TOP 10 STORIES OF 2018 They start with the Rend Lake water crisis and Trump's visit
DU QUOIN - While always difficult to rank the importance of news stories in a calendar year, the editorial staff of the Du Quoin Call has chosen the great Rend Lake water crisis last May as its top story.
Dozens of local communities in our readership area were deeply impacted. Some towns were eventually forced to borrow water from neighboring communities to keep the towers from emptying. Yet others, despite conservation efforts, ran out of water altogether. The once-in-a-generation crisis has inspired communities like Du Quoin and neighboring Marion to search for alternative water sources.
Here are our Top 10 Du Quoin/Regional stories for 2018 and how they read at the time.
NO. 1
Water line break at Rend Lake shuts off water to 60 southern Illinois communities
DU QUOIN - A major water line break at the Rend Lake Intercity Water Plant Wednesday has led to a water shortage crisis in several of the 60 communities the conservancy district serves.
Du Quoin Mayor Guy Alongi said the city's water supply was down from 1.4 million gallons to less than 400,000 gallons as of Thursday afternoon.
"We have the whole town under a boil order as this is a serious situation," the mayor said. "We have a couple of game plans we're putting together in case this shutdown would continue beyond a day or so."
One option is a water tank in Christopher, Alongi said, which could provide some temporary relief.
"A big problem should our tanks run dry is when we eventually fill the lines back up. Our lines have to be pressurized and it may lead to some leaks."
Larry Sanders, general counsel and assistant general manager of the Rend Lake Conservancy District, said the district sells water to 30 communities and those communities sell to 30 more," he said, explaining that the problem began Tuesday evening when a 36-inch steel pipe ruptured. That pipe is the main pipe that exits the plant.
"Every gallon of water that exits the plant goes through that pipe," he said.
Sanders said the rupture was on the bottom, "in a difficult place to reach." Crews worked for 12 hours attempting to repair the pipe, but were unsuccessful.
Sanders said workers are now proceeding with two different plans.
"First, we're trying to bypass the pipe and try to get a small amount of water flowing into the system," Sanders aid. "Right now, we have no water flowing into the system."
Sanders said any water that customers have right now is coming from community reserves. He said they are hoping to get enough water flowing so that communities can take care of the health and welfare of their at-risk populations.
Crews are also working to replace the broken pipe.
NO. 2
Pinckneyville provides water for Du Quoin
DU QUOIN - There has always been a big sports rivalry between the Perry County communities of Du Quoin and Pinckneyville, but that rivalry is brushed to the side when quality of life is at stake.
Du Quoin Mayor Guy Alongi emphasized Monday that had it not been for the assistance provided by Pinckneyville in pumping water from its city lake north of town, it's quite likely that the Du Quoin water storage tank would have run dry. And had the storage tank run dry, that could have resulted in some damage to the water lines when refilling the tank.
"I don't think the average person knows the magnitude of this (water crisis)," Alongi said. "We were virtually out of water. We had to ask businesses and industries to shut down at 5 p.m. Thursday and not reopen until the next morning in an effort to conserve water and keep at least a foot of water standing in our storage tank. Because of our aging infrastructure, we needed to keep our lines pressurized."
NO. 3
Trump visits region to stump for Bost
MURPHYSBORO - For those crowded into Hangar 6 at the Southern Illinois Airport on Saturday, and for the thousands more just outside the hangar, President Donald Trump did not disappoint.
At first, there was concern he might not come. Trump said he considered canceling his southern Illinois trip and his earlier stop at the FFA conference in Indianapolis because of the synagogue massacre in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but ultimately decided "we can't make these sick, demented, evil people important."
To huge cheers from the sea of red hats and red shirts, Trump said for crimes like the synagogue massacre, "We have to bring back the death penalty." Pennsylvania and the federal government have the death penalty; Illinois does not.
Trump's visit was primarily to boost the re-election campaign of 12th district congressman Mike Bost of Murphysboro, who is in a tight race with Democrat Brendan Kelly, the St. Clair County State's Attorney, a week before the November midterms.
"Mike fights every day for the people of Illinois," Trump said, standing beside Bost at the podium. "This guy cares. That's why I'm here. He voted to cut your taxes, reduce your regulations, protect your Medicaid, protect your pre-existing conditions. Mike Bost defends Illinois farmers, Illinois miners, Illinois steel workers."
NO. 4
Dorsey takes over as new SIU president, Dunn resigns
CARBONDALE - The troubled SIU system is under new leadership after university trustees Monday approved a separation agreement with embattled President Randy Dunn Monday and hired an interim president, J. Kevin Dorsey, to steer the university through what has proved to be a divisive few months.
Meeting in special session on the Edwardsville campus, trustees unanimously approved an agreement with Dunn that will see him formally step down from his post in exchange for a six-month severance payment of $215,000, as well as his hiring as a visiting professor on the Edwardsville campus at a salary of $100,000 per year.
The agreement immediately ends Dunn's authority to act as head of the system, and nothing in the contract guarantees that he will be retained in his teaching position - set to begin in January - beyond the spring 2020 academic semester.
In Dunn's place, trustees unanimously voted to hire Dorsey, retired dean and provost of the SIU School of Medicine, as interim president. Dorsey will be paid a salary of $430,000 a year, with his contract running through July 15, 2019.
NO. 5
SIU chancellor dies
CARBONDALE - SIU is looking to steady the ship with another interim leader after Chancellor Carlo Montemagno, to the surprise of many, died Thursday morning.
Kevin Dorsey, the university's interim president, said he has asked the university's board of trustees to hold a special meeting "as soon as possible" to appoint an interim chancellor to step in for Montemagno, who died after just 14 months on the job, and just over three months after abruptly announcing he had been diagnosed with cancer. He was 62.
NO. 6
Grand Theater sells at auction
DU QUOIN - The Grand Theater in Du Quoin sold at auction Thursday.
Mayor Guy Alongi said a buyer located in Texas purchased the building from Regions Bank for $5,000. The name of the buyer, he said, is Rick Vavro from Lago Vista, Texas. Vavro is a civil contractor who does work in and around Austin, Texas. Alongi said Vavro was born in Slidell, Louisiana, a small community like Du Quoin.
Alongi said he had the opportunity to speak with Vavro and was encouraged.
"Our initial conversation was very positive," Alongi posted on Facebook. "His first concern is making the building structurally sound and moving on to repurpose the building so that it is an asset to our community.
NO. 7
Croessman Square dedicated
John Croessman Square was dedicated in downtown Du Quoin on Thursday evening, in a simple ceremony that paid homage to a man and career, and introduced a new public space.
The plaza, transformed in a few short weeks from an empty lot - vacant since the historic Higgins Jewelry building was torn down several years ago - to an intimate gathering place, is surrounded by a wrought-iron fence with lights crisscrossing overhead.
Mayor Guy Alongi said the square - completed by local workers and craftsmen and women - will be used by generations of Du Quoin residents going forward, for wedding and prom photos, summer parties, concerts and more.
And by the large "C" on the gate, and the plaque next to the entrance, everyone will know for whom it is named.
Croessman, recovering from a series of strokes that interrupted his 43-year career as reporter and editor for the Du Quoin Evening Call, was not at the dedication.
NO. 8
Fairgrounds on endangered list
The Du Quoin State Fairgrounds has been added to the list of the most endangered structures in Illinois, according to Landmarks Illinois, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving Illinois' heritage.
The Du Quoin fairgrounds, specifically the grandstand, is among 13 endangered buildings added to the Landmarks Illinois list for 2018.
Also on the list are the Kincaid Mounds of Massac and Pope counties and the Thompson Center in Chicago.
To see all the 2018 additions, visit www.landmarks.org/preservation-programs/most-endangered-historic-places-in-illinois/.
NO. 9
Panthers take 4th at State
They put forward a good hustle as the clocked ticked down, but in the end, it just wasn't enough.
The Pinckneyville Panthers boys basketball team fought its way to within three during the final period of play Saturday against Bloomington Central Catholic in the third-place game of the IHSA Class 2A Tournament, but they ultimately fell 69-61 to end an otherwise successful season.
NO. 10 (Tie)
Dowell celebrates 100th birthday
DOWELL - Like most other Southern Illinois communities, the village of Dowell was built on the backs of coal miners. This weekend, the village will celebrate the town's 100th birthday with three days of events.
"This is a big deal for us," said village city clerk Mindy Groves. "We're a small community, but we have a rich history in coal mining and baseball. This celebration is a way of bringing people - both past and present - together. And any money that we raise will be spent on our city park. It is our plan to buy some new equipment for the kids to play on."
NO. 10 (Tie)
NubAbility Camp again a success
DU QUOIN - A total of 179 limb-different kids from 28 different states and ranging in age from 4-17 participated this past weekend at the seventh annual NubAbility summer sports camp in Du Quoin.
"What a perfect weekend weatherwise to host the camp," said Sheila Trznadel, executive director for the NubAbility Athletics Foundation. "We couldn't have asked for much better."
HONORABLE MENTION
Holiday Lights Fair
DU QUOIN - The annual Holiday Lights Fair on the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds will again draw thousands of motorists to view from their vehicle the abundance of outdoor light sculptures. And many of those patrons will also stop inside the expo hall, where they will have the opportunity to partake in even more Christmas merriment.
There are dozens of craft vendors on site with food and drinks available. The decor is exquisite featuring a number of themed Christmas trees decorated by various groups in the county. There is a small indoor train on hand to transport children. There is also musical entertainment - the Du Quoin High School Jazz Band - performed last Friday night, which was Opening Night. And of course, Santa and Mrs. Claus were on hand to greet one and all, listen to children's wish lists and pose for photos.
Street Machine Nationals
Thousands of car enthusiasts from Southern Illinois and outside the region descended upon the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds this past weekend.
One of the more talked about cars on display at the Street Machine Nationals Saturday was The Sorceress, a flex-fuel muscle car. The street-ready vehicle is capable of exceeding 300 mph and will be clocked at a competition later this year in Kansas.
Michael Heeren, who serves as marketing director for the Xcelerod company in Dubuque, Iowa, explained that the vehicle was originally a 1984 Hurst/Oldsmobile and that the owner - Rod Tschiggfrie - drove it back and forth to college. The body was later cut into pieces, parts were massaged and re-purposed for a new design to reach speeds upward of 300 mph - all while using everyday street fuel. Heeren said it is the first flex-fuel vehicle of its kind.
DQ students join national walkout
DU QUOIN - They stood silently at the flagpole for 17 minutes on Wednesday; 25 Du Quoin High School students who joined National Walkout Day in memory of the students gunned down one month ago at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
It was windy, and chilly. The small group of Du Quoin students did not talk, or engage. A girl laid down one flower for each student killed at Parkland. A woman who said her daughter was one of the protesters walked over to the students with a red, white and blue poster board that contained the names of the students who were killed.
School officials, who were watching the demonstration from a distance, asked her to leave. She did.
Senior Kiley Emling, who was among the Du Quoin protesters, said the walkout here was done largely to honor the Florida students who were killed Feb. 14 by a fellow student armed with an assault rifle.
"In my opinion, we did it in support of those who died. That way we have a memorable moment to think about," she said.
Mayberry in Du Quoin
DU QUOIN - Mayor Guy Alongi described Friday's "Back to School Bash" as a scene from Mayberry in Du Quoin's Keyes Park on Friday. And he would be right.
"This is kind of a 'last hurrah,' a way to wrap up the summer," said Alongi.
Alongi said the event that drew a crowd of well over 1,000, was born out of a previous failure.
"We had a family night in the park with the police department last year in October," he said. "It didn't go over well because of the weather."
Alongi said he and city officials "put their heads together" and decided to do the back to school bash.
"We ended up coming up with about $7,000 in contributions," Alongi said with a smile. "Everything you see here is donated."
Puppy Boot camp
DU QUOIN - It's not often that one can say going to prison makes you a winner, but for eight inmates at the Du Quoin Impact Incarceration Program and four shelter dogs who joined the program on June 1, Friday's first Puppy Boot Camp graduation was a winning event.
"We've thought about the program for several years," said Tammie Hoffard, the driving force behind the program.
A Johnston City native, Hoffard retired from her job as a counselor with the Illinois Department of Corrections in 2015, having spent the last five years at the Du Quoin IIP.
"We originally thought this program would be better suited for Pinckneyville," she said. "There initially were no programs like this for us to look at."
The idea behind Puppy Boot Camp is simple. Inmates volunteer to take a shelter dog for six weeks, socialize it and teach basic obedience.
"It makes them so much more adoptable," said Amy James, a volunteer coordinator with the Perry County Humane Society. "Being a shelter dog is such a stigma anyway. With this program, now we can say they have six weeks of obedience training."
How did we do?
Email me at jhoman@localsouthernnews.com and let me know if you agree or disagree with our list. Maybe we left out a big story. We'd like to hear back from you - our readers.
Carbondale Times Editor Geoff Ritter and Du Quoin Sports Editor Justin Walker contributed to this report.