Menus for area schools for Monday through Friday, Feb. 8-12.

McKendree University announces the students named to its President’s List and Dean’s List for exceptional academic performance during the fall 2009 term.

To be named to the President’s List, a student must earn a perfect 4.0 grade point average for the semester. The Dean’s List requires a grade point average of 3.60 or higher.

Benton-West City Area Chamber of Commerce members welcomed two new entities during Thursday morning's monthly meeting.

Carol Sluzevich, president of Mentors 4 Kids, accepted a plaque in recognition of the organization's affiliation with the Chamber of Commerce.

Jim Cooper accepted a plaque in recognition of his business, New Horizons, joining the community association. Cooper and his wife, Joyce, operate the Internet-based business.

The Farnam sisters — Emeri and Jonah — of Benton Middle School positioned themselves for a final-round showdown in the 2010 Franklin County Spelling Bee.

However, it was Kiarha Wilce, a seventh-grader from West Frankfort Central, who took top honors in the annual event.

Wilce successfully spelled ‘‘subterranean’’ to claim the overall championship Thursday night at the Frankfort Intermediate School. She will advance to the regional spelling bee in Evansville, Ind.

A. Courtney Cox, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced that on Tuesday, Kenneth Lewis Gordon, 27, of Carterville was named in a one-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury sitting in Benton.

The indictment charges that on Aug. 14, 2009, Gordon possessed child pornography that has been mailed or shipped or transported in interstate commerce by any means, including by computer.

Monty Rea, fire chief of the Ewing-Northern Fire Protection District, released the report of fire calls for 2009.

Rea said it was an average year for the department, during which 75 fire calls were received.

Twenty-six structure or house fires were reported, he said, with 25 brush fires, five extrications from vehicles, five vehicle fires and two false alarms were reported.