Features,  Announcements,  The Chamber Report,

Honors & Awards,  Main Street Corner News,  Job Hunt,

Lottery Numbers,  World / National Business News,

World / National Tech News

Features

[APRIL 30, 2001]  Assuming approval, Nutt plans to advertise the bachelor’s degree program to this year’s 700 to 800 graduates of Lincoln College and Heartland Community College and to workers in Bloomington/Normal. He hopes to attract 50 students to the program this fall, with an eventual goal of 100 full-time and 50 part-time students. His plan for all of Lincoln College is to stabilize at about 1,200 full-time equivalent students, including 525 residential students in Lincoln, 200 to 250 commuters and 450 full-time equivalent for all programs in Normal. He expects to reach the Lincoln goal this fall, aided by the completion of a new dormitory.

[click here for Part 1]

Reaching the goal of 525 residential students is the culmination of the fifth year in the college’s five-year growth plan. Nutt expects that an additional dormitory planned for next year and the projected 50,000-square-foot Lincoln Center will solidify the gains in student population. The Lincoln Center will contain a gymnasium, fitness center open to the public, museum, rare-book room, Logan County Hall of Fame and the relocated Hall of Presidents. Nutt also hopes to establish a Hall of Governors, with signatures of all Illinois governors, patterned after the presidential signature display now in McKinstry Library.

He said the process of developing the bachelor’s program began in 1995 when Heartland Community College officially opened and enrollment at Lincoln College in Normal began to decline. In an effort to develop "a symbiotic, not an adversarial relationship," he said, Lincoln College began building housing to differentiate itself from its all-commuter neighbor on Raab Road. When three housing units were in place, enrollment stabilized and began to climb. Acquisition of Midwest College of Cosmetology three years ago added the equivalent of 100 full-time students per year. Building plans for the Normal campus include an addition to the cosmetology school and more housing.

Planning began in earnest when Lincoln College employed Educational Alliance, a higher-education consulting firm located in Boston, to explore the feasibility of a baccalaureate program. Focus groups were conducted among students, alumni, business leaders and other affected groups in Bloomington/Normal. The North Central Association was also consulted, and a curriculum committee has been meeting for 15 months to establish course requirements.

[to top of second column in this section]

In addition to Fansler, two faculty members have been hired specifically for the bachelor’s program: Dr. Debora Van Hoorn in language and humanities and Dr. Dana Farnham in anthropology. Faculty members already teaching on the Lincoln and Normal campuses will conduct the remainder of the new courses.

"People come to Lincoln College because we are a two-year school," said Nutt. "Now another bridge will be available to them." Among potential students he counts graduates of Illinois Central College in Peoria, Parkland Community College in Champaign/Urbana and the nearly three-quarters of the population of McLean County with less than a bachelor’s degree. However, he expects the majority of students to be associate’s degree graduates of Lincoln College.

He notes that in the last 20 years three-fourths of the private two-year colleges in the United States have folded. Lincoln College, by contrast, has experienced five years of growth. Assuming approval by the North Central Association, he expects the two-plus-two program to continue that growth.

The college was founded as Lincoln University, a four-year school, but the program was reduced to two years in 1929, when enrollment dropped as a result of the threatening Depression. In a way the school has come full circle.

[Lynn Spellman]

[APRIL 30, 2001]  The Illinois Coalition for Responsible Tobacco Retailing announces training seminars in Peoria, Rosemont, Rockford, Rock Island, Decatur and Springfield.  The Illinois Retail Merchants Association, Illinois Petroleum Marketers Association, Illinois Food Retailers Association and the Illinois Licensed Beverage Association have joined the "Under 18, No Tobacco: We Card" program to co-sponsor the FREE seminars. The Springfield and Decatur sessions will be Thursday, May 17.

All business owners, managers and store employees are invited to participate in one of these valuable, interactive skill-building sessions. Led by professional trainers, the seminars will help educate employees on the front lines about issues including:

• Exact requirements of Illinois’ minimum-age tobacco sales laws

• How to spot fake IDs and which IDs can be accepted

• How to use "We Card" material to ensure accurate age calculations

• How to identify popular ploys used by minors

• How to handle difficult situations when minors try to buy tobacco

• How to handle difficult situations when sales are refused

• How to handle second-party sales

• Fines, penalties and other sanctions for illegal sales

It is illegal to sell tobacco to anyone under age 18, and there are stiff fines and penalties for retailers who violate the law. A reported 18,000 compliance checks will be conducted by enforcement authorities in Illinois this year. Businesses are urged to be prepared and in full compliance.

[to top of second column in this article]

The training seminars and "We Card" training materials will give store managers and employees the tools needed to help uphold all minimum-age tobacco sales laws. The sessions and all materials are completely FREE. Participants will receive free "Under 18, No Tobacco: We Card" signage, employee pins and other tools to display in their stores, in addition to training workbooks and study guides. Refreshments will be provided.

Call (888) 872-4603 to reserve space for you and your employees. This is an opportunity to make a difference in a very important issue.

•  Decatur session:

Thursday, May 17, 9 to 11 a.m.

Holiday Inn Select

4191 W. Highway 36

(217) 422-8800 (for directions)

•  Springfield session:

Thursday, May 17, 3 to 5 p.m.

Crowne Plaza

3000 S. Dirksen Parkway

(217) 529-7777 (for directions)

[News release]

[APRIL 28, 2001]  If approved by the regional accrediting association, Lincoln College will begin offering courses this fall leading to a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts. The program will be offered on the Normal campus only.

LC President Jack Nutt said the program, which has been in the planning stages for several years, meets the needs of both two-year graduates who want to complete their studies near home and working adults whose education was interrupted. "Although some junior colleges try to expand out of a sense of panic in order to survive," he said, "that is not true here. Instead, institutional research has identified a local need that will sustain the program."

[LC President Jack Nutt]

To define the program for presentation to the North Central Association, the regional accrediting association, the college published a 114-page institutional change report in January. It outlines a two-plus-two program, meaning two years leading to an Associate of Arts degree, until now the entire mission of the college, and a separate enrollment and two-year program leading to a bachelor’s degree. The report defines two new programs, a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts and a Bachelor of Science in Business Management. However, the plan is to offer only the liberal arts program for at least a year.

A two-person North Central accreditation team reviewed the programs April 23-24. They unanimously recommended approval of both degrees, in liberal arts and business management, and the college anticipates favorable action by the commission when it meets on June 18.

As part of the research justifying the program, Lincoln College conducted focus-group discussions with major employers in Bloomington-Normal, such as State Farm Insurance. According to Nutt, these employers said they want liberally educated employees whom they can then train to meet the needs of the particular position.

Nutt said he envisions a hands-on program. Although students will not concentrate in a traditional major, in their final semester they will apply their skills in a specific job situation. The school will require a minimum of 10 hours’ work off-campus per week as part of the senior project, which will also include a paper. Students will be placed in internships related to their intended field of employment; those who are uncertain will be placed in human services positions.

Gigi Fansler, who has been hired as associate dean to direct the program as well as teach, will secure the internship positions. She was previously head of the Illinois State University human resources department.

[to top of second column in this section]

Nutt said several factors led to the decision to offer the baccalaureate program only at the Normal campus. First, the twin cities have more than 10 times as many people to draw from, compared with Lincoln. Second, the area offers many potential part-time faculty members as well as the ambience of a university town. Third, the Normal campus has room for expansion; of the nine acres the college owns, only six have been developed.

Finally, Nutt said LC could not afford a junior-senior program without the student services contract it has signed with Illinois State University. According to the terms of this contract, "Lincoln College students are identical to ISU students in everything except where they attend class," he said. They are entitled to use all other student services and facilities, including recreation, library, food service, personal and career counseling, and health services. "They can join fraternities if they want," he said, "or play in the marching band." One employee in Milner Library is the designated contact to work with LC students and faculty to locate any materials they need. Like ISU students, they will have 24-hour Internet access to library sources.

The liberal arts degree will comprise 60 hours of credit, 39 in required courses and 21 in electives. Required classes are distributed among communications, critical thinking, humanities, social sciences, ecology and mathematics. A two-year schedule of required courses might include, for example, professional writing, communication theory, techniques of persuasion, comparative economic systems, organizational behavior, research methods, conflict management, finite mathematics and physical anthropology.

Of the 60-hour total, 40 hours must be at the junior-senior level, with course numbers in the 300s and 400s. Sixteen upper-level courses of three hours each are planned for the fall semester. To meet the needs of working adults, late afternoon, evening and Saturday courses will be offered.

(To be continued)

[Lynn Spellman]

[click here for Part 2]

[APRIL 20, 2001]  The Tropics Steak & Pasta House at 1007 Hickory Drive, on historic Route 66, has been open under the management of Tim Dalipi for two weeks, serving a mixed menu of Italian and American dishes.

Five members of the Dalipi family are involved in the operation of the restaurant. Sam Dalipi ran former restaurants in Chicago, Peoria, Champaign and Sullivan, but says he now just works for his son Tim. Sam’s brother Jim is chef, Tim’s sister Rita is hostess and his brother Tefik works in back. In addition, the restaurant employs about 20 waitresses and three bartenders.

[Nancy Treatch and Gretchen Neville savor a bite to eat.]

Sam Dalipi was born in Albania, and the special Wednesday night was chicken Albanese, made with broccoli, red pepper, artichokes and herbs and sautéed in white wine. Italian dishes such as the house special pasta combination of manicotti, meat lasagna and cannelloni are featured on the menu. There is even a dessert called chocolate lasagna, consisting of layered chocolate cake, cream and chocolate morsels. When asked to differentiate between Italian and Albanian cuisine, both Tim and Sam Dalipi said the two are virtually identical.

The Tropics’ menu offers variety in every category. A few examples are calamari and stuffed mushrooms for appetizers; spinach, princess and julienne salads; French dip and Italian beef sandwiches; chicken Piccante, Sorentino, Francaise and Scarpariella; several cuts of steak and seafood choices; and cheesecake and tiramisu for dessert.

[The main dining rooms have been newly refurnished with some of the more significant Tropics features, like the tropical island mural kept intact. The old Coffee Shop has been made into a smoking area.]

A separate lunch menu will be available starting Monday, April 23. Tim Dalipi said it will offer a wide variety, from sandwiches to steak, and will include specials, as does the evening menu. The restaurant is open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Entrees on the regular menu range in price from about $6 to $15.

The kitchen of the restaurant follows the same design as formerly but has been furnished with totally new equipment. Broilers, grills, stoves, fryers, coolers, steam tables, pots and pans — "from dishes to floor mats, everything is new," Sam Dalipi said.

[to top of second column in this article]

The former coffee shop is now the dining room for smokers, and the two dining rooms are newly furnished. Carpeting is green, and chairs sport a green and red paisley print on blue with red trim. New wall art features florals and Italian scenes. However, in addition to updating the look of the restaurant, the Dalipis have retained a bit of The Tropics of the past. The tropical island mural long associated with the restaurant still graces one wall, and Tim Dalipi said Lew Johnson is bringing back some of the paintings that were previously displayed. Two Route 66 signs remind diners of the location on that historic highway.

One change to the bar area is that windows have been cut in the wall so the interior can be seen from the hall and from the dining room for smokers. The L-shaped bar is still there, but wood trim has been added. Tim Dalipi expresses pride in how the bar turned out.

A full wall now separates the banquet area from the regular dining room. Entrance to the banquet rooms is from the west, near the tropical island mural. The banquet area can be made into one or two rooms and can seat 25 to 150. Refurbishment so far includes repainting and replacement of ceiling tile. The area will open in approximately a month, after new carpet and furniture are in place.

Tim Dalipi said the entire restaurant can accommodate 220 people. The changes have somewhat reduced capacity.

[Looking into the bar]

"Business is doing real well, and people have been great," he said. He describes The Tropics as a family restaurant and offers a children’s menu of several items.

The family began working on the restaurant last summer, but the lease officially began in December 2000, according to Tim Dalipi. He said one plan for the future is to redesign outside signs to update the exterior look of the restaurant.

[Lynn Spellman]

[APRIL 19, 2001]  The president of the Illinois State Chamber of Commerce updated local Chamber members Wednesday on issues before the state legislature that may impact local businesses.

Unemployment insurance tax relief, the state Chamber’s first priority for new legislation, has passed the Senate but faces difficulty in the House, according to Illinois Chamber President Todd Maisch. The two-bill package cuts the minimum tax rate in half and eliminates the fund-building surcharge passed in the early 1980s, when the unemployment insurance fund was in debt. Now the fund for future unemployment benefits has grown to $2.1 billion. "Sending money to a bloated trust fund is not a good idea," said Maisch, who hopes to convince the pro-organized-labor majority in the House that reinvesting in business creates jobs.

A bill requiring employers of more than 50 workers to provide insurance for mental health on the same terms as other illnesses will probably be enacted, Maisch said at the legislative breakfast sponsored by the Government/Education Committee of the Lincoln/Logan County Chamber of Commerce. Because the bill increases employers’ health insurance expenditures, the Illinois Chamber opposes it, but he said the bill as passed by the Senate has been revised to something that "the business community can live with."

The Illinois Chamber supports increased Medicaid payments to hospitals, nursing homes and other health-care providers, seeing a cost shift to private-pay customers if the government does not pay its share. Speaking at The Restaurant at the Depot Wednesday morning, Maisch said he hopes some of the many issues concerning health-care providers can be addressed outside the legislative process.

How state legislative districts are redrawn to comply with the 2000 census will influence the lawmaking process for a decade. Maisch said his description of the Illinois process for redistricting elicits disbelief from colleagues in other states. He described the process as potentially having three stages: First, lawmakers try to reach agreement. If there is a stalemate in the General Assembly, a commission evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats is appointed. If that commission also fails to reach consensus, two names are put in a hat and the party of the person whose name is pulled out gets to draw the redistricting map.

Whichever party draws the map, downstate districts will become larger and fewer because of the greater growth in Chicago and the suburbs. Maisch said that because of the population increase in McLean County, the representative and senatorial districts including Lincoln might expand in that direction.

[to top of second column in this article]

A law restricting telemarketing is likely to be enacted, Maisch said. The bill sets up a do-not-call list which telemarketers must consult and use to cull their lists four times per year, with a $2,500 penalty for each failure to comply.

Many of the issues addressed by the Illinois State Chamber this session were determined at an October 2000 meeting attended by more than 40 representatives of local chambers of commerce. Bobbi Abbott, executive director of the Lincoln/Logan County Chamber of Commerce, attended the meeting, along with Marty Ahrends of the Agriculture Committee and Wanda Lee Rohlfs of the Government/Education Committee.

Maisch distributed an update detailing progress on the nine issues defined by the group. They include initiatives in favor of workers’ compensation reform, revision of the program for testing Illinois students and incentives for cleanup of environmentally contaminated sites. Only the environmental clean-up bill has passed in one body, the Senate.

The state Chamber opposes extending the federal Family and Medical Leave Act to smaller businesses, increasing the minimum wage, allowing doctors to form price-fixing cartels and reinstating the Structural Work Act, which allowed injured workers to go outside the workers’ compensation system to sue third parties. All three bills are either dead or of uncertain passage. The Illinois State Chamber of Commerce also wants to repeal the Illinois Responsible Property Transfer Act for potentially contaminated land, saying the bill is obsolete.

Maisch praised the pro-business majority in the Illinois Senate, including Bob Madigan (R-Lincoln). Madigan spoke briefly, also citing redistricting and Medicaid reimbursement to hospitals and long-term care facilities as important issues. He said he has been involved in reviewing the retired teachers health insurance plan. Madigan disagreed with the perception that the General Assembly is halfway through the legislative session. Instead he likened it to being one period into a three-period hockey game. Reconciliation of House and Senate bills and redistricting still must be addressed.

[Lynn Spellman]

[MARCH 27, 2001]  ^"It could be as soon as next week." The statement made by station manager Jim Ash was in regard to the area’s new radio station, WMNW, going on the air. The local station, situated on a parcel of land on Lazy Row, rural Atlanta, is just about ready to begin a courtship of central Illinois listeners. Owned by K and M Communications out of Skokie, the new station will bring local radio back to Logan County as well as supplement existing stations in the 30-mile radius surrounding the transmitter.

Ash, a 19-year mainstay at the defunct WPRC and for the last two years at WUIS in Springfield, says that both the tower and transmitter are ready to span the airwaves on 96.3 FM. "We still need carpeting and some furniture and other items," Ash said, "but as soon as we get our hookup with our network affiliate, ABC, we will go on the air."

Ash reiterated that the station will primarily be music. "The format will be classic rock from the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s," Ash noted. "We will have news briefs from ABC and some local news as well. Primarily we are interested in delivering music and are not interested in becoming another news station." Ash was quick to point out that with a 24-hour format geared to the Logan County area, any important breaking news will receive priority. "In the event of special alerts, inclement weather bulletins or area schools or businesses closing, WMNW will drop its music to give residents the latest information as soon as possible."

[to top of second column in this article]

Ash stated that as the station delves into the airwaves it will determine if any fine tuning will be done to the principal format. He also stated that any businesses interested in becoming an advertiser on the station can contact him at his home at 735-4930.

[Mike Fak]

[MARCH 5, 2001]  More than a year and a half after the first plans were laid, Lincoln’s major Internet provider, CCAonline, has broken ground for a new tower that will provide Lincoln with broadband-wireless Internet access. "Lincoln can now compete with surrounding larger cities such as Springfield and Peoria that have DSL and cable modems," says Curt Schleich, webmaster and co-owner of CCA Wireless.

This new wireless service will offer high-speed Internet service at reasonable prices that businesses and individuals can afford. While the service is new to the public, the technology has been around since the ’60s. It was previously used only by the military. Wireless solves the "last mile" communications problems that occur between house and main source, as in between house and local Internet server.

Why wireless?

The consideration to add wireless began more than two years ago when Computer Consulting Associates owners Jim Youngquist and Curt Schleich began researching for an improved means to provide better quality high-speed Internet access. Without the use of big company equipment, our area telephone lines cannot support DSL or cable modems that are used by other larger communities.

Where do you go to buy a tower and what tower do you choose?

CCA investigated "getting an antenna into the air using downtown buildings or current towers," informs Schleich, but those choices proved to be either quality or cost-prohibitive, or lacked a place for nearby equipment storage. It was soon recognized that a tower was the only option.

The quest for a tower source was the first step. After some searching a company was located that had been building towers since 1949. Plans were drawn up and engineer approved. All was falling in line with the timing of the city building code and special use applications. Then a sad thing happened. One of the partners in the tower company died suddenly. The company was shutting down. After a new search was begun, it took many months to find another provider at a much higher cost. Then there would be the special application for engineering approval, more time and fees again. Just as another company that could do the job was found, CCA received word that the original tower company was resuming business with a new assistant. The original plans, already drawn up with engineering approval, could be used.

[to top of second column in this article]

Dotting their i’s and crossing their t’s

In the meantime, there was also some time involved in getting approval from the city to erect the tower. Soon, CCA was approved as one of several tower sites under the city’s new Telecommunications Tower Ordinance. CCA is open to adding other antennas for other businesses. At this time the tower will sport two antennas. One will be for CCA Wireless and they have one renter, Illinois Paging, scheduled to go up later. Currently, there is room for one more antenna on this facility.

Schleich is excited about bringing this new technology to Lincoln. Because it is new technology he could not say just how many users the wireless will be able to support on the first antenna. As with their online business, he plans to "closely monitor equipment for bandwidth and how much the service is used."

When asked about what this project has cost besides a lot of patience and planning, Schleich responds, "By the time we’re all done it will have cost between $20,000 and $25, 000."

You can log on to www.ccaonline.com for more information about wireless technology. Schleich says you can also find cost and sign-up information. There are already about 70 sign-ups on the waiting list. The sign-ups will be notified via e-mail when the tower is up and service has been initialized. Then "sign-ups will be contacted in turn for site evaluation and equipment setup," he says.

Welcome to the 21^st century, Lincoln!

[Jan Youngquist]

Announcements

[APRIL 20, 2001]  Congress repealed the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) June 30, 2000. A new Workforce Investment Act (WIA) has replaced it. The Logan County Illinois Employment and Training Center (IETC) now houses two offices:  Illinois Department of Employment and Security Office (IDES), "the unemployment office," and Logan County Workforce Office (WIA)

Effective April 30, 2001, the offices will be at the following address:

120 S. McLean St., Suite B

Farm Bureau Building

Lincoln, IL 62656

The new e-mail address is ietc@abelink.com.

Phone and fax numbers remain the same: phone (217) 735-5441 and fax (217) 732-2658.

Staff members are Fred Wiemer, Rod Lewis and Jan Gleason.

Please feel free to contact any of the staff for employment and training services. The staff looks forward to serving you.

The Chamber Report

Upcoming events

May 16 — Business Roundtable on Workforce Issues, 7:30 a.m., Lincoln College Cafeteria

May 17 — Chamber mixer, Gossett’s/7^th Heaven, 311 Broadway St.

June 8 — Chamber roundup golf tournament, auction and dinner

Aug. 24-26 — Lincoln Art & Balloon Festival

[to top of second column in this section]

The Chamber of Commerce is a catalyst for community progress, bringing business and professional people together to work for the common good of Lincoln and Logan County.

Lincoln/Logan County Chamber of Commerce

303 S. Kickapoo St., Lincoln

(217) 735-2385

Fax (217) 735-9205

www.lincolnillinois.com

chamber@lincolnillinois.com

[Provided by Bobbi Abbott, executive director of Lincoln/Logan County Chamber of Commerce]

Honors & Awards

[APRIL 19, 2001]  Congratulations to James Rusk, who has been named Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital April Employee of the Month. He has worked in the dietary department at ALMH since 1998.

Rusk’s nominators state that he "is very compassionate with the patients and their needs. He’s willing to lend a hand without even asking for his help—he just jumps right in. James does a great job and you can always count on him to follow up on things."

Rusk was born and raised in Bloomington and currently resides in Lincoln. He enjoys spending time with his family, and he also enjoys cooking.

[ALMH news release]

Main Street Corner News

[APRIL 21, 2001]  Please mark your calendar for the following meetings and activities that pertain to you:

•  Monday, April 23, 5:30 p.m. — National Historic Preservation Week Committee meets at Eckert's

•  Tuesday, April 24, 5:30 p.m. — Design Committee meets at Main Street office (Note location change)

•  Tuesday, April 24, 7 p.m. — Looking for Lincoln Master Plan Committee meets in Union Planters Bank Conference Room.

•  Wednesday, April 25, 5:30 p.m. — Economic Restructuring Committee meets in Library Annex

•  Thursday, April 26, 8:30 a.m. — Festival of Trees Committee meets in Farm Bureau Building

•  Thursday, April 26,  7 p.m. — Lincoln City Council meets (agenda includes approval of new city budget) in council chambers

•  Monday, April 30, 5:30 p.m. — National Historic Preservation Week Committee meets at Eckert's

[to top of second column in this section]

•  Tuesday, May 8,  8 a.m. — Mornings on Main at Sorrento's

•  Wednesday, May 9, 5:30 p.m. — Main Street Lincoln board meets at the office

•  Thursday, May 10, and Friday, May 11 — Illinois Main Street Conference at the Hilton in Springfield. Conference cost is $60. It's suggested that if you have not attended the Main Street Basic Training class, you attend the one offered at 10:30 a.m. to noon on Thursday.  Awards banquet is Thursday evening. Cost is $30 additional. Please have reservations to Wendy by Friday, April 27.

mailto:manager@mainstreetlincoln.com 

Job Hunt

Now Lincolndailynews.com makes it easy to look for a job in the Logan County area
with our new Job Hunt feature in the Business section.

Employers, you can list available jobs by e-mailing ldn@lincolndailynews.com. Each job listing costs $10 the first week, $20 for eight days to three months. There is a limit of 75 words per announcement.

Help Wanted:  Part-time night time supervisor at Lincoln Public Library

Work Schedule:  Week one:  Monday-Thursday 3-8 p.m., Friday 12-6 p.m., Saturday 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m.

                           Week two:  Monday-Thursday 3-8 p.m.

Hourly rate is based on experience and qualifications.  A basic knowledge of computers is required.

Contact Richard Sumrall at 732-8878, or applications are available at 725 Pekin St.

Back to top

News | Sports | Business | Rural Review | Teaching & Learning | Home and Family | Obituaries

Community | Perspectives | Law & Courts | Leisure Time | Spiritual Life | Health & Fitness | Letters to the Editor