[JAN. 16, 2002]  Illinois drivers who cheat and use handicapped-parking spaces illegally will now have a harder time avoiding getting caught, the Lincoln City Council learned at its committee of the whole meeting Tuesday evening.

William A. Bogdan, disability liaison with the department of senior and community services of the Illinois secretary of state’s office, explained the new legislation that went into effect on Jan. 1 of this year. Key to cutting down abuse of the program are new parking placards that will be harder for unauthorized drivers to use and easier for police to spot.

Bogdan showed a brief video of a recent "sting" operation in Chicago, set up to find out how prevalent cheating was. The seven stings caught 150 people, most of whom kept handicapped parking spaces tied up all day, he said. Four of those caught were using placards they had made themselves. Bogdan also said placards have been for sale on e-Bay for anywhere from $2 to $30.

To stop this abuse, permanent placards are redesigned with a punch card expiration date corresponding to the holder’s birth month, and the holder will also be identified by gender. This will make it easier for police to check whether the driver is actually the authorized cardholder, Bogdan said. Officers can see if the birth month on the placard corresponds with the birth month on the driver’s license.

Also police can now seize a placard being used illegally as well as write a $100 ticket. This will make it more difficult for "a teen using grandma’s placard," Bogdan added. If the placard is seized, the authorized cardholder will have to go to court to get it back.

Temporary placards will also be identified by gender and show the card’s expiration date. There is also a new category, organization placards, that will be issued to groups that transport those with disabilities. A hologram image of the wheelchair symbol appears on these placards, making it more difficult to copy.

Bogdan addressed the question of proper display of the placard, an issue that has caused some controversy in Lincoln. Last year there were a series of complaints that tickets were issued to vehicles that had handicapped placards. Owners of some of the vehicles said they did have placards displayed, but the volunteers doing the ticketing said the placards were not visible. The city has authorized several handicapped volunteers to issue tickets.

[to top of second column in this article]

Bogdan told the council that if the card is not hanging where police can see it, it is not properly displayed.

"It’s the job of the person with a disability to see that the placard is properly displayed," he said. If the card is hanging from the rearview mirror, its view should not be obstructed by baby shoes or other decorations. "It needs to be in clear view," he added.

He said police officers have the discretion whether to write a ticket or not when there is doubt about the proper display of a placard.

Police Chief Rich Montcalm said from eight to 10 tickets are given each month for handicapped parking violations, half of them first offenses. He said the present city policy is for first offenses to be dismissed. Second offenses go before a committee of three, City Attorney Bill Bates, Mayor Beth Davis and Montcalm, and are decided on a case-by-case basis.

Bogdan also said that as of Jan. 1 it is illegal to park in an access isle, the striped space next to a handicapped parking space, even if the driver has a handicapped placard and cannot find another parking space. The access isle must be left clear to allow those in wheelchairs to enter and leave a vehicle.

He said there are now about 700,000 drivers with handicapped license plates or placards in Illinois. He is traveling throughout the state to educate the public on the new parking legislation, House Bill 846. He said a manual will be sent to police departments explaining the new program.

Pete Fredericks, owner of Pete’s Hardware, asked why he has to designate a handicapped parking area for his store, which has only a few parking spots. "Why can’t mine go out on the street?" he said. "A person who owns property should have some input."

Mayor Davis said that people with disabilities "only want a level playing field." City Attorney Bates said Fredericks was questioning a state law, not one the city passed. Later Davis said later the city would try to work with Fredericks on the handicapped parking issue.

[Joan Crabb]

[JAN. 16, 2002]  By the thinnest of margins the Logan County Board voted Tuesday night to rezone three acres near Chester from agricultural to country homes use. In another matter that had previously been disputed, board members were unanimous in extending the employment of Animal Control Warden Sheila Farmer for 11 months.ext

On the zoning matter a narrow 7-6 majority voted to allow Alan Roos to carve three one-acre home sites from his 120-acre farm in Aetna Township. Zoning officer Bud Miller said the petition meets all zoning requirements, and State’s Attorney Tim Huyett said the project does not fall under the subdivision act since it does not involve building a street or sewer. Board member Dale Voyles called the petition "a very clear-cut opportunity for limited growth in the county." Both the Regional Planning Commission and the Zoning Board of Appeals had previously approved the project.

County board member Rod White said he voted against the petition because he objects in general to "spot zoning." The zoning ordinance does not require country home plots to have services such as water, electricity or sewer and therefore "may open up the county to situations detrimental to buyer and seller," White warned. He said there are areas in the county where a well will not hit water. A lot buyer might sue after discovering that the ground was not suitable for building a home, thus causing trouble for the seller also. White also objected to rezoning a plot before there is a prospective home-builder.

Board member Gloria Luster said that Roos’ property avoids many of the potential pitfalls in the zoning ordinance. The land is located very close to Chestnut and has city water and natural gas as well as a buried phone line. A power line runs on the other side of the road.

The vote to rezone the three acres passed 7-6, with Roger Bock, Paul Gleason, Lloyd Hellman, Dave Hepler, Dick Logan and White voting against.

A committee to review the zoning ordinance is already being formed by Regional Planning Commissioner Phil Mahler. Its members so far include himself, Miller, County Engineer Tom Hickman, Director of Economic Development Mark Smith, county board members Hepler and Terry Werth, Health Department Director of Environmental Health Kathy Waldo, Lincoln City Safety Inspector Les Last, Atlanta Mayor Bill Martin, farmer Kent Paulus, Jim Drew of the Logan County Farm Bureau and Delmar Veech, a 30-year member of the planning commission. Mahler said he intends to add a township road commissioner and that any county resident interested in joining the committee can call him at 732-8835 or 737-9765.

Mahler said review of the zoning ordinance may take a year. "I want orderly growth and a growth that makes sense," he added. The final decision on any changes will be made by the county board.

The board reappointed Dean Toohey of Mount Pulaski to the Zoning Board of Appeals. Doug Dutz cast the only dissenting vote.

[to top of second column in this article]

Regarding the animal control warden, all members of the board voted to hire Sheila Farmer for the remainder of the fiscal year. Jim Griffin, a member of the Animal Control Committee, said he changed his earlier vote on Farmer’s employment because the committee is addressing problems and complaints. As one example, committee chairman Cliff "Sonny" Sullivan said phone calls are now being forwarded to the warden’s cell phone, so a human being now answers the telephone.

The county board also voted unanimously in favor of funding two bridge projects:

• $40,000 to correct a scour problem on the Kickapoo Creek bridge on the Waynesville blacktop. County Engineer Tom Hickman explained that the strength of the bridge is based on the piling’s being in contact with dirt, and there is a 3- or 4-foot section of exposed piling. Heavy rock will be laid to stop the wash and divert the channel away from the piling. Additional funding for the project will come from the federal government and state motor fuel taxes.

• $18,400 as the county’s share of bridge construction in Sheridan Township. A double box culvert will be replaced with a pre-cast, pre-stressed concrete deck beam bridge. Funding for the project is shared, with the state picking up 80 percent, the county 10 percent and the township 10 percent.

In other business Finance Committee chair Rod White said a 50 percent advance on tax funds is being given to the three agencies that receive money from the senior citizens tax — The Oasis, CIEDC and Rural Health Partnership. Last year the board gave a 100 percent advance, and it plans not to give any next year. The advance, including about $300 in interest which the agencies will not return, is paid from the county general fund.

The board approved resolutions honoring three people who have benefited the county:

• Wendy Bell, for her creative service as program manager of Main Street Lincoln.

• Charles M. Ott, for 30 years of acting as an ambassador to the public through his portrayal of Abraham Lincoln.

• Roger Dennison and Turris Coal Co., for their "vital role in bringing large-scale industry to Logan County." Dennison is president of Turris Coal, which has been a major employer in the county for 20 years.

Today’s history

Compiled by Dave Francis

Wednesday, Jan. 16

The 16th day of the year

Quotes

"Our culture is ill-equipped to assert the bourgeois values which would be the salvation of the underclass, because we have lost those values ourselves." — Norman Podhoretz

"History ... is, indeed, little more than the register of the crimes, follies and misfortunes of mankind." — Edward Gibbon

1697 — Richard Savage, poet

1878 — Harry Carey Sr., Bronx, N.Y., actor ("Aces Wild," "Border Cafe," "Air Force")

1890 — Lloyd Bacon, San Jose, Calif., actor (Charlie Chaplin)

1901 — Fulgencio Batista, president and dictator of Cuba (1933-44, 1952-59)

1911 — Jay Hanna "Dizzy" Dean, Hall of Fall baseball pitcher (St. Louis Cardinals)

1930 — Norman Podhoretz, Brooklyn, N.Y., author and editor (N.Y. Post)

1933 — Susan Sonntag, writer

1935 — A.J. Foyt, Houston, auto race driver (Indy 500 winner in 1961, ’64, ’67, ’77)

Events

1493 — Columbus returns to Spain on his first trip

1547 — Ivan IV the Terrible (17) crowns himself first tsar of Moscow

1794 — Edward Gibbon, historian ("The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire"), dies in London at 56

1914 — Writer Maksim Gorki returns to Russia

1919 — Prohibition ratified by three-fourths of states; Nebraska is 36th

1925 — Leon Trotsky dismissed as CEO of Russian Revolution Military Council

1968 — Robert R "Bob" Jones, founder of Bob Jones University, dies at 84

1970 — Curt Flood files a civil lawsuit challenging baseball’s reserve clause

1973 — NBC presents 440th and final showing of "Bonanza"

1979 — Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlevi of Iran flees Iran for Egypt

1981 — Boxer Leon Spinks is mugged; his assailants even take his gold teeth

[JAN. 15, 2002]  SPRINGFIELD — Rep. Gwenn Klingler, R-District 100, said Monday that she voted no on a bill authorizing Gov. Ryan across-the-board cuts of up to 5 percent because the bill included built-in cuts that were made with an ax rather than a scalpel.

"There’s absolutely no question in anyone’s mind that the budget must be cut," Klingler said. "The budget shortfall ranges anywhere from $100 million to $250 million greater than previous estimates. But the cuts should be made with a scalpel instead of an ax. It is our duty as legislators to go over the budget, line-item by line-item — not leave all the decision-making up to the governor."

Klingler objects to cuts in education and fears that our most vulnerable citizens and our children will bear the brunt of the cuts.

"The residents of nursing homes are an example," Klingler said. "Hearings last summer and fall showed clearly that nursing homes, especially those in rural areas, are literally on the brink of failure because the state isn’t doing what it should to help them. Further budget cuts will certainly push these nursing homes over the edge, and some will have to close. That will move nursing home residents far away from the loved ones in search of a new nursing home."

Klingler said some areas of the state’s budget, such as education, should be off-limits for cuts, but the state’s elementary and secondary schools are also being hit because funds for special education and other mandated special programs are being cut, and the money for them must come from their regular budget.

[to top of second column in this article]

"Anybody who reads the front page of any paper in the state knows that schools everywhere are in financial trouble," Klingler said. "Hardly a day goes by when there isn’t some story about a school sliding into even deeper financial trouble."

Klingler said she strongly felt the state’s promise to give people who work with the developmentally disabled a 2 percent cost of living increase should be honored.

"They are some of the lowest-paid health care workers in the state, and they have one of the most responsible jobs in the state, Klingler said. "Refusing to help them is a slap in the face of all the developmentally disabled."

Klingler said the situation facing schools, nursing homes and health care workers for the disabled was like that of a family which needs a minimum $200 a month every month to pay their heating bill. "If their paychecks are cut by $200 a month, what are they going to do? Turn off the heat? That’s the question facing the state’s schools, the state’s nursing homes and the state’s most helpless. They’re being left out in the cold," Klingler said. "I just had to vote no."

[News release from Rep. Gwenn Klingler]

Today’s history

Compiled by Dave Francis

Tuesday, Jan. 15

15th day of the year

"We’re a sentimental people. We like a few kind words better than millions of dollars given in a humiliating way." — Gamel Abdel Nasser

"Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon…. which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it. It is a sword that heals." — M.L. King Jr.

1507 — Johann Oporinus [Herbster], Swiss book publisher (Koran)

1841 — Lord Frederick Stanley, presenter of hockey’s Stanley Cup

1906 — Aristotle Onassis, Greece, rich shipping magnate

1918 — Gamal Abdel Nasser, president of Egypt (1954-1971)

1920 — John J. "Cardinal" O’Connor, Philadelphia, Roman Catholic Archbishop of New York

1929 — Martin Luther King Jr., Atlanta, civil rights leader (Nobel 1964)

1951 — Charo, Murcia Spain, actress and singer ("Chico and the Man," "Love Boat")

[to top of second column in this section]

1797 — First top hat worn (John Etherington of London)

1831 — First U.S. railroad honeymoon trip, Mr. and Mrs. Pierson, Charleston, S.C.

1861 — Steam elevator patented by Elisha Otis

1870 — Donkey first used as symbol of Democratic Party, in Harper’s Weekly

1895 — Tchaikovsky’s ballet "Swan Lake" premieres, St. Petersburg

1919 — Two million gallons of molasses flood Boston, Mass., drowning 21

1943 — World’s largest office building, Pentagon, completed

1973 — Watergate burglars plead guilty in federal court

1983 — Meyer Lansky, reputed mobster, dies in Miami Beach, Fla., at 80

[JAN. 14, 2002]  At times the high school rocked Saturday morning. No, it wasn’t a basketball game or a pep rally for another sport. The LCHS auditorium was nearly filled with LDC supporters for a two-hour rally that ran the gamut of standing ovations and cheers to quiet moments of empathy for the remarks from a parent of a resident at the beleaguered institution.

[Click here to see pictures of the rally]

Eighteen speakers took the podium amidst a wave of red "We Support LDC" signs. Throughout the morning, the speakers’ remarks were met with cheers and, on many occasions, standing ovations.

The speakers encompassed union officials, business leaders and a large group of political leaders that rarely can be seen together at any function in Logan County.

State Sen. Larry Bomke was joined on the dais with state Reps. Gwenn Klingler, Dan Brady, Jonathan Wright and Bill Mitchell. Lincoln Mayor Beth Davis as well as Logan County Board Chairman Dick Logan also stated their support for keeping Lincoln’s largest employer open. To make the political representation complete, Democratic candidate for governor Paul Vallas, former superintendent of Chicago Public Schools, threw his support behind LDC by saying that if elected governor he would solve the problems at LDC and keep the institution open.

Council 31 Director Henry Bayer advised the audience that over 9,000 signatures were already on petitions, with more petitions still to be collected.

[to top of second column in this article]

Although the rally was mostly a great deal of rhetoric, some important information was relayed to the crowd. Among those informational moments was Sen. Bomke’s statement that there is a growing support for LDC among members of the Illinois Assembly who do not have a voter base in this area.

AFSCME Council 31 Deputy Director Roberta Lynch also advised the gathering that studies of other institutions in a 50-mile radius of LDC showed numerous and far more egregious citations of abuse and neglect than anything reportedly occurring at the Lincoln Developmental Center. Rep. Jonathan Wright also explained to the crowd that over 96 percent of the reportable observations by state-requested overseers were positive in their conclusions.

A recurring theme in many of the comments was Gov. Ryan’s insensitivity to the wishes of the residents and their guardians to keep LDC open. Another was the unanswered question of whether there is a hidden agenda in the singling out of this institution over others.

Today’s history

Compiled by Dave Francis

Monday, Jan. 14

14th day of the year

Quotes

“Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing.” — Albert Schweitzer

“First they came for the Jews. I was silent. I was not a Jew. Then they came for the Communists. I was silent. I was not a Communist. Then they came for the trade unionists. I was silent. I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for me. There was no one left to speak for me.” — Martin Niemoller, on resistance to Nazis.

Birthdays

1615 — John Biddle, English minister (Unitarian)

1730 — William Whipple, merchant and judge (Declaration of Independence signer)

1741 — Benedict Arnold, U.S. general turned traitor (Revolutionary War)

1875 — Albert Schweitzer, doctor, humanitarian and organist (Nobel 1954)

1892 — Martin Niemoller, clergyman (German Protestant); imprisoned by Hitler

1919 — Andy Rooney, Albany, N.Y., CBS news correspondent (“60 Minutes”)

1941 — [Dorothy] Faye Dunaway, Bascom, Fla., actress (“Chinatown,” “Bonnie and Clyde”)

Events

1639 — Rodger Ludlow publishes "Fundamental Orders of Connecticut"

1742 — Edmund Halley, genius eclipsed by Newton, dies at 85

1783 — Congress ratifies peace treaty between United States and England

1799 — Eli Whitney receives government contract for 10,000 muskets

1864 — General Sherman begins his march to the South

1878 — U.S. Supreme Court rules race separation on trains unconstitutional

1898 — Lewis Carroll, writer (“Alice in Wonderland”), dies at 65

1914 — Henry Ford introduces assembly line, for T-Fords

1932 — Horse racing legend Eddie Arcaro won his first race

1943 — FDR and Winston Churchill confer in Casablanca concerning World War II

1954 — New York Yankee Joe DiMaggio marries actress Marilyn Monroe

1957 — Humphrey Bogart, actor (“Casablanca,” “Caine Mutiny”), dies at 57

1963 — George C. Wallace sworn in as governor of Alabama

1966 — Sergei Korolev, Russian space station constructor, dies

1984 — Raymond Kroc, founder of McDonalds and owner of San Diego Padres, dies at 81

[JAN. 12, 2002]  Gov. Ryan announced on Friday that, “Either the Lincoln Developmental Center will close, or it will be downsized to a point where LDC could pass a federal inspection.”  Ryan has asked the Illinois Department of Human Services to develop both plans. If reduced, the facility would cut back employees and residents. The plans to close or downsize are being prepared by DHS director Linda Renee Baker and will be on the governor’s desk on Jan. 31.

The announcement brought strong reactions from parties on both sides of the issue.  Advocates for deinstitutionalization, lobbying for community-integrated living arrangements for developmentally disabled residents, are growing impatient with the delays. As executive director of ARC of Illinois, Toby Paulauski said, “I really think the guy has got only one choice.  It’s time to make that decision and move on.”

LDC employees and the family members of residents remain hopeful that the facility that is home to more than 200 disabled residents will remain open   Still stinging from the moves of over 100 residents that have been sent to other facilities, they fear the future disruption, whether it be shuttering or cutbacks.  As Lincoln Parents Association co-president Linda Brown sees it, “At least he didn’t come out and close it.”

Still saying that he wants what is best for the care and safety of the residents, the governor emphasized, “I have not lost sight of that mission or of my responsibility to their welfare.”

[Jan Youngquist]

[JAN. 12, 2002]  A rally in support of Lincoln Developmental Center was held this morning in the auditorium of Lincoln Community High School.  LDC employees are members of  AFSCME Local 425.

[All photos by Bob Frank]

[Click here to see more pictures]

[From left:  Bobbi Abbott, Mayor Beth Davis,
and Senator Larry Bomke]

[The room was a blaze of red]

[AFSCME was not the only union represented.]
 

[Don Todd, president of AFSCME Local 425]

[JAN. 12, 2002]  SPRINGFIELD — According to Senator Claude “Bud” Stone, job No. 1 for the General Assembly in 2002 is crafting a new state budget, one that is balanced, addresses priorities and is also realistic given the current financial climate.

"We have a difficult task ahead of us," said Stone (R-Morton). "We must find the right balance between the needs of the citizens and fiscal responsibility."

State government is still operating under the fiscal year 2002 budget that was approved during the 2001 spring session. The state’s budget year runs from July 1 of one year through June 30 of the next year. The Illinois economy has continued to slow over the past year and because of that the state is receiving less tax revenue than was anticipated. This prompted budget cuts by the governor during December and calls for budget belt tightening as the new legislative session gets underway.

"The Bureau of the Budget is still predicting positive revenue growth in the current fiscal year," said Stone. "However, the estimate of $500 million is about half what was expected when the current budget was approved last spring. As we begin work on the fiscal year 2003 budget, we must be cautious. It’s difficult to predict, economically, what this year will bring "

[to top of second column in this article]

For many legislators, such as Stone, this year’s budget crisis has a familiar ring to it.

"Although I wasn’t the state senator then, I do remember the financial problems plaguing Illinois in the early nineties," said Stone. "There were difficult decisions made, state spending was curtailed and Illinois came out of that decade fiscally strong.”

Stone believes state government should conduct its business in much the same way as a small business owner or family. When there is a reduction in income, spending is reduced and you make do with less.

"Illinois government must live within its means. That means we pay our bills on time and don’t spend more tax dollars than we take in," said Stone. "I’ve heard talk about fee increases or tax hikes as a way of increasing revenues to pay for programs. I’m opposed to that option. Taxpayers should not be further burdened, especially in times of an economic downtown."

Lawmakers returned to Springfield on Wednesday to begin the 2002 spring session. The session is scheduled to end May 17.

[News release from Illinois Senator Claude Stone]

Today’s history

Compiled by Dave Francis

Saturday, Jan. 12

12th day of the year

Quotes

Reporter: “Mr. Gandhi, what do you think of Western civilization?”

Gandhi: “I think it would be a very good idea.”

“The man who views the world at 50 the same as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life.” — Muhammad Ali

Birthdays

---- — HAL 9,000th birthday (from "2001: A Space Odyssey")

1588 — John Winthrop, first governor (Massachusetts Bay Colony)

1588 — Jose Ribera [Lo Spagnoletto], Spanish painter

1665 — Pierre de Fermat, French lawyer and mathematician

1729 — Edmund Burke, British author (Philosophy & Inquiry)

1737 — John Hancock, patriot (first to sign Declaration of Independence)

1856 — John Singer Sargent, U.S., portrait painter (“Wyndham Sisters”)

1876 — Jack London, writer and socialist (“Call of the Wild”)

1893 — Hermann Goering, Nazi Reichsmarshall

1896 — Rex Ingram, Ireland, actor and director (“Elmer Gantry,” “God’s Little Acre”)

1903 — Igor V. Kurtshatov, Russian nuclear physicist (first Russian nuclear bomb)

1906 — Henny Youngman, England, comedian (“Take my wife please...”)

1935 — "Amazing" Kreskin, Montclair, N.J., mentalist and telepath

1944 — Joe Frazier, Beaufort, S.C., heavyweight boxer (gold medal, 1964 Olympics), champion (1968-73)

1951 — Rush Limbaugh, Cape Girardeau, Mo., radio personality

Events

1493 — Last day for all Jews to leave Sicily

1519 — Maximilian I of Hapsburg, German Kaiser, dies

1583 — Holland begins use of Gregorian calendar (yesterday was 1-1-1583)

1684 — French king Louis XVI marries Madame Maintenon

1755 — Tsarina Elisabeth establishes first Russian University

1773 — First U.S. public museum established (Charleston, S.C.)

1816 — France decrees Bonaparte family excluded from the country forever

1829 — Friedrich von Schlegel, German cultural philosopher and poet, dies at 56

1903 — Harry Houdini performs at Rembrandt Theater, Amsterdam

1906 — First time Dow Jones closes above 100 (100.26)

1906 — Football rules committee legalizes forward pass

1921 — Kenesaw Mountain Landis becomes first commissioner of baseball

1946 — NFL champion Cleveland Rams given permission to move to Los Angeles

1948 — Mohandas Mahatma Gandhi begins his final fast

1965 — Porcupine in Washington, D.C., zoo dies at 27; oldest known rodent

1966 — “Batman,” with Adam West and Burt Ward, premieres on ABC-TV

1967 — Louisville, Ky., draft board refuses exemption for boxer Muhammad Ali

1976 — Agatha Christie, mystery writer (“10 Little Indians”), dies at 85

Sunday, Jan. 13

13th day of the year

Quotes

“My mouth is full of decayed teeth and my soul of decayed ambitions.” — James Joyce

“There are those who say to you — We are rushing this issue of civil rights. I say we are 172 years late.” — Hubert Humphrey

Birthdays

1628 — Charles Perrault, France, lawyer and writer (Mother Goose)

1834 — Horatio Alger Jr., Revere, Mass., author (“Lost at Sea,” “Work and Win”)

1885 — Alfred Fuller, CEO (Fuller Brush Man)

19-- — Sam Woolworth

1919 — Robert Stack, Los Angeles, Calif., actor (Eliot Ness in “The Untouchables”; “Airplane!”)

Events

?? — Charles III, the Fat One, King of Franconia and Roman emperor, dies

1330 — Frederick (III), the Handsome, duke of Austria and German anti-king, dies

1559 — Elizabeth I crowned queen of England in Westminster Abbey

1630 — Patent to Plymouth Colony issued

1695 — Jonathan Swift ordained an Anglican priest in Ireland

1733 — James Oglethorpe and 130 English colonists arrive at Charleston, S.C.

1863 — Thomas Crapper pioneers one-piece pedestal flushing toilet

1864 — Stephen Foster, composer (“My Old Kentucky Home”), dies at 37 in New York

1888 — National Geographic Society founded (Washington, D.C.)

1895 — Oscar Wilde’s “Ideal Husband” premieres in London

1920 — New York Times editorial reports rockets can never fly

1929 — Wyatt Earp, U.S. marshal (O.K. Corral), dies at 80

1941 — James Joyce, novelist (“Ulysses”), dies in Zurich, Switzerland, at 58

1942 — Henry Ford patents a method of constructing plastic auto bodies

1957 — Wham-O Company produces the first Frisbee

1968 — Beginning of Tet offensive in Vietnam

1978 — Hubert Humphrey, senator, D-Minn., and vice president, dies at 66 in Waverly, Minn.

[JAN. 11, 2002]  Reports say that a locally owned oil company, Burwell Oil Service Inc., has sold their business. Gene Burwell personally announced to his employees Thursday that he has reached an agreement to sell his 22 retail units to Thornton Oil Corp. of Louisville, Ky. According to sources, he explained that, "He wants to retire and his sons have no interest in perpetuating the retail business."

Thornton Oil Corp. is one of the 500 largest privately held firms in the United States. They have nearly 150 stores in five states including Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and Connecticut. They operate with over $700 million in annual revenues.

The transaction, it is said, will occur March 1. It is expected that Thornton management will interview current staff to see which employees will be staying with the company.

[LDN]

County board moves to extend animal control warden’s contract,
tables zoning petition

[JAN. 11, 2002]  In a straw vote at its whole committee meeting Thursday night, the Logan County Board indicated that it is set to approve animal control Warden Sheila Farmer’s employment for the rest of the year. Nearly half an hour at the start of the meeting was spent on discussing when to vote on a zoning petition, with the issue eventually being tabled.

Last month Farmer’s renewed employment term had been set for 30 days although her animal control colleagues veterinarian Lester Thomson and Deputy Warden Polly Farmer received one year each. The issue, according to board member Jim Griffin, was the need to clarify complaints and resolve communication problems at the department. After the apparent slight to Sheila Farmer, the board’s animal control chair, Clifford “Sonny” Sullivan, offered his resignation.

By Thursday, Sullivan was back in his position reporting that the committee is addressing the cat problem, which has surfaced at Lincoln City Council meetings. He said he is also working to straighten out the animal control telephone system so that calls can be automatically forwarded to the warden’s cell phone when no one is in the office. Animal control’s new hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Fridays.

Board president Dick Logan confirmed that Sheila Farmer works at the will of the board, not on contract. Despite that fact, the board traditionally votes to extend her employment twelve months at a time because names of animal control employees must be submitted to the state annually. With this information the board voted 12-1 to continue Farmer’s employment until Dec. 1. Griffin alone opposed the measure, which like other straw votes taken at whole committee meetings will be decided at the following Tuesday’s adjourned board meeting.

The practice of taking straw votes on Thursday and final votes on Tuesday added to the confusion in the zoning issue. The case involved the petition by Alan Roos, who farms in Aetna Township about a mile from Chestnut, to rezone three of his 120 acres from agricultural to country homes use. He plans to divide the tract into three one-acre home sites. Before it came to the county board, the request had been approved 10-2 with one abstention and one voting present by the Logan County Regional Planning Commission and 5-0 by the Zoning Board of Appeals.

Zoning Committee chair Dave Hepler, representing the planning commission, moved approval of the petition. He said, however, that he personally opposes the measure because he prefers to rezone one parcel at a time.

Although Zoning Officer Bud Miller said the proposal meets ordinance requirements, Farm Bureau Director Jim Drew asked for postponement until implications of the Illinois Plat Act can be clarified. He said the law requires a subdivision plat to be filed for two or more parcels of land totaling less than five acres. Miller then read from the county subdivision regulations that a “redivision of land not involving more than three lots and not requiring new streets to be dedicated” is not a subdivision. Miller said he would ask State’s Attorney Tim Huyett for an opinion on the matter before Tuesday’s voting session.

[to top of second column in this article]

With board vice president Lloyd Hellman conducting the meeting, Dick Logan amended the motion to postpone the vote until Feb. 19, the date of next month’s voting board meeting. After quick approval of the amendment, board members were of differing opinions about whether to vote on the main motion immediately, on Tuesday or not until next month. Assistant State’s Attorney Mike Risinger was called in and gave the opinion that no further vote was needed until Feb. 19. But even that did not settle the matter, and discussion did not stop until the issue was tabled. Board member Dale Voyles made the motion to table. Griffin, Logan and White opposed the table. 

In other business Doug Dutz, Law Enforcement and ESDA chair, said only one bid has been received so far for an ambulance. Bids are due Friday, Jan. 11. He also reported that the county has been awarded a $15,000 grant to purchase personal protection equipment for use against terrorism. The grant comes from federal funds distributed through the state. Exactly what will be purchased has not yet been determined.

During their meeting the board found occasion to give two rounds of applause. The first round went to workers from Lincoln Developmental Center, whose spokesperson, Don Todd, president of AFCSME Local 425, thanked the board for its resolution of support. The second round was for Mary Elston, director of Community Action, whose group served 50 meals to firefighters and motel residents evacuated because of the American Legion fire.

Community Action committee chair Paul Gleason said $300,000 has been paid toward utility bills of those who qualify for the weatherization program, but the state has been slow to pay its share.

Finance chair Rod White said his committee is working out how to give a 50 percent advance to the three agencies that receive money from the Senior Citizens Tax – The Oasis, CIEDC and Rural Health Partnership. Last year the board gave a 100 percent advance, and it is moving toward giving none next year. The advance is paid from county funds, so the county loses the amount of the interest on the advance.

The board voted unanimously in favor of two highway projects:

-$40,000 to correct a scour problem on the Waynesville blacktop. White explained that a bridge piling is being undercut, undermining the bridge support.

-$18,000 as the county’s share of bridge replacement in Sheridan Township. Funding for the project is shared, with the state picking up 80 percent, the county 10 percent and the township 10 percent.

[Lynn Shearer Spellman]

[JAN. 11, 2002] 

In Springfield — Two Illinois House of Representatives committees are meeting to discuss past problems at the Lincoln Developmental Center and assess how to prevent similar issues from occurring in other state-run institutions. The disabled community and the mental health and patient abuse committees heard only the supportive LDC testimony on Thursday. The committees at two later hearings will hear other testimony about the facility. These meetings are scheduled for 10 a.m. on Feb. 5 and 2 p.m. on Feb. 6, both in Room D-1 of the Stratton Office Building.

In Chicago — The Department of Public Aid and Public Health continues hearings at the Chicago office. These hearings assess official documentation, reports and testimony about infractions at LDC. Recommendations from these hearings are being given to Gov. Ryan for his consideration as to whether to keep the center open or to close it.

In Lincoln — LDC supporters have organized a rally. The rally will be at 10 a.m. (doors open at 9 a.m.) on Saturday, Jan. 12 in the auditorium at Lincoln Community High School.

[LDN]

Today’s history

Compiled by Dave Francis

Friday, Jan. 11

11th day of the year

Quotes

“In politics, as in religion, it is equally absurd to aim at making proselytes by fire and sword. Heresies in either can rarely be cured by persecution.” — Alexander Hamilton

“What every genuine philosopher (every genuine man, in fact) craves most is praise—although the philosophers generally call it “recognition”!” — William James

Birthdays

1757 — Alexander Hamilton, West Indies, first U.S. secretary of Treasury (face on $10 bill)

1842 — William James, U.S., psychologist and philosopher

1906 — Albert Hofmann, Switzerland, chemist (discovered LSD)

1926 — Grant Tinker, broadcasting executive (NBC-TV)

Events

1569 — First recorded lottery in England is drawn in St. Paul’s Cathedral

1642 — Isaac Newton is elected a member of Royal Society

1775 — Yemelyan Pugachov, Don Cossack rebel, executed by tsarist Russia

1785 — Continental Congress convenes in New York City

1797 — Francis Lightfoot Lee, U.S. farmer (signer of Declaration of Independence), dies at 62

1803 — Monroe and Livingston sail for Paris to buy New Orleans; they buy Louisiana

1843 — Francis Scott Key, composer (“The Star-Spangled Banner”), dies at 63

1892 — Paul Gauguin marries a 13-year-old Tahitian girl

1922 — Insulin first used to treat diabetes (Leonard Thompson, 14, of Canada)

1963 — First discotheque opens, Whiskey-a-go-go in LA

1964 — First government report warning smoking may be hazardous to one’s health

1973 — American League adopts designated hitter rule

1977 — France releases Abu Daoud, a Palestinian suspected of involvement in massacre of Israeli athletes at 1972 Munich Olympics

1988 — Gregory (Pappy) Boyington, ace World War II pilot, dies at 75 or cancer

1991 — Congress empowers Bush to order attack on Iraq

[JAN. 10, 2002]  More than a hundred miles apart, hearings concerning the fate of Lincoln Developmental Center are being held today.

Michael Bradley, an administrative law judge for the Department of Public Aid, will continue to hear testimony concerning the complaints of misconduct by LDC employees.  These hearings are taking place in the Department’s Chicago office.

Also, the Disabled Community and the Mental Health and Patient Abuse committees of the State House of Representatives heard testimony at 8:30 this morning concerning the “Quality Care of the Developmentally Disabled of Illinois: Lincoln Developmental Center.”

A support rally for LDC hosted by AFSCME Local 425 will be held this Saturday at 10 a.m. in the auditorium of Lincoln Community High School.

[Gina Sennett]

[See press release below for Lincoln rally information.]

[JAN. 10, 2002]  SPRINGFIELD – Senator Larry Bomke and a crowd of Lincoln Developmental Center supporters addressed a joint meeting of the House Disabled Community and Mental Health and Patient Abuse committees. Bomke, R-Springfield, spoke about the need to keep LDC open, citing not only the economic benefits to Lincoln, but also the requests from parents and families to keep the facility open. According to Bomke, the families of LDC residents who contacted him have positive experiences with the facility and want it to remain open so their loved ones will continue to receive quality care.

[News release]

[JAN. 10, 2002]  We all know how important Lincoln Developmental Center is to the Lincoln community. It is a facility that provides quality care for people with developmental disabilities. Over the years, many people in the community have dedicated their work lives to this important care, while those receiving the care have become part of the Lincoln community.

Now this facility is being threatened with closure and those who live there are threatened with being moved to other facilities that their families have much less confidence in. This closure would also have a devastating impact on our community, causing widespread unemployment. We ask you to join us in a rally to express support for Lincoln Developmental Center. Gov. Ryan and other state officials need to understand just how valued LDC is by the Lincoln community. Come help us make that clear.

The rally will be at 10 a.m. (doors open at 9 a.m.) on Saturday, Jan. 12 in the auditorium at Lincoln Community High School.

[AFSCME Local 425 and LDC employees news release]

[JAN. 10, 2002]  SPRINGFIELD – Gov. George H. Ryan today restored more than $24 million dollars in Medicaid funding for the state’s safety net hospitals that serve high volumes of Medicaid patients or for the critical rural hospitals providing Medicaid services in their community.

“These hospitals are important because of the medical services they provide to a large number of low income and disabled persons in Illinois,” Gov. Ryan said. “We have heard and understand their concerns and are providing them with some relief in fiscal year 2002 from the budget cuts announced in late November.

"My administration always had this as a priority. Unfortunately, we were faced with unprecedented and unexpected shortfalls due to the events of September 11 and a national economic downturn. We realized these hospitals serve a vital need to these communities and that is why we've worked hard to restore these funds."

Over the past three years, increases in social services have included doubling the funding for the CHIP program, providing health care coverage for those unable to buy private coverage; providing a five-fold increase to nearly $10 million for Healthy Families Illinois, a network of community based programs to assist at-risk new parents and prevent child abuse and neglect; and increasing medical assistance to the poor by 30 percent, providing $300 million in additional Medicaid services for 93,000 elderly, blind or disabled citizens.

During a meeting in Springfield, Ryan told hospital executives from the state’s safety net hospitals that he would restore a total of $24 million in Medicaid payments, including all of the Critical Hospital Adjustment Payments for rural hospitals.  

Woody Hester, president and CEO of ALMH when asked for a statement commented, "We are delighted to hear the news and applaud the governor's actions, but we have not heard all the details."

[to top of second column in this article]

The Governor will also restore between 55 percent and 66 percent of the total rate cuts for 39 inner city hospitals across the state.

“The budget problem in this state is real,” Ryan said. “Today’s action to restore significant funding to these hospitals should not be taken as a sign that we can somehow balance the state budget without making difficult and painful cuts. We must now move on to the fiscal year 2003 budget."

Ryan reminded the hospital executives that, during the fall veto session, he asked the General Assembly to pass the legislation necessary to spread the nearly $500 million in budget cuts more fairly. Because legislators adjourned without taking action, the governor announced $485 million in cuts that could be made administratively, including $114 million in cuts to hospitals providing Medicaid services. “My administration has maintained a strong commitment to provide healthcare for poor and disabled citizens in our state,” Ryan said. “That commitment has not wavered, despite the need to balance the budget.“  

Central Illinois hospitals will have vastly varying sums restored. Eureka Community hospital operated by Bromenn Healthcare will only see a check for $127 while OSF Saint James Hospital in Pontiac will receive $92,224. Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital is slated to receive $12,190 of the restored funds.

The bottom line locally is still a hard-hitting loss. With the original proposal by Governor Ryan, ALMH's share of Medicaid reimbursements was cut by $172,000 per year. With the restoration, ALMH will still be losing $160,000 per year in reimbursements from Medicaid. For every dollar they spend to treat a Medicaid patient, ALMH will only receive 7.9 cents back in reimbursement.

[News release]

Today’s history

Compiled by Dave Francis

Thursday, Jan. 10

10th day of the year

Quotes

“These are the times that try men’s souls.” — Thomas Paine

“Intellectually I know that America is no better than any other country; emotionally I know she is better than every other country.” — Sinclair Lewis

“Anybody who has any doubt about the ingenuity or the resourcefulness of a plumber never got a bill from one.” — George Meany

Birthdays

18-- — Frank James, outlaw, brother of Jesse

1864 — George Washington Carver, agricultural scientist

1883 — Aleksei Tolstoi, Russian poet and writer (“Pjotr Peroyj”)

1898 — Sergei M. Eisenstein, Russian director (“Alexandr Nevski”)

1938 — Willie "Stretch" McCovey, first baseman (San Francisco Giant #44)

1942 — Jim Croce, Philadelphia, rock vocalist (“Time in a Bottle”)

1949 — George Foreman, Houston, Texas, world heavyweight boxing champ

Events

B.C. — Julius Caesar crosses Rubicon, invades Italy

1429 — Order of Golden Fleece established in Austria-Hungary and Spain

1776 — “Common Sense” by Thomas Paine published

1810 — French church annuls marriage of Napoleon I and Josephine

1862 — Samuel Colt, inventor of six-shot revolver, dies at 47

1863 — First underground railway opens in London

1901 — Oil discovered in Texas

1917 — Buffalo Bill Cody, Army scout and Indian fighter, dies at 65

1920 — League of Nations established

1928 — Soviet Union orders exile of Leon Trotsky

1943 — Russian offensive against German 6th and 4th Armies near Stalingrad

1946 — U.N. General Assembly meets for first time (London)

1951 — First passenger jet trip made

1951 — Harry Sinclair Lewis, U.S. writer (Nobel Prize, 1930), dies at 65

1961 — Dashiell Hammett, U.S. detective writer (“Thin Man”), dies at 66

1978 — John D. Rockefeller III, U.S. billionaire philanthropist, dies at 71

1980 — George Meany, labor leader, dies at 86

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.

[to top of second column in this section]

• 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/ 

[to top of second column in this section]

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

[JAN. 15, 2002]  Citizens who are not registered to vote and cannot leave their home, hospital, nursing home or other institution because of a permanent physical disability can arrange for voter registration by contacting a deputy registrar or the county clerk’s office.

Voter registration will close on Feb. 19 for the March 19 general primary election.

If you are physically able, you may register to vote by going to the county clerk’s office, Room 20 in the Logan County Courthouse, 601 Broadway in Lincoln. Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. You will need to show two forms of identification, one with your current address on it.

For people with physical disabilities and the elderly, election judges will be available at the polling place on election day to assist voters when a friend or relative is unable to help. Handicapped-voter booths will be available for your convenience. Physically impaired or elderly persons may be eligible to vote absentee. Please contact the Logan County clerk’s office for information.

For any information concerning voter registration or voting for the elderly or disabled, please call the Logan County clerk’s office at (217) 732-4148.

[Sally J. Litterly, Logan County clerk]

[JAN. 3, 2002]  Are you registered to vote?

The March 19 primary is rapidly approaching. The close of registration is Feb. 19. If you have moved, or if you have married and changed your name, it is necessary that you change your voter registration with our office in order to cast your vote in the election.

If you have questions about your voting eligibility, please contact our office at (217) 732-4148.

[Sally J. Litterly, Logan County clerk]

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