This Week’s Lunch Specials

BenGil Staff 09:00 am | Monday

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Saturday

Project Kid Kare fundraiser to take place at Tropical Sno

BenGil Staff 05:07 am | A fund raiser to benefit Project Kid Kare will be held at Wayman’s Tropical Sno on Wednesday, July 30. Participants will make an 8 inch decorative yard stone for a $10 donation that goes toward Project Kid Kare. The price also includes a small flat top Tropical Sno to be redeemed that night. Colored glass and stones will be provided or bring your own gems, shells, stones, etc. Four sessions will be held: 5:00 p.m., 5:45 p.m., 6:30 p.m. and 7:15 p.m. Space is limited in each time. Advance registration and payment is appreciated and can be made at Tropical Sno in Gillespie or the Benld Public Library during business hours. Checks can be made to Project Kid Kare. Proceeds will be used to buy new school supplies for students in the CUSD#7. Project Kid Kare has been helping students for over 15 years. For questions please call Donna Easton at 217-556-3807 or Mary Newman at 217-825-9171. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - There are plenty of ways to keep up on BenGil news: Sign up for our weekly email newsletter Follow us on Twitter for the fastest breaking news updates and score updates Like us on Facebook for a slightly different take…

Person identified after criminal damage to storage center

BenGil Staff 05:01 am | The Gillespie Police Department has identified a person of interest following several reports of criminal damage to the storage facility in the 200 block of Southern Street. The police department received multiple reports of criminal damage to the Gillespie Mini Storage facility during the morning hours of Tuesday, July 15. The storage facility is located east of Quality Motors and southeast of Dollar General. Illinois State Police crime scene technicians and Gillespie police officers were on the scene during the morning hours of Tuesday and had the east end of the storage facility taped off with yellow barricade tape. The Gillespie Police Department is conducting the investigation, but crime scene technicians from the Illinois State Police are processing the evidence. It is unclear how many storage units were damaged during the incident. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - There are plenty of ways to keep up on BenGil news: Sign up for our weekly email newsletter Follow us on Twitter for the fastest breaking news updates and score updates Like us on Facebook for a slightly different take…

Demolition continues at Benld Elementary School

BenGil Staff 06:29 am | [caption id="attachment_15945" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Crews with Shafer Excavating started on the northeast wing Tuesday morning.[/caption] Demolition crews with Shafer Excavating are pushing ahead this week with their work to knock down and clear the Benld Elementary School that has been vacant since the subsidence of Superior Mine #2 that caused severe damage to the building in March of 2009. The demolition started in 2013, but was later halted in September of 2013 due to a request by Chicago and Northwestern Railroard to conduct further testing. Superintendent Joe Tieman announced Monday evening at the July board meeting that demolition will begin as soon as possible after the court released the building. See more demolition images here! Shafer won the contract to demolish the building with a bid of $171,125 and has had the building fenced for nearly a year now. They first took out the doors, windows, and all the items from the interior of the building. They moved on to removing the air conditioning units before demolition was halted. Crews started demolition on the northeastern wing Tuesday morning. Tieman announced that all contractual issues with Shafer had been “worked out” and demolition will be complete within four months and definitely by the end of 2014. In addition to demolishing the seven-year-old school building, the site will also be restored, regarded and the land will be seeded. The concrete and asphalt on the east side of the building will be removed, but the parking area on the west side will remain along with the light fixtures. Benld Elementary was condemned by the State of Illinois in 2009 after their investigation concluded the school could never be used again. The elementary school was seven years old at the time. The board has not decided what they are going to with the land after the building is demolished. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - There are plenty of ways to keep up on BenGil news: Sign up for our weekly email newsletter Follow us on Twitter for the fastest breaking news updates and score updates Like us on Facebook for a slightly different take…