I-57 mural to remember Harrison’s Benton connection

July 6, 2017 By Leave a Comment

http://www.bentoneveningnews.com/news/20170705/i-57-mural-to-remember-harrisons-benton-connection

BENTON, IL – (Rick Hayes, Benton News.  Please click on the link above for the full story.  Here is an excerpt below.)

Intrigued by the connection between Beatles star George Harrison and the city of Benton, a California artist will donate his talents later this summer by painting a life-size mural.

John Cerney is a Salinas, Calif., native whose artwork is described as “giant cut-out art,” ordinarily viewed from the comfort of an automobile. Cerney’s work has been featured in numerous magazines, books and newspapers over the years, including National Geographic, Sunset Magazine, Reader’s Digest and the New York Times.

“He chose Benton to donate his art for one year. He chooses somewhere across the country every year,” said Rachel Gartner, the city’s marketing director. “He is interested in the story behind George Harrison visiting his sister (Louise) here.

Filed Under: Benton News, Featured, Slider

Royalton High School “Pirates”

July 6, 2017 By Leave a Comment

http://www.illinoishsglorydays.com/id381.html

Royalton High School building in the early 1960’s

ROYALTON, IL  (Illinois High School Glory Days.  Please Click on the link above for the full story.  Here is an excerpt below.)

Royalton (population 1,130) is located in far southern Illinois about 12 miles southeast of DuQuoin. In its “hey day” in the early 1900s Royalton enjoyed a population of over 3,800!  Illinois Route 149 is the main roadway to and from this southwestern Franklin County town.  The town’s area was settled in the mid 1850s but it was not recognized as an official Illinois town until 1907.  the Missouri Pacific Railroad runs to the southeast of town.  A branch of the Big Muddy River flows through the south side of Royalton.  For some EXCELLENT history and facts about Royalton and its former High School please visit the town’s official website at:
A school was established in Royalton by the late 1800s.  Royalton High School served the town as, at first, a three year school, and later earning a four year high school status.  The original school building was found unsafe in 1936.  A new building was quickly constructed and ready for use in 1937.  This is the building you see pictured above.  Royalton High continued to be the pride and joy of Royalton residents until the early 1960s.  It was then that dwindling enrollment led to a consolidation effort with its neighbor four miles to the northeast, Zeigler.  This effort became a reality in 1962 with the creation of the Zeigler-Royalton School District.
 
Filed Under: Featured, Royalton News, Slider, Zeigler News

The Reptile Experience with Serengeti Steve

July 6, 2017 By Leave a Comment

PRESS RELEASE FROM THE US ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS, REND LAKE PROJECT OFFICE

BENTON, IL – Join the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Saturday, July 8th, as they host everyone’s favorite reptile expert, Serengeti Steve, for the Reptile Experience at the Rend Lake Visitor Center. This program will amaze you with up close and personal encounters with some of the most exotic live reptiles the world has to offer.  Serengeti Steve also has a unique way of involving audience members into the program as they meet scorpions, crocodiles, snakes, lizards, and more!

“The Reptile Experience” will present three separate programs on Saturday July 8th .  The same program will be at 11:00 a.m., 12:30 p.m., and 2:00 p.m. at the Rend Lake Visitor Center. As always Environmental Science Series programs are free, open to the public, and appropriate for all ages.

On Saturday July 15th, the Rend Lake Environmental Science Series will continue with “Campout with Camo the Clown.” This program will be presented at the Rend Lake Visitor Center from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Join this local conservation clown as he educates and entertains with the audience with colorful stories, props, skits, and live animals!

For more information about the Rend Lake Environmental Science Series please contact the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Rend Lake Project Office at 618-724-2493 or “like” the Visitor Center Facebook page at facebook.com/rendlakeusace.

Filed Under: Breaking News, Franklin Co. News, Slider

Illinois workers’ paychecks to shrink after House overrides Gov. Rauner vetoes

July 6, 2017 By Leave a Comment

https://www.ilnews.org/news/state_politics/illinois-workers-paychecks-to-shrink-after-house-overrides-gov-rauner/article_7869beb8-6297-11e7-9f6e-97e7e61b3f3a.html

SPRINGFIELD, IL-  (Greg Bishop and Dan McCaleb, Illinois News Network.  Please click on the link above for the full story.  Here is the link below.)

The next paycheck Illinois’ workers receive will have less money in it than the one before it. So will the one after. And the one after that.

For the first time in more than two years, the state has an enacted budget, but it comes at a significant cost to taxpayers.

House Speaker Michael Madigan got exactly the 71 votes he needed to overturn Rauner’s vetoes. Ten Republicans joined 61 Democrats in voting to override.

“The people in this chamber did not do what was easy today, but we did what was right for the future of out state,” Madigan said on the House floor. “There are a lot of things that will be said about this vote, but the most important thing I can point to is that Republican legislators and Democratic legislators got this done together.”

NOTE:  The Southern Illinois Legislators did not change their vote as Dave Severin (R-Benton) voted no.  Terri Braynt (R-Murphysboro) and Brandon Phelps (D-Norris City) voted yes.

Area senators John Cavaletto (R-Salem) and Jerry Costello II (D-Smithston) voted no as well.

Filed Under: Breaking News, Slider, State News

Owens seeks relief from state

July 6, 2017 By Leave a Comment

http://www.bentoneveningnews.com/news/20170705/owens-seeks-relief-from-state

BENTON, IL (Rick Hayes, Benton Evening News.  Please Click on the link above for the full story.  Here is an excerpt below.)

Franklin County State’s Attorney Evan Owens has corresponded with the office of Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, requesting payment be made to employees of the Second Judicial Circuit probation and detention programs.

In a letter dated June 29, Owens says he knows Madigan will be petitioning the Cook County court for an order to allow Comptroller Susana Mendoza to continue to pay state employees’ salaries without appropriation from the General Assembly.

“Franklin County can not borrow any more money and it appears that we have run out of time and options. I suggest the Director notify his employees that there is no money to pay for their work unless the Comptroller is ordered to pay them in the same manner as other State employees,” Owens continued in his letter to Debra Barnes.

 

Filed Under: Breaking News, Franklin Co. News, Slider

Officials: Substance found at Capitol not hazardous

July 6, 2017 By Leave a Comment

http://www.wandtv.com/story/35826818/substance-thrown-at-gov-rauners-office-lockdown-lifted

SPRINGFIELD, IL – (WAND, TV.  Please click on the link above for the full story and video.   Here is an excerpt below.)

The Illinois State Capitol was on lockdown after Capitol Police arrested a suspect for throwing white powder near the Governor’s office.

According to WAND-TV Capitol Reporter Michon Lindstrom, a woman was arrested for throwing the white substance in front of the doorway to Governor Bruce Rauner’s office, the Lt. Governor’s office and the House Gallery on Thursday afternoon.

 

Filed Under: Breaking News, Slider, State News

$5 billion in tax hikes on line as House returns to session for historic veto override vote

July 6, 2017 By Leave a Comment

https://www.ilnews.org/news/state_politics/billion-in-tax-hikes-on-line-as-house-returns-to/article_e97d1814-6258-11e7-ac7f-b7c2b1018b36.html

SPRINGFIELD, IL – (Greg Bishop, Illinois News Network.)  Please click on the link for the full story.  Here is an excerpt,)

Lawmakers in the Illinois House return to the Capitol this afternoon for an historic vote that could cost state taxpayers more than $5 billion in tax increases.

Gov. Bruce Rauner is urging lawmakers in the House not to override his vetoes of the tax hikes and $36.5 billion budget, saying that without reforms Illinois will soon be back for more money from taxpayers.

The Senate already voted to override Rauner’s vetoes. Today’s vote in the House will determine their fate, assuming a quorum of representatives are present. The House didn’t have quorums when called into session both Tuesday and Wednesday. A successful override, which will take 71 votes, means the 32 percent income tax increase and 33 percent corporate tax increase go into effect immediately. Anything short of 71 votes and Rauner’s veto stands and lawmakers will have to get back to work.

Filed Under: Breaking News, Slider, State News

Fan-Favorite Theme Night Christmas in July Returns Friday, July 14th

July 6, 2017 By Leave a Comment

From the Southern Illinois Miners

MARION, IL – Christmas in July returns to Rent One Park on Friday, July 14th as the Southern Illinois Miners take on the River City Rascals at 7:05 pm.

Rent One Park will turn into a holiday haven and Santa Claus will take a break from North Pole and be in attendance to see Miners fans from all around! And don’t forget to stay after the game for Fantastic Friday Night Fireworks presented by Peoples National Bank, River Radio and WPSD Local 6.

For more information on Christmas in July, contact the Miners Box Office at 618-998-8499!

Filed Under: Slider, Sports

Cardinals Are Reportedly Interested in Former MVP Josh Donaldson

July 5, 2017 By Leave a Comment

https://www.101sports.com/2017/07/05/cardinals-reportedly-interested-former-mvp-josh-donaldson/

Trade talks are starting to heat up.  The Link above is a story on WXOS- 101 ESPN by Luke Schnake.

No formal negotiations have taken place, but the Cardinals are reportedly interested in 2015 American League MVP, Josh Donaldson according to MLB.com. (Tweet from baseball analyst John Morosi)

The 31-year-old Donaldson is batting .238 for the Blue Jays this season with a .350 on-base percentage and .457 slugging percentage. He’s hit eight homers in 2017 with the last reaching the seats June 11 and is currently battling a 1-for-26 slump.

This link is to Donaldson’s career stats

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/donaljo02.shtml

Donaldson has been on the Cardinals radar for years.

 

Filed Under: Slider, Sports

Late Rally Falls Just Short As Miners Lose To Schaumburg

July 5, 2017 By Leave a Comment

SCHAUMBURG, IL-   The Southern Illinois Miners mounted a late comeback attempt on Tuesday night against the Schaumburg Boomers at Boomers Stadium, scoring three late runs including two in the ninth to get within a single run and put the potential tying run on second base, but fell just short in a 10-9 Independence Day loss.

Miners catcher Ben Moore goes 3-5 at the plate last night in a 10-9 loss at Schaumburg (Miners photo)

The Miners jumped all over rookie starter Michael Wood (1-0) in the first inning, as after Brett Wiley and Craig Massoni worked two-out walks, four consecutive singles brought home four runs off the bats of Nolan Earley, Anthony Critelli, Kurt Wertz, Jr. and Ben Moore for a 4-0 Miners advantage.

But the Boomers came all the way back in the second and third innings. After two sacrifice flies and a bunt single plated three runs in the second to make the score 4-3, Seth Spivey hit a two-run home run down the right field line in the bottom of the third to give the Boomers a 5-4 lead against Zach Cooper. After neither team scored in the fourth, Schaumburg chased Cooper (2-5) and score four times in the fifth inning on RBI singles by David Harris and Ryan O’Malley and a two-run hit with two outs by Jack Parenty to make the score 9-4.

The Miners struck back for two runs in the top of the sixth off reliever Alex Luna when they loaded the bases with one out. Craig Massey then lined a single to right field and Ryan Lashley followed with a walk to force in a run and make it 9-6, but after a double play ended the threat, Schaumburg got another RBI hit by Harris in the bottom half of the frame to extend the lead to 10-6.

The Miners would fight back late in the contest. They plated one run in the eighth inning off Kyle Westwood on an RBI groundout by Massey to make the score 10-7 before mounting one last rally against Jake Joyce in the ninth. Wiley started it off with a leadoff walk, and two batters later, Earley singled him to third base. Critelli then plated a run with an RBI single to make it 10-8, and Wertz followed by reaching on a fielder’s choice to score Earley and make the score 10-9. With two outs now in the frame, Moore singled to put the tying run in scoring position, but Joyce rebounded with a strikeout to end the inning and the game.

The Miners amassed 14 hits in the contest, with Critelli, Wertz and Moore each getting three. Massey, Critelli and Wertz each drove home two runs as well, with four players scoring two runs each, but it was not enough as the Boomers escaped.

After an off day on Wednesday, the Miners will look to bounce back in the series finale on Thursday night at 6:30 p.m. Ethan Gibbons will pitch for Southern Illinois with Preston Jamison starting for the Boomers.

The Southern Illinois Miners are the 2016 Frontier League West Division Champions, the 2014 and 2015 Frontier League East Division Champions and the 2012 Frontier League Champions. They have been awarded the Frontier League Organization of the Year award three times since their inception, and also set a new Frontier League attendance record in 2007, their inaugural season. For ticket information, contact the Rent One Park box office at (618) 998-8499. For any additional information, visit our website at www.southernillinoisminers.com.

Box Score

Batting Stats

S Illinois
# Batter P AB R H RBI BB SO AVG
23 Massey, C SS 5 0 1 2 0 0 .299
19 Lashley, R DH 4 0 1 1 1 0 .249
6 Wiley, B 2B 3 2 1 0 2 0 .246
11 Massoni, C 3B 4 1 0 0 1 3 .253
15 Earley, N RF 5 2 2 1 0 0 .262
22 Critelli, A 1B 5 2 3 2 0 0 .407
8 Wertz Jr., K LF 5 2 3 2 0 0 .234
7 Moore, B C 5 0 3 1 0 1 .237
2   Lindley, L PR 0 0 0 0 0 0 .278
5 Sluder, R CF 3 0 0 0 1 1 .179
25   Martin, W PH 1 0 0 0 0 1 .274
40 9 14 9 5 6

Batting
2B: K.Wertz Jr. (5).
RBI: C.Massey 2 (20), R.Lashley (36), N.Earley (19), A.Critelli 2 (3), K.Wertz Jr. 2 (14), B.Moore (9).
Team LOB: 9.

Fielding
A: C.Massey 3 (110), B.Wiley 3 (42), B.Moore (17), Z.Cooper (4).
DP: 1 (B. Wiley(2B) – C. Massey(SS) – A. Critelli(1B)).
E: C.Massoni (1), A.Critelli (2).
FCS: B.Moore (1).
PB: B.Moore (3).
PO: C.Massey (80), B.Wiley (28), C.Massoni (56), N.Earley 3 (77), A.Critelli 5 (34), K.Wertz Jr. (24), B.Moore 6 (254), R.Sluder 6 (21).
SBA: B.Moore (48).
TC: C.Massey 4 (193), B.Wiley 4 (77), C.Massoni 2 (60), N.Earley 3 (81), A.Critelli 6 (38), K.Wertz Jr. (26), B.Moore 7 (273), R.Sluder 6 (21), Z.Cooper (9).

Schaumburg
# Batter P AB R H RBI BB SO AVG
8 Ruchim, K LF 4 0 0 1 0 2 .275
12 Weigel, Z RF 2 2 0 0 2 1 .293
31 Godfrey, S CF 4 1 0 0 1 0 .289
15 Spivey, S 1B 4 2 1 2 1 1 .420
18 Harris, D DH 4 2 3 2 0 0 .338
10 Gardiner, J SS 4 2 2 0 0 0 .258
20 OMalley, R 3B 3 1 1 1 1 0 .214
16 Keller, J C 3 0 0 1 0 2 .219
5 Parenty, J 2B 4 0 4 2 0 0 .317
32 10 11 9 5 6

Batting
HP: Z.Weigel (4).
HR: S.Spivey (10).
RBI: K.Ruchim (23), S.Spivey 2 (47), D.Harris 2 (38), R.OMalley (7), J.Keller (14), J.Parenty 2 (11).
SF: K.Ruchim (2), J.Keller (5).
CS: J.Parenty (1).
Team LOB: 6.

Fielding
A: S.Spivey 2 (63), J.Gardiner 4 (68), R.OMalley (16), J.Keller (17), J.Parenty 3 (70), M.Wood (1), G.Kelly (1).
DP: 1 (G. Kelly(P) – J. Keller(C) – S. Spivey(1B)).
PB: J.Keller 3 (5).
PO: K.Ruchim 3 (82), S.Godfrey 2 (93), S.Spivey 10 (208), R.OMalley (22), J.Keller 7 (240), J.Parenty (33), M.Wood (1), K.Westwood (1), A.Luna (1).
TC: K.Ruchim 3 (83), S.Godfrey 2 (97), S.Spivey 12 (275), J.Gardiner 4 (132), R.OMalley 2 (40), J.Keller 8 (257), J.Parenty 4 (108), M.Wood 2 (2), K.Westwood (1), G.Kelly (2), A.Luna (1).

Pitching Stats

S Illinois
# Pitcher IP H R ER BB SO ERA
39   Cooper, Z 4.1 8 9 8 4 2 5.33
1 Palacios, N 1.2 2 1 1 1 1 5.18
21 Dubsky, A 2.0 1 0 0 0 3 4.36
8 11 10 9 5 6

Pitching
BF: Z.Cooper 25, N.Palacios 8, A.Dubsky 7.
P-S: Z.Cooper 95-57, N.Palacios 36-24, A.Dubsky 26-16.
WP: Z.Cooper 2 (2), N.Palacios (1).

Schaumburg
# Pitcher IP H R ER BB SO ERA
13 Wood, M 4.0 4 4 4 2 2 9.00
35 Winning Pithcer  Luna, A 1.1 5 2 2 1 1 5.40
30 Kelly, G 1.2 0 0 0 1 1 0.48
47 Westwood, K 1.0 2 1 0 0 0 2.92
26 Save Pithcer  Joyce, J 1.0 3 2 2 1 2 4.19
9 14 9 8 5 6
Schaumburg
# Pitcher IP H R ER BB SO ERA
13 Wood, M 4.0 4 4 4 2 2 9.00
35 Winning Pithcer  Luna, A 1.1 5 2 2 1 1 5.40
30 Kelly, G 1.2 0 0 0 1 1 0.48
47 Westwood, K 1.0 2 1 0 0 0 2.92
26 Save Pithcer  Joyce, J 1.0 3 2 2 1 2 4.19
9 14 9 8 5 6

Pitching
BF: M.Wood 18, A.Luna 10, G.Kelly 5, K.Westwood 5, J.Joyce 7.
P-S: M.Wood 69-44, A.Luna 34-20, G.Kelly 17-8, K.Westwood 14-8, J.Joyce 34-18.
WP: J.Joyce (1).

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
S Illinois 4 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 2 9 14 2
Schaumburg 0 3 2 0 4 1 0 0 x 10 11 0

League Transactions

July 4, 2017

GATEWAY GRIZZLIES:  Signed OF Zac Michener.
WASHINGTON WILD THINGS:  Activated RHP Joe Ravert from the injured list.

 

 

 

Filed Under: Slider, Sports
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