[JUNE 30, 2001]  The Logan County Local Emergency Planning Committee met June 27 to learn about projects in progress and continue planning for the Emergency Services and Disaster Agency and LEPC annual exercise.

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[Joan Crabb]

[JUNE 29, 2001]  Edward C. LaScola Jr., 19, of Hopkins Park was arrested at 11 last night, June 28. A Logan County grand jury indicted him yesterday with six counts of first-degree murder in the death of 11-month-old Daneysia Williams, daughter of his girlfriend, Kimberly Williams. The incident took place in Lincoln on Sunday afternoon, May 27.

LaScola was picked up by Lincoln Police Department and has been transported here. He is presently in the Logan County Jail waiting a hearing. He is being held on a $1 million bond. His first arraignment was scheduled for 10:30 this morning, June 29.

Logan County State’s Attorney Tim Huyett said that LaScola is the last of the suspects to be arrested in this case.

[LDN]

[JUNE 29, 2001]  Starting July 1, the office of Jonathan Wright, state representative for the 90th District, will be located at 407 Keokuk St. in Lincoln.

The office phone number is (217) 732-4011; fax number (217) 732-8971.

Wright replaces John Turner of Atlanta, who served almost seven years as the state representative from the 90th District. Turner is now a justice of the 4th District Appellate Court.

[News release]

[JUNE 28, 2001]  After 14 years of dedicated service to the 45^th Senate District, Sen. Bob Madigan, R-Lincoln, is resigning from office to pursue another career opportunity. His resignation will take effect June 30.

"I have enjoyed every day of my tenure in the Illinois Senate," said Madigan. "It has been both a pleasure and privilege to serve the residents of the 45^th District. Originally, I had hoped to serve 12 years in this position, but I have been blessed to serve even longer. For that, I would like to thank my constituents for their trust in my abilities. It has been a tremendous honor to serve as your state senator."

Madigan was appointed Wednesday by Gov. George Ryan to the Illinois Industrial Commission. His appointment will be effective July 2. The Industrial Commission administers Workers’ Compensation and Occupational Diseases Acts that provide compensation for accidental injuries or death suffered while employed in the state.

"I am grateful for this opportunity and proud of the confidence the governor has shown in making this appointment," Madigan said. "This will be a new challenge and one where I believe I can make a contribution."

As a legislator, Madigan has made several noteworthy contributions over the years. He currently serves as chairman of the Senate Insurance and Pensions Committee (formerly the Insurance, Pensions and Licensed Activities Committee). He is also a member of the Licensed Activities Committee and the Agriculture and Conservation Committee.

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In the General Assembly, Madigan was a leader in the fight to maintain the financial integrity of the five state pension funds, while boosting retirees’ benefits. He was the leading negotiator for the retired teachers health insurance program and for mandatory auto insurance and consumer issues. Madigan also fought successfully for HMO reform and a Patients’ Bill of Rights in Illinois. This year, Madigan successfully pushed for creation of an insurance ombudsman to advise the uninsured on their options.

In the area of agriculture and conservation, he passed the Conservation Enhancement Program and supported key proposals to diversify agriculture and boost rural economics. Madigan is immediate past co-chairman of the Illinois Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus.

Before his tenure in the Senate, Madigan served as Lincoln city clerk, taught special education and was a claims specialist for State Farm Insurance. He and his wife, Connie, live in Lincoln and are the parents of two adult children, Patrick and Amy. They are also the proud grandparents of 3-year-old Teran.

The 45^th Senate District includes all of Logan, Mason and DeWitt counties and portions of Tazewell, McLean, Piatt and Woodford.

[News release]

[JUNE 28, 2001]  The Airport Committee of the Logan County Board will be looking at plans for a nine-hole golf course on property by the airport, probably at the committee’s next meeting on Monday, July 2, according to County Board Chairman Dick Logan.

[Joan Crabb]

[JUNE 28, 2001]  The public is invited to the dedication of the Dunlap House, Middletown’s Stagecoach Inn, at 4 p.m. on the Fourth of July.

Agenda

• Invocation
• Presentation of colors by Middletown American Legion
• Presentation of certificates of recognition
• Recognition of class of 1948 — flagpole
• Dedication of the Dunlap House (Stagecoach Inn)
• Speaker: Dr. Wayne C. Temple, Illinois historian
• Tour of the inn
• Music

• Refreshments

The dedication will take place rain or shine.

People attending are asked to bring their lawn chairs.

The event is sponsored by the Middletown Bicentennial Commission.

[News release]

[JUNE 28, 2001]  Lincoln’s police department has just been awarded another grant, this one $28,900, to continue work on violence prevention with kindergarten through fourth graders.

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[Joan Crabb]

[JUNE 27, 2001]  Safe Ride, the Lincoln area’s only taxi service, is now under new ownership, but for the immediate future riders will see no change. However, a 50-cent fare hike may be coming soon.

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 Bids opened

[Joan Crabb]

[JUNE 27, 2001]  Main Street Lincoln, the organization dedicated to revitalizing downtown Lincoln, will be getting some financial help from the state, according to Sen. Bob Madigan.

"I’m pleased to announce that Main Street Lincoln will receive a $10,000 state grant from the Department of Commerce and Community Affairs," said Madigan, R-Lincoln. "The money will be used to restore an old public drinking-water well from the days of Abraham Lincoln."

The well, now covered up, is located on the current site of VFW Post 1756, formerly Deskin’s Tavern, a place where Lincoln stayed on his travels throughout central Illinois as a lawyer.

Wendy Bell, program manager for Main Street Lincoln, said the $10,000 grant will be put to good use.

"The plans are to completely restore the old water well and make it part of the town’s official Lincoln sites," said Bell. "Restoration will once again make the well usable, and there are a number of ideas for promotion, including making the well a public drinking fountain … [and] bottling the water for sale, with a label depicting Mr. Lincoln."

The city of Lincoln is one of many Illinois communities participating in the national Main Street program, which was begun in 1980 to help communities revitalize their historic or traditional commercial areas.

[News release]

[JUNE 26, 2001]  It really isn’t news, but you have probably noticed that gasoline prices continue to plunge lower and lower. The average price at the pump in Illinois right now is reported at $1.65. Area stations are posting a price of $1.49 for their base grade this morning. Over the weekend prices dipped as low as $1.34 in Bloomington in a regional gasoline price war.

The word in the gasoline industry is that we should expect prices to continue in a temporary downward trend. The Lundberg Letter, a petroleum industry newsletter, confirms this information from a variety of sources but reserves judgment on how low prices should be expected to go or how long they will remain low.

Industry insiders have stated that the price increases we experienced this spring were not intentional attempts to maneuver the gasoline market and make more profits but were rather the result of extremely low inventories and poor planning for increased demand at the refineries. The result, however, was higher profits for refiners and suppliers.

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Although the price increases were not intentional, insiders say that the refineries have learned an important lesson: They have more power than they previously had imagined. There is little competition at the supplier level because supplies are tight. All the refiners now have access to the same information, courtesy of satellite and Internet information sources. When one refiner decides to raise prices, the other refiners will follow suit and also raise prices. The result will probably be an unstable gasoline market for the foreseeable future.

So, for now, take advantage of lower prices. And let area fuel-station managers know that you appreciate the opportunity to save a little money.

[LDN]

[JUNE 26, 2001]  The special Senate committee on the Teachers Retirement Insurance Program had its first meeting Thursday. The session dealt specifically with the financial health of the program, according to Sen. Bob Madigan, committee chairman.

"The Segal Company, which was hired to assess the financial health of TRIP, presented us with an abundant amount of information," said Madigan, R-Lincoln. "The information, including possible suggestions for addressing the financial problems facing TRIP, will be very helpful to the committee in crafting workable solutions."

Retirees under the Teachers Retirement Insurance Program face the potential for a large premium increase in order to keep the program solvent. An originally projected increase of 45 percent was recently lowered by the governor to 21 percent.

Madigan says the testimony at the first hearing clearly shows a very difficult and complex decision awaits the legislature and state government.

"When we look at the short-term solution that’s facing us now and coming up with a solution to be considered during the veto session, this committee needs to determine how best to reach that short-term solution," said Madigan. "We must determine whether our long-term goals for TRIP can be met while also addressing the short-term problem, or whether we make the short-term decision easier to reach now with an eye toward a long-term decision."

Madigan said the work the committee will do over the summer is very important to 40,000 people enrolled in TRIP now and to the thousands of retired teachers who will come into the program in the years ahead.

According to Segal’s Mitch Bramstaedt, using current data available, the 21 percent or even the 45 percent increase is not enough to save the program unless specific steps are taken.

"We calculate an increase of 54.2 percent would be required," said Bramstaedt. "However, if we were to blend in managed health plan costs, we find the increase would only be 44.8 percent.

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Bramstaedt also noted that the current method for estimating the state’s matching contribution to the program has consistently underestimated the match. He also said the current funding approach, which is a pay-as-you-go method, is inadequate because the population of retired teachers continues to grow and mature and the number of retirees needing medical care continues to exceed payroll increases paid by active teachers.

Steve Cyboran, also of the Segal Company, told panelists that a long-term funding mechanism that properly pays for the benefits over the working life of active teachers is needed; otherwise, TRIP will continue to face financial problems in the future.

"Medical costs are likely to continue outpacing payroll contributions made by active teachers, which is the main basis for the funding revenue," said Cyboran.

The next meeting of the special Senate committee on the Teachers Retirement Insurance Program has been tentatively set for July 26. The location has not been determined.

Members of the committee include Chairman Madigan; Republican Sens. Stan Weaver, R-Urbana, Tom Walsh, R-LaGrange Park, and Dave Syverson, R-Rockford; and Democratic Sens. Vince Demuzio, D-Carlinville, Denny Jacobs, D-Moline, Ricky Hendon, D-Chicago, and James Clayborne, D-East St. Louis. Other committee members include representatives of the Illinois Retired Teachers Association, the Illinois Education Association, the Illinois Federation of Teachers, the Illinois Association of School Boards, the Illinois Association of School Administrators and the director of the Illinois Department of Central Management Services.

The committee is directed to report its recommendations to the Senate no later than Nov. 1. The fall veto session begins Nov. 7.

[News release]

[JUNE 25, 2001]  A decision on the video production of Looking for Lincoln will be made Wednesday, June 27, according to Paul Beaver, committee chairman. A final meeting of the committee will determine which company will complete the documentary.

The committee has presented to the production companies the information requested to be included in the documentary. The planners feel they have many photographs, local people and stories of incidents that will make an interesting historical panorama. The video will include scenes of the Middletown Stage Coach Inn, conversation with Mr. Lincoln and John D. Gillett in Elkhart, a courtroom scene in Mount Pulaski and pictures by Lloyd Ostendorf, as well as other photographs and paintings which will convey everyday scenes and events in the life of Abraham Lincoln in Logan County. Local residents who have any historical photographs or paintings of Abraham Lincoln are asked to contact Paul Beaver.

Shirley Bartelmay reported that during the month of May over 200 visitors stopped at the Postville Courthouse to discover the history of Abraham Lincoln's work as a circuit lawyer in Logan County. She said that 123 visitors came individually and 96 school children arrived in three separate groups.

 The site is looking for more volunteers, as occasionally some of the present volunteers go on vacation or have other necessities arise. The training is entertaining and interesting. The 47 current volunteers include schoolteachers and many senior citizens. Richard Schachtsiek, site manager, is present at the courthouse every Friday and Saturday. Volunteers may contact him there and also have a chance to see the courthouse if they have not visited in the past.

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The Lincoln College Museum has also shown an increase in attendance due to the Looking for Lincoln activities. Museum curator Ron Keller reported that attendance and sales have increased. Over 400 people visited the museum from mid-April to mid-May. A woman from York, England, and a group from Virginia visited recently, as well as many other tourists.

Larry Steffens, chairman of the Lincoln Statue Committee, reported that a short video has been made to provide information to the public regarding the proposed living history theme park, including wagon rides, split rail fences, 1850 manned and working mills and barns. The videos have been distributed for public viewing at the following businesses: Wal-Mart, Bonanza, IGA, Kroger, video stores, Lincoln Public Library, City Hall, Franz Express and others.

[Kathleen McCullough]

[JUNE 25, 2001]  Community leaders here are continuing to bring the construction of a 305-foot statue of Lincoln artist Lloyd Ostendorf’s depiction of Abraham Lincoln closer to reality. Videotapes explaining their plans and answering the many questions that residents of this historical city have posed are being shown throughout the area. The videos have been distributed for public viewing at the following businesses: Wal-Mart, Bonanza, IGA, Kroger, video stores, Lincoln Public Library, City Hall, Franz Express and others.

Committee members feel that educating the residents of the city as to the benefits to be derived from this project is an important first step in securing the support of the entire community for honoring the city’s connection to Mr. Lincoln.

Mayor Beth Davis and the Lincoln City Council overwhelmingly back the project and believe that the increased popularity of the city of Lincoln as a national tourist destination could answer many of the area’s economic woes.

One of the prime concerns of the committee is to maintain control of the project and constantly work to make the statue and the adjacent theme park area a family-oriented destination that will honor and display the values and ideals for which Abraham Lincoln was famous.

The theme areas at the park could encompass the statue as the centerpiece, with outdoor theatre, IMAX theatre, art gallery and animatronic displays of Lincoln’s famous moments in history.

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Other areas could be dedicated to an early 1800s working farmstead, an area for period arts and crafts with costumed workers lending authenticity to the attractions, a water park which would be a summer attraction, and many more.

The next committee meeting, for voting members only, will be at 7 p.m. June 26 at the Union Planters Bank. This session will work on the prioritizing of the proposed sites for the park in conjunction with the city’s managers and engineers.

The statue committee is actively seeking endorsements from all of the area’s civic groups and will be glad to make presentations of the project upon request. Larry Steffens says that many of the little issues have been resolved following the original presentation of the project, and a new PowerPoint presentation has been prepared. You can contact Larry Steffens at 732-6102 to schedule a presentation.

[News release]

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