then burdens our children in the future years to pay that debt for us.”

Please click on the link for the full story from Joe Ragusa of WSIL-TV

http://www.wsiltv.com/story/37596447/rlcd-board-passed-25-percent-water-rate-hike

Filed Under: Featured, Franklin Co. News

Benton Mayor Lobbying for Federal Infrastructure Money

February 27, 2018 By Leave a Comment

BENTON – During the Public Affairs Report at the Feb. 12 Benton City Council meeting, Mayor Kondritz said that Benton’s water department and infrastructure had been under a lot of stress due to recent weather and the aging of the city’s water and sewer lines.

 “I saw where President Trump introduced a $1.5 trillion (budget) bill, and I don’t care what you think about that situation. What I care about is that as the City of Benton, I want our slice of the federal pie,” Kondritz said.
Please click on the link for the full story from the Benton Gazette.
Filed Under: Benton News, Featured

Witthoft donations upgrade RLC’s Learning Resource Center

February 26, 2018 By Leave a Comment

By ReAnne Palmer, Rend Lake College Public Information 

INA, IL – Thanks to the donation and dedication of one former Rend Lake College employee, the interior of the college’s Learning Resource Center (LRC) received a much-needed upgrade over holiday break. Andrea Witthoft, retired Vice President of Institutional Effectiveness, saw the need to improve the aesthetics and environment of the facility, and decided to help.

Witthoft, CENTER, poses before one of the updated interior walls of the LRC Tuesday afternoon. Also pictured is RLC President Terry Wilkerson, LEFT, and RLC Foundation CEO Kay Zibby-Damron, RIGHT.
(ReAnne Palmer / RLC Public Information)

Witthoft, a resident of Anna, retired from RLC in December of 2016, just before her 18th anniversary with the college. She was no stranger to higher education in Southern Illinois, having another nine years of service at Shawnee Community College. In addition to her years working on campus, in retirement Witthoft is a consistent donor to the RLC Foundation who specified a portion of her donations to improvements in the LRC.

Members of the RLC Physical Plant performed the updates during the recent holiday break so as to not disrupt students. It was completely shortly before students arrived on campus to start the Spring 2018 semester.

Terry Wilkerson, RLC President, said,” Rend Lake College and the RLC Foundation are very honored and humbled to have a supporter like Andrea Witthoft who sees the needs of the college and responds to them through personal donations. It’s particularly significant that she’s a retired employee who is continuing to be involved with the on-goings at RLC. She’s gone above and beyond to her commitment to the college, and she’s the perfect example of seeing a need, wanting to help, and making the solution a reality.”

 

Filed Under: Featured, Franklin Co. News

Franklin County Sheriff’s Office Arrest Report

February 26, 2018 By Leave a Comment
BENTON – Franklin County Sheriff Don Jones has reported the following incidents/arrests.  The public is reminded that all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
2-14-18 at 8:13 pm Deputies responded to a domestic dispute in rural West Frankfort. The investigation resulted in the arrest of April D. Plemons age 36 of Benton for domestic battery.
2-16-18 at 6:26 am Deputies responded to a single vehicle crash on Park St. Road west of Hwy. Rt. 148. A 1995 Toyota Avalon driven by Courtney D. Smith age 20 of Valier was east bound when the driver lost control and ran off the roadway into a ditch. There were no injuries. The driver was ticketed for failure to reduce speed to avoid a crash.
2-17-18 at 2:59 am Deputies responded to a single vehicle traffic crash on State Hwy. Rt. 14 at Sam Pyle Bridge Road. A 2012 Chevrolet Silverado Pick-Up Truck driven by Andrew J. Reece age 21 of Mulkeytown was west bound on Rt. 14. The Pick-Up ran off the roadway on the north side, first striking a power line box, the Pick-Up continued through the yard of a residence and struck a tree on the driver’s side. The driver and sole occupant appeared to have been killed on impact. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene by Franklin County Coroner Marty Leffler. Alcohol is believed to have been a factor.
2-17-18 at 11:43 am Deputies responded to a single vehicle crash on Crocker Road at Quail north west of Sesser. A 2014 Ford driven by Emily L. Haycraft age 19 of Tamaroa was west bound on Crocker Rd. and lost control due to slick road conditions. The vehicle left the roadway on the south side and struck a tree. The driver and sole occupant received major injuries and was transported to a local hospital by Abbott E.M.S. Sesser Fire First Responders also responded and assisted at the scene.
2-18-18 at 5:12 am Deputies responded to a single vehicle crash on State Hwy. 37 ½ mile south of Rend Lake College Road. A 2007 Dodge Ram Pick-Up Truck driven by Brock E. Scoggins age 27 of Mt. Vernon was north bound on Rt. 37 and failed to negotiate a curve, traveling off the roadway on the west side, through a ditch, overturning and rolling several times. The driver was unbelted and was ejected. He was located 82.5 feet north of the Pick-Up Truck. A Deputy at the scene attempted C.P.R., however the driver was later pronounced dead at a local hospital after being transported by Abbott E.M.S. Alcohol was a factor in the crash.
2-18-18 at 6:07 pm Deputies responded to a domestic dispute at a residence in Valier. The investigation resulted in the arrest of Andrea L. Avalos age 26 of Valier for domestic battery.
2-20-18 at 1:18 pm a traffic stop in Benton resulted in the arrest of Loren J. Owens age 38 of Benton for driving while license suspended.
2-22-18 at 11:25 pm the investigation of a minor traffic crash on Park St. Road in rural Mulkeytown resulted in the arrest of Cori M. Siefert age 26 of Sesser for driving under the influence of alcohol.
2-23-18 at 8:52 am Deputies responded to the Zeigler-Royalton Grade School. A male 14 year old student had verbally threatened the safety of students and staff. The student was not armed or in possession of any type of weapon and no student was ever in danger. The juvenile was taken into custody without incident is being detained in the Franklin County Juvenile Detention Center.
WARRANT ARRESTS
2-14-18 Devin A. O’Daniel age 25 of Royalton. Failure to appear on drug charges
2-15-18 Cody J. Yard age 25 of West Frankfort. Failure to appear for resisting a peace officer
2-17-18 Ashlee N. Austill age 22 of Duquoin. Failure to appear on traffic charges
2-20-18 Jennifer M. Smith age 46 of West Frankfort. Violation of probation
Filed Under: Featured, Franklin Co. News

Reflections on Higher Education: Dual Credit

February 26, 2018 By Leave a Comment

 

Dual credit or concurrent course credit allows high school students to take courses to earn a high school diploma and college credit simultaneously. Strong opinions abound on both sides of dual-credit discussions. This approach especially helps poor and first-generation students. The discussion heats up when any student—rich or poor, gifted or challenged—graduates receiving a high school diploma and an associate’s degree concurrently.

In some states, community colleges offer dual credit; in others, senior institutions participate. There are many permutations. In the Texas Panhandle, 22 students graduated from Borger High School and Frank Phillips Community College simultaneously in 2017, and 11 of them enrolled at West Texas A&M University. The 17- or 18-year-old high school/community college graduates-, having selected courses carefully, enrolled in junior-level classes at senior institutions. This is where contentious discussions start.

Questions regarding emotional maturity, watered-down college credit, genuine college readiness from an intellectual and emotional standpoint and a multitude of other concerns are legitimate. However, if dual credit in high school affords early and serious career, study and readiness assessment, students will likely benefit from thoughtfully applied dual credit.

Growth in dual-credit subscription is born in a number of places. Chief among them is the increasing cost of university attendance. High prices and perceived stagnant quality drives students and families toward a deliberate, personally managed approach to reducing the costs of education.

helpwithassignment.com

While visiting high schools in the Texas Panhandle, I met a young man who within one week was simultaneously graduating from both Bushland High School and Amarillo College. In front of the audience, filled with 200 of his classmates, I offered him a WT scholarship. He declined the offer on the spot. I asked him why. “I will be attending Columbia University in the fall,” said he. I asked him if he had a scholarship. He replied, “I have a full scholarship.” I responded, “I cannot compete with that,” and then I asked him of the 60 dual-credit hours he earned, how many would transfer. He said, “Six hours would transfer.” Clearly, the efficiencies and pragmatics of gaining a degree in a shorter time were not his first priority. After the assembly, the principal affirmed to me that he was one of the brightest students she had ever met.

One student looks for challenges, while another seeks expediency and some pursue both. Variety in student motivation exists at every turn. Public universities must be responsive to a wide range of student interests and aptitudes, including the costs of education. It is our business. Policies, exaggerated expectations and legislative pressures for the past half-century imprudently advocated that everyone should go to college, even if they were neither motivated nor prepared.

Coupled with irresponsible lending, universities frequently focus on income generation, which is sometimes masqueraded as social concern rather than student well-being. The marketplace is voting with its feet. Dual credit can reduce time and cost without sacrificing quality. The value of an excellent educational experience, if too much debt is incurred in achieving it and too little benefit is found in its attainment, is under assault on many fronts. Careful analysis confirms this. Further, according to Brookings, “jumbo” student loans spray gasoline on the fire like the housing bubble.

Dual-credit programs are growing rapidly. The Dallas Independent School District determines that soon thousands of students will graduate from Dallas ISD with earned associate’s degrees. These are not necessarily junk degrees, but opportunities to increase access and reduce the cost of higher education. Many of these combined degrees are rigorous and thoughtful. The wave is coming. University leadership can resist it; they may claim it inferior or antithetical to a “real” university experience. Histrionics fail. The marketplace is at work, and the motivation in many cases is that these community college degrees are at low or no cost to the student.

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) has proposed that 60% of all Texans ages 25-30 will have earned some type of post-secondary credential by 2030. The THECB has defined dual credit’s role. This is an ambitious goal. It is a serious commitment to improve the quality and nature of the Texas workforce. Business as usual is failing.

Dual credit with “wailing and gnashing of teeth” will become part of the solution. The measures of student ability, indicators of grading procedures and mastery of subject matter all contribute to serious challenges that universities, community colleges and secondary schools must address. In some states, such as Minnesota, efforts are afoot to require the preponderance of high school students to take at least one dual-credit course. This could be an enlightened approach if the dual-credit courses meet rigorous intellectual standards.

As dual-credit students enter universities, especially WT, quality measured by academic achievement and attainment of life aspirations will be tracked carefully. We owe that to our students, communities and state: It is a public responsibility.

Filed Under: Columns, Featured, Opinion

Meet the cast: RLC’s 2018 Spring Musical “The Addams Family”

February 25, 2018 By Leave a Comment

By ReAnne Palmer – Rend Lake College Public Information 

Rend Lake College
Spring Musical 2018

Directed by Sara Alstat

THE ADDAMS FAMILY


Book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice
Music and Lyrics by Andrew Lippa
Based on Characters Created by Charles Addams

Thursday – Saturday
April 5 – 7, 2018
7 p.m.

Sunday
April 8, 2018
2 p.m.

 

All tickets are $12. Tickets will be available Monday, March 19. To order tickets, contact the Box Office at (618) 437-5321 or (800) 369-5321, Ext. 1467. Visa, MasterCard, and Discover accepted.

 

  • Alex Brue (Chandlerville) as Grandma
  • Seth Ellis (Mt. Vernon) as Mal Beineke
  • Emeri-Jean Farnum (Benton) as Wednesday Addams
  • Taylor Frank (Valier) as an Ancestor, Alice Beineke understudy
  • Kailey Greer (Pinckneyville) as an Ancestor
  • Shayne Kempfer (Coulterville) as an Ancestor
  • Korey Klausing (Coulterville) as Lurch
  • Alexandria Kubiak (Ashley) as Morticia Addams
  • Melina Launay (Mt. Vernon) as Alice Beineke
  • Nealia Lewis (Waltonville) as an Ancestor
  • Matthew Loucks (Sesser) as Gomez Addams
  • Jon Mandrell (West Frankfort) as Pugsley Addams, an Ancestor
  • Adrianna Maxwell (Macedonia) as an Ancestor
  • Zion McMillan (Mt. Vernon) as Uncle Fester
  • Bailey Palmer (Herrin) as an Ancestor, Wednesday Addams understudy
  • Benjamin Payne (Bonnie) as an Ancestor
  • Lucy Rains (Mt. Vernon) as an Ancestor
  • Parker Robbins (Sesser) as Lucas Beineke
  • Riley Rogers (Wayne City) as Pugsley Addams, an Ancestor
  • Maggie Sanders (Pinckneyville) as an Ancestor
  • Cade Shadowens (Benton) as an Ancestor
  • Celia Summers (Macedonia) as an Ancestor
  • Madison Webb (Dahlgren) as an Ancestor, Morticia Addams understudy
Filed Under: Featured, Franklin Co. News
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