Benton, West Frankfort, Illinois News | Franklin County News
Newspaper covering Franklin County, Illinois
This Mouthwatering Ice Cream Trail In Illinois Is All You’ve Ever Dreamed Of And More
Please click on the link above from the onlyinyourstate.com website, for the story by Elizabeth Crozier. There are several pictures of the Illinois Ice Cream Trail.
There are several pictures. All the places featured are from Southern Illinois. The trail goes from Marion to Centralia.
Photo provided to Illinois HS Glory Days by Wayne Arnold
http://www.illinoishsglorydays.com/id224.html
NOTE: There will be an excerpt of a piece submitted to Illinois High School Glory Days by long time Rend Lake College instructor Wayne Arnold. He was a graduate of Goode-Barren Township High School (Now Sesser-Valier.)
When I was the pastor of East Side Baptist Church in Mt. Vernon, Wayne had family that attended there. We became well acquainted. At the time, he was still a season ticket holder for Sesser-Valier sporting events.
Please click on the link above for the full story. – Steve
Press Release for the office of State Representative Dave Severin
MARION, IL – State Representative Dave Severin (R- Benton) will be holding satellite office hours at Sesser City Hall, 302 W Franklin St, in Sesser from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm on Tuesday August 1st.
Rep. Severin’s staff will be available to meet with constituents to address concerns and receive feedback on the issues most important to them.
If you have any questions, please contact Rep. Severin’s District Office at (618) 440-5090 or through the contact form on his website at www.repseverin.com.
by Steve Dunford
SESSER, IL – There have been several circles in my life, that brought me in contact with Jim and Carleen Roberts of Sesser.
Jim and Carleen Roberts
When I was working my way through college at McDonald’s in West City, I worked with Carleen, as well has her two kids Julie and Craig. She was one of three “McDonald’s moms from the Sesser area. Mary Lou Galloway was another one at West City. When I transferred to West Frankfort to be a shift manager, I worked with Kay Wangler in Sesser. They served as a mother figure to all of us teenagers that worked there.
Carleen would bring goodies for us kids to eat, especially around Christmas time. She has made pies for people as long as I can remember.
With my dad being a long time Free Will Baptist preacher, I would run into their family at denominational events as well. The family has attended Bear Point FWB Church, just west of Sesser-Valier school. Their children grew up in the church until they moved from the area.
The couple spends the winter in Frostproof, Florida, which several people from Southern Illinois spend there. Jim always posts pictures of nice crappie, and occasionally some bluegill that he catches down there. Here in Franklin County, it is not frost proof there. When we had the freezing rain event last winter, Jim posted a nice mess of fish. I was a little jealous and my mouth was watering.
After Jim retired from Consolidated Coal north of Sesser, (formerly Inland Steel), along with the couple snowbirding south for the winter, Jim comes back home and plants a huge garden, He as well, rents some empty lots in Sesser. Carleen specializes in fried pies.
Jim was a presenter for the University of Illinois cooperative services in seminars for vegetable farming. Jim and Carleen attend the West Frankfort Farmers Market since the beginning on Tuesdays, and the Benton Farmers Market at the Civic Center on Thursdays.
Over the years, I have consumed a lot of fried pies. On most Tuesday’s since I moved to WF, I make the six block trek to the park to consume some fried pies. From looking at me you can tell I like to eat, and it is a well two bucks spent.
The couple has ran a vegetable stand at their home on the north side of Sesser for years. I didn’t buy much veggies off of them over the year because I had my own garden. It is something that I miss since I live in an apartment now. There is nothing like planting your own food like watching it grow. Next year, I might do some “Oliver Wendell Douglas farming”
The West Frankfort Farmers Market is every Tuesday from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the park, in the shelter behind the Aquatics Center. Carleen’s pies go quick. Next Monday, I will run a story on all the venders and what they have for sale. The market is well supported. If you have not been there, check it out.
Danny Thomas, our Song Leader and deacon at Calvary Baptist Church has a saying when someone is a good person, they are one of the good guys or gals. This fits Jim and Carleen.
by Steve Dunford
The Heat Advisory is still in effect until Sunday. I would not be surprised if the National Weather Service ups it to an Excessive Heat Warning. The NWS in St. Louis has had one for two days.
Here are some area temperatures and heat indexes across the region
Here is an updated list of cooling centers across the county:
Benton:
City Hall
Fire Department
Township Community Building
West Frankfort:
Police Department
Sesser:
City Hall – Please use the police department entrance.
Christopher:
First Baptist Church will be having the lunch program between 11am till 1pm. Kids 18 and under ear free. Adults it is $3.00
by Steve Dunford
As long as the heat wave lasts, I will pass on any emergency information on a timely basis.
I would appreciate any information that you might have. Over the last few months, and especially during the flooding in late April, the citizens of the county has trusted franklincounty-news.com to be a reliable source of information in the county.
The site has good numbers in the Jefferson, Williamson, Perry, Hamilton and Saline counties as well now. Franklin County will be the top priority, but I will start sharing info from those counties as well.
Please contact me at 513-1274, 937-0253, send me a message on Facebook or email me at sdunford1970@hotmail.com
FRANKLIN COUNTY:
BENTON
City Hall – 8:00 to 5:00 p.m. Monday-Friday
Benton Fire Department
Benton Community Building
SESSER
City Hall – Please use the police entrance
CHRISTOPHER
First Baptist Church is hosting their summer meal program, free for kids 18 and under. For adults the cost is $3. The time is 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. You are welcome to come and cool off.
by Steve Dunford
Kenneth Mohr, a Pinckneyville area man was reported missing earlier this afternoon.
I just spoke with a family member a few minutes ago, and he is safely at home now. Thank you all to everyone that helped.
From Sesser Mayor Jason Ashmore
SESSER, IL – This is a brief explanation from Affordable Gas & Electric related to the transitioning to Homefield Energy as the City’s electric supplier. What took place and the corrective action that has been implemented are as follows.
From its inception in 2012, the aggregation programs managed by the SIAP have saved over 55,000 participating residents more than $10 million compared to Ameren’s default rates. Earlier this …year the SIAP negotiated long-term electric supply rates for nearly all Southern Illinois residential electricity customers in the Ameren utility area. This long-term approach to electricity rate negotiations provides rate certainty and protection from volatility in electricity futures through December of 2020.
Residents of Sesser, Marion, Carbondale, Herrin, Murphysboro and several others in the Southern Illinois Region began their new contract with Homefield Energy (Dynegy) in June.
by Steve Dunford
SESSER, IL – I had my memories pop up on Facebook in the last few minutes I was reminded that one year ago today, that Franklin County had a severe thunderstorm roll through that afternoon.
The brunt of the damage was in the Sesser Area. I had several pictures of wind damage. The picture is of d downed tree in Jim and Carleen Roberts yard on the north side of the city. It also shows pieces of their smashed produce stand . Hopefully, I will be writing a story about their endeavors some time next week.
The posts from that afternoon came from my high school sports blog, Franklin County Hoops and Gridiron. Since it is a dedicated group, I began to share emergency information on that site.
I was in frequent contact with Sesser Mayor Jason Ashmore that afternoon. Not only Sesser, but most of the west side of the county experienced damage. Valier was hit pretty hard as well.
Ameren-Illinois reported over 4,000 customers throughout power. There was a brief power outage in West Frankfort, as 70 mph winds were clocked just to the west of town.
Benton, Thompsonville, as well as the rest of the east side of the county experienced little damage, as the cell began to weaken.
With a very small chance of severe weather today, pray we do not have a repeat.
http://www.illinoishsglorydays.com/id152.html
SESSER, IL – (Illinois High School Glory Days, Please click on the link for the full story. Here is an excerpt below)
The old Sesser High School gym. The gym is still used by the Sesser-Valier school district, for junior high basketball practice, and occasionally, freshman games are played there. (James Horaz, photo)
Sesser (population 2,128) is located in northwestern Franklin County in the southern portion of Illinois. The Illinois State Routes of 154 and 148 intersect in Sesser. A landmark near Sesser is Rend Lake located 3 miles to the east. The At & St Railroad also has two lines that form a “T” in Sesser. Two towns of note near Sesser are Du Quoin (10 miles southwest) and Benton (10 miles southeast).
