2024 Year in Review
Noteworthy news items in the second quarter of 2024

 

[January 08, 2025] 

Some of the biggest stories in the months of April, May and June in Lincoln and Logan County were laced with melancholy and drama.

The month of May was a sad one as many of those who dearly loved the Lincoln Christian University said good bye for the last time during the last commencement service hosted at the Hargrove Chapel.

Before that bittersweet day, there was another week that will stand long in the memory of LCU alumni and former staff. The institution had been purchased by a university in Missouri which was for all practical purposes the LCU name and student enrollment. The physical property was purchased by Open Arms Church.

When the Ozark Christian College took on LCU, there were a few material items that the college took back to Missouri including the statue at the front door of the chapel and a collection of books and other materials from the college library.

However, there were many volumes left, and in April a team came to Lincoln to pack up and ship approximately 30,000 books to a Christian school in the Ukraine. The Taviriski Christian Institute had been thoroughly destroyed by the Russian invasion of that country.

Among other travesties, it was reported that soldiers had thrown all the books from the college library into large piles and set them ablaze. The college in the end was destroyed, but the institution was surviving and rebuilding its physical self literally from the ground up.

The donation of the books was greatly appreciated by the Ukrainian school, and helped preserve the legacy of Lincoln Christian University.

04/08/2024 - Lincoln Christian University Donates 30,000 Books to Ukrainian College

Legacy was a important part of the May commencement at LCU and the 79th and final service at the University was accented by guest speaker Ellie Koranek who delivered the speech “The Legacy of LCU.”

The final LCU Keynote speaker was Dr. Mark Scott who delivered a speech entitled “Crawl up into the lap of God.”

05/06/2024 - Lincoln Christian University honors its legacy as it celebrates its final commencement

The Legacy of LCU
Devotional by Ellie Koranek

LCU Keynote Speaker Dr. Mark Scott
“Crawl Up into the Lap of God.”

In June, the biggest new of the entire month revolved around the traumatizing news that Governor JB Pritzker was proposing to close the Logan Correctional Center and build a new “Logan” in an undetermined location. The news that the so-called undetermined location would not be in Logan county brought an uproar from city and county officials as well as many of the citizens.

In the middle of the month there was a CoGFA (Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability) public hearing in Lincoln at the Lincoln Junior High School.

Hundreds of people turned out for that hearing, there were many who marched in peaceful protest from the Logan County Courthouse lawn to the hearing location, and many who testified at the hearing both in favor and against keeping Logan Correctional Center in Logan County.

06/15/2024 - Hundreds turn out for the CoGFA Public Hearing regarding Logan Correctional Center

- Large Rally begins at the Logan County Courthouse and marches to the hearing

- Promised CoGFA vote on Friday does not happen

The Save Logan Correctional Center Rally and March in photos - slideshow

Video – Save Logan CC rally march begins on the south side of the Logan County Courthouse

Video – Rally march to protest closure of Logan County Correctional Center reaches the corner of Kickapoo and Broadway Streets

Video – Pan view shows the massive number of people who attended the rally

Video - Rally March heads down Broadway Street to the Lincoln Junior High School

A sea of green makes a clear statement at CoGFA Public Hearing in Lincoln - slideshow

Turner, Hauter react to conclusion of CGFA’s facility closure process

In the Good News Department

Though the stories about Logan Correctional and LCU were hard pills to swallow, not all the news in the second quarter of the year was bad.

As a matter of fact, there were some pretty good things happened during that span of time including Lincoln’s first ever Parade of Champions.

The idea came from Lincoln Mayor Tracy Welch with the support of the city council. The goal was to highlight not only the championship winning Lady Railers Basketball team, but also the many other athletic and scholastic champions in the community.

For Lincoln biggest Railer Fan, Tim McDougall, the event was all the more important because he was choses as the Grand Marshal of the parade and had the honor of riding through town perched on the back of a red Ford Mustang Convertible.

04/05/2024 - Community recognizes outstanding young people at Friday Parade of Champions

City of Lincoln Mayoral Proclamation - Pdf

Logan County Board Resolution # LO 23/24 37 – Pdf

City of Lincoln hosts Parade of Champions - Number One Railer Fan leads the parade - slideshow

City of Lincoln hosts Parade of Champions - Lady Railers draw lots of attention - slideshow

The quarter also featured high school proms with great photos taken by LDN staff.

Third Friday’s Downtown Lincoln hosted along side the Downtown business Group the ever popular Nashville Nights event in the heart of the city with a huge turnout in spite of the extreme heat.

Workcamp for Lincoln came to town that same week with hundreds of teenagers from around the country in town to complete home improvement projects for those in need.

06/22/2024 - Dozens of teenagers headed out of town after a week of service in Logan County

A new mural painted was added on the front of the Beverage Genie package liquor store on the city’s west side.

Thanks to the owner of that establishment, visitors coming into Lincoln get the pleasure of being greeted by a much, much larger than life portrait of Abraham Lincoln in the foreground of a mural that features aspects of his life in Logan County.

06/17/2024 - New mural on the Lincoln’s west side drawing lots of attention from the community

Later in June, a bittersweet but wonderful event took place at the corner of College and Sixth Street, when a flag and memorial monument was dedicated in memory of the late Joe Schaler at the site of the first three Veteran Tiny Homes in Lincoln.

06/29/2024 - Veteran community dedicates memorial statue and stones in memory of Joe Schaler

In summary, the second quarter of 2024 continued to be a roller coaster ride for the citizens of Logan County. But as always, this community took the bad in stride and celebrated the good in a way no other county does.

[Nila Smith]