The Salvation Army has also donated clothes to Finney and Overbey. While the Salvation Army is not specifically soliciting donations for the Scully Building residents, they will accept and pass on any items the community wants to donate.

CIEDC is asking for donations for Jim McGrady. McGrady lost everything in his apartment, so money, clothes, furniture, bedding, kitchen supplies and so forth are needed. CIEDC will be happy to help any of the other Scully Building residents, but at this time they have only been asked to collect donations for McGrady. If you can donate anything to McGrady, please drop it off at CIEDC, 1800 Fifth St. If you have any questions, contact Docia at CIEDC, 732-2159.

[Jean Ann Carnley]

[Front row (L to R): Ashleigh Yarcho, Kelly Marten, Megan Hoffert, Maria Benitez. Second row (L to R): Jeris Freesmeier, Ali Robinson, Kristen Fleshman, Nicole Humbert, Erin Mason. Third row (L to R): Coach Anne Stoltzenburg, Katie Green, Maggie Schonauer, Whitney O'Donoghue, Julie Fults, Kelsey Gephart]

A resolution was also adopted to declare this Martin Luther King Jr. Week in the city.

The city will issue industrial bonds to finance the $5 million construction /renovations at Lincoln Christian College and Seminary. The city will not hold any financial responsibility to repay these.

A proposal was presented by Bob Menzies, regional planner, that the county seek a 10-year extension for the Lincoln/Logan County Enterprise Zone as offered through a new law passed last week. The enterprise zone provides tax breaks that act as incentives to commercial developers.

The city gave its approval to Mike Gleason to apply for a Brownfield Grant. Gleason is trying to buy the property that his business, The Dairy Bar, sits on. The property was the site of a gas station at one time.

The Brownfield Grant supplies funding for soil sample testing for chemical contamination. Properties which hosted buried tanks must be approved by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency before being bought or sold. Grant Eaton of Environmental Management Corporation is assisting Gleason.

The council approved the use of drug and alcohol fines for the purchase of two new in-car video recorders for the Lincoln Police Department. They will replace old, worn recorders.

The next meetings of the Lincoln City Council are a work session Tuesday, Jan. 23, and a voting session on Monday, Feb. 5.

Smoky steam still filters out the central core of what was called by many Lincolnites their favorite historical building. The charming old brownstone (red) Scully Building that sits at the corner of Kickapoo and Pekin streets suffered extensive damage Tuesday evening. The building, now owned by Nancy Pineda, housed several recently renovated apartments on its upper levels and a number of small businesses on its lower level.

Smoke was detected about 6:30 by an apartment tenant, but the source of the smoke was unknown. Lincoln City Fire Department reported that the fire broke out sometime before 7:20 p.m. Flames engulfed the upper floors of the building for several hours and threatened to spread to other nearby buildings. Flaming sparks and small fireballs were falling as far away as the Library Public Library Annex. Fire spotters were placed on top of various downtown business rooftops to watch for the spread of the fire. About 10:30 the building was still covered in orange glowing flames. Then, unsupported, buckling brick wall building ends threatened to collapse onto the lower adjacent buildings. The fire was finally brought under control about 11:30 p.m. Firefighters remained on the scene all night.

The source of the fire is still unknown. A state fire inspector was still at the scene investigating this morning.

An event to be remembered

Smoke filled downtown all evening and into the night as firefighters attempted to subdue the fire. From the courthouse, Logan County Board members at a monthly meeting could see flames 20- to 30-feet high shooting out the top of the Scully Building. People filled the streets downtown. Some came to witness a historic, spectacularly tragic event, others to sadly observe the loss of a favored landmark.

Police worked to keep crowds at a safe distance. Loud pops added to the excitement. As the richly copper-colored tiles that covered the steeply gabled roof became red-hot, they began noisily popping off the roof like shotgun shells. Tiles flew through the air, popping again as they landed in cold water on the streets and sidewalks.

The attic area is a total loss, as evidenced this morning by a complete lack of roof. The upper-floor apartments suffered the greatest damage from smoke and water. Businesses occupying the lower portion of the building were somewhat protected by a thick concrete layer. Simply Charming, Lunch Express and Lasting Impressions sustained smoke and water damage. Losses are yet to be determined. No one is able to enter the building until it is deemed structurally safe.

Adjacent businesses Prairie Years and Abe’s Carmelcorn Shoppe sustained minor damages, mostly water and some smoke. Some smoke infiltrated Academic Development, and the paint on the adjacent walls is blistered from the heat.

Most importantly, there were no reports of serious injuries.

Lincoln and Lincoln Rural Fire Departments are to be commended for all their hard work and success at containing the fire. The Atlanta Fire Department supplied supportive standby service.

[Jan Youngquist]

Roger Bock, chairman of the airport committee, told board members that the contract with Heritage In-Flight must be postponed until bids for the operation of the airport can be advertised.

The board as a whole then voted to extend HIF's current contract for one month until bids can be solicited.

Lloyd Mason, who had appeared at the Thursday work session, attended with his attorney, Rick Hobler.

Mason, a Lincoln businessman, has unsuccessfully tried to rent one of the large hangars for his airplanes at the airport. He was told to take his proposal back to the airport committee.

Mason had prepared to present an alternate plan to HIF's proposal but was asked by Dick Logan, board chairman, to present the alternative to the six-member committee before involving the full board.

The large turnout was in response to pending board action on the question of electing its members by the current at-large system or changing to a district system based upon population.

Rod White, board member and longtime advocate of the district system, asked the board to hold off on its vote.

"This afternoon at 3 p.m., petitions were filed with the court in order to place this referendum on the April 3 ballot," White said.

"I would like you to hold off on your vote determining the system we utilize until after the election, in order to consider the opinion of the voters," he added.

The referendum is advisory in nature and does not bind the board to the outcome. Approximately 2,000 signatures were required to place the item on the ballot. Just under 2,600 signatures were obtained in a two-week period following the board's indication of intentions to remain with the at-large system.

The board could have made the petition drive irrelevant if they had placed the question on the ballot asking the voters' opinion.

Lloyd Hellman, board member from Emden, asked that a motion by Phil Mahler, chairman of the Insurance and Executive Committee, be amended.

Mahler's motion, seconded by Jim Griffin, stated that the board continue being elected by the current system. Hellman's amended version would have put that vote off until April 17, following the election on April 3.

Hellman's motion was defeated by a 7-4 vote, with board members Beth Davis and Paul Gleason absent.

Those voting against the proposal were Doug Dutz, Jim Griffin, Dave Hepler, Phil Mahler, Cliff Sullivan, Dale Voyles and Terry Werth.

Those voting to wait for voter input were Hellman, White, Roger Bock and Dick Logan.

Mahler then called for a vote on his original motion, citing that they had operated in this manner for 28 years.

Those in favor of keeping the at-large system were Dutz, Griffin, Hepler, Mahler, Sullivan, Voyles and Werth.

Those voting against the motion were Bock, Hellman, Logan and White.

Prior to the board's action they heard from several of those in attendance, including Dave Meister, Bill Glaze and Bob Moskey from the Mount Pulaski area, asking the board to let the public have input into the decision.

Dean May, former board member, also asked the board to hold off on its decision.

"First," May said, "I want to thank the board for what they do for us. Many people do not realize the work that goes into serving in this capacity.

"However, we had better representation when we had township supervisors," May told the board.

"We would run into our representative at either the hardware or implement store downtown or in church on Sunday. We didn't feel left out," he added.

Bill Graff, president of the Logan County Farm Bureau, also spoke to board members.

"Our board voted unanimously to ask that you hold off on your vote until after the election," Graff said.

"Every county around us has switched to voting by districts, and of all those that I contacted today, none utilize at-large to determine the makeup of their boards," he added.

Following the vote, White told the board that he would again bring up the question in two months. The board can reverse themselves if a majority of the members agree.

In other business, the board passed and presented a proclamation of appreciation to Bill Workman, former state's attorney. A letter was also read from Jim Ryan, Illinois attorney general, thanking Workman for his past four years of service to the people of Logan County.

The U.S. flag and the Illinois state flag that had stood in the courtroom were also presented to Workman.

Lincoln Junior High students may think they’re getting a treat taking the day off today, but they got their real treat Friday. In an end-of-the-week closing assembly, they listened raptly as the Rev. Glenn Shelton spoke about the life and times of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Shelton followed the King, marched with him, knew him and lives right here in Lincoln. He brought the issues of discrimination and the civil rights movement to vivid life for the junior high students.

Shelton took the challenge of explaining the real meaning of this national holiday set aside to pay tribute to King’s work. He took the challenge of how to tell this new generation what things were like 30 years ago. He put it in terms they could understand, held their attention and instilled in them a sense of motivation to act on what is yet to be finished.

Shelton opened saying, "I knew Martin Luther King Jr. He played a prominent role in my life and the direction I chose to go in the ministry of serving people." Before going further he took a few moments to recognize some special members of the audience; granddaughter Courtney Duncan, members of the Second Baptist Church and his good friend Andrew Gilmore were asked to stand up.

Shelton began his message by defining three simple terms for his audience — discriminate: to find difference; segregate: to set apart; and racism: discriminate by color. He went on to cite examples of how discrimination and racism were and sometimes still are a part of our culture here in Lincoln and in the nation today.

Following is the speech he delivered, "A Spirit Led Drum Major."

Dr. Martin Luther King characterized his role in history as that of a "drum major." There were many instruments of freedom in the movement that included the Urban League, C.O.R.E., N.A.A.C.P. and Black Panthers that were playing tunes and warming up. The various players stood ready, but there was no single person that could "strike up the band" and get them to march for a single purpose, until Dr. King arrived.

Refusing to take much credit for his action, in his last words to America he said, "If any of you are around when I meet my day, I don’t want a long funeral. I’d like somebody say that Martin Luther King Jr. tried to give his life serving others… Yes, if you want, say that I was a drum major; say I was a drum major for justice, peace, righteousness."

As a drum major, Dr. King pricked the conscience of America and challenged the dormant players of our ethnic leadership to take an active and even dangerous step toward breaking down the barriers of discrimination in America.

As America salutes the memory of this great man, we who knew him must resist the attempts to tame his image by glorifying him as a mystic dreamer, a godlike hero image to be worshipped and idolized while the sacred principles for which he lived and died are continuously desecrated by focusing the emphasis on Dr. King as a futuristic dreamer rather than as an activist that stirred the world to take action against racism, poverty and war.

The established powers have sterilized his legacy and made it safe for public consumption. If the focus remains on the abstract nature of the dream, then less emphasis will be placed upon the activism that was necessary in the King’s time and is needed now to fulfill the dream’s demands.

The social conditions is what prompted Martin Luther King to step forward from the ranks of his generation and sound the clarion call. African Americans were socially ostracized. We did not have full voting rights or legal protections under the law. We still rode buses on the back seat [Rosa Parks, a poor woman tired after a hard day’s work refused to get up and move to the back of the bus], sat in colored waiting rooms, drank water from colored fountains and were served through the back entrance at restaurants and hotels.

Many of our people had given up hope that conditions could change in their time. Some lost the vision, and while the Black Panthers took arms to defend themselves and Malcolm X promoted "freedom by any means necessary" in some parts of the country, for the most part African Americans were resigned that freedom was a distant dream.

In 1954 a young 26-year-old preacher began his first pastorate in Montgomery, Ala. He was empowered and endowed with a tremendous flow of words and an overwhelming sense of purpose. A year later, in December of 1955, he was called upon to lead the Montgomery community in a struggle that changed the world. He was reluctant, because he waited on divine guidance, and once it was received he jumped in with both feet.

He borrowed the social techniques of Mahatma Gandhi, and he challenged the poor masses of America to stand up and resist unjust laws. He studied the theologian Reinhold Niebuhr, a dedicated social activist who has ties to Lincoln. He lifted the hopes of the brokenhearted to the point that they marched in the heat, endured beatings by police,…

[Shelton paused reflectively and interjected here, "I was in a march and saw a policeman come up from behind and push a woman down, and then he stood there and laughed at her. This was how it was then. We marched for equal treatment of all people under the law."]

…people endured bombings of their homes and churches, riots and lynchings, and the long, hot summers of the ’60s.

He raised the consciousness of America so much that the FBI trailed him, looking for and, on occasion, finding personal flaws to use against him. But in his public position he was so led that there was no stopping him. To those who had lost sight of the possibilities, he gave new vision by pronouncing, "I have a dream." Many people believe that the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Bill and 1965 Voting Rights Act was, with respect to the legal system, a "Year of Jubilee" for African Americans. We were legally free.

The 1965 Voting Rights Act expires in 2007. Congress has not made it law yet. Why they have not yet done this is a question. I challenge you, we need some drum majors! You are the future generation.

The impact of Dr. King’s life was that he served as a drum major who set the wheels in motion to help us gain freedom under the law. My challenge to this assembly today is that we still need some drum majors. Still today there is a difference in treatment. We need some drum majors! I think you are the ones who can do it. Set into motion the wheels of freedom for all under the law.

There are even gender issues yet today. Females are treated differently than males. People of color, poor people, the unemployed and the underemployed, the people with disabilities still are not treated equal under the law. We need you to strike up the band and get us marching once again. Then and only then can we all say with truth, "Free at last, free at last! Thank God almighty, we are free at last."

God bless all of you, and thank you for allowing me to spend some time with you. Have a great weekend, and become a drum major.

Reverend Shelton will deliver a portion of this speech again tonight to families at the AmeriCorps Family night out. The soup dinner is free and open to the public. It is being held at 5:30 p.m. at Taylor Hall (located at the Married student housing complex), Lincoln Christian College.

In Aetna Township, Democrats nominated Pam England to run as township supervisor, Dennis Karrick as road commissioner and Dale Karrick as town clerk.  Two trustees were nominated: Linda Rentmeister and Dale Maxheimer.

Aetna Township Republicans nominated Alan Roos as supervisor to replace JoAnn Kretzinger, who is retiring.  Roos is presently serving as a trustee.  Incumbent John W. (Bill) Howe was renominated to run for highway commissioner.  Kevin Coers, also an incumbent trustee, was named for town clerk, replacing Mary Hamilton, who is stepping down as clerk but will run for trustee. Trustees on the Republican slate along with Hamilton will be incumbent Mark Carlin and two new trustees, Edwin Dahmm and Jacob Johnson.

In Elkhart Township, town clerk Hilma Schilling is retiring after serving for 35 years, and supervisor Wayne Hanner is leaving that office after many years of service.  The Republican caucus named John Olson to run as township supervisor, Rebecca Dobey to replace Schilling as clerk, and incumbent Richard Lanterman as highway commissioner.  All four incumbent trustees were re-slated:  Carole A. Davis, Louis Davis, David Olson and Harold Pankey.

In Latham, the Anti-License Party, the only established party in the town, named incumbent Gary Letterly to run for mayor.  According to town clerk Pam Coogan, several independent candidates have taken out petitions and plan to file for the other village offices.  Three incumbent trustees, Stephanie Westen, Carl Rager and Kimberly Letterly, will serve until 2003.

Although many candidates for town and township offices are running unopposed, they may be faced with competition if other candidates choose to file petitions for that office.  Petitions must carry the signatures totaling 10 percent of the votes cast for that office in the previous election.  They may be filed with local election officials between Jan. 15 and the Jan. 23 deadline.

Several towns in the county — Mount Pulaski, New Holland and Middletown — do not hold caucuses but use the petition system to name candidates.

The nonbinding referendum would have sought public opinion about the election of board members.

The motion, seconded by Roger Bock, was to ask the public if they prefer the current system or if they would like district representatives based upon population.

Every 10 years, according to state law, each county board must discuss their electoral process to see if it would be in the best interest of the residents of that county to change the current method.

White, from New Holland, and Bock, from the Elkhart area, were joined by board members Lloyd Hellman of Emden and Beth Davis of Lincoln in voting for the measure.

Those voting against placing the referendum on the ballot were Paul Gleason, Doug Dutz, Jim Griffin, Dave Hepler, Cliff Sullivan, Dale Voyles and Terry Werth.

Chairman Dick Logan abstained, citing an upcoming meeting with the state's attorney to discuss the matter, and hadn't decided at this time.

If the board had voted to put the item before the public asking their input, it would have made the current petition drive unnecessary. The drive, requiring approximately 2,000 signatures, would ask that the same question be placed on the ballot by court order.

"If not enough signatures are obtained by Tuesday's deadline, it's a dead issue," White said.

If the petition drive is successful, White asked that the board hold off on their vote on the topic until after the results of the April ballot.

"We have until July to make up our minds on the process," White said. "I think we should wait until the election is over and not deny the voters’ input by voting prematurely," he added.

Logan said he didn't have a problem with that. However, Phil Mahler, chairman of the Insurance and Legislative Committee, intends to bring the matter to a vote at the board's Tuesday meeting.

White told board members if they did this, even when the required number of signatures were obtained by the public to put it on the ballot, it would be cutting off the public's opinion.

"Voting for the at-large system prior to the April ballot is actually a vote to stop public opinion," White said.

Bock also told the board that it would be the first time the voters have had a chance to give their opinion about how board members are elected.

"It's been 30 years since the township supervisors made the decision to elect at large or by districts," Bock said.

The decision at that time was made because of the difficulty in deciding district lines, a problem acknowledged by Bock as one that would still be present today.

"Basically, they took the easy way out," he said.

Bock told board members that even though it would be a challenge, it was a process that should be considered if voters voice that preference.

"We're not the public's parents," Bock said. "We shouldn't assume that we know best and try to protect the voter from this process," he added.

All board members are up for re-election in two years.

In other business, the board heard from Lloyd Mason, local businessman, concerning the lack of space to house his airplanes at the airport.

Minutes before Mason's presentation, the board agreed to extend the contract with Heritage In Flight to continue operating the airport for the county.

Mason told members that there would be enough area if hanger space weren't taken up by non-aircraft items such as the museum's various vehicles.

Mason's requests were referred to the Airport Committee for consideration.

Approval was also given to purchase a truck from J & S Auto for animal control. The current truck, according to Cliff Sullivan, chairman of the Animal Control Committee, is nearly beyond repair and has had its doors welded on.

The program addresses the issues of violence prevention by implementing safety and conflict management, how to deal with the most common causes of a conflict involving bullies, and addressing risk factors on how the media portrays violence. The program is presented to eight schools, with three half-hour lessons at each grade level.

The kindergarten classes receive instruction on how to deal with anger. Using an activity book, they learn how to relate the alphabet to violence prevention and trusted adults. The kindergarten completes the program with a song titled "Working together to stop the violence."

The first grade receives instruction on what a conflict is and how they can solve conflicts without resorting to violence. The children role-play meeting and greeting each other by shaking hands and introducing themselves to each other. The children then learn to recognize conflicts through an interactive compact disc program.

The second grade students are introduced to how bullies get involved in violence and why a person should not become a bully. Using arithmetic problems, the children are taught five ways to prevent bullying. The children are then instructed on conflict resolution, the consequences of fighting, and the importance of cooperation and conflict resolution. The children cooperate in pairs during class while building a project and as a whole to assist in the development of a commercial aired on local TNN, ESPN and Nickelodeon.

The Youth Violence Prevention Program reaches over 1,000 students yearly from Lincoln and surrounding areas. The teachers assist, to assure that the curriculum is appropriate for each grade level. The program is evaluated through pre- and post-surveys to identify successes and needs for improvements. The results are then published for local newspaper readers.

The program has been in place for two years and is funded by the Illinois Violence Prevention Authority. The police would like to expand the program to the fourth grade, due to the successes in kindergarten through third grade. Information about the local program has been published in the Community Policing Exchange News Paper, which reaches over 60,000 readers. Police departments from New York, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Florida and Los Angeles, Calif., have asked about the local curriculum to assist them in their children's programs.

The Lincoln Police Department would like to begin the expansion of their program in the 2000-2001 school year. They say, "We can enhance our effectiveness by educating the children from kindergarten through fourth grade on violence prevention with your assistance."

[LDN and
news release from Lincoln Police Department]