A Valier man died at 4 a.m. Saturday after being struck by a car on Interstate 57.

Troy A. Williams was pronounced dead by Franklin County Coroner Marty P. Leffler at the scene of the accident, the northbound lanes of I-57 at milepost 72.

If there is any truth to the adage of strength in numbers, Critical Access Hospitals should be applauding their accomplishments.

Franklin Hospital was among the CAH facilities that stood in support of two bills that would bring more money to rural healthcare hospitals.

CEO Hervey Davis said 100 people from 10 Critical Access Hospitals listened during two hearings held in Springfield as legislators push for reimbursement for Medicaid costs.

Capt. Michael Irwin, District 13 commander, is reminding motorists that 80 percent of all crashes throughout the nation’s highways involve some kind of distraction.

As of Jan. 1, sending and receiving messages from an electronic device (texting) while driving has become an illegal act, punishable by fines starting at $75.

Few details are being released from the Franklin County Sheriff's Department following an alleged armed robbery that occurred at 5:08 p.m. Wednesday.

Capt. Don Jones said a 16-year-old from Royalton is in the Franklin County Juvenile Detention Center following the arrest.

Franklin County Sheriff Bill Wilson reports that the Illinois Sheriffs' Association will award more than $53,000 in college scholarships to students wishing to pursue higher education through the 2010-11 academic year.

Students must be enrolled full-time at a certified institution of higher learning within the state.

Wilson said he would be awarding one $500 scholarship.

Four Benton teen-agers were hurt in a single-vehicle accident west of Sesser early Sunday morning.

Kay L. Keelin, 17, driver of a 2000 Chevrolet Blazer, and passengers Cali M. Logsdon, 15; Chelsea S. King, 16; and Megan D. Dial, 16, all of Benton, were transported to the hospital with injuries suffered in the crash.

Floyd L. Hogg, 69, of Carterville pleaded guilty Monday in U.S. District Court in Benton to a one-count indictment charging him with conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine.

The violation took place between December 2005 and April 10, 2009, in Jackson, Williamson and Franklin counties.

The offense carries a penalty of a minimum of five to a maximum of 40 years’ imprisonment,
a fine of up to $2 million and a term of four years’ supervised release. Hogg is currently being held without bond pending a sentencing hearing, which is currently scheduled for June 3.

A. Courtney Cox, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, that on Friday, Lawrence W. Noascono, 37, of Herrin pleaded guilty to a one-count indictment, charging him with aiding and abetting bank robbery.

The violation took place on Aug. 3, 2009, in Murphysboro.

The offense carries a penalty of up to 20 years’ imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000 and a term of three years’ supervised release.

Steven R. Snodgrass, 59, of Altamont was convicted Tuesday on three counts involving child pornography following a two-day jury trial in U.S. District Court in Benton.

Snodgrass was convicted of one count of attempting to receive child pornography and
two counts of possessing child pornography. The evidence at trial established that Snodgrass attempted to purchase child pornography during an undercover operation by federal law enforcement authorities.

The Benton Police Department is investigating a report of a jewelry theft from a vendor at a local business.

Police Chief Mike O'Neill said Kevin Edwards, a vendor at Memories Antiques and Collectibles, 1104 Public Square, Benton, reported Tuesday that "400 to 500 items" had been stolen from a locked case in the store.

"At that time, he did not know the scope of the loss," O'Neill said Thursday. "Initially, it was $10,000."

The death of Curt Johnston, 64, of Sesser has local folks reeling from the news.

Paul Scott of Benton said he and Johnston had been friends for a number of years.

“A group of four of us got together and wrote what later became Shib’s Law,” he said.
“Curt, his wife Lawanda, his daughter Kim Scott, and her husband Raymond wrote the law in memory of James ‘Shib’ Miller who was struck and killed by a Greyhound bus in 2007 while fighting a truck fire on Interstate 57."

Drew A. Seibert, 34, of DeSoto was indicted by a federal grand jury sitting in Benton in a one-count indictment charging him with conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine.

The violation took place between January 2007 and Dec. 5, 2009, in Jackson County.

It has been a long time since Buckner purchased the village's first fire truck.

Fire Chief Chuck Bedar said it was an emotional experience for the firefighters when the green 1975 Ford model left the station for the final time.

"We sold that truck along with a 1968 Mack model to outfit a new department in Ringgold, Ga.," Bedar said. "We made a couple of bucks and they were tickled to death to get them."

Three defendants in a child abduction case revealed Thursday that they have not yet hired attorneys.

Shannon L. Wilfong, 30, of Bush; her mother, Diane E. Dobbs, 52, of Elkville; and Dobbs' boyfriend, Robert D. Sandefur, 52, of Elkville, appeared before Judge Robert Lewis in pre-trial hearings at the Franklin County Courthouse in Benton.

Wilfong is charged with felony abduction of her son, Richard Chekevdia, 7. Dobbs and Sandefur are charged with aiding and abetting a child abduction.

Two Benton residents were arrested at 2:35 p.m. Tuesday on North Buchanan Street in Benton on unlawful production of cannabis charges.

The Benton Police Department, Franklin County Sheriff's Office and COMIT Drug Task Force officers arrested Joseph E. Young, 47, and Kelly R. Jones, 28, both of Benton.