Cedarhurst hosts Got Talent show

More than 150 came to Cedarhurst Center for the Arts Saturday to see nine-year-old singer Julia Futch of Marion win the first Cedarhurst's Got Talent show.

Futch received a majority of the votes from three judges and 20 tables, besting second-place pianist and composer Terry McAlexander of Mt. Vernon, who played an original piece. Mt. Vernon Township High School students Bethany Brown, Kendall Kaskie, Michaela Lamczyk and Brady Bodine won third place for their skit, "Barbie and Ken Break Up."

Futch, who sang "Pia Jesu," won $300 for being voted best of eight acts in the fundraiser, which benefits 2012 Cedarhurst programs.

"We ended up selling 160 tickets, which is great for our first year," said Cedarhurst Director of Development Hillary Settle. "We hope to increase that in the future."

Settle said the event's other facets were successful as well: a surf and turf dinner provided by Cindi's Catering, as well as a silent auction including watercolors, etchings, photography, ceramics and gift baskets that raised more than $4,000.

"We had a wide variety of items," Settle said. "A lot of local businesses contributed."

While a final fundraising total has yet to be determined, Settle said she was thrilled by the proceeds of the auction and ticket sales, as well as the show itself.

"It was a really successful evening. There was a lot of positive feedback. People are already asking me about next year," she said. "We hope to have the same quality of food, as many or more items for the silent auction and a lot of talent to showcase from the Southern Illinois area."

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Mining equipment company announces expansion

MT. VERNON - A growing coal mining equipment manufacturer is investing more than $13 million in the next four years to expand its Mount Vernon facility.

Magnum Steel Works, Inc. plans to nearly quadruple in size, creating and retaining 52 jobs over two years via the company's initial $4 million investment. Officials said they will invest an additional $9 million over the following three years, for a total expansion that is expected to create and retain more than 150 jobs.

Magnum Steel Works will increase the size of its facility from 33,000 square feet to 128,000 square feet, allowing it to meet the market demands of the coal industry in Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky. The company anticipates that sales will increase by 20 percent within two years.

"We are excited to continue to expand and grow our business in southern Illinois, where we've found a talented pool of workers and an ideal location to meet our market demands," said Jim Czerwinski, president and CEO of Magnum Steel Works, Inc. "I'd like to thank the state and our local partners for helping us enter into the next phase of our business."

Illinois' Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity will provide the company with a tax credit, based on job creation and job training grants. The state's business investment package is valued at approximately $540,000 over 10 years and is contingent on the company meeting its investment and job numbers.

Since business began in 2005, Magnum Steel Works has grown from five employees to 40. The company specializes in fabrication, machining, mig welding, waterjet cutting and rebuild services of coal mining equipment and also works with Continental Tire on all equipment repair work.

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Illinois' Unemployment Rate Rises to 10.1 Percent

CHICAGO (AP) - Illinois' unemployment rate went up slightly in October even as the state added 30,000 more jobs. Officials said Friday that the unemployment rate in Illinois is 10.1-percent, above the national rate of 9 percent. Though the state added jobs in several industries, state unemployment went up because more job-seekers are re-entering the workforce. Unemployment figures are calculated using the number of jobless people who are actively seeking work. The professional and business services industry added the most jobs last month, with 10,600. Jay Rowell, the director of the Illinois Department of Employment Security, says the new numbers are encouraging.

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Firearm Deer Hunting Season Begins Friday In Illinois

The first weekend of the state's most popular hunting season runs Friday morning through Sunday evening. Illinois Department of Natural Resources spokesperson Stacey Solano says hunters need to remember to report their harvest by 10:00pm on the day they take the deer. "You can either do that through the DNR website, or by phoning in at 1-866-IL-CHECK. For hunters in Boone, DeKalb, Grundy, Jo Daviess, Kane, La Salle, McHenry, Ogle, Stephenson, and Winnebago Counties, they need to bring their deer to mandatory check stations by 8:00pm on the day they harvest", said Solano. Solano says conservation police will use airplane details as well as their regular patrols to check for an illegal hunting activity. Poachers were recently caught in Northern Illinois illegally taking trophy deer.

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Metro-East Man Ordered to Spend 38 Years In Prison For Role In Death of 4-Year-Old

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. (AP) - A southwestern Illinois man has been ordered to spend 38 years in prison for his role in the fatal beating of his girlfriend's 4-year-old son. Thirty-four-year-old Sean Starwalt was sentenced Thursday in Madison County, where he pleaded guilty in September to first-degree murder. Authorities say Starwalt hit Jeremiah Bradford in the head, chest and abdomen in South Roxana in September 2010. The boy's mother, 35-year-old Patricia Cage, also is charged with first-degree murder. Authorities contend Cage failed to protect her son from the abuse and didn't seek medical attention for his injuries until it was too late. Cage has pleaded not guilty and remains jailed in Edwardsville, awaiting trial.

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Illinois' Skyrocketing Pension Costs Expected To Go Much Higher

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - Illinois' skyrocketing pension costs will go up even more than expected next year. The Chicago Tribune reports that retirement system analysts first thought the state would have to budget $422 million more for pensions next year. After more study, the analysts now predict the state will have to spend almost $1 billion more. While state leaders say the new figure is more accurate, that means rising pension costs will likely eat up all of the $1 billion increase in income the state is expecting. After years of state government skimping on pension contributions, the projected shortfall in all of the state's pension funds for public workers is $85 billion.

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