SESSER — An investigation underway in Sesser Saturday night, at one point, involved more than one unit of the Illinois State Police Homicide Squad. Witnesses tell us it happened on Locust Street, 
though city officials could not confirm that. Sesser Mayor Jason Ashmore could only say police officers needed assistance “checking something out” and that Sesser had “NO MURDER” take place. Stay with News Three on air, and on-line, as this story continues to develop, we’ll update you with any details we uncover. Franklincounty-news.com will monitior local media sources to keep everyone updated. Link taken from WSIL website.
Police investigation in Sesser
December 4, 2016 By Leave a Comment
Three-week speech class returning to RLC for Summer 2017
December 3, 2016 By Leave a Comment
INA, Ill. (Dec. 1, 2016) – Rend Lake College students and other students home for the summer break can knock out a required speech class next summer in only three weeks. RLC is again offering the intersession class between the Spring and Summer 2017 semesters.
The class – Principles of Effective Speaking (COMM 1101) – will meet from 8 a.m. – 12:10 p.m. Monday through Thursday beginning May 15, excluding Memorial Day, in the Academic Building, Room 209, on the Ina campus. The last day of class will be June 1, just in time to start regular summer classes the following week.
RLC Professor Elizabeth Bailey-Smith said this is the second time she’s taught the class during the summer, and students last year found the layout helped to keep them on their toes.
“One student stated, ‘I am usually somewhat of a procrastinator, but I didn’t have time to procrastinate with this class.’ It offers the opportunity for students to complete a three-credit hour class in less than three weeks. It’s intense, but only 11 times,” said Bailey-Smith.
In addition to the shorter-than-normal schedule, students enrolled in the intersession class have added benefits. Bailey-Smith explained, “Students can focus on one course and receive more one-on-one attention because of the small class size and longer sessions.”
Principles of Effective Speaking is a requirement for many programs and degrees at RLC and other institutions to which the class can transfer. To register for the course, contact RLC’s Academic Advisement Center at 618-437-5321, Ext. 1266 or advising@rlc.edu.
Mrs. Della Eickelmann – Christopher
November 27, 2016 By Leave a Comment
Della L. Eickelmann, 90 of Christopher IL 
, passed away peacefully surrounded by family and loved ones on Saturday November 26, 2016. Della was born April 10, 1926 to John and Millie (Pyles) Martin on Karber’s Ridge in Gallatin County Illinois. Della’s youth was spent on High Knob attending a one room school house with her 10 brothers and sisters.
On January 1, 1944 she married Cecil Cole Eickelmann of Buckner who preceded her in death. They had three children, Gary Cole, Raymond Dale and Gaila Marie. They shared a happy life together and enjoyed square dancing, gardening, fishing, spending time with loved ones. Della worked as a cook at Christopher, Herrin, and Benton hospitals and as a seamstress for many years. She enjoyed playing pinochle with the same group of ladies for 54 years. Della loved cooking, canning, crocheting and quilting.
She is survived by her children Raymond Eickelmann of Valier and Gaila Carpenter of Buckner; Grandchildren: Theresa Eickelmann of Centralia, John Eickelmann of Valier, Nicole Pace of Union KY and Mackenzie Stephenson of Marion; Great Grandchildren: Drew, Samantha, Ginger, Jacob, Makaylah, Shelby, Riley and Anne-Marie. Brother William Floyd Martin of Marion, and sister Mary Barker of Jamestown, Tennesee, as well as many nieces and nephews.
Preceding Della in death are her parents, husband Cecil, sons Cecil Cole and Gary Cole. Grandson Richard Eickelmann and siblings Frank Martin, Annabelle Carnahan, Lawrence Martin, Phoebe Davis, A.B . “Pepper” Martin, John Martin, Rosetta Colbert and Treva Chisler.
Funeral services will be on Wednesday November 30, 2016 at 11:00 A.M. at the Gilbert Funeral Home in Christopher. Burial will be in Harrison Cemetery in Buckner. Visitation will be on Tuesday November 29, 2016 from 6:00 P.M. until 8:00 P.M. at the funeral home.
In lieu of flowers donations can be made to St Jude’s Children’s Hospital or March of Dimes and will be accepted at the funeral home.
For more information go tour website www.gilbertfuneralhomes.com
Tigers Defeat Conference Foe NCOE
November 25, 2016 By Leave a Comment
Tigers Defeat Conference Foe NCOE
By Steve Dunford
Franklin County Hoops and Gridiron
CHRISTOPHER- The Thompsonville Tigers ran in to their conference rivals the Norris City-Omaha-Enfield Fighting Cardinals last night in a consolation semi final game Wednesday night at the 42 annual Christopher Thanksgiving Tournament. This was the third meeting in the last four games against the crew from White County. The first was a 31-28 win for the Tigers on the last regular season game of the year. They faced in the first round of the Crab Orchard 1A regional last year, falling 54-49 to the Cardinals. Wednesday night the Tigers held on for a 78-75 victory.
Monday night during the NCOE-Christopher game Thompsonville Coach Pete Gordon was drawing up press breakers. He told me we are going to feed the kids at school tomorrow (Tuesday) breakfast for a PBIS award, and we are going to come in and go two to four and work entirely on breaking this. The Tigers had no trouble breaking it. He inserted another guard in the lineup, 6’ 1” freshman Corbin Fitch for 6’ 7” inch Sophomore Center Anthoney Darge. Fitch ended up leading the Tigers with 21 on the night and nearly had a double double with eight rebounds. Fitch also drew the tough defensive assignment of NCOE sharpshooter Matt Long. Long only had one three on the night and most of his game high 26 came from the charity stripe.
Just like in the Fighting Cardinals opening game with Christopher, they come out like a house afire. The Tigers were breaking the press but the lid was on the basket. Another déjà vu minute from opening night was just like in the Webber game Thompsonville PG Tyson Kessler was keeping the team afloat. He ended up with 16 on the night. Kessler nearly had a double double also with nine assists. Fighting Cardinal Center Cooper Wells was getting a lot of open looks. When the Tigers were in some foul trouble and Darge came in the game late in the first quarter, wells was pushed out to the perimeter. At the end of the first quarter, the Tigers run the length of the floor and Fitch throws up a one hand buzzer beater to cut the Thompsonville lead to 20-14.
Play was wild, wooly and rugged in the second quarter. Thompsonville goes into the double bonus with 6:14 to go. I am going to say this here, the veteran crew of Bobby Blondi, Robby Blondi, and Larry Petit did an outstanding job on last nights game. NCOE went into it late in the first half. The Tigers were much improved from the FT line There was a lot of marching to the North end of “The Cave” last night. Both teams go down to the locker rooms with NCOE with a one point lead.
Whether on film or live last year I watched nearly every second of Tiger basketball last year. Darge had by far the best quarter he played. He had eight of his 12 points on the night, four rebounds and a couple of assists. He had seven boards total on the night. With three and some change NCOE Coach Evan Wyllie gets “T”d up. T’ville took the lead in the quarter and was up by eight. They go one for two from the line turn the ball and NCOE begins their final run of the game. At the end of three, the Tigers had a 57-53 lead.
In the fourth NCOE takes back the lead and looks like they were going to most likely play Z-R at 4:30pm Saturday. Midway through the fourth quarter Pete Gordon calls a time out after a Tiger turnover with the Fighting Cardinals up six and the ball. The Tigers start chipping away with Fitch getting a couple of steals.
T’ville ties it at 75 with a bucket from Kessler at the 1:13 mark. NCOE goes for one and coughs the ball up. Darge picks up an offensive board to put Thompsonville up 77-75 with :22. The next possession Long is found down low in the post and Darge blocks his shot. Jared Payne hits one for two from the line with :03 and seals the victory. I could not read my handwriting and I was trying to recall this from memory. I will have to watch the video to verify how much truth.
This is the type of win the Tigers needed after losing so many barn burners last year. I was talking to Webber Township coach Brad Beatty. He kept telling me he was not looking forward to us making the trip up to Bluford in a couple of weeks, while he was waiting to finally take the floor in a very long contest.
The Tigers advance to 1-1 on the season and will play in the consolation championship against the winner of Zeigler-Royalton/Hamilton County JV tomorrow afternoon at 4:30pm . NCOE will play the loser of the contest at 3pm for seventh place.
KEYS TO THE GAME:
1. Between Zack Kirkman and Anthoney Darge…the Tigers had 14 points of the bench. Pete Gordon has a much deeper bench this year.
2. The Tigers put four men in double figures. That would not have happened last year. Reed Raubach crept up on me when I looked at things. He scored 13 on the night.
3. There were very few unforced turnovers….the FT Shooting was better 21/38 55%. Keep improving and push that 70% mark. Yes they had 26 turnovers, which I think is acceptable in that type of play.
4. These kids won their second barn-burner out of four. Both of the wins were against NCOE. They need one or two more like that. When they do, it will be some very very fun times over the next few years.
5. NCOE will hit a lot of threes. The Tiger defense held them to two. They were very good defensively. You might see the box score, but I have not watched a 1A team play like NCOE, even the Webber Township teams of the mid 90’s.
6. Sixty-Four of the 78 scored by the Tigers were out of freshmen and sophomores. Jared Payne and Cory Wilce had seven points each on the night. Wilce had six rebounds and five assists. Payne had seven boards and spent half the night on the bench in foul trouble. Wilce had a layoff during the summer from illness. When he gets his stroke back, watch out when he starts bombing threes.
BOX SCORE:
THOMPSONVILLE (78) Fitch 9 0 3-6 21; Kessler 6 0 4-6 16; Raubach 4 1 4-4 13 Darge 6 0 4-6 12; Payne 2 0 3-5 7; Wilce 1 0 5-12 7; Kirkman 0 0 2-3 2. TOTALS
NCOE (75) Long 7 1 9-10 26; Wells 7 1 5-9 23; Healey 3 0 4-6 10; O’Neill 0 0 3-5 3 Taylor 1 0 0-0 2; Verble 2 1 0-0 7; Baumgarte 0 0 2-4 2; Skaggs 1 0 0-0 2; Simmons 1 0 0-0 2
SCORE BY QUARTERS:
THOMPSONVILLE (1-1) 14 22 21 21 -78
NCOE (0-2) 20 17 16 22-75
TECHNICAL FOULS: NCOE Bench…
Peabody, UMWA settle dispute over retiree health benefits
October 10, 2013 By Leave a Comment
The United Mine Workers of America has agreed to a $400 million agreement with Peabody Energy Corp. and Patriot Coal Corp. that settles a bitter dispute over healthcare benefits for retirees in the wake of Patriot’s bankruptcy.
Here’s the link to the story in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Cast revealed for RLC fall play “Treasure Island”
October 8, 2013 By Leave a Comment
“Treasure Island” will feature several returning actors to the RLC theater stage, including a duo who have performed together five times.
Aaron Dawson, a 15-year-old from Benton, will be playing the role of Captain Flint, a parrot puppet. “Treasure Island” will be Dawson’s ninth show with Webb and 11th show of his acting career, making him one of the more experienced of the actors and also the youngest.
“I have a lot of fun at the theater and I get to meet all sorts of new people,” said Dawson. “When I was younger, my parents asked me if I was interested in acting, so I tried it and I really liked it. Tracey invited me to do a show at Rend Lake after seeing me with Pyramid Players [a theater company out of Benton], and it went very well.”
TWO DAYS OF DANCING
Cast members of Rend Lake College’s fall play “Treasure Island” spent two days last week learning a dance number for the musical piece in RLC’s Theatre. The play will open at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 7 and will run through Sunday, Nov. 10. Tickets are on sale, starting Oct. 7.
(ReAnne Palmer / RLC Public Information)
Dawson said he plans to attend Rend Lake College in a few years as a general studies and theater major before graduating and attending ministerial school.
Another actor from Benton, John Nalley, will be joining Dawson on stage for his fifth show as the notorious Long John Silver. Nalley has had several starring roles on the RLC theater stage, including the father in Father of the Bride, Mr. Banks.
“My friend and I auditioned on a whim back in 2009, and we ended up playing the villain and villainess in the show,” said Nalley. “I began to think of the theater as my home away from home. I’ll take any role, big or small, as long as I get to perform.”
In addition to Dawson and Nalley, there are 33 actors, all of which are expected to help build the set in addition to learning lines and dances:
- Tara Bell Janowick (Johnston City) as Meg Trueblood
- Phillip Borcherding (Mt. Vernon) as Banjo Brody (banjo)
- Bethaney Brown (Mt. Vernon) as Nightingale Nell
- Shawna Cardwell (Benton) as Whipstitch Winnie
- Phillip Catt (Tamaroa) as Newport Ned
- Nick Conner (Sesser) as Nathaniel Crisp
- Elecia Crider (Woodlawn) as Shoreditch Sal
- Cortne Fletcher (Benton) as Canterbury Kate
- Curtis Galloway (Benton) as Israel Hands
- Donald T. Graham-Barnett (Du Quoin) as Peatbog Pat
- Sierra Harrell (Mt. Vernon) as Miss Lucinda Livesey
- John Hunsell (Mt. Vernon) as Old Joe
- Brandon Isom (Christopher) as Gentleman Jack
- Robin Johnson (Benton) as Greystoke Gertie
- Clay Lewis (Mt. Vernon) as Hardy
- Chris Milburn (Mt. Vernon) as Captain Obadiah Smollett
- Thomas Miller (Pinckneyville) as Tenderloin Ted (guitar)
- George Motsinger (Christopher) as Barnacle Billy
- Cheyenne Needham (Benton) as Cornwall Kelly
- Josh Nelson (Mt. Vernon) as Ben Gunn
- Quentin Overturf (McLeansboro) as Blind Pugh
- Vonnie Palmer (Johnston City) as Mad Mary Maguire
- Shelby Patterson (Waltonville) as Piccadilly Poll
- Eric Price (Benton) as Jim Hawkins
- Danielle Roberts (Mt. Vernon) as Dizzy Delores (recorder)
- Devin Riley (Dix) as Harry Flash
- Trevor Skidmore (Mt. Vernon) as Lionheart Lenny
- Christina South (Enfield) as Lady Jacqueline Trelawney
- Caleb Staples (Mt. Vernon) as Black Dog
- Troy Stickey (Benton) as George Merry and Billy Bones
- Lauryn Strom (Sesser) as Liverpool Lee (percussion)
- Shannon Twitty (Bluford) as Sherwood Sheila (tambourine)
- Yuting Zhang (Dahlgren) as Cheng I Sao
There are also several crew members and volunteers helping with the play, including Skyler Alldredge (Benton), Josh Dawson (Benton), Nicole Foskey (Johnston City), Timothy Learned (Mulkeytown), Anthony Mitchell (Benton), Josh Moyer (Mt. Vernon), Shelby Patterson (Waltonville), Jessa Poninski (Mt. Vernon), Aaron Ramsey (Mt. Vernon), Matthew Rush (Benton), Krystal Schuh (Newton) and Shannon Webb (Ewing).
Tickets for the play will go on sale today (Oct. 7) for $12 a ticket. Show times are 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 7 through Saturday, Nov. 9; and 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 10. To purchase tickets, contact Cathy Cross at 618-437-5321, Ext. 1263. Tickets will be available at the Theatre on show night if they are not sold out.
Obituary – Norma Jean Coffel – Christopher
October 8, 2013 By Leave a Comment
CHRISTOPHER – Norma Jean Coffel, 70, died Sunday, Oct. 6, 2013, in Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis.
She was born in Prairie du Rocher to Monroe and Irene (Heller) Sickmeier. She was married to Robert “Bob” Coffel for 37 years.
Mrs. Coffel was a retired elementary schoolteacher in Christopher for 37 years and was a member of First Christian Church in Christopher.
She is survived by her children, Christina Busch and Sandra Bullock, both of Georgia and grandchildren, Aaron Busch and Allison Busch, both of Georgia. Also surviving are siblings, Gloria Sickmeier of Johnston City, Jerry Sickmeier and Steve Sickmeier, both of Columbia, Roger Sickmeier of Waterloo, Gale Ray of Chester and Lynn Yearouf of Georgia and several nieces and nephews.
Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Thursday in Gilbert Funeral Home in Christopher with the Rev. Daniel Ison officiating. Burial will be in Harrison Cemetery in Buckner. Visitation will be after 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 9, at the funeral home.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to First Christian Church in Christopher and will be accepted at the funeral home.
She was preceded in death by her parents.
Gilbert Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. For more information visit gilbertfuneralhomes.com. –
RLC awarded up to $2.25 million from U.S. Department of Education
October 7, 2013 By Leave a Comment
INA, Ill. – Big changes lie ahead for students looking into healthcare at Rend Lake College as updated curricula, student support services and new programs will be taking shape over the next five years with the help of federal grant money.
The Title III Pathways to Success in Health Careers Grants were announced last week by the U. S. Department of Education (USDE), which added that a total of approximately $20.1 million in grants to 39 colleges and universities across the nation will be awarded under the Strengthening Institutions Program (SIP).
RLC will receive the first grant payment this fiscal year in the amount of $449,960 to begin making big changes in the Allied Health Division. Kim Robert, Dean of Allied Health and Project Director, said the grant money will help increase educational prospects for RLC students.
Annually, per approval by the USDE, RLC will receive approximately $449,000 annually, for a total of $2,249,833 over five years. By the end of the grant period, RLC expects to see an increase in the number of Health Studies degrees and certificates awarded, as well as an increase in overall enrollment and enrollment-based revenue.
“The Allied Health Division is extremely excited to be awarded such a grant from the U. S. Department of Education, and we look forward to utilizing it to help our students in a number of ways,” said Robert. “We are looking into starting some new programs, purchasing equipment and starting an Allied Health Student Success Center to help our students be successful in their field of choice. Personally, I’m looking forward to working with the Rend Lake College staff to prepare our students for life after graduation in a number of healthcare occupations.”
Other plans include the establishment of a new Anatomy & Physiology (A&P) lab and revision of A&P I and II curricula, revisions to the Practical Nursing program curricula to incorporate educational simulation and web-based interactive instructional modules, development a new Health Studies advising and tutoring systems, and the establishment of a new Health Studies Success Center.
“Rend Lake College is one of only 39 schools across the nation to receive a part of the $20.1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education, and the only one in Illinois,” said RLC President Terry Wilkerson. “The grant will help us improve on our health studies programs, including the addition of two programs, and the support our staff can give to our students. On behalf of the college, faculty and staff, I want to thank the Department of Education for believing in Rend Lake College and our students by helping us expand our educational options and become one of the best higher education institutions in healthcare.”
Information from the USDE states that the healthcare and social assistance sector will create 149,000 new jobs in Illinois alone by 2018, effectively ranking Illinois as one of the top five states in the nation with the greatest shortage of healthcare professionals. More than a third of RLC students, or 35 percent, identify completion of health studies as an educational goal, and enrollment in these programs has increased 22 percent since the 2009-10 academic year.
U. S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan stateddue to these job increases, both in Illinois and across the country, grants such as the Pathways to Success in Health Careers will allow students more options for careers post-graduation.
“Everyone deserves access to high-quality learning opportunities, from preschool to middle school and all the way through college,” said Duncan. “In order to achieve President Obama’s goal to lead the world in college graduates by 2020, we must work to ensure that everyone has a chance to enroll and complete postsecondary education. These grants will boost the capacity and quality of programs offered by higher education institutions that serve low-income students as they work to increase completion rates and better prepare their students for success in college, careers and lifetime aspirations.”
SIP helps postsecondary schools expand their capacity to serve low-income students by providing funds to improve and strengthen their academic quality, institutional management and fiscal stability, as well as build a framework to help students complete college.
For more information, contact Kim Robert at 618-437-5321, Ext. 1251.
Benton police make multiple weekend arrests
October 7, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Benton police reported a busy weekend with multiple arrests.
On October 5, 2013 Benton Police arrested Koltyn Irvin, age 24, of Christopher for public indecency and resisting a peace officer. Irvin was charged and transported to the Franklin County Jail for further processing.
On October 5, 2013 Benton Police arrested David J. Marks, age 42, of Carbondale for driving while suspended. Marks was charged and transported to the Franklin County Jail for further processing.
On October 5, 2013 Benton Police were dispatched to the 100 block of East Main Street in reference to a domestic disturbance. Through investigation, police arrested Angela K. Behringer, age 42, of Benton for aggravated battery and vehicular invasion. Behringer was charged and transported to the Franklin County Jail for further processing.
On October 6, 2013 Benton Police arrested Nichole R. Maynor, age 32, of Benton on an active Franklin County warrant for failure to appear. Maynor was transported to the Franklin County Jail for further processing.
On October 6, 2013 Benton Police were dispatched to the 200 block of West Sixth Street in reference to criminal trespass. Through investigation, police arrested Randy A. Joy, age 30, of Ina for criminal trespass to property. Joy was charged and transported to the Franklin County Jail for further processing.
On October 6, 2013 Benton Police arrested Anthony D. Cano, age 22, of Herrin for violation of order of protection. Cano was charged and transported to the Franklin County Jail for further processing.
Obituary – Elizabeth May Bowling – Christopher
October 7, 2013 By Leave a Comment
CHRISTOPHER – Elizabeth May Bowling, 79, of Christopher, IL, passed away October 4, 2013 at Herrin Hospital.
Elizabeth was born on May 7, 1934 in Mulkeytown, IL to Otto Ensigner and Ollie (Webb) Ensinger.
She married Darrell Bowling and he preceded her in death on July 23, 1990. Elizabeth was a homemaker and a member of South Side Baptist Church in Christopher.
She is survived by a daughter, Sandra Wilder and husband Don, of Petersburg, IN. Also surviving are grandchildren, Shawn Williams, of Carbondale and Shelly Powell and husband Jay, of Petersburg, IN; great-grandchildren Cole Powell, Conner Powell, Kinzie Powell and Jacob Bowling. She is also survived by a brother, Claude Ensigner, Dixon, IL.
Elizabeth was preceded in death by her husband, a son Randy Bowling, three brothers, Phillip Ensinger, Harvey Ensinger and John Ensinger and two sisters, Mary Rose and Lena Ensinger.
Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, October 8, 2013 at Gilbert Funeral Home in Christopher with Brother John Overturf officiating. Visitation will be Tuesday from 11 a.m. to the time of the service at 1 p.m. Burial will be in Mulkeytown Cemetery, in Mulkeytown, IL.
In lieu of flowers memorials can be made to South Side Baptist Church in Christopher and will be accepted at the funeral home.
Gilbert Funeral home is in charge of arrangements. For more information go to gilbertfuneralhomes.com.
