[DEC. 24, 2001]  Neither the victims nor the heroes of September 11, 2001, were forgotten at the ninth annual Christmas banquet and awards night sponsored by the Logan County Emergency Services and Disaster Agency (ESDA), Logan County E-911 Board and the county Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC).

Many of the individuals and organizations attending the December 16 banquet were members of Logan County Fire, Rescue and Police departments and took part in the services held outside the courthouse on Sept. 14, in the fundraising drive for families of New York City rescue workers who died in the World Trade Center tragedy and in the candlelight ceremony that saw the unveiling of the $32,540 check for the rescue workers.

In honor of those groups, candles were lit on the same large candelabrum that was used in the ceremony presenting the check. One candle, the only black one amid a field of white, had remained unlit during the check presentation ceremony on October 18. At the December ceremony, ESDA director Dan Fulscher asked Rep. Jonathan Wright, speaker of the evening, to light the black candle as a sign that New York and the nation were recovering from the tragedy.

Wright, who said he was speaking not as a politician but “as a citizen who benefits from what you do,” encouraged the fire, police and rescue workers to “stay the course.”

“You represent the best,” he told the rescue workers. He especially commended the volunteers who work without pay.

“Sept. 11 brought some positives along with the tragedy. Once every kid wanted to be a firefighter or a policeman. Today kids are keyed on athletes and entertainers with big salaries. But on Sept. 11 children saw what firefighters, police officers and rescue personnel are really all about.”

Perhaps once young people will want to grow up to be firefighters, police officers and rescue personnel, he said.

Wright, who recently announced he would not run for state representative next term, said, “I decided not to run again, and it only hurt my pride. If you decide not to do what you do, the whole community suffers. Lives depend on you. Stay the course.”

Fulscher presented awards in two categories, special merit and volunteer of the year, to members of many of the organizations and individuals who were present.  Receiving awards were the following:

Lincoln Police Department, lead agency for the Logan County Terrorism Task Force; Rep. Jonathan Wright for assistance in fundraising for New York City Police, Fire and EMS disaster families; County Board President Richard Logan for leadership in the fundraising for New York City families.

Also Weather Watch Team awards, Gerald Hubrich and Debbie Craig, special merit, and Rick Kempf, volunteer of the year; Underwater Search and Recovery Team awards, Denis Bailey and Gary Knauer, volunteers of the year; Snowmobile Team and Search and Rescue awards, Gene Hickey and Lynn Buse, special merit; Lincoln Railsplitter REACT awards, Don Begolka, special merit, and Devin Vannoy, volunteer of the year.

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Also Mounted Horse Search and Rescue, Lori Schaub and Nathan Reinhardt, special merit, and Tammy Buse, volunteer of the year; Lincoln Rural Explorers awards, William Hutcheson and Adam Wessbecher, special merit.

LEPC awards went to the Logan County Health Department for the outstanding work they do to help make LEPC valuable to the community, with Lloyd Evans and Debbie Cook receiving special merit awards.  Community service awards also went to Lincoln Daily News, Jan Youngquist and Joan Crabb; and Insight Communications, Tim Rogers, Jim Ash and Mike Fak, special merit.

LEPC volunteer of the year went to Lisa Funk of CILCO; ESDA volunteer of the year went to Ed Houchins and an honorary award to all New York City Fire, Police and EMS.

The Larry Schroyer Award, given in honor of the man who was the first Civil Defense director in Logan County, who set the Civil Defense unit (which has since become ESDA) on the path it is now, went to Everett Kennett and Gene Bathe.  Kennett is a former Lincoln City Fire Chief and is now a trustee of Lincoln Rural Fire Department. Bathe has been on the Hartsburg Fire Department for 38 years, served as Chief and also head of the Rescue Squad.   

Special thanks also went to those who helped with two major emergencies during 2001. On April 3, a tanker truck filled with gasohol overturned on Rt. 136 west of McLean, and Fulscher recognized the following people for their help with this incident: 

Robert and Renee Stubblefield; Chief Dave Leach of McLean Fire and Rescue; Shelly Barger of Atlanta Fire and Rescue; Chief Bucky Washam of Lincoln City Fire; Chief Bob Thomas and Dave Hurley of Lincoln Rural Fire, CILCO Dispatcher Lisa Funk; and Emergency Management Coordinator and Assistant Director Terry Storer.

Seven-year-old Austin Mollet received a special merit award for the assistance in getting help for his grandmother. On Nov. 25, he was at her home when she stopped breathing. He was able to call 911, talk to dispatcher Mark Mann and give him all the information needed to send help to the home immediately. Austin, who was at the banquet, presented Mark Mann with a special merit award for his leadership in handling the call.

Organizations represented at the awards ceremony included Armington Fire and Rescue; Atlanta Fire, Rescue and Police; Beason Fire and Rescue; Broadwell Fire; Chestnut Fire and Rescue; Cornland Fire; Elkhart Fire, Rescue and Police; Emden Fire and Rescue; Hartsburg Fire and Rescu; Latham Fire and Rescue; LEPC; Lincoln City Fire, Rescue and Police; Lincoln Rural Fire and Rescue; Logan County Government; ESDA; Logan County Paramedic Association; Logan County Auxiliary Police; Middletown Fire and Rescue; Mt. Pulaski Fire and Rescue; New Holland Fire and Rescue; San Jose Fire, Rescue and Police; and Williamsville Fire and Rescue.

[Joan Crabb]

Christmas car giveaway

[DEC. 22, 2001]  Christmas is a time for joy, love, sharing…yes, and presents.  It is a time when we look around at the world and see it is full of people:  People who are lonely, tired, or just in need of a little TLC.  But do we ever fill those needs, or do we just notice them?

Erv Guyett, owner of Collision Concepts, decided last year that he wanted to be one who fills the needs.  Last year he contacted the Department of Human Services and requested the name of one person in the area who needed a car.  The name he was given was Frank Watts, a man with congestive heart failure who needed the car to get to and from the hospital.  Guyett gave Frank and Michelle Watts a 1995 Chevrolet Cavalier that Collision Concepts had loaned to patrons without rental insurance.

And now, Guyett has done it again.  This year the Department of Human Services created an application for citizens of Logan County to fill out if they felt they needed a car.  Erv Guyett and Tony Cameron of DHS reviewed these applications and found one woman whose need stood out.  Guyett commented, “There was not another one who came close.”  That woman was Susan Cotten.

Susan Cotten is a lovely woman with two children:  A son, Corey, and a recently married daughter, Tina.  She recently started a new job and has been walking to and from work every day.  Friday morning, while at work, she received a phone call informing her that she was going to receive the car at noon that day.  Cotten remarked that she cried all morning.  Those tears were still in her eyes when, just after noon, her white 1990 Buick Century with classy maroon interior pulled out of the garage and around the corner.  The car had been fixed up by Graue Motors, who donated over $1,000 worth of new parts for it.

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“I know my son will appreciate it,” she said, explaining that the 13-year-old is disabled and has many medical problems.  As with Frank and Michelle Watts, Cotten will be able to use this car to get them to and from the doctor and the hospital.  The tears that had flooded her morning were still on her cheeks as she sat down in her new car and drove it home.

But the gift of the car is not the end.  Guyett said that DHS has funds available to help with licensing, title transfer and other assorted fees.  Next year, he is hoping to get other companies involved in this Christmas Car giveaway by helping with insurance, gas, oil and maintenance.

So once again, Erv Guyett has brought a season of joy to Logan County.

Merry Christmas, Susan Cotten.  Merry Christmas Corey.  And Merry Christmas to Erv Guyett and his supporters in this generous and much-needed gift. You’re a blessing to the community!

[Gina Sennett]

[DEC. 22, 2001]  Rus Kinzinger, Bloomington candidate for Illinois Senate in the 44^th District, has called for an end to legislative scholarships, which siphon as much as $5 million from our public universities at a time when tax revenues are shrinking.

Legislative scholarships are really tuition waivers. Legislators, who can award as many as eight tuition waivers annually, don’t have to budget or set aside money to fund this scholarship program. "Instead, they pass the buck to our state universities, who lose the tuition revenue of students who receive these awards and are forced to adjust their budgets downward," Kinzinger explained.

The lack of mandatory guidelines to use in determining who gets the scholarships, such as financial need or academic standing, has resulted in years of abuse. "Many scholarships have gone to sons and daughters of legislators themselves, or to relatives or friends of political insiders," Kinzinger said.

If the governor is asking state employees to give up a day’s pay to help balance the budget, then let’s be fair and ask legislators to give up this political perk, he says. Other beneficiaries of tuition waivers are members of the Illinois National Guard. They return the favor with six years of service to their country following college graduation. If the legislative scholarship program continues, Kinzinger believes it should have a similar payback program for recipients built into it.

The Chicago Tribune has called for an end to this program for years. Some legislators have taken positive steps — such as Gwen Klingler, who in January 2000 gave her tuition waivers to people in her district who were wards of the state. While this sets a good example, it does not rehabilitate a bad program.

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Let’s end politics as usual, says Kinzinger. Let’s end the legislative tuition waiver program and keep the much-needed $5 million in the budgets of our state universities.

"The issue is one of fairness. As your senator, I will first push to disband this program. Failing this, I will push for the establishment of mandatory guidelines that legislators must follow in making these awards," Kinzinger said.

Kinzinger challenged his opponent in the Republican primary, Bill Brady, to join him in calling for an end to legislative scholarships. "I do not know what standards Bill used in awarding legislative scholarships when he was a state representative, but he joined many others in making these available. The citizens of the 44^th District deserve to know that their tax dollars are being used wisely and fairly, not for political payoffs. I encourage Mr. Brady to join me in ending this program and removing this unfair burden on our public universities."

[Kinzinger for Senate press release]

[DEC. 21, 2001]  Tension was high at the Logan County Courthouse last night as half the town gathered for the annual Ho Ho Dough drawing. The prize was $5,000 cash. Five thousand dollars is a lot of moola!

Mothers, fathers and children of all ages clutched at little red tickets, eyeing each other with suspicion and curiosity. Is he going to take my tickets if I drop them? Is that one ticket she’s got the winner? Christmas music poured from unseen speakers, but no one really listened. There was one thought common to everyone’s mind. "Draw my ticket. Draw it now!"

[Photo by Bob Frank]

Finally the crowds were appeased. The music stopped. Lincoln/Logan County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Bobbi Abbott stepped to the microphone and greeted the crowd. Tension was eased a bit as she introduced Mayor Beth Davis, who wished the town a Merry Christmas. The tension was replaced with impatience as Main Street Lincoln director Wendy Bell performed the obligatory thanking of the sponsors.

Finally, it was time. The rules of this game are simple. Shop in local stores through November and December and collect tickets for every $10 you spend. Bring your tickets to the courthouse at 6 p.m. on the appointed day and collect your prize if your ticket is drawn. The big thing is you must be present to win! Winners are given two minutes to claim their prize before another number is drawn.

So at last the great wooden drum was opened, and Saint Nick himself drew the first number. The ticket came from Lincoln IGA, No. 6770032. Two minutes on the clock. The crowd was silent as they checked their tickets over and over again, praying for the right number. Two minutes came. And went.

The second number drawn came from Graue Motors, No. 101567. Two minutes on the clock. Feet shuffled as someone made his way slowly to the front. The official ticket-checkers, staff at the chamber of commerce, held their lights close to the ticket. False alarm! There was a joint sigh as everyone let out their held breaths. Voices from all over the crowd called for another number.

The third number (third time’s a charm) came from Graue Pharmacy, No. 6945886. More shuffling of tickets and feet as the cold air began to bite at fingers and toes. Then, a cheer erupted from across the street. A man and woman broke from a group standing near Hallmark and made their way up to the courthouse steps.

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Then, silence. No affirmation, no denial. No declaration either of winner or of false alarm. The couple dug through a paper shopping bag containing 1,664 tickets until, at last, the winning ticket was found!

[Photo by Bob Frank]

How in the world did one couple spend enough to get 1,664 tickets? The answer there is that they did not spend the money for those tickets, nor did those tickets belong to them. The woman was Mrs. Mahler, principal of Carroll Catholic School, and all 1,664 tickets belonged to the school.

Mahler said she put out an announcement to the parents of the school’s children asking them to donate tickets if they did not feel like standing in the cold or simply did not feel lucky. She credited the $5,000 prize to the "hard work of the people in the parish."

[From left, Bobbi Abbott, Santa Claus,
Mrs. Mahler, Wendy Bell.]
[Photo by Bob Frank]

Not expecting to win, Mahler said she had absolutely no idea what they would do with the money. She did know what to do with herself, however. After a couple short interviews and a quick photo session, she and her family went back to the school, where the seventh- and eighth-grade basketball teams were playing against Springfield St. Agnes. The seventh grade team barely lost, 46-44, bringing them down to 10-5, but the eighth-graders had more to celebrate than just the Ho Ho Dough winnings. They overcame a 17-6 deficit in the first quarter to win 47-37. The team is now 15-0.

[Photo by Bob Frank]

But the ticket drawing was not the end of the evening. As disappointed adults dispersed, excited children ran up the steps to visit Santa Claus and receive gifts of chocolate and candy bars. Plenty of sugar for all! But who was it under that red suit and bushy beard? Why, Kris Kringle, of course! After all, Logan County is blessed to have on reserve the real, one-and-only Santa. Every Christmas he is flown in (First Class, of course) from the North Pole to listen to the requests of Logan County children and to pull the winning ticket for the Ho Ho Dough drawing. Even Santa shops in Lincoln.

[Gina Sennett]

[DEC. 21, 2001]  An unexpected discovery during the site preparation for the new Central School, an old set of steam pipes insulated with asbestos, will bring a team in hazmat suits to the site Dec. 22.

While removing ball and tennis courts, the site preparation team found the concrete tunnel containing the steam pipes, according to District 27 Superintendent Robert Kidd. At some time in the past, the set of pipes carried steam to heat Central School from the boiler, which is housed in a separate building on the school grounds.

"This set of pipes had been abandoned years ago. We had no idea they were there," Kidd said.

A team of professional asbestos removers, wearing suits that allow them to handle hazardous materials, will be on-site Saturday to remove all asbestos from the old tunnel.

Kidd said that because the pipes were in a concrete tunnel and underground, they have not posed any health hazard to children or teachers at Central. He also said the district decided not to remove the asbestos until school was out and there would not be children in the area.

He said the asbestos removal will add to the cost of construction, but that cost can be covered by the contingency fund. He also said he did not think the asbestos removal would delay the construction schedule for the new building.

The last set of bids for construction of District 27’s new Central School were approved at the District 27 board meeting on Dec. 19 and will be let early in January, Kidd said. The bids will be accepted at the Feb. 13, 2002, board meeting.

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The complex set of bids will be reviewed by S.M. Wilson, the firm that is acting as construction manager for the project. "They want plenty of time to be sure the bids are all as they should be," Kidd said.

"We should see piers being drilled in the not-too-distant future," he added. "It’s fun to see the dirt flying. It’s obvious that we’re going to have a building in short order." The piers are necessary because of poor soil conditions on the new site, which faces Seventh Street. The schedule calls for the new 47,000-square-foot building to be completed by the end of November 2002.

The board also approved the tax levy for fiscal 2001 of $2,637,000. The amount of $412,277 will be added to the levy by the county clerk to repay the $4.1 million bond issue for the new Central and the new junior high school.

This year’s estimated tax rate is $3.05 per $100 equalized assessed valuation, about 5 cents lower than last year’s tax rate, Kidd said.

[Joan Crabb]

[DEC. 21, 2001]  An electrical fire provided an added "attraction" to the downtown Ho Ho Dough drawing last night. Lincoln’s newest firetruck was used to attend to the fire at Becherer’s Jewelers, 520 Broadway.

 Damages, limited to the sign and awning outside, with slight smoke inside, were estimated to be about $2,000. The business, owned by Charles Becherer, was possibly spared more extensive damage since the crowd gathered for the drawing called in the report of smoke.

[LDN]

[DEC. 20, 2001]  The long-debated increase in city sewer bills got its final stamp of approval Dec. 17 when the Lincoln City Council passed an ordinance that will put the new rates into effect as of Jan. 1, 2002.

The increase is necessary to qualify for a loan from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to upgrade the city’s sewage treatment plant. If the plant is not upgraded so it complies with state regulations, the IEPA can refuse to permit new hookups and will thus stop residential, commercial and industrial growth in the city.

A two-step plan will raise rates for city residents from $11 a month to $14 a month for the first 18 months, and for the few homeowners who live outside city limits but are hooked up to the sewer system, from $12 a month to $17.52 a month for the first 18 months.

After 18 months, unless the city gets grants that reduce of amount of money it must borrow to fund the $9.8 million plant upgrade, fees will go up to $16.39 a month in town and $22.31 for the out-of-town users.

City Clerk Juanita Josserand pointed out that because residential users are billed on a rotating schedule every four months, the cost of service rendered in 2001 will not be billed at the new rates. For example, a resident who gets a bill for service from November 2001 through February 2002 will be billed for $11 for the first two months and $14, the new fee, for January and February.

She said it will take seven months to reach the point where the last section of residents billed will see the total rate increase.

Commercial users are billed every two months, and they, too, will be billed under the old rate for all services in 2001. Industrial and institutional users are billed each month.

Fees for commercial, industrial and institutional users will also rise, under a complicated formula that lowers the fixed monthly charges but increases fees for actual use.

Fixed rates for commercial users inside the city limits will drop from $5.45 to $2.22 per month for those inside city limits, and from $5.95 monthly to $2.81 monthly for those outside city limits. However, other charges will increase based on usage. For example, the volume charge for commercial users in the city will go from $.86 per 100 cubic feet to $1.32 for the first 18 months, then to $1.55 per 100 cubic feet. For commercial users outside the city, volume charges will go from $.94 monthly to $1.67 monthly for the first 18 months, then to a final charge of $2.13 per 100 cubic feet. Other surcharges will also increase.

Industrial and institutional users will also see drops in fixed monthly charges and increases in charges based on usage. Environmental Management Corporation, which operates the sewage plant, recently projected the cost increases for various types of firms in the Lincoln area.

For example, increases will bring the monthly cost to a commercial user, Cracker Barrel Restaurant, from $172.65 to $304.29; for Eaton Corporation/Cutler Hammer, an industrial user, from $3,060.25 per month to $6,955.09 per month; and for Logan Correctional Center, an institutional user, from $11,550.27 per month to $26,772.74.

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In other business, the city’s streets and alleys and finance committees held the second of two combined meetings to discuss a mandatory drug and alcohol testing policy to be put into effect for streets and alleys employees who drive vehicles.

At a former meeting, the committees heard a presentation by Candy Wendt, a certified substance abuse program administrator from Mid-West Truckers Association, Inc., a drug and alcohol testing consortium.

Wendt said that because the 11 drivers in the streets and alleys department have not been in a testing program, all will have to take the tests when the policy goes into effect. Ordinarily testing is done on a random basis, with 50 percent of drivers in the consortium being tested for drugs each year and 10 percent tested for alcohol.

Most of the ordinance that the city is considering is based on federal mandates, with very little that the city can change, according to Bill Bates, city attorney. The joint committee decided that under the proposed city ordinance an employee will be required to tell his supervisor if he is taking any prescription or over-the-counter drugs that could affect the outcome of the test and also voted 4-3 for a zero tolerance policy. The ordinance will be discussed at the next work session of the full council on Jan. 7.

Fire Chief Bucky Washam announced that probationary firefighter Darrin Coffey has successfully passed his one-year probation as of Dec. 1 and will receive his permanent appointment as firefighter in the Lincoln Fire Department.

Josserand announced that by entering into a three-year agreement with Independent Risk Managers, Inc., an insurance consultant firm that assesses the city’s insurance needs and finds the best coverage at the best cost, the city can get a lower yearly fee.

Cost for the service had risen to $4,200 a year, but the three-year contract brings the firm’s retainer fee down to $3,906 per year, she said.

Alderman Joe Stone asked if the city is saving enough money to offset the cost of using the management company.

Alderman Michael Montcalm replied that the firm is "making sure we are properly insured."

"I doubt if any of us here are capable of sorting out what we need," city attorney Bates added.

The council also adopted a $1,415,071 property tax levy for fiscal year 2002. This is about 3.5 percent higher than the fiscal 2001 extension of $1,376,331.

The council also approved early pay for employees before the Christmas holiday and changed the date of the December committee-of-the-whole meeting from Dec. 25 to Jan. 7, prior to the regular council meeting.

[Joan Crabb]

[DEC. 20, 2001]  SPRINGFIELD –– Secretary of State Jesse White has announced that his office issued an order prohibiting the Oasis Savings Club and its promoters from selling unregistered securities in Illinois.

The Oasis Savings Club company is alleged to be offering above-market rates of return on "Growth Certificates" and "Turbo Growth Certificates," and guaranteeing the return of the principal after a five-year period. The temporary order of prohibition issued by White’s Securities Department, alleges that the certificates are not registered with the secretary of state as required by law and prohibits the company from offering or selling these investments.

The promoters of the certificates have held seminars in the Rockford area and various communities throughout northern Illinois. Investors were told that their money would be invested in Internet businesses, satellite communication systems, high-yield trading programs and offshore investments involving the rebuilding of the infrastructure of Latvia.

People who have been solicited to invest in the Oasis Savings Club, or those who have actually invested money, are encouraged to contact the Illinois Securities Department at 1 (800) 628-7937. Those with Internet access can also submit an inquiry through the Internet using the consumer complaint form.

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White urges investors to ask the following questions before making an investment:

•  Is the investment registered and is the person selling the investment properly licensed in Illinois? Illinois investors may call the Illinois Securities Department’s toll-free number to find out or submit an inquiry via the department’s online complaint form.

•  Are the claims made for the investment realistic? If the investment sounds too good to be true, it probably isn’t legitimate. Use common sense and get a professional, third-party opinion when presented with investment opportunities that seem to offer unusually high returns in comparison with other investment options.

For more information on investing and investment fraud, contact the secretary of state’s Securities Department or visit the Securities Department online.

[News release]

[DEC. 19, 2001]  The Logan County Board voted unanimously to expand the Lincoln/Logan County Enterprise Zone to include property near the Turris Coal mine in rural Elkhart. Corn Belt Energy Corp. requested the change for its planned coal-fired power plant. The Lincoln City Council voted to approve the same change Monday. The board vote confirmed a tentative vote taken last Thursday night in workshop session.

By votes of 7-5 and 6-7 the board on Tuesday reappointed the animal control warden for only 30 days and narrowly missed doing the same for her deputy. After the votes, board member Clifford Sullivan offered his immediate resignation as chair of the Animal Control Committee.

Sullivan had made the standard motion that each animal control employee be rehired for one year. Saying, "We’ve got a problem [with animal control]; we need to address it," board member Jim Griffin moved to reduce reappointment periods to 30 days for both Animal Control Warden Sheila Farmer and Deputy Warden Polly Farmer.

Griffin’s amendment regarding Sheila Farmer passed, with Doug Dutz, Paul Gleason, Dick Logan, Gloria Luster, Dale Voyles and Terry Werth also voting to shorten her contract. Dave Hepler abstained. The same majority passed the amended motion specifying Sheila Farmer’s 30-day appointment. In a month the board will have to decide whether to hire her again.

Griffin’s amendment regarding Polly Farmer failed 6-7, with Roger Bock, Tom Cash, Gleason, Lloyd Hellman, Hepler, Sullivan and Rod White voting no. She was subsequently appointed to a one-year term as deputy animal control warden. The two women are not related.

Veterinarian Lester Thomson was unanimously granted a one-year term as animal control administrator. Board chairman Dick Logan said he would address Sullivan’s resignation later.

Griffin, a member of the board’s Animal Control Committee, said he thinks most of the problem is communication. The committee has had complaints that when people call animal control the line is busy, they get an answering machine and their call is not returned. "We’re getting a lot of complaints," he said. "We need to sit down with them and get it solved."

Among complainants are members of the Lincoln council, and a January meeting with the city is scheduled. One concern that surfaced in a recent council workshop session involves animal control wardens’ failure to catch stray cats. Instead the wardens make traps and bait available to citizens and pick up cats once they are caught. Griffin said he agrees with Sullivan that you can’t catch a cat that doesn’t want to be caught. Still, he said, "If we just hired the wardens back, we’re saying to the city we don’t have a problem."

In other business, the board passed the first increase in building permit fees since 1973, when the zoning ordinance included a $35 conditional use fee. The new rates, effective immediately, are $50 for new construction, $25 for remodeling and $100 for conditional use permits. Conditional use permits ask for variances or amendments to the ordinance and incur costs of newspaper announcements and Zoning Board of Appeals meetings.

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Regional Planning Director Phil Mahler, speaking for zoning officer Bud Miller, called the building permits a user fee, needed because of expenses incurred. The annual yield is expected to be about $2,000, which will not cover costs. He said that according to his and Miller’s research Logan County was the only county around not to charge for building and remodeling permits. Cities including Lincoln and Elkhart also charge for such permits.

Mahler said the remodeling fee will not be assessed on improvements like siding and shingles but on "anything that adds square footage." The $50 permit applies to any new permanent structure, whether a home or a business.

Dissenting votes were cast by Griffin, Dutz and Gleason. "We call it a fee," said Griffin, "but it looks like a tax to me."

Other unanimous votes also confirmed the board’s straw votes on Thursday:

•  A resolution to support Lincoln Developmental Center in its care for the "most challenged persons" in our society. The resolution affirms the mission of LDC and asks for state and federal funding to keep the facility up to date.

•  A vote to accept the $14,623 bid of Pemco Service Co. for a credit card gas pump at Logan County Airport. Wiring expenses were limited to $1,000.

•  A vote to pay Illinois Public Risk Management $21,404 for the first quarter’s workman’s comp insurance for county employees. The annual cost has increased about $2,000 since a year ago.

The board decided to purchase a Norstar voice mail system for the courthouse at a cost of $3,782. The system will keep a separate file of recorded messages for each person in each courthouse office. Board chairman Dick Logan said that a standard phone will not work on the courthouse system. Griffin voted against the expenditure.

Finance Committee chair Rod White announced that duties of the committee have been divided, with Roger Bock assuming responsibility for county revenues and Dale Voyles for expenses. He asked that the committee and the full board be involved in any salary changes of county employees from budgeted amounts. White indicated that some salaries had been "adjusted" during the past year, resulting in salaries and benefits going over budget, but did not name the departments and offices in which those changes were made.

[Lynn Shearer Spellman]

[DEC. 19, 2001]  A powdery substance found in an envelope sent to the Lincoln Correctional Center, which set off a brief anthrax scare Monday (Dec. 17), turned out to be nothing more threatening than baby powder, according to Sergio Molina, chief of communications for the Illinois Department of Corrections.

Mailroom workers found the substance in a Christmas card addressed to one of the residents, he said. The card had a return address and a name.

Officials talked to the recipient of the card, who said she knew the sender, and determined there was no threat associated with the card, Molina said. "The staff was pretty much assured that the substance was baby powder.

"We have seen people put scented powder in cards or letters before," he said.

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The mailroom staff, which examines every piece of mail that goes to residents, found the substance at about 12:30 p.m., he said. The mailroom was sealed off until it was determined the substance was not a threat.

Molina said the officials at the correctional center did not call in any local officials to handle the incident.

"There are guidelines for the way we process theses things, and absent a threat, there was no call-out of any other agencies," Molina said.

[Joan Crabb]

[DEC. 18, 2001]  At its Dec. 17 meeting the Lincoln City Council moved Corn Belt Energy’s planned power plant at the Turris coal mine one step closer to becoming bricks and mortar, with unanimous approval of an extension of the city’s enterprise zone.

Plant officials now have only to get the approval of the Logan County Board for the enterprise zone extension, expected to come tonight at the board’s regular meeting. Elkhart officials have already approved the extension, as have the Logan County Planning Commission and the Economic Development Council.

Inclusion in the enterprise zone means that state sales taxes will be abated on any purchases of equipment made in the enterprise zone. Since Elkhart does not have dealers who carry the needed supplies, the purchases will be made in Lincoln, according to Tony Campbell, Corn Belt’s vice president of generation and distribution. He said small items will be purchased at local businesses, while big equipment will be ordered through local distributors, such as hardware stores and lumberyards.

Bill Bates, Lincoln city attorney, said that although the city will be giving up sales taxes on the millions of dollars worth of equipment purchased in Lincoln, being in the enterprise zone means that the equipment will be bought here and not somewhere else.

The city loses sales taxes of 1 percent, the county loses sales taxes of .25 percent, and the state loses 5 percent, according to Phil Mahler, Logan County planning commissioner.

However, building and running the new coal-fired, high-tech, environmentally friendly power plant will bring new jobs to the area, some of them permanent, and also bring income from temporary housing, food and entertainment for the construction workers, officials of the Bloomington-based energy cooperative said. Expected salaries, overtime and benefits during the 2.3-year construction period are projected at $13.8 million, and revenues from housing and food will bring an additional $2.53 million, according to Corn Belt projections. Construction is expected to start by next summer.

In addition, 45 permanent jobs will be created, 25 in operations and maintenance of the power plant and 20 in increased coal mining at Turris. This will bring Logan County another $3.45 million dollars a year. The plant will be built adjacent to the coal company to save costs of transporting coal.

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Although the energy company could also ask for an abatement of real estate taxes, it will not do so, officials said, but will pay about $325,000 yearly in property taxes to Logan County.

The vote Monday evening amended the legal description of the enterprise zone to connect the site east of Elkhart where the mine is located to the existing zone in Lincoln. This connection includes a 3-foot-wide, 10-mile-long strip along Interstate 55, which connects to Township Road 600 N. in Elkhart.

If the plant’s new environmentally friendly low-emission boiler system succeeds in reducing emissions of nitrous oxide as expected, it could provide benefits for Lincoln and Logan County far into the future, Mahler and plant officials said.

"Illinois has huge coal reserves, an abundance of coal, and Logan County has huge deposits that haven’t been tapped," Mahler told the Lincoln Daily News. But because of the high sulfur content in Illinois coal, much of the coal burned in Illinois plants has been brought in from Western states.

Sulfur is one of the gases that produce acid rain, Campbell said, and nitrous oxide is a greenhouse gas that contributes to the depletion of the earth’s ozone layer and the warming of the planet.

The state-of-the-art low-emission system is designed to reduce nitrous oxide, and scrubbers will reduce sulfur emissions. In case the system doesn’t work as anticipated, scrubbers to reduce those emissions are in the design.

"If this plant works as well as we think it will, it will be a model for others," Campbell said. The concept plant is partly funded by the federal and state Departments of Energy — 19.5 percent from the federal agency and 16.75 percent from the state agency.

"We’re going to prove that Illinois coal can be burned efficiently and in an environmentally friendly way," Campbell said. "We are hoping that a byproduct of this plant will be the revitalizing of the Illinois coal industry."

He said the model plant is being built in Illinois in part because of the help of U.S. Rep. Ray LaHood, many local officials and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs.

[Joan Crabb]

[DEC. 18, 2001]  All but one of the six new Logan County Board districts will have contests in the March 19 Republican primary, and four Republicans are vying for the opportunity to challenge incumbent Sheriff Tony Solomon. The close of filing Monday also shows two Republican candidates in both the regional superintendent of schools and District 100 General Assembly races.

Republicans James J. Pinney, Henry Bartman, Robert J. Brandt and Steven G. Nichols are lined up for the chance to oppose Solomon, a Democrat, in November. In the new General Assembly District 100, which includes Lincoln and southwestern Logan County, Gwenn Klingler of Springfield and Rich Brauer are the two candidates.

Vying for regional superintendent of schools in Logan, Mason and Menard counties are Jean R. Anderson of Lincoln and Robert P. Turk of Topeka. Incumbent George Janet has announced his retirement.

In countywide races County Clerk Sally Litterly and Treasurer Mary Bruns, both Republicans, face no opposition in either party. Neither does Bill Mitchell, a Republican from Forsyth, running in General Assembly District 87, which includes the majority of Logan County.

In response to an advisory referendum in which voters supported election of county board members from districts rather than at large, six districts of approximately equal population have been created. The districts, which vary between 4,690 and 5,100 registered voters, will each elect two board members. Candidates include 20 Republicans and one Democrat.

At least one incumbent will be unseated in District 5, where the four candidates include three current board members: Jim Griffin, Clifford "Sonny" Sullivan and Dale A. Voyles. Opposing them for the GOP slots is Patrick L. O’Neill. District 5 includes West Lincoln precincts 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9 and 10.

[click on map to enlarge]

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Only District 3 sports a two-party field. Incumbents Tom Cash and Gloria Luster, both appointed in 2001 to fill vacancies, will compete with John L. Stewart for the two Republican slots. Democrat Harold G. Dingman will be the Democratic opponent in the November general election. District 3 is composed of the four Mount Pulaski precincts plus Aetna, Chester, Lake Fork, Oran and Laenna.

The District 4 field of Republican candidates includes incumbents Terry "TW" Werth and David R. Hepler and challengers Stephan A. Mesner and Julia Pegram Gerardot. The winners will represent West Lincoln 1 and East Lincoln 1, 2, 3, 6, 7 and East Lincoln 8 north of LaDue.

[click on map to enlarge]

The remaining East Lincoln precincts form District 6, for which the three candidates, all Republicans, are incumbent Paul E. Gleason plus William "Mitch" Brown and Veronica Board Hasprey.

In District 2 incumbents Richard E. "Dick" Logan and Roger W. Bock face Scott E. Doerr and Robert D. Farmer in the Republican primary. The district includes Broadwell, Corwin, Elkhart, Hurlbut and West Lincoln 6 and 7 south of Route 10 West and Interstate 55.

District 1 has no contest, with only Republicans Charles E. Ruben and incumbent Lloyd Hellman filing. They will represent the voters in Atlanta, Orvil, Eminence, Prairie Creek, Sheridan and West Lincoln 7 north of Route 10 West and I-55.

Two of the current 13 Logan County Board members have not filed. Finance Committee Chairman Rod White and Law Enforcement and ESDA Chairman Doug Dutz are retiring from the board at the close of the current term. White is the lone Democrat on the board.

[Lynn Shearer Spellman]

Holiday safety tips to protect yourself and your property from crime

As the holiday season gets into swing, the Lincoln Police Department and Lincoln Daily News are providing you with some safety tips on protecting yourself and your property during this time of year.

There are some times of year that seem to attract more crime than others — during the warm or summer months, and then this time of year, the Christmas and New Year season. Crimes that occur during this season range from damage to property, such as Christmas lights and decorations, and residential burglaries. The Lincoln Police Department would like to give you a few safety tips to help prevent crimes that would affect you and your family.

The police receive a large number of damage reports from the community during this time — damage such as cutting lights, knocking over displays and even stealing displays from the front yard. With these crimes, it is difficult to catch the person responsible because of the short time that it takes for the crime to happen. Residents can take a few simple steps to reduce the risk of being vandalized. Residents can put decorations close to the house and when they are not being used at nighttime, remove them from the yard, or leave house lights on.

Thefts also account for a large number of police reports with the department. Thefts from your vehicle can leave you with a sense of being unsafe. These thefts can be drastically reduced by not leaving your keys in your car and by locking your doors. If you are somewhere that you cannot see your vehicle, put your holiday shopping items in your trunk and make sure that it is locked. Don’t leave items such as cell phones, purses, wallets, pocket change, or cassette tapes or compact disks lying in your vehicle. Items like these only tempt the less honest person into committing a crime against you. It is always best to lock items like that in your trunk when you get out of your car. Believe it or not, someone will break into your car for $3 in pocket change.

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Residential burglaries are rare but do occur in your area. These crimes leave you not only with property missing but also with a feeling of being insecure in your own home. These crimes cause victims to lose sleep and have new fears of being in the home, as well as fears of going outside of the home. To reduce the risk of being burglarized, there are several things that you can do. You should always lock your doors and windows, even the ones that you don’t think anyone could get into. Trim your bushes and trees so that they do not cover up your windows. Leave lights on inside and outside, and have a friend or neighbor look after the house while you are gone. Try to avoid leaving high-value items near windows or doors where someone could easily see the valuables from outside.

If you see something strange or out of place in your neighborhood, call the police. The Lincoln Police Department is there for you and wants to help. Even if you think that something is minor and is not worth calling about, some crimes are solved or prevented by people calling and reporting something just a little odd. Please don’t hesitate to call.

There are other things that you can do to reduce crime in your neighborhood. The Lincoln Police Department offers a Neighborhood Watch program that you can start in your neighborhood. It has been shown that an active Neighborhood Watch program will reduce the risk of crime in your area.

If you have questions about any of the safety tips suggested or would like to become a member of the Neighborhood Watch program, please contact the community policing division of the Lincoln Police Department at 732-2151.

If you wish to report a suspect in a crime, you can call the Lincoln Police Department at 732-2151 or call the Lincoln/Logan Crime Stoppers at 732-3000.

[Tim Butterfield, community policing officer,
Lincoln Police Department]

Military addresses sought

It is a year like no other. Since Sept. 11 we are a changed nation. Individually, our daily sensitivity toward whom and what we have in our lives has been heightened. We are more conscious and appreciative, first about those we love and see everyday. Next, we have a newfound appreciation for those who risk their lives every day as rescue workers and protectors of life and property in our communities. We also now think more about our military men and women who are committed to serve and protect our country. Many are away engaged in battle, some are in waiting to go, all are ready to lay their lives on the line in defense of our freedom.

Lincoln Daily News is seeking the names and addresses, including e-mail addresses, of friends and relatives who are serving in the armed forces. They need not be from here in Logan County. If you know someone serving, please send the information to ldneditor@lincolndailynews.com. A complete list will be made available and kept updated through the site so we might all hold them in our thoughts, prayers and well wishes.

[Click here for names available now.]

Name of person in military:

Branch of service:

Current location of service:

Postal address:

E-mail address:

Relationship to LDN reader sending information (optional):

[LDN]

It’s on the radio, TV, in all the media. You hear it in the office, on the street and maybe at home — threats of terrorism. America is on high alert. Here in central Illinois, away from any supposed practical target areas, perhaps we feel a little less threatened, but we are still concerned. So how concerned should we be, and how prepared are we for the types of situations that could occur?

Whether the threat is domestic or foreign, violent, biological or chemical, our public health and rescue agencies have been preparing to respond to the situations. Lincoln Daily News has been at meetings where all the agencies gather together as the Logan County Emergency Planning Committee to strategize for just such a time. Our reports have not even provided every detail that every agency has reported; i.e., a number of representatives from differing agencies such as the health and fire departments, CILCO and ESDA went to a bioterrorism and hazmat (hazardous materials) seminar this past August.

Here are some of the articles that LDN has posted pre- and post-Tuesday, Sept. 11. Hopefully you will see in them that WE ARE WELL PREPARED. At least as much as any area can be. Every agency has been planning, training, submitting for grants to buy equipment long before Sept. 11. We can be thankful for all of the dedicated, insightful leaders we have in this community.

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• LEPC hears plans for annual exercise

• U.S. under terrorist attack
  How is Logan County affected?

• The day after ‘Attack on America’
  Area leaders respond to national tragedy

• ESDA and LEPC conduct successful hazardous materials exercise at water treatment plant 

• Logan County ready for action if terrorist event occurs - Part 1

• Logan County ready for action if terrorist event occurs – Part 2

• Clinton nuclear power plant safety measures in place

• Logan County agencies meet to discuss protocol for suspicious mail

As promised, the United States led an attack on Afghanistan. The attack began Sunday, Oct. 7. American and British military forces made 30 hits on air defenses, military airfields and terrorist training camps, destroying aircraft and radar systems. The strike was made targeting only terrorists.

More than 40 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East have pledged their cooperation and support the U.S. initiative.

Online news links

Other countries

Afghanistan

http://www.afghandaily.com/ 

http://www.myafghan.com/  

http://www.afghan-web.com/aop/ 

China

http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/

http://www1.chinadaily.com.cn/

Germany

http://www.faz.com/

India

http://www.dailypioneer.com/ 

http://www.hindustantimes.com/ 

http://www.timesofindia.com/ 

Israel

http://www.jpost.com/ 

http://www.haaretzdaily.com/ 

England

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/ 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/ 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/

Pakistan

http://www.dawn.com/

http://frontierpost.com.pk/ 

Russia

http://english.pravda.ru/

http://www.sptimesrussia.com/ 

Saudi Arabia

http://www.arabnews.com/ 

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United States

Illinois

http://www.suntimes.com/index/ 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/ 

http://www.pantagraph.com/ 

http://www.qconline.com/ 

http://www.pjstar.com/

http://www.sj-r.com/ 

http://www.herald-review.com/

http://www.southernillinoisan.com/ 

New York

http://www.nypost.com/

http://www.nytimes.com/

Stars and Stripes
(serving the U.S. military community)

http://www.estripes.com/ 

Washington, D.C.

Announcements

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