By Jim Muir

Longtime and well-respected Southern Illinois journalist Becky Malkovich died Monday afternoon at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, five days after suffering a massive heart attack.

Malkovich was 53.

News of the veteran newswoman’s death spread quickly and brought tributes from friends and colleagues from throughout the region. Malkovich had worked as a reporter at the Southern Illinoisan in Carbondale since December 2003 and had previously worked for seven years at the Benton Evening News. But Malkovich’s roots in journalism started long before she began her writing career at area newspapers. Her father, the late Dan Malkovich founded and was publisher of “Outdoor Illinois” magazine and her mother Joe Anne (Choisser) Malkovich worked for many years at the Benton Evening News. The Choisser family owned and operated the Benton Evening News for parts of seven decades.

Becky Malkovich

Meta Minton, former managing editor at the Southern Illinoisan who currently lives in Orlando, Fl. remembers well the day she hired Malkovich.

“We were sitting in my office and we got word that Paul Simon had passed away,” said Minton. “It was Dec. 9, 2003 and I hired her on the spot and I knew that I had hired a gem.”

Minton said Malkovich brought a unique combination to her job as a reporter.

“She was an old-school journalist the way she would go after a story but she was on top of her game all the time on every single story she wrote,” said Minton. “Becky had the ability to get little details in a story that would draw readers in … and certainly not everybody can do that. And she also had the ability to make everybody feel important on every story she worked on.”

Minton said she believes her longtime co-worker has taken on a new assignment.

“I believe once a journalist always a journalist and I believe Becky reported today to the “Heaven Herald” – and no doubt she will have things figured out there very quickly,” Minton said. “Southern Illinois lost a great, great writer today and also lost a part of its fabric. She will be missed tremendously.”

Di Winson, former editor of the Benton Evening News, said her association with Malkovich spans more than three decades as co-worker and friend. Winson said Malkovich’s desire to “always get the story right” stands out to her.

“Becky was so committed to her work and she went to great lengths to make sure the story was accurate and fair,” said Winson. “Becky loved her community and it showed in her work. She was such a great writer, but I don’t think she ever realized that. Southern Illinois has lost a great journalist and many, many people including me have lost a dear friend.”

Shannon Woodworth, manager of the Du Quoin State Fair, said he has worked with Malkovich for more than two decades on a variety of projects including stories about the fair, John A. Logan College, Shawnee Community College and Man-Tra-Con. Woodworth called Malkovich’s death “devastating.”

“Personally, I’ve lost one of my best and closest friends,” said Woodworth. “Professionally, Southern Illinos has lost its most prolific writer. She was always on top of the story and just did her job very, very well. There wasn’t a week that went by that I didn’t talk to Becky, sometimes just about life in general. There will be huge void for me to fill there. Her death is a tremendous loss for the entire region.”

Terra Kerkemeyer has worked in advertising at both the Benton Evening News and the Southern Illinoisan and has worked with Malkovich at both venues. However, Kerkemeyer pointed out that her relationship with Malkovich went far beyond co-workers.

“She was my person, my best friend,” said Kerkemeyer. “She was the kindest person I know and I am just devastated by her death.”

Kerkemeyer said she often poked fun at Malkovich about her uncanny ability to get the news – and usually get it first.

“She definitely had a nose for news,” said Kerkemeyer. “I kidded her all the time and asked her if she slept with a police scanner under her pillow. Southern Illinois has lost a great jounalist but we’ve also lost a great person. Becky had the ability to make every person feel like she was their best friend. She never met a stranger and she could carry on a conversation with anybody. There are just no words to describe how much this loss hurts.”

Senior U.S. District Judge J. Phil Gilbert said Malkovich is the most outstanding reporter he has worked with in more than 20 years on the federal bench.

“Becky was always accurate and always went the extra mile to get the story right and I had a tremendous amount of trust in her,” said Judge Gilbert. “She knew the federal court system and knew how the court system work. Becky was just very honest and ethical and I am absolutely heartbroken by the news that she passed away.”

Story by Associated Press

DUQUOIN — A red-faced Mike Bost showed little restraint when he took to the floor of the Illinois House in 2012 and unleashed a furious rant about the way Democrats run the state, complete with hollering, paper-throwing, fist-waving and an oddly placed reference to Moses.

State Rep. Mike Bost’s ‘rant’ at the Illinois General Assembly has now become campaign fodder in his bid for Congress.

Here’s a link to the story.

INA, Ill.  – Local high school students will unite on Sept. 30 and Oct. 2 at Rend Lake College for the annual Career Days event. Every year, Career Days gives local students a glimpse into college life and encourages them to think about their post-secondary education.

All junior and senior students from in-district high schools will arrive on campus at 9 a.m. for a “Welcome and Introduction” assembly from RLC officials. The short presentation will help the students divide up into one of three groups to go on tours and gather information about their career fields of interest. The three groups are broken down as follows: agricultural education, technology, and engineering education in the first group; health sciences and technology in the second group; and family and consumer sciences, business, marketing, and computer education in the last group.

“Career Days provides a great opportunity for high school students to visit RLC’s programs and technical labs,” said Lori Ragland, Dean of Community and Corporate Education. “Students always enjoy spending the day on campus with their friends and participating in the different hands-on activities. They will explore several career clusters to assist with selecting their program of study.”

Students will meet instructors and tour the programs offered by a variety of areas. Instructors and information will also be available for the RLC programs hosted at the MarketPlace in Mt. Vernon, such as cosmetology and nail technology. Programs that are a part of the Southern Illinois Collegiate Common Market in Herrin, such as veterinary tech, surgical tech, and occupational therapy assistant, will also have representatives present.

After program tours, the students, counselors, and instructors will be served lunch, courtesy of RLC. For more information, contact Kristina Shelton at 618-437-5321, Ext. 1267, or sheltonk@rlc.edu.

Republican governor candidate Bruce Rauner’s call for the firing of all the “illegal patronage hires” made at the Illinois Department of Transportation would target many workers in or around Springfield.

Bruce Rauner

CHICAGO — Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn contended in a federal court filing late Monday that a court-appointed monitor is not necessary to ensure compliance with political hiring bans, as suggested by an anti-patronage attorney.

The widow of late Congressman Ken Gray is donating land near the city’s industrial park to Morthland Business Enterprises.

Here’s the story in the West Frankfort Daily American.