advertising
Lincoln Daily News
(217) 732-7443
ldn@lincolndailynews.com
appliances
McEntire's Home
Appliance and TV
403 Broadway St.
(217) 732-4874
mcentires@abelink.com
attorneys
John R. Gehlbach
Law Office
529 Pulaski St.
(217) 735-4311
jrglaw@ccaonline.com
Thomas L. Van Hook
Lincoln
(217) 735-2187
Tvanhook@CCAonline.com
auto repair/service
DuVall's Automotive
Complete Auto Repair
720 N. Sherman St., rear
(217) 735-5545
duvallautomotive
@hotmail.com
Thompson Auto Body
919 S. Kickapoo
(217) 735-2915
automobiles
Interstate Chevrolet
105-115 Lincoln Ave.
P.O. Box 170
Emden, IL
62635-0170
(888) OK-CHEVY
(652-4389)
www.interstatechevy.com
J&S Auto Center
103 S. Logan
(217) 732-8994
www.jandsautocentre.com/
Row Motors
222 S. McLean
(217) 732-3232
rowmotors@msn.com
banks
Logan County Bank
303 Pulaski
(217) 732-3151
bottled water
Culligan
318 N. Chicago
(217) 735-4450
www.culligan.com
Gold Springs
1165 - 2200th St.
Hartsburg, IL
(888) 478-9283
www.goldsprings.com
carpet cleaners
Advanced Carpet Cleaning
708 Pulaski St.
P.O. Box 306
(217) 732-3571
cellular phones
Team Express
411 Pulaski St.
(217) 732-8962
www.teamelectronics.org
colleges
Heartland Com. College
620 Broadway St.
(217) 735-1731
www.hcc.cc.il.us
computer service
CCA
601 Keokuk St.
(217) 735-2677
cca@ccaonline.com
consignment
Closet Classics
129 S. Sangamon St.
(217) 735-9151
(888) 739-0042
contractors
Koller Construction
2025 2100th St.
Atlanta, IL 61723
(217) 648-2672
(217) 737-2672 cell
stevekoller@aol.com
Roger Webster Construction
303 N. Sangamon St.
(217) 732-8722
www2.ccaonline.com/rwcinc/
credit unions
CEFCU
341 Fifth St.
(217) 735-5541
(800) 633-7077
www.cefcu.com
employment
Illinois Employment
and Training Center
120 S. McLean St.
(217) 735-5441
ietc@abelink.com
fin. consultant
K. Bridget Schneider
A.G. Edwards & Sons,
Inc.
628 Broadway,
Suite 1
(217) 732-3877
(800) 596-0014
www.agedwards.com/fc/
kbridget.schneider
food & ice cream
Gleason's Dairy Bar
110 Clinton St.
(217) 732-3187
funeral directors
Fricke-Calvert-Schrader
127 S. Logan
(217) 732-4155
F-C-S at LDN
gifts
The Mustard Moon
1314 Fifth St.
(217) 735-1093
www.themustardmoon.com
health &
fitness
Health & Fitness Balance
113 S. Sangamon
(217) 735-4463
home
improvements
Kenshalo-Rousey
214 N. Chicago
(217) 732-8682
Windows, doors, siding,
awnings, sunrooms.
hospitals
ALMH
315 Eighth St
(217) 732-2161
www.almh.org
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Features
|
|
Here's
why you've never heard of
the OTHER person who invented
the telephone
By Paul
Niemann
[MARCH
6, 2003]
We all know that Alexander
Graham Bell is credited with inventing the telephone, but did you
know that there was another person who tried to patent a different
version of the telephone on the very same day as Bell in
1876?
|
Born in Ohio in 1835, he was a physics
professor at nearby Oberlein College and was a renowned inventor due
to the musical telegraph that he invented. Little is known about him
because, in what has to be one of the worst cases of being "a
day late and a dollar short," he arrived at the patent office two
hours after Bell arrived to apply for a patent for his
version of the telephone.
His name is Elisha Gray and, as a
result of arriving two hours after Bell arrived, most of the world
has never heard of him.
What happened?
U.S. patent law states that the first
one to invent a new product is the rightful owner of the product,
regardless of who applies for a patent first. Adequate records are
necessary whenever there is a dispute. Since Bell applied for his
patent first, he was initially awarded the patent.
Gray did prevent the issuance of Bell's
patent temporarily, however, pending a legal hearing. Since he did
not keep adequate records of his design, however, he lost any
possible rights, as Bell's right to the patent was later sustained
by the U.S. Supreme Court, and the rest, as they say, is history.
The basis of Gray's legal action
against Bell was that Bell had filed for his patent before he had a
working model of his telephone, according to Inventors' Digest
magazine. But the Supreme Court ruled that a person can prove that
his invention is complete and ready for patenting even before a
working model has been produced, a ruling that later served as a
precedent on a similar type of lawsuit years later.
Gray was not the only other person to
stake a claim to inventing the telephone. Daniel Drawbaugh, who was
born near Harrisburg, Penn., claimed to have invented the telephone
long before Bell filed a patent application in 1875. Drawbaugh
didn't have any papers or records to prove his claim, though, and
the Supreme Court rejected his claims by a 4-3 vote. Alexander
Graham Bell, on the other hand, had kept excellent records.
[to top of second column in this
article]
|
Elisha Gray did go on to invent other
products, such as the facsimile telegraph system, which he patented
in 1888.
Bell, who was born in Edinburgh,
Scotland, in 1847, became a U.S. citizen in 1882. He went on to
become one of the co-founders of the National Geographic Society,
and he served as its president from 1896 to 1904.
Elisha Gray, however, has been
forgotten by much of the world.
Was Bell's telephone greeted with
enthusiasm by everyone at the time?
As is the case with many new
inventions, there were those who rejected the telephone for one
reason or another. Even President Rutherford B. Hayes was skeptical
of the new device when Bell demonstrated it to him at the White
House in 1876.
There was also a well-known "investor"
who had an opportunity to invest in the telephone directly with
Bell, but he rejected the opportunity. According to his writings, he
was a big fan of new inventions, but since he had previously
invested in several that had failed, he turned down a chance to
invest in the telephone. Who was he? Mark Twain,
who patented two of his own inventions.
[Paul Niemann]
Paul Niemann is a contributing author
to Inventors' Digest magazine. He also runs
MarketLaunchers.com,
helping people in the marketing of their new product ideas. In
addition, he teaches marketing and advertising at Quincy University.
He can be reached at
niemann7@aol.com.
Last week's column in LDN:
"Illinois has a long history of
producing successful inventors" |
|
Agency
addressing injustice in legal system celebrates 15th anniversary
[MARCH
3, 2003]
Citizens For
Justice, based in Lincoln, are celebrating their 15th anniversary
today, Monday, March 3. Citizens For Justice, Inc. is a legal reform
group that is committed to constructive change in the legal system.
They lobby both our state and federal legislators annually regarding
issues such as tort reform. Lester C. Van Bibber, III serves as
president of the agency.
|
Van Bibber explains that
Citizens For Justice was born out of frustration. It was formed in
response to an experience that entailed seven years of ongoing
litigation in what he believed was an unjust legal system gone wild.
After that, he said, "We decided to organize a group of dedicated
citizens who had experienced similar injustices and began donating
time and energy to improving the legal system."
After research at the public
library we learned about the ARDC, the Attorney Registration and
Disciplinary Commission, an agency that disciplines attorneys, Van
Bibber said. The group also discovered the JIB, the Judicial Inquiry
Board, an agency that disciplines judges. By encouraging utilization
of the ARDC and the JIB, we believe changes for the improvement of
the local legal system will occur more rapidly, he said.
Changes to improve the legal
system are what Citizens For Justice is all about. They say they
have discovered and are continuing to discover avenues for
constructive change.
This year the group's focus was
directed at our federal legislators. They worked to introduce
legislation that will limit lawsuits on businesses with 50 or fewer
employees. "We believe this is very important because it is
businesses and industry of this size that now creates 90 percent of
the new jobs in America," Van Bibber said.
He explained: We are asking
that a cap be placed on punitive damages at three times the
compensatory damage award. We also believe that punitive awards
should go to each state’s general fund and not to the plaintiffs and
the plaintiffs’ attorney, because punitive damages are meant to
punish and deter, very similar in purpose to criminal fines. The
plaintiffs don't receive any of the criminal fine money which is
received, for the same reason as punitive damage.
[to top of second column in this
article]
|
"We believe this law will also
help businesses and industry of all sizes," he said.
Van Bibber asks, "Why should
attorneys be allowed a substantial share of the punitive damages as
fees anyway, since no one has appointed attorneys as representatives
of the republic to mete out punishment to the country’s businesses
and citizens?"
Van Bibber said, "In 1988 I
made a personal commitment to be a voice or a spokesperson and
watchdog during the rest of my life, for those in our community who
are poor, uneducated, widowed, those who may have given up on life
or maybe are part of the silent majority regarding issues of
importance that will affect them, like sales tax increases, fee
increases, property tax increases, utility rate increases, etc."
"History will judge all of us
on how we treat those on the bottom half of the ladder of success. I
want it said that I, Les Van Bibber, was part of the solution and
not part of the problem."
We
believe your support with our efforts will make this great city,
county, state and country a better place to live and prosper for
everyone, he added.
[Press release and LDN]
|
|
Is this the
right time
to go into business?
By Jim
Youngquist
[FEB.
28, 2003]
Tough times continue to be
upon us in the small-business community. Our lagging national
economy has certainly been hard on small and large businesses here
in the Midwest over the last two years. Every business has felt the
crunch, and many have been forced to fold. Even the most stable
business has suffered from diminished cash flow, diminished profits
and greater competition cutting up a much smaller pie. Business
analysts are split on when the recovery will come, and the stock
market reflects the public's greatly diminished confidence in
business' ability to recover.
|
In light of this dismal economy, what
do you do if you have entrepreneurial ideas and urges? Is this a
good time to start a business? Do you wait? Do you discard your
plans? Do you purge your urge?
In my experience, downbeat economic
times can actually be an excellent time to start a new business.
Over my lifetime I have started five businesses, still am running
three of them, and have helped many other people start businesses
during economically blue times. The secret to success may not be in
your analysis of the business climate as much as having the right
method and planning for your upcoming enterprise.
First of all, during a downbeat
economy, business is generally at the bottom. Everything is usually
up from there! If you start a business in that climate with
conservative efforts, very conservative money, and survive while
business is bad, most likely your business will thrive when economic
times get better. The key here is to start with a well-organized
business plan that is reliant on very conservative projections and
very conservative spending to accomplish your goals. And when the
economy gets better, stick to your conservative plan with
conservative expansion, because an upbeat economy is a short-lived
thing.
Second, start small and grow it. Most
businesses are begun on a shoestring: tiny little enterprises that
grow out of personal interests or hobbies. They get started while
you don't have to rely on them for income. You establish a product
line, network with suppliers, gather customers and plan for the
future in your spare time, with little capital, and allow the
profits to fund business expansion. This is the safest way to start
a business, and it is one of the most successful. So, don't quit
your day job, and begin planning your tiny little business startup.
Third, research your business ideas and
the competition thoroughly. Know what everyone else is doing in your
field and in your geographic area. Research what other businesses
outside your area are doing and how they have been successful. The
more you know about your upcoming enterprise and how everyone else
is doing it, the more chance you have to be successful. And the
research does not end there. It is one thing to start a successful
enterprise, it is another to keep it successful. Continued product,
service and competition research is a necessity in business.
[to top of second column in this
article]
|
Fourth, and most important, every
business must have a detailed, written business plan. Take the time
to detail what you will sell, what you will do, who will be your
customers and who will be your suppliers. Include details in your
business plan about how you will obtain financing if necessary and
when you will hire employees. Use very conservative projections as
you develop this plan. And then, when you think your business idea
is down on paper, take it to the business experts to get their
opinions and their help to make your dream come true. Take it to the
local chamber of commerce, to your banker and perhaps even to the
mayor of your city or village. Ask them to keep the information
confidential before you present it because you don't want to tip off
your potential competition. With all these business "promoters" on
your side, you now have some allies, some potential customers and
some good advice.
As your business continues to grow and
change over the years, your written business plan must continue to
reflect your current business, the market and the economy. You must
continue to update your plan and use it to guide and restrict your
steps.
Finally, choose something that's
different from what everyone else is doing. These are difficult
economic times. Competition for customers has forced prices and
profits down to the point where the heartiest businesses have a hard
time surviving. If you are selling a product or providing a service,
do it in a way that the competition hasn't thought of. Forget about
making a mint providing regular commodities: Everybody else has the
same stuff, and someone is always selling for less than you. Lowest
price generally attracts the most customers. So, predicate your
business on a product or service that is exclusive and has a chance
of maintaining an adequate profit margin. Be unique and be
successful!
Don't allow
other people's pessimistic attitudes to smash your dreams or put
your plans on hold. Good planning, a positive attitude and lotsa
elbow grease can usually make a good business plan succeed. Attitude
leads!
[Jim
Youngquist]
|
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|
|
Announcements
|
|
The
Chamber Report
|
Chamber's annual dinner
initiates Legion facility
[FEB.
27, 2003]
Chris
Coyne of State Farm Insurance and Barbie Carter of Logan County Bank
were recognized as king and queen of the Lincoln/Logan County
Chamber of Commerce's Mardi Gras-style annual dinner. The dinner
Saturday night, Feb. 15, was the first event to be held in the new American
Legion Hall.
|
Mary Conrady, manager of the Lincoln
CEFCU office and immediate past president of the chamber board of
directors, reviewed chamber accomplishments for the past year.
Twenty-two new members were inducted into the chamber, 27
traditional ribbon-cutting ceremonies were conducted by the
Ambassadors, and eight chamber businesses hosted after-hours mixers.
In addition to the "Meet the State Candidates" breakfast, morning
programs focused on technology tips and advice for owners of small
businesses.
Continuing to bring agriculture and
business leaders together, the chamber organized the third annual
Logan County Ag Day breakfast and hosted a chamber mixer on a farm.
Quality-of-life community events organized by the chamber included a
luncheon for office professionals, the Lincoln Art & Balloon
Festival, a golf outing, and the Christmas parade. Local trade was
promoted through the Chamber Bucks program and cable TV exposure.
"If I had to choose one accomplishment
over the past year that stands above all others," said Conrady, "it
would have to be the community video that was produced by the
chamber's marketing committee. The video is a powerful tool to
attract businesses, individuals or families to locate here."
[to top of second column in this
article] |
Conrady then introduced the new chamber
president, Brian Ash of Logan County Bank. Ash unveiled his theme
for the coming year, "Planting Seeds for Progress." "The actions we
take today will have an impact on tomorrow," he said. "We have
already taken steps for our future within the chamber. Our director,
Bobbi Abbott, recently completed the four-year Institute for
Organizational Management certification, and we have added Jeff
Mayfield as economic development director and Senator Bob Madigan as
government liaison. We're ready to grow the economy!"
Ash
introduced new chamber board members Diane Van Dorn-Slack of Midwest
Records Storage; Ed Block, Saint-Gobain Containers; Rick Hamm, State
Farm Insurance; and Steve Smith, Illinois American Water Company.
Conrady recognized retiring board members Todd Lowman of Garland
Gehrke Trucking and Terry Werth from the Logan County Board.
[Press release] |
|
Lincoln/Logan
County Chamber of Commerce
Bobbi
Abbott, Executive Director
303
S. Kickapoo St.
Lincoln,
IL 62656
(217)
735-2385
chamber@lincolnillinois.com
www.lincolnillinois.com
|
The
local chamber of commerce is a catalyst for community progress, bringing
business and professional people together to work for the common
good of Lincoln and Logan County.
|
|
Honors
& Awards
|
|
Main
Street Corner News
|
Main
Street Lincoln offers
business start-up monies
[FEB.
17, 2003]
To entice new businesses to
open in downtown Lincoln, Main Street Lincoln is offering financial
assistance through a $20,000 grant from Illinois FIRST.
|
Eligible businesses must locate in
Lincoln's Courthouse Square Historic District and have a business
plan based on the Small Business Administration model.
The Business Builder Fund is aimed at
new businesses that need financial assistance to get started. Funds
are available to business owners who would not be able to meet bank
loan down-payment requirements without these funds. The grants will
provide no more than one-third of the equity or down payment for a
bank loan, or a maximum of $10,000.
Application for the grant is made as
part of the business loan application process at participating
lending institutions. A lending institution recommendation is
required for the award of this grant.
[to top of second column in this
article] |
"We are offering this money to
encourage people who would like to own a business but don't have the
financial means to get started," noted Dale Bassi, chairman of the
Main Street Lincoln Economic Restructuring Committee. "Downtown
Lincoln is a great place to open a business, with its mix of retail
and service businesses and restaurants," he added.
For more
information about the grant and available property in the historic
district, contact Cindy McLaughlin at Main Street Lincoln, (217)
732-2929.
[Main
Street Lincoln press
release] [Click
here for more details from an earlier posting in LDN.] |
|
Main
Street Lincoln
Cindy McLaughlin, Program Manager
303
S. Kickapoo
Lincoln,
IL 62656
|
Phone:
(217) 732-2929
Fax:
(217) 735-9205
E-mail:
manager@mainstreetlincoln.com |
|
|
insurance
Thrivent Financial
for Lutherans
Linda Aper
604 Broadway St., Suite 4
(217) 735-2253
linda.aper@thrivent.org
www.thrivent.org
Lincoln Logan/
May Enterprise
Insurance Agency
305-A Decatur St.
P.O. Box 860
Lincoln, IL 62656-0860
Moriearty Insurance
Agency, Inc.
218 Eighth St.
(217) 732-7341
miai@ccaonline.com
State Farm-
Deron Powell
114 E. Cooke St.
P.O. Box 78
Mount Pulaski, IL 62548
(217) 732-7341
www.statefarm.com
internet services
CCAonline
601 Keokuk St.
(217) 735-2677
webmaster@ccaonline.com
investments
Thrivent Financial
for Lutherans
Linda Aper
604 Broadway St., Suite 4
(217) 735-2253
linda.aper@thrivent.org
www.thrivent.org
janitor/cleaning
Donna Jones
Commercial Cleaning
Floor waxing,
polishing & cleaning
(217) 735-2705
massage
Kneading Hands
Massage
1039 W. Wabash Ave
Suite 206
Springfield, IL 62704
(217) 793-2645
www.kneadinghands.
webpointusa.com
Serenity Now
716 N. Logan
(217) 735-9921
motels
Holiday Inn Express
130 Olson Drive
(217) 735-5800
www.cdmhotel.com
nursing homes
Maple Ridge
2202 N. Kickapoo
(217) 735-1538
Maple Ridge at LDN
office supply
Glenn Brunk
Stationers
511 Broadway
Lincoln, IL 62656
(217) 735-9959
www.glennbrunk.com
optometrists
Advanced Eye Care
623 Pulaski St.
(217) 732-9606
www.advanced
eyecenters.com
Nobbe Eye Care
Center, LLC
1400 Woodlawn Road
(217) 735-2020
pest control
Good Ole Pest Control
Daron Whittaker, owner
380 Limit St.
(217) 735-3206
pizza
Stuffed-Aria Pizza
102 Fifth St.(217) 732-3100
printer/printing
Key Printing
Tom Seggelke
(217) 732-9879
key@keyprinting.net
www.keyprinting.net
real estate
Alexander & Co.
Real Estate
410 Pulaski St.
(217) 732-8353
sonnie@ccaonline.com
Diane Schriber
Realty
610 N. Logan
(217) 735-2550
schriber@ccaonline.com
ME Realty
222 N. McLean
(217) 735-5424
www.merealty.com
Werth & Associates
1203 Woodlawn Road
(217) 735-3411
werthrealty@abelink.com
restaurants
Blue Dog Inn
111 S. Sangamon St.
(217) 735-1743
www.bluedoginn.com
service station
Greyhound Lube
1101 Woodlawn Road
(217) 735-2761
thrift stores
Lincoln Mission Mart
819 Woodlawn Road
(217) 732-8806
tires
Neal Tire & Auto
451 Broadway
(217) 735-5471
www.bentire.com
title companies
Logan County
Title Co.
507 Pulaski St.
LCtitle@ccaonline.com
tourism
Abraham Lincoln Tourism
Bureau of Logan County
303 S. Kickapoo
(217) 732-8687
www.logancounty
tourism.org
towing
AA Towing
& Repair
945 Broadwell Drive
(217) 732-7400
weddings
The Classic Touch
129 S. Sangamon St.
(217) 735-9151
(888) 739-0042
youth programs
YMCA
319 W. Kickapoo St.
(217) 735-3915
(800) 282-3520
http://www.ymca.net/
index.jsp?assn=1802
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