Census 2000 Awareness Campaign Hits the County

[FEB. 1, 2000]  Got Census? Logan County residents will receive US Census 2000 questionnaires in the mail in early March. But the Awareness Campaign is already underway to make residents aware of the purpose of the census and to inform them of how the results can help to enrich our community. Census results provide social and economic facts about people and housing that is used by the state and local governments to assist in future planning.

Reverend Glenn Shelton, Chairman of the Complete Count Committee for Logan County’s Census 2000 said, "We want every resident to complete the Census questionnaire in a timely and accurate manner. The Complete Count Committee’s (CCC) objective is to raise interest in Census 2000 throughout the community by implementing an awareness campaign that will reach every resident."

There are 9,847 household units in Logan County that must be counted to reach the 100% goal for the county. The county’s current population is 15,257, a decrease of 171 people since 1990. Shelton said, " In our last count according to the US Census, we missed 1, 632 residents which equated in a loss of over $4 million in federal and state funding over the last ten years. We do not want to make this mistake again." These missed residents during the 1990 Census meant that the county fell short of the census goal by 17%. According to Census Bureau information, every 500 households undercounted equates to a $218,500.00 loss in revenue to the community per year until the next census.

The CCC will implement its Awareness Campaign in three phases. The first one is already underway and will continue until the questionnaires are mailed out in mid-March. Local businesses are encouraged to place posters in their windows. Advertisements and inserts will be included in the local newspaper and in the utility and cable company mailings. Eighty-three percent of the households in the country will receive the short-form questionnaire that asks questions about six subjects and will take about 10 minutes to complete. The long form includes the 34 subjects and will take about 38 minutes to complete.

Shelton said, "After the questionnaires have been mailed, we will start our second phase and remind everyone to fill out the questionnaire and if there are questions, we will be happy to inform the Census Bureau and help answer any questions to ensure a timely response. Our third and final phase involves advising residents who have not mailed their questionnaires. An Enumerator will be visiting their household to assist them in completing the form. I am confident that with this committee’s commitment that the Lincoln Community will have a complete count for 2000 and we will receive our fair share of federal and state funding."

Census information determines the reapportionment of seats for the U.S. House of Representatives. It also decides where to draw federal, state and local legislative districts, school district boundaries and it assists in designing public safety strategies, locating factory sites and distribution centers, and setting community goals, used to attract new business to the state and local areas. The U.S. Constitution has mandated a national census every 10 years since 1790.

[Kym C. Ammons-Scott]

Teen Court,

a Jury of Their Peers

[JAN. 31, 2000]  When Dorothy Morrow heard about the Teen Court in Galesburg, she thought it was a program that could help teenagers get back on track.  At the time she had a particular teenager in mind, a relative who, like many youngsters, had made a few mistakes in the process of growing up.  Without an alternative to the conventional justice system, Ms. Morrow knew that kids could get “lost in the shuffle.”

Fortunately for Logan County youth, Ms. Morrow didn’t let Teen Court remain a good idea never tried.  As president of the American Legion Auxiliary, she took the concept to her fellow members.  They too thought that Teen Court was promising and agreed to provide whatever support was necessary to establish a Teen Court in Logan County.

“We met with Bill Workman [Logan County State’s Attorney], and he helped us every step of the way,” Ms. Morrow reports.  After a year of planning meetings, the Teen Court became a reality in April of 1999, and more than 30 teen offenders have appeared before it since then. 

Sixty-five volunteers from Lincoln Community High School, Mt. Pulaski High School, and Hartsburg-Emden High School have worked with the Teen Court.  They are the judges, juries, prosecutors, defenders, and bailiffs in the process.  They literally try their peers.

Teen Court doesn’t determine guilt or innocence, Ms. Morrow explains.  All the defendants have pleaded guilty before appearing in front of the Teen Court.  Often Sergeant Darrell Sisk, the Juvenile Officer for the Lincoln City Police Department, refers them.  The Teen Court determines an appropriate sentence, which may include community service or restitution. “If teenage defendants are judged by their peers, they take it more seriously,” says Ms. Morrow.

Defendants have the option of going to Teen Court or staying in the regular court system.  If they choose Teen Court, a parent must accompany them in the proceedings. “Most parents think it’s a great idea,” says Ms. Morrow, “due to the fact it won’t be on their record.”  If the offender completes the sentence he or she is assigned and stays out of trouble for a year, the offense is not reflected in the young person’s record.  Defendants pay $25 to cover court costs.

Defendants have appeared before the court after pleading guilty to such charges as property crime misdemeanors, theft, battery and unlawful consumption of alcohol.  All the volunteers who serve as officers of the court sign a confidentiality agreement and their names are not made public.  They also agree not to discuss the proceedings outside the courtroom.

“This program has gotten off to an excellent start,” says Workman.  “Adult volunteers stay in touch with the sentenced offenders for a year after the proceedings, to help them stay out of trouble and get involved in constructive activities.  That has been a strong component of the program.

Local attorneys often sit in on the Teen Court proceedings.  According to Ms. Morrow, they have been very impressed with what they have seen.  “They can’t believe that some of these kids haven’t been to law school.”

The Teen Court has arranged with the Lincoln Area YMCA for a new sentencing option that will be available by spring.  In November, the YMCA initiated YMCA Gateway, a program for teenagers that now includes a leadership course for all eighth-graders at Lincoln Junior High School.  In April, the YMCA will open a high-ropes course now under construction at the YMCA’s youth services facility on the grounds of Lincoln Developmental Center.  Ron Sillings, an Army veteran, Lincoln Christian College graduate and martial artist directs the program.

“Ron and Sarah Farris teach a 30-hour leadership curriculum followed by rigorous training on a high-ropes course that includes challenging and confidence-building exercises 30 feet in the air,” explains Angie Peters, executive director of the local YMCA.  “All the eighth-graders at LJHS will be part of the program.  Eventually, the program will also be available to other groups.”

The Teen Court will have the option of “sentencing” offenders to a special adaptation of YMCA Gateway.  “It will be something like boot camp,” says Sillings, “tough and challenging, but also geared toward self-improvement.  When kids master this program, they realize they are capable of anything.  But before they get to the high-ropes, they complete a personal development course and plan and conduct a community service project.”

“Dorothy Morrow has been instrumental in getting Teen Court off the ground,” Workman exudes, “and Marlene Schrader and the ladies of the American Legion Auxilliary have put in countless hours of work.  Add to that the fine contribution of the teens who serve in the court and you have a perfect example of what selfless volunteer efforts can produce in a community.”

Workman thinks the Teen Court keeps young offenders on track and also teaches teenage volunteers about the workings of the justice system.  “Parents need the support of our institutions,” Workman observes.  “We have more and more single-parent homes, and keeping track of teenagers is a challenge.  I was raised in a single-parent home when it was more of a rarity than it is today.  I know first hand the challenges and struggles faced by both the child and the single parent.  Our community can provide a helping hand.”

      [Natalie Jeckel]  

"I Choose You"

A little magic in the air

[JAN. 29, 2000]  A crowd of children, filling the showroom of Graue Inc., waited with their parents late Friday afternoon for the arrival of the tall, mostly yellow Pokémon character Pikachu. But there was something unusual in the air.  The children, ranging from toddlers to teens, were waiting patiently.  There were none of the usual childish sounds or usual anxious childish actions happening in this crowd—only a slight murmur of anticipation.  It was as if they were all focused and behaving perfectly.

   When at last it was announced that Pikachu had arrived, a complete hush fell over the crowd.  As Pikachu came through the doors, the children quietly came forward and enveloped him.  Helpers immediately cleared a path so Pikachu could move to the center of the showroom and once there, the children again moved in to surround him.  There was no pushing, no shoving, and no other acting out.  It seemed as though they were held in awe of this cartoon superstar.  Their goal, it seemed, was to get as close as they could to touch Pikachu.

WBTV, Channel 23 from Decatur arranged for the Pokémon character to appear in Central Illinois. Graue Inc. sponsored Pikachu's appearance in Lincoln.  Pikachu was at Graue Inc. from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Door prizes were given out every 10 minutes.

[Staff.]       

Snow Days

[JAN. 31, 2000]  Saturday's winter storm sent Logan County residents scurrying to the grocery store.  In Lincoln, the parking lots at Kroger's and Eagle's were filled with shoppers buying up meat, bread and milk to prepare for the possibility of being snowed in.

City roads got slick and some country roads were made impassable by drifting snow.  City, county and state road crews were out, plowing and salting streets and highways.  By Sunday afternoon, the flakes slowed and it appeared that road crews and parking-lot plows had this storm under control.

The National Weather Center reports that there is no more snow expected for the week.  The week will be partly cloudy, with temperatures around 30 during the day Monday, and winds gusting to 10 to 20 mph.  By Friday, temperatures are expected to near the 40 degree mark.

Lincoln College to Award Honorary Degrees at Charter Day Celebration

[FEB. 1, 2000]  Lincoln College will grant seven honorary degrees at its 135th anniversary celebration, called Charter Day, on Sunday, Feb. 13, at 2 p.m. at the Johnston Center for Performing Arts on the college campus. Charter Day observes the founding of Lincoln College. The celebration is open to the public, and a reception will immediately follow in the Meyer-Evans Student Center.

The degree recipients include the following: Barbara Burkhardt, a William Maxwell Scholar; Charles Cullen, librarian and president of the Newberry Library in Chicago; Roland Ginzel, an artist; Congressman Ray LaHood; Norman Hellmers, superintendent of the Lincoln Home National Historic Site; Marion Smoak, a retired U.S. ambassador; and Ellen Lanyon, an artist.

Barbara Burkhardt is a William Maxwell Scholar from the Springfield area. Burkhardt has completed her dissertation on the writing of Lincoln author, William Maxwell. Maxwell is well known for his fictional Midwestern characters that are based on his upbringing in Lincoln, Ill. Burkhardt is currently working on a book that outlines the people and circumstances that shaped Maxwell’s writing. Burkhardt will speak about William Maxwell’s Lincoln at the Charter Day celebration.

Charles Cullen, from the Newberry Library in Chicago, is well known for his work in documentary editing through the use of computers. His credentials include teaching history at The College of William and Mary and Princeton University. He has published and contributed to many books and magazines on how academia can efficiently use research by using the computer.

Artist Roland Ginzel was born in Lincoln in the early ’20s. He studied at Lincoln College, Northwestern University and at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. His work uses the fundamental drawing techniques of shape, color and lines. Ginzel’s work has been shown worldwide and is featured at the Metropolitan Museum of Arts and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Congressman Ray LaHood represents the people of the 18th District of Illinois. LaHood, a Peoria native, has made public service his life for the last 17 years. He is known for his common sense approach to being an effective legislator on Capitol Hill. In 1995 the Congressional Quarterly named LaHood one of the "freshman to watch".

Norman Hellmers is currently the superintendent of the Lincoln Home in Springfield. For the last 10 years, Hellmers has managed to keep the integrity of the 160-year-old Lincoln home intact for its 400,000 annual visitors.

Marion Smoak is a retired U.S. ambassador. He is known for his work at the Department of State where he was deputy, acting and chief-of-protocol to President Nixon. In 1966, Smoak was elected the first Republican state senator in South Carolina.

Ellen Lanyon is a well-known American surrealism painter. Her works of art focus on the symbolic meaning of both landscape and still life genres. Lanyon’s work can be found in numerous public, corporate and private collections in the United States.