New Athens News

Tom May is accustomed to having a birds'-eye view of baby kestrels. On a recent morning, he needed friend Paul Feldker's help to reach the opening to the 14-foot-high nesting box in the field near a home.

Watching his father and uncles earn a living underground convinced Ray Swyear his future wasn't in the coal mines.

On April 4, Krista Juenger and Erika Laumbattus traveled to Springfield to participate in Farm Bureau Youth Conference, where they furthered their knowledge on the FFA and agricultural topics such as biodiesel, ... via Belleville News

“He's a busy man and it's a lot of time and commitment”

Former St. Louis Cardinals pitcher and Gateway Grizzlies manager Danny Cox has resigned as baseball coach at New Athens High School. via Belleville News

Michael D. Kilgore, 33, of 501 Chester, Apt. 5 in New Athens. A second man has been charged with robbery in connection with a robbery of a motel in Belleville Saturday and his accomplice has been charged with a ... via Belleville News

“The biggest need we are trying to address for (the village) is a pharmacy.”

The developers of a proposed $4 million commercial project in New Athens are asking village officials to help finance the undertaking with a tax increment financing district.

The proposed New Athens Commons includes a grocery store anchoring a strip mall near the intersection of Old Baldwin and New Baldwin roads. The intersection is prime real estate easily visible to motorists driving on nearby Illinois 13.

Developers Mike Kemp and Gil Lause, part of a three-person partnership, proposed the project to the New Athens Board of Trustees during a recent board meeting at the New Athens Village Hall. Read more

“It's a legitimate appointment. The only one who can stop the appointment from taking place was Bishop Braxton himself.”

A group of priests who met with then Bishop-designate Edward Braxton and asked him not to accept his appointment to head the Belleville Diocese was advised to seek the meeting by two of the Catholic Church's highest officials in the U.S.

The Revs. Jerry Wirth of Olney, Marc Stec of Ridgeway and Edward E. Schaefer of St. Rose said they were among seven Belleville Diocese priests who first met with Cardinal Francis George, archbishop of Chicago, who provided an introduction to Archbishop Gabriel Montalvo, then the papal nuncio or U.S. representative of the pope. Both advised them to meet with Braxton about their concerns, the three priests said. Read more

Engineers have used sand bags to plug two breaks in a levee on the Black River in Arkansas as the region battles flooding caused by heavy rain. via The Topeka Capital-Journal

“For some of these places, this is their 500-year flood”

Ervin "Smitty" Smith, uses a boat to ferry customers to his bar, Saturday, March 22, 2008 in New Athens, Ill. via Examiner.com

“I've seen possums go inside hollow logs and you can stick it in there and hope for the best. I pushed the dog off to the side, stuck my camera in there with the flash on and took a few pictures.”

A trip into the woods to hunt for shed antlers produced much more than a trophy rack for Bob Rutkowski. via Belleville News

Miles Mathis, 3, at the Monster Truck Rally at the Edward Jones Dome. Miles' parents are Kristy and Russ Mathis of New Athens. via Belleville News

“Others will spend 15 minutes looking for a certain item.”

The Antique Mall of Perry County is a 12,000-square-foot treasure trove between Nashville and Pinckneyville.

Out front, tables stack atop tables. Wooden ironing boards juggle for position behind a fat-tired bike. Sections of white picket fence lean toward rockers and school desks.

Inside, Diane Brierly works a furniture puzzle.

When a rolltop desk or cupboard leaves the neat showroom, she finds another piece to fill its place. In a larger back room, 65-plus vendors exhibit antique dishes, dresses, paintings, furniture and fixtures. Wide aisles offer easy wheelchair access. Read more

Six public meetings are scheduled this month to discuss the 2008 St. Clair County Comprehensive Plan Update.

Representatives of the St. Clair County Economic Development Committee, along with county staff members and consultants from Woolpert Inc. will attend the open house meetings to discuss the plans.

** 3 to 6 p.m. Thursday, March 13, at MidAmerica St. Louis Airport in Mascoutah

** 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, March 13, at the Freeburg Township Building

** 3 to 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 18, at the St. Clair County Courthouse Read more

Vegetable soup is the great equalizer in the kitchen.

If you want to start with fresh ingredients, you can create Creamy Vegetable Soup. The recipe, from Cindy Heinecke of New Athens, is full of fresh vegetables like zucchini and broccoli, along with tummy-filling sweet and white potatoes in a creamy soup.

Or, if you're the economical type, you can add leftover meat, like the chopped cooked ham in Spit Pea Soup with Barley from Ruthanna Bryant, owner of Jerome Place Bed & Breakfast in Cahokia. Read more

“The potential is there for a pretty good glazing earlier in the day.”

More sleet this morning is expected to change into snow before ending this afternoon, the result of a winter storm that hit the area Thursday and caused dozens of vehicle accidents across the metro-east.

The National Weather Service, which issued a winter storm warning throughout the area from Thursday up to 6 p.m. today, said the storm is expected to pass by sometime in the early afternoon.

Meteorologist Ben Miller expected the low precipitation overnight to carry over into the predawn hours today, continuing 'off and on' into the early afternoon. Read more

On January 28, Jeremy Crider was honored by the New Athens Rotary Club for his achievements at New Athens High School. via Belleville News

Investigators with the St. Clair County Sheriff's Department are seeking reckless homicide charges in connection with a single-vehicle accident that left a New Athens man dead this weekend.

The St. Clair County State's Attorney has taken the case under advisement while the investigation continues.

Thomas Haggard, 55, was killed when his truck went into Silver Creek at Five Forks Road and Silver Creek in New Athens. The red pick-up was found in the creek about 8 p.m. Jan. 18.

Haggard's body was found on the ground near his truck, according to St. Clair County Sheriff Chief Investigator Capt. Steve Johnson. Read more

“If they are doing well, then maybe the environment is doing well too.”

Members of the Shawnee Audubon Society gathered Monday evening to learn about one of the smallest falcons from a man who spends much of his time tracking and documenting the bird. via Southern Illinoisan

“The whole cast has been helping to direct because I am on stage so much -- and I do need direction”

If too many cooks spoil the broth, can too many directors ruin a play?

Not if Dick Petrowich can help it.

As most metro-east community theater buffs know, Petrowich has been the driving force behind Open House Theatre in New Athens for more than 20 years. Recently, however, the 75-year-old former teacher has limited his stage skills to the director's chair rather than treading the boards himself.

But this weekend, he'll take on a role he's been aching to do: He'll star as Solomon Levy, a dyed-in-the-wool Jewish father who is upset to learn that his son is marrying an Irish Catholic lassie, in the hit comedy 'Abie's Irish Rose.' Read more

“We've been spoiled by the good weather”

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Seasoned jumpers scoffed in 2004 and 2005 when huge crowds took advantage of temperatures in the 60s to leap from the dock at Smitty's Marina during the annual New Year's Day Polar Bear Jump into the Kaskaskia River.

The crowd got a little thinner in 2007 when the mercury only reached 40. But this year, with a temperature of 23 and winds gusting up to 29 mph, only about 60 people were brave enough to take a dip.

'We usually have over 100 jumpers and more than 1,000 people on the docks watching,' said Cheri Smith, who owns Smitty's Marina with her husband, Ervin. 'We had about 350 motorcycles here last year. But it's so cold that only a few of the bikers came out.' Read more