City
opens first bids for
sewer plant upgrade
[MAY
15, 2002] At
the Lincoln City Council’s work session Tuesday evening, officials
opened well over a dozen bids for equipment needed for the $9.8
million upgrade of the city’s wastewater treatment plant.
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Grant
Eaton, sewer plant manager, said the city learned late last week
that the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency had approved the
20-year, 2.65 percent loan that will finance the upgrade.
Bids
on Phase I of the project will be awarded at the council’s regular
meeting on Monday, pending approval of the IEPA. The second round of
bids, for electrical and general contracting work, will be opened
June 11, and Eaton hopes to see construction start by mid- to late
August. The actual construction is expected to take about 240
working days, he said.
Eaton
and Mark Mathon, city engineer, said they were pleased with the bid
prices, which came in lower than expected, and hope to cut the cost
of the upgrade even more by applying for federal grants. They have
already applied for $500,000 in state grants.
Mathon
said the sewer plant management cut the original estimates of the
upgrade by $1.5 million by acting as its own program manager.
"By reviewing engineering plans before they were finalized and
submitted to the IEPA, we were able to remove some unnecessary items
and find more cost-effective ways of meeting the same
requirements."
The
upgrade is needed if Lincoln is to expand, Eaton said. Built in 1936
and updated in 1977, the plant is now operating at 125 percent of
capacity. Without the upgrade, the IEPA could refuse to approve any
new hookups and thus stall the growth of both new homes and
industry.
The
plant has already had several violations for ammonia concentrations,
Eaton added. Because of new and tighter state regulations for
ammonia that went into effect last fall, the plant cannot be sure of
compliance without the upgrade.
The
upgrade will raise the plant’s capacity from 3.35 million gallons
per day to 5.1 million gallons.
"This
is enough capacity to handle a population growth of 20,000 or a
large industry," Eaton said.
To
qualify for the IEPA loan, the city had to increase sewer rates. As
of Jan. 1 of this year, residents who live inside the city saw their
monthly rates go from $11 to $14. Commercial, industrial and
institutional users also had rate increases, based on actual volume
of use.
These
rates will be in effect for 18 months; then, depending on what other
funding sources the city finds, rates will go up again. Under the
"worst-case scenario," without additional funding sources,
city residents will pay $16.39 monthly, and commercial, industrial
and institutional users will also see another increase.
[to top of second column in
this article]
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In
other business, Alderman Bill Melton asked about costs of running a
sewer line to serve homeowners on Campus View Drive, a street that
runs behind Lincoln Christian College and is not connected to the
city’s sewer system.
Several
Campus View residents have attended council meetings to request the
line. They say their septic systems are inadequate and there is
frequent sewage backup in their yards and homes.
According
to Bill Bates, city attorney, the city has no obligation to provide
these residents a sewer line. However, Melton reminded the council
that they agreed some time ago to run the line when funds are
available. Eaton said the cost could range from $150,000 to
$450,000.
Sean
Taylor of Logan Lanes, representing a group of liquor license
holders, asked that the council take another look at the liquor
license ordinance, a project which was started last year and dropped
when council members could not agree on new license fees.
Taylor
asked that the council particularly address the question of Sunday
hours. Currently no liquor can be served until 1 p.m. on Sunday.
License holders have previously asked for the time to be changed to
11 a.m. Sunday, to allow wine to be served in restaurants that
provide Sunday brunch and also to allow liquor to be served in
sports bars.
Several
aldermen agreed that the ordinance revision should not have been
dropped. Alderman Steve Fuhrer called a meeting of the ordinance
committee for May 28 at 6 p.m. in the council room. Holders of
liquor licenses are welcome to come and voice their opinions, he
said.
Two
of the city’s electrical contractors, Greg Tarter and Tom Albert,
asked if the city could provide an inspection officer for the
mechanical trades. He said the city has no electrical inspector and
the state inspector has 11 counties to cover.
‘That
is stretching it. He can’t check every room addition or
residence," Tarter said.
Fuhrer
said he has contacted other cities to find out what they do but
doesn’t know exactly what obligation the city has to make such
inspections.
Mayor
Beth Davis reported that the Mayor’s Commission on Youth met to
discuss providing summer activities for young people. She suggested
a temporary roller rink might be set up somewhere on city property.
Funds from the roller rink might be used to provide skateboard ramps
in the future.
Bates
said he thought there would be a problem with liability insurance
for those activities.
[Joan
Crabb]
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Flood watch
[MAY
15, 2002]
A
cold front is expected to drop into central Illinois tonight, stall
out across the region Thursday, then push south of the area Friday.
This front will interact with an increasingly moist atmosphere to
produce thunderstorms with the possibility of heavy rainfall
Thursday into early Friday. One to two inches of rainfall will
be possible throughout the watch area, with locally higher amounts
up to four inches. |
The ground
remains very saturated, with many locations still flooded or expected
to flood near record levels. This is a dangerous situation!
Heavy rainfall would bring the threat of flash flooding and a
continuation or worsening of river flooding.
A flood watch means that
conditions
are favorable for heavy rain that may lead to flooding of low-lying
areas and along rivers and streams. If you are in the watch
area, remain informed and be ready to take action if flooding is
observed or a warning is issued. Be especially cautious in
those flood-prone areas.
Stay tuned
to NOAA
weather radio and other local media for updates concerning this
potential for heavy rain and flooding.
[News
release] |
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Only
two inches more rain
needed to exceed state record
[MAY
15, 2002] Heavy
rainfall over Illinois last weekend has continued to cause flooding
across the state and is likely to lead to considerable delays in
farming operations over much of Illinois.
|
Numerous
rivers and streams are above flood stage in many communities. Nearly
saturated soils that resulted from extensive rainfall totals over
the last several weeks were not able to hold much, if any, of the 3-
to 4-inch rainfall totals that fell over the central half of the
state on May 11-12, leaving widespread ponding in farm fields across
the region.
According
to Bob Scott, program manager of the Water and Atmospheric
Monitoring Program at the Illinois
State Water Survey, "These new rainfall totals added to the
8- to 9-inch amounts across southern and central Illinois between
April 7 and May 9 and are yielding near-record rainfall totals in
south-central Illinois."
Hardest-hit
areas are located in an area bounded roughly by Springfield on the
north and Salem on the south. Here, rainfall amounts since the first
week of April have averaged between 12 and 14 inches — about 275
percent of normal — with individual locations, such as Beecher
City in Effingham County, receiving up to 18.75 inches of rain.
"With
just over two weeks left in May, rainfall totals in this part of the
state already qualify as the fourth-wettest April-May period on
record since 1895. Only normal rainfall totals of about 2 inches
before the end of May are required to exceed the current
precipitation record for the April-May period," says Scott.
"While
out-of-bank flooding is occurring in many locations, provisional
river flow and stage data in southern and east-central Illinois are
notable, as they are very high compared to long-term records,"
says Sally McConkey of the Illinois Water Survey.
According
to current provisional river stage and flood stage for gauged rivers
in Illinois reported by the U.S. Geological Survey, "The
average flow recorded for the Kaskaskia River at Vandalia through
May 13 exceeded the maximum average for any month since records
began in 1970, and the daily mean flow of 20,600 cubic feet per
second (cfs) on May 8 approached the maximum daily mean flow of
23,900 cfs. In addition, the peak flow of 27,600 cfs on May 5 was
close to the record peak of 30,000 cfs set in 1970," says
McConkey.
Heavy
rainfall also has filled lakes and reservoirs. Flow recorded at
Vandalia is affected by controlled releases from Lake Shelbyville,
which on May 13 "was more than 12 feet above target level and
rising, although about 8 feet below the maximum level record in
1974," said McConkey.
Carlyle
Lake, another flood control reservoir downstream of Lake
Shelbyville, is nearly 10 feet higher than the target operating
level and is approaching its record high. Rend Lake currently
reports a water level 6 feet higher than the spillway.
Shoal
Creek near Breese in the Kaskaskia watershed recorded a peak flow on
May 10 that approached the 23,100 cfs record peak set in 1950, and
flows during the first two weeks in May averaged about 7,800 cfs,
far above the maximum monthly average.
In
the Little Wabash watershed, the Skillet Fork at Wayne City had an
average flow much above normal for May (as of May 13), and the
Little Wabash River at Clay City had an average flow that exceeded
the maximum monthly average for any month. Both rivers are still
rising. Average monthly flows on the Embarras River at Ste. Marie
also exceeded the maximum May average flow. Flows recorded for the
Big Muddy for the first two weeks in May at Plumfield were above
normal for May, and both the Sangamon at Monticello and the Mackinaw
River at Congerville have experienced flows much above normal for
May.
[to top of second column in this
article]
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The
duration of high flows on these tributaries also has contributed to
significant high water levels on major rivers. Water Survey staffer
Bill Saylor reported, "As of May 13, the Illinois River has
reached stages 6 and 7 feet above flood stage, the Mississippi
River
from Quincy to Thebes is well above flood stage, and the Ohio River
is 10 feet above flood stage at Cairo."
Widespread
ponding in farm fields, the other major impact of the heavy rains,
is occurring during the middle of the planting season. After many
rain delays, farmers were putting in long hours in northern portions
of the state but remained out of the fields in southern areas.
The
most recent Illinois Weather and Crop Report states that as of May
12, "Corn planting statewide progressed to 51 percent, with 86
percent in the northwest to 6 percent in the southeast." This
statewide planting total compares with 96 percent last year and a
five-year average of 78 percent.
The
report confirms that the recent heavy rains greatly affected working
conditions, as the days "suitable for fieldwork averaged 2.2
days across the state, with the high being 5.4 days in the northwest
and as little as two-tenths of one day in the central part of the
state."
Thus,
many planted acres of corn are "suffering from poor emergence
and numerous drowned-out spots. Soybean planting is progressing,
although well behind last year and the five-year average. As of
Sunday, only 10 percent statewide had been planted ... compare[d] to
66 percent last year and a five-year average of 37 percent."
The
timing of the heavy precipitation was very unfortunate for farmers,
says Stan Changnon, Water Survey chief emeritus. "Not only is
everything saturated, but I suspect there has been severe erosion
and soil loss. A lot of this heavy rain occurred after farmers had
worked the soil in preparation for planting," said Changnon.
Extreme
wetness during the planting season is relatively rare in recent
years. The springs of 1995 and 1996 produced heavy rainfall totals,
similar to those this year. "However, rainfall in both years
followed quite dry periods, as February and March were 35 to 45
percent below normal, respectively, whereas precipitation during
that period this year was near normal," said Scott. Thus,
existing soil conditions and timing of the precipitation in those
years were such that most of the planting was in before heavy rains
began.
The
spring of 1982 also was noteworthy, with lots of flooding in central
and southern Illinois, due in part to a rather wet winter season.
"That year the rains ended in mid-April, in time for drying,
and only a slight delay in planting occurred," said Changnon.
Data
sources
U.S.
Geological Survey:
http://il.water.usgs.gov/nwis-w/IL/datasum.
components/owrtable.cgi?table=norm
Midwestern
Regional Climate Center:
http://mcc.sws.uiuc.edu/
Illinois
State Climatologist Office:
http://www.sws.uiuc.edu/atmos/statecli/index.htm
[Eva
Kingston, editor, Illinois State Water Survey]
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May is
Community Action
Month in Lincoln
[MAY
14, 2002] At
the city council meeting on May 6, Mayor Elizabeth Davis proclaimed
May as Community Action Month in Lincoln. The mission of Community
Action Agencies is to help people help themselves. Various programs
administered by Central Illinois Economic Development Corporation
provide a network of assistance for families and individuals.
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In
honor of Community Action Month, CIEDC staff hosted an open house on
May 9 at their central office, 1800 Fifth Street Road in Lincoln.
[Photo provided by CIEDC]
[Whitham family named CIEDC Family of
Distinction]
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Jane
Poertner, CIEDC executive director, announced the nominees for
Families of Distinction. Logan County nominees were David Dvorak and
Stacy Farley, Susan Cotton and son Corey, and Art and Tawnia Whitham
Jr. and family. Art and Tawnia Whitham were named the CIEDC Family
of Distinction at the Illinois Community Action awards banquet in
Springfield on Sunday, May 5.
[CIEDC
news release]
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New
I-55 bridge over
Lake Springfield opened
[MAY
14, 2002] SPRINGFIELD
— Gov. George Ryan has announced the opening of the northbound
bridge on Interstate 55 over Lake Springfield. The bridge opened
Friday evening, signaling the near-completion of the $36.4 million Illinois
FIRST project to replace the Interstate 55 bridges over Lake
Springfield.
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While
the entire project will not be completed until May 24, work on the
northbound bridge has finished and it was to be reopened so
motorists do not have to use the crossovers that have been in place
since work began in January 2001.
"The
contractors are finishing about two months ahead of schedule, and
that will be a great bonus for the daily commuters who use this
section of I-55 and for the many vacation travelers who will be
using the highway this summer," Gov. Ryan said. The contractors
are Keeley & Sons of East St. Louis and Keller Construction of
Glen Carbon.
In
addition to the replacement of the two Lake Springfield bridges, the
project also involved resurfacing three miles of I-55,
reconstruction of the Toronto Road overpass and widening Toronto
Road from Second Street to the East Frontage Road for five lanes of
traffic, and bridge deck repairs on the Southwind Road structure
over I-55.
Remaining
work will include the removal of the median crossovers, installation
of guardrail in the median and seeding of the median area where the
crossovers were. Two lanes of traffic will be open during daytime
work hours on both bridges while this work is under way. Motorists
are still advised to slow down and drive with caution, as the inside
lanes on the bridges will be closed.
[to top of second column in
this article]
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"The
Illinois State Police are
to be commended for keeping this a safe work zone during the past 17
months," Gov. Ryan said. "Over the course of the project,
Troopers have consistently patrolled the area and have written more
than 1,600 tickets.
"We
also need to thank the driving public, especially those who used the
highway during the work week, for slowing down and using caution as
they passed through the area."
The
new bridges are five spans and 722 feet long with three travel lanes
in each direction and shoulders on both sides of the highway. The
original bridge, which carried southbound traffic, was constructed
in 1932. That bridge was reconstructed in 1968 on the original
substructure of the 1932 bridge. The bridge that carried northbound
traffic was constructed in 1967.
[Illinois
Government News Network
press release]
|
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Gov.
Ryan introduces death penalty reform legislation
Calls
on General Assembly to hold hearings with key parties
[MAY
14, 2002] SPRINGFIELD
— Gov. George Ryan introduced legislation Monday to reform the
administration of the death penalty based on the 85 recommendations
suggested by his Commission on Capital Punishment. The legislation
includes barring the execution of the mentally retarded, mandating
that natural life is given as a sentencing option to juries,
reducing death penalty eligibility factors from 20 to five, and
barring the death penalty when a conviction is based solely on a
jailhouse "snitch."
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"It
is imperative that we move forward on all of the commission’s
recommendations to fix our broken justice system," said Gov.
Ryan. "It is also imperative that through hearings and
meetings, all of the key parties — the prosecutors, defense
attorneys, victims and the wrongfully convicted — are allowed an
opportunity to offer their perspectives on these issues of life and
death."
The
Governor’s Commission
on Capital Punishment finished its comprehensive review of the
administration of the death penalty and outlined 85
specific recommendations in a report issued April 15. The
governor’s proposal includes those recommendations that require
legislation.
The
legislation will be sponsored in the Illinois Senate by Sen. Kirk
Dillard, R-Hinsdale, and Senate Democratic Leader Emil Jones,
D-Chicago, and in the House by Republican Leader Lee A. Daniels,
R-Elmhurst, and Rep. Arthur Turner, D-Chicago.
Not
all of the recommendations require action by the General Assembly in
order to be implemented. Some will be instituted by gubernatorial
directive, Supreme Court action, or continuing legal education and
law enforcement training.
Reforms
in the legislation include:
• Ensuring legal representation for indigents during custodial
interrogations.
• Videotaping interrogations and confessions.
• Amending the Eavesdropping Act to permit videotaping/recording of
interrogations in homicide cases without consent of defendants.
• Revoking certification of police officers for committing perjury.
Creating an independent state forensic library separate from the
Illinois State Police.
• Allowing defendants to obtain a court order to search the DNA
database.
• Reducing eligibility factors from 20 to five and instructing juries on
alternate sentences.
• Mandatory statewide review of prosecutors’ decisions to seek death
penalty.
• Documenting and disclosing deals and benefits offered to the state’s
witnesses.
[to top of second column in
this article]
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• Conducting a pretrial hearing to determine the reliability and
admissibility of jailhouse informant testimony.
• Adding jury consideration of defendant’s history of extreme
emotional or physical abuse or reduced mental capacity to the
mitigating sentencing factors.
• Modifying statutory provisions to permit a defendant to make a
statement on his own behalf at sentencing.
• Modifying and simplifying death penalty statute language so that the
jury understands it must determine whether death or the alternative
of natural life is the appropriate sentence.
• Modifying death penalty statute language to require concurrence of
trial judge on whether to impose a death sentence. Judges who do not
concur must impose natural life.
• Prohibiting imposition of the death penalty on the mentally retarded.
• Adopting a new statute prohibiting the death penalty where the
conviction is based upon a single eyewitness, accomplice or
jailhouse informant without corroboration.
• Modifying for clarification the Post-Conviction Hearing Act including
timelines of filings and ability to raise claims of actual innocence
at any time.
• Ensuring timely filing of clemency petitions so an adequate review can
be made.
• Reauthorizing the Capital Litigation Trust Fund.
• Supporting adequate compensation for private defense counsel to ensure
private practitioners continue representation in capital cases.
Gov.
Ryan’s office also announced it is helping to sponsor the U.S.
Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs, training seminars
on the requirements of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations.
The convention requires foreign nationals be notified of their
rights when they are arrested or detained. The seminars for the
consular corps, judges, prosecutors and corrections officials will
be May 20.
[Illinois
Government News Network
press release]
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Illinois
Senate week in review
[MAY
14, 2002] The
Illinois Senate this week approved student-initiated prayer and
requirements for members of the clergy to report sexual abuse,
according to Sen. Claude "Bud" Stone, R-Morton.
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The
Senate approved legislation (House Bill 4117) allowing for student
prayer in public schools so long as it is non-disruptive. Under the
bill, students would be able to gather for prayer and pray out loud
on school grounds. This changes current law, which allows for a
period of silent reflection so long as it is not conducted as a
religious exercise. The bill now moves to the Illinois House of
Representatives for consideration of Senate changes to the measure.
Another
bill (House Bill 5002) requires members of the clergy to report
sexual abuse to the Department of Children and Family Services. The
legislation exempts members of the clergy if they learned of the
abuse through privileged communications such as the sacrament of
confession. It also extends the statute of limitations on criminal
sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual assault, predatory
criminal sexual assault of a child, aggravated criminal sexual abuse
prosecutions committed against children, and failure to report abuse
to 10 years after such a victim reaches the age of 18. Finally, it
establishes a criminal penalty of a Class A misdemeanor for members
of the clergy who fail to disclose abuse and makes it a Class 4
felony for subsequent violations. The legislation moves to the House
of Representatives for further consideration. It was developed with
the help of DuPage County State’s Attorney Joe Birkett.
The
following bills passed the Senate and have been sent to the
governor:
University
retirement (HB
2370) — Makes the current "30 and out" practice
permanent for those in the State University Retirement System, known
as SURS.
Psychotropic
drugs (HB 3744) —
Prohibits a school board from disciplining a student because of a
parent’s refusal to administer psychotropic or psycho-stimulant
medication such as Ritalin to the student.
Foreign
bonds (HB 4159) —
Allows the state treasurer to purchase bonds from Israel.
Heroin
dealers (HB 4245)
— Changes the Class 1 felony (4-15 years) charges for dealing or
manufacturing heroin by lowering the requirement of 10-15 grams of
heroin to just one gram.
Juvenile
justice initiative
(HB 4129) — Allows juveniles the right to a hearing on a
"reverse waiver" in adult court, after an automatic
transfer to adult court for selling drugs in or around schools and
public housing complexes. The defendant, the state or the judge on
his or her own may request that hearing.
Privatization
at prisons (HB
3714) — Prohibits the Department of Corrections from entering
into a contract with a private vendor to provide food or commissary
services at Illinois prisons.
[to top of second column in
this article]
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The
following bills passed the Senate and will go back to the House of
Representatives:
Renal
disease (HB 5906) — Protects
end-stage renal patients from substandard care by licensing the
facilities.
Child
umpires (HB 5996)
— Allows 12- and 13-year-olds to umpire Little League games.
Teen-age
drinking (HB 5941) —
Allows for the discretionary suspension of a minor’s drivers
license by the secretary of state based on a "conviction for a
violation" for an alcohol infraction involving a minor.
Teacher
certification (HB 1436) —
Sets new rules for Illinois public school teachers moving from their
initial teaching certificate to full certification.
Teacher
scholarships (HB 4912) — Removes
the provision that freshman students do not have to repay their
teacher scholarships if they choose not to become teachers.
Child
sex offenders (HB 5874) — Prohibits
a child sex offender from knowingly residing within 500 feet of the
victim of the offense, making the penalty for violating the law a
Class 4 felony.
State
superintendent (HB 1440) —
Changes the selection process for the state superintendent by
allowing the governor to make appointment with the advice and
consent of the Illinois Senate.
Human
transporter (HB 5610)
- Permits the use of an electric personal assistive mobility device
(EPAMD or human transporter) on a sidewalk.
Truth
in sentencing (HB5652)
— Provides that individuals convicted of cannabis trafficking or
controlled substance trafficking may receive only a maximum of 4.5
days of good conduct credit for each month they serve in prison.
National
Guard (HB 5823) —
Provides members of the Illinois National Guard serving on state
active duty the same civil protections as military personnel serving
on federal active duty.
The
following Senate bills passed the House and are headed to the
governor:
Teacher
competency (SB 1953) — Prohibits
a student from enrolling in a teacher preparation program at a
recognized teacher training institution until the student passes the
basic skills test required for teacher certification, beginning with
the 2002-2003 school year.
State
health insurance plans (SB 1859)
— Allows state employees to opt out of the state health insurance
plans if they have insurance through another provider.
[News
release]
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Travel
alert!
(3:30
p.m. Monday)
[MAY
13, 2002] Motorists
are urged to please use extreme caution traveling the next several
days. Statewide numerous roads are closed due to flooding. Not only
are creeks and rivers out of their banks, but also water accumulates
at underpasses, and flooded farm fields often create raging torrents
in low-lying road areas.
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Business
55 at Riverside Park near Sherman is closed due to high water.
Peoria Road in Springfield is flooded. The levee at the Route 29
bridge is close to failing.
Logan
County roads closed
• 950th Avenue from Elkhart blacktop going north
• 1400th north and 750th east (Rocky Ford)
• County Highway 24 at 2200 Street (north of New Holland)
Road
closures listed by the Illinois Department of Transportation,
Division of Highways
Numerous
roads are closed because of flooding in these areas of the state:
west central (Quincy, Macomb, Beardstown; Morgan County), central
(Springfield, Lincoln; Sangamon and Logan counties), east central
(Cumberland, Effingham, Clark counties), and the Cook-Will-Kankakee
area.
[to top of second column in
this section]
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Illinois
105 between 17th and Cantrall Street in Decatur closed in the
northbound lane due to high water
Illinois
127 south of Jonesboro at Mill Creek closed due to flooding.
Illinois
101 1 mile east Brooklyn closed due to high water
Illinois
130 north of Richland/Jasper County line closed due to high water
Illinois
33 at west edge of Robinson closed due to high water
Illinois
1 north of Allendale closed due to high water
U.S.
51 south of Vandalia closed due to high water
For
further updates, check http://www.dot.state.il.us/road/closures.txt.
[LDN]
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Weather
caused power outage
[MAY
13, 2002] Severe
weather caused power outages to about 315 homes in the Lincoln area
Sunday morning beginning about 7:20. CILCO reported that the power
was restored to all but a few locations by 9:03.
[LDN]
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Atlanta
man loses life
in early morning accident
[MAY
11, 2002]
An
Atlanta man lost his life in a single-vehicle accident south of
Atlanta at 12:15 a.m. Saturday morning. The only occupant, 37-year-old John P. Harmon, was driving on Old 66 just south of Lazy Row
when his pickup truck left the road and struck a main-line utility
pole.
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Power was out about three hours to
Latham, McLean and Atlanta as CILCO replaced the pole and
transferred a high-energy power line. It was a 34/5 line carrying
34,500 volts. Power was restored just after 7 a.m.
Atlanta Rescue, Atlanta
Police, Logan County Sheriff’s Department, Illinois State Police and
Logan County Deputy Coroner Warren Rogers attended the scene.
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The coroner’s office and the
state police are investigating. Funeral arrangements are being
handled by Quiram Funeral Home in Atlanta.
[Jan
Youngquist]
[Obituary]
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Bomke
plan to save $24 million
heads to governor
[MAY
11, 2002] SPRINGFIELD
— Sen. Larry Bomke’s and AFSCME’s plan to save the state more
than $24 million needs only the governor’s signature to become
law. Senate Bill 1859 is an attempt to free up funds that could save
state jobs or keep necessary programs in place during the state’s
budget crunch.
|
"This
is one area where we can trim funds without negatively affecting
state employees or Illinois residents," said Bomke,
R-Springfield. "State employees have asked me about this in the
past, so when AFSCME brought me the legislation, I was happy to
help. This will address the concerns of state employees with two
insurance providers and help close the budget deficit."
Senate
Bill 1859 would allow state employees to opt out of the state health
insurance plans if they have insurance through another provider.
Employees who have insurance through a previous employer, a spouse’s
plan or the military are among those who might be interested in the
option.
According
to AFSCME, similar programs have had great success in the private
sector. Their projections show the state could save anywhere from $8
million to $32 million, depending on how many employees participate.
[to top of second column in
this article]
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Currently,
all state employees are automatically covered by one of the state
health insurance plans. Under the legislation, opting out would be
completely voluntary for state employees. To opt out, they would
have to provide proof of alternative health insurance coverage.
If
the state employee later loses the alternative coverage, he or she
could re-enroll without evidence of insurability and with no
limitations within 63 days. Employees could also opt to re-enroll
without evidence of insurability during any annual benefit choice
period.
Once
signed into law, Senate Bill 1859 will take effect immediately.
[News
release]
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History
made with honorary degree recipients
Lincoln
College commencement May 11
[MAY
10, 2002] History
will be made at this year’s Lincoln College commencement when
Edward Rust Jr., CEO of State Farm Insurance, and Steve Forbes, CEO
of Forbes magazine, are awarded honorary degrees from Lincoln
College. Nineteen years ago the fathers of Rust Jr. and Forbes
received honorary degrees from the college. The 135th annual Lincoln
College spring commencement will be Saturday, May 11, at 2 p.m. in
Davidson-Sheffer Gymnasium.
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Along
with Forbes and Rust Jr., the well-known economic forecaster Robert
J. Eggert Sr. and former state Sen. Robert A. Madigan will receive
honorary degrees. In lieu of a commencement speaker, all recipients
will speak on their accomplishments.
[Photos provided by Lincoln College]
[Steve Forbes]
Mr.
Forbes is CEO of the nation’s leading business magazine, Forbes,
as well as a variety of new publications that reach a worldwide
audience of nearly five million readers. In both 1996 and 2000, he
campaigned for the Republican nomination for the presidency. He is
the author of "A New Birth of Freedom" (Regnery, 1999),
which outlines bold ideas for the new millennium.
[Edward Rust Jr.]
Rust
Jr. is chairman of the board and chief executive officer of State
Farm Mutual Insurance Company in Bloomington. He is also president
and chief executive officer of State Farm Fire and Casualty Company
and of State Farm Life Insurance Company. State Farm is nationally
recognized as a leader of the business community’s efforts to
improve the quality of education in the United States. Rust is a
former co-chairman of the Business Coalition for Excellence in
Education and served on President Bush’s Transition Advisory Team
committee on education.
[Robert Eggert Sr., Ph.D.]
Robert
J. Eggert Sr., Ph.D., is the founder and editor emeritus of the
well-known Blue Chip Economic Indicators newsletter. He has been an
economic forecaster for over 50 years and managed marketing research
for the Ford Motor Company and RCA before founding the economic
newsletter. He has been featured on television programs including
"Wall Street Week," "Today Show" and
"CNN."
[to top of second column in this
article]
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[Sen. Robert Madigan]
Sen.
Robert A. Madigan represented the people of the 45th District of
Illinois until June 2001, when Gov. Ryan appointed Madigan to his
current position as the commissioner of the Illinois Industrial
Commission. During his time as an Illinois senator, he served on
multiple committees, including Agriculture and Conservation,
Comprehensive Health Insurance Plan, and Insurance and Pensions, of
which he was chairman.
Approximately
220 students will receive associates of arts degrees at the Lincoln
College commencement ceremony. A reception for the graduates and
their families will immediately follow the ceremony.
Students
from the area who are participating in the ceremony include Nathan
Dieckow, Shadd Gordon, John Hoblit, Janelle Hutchcraft, Rich Lynch
and Tiffany Sutton, all of Atlanta; Aaron Gullion of Beason; Tamar
Lyons and Lee Ann Schilling of Elkhart; Christina Alexander, Beau
Anderson, Troy Bauer, Todd Blaum, Joseph Borbely, Kari Borowiak,
Angela Bossingham, Daniel Bryson, Bryson Bunner, Jonathan Cook,
Miles Craig, Annalisa Curcuru, Lisa Curcuru, Kevin Curry,
Christopher Davenport, Andrew Dexter, Molly Donnelly, Stacey
Fillmore, Stephanie Geary, Erica Gokoo, Steven Goodman, Heidi Graff,
Brock Guzouskis, Julie Halcomb, Rachel Headrick, Amber Hieronymus,
Anthony Hoffert, Jacob Horton, Carlee Hunter, Brooke Huskins, Kelli
Jackson, Amy Janet, Trisha Kavelman, Sarah McLaughlin, Jeremy
Metelko, Emily Nichols, Elizabeth Pardo, Lyndsey Pickering, Charlene
Robb, Jonah Rosenthal, Anna Schmidt, Elizabeth Skelton, Angela
Smith, Clinton Smith, Kristina Snyder, Jennifer Story, Jennifer
Stout, Erica Tibbs, Joshua Twente, Erin Wind and Kate Winters, all
of Lincoln, and Felicia Haak of McLean.
[Lincoln
College news release]
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Illinois
weather
April
tornadoes cause two deaths
[MAY
10, 2002] "The
first tornado-related death in the United States during 2002
occurred on April 21 in Wayne County, Ill. While no tornado deaths
occurred in Illinois in 2000 and 2001, the state experienced two
tornado-related deaths in April 2002," says Jim Angel, state
climatologist with the Illinois
State Water Survey, a division of the Illinois Department of
Natural Resources.
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The
F3 tornado on April 21 also resulted in 42 injuries and an estimated
$4.9 million in damage and recovery costs. A second tornado death
and 14 injuries occurred on April 28 when a series of F2 to F3
tornadoes struck Union, Johnson, Pope and Saline counties, says
Angel.
Two
other less deadly tornadoes occurred in April. No damage or injuries
were reported on April 18 when a tornado on the beach of Lake
Michigan moved offshore or from a tornado near Equality on April 23.
Numerous
reports of hail and wind damage followed severe weather on April 13,
18, 19, 21, 23 and 27. Louisville reported 3.5-inch hail on April
23.
With
an average temperature of 53.4 F across Illinois, this was the
28th-warmest April and the warmest November-April period since 1895.
DeKalb reported 95 on April 18, the warmest reading for the month.
Streamwood reported 17 on April 5, the coolest reading.
[to top of second column in this
article]
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This
was also the 19th-wettest April since 1895, with precipitation
statewide averaging 5.18 inches, 136 percent of average. Windsor
reported the highest daily precipitation amount, 2.58 inches on
April 21, and also the highest monthly total, 8.21 inches. Many
stations on the northern side of the Illinois River reported 1-4
inches of snowfall as the result of an April 2 storm. Kewanee
reported 5 inches, the most snow for the month from this storm.
"April
in Illinois is definitely a transition month in which it is possible
to have snow, high temperatures and severe weather all in the same
month," says Angel.
[Eva
Kingston, editor,
Illinois State Water Survey]
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Rawlins
named Police Officer of the Year
[MAY
9, 2002] Officer
Robert Rawlins, a member of the Lincoln Police Department since
1982, has been named Police Officer of the Year by the Lincoln/Logan
Crime Stoppers. The award was presented Monday evening at the
Lincoln City Council meeting by Crime Stopper member Ron Hall.
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Police
Chief Richard Montcalm cited Rawlins’ many achievements, including
an award by the state of Illinois for a heroic act on March 25,
1999, when Rawlins rescued a 3-year-old girl and another child from
a burning structure in the 200 block of South Chicago Street.
[Photo by Jan Youngquist]
[Rawlins volunteers at the Citizens' Police
Academy.
Here he demonstrates a shield used by the SWAT team.]
Rawlins,
a native of Lincoln, graduated from the Police Training Institute in
1982 and has been a member of the Lincoln Police Department since
then. He is trained in crime scene protection, arrest and control
tactics, DUI law, basic structural rescue, the Reid method of
criminal investigation and interrogation, and he has 440 hours
training in canine handling.
In
1993, he and his dog confiscated almost $1 million in drug money
during a traffic stop of a U-Haul truck. The truck was loaded with
furniture and boxes of money, totaling $945,000. The Lincoln Police
Department got to keep about $500,000 of the unclaimed money, he
said.
[to top of second column in
this article]
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Rawlins
is also a squad leader and an original member of Lincoln’s
Emergency Response Team.
"He
is well-deserving of this award," Chief Montcalm said. "He
is a professional on and off the job and very good at working with
people. He is well-liked by his fellow officers, by the state
police, the sheriff’s department and by other municipal agencies
that he works with.
"He’s
also well-respected in the community outside of law enforcement and
is a good family man, too," Montcalm added.
Rawlings
and his wife, Gail, have two children, Sean, age 19, and Kirstin,
16, a sophomore at Lincoln Community High School. Sean is currently
taking classes at Lincoln Land Community College. The Rawlins family
raises emus on their farm west of Lincoln and sells them for meat.
The fat is sent off to be made into oil, which can be used for skin
problems. Rawlins says he uses it to relieve muscle cramps.
He
got into raising the emus about seven years ago through his
father-in-law, Harold Eimer. "We’re down to nine right now,
but at one point we had about 45 of them," he said.
Pharmaceutical companies are looking at emu oil as a carrier to get
medication deeper into the skin, he reports.
Rawlins
has served as the police department’s coordinator for Crime
Stoppers for about 15 years. "He keeps us informed and is very
knowledgeable," Hall said.
[Joan
Crabb]
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Military
addresses sought
It
is a time 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.
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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.]
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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]
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Are
we prepared for terrorism
in Logan County?
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?
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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]
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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
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America
strikes back
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.
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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]
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United
States
Illinois
http://www.suntimes.com/index/
http://www.chicagotribune.com/
http://www.pantagraph.com/
http://www.qconline.com/
http://www.pjstar.com/
http://www.sj-r.com/
http://www.herald-review.com/
http://www.southernillinoisan.com/
New
York
http://www.nypost.com/
http://www.nytimes.com/
Stars
and Stripes
(serving the U.S.
military community)
http://www.estripes.com/
Washington,
D.C.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
http://www.washtimes.com/
More
newspaper links
http://www.thepaperboy.com/
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