Randolph County briefs

Randolph County briefs

Chester blood drive coming on Feb. 19

The need for blood is constant, so join the American Red Cross's lifesaving team by donating at the Chester Community Blood Drive on Feb. 19 at the American Legion, 500 E. Opdyke, Chester. Hours are 12:45-5:45 p.m. Bring some form of ID, such as your Red Cross Donor Card or driver's license, to the drive. To decrease your wait time you can make an appointment on the Red Cross website at www.redcrossblood.org or at (800) RED-CROSS. You may also decrease your donation time by using RapidPass, which permits you to complete the prereading and donation questions online. Visit redcrossblood.org/RapidPass, read the information, answer the questions, and print the pass or email it to yourself.

Soil & water board elects new officers

The Randolph County Soil & Water Conservation District held its election of directors on Feb. 6. The district welcomes Ron Bleem, Carolyn Holder and Luke Kilgores, who were elected to two-year terms. They join board members Ron Deterding and Joyce Schmoll. The next SWCD board meeting is at 7:30 p.m. on March 5, at the Randolph County Office Complex/USDA Building, in Sparta.

Prairie du Rocher man dies in accident

Richard L. Schlesinger, 69, of Prairie du Rocher was pronounced dead at the Red Bud Regional Hospital Emergency Room at 9 p.m. on Feb. 7, due to a motor vehicle accident that occurred in Monroe County, according to the Randolph County Coroner's Office. A news release says the accident is being investigated by the Randolph County Coroner's Office and the Monroe County Sheriff's Department.

Chamber to hear Goodwill manager

The Chester Chamber of Commerce will host a lunch meeting program Feb. 18 at the Chester Eagles Club, where the guest speaker will be Randy Osborn, MERS Goodwill Southern Illinois Case Manager. He will talk about the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP), managed by MERS Goodwill, which is a community service and work-based training program for older workers. SCSEP was authorized by Congress in 1965 as part of the older Americans Act to provide subsidized, part-time, community service work-based training for low income persons aged 55 or older who have poor employment prospects. Everyone is invited to attend the one hour program. Lunch is not provided by the chamber but may be ordered from the menu.