Kym Ammons-Scott, writer

Kym Ammons-Scott came to Lincoln eight years ago when her husband, Augustus, became the prison warden. She was born in Chicago but raised in Waterloo, Iowa.

She is a self-proclaimed family manager with three children: Ashanti, 5, Jamaal, 3, and Janel, age 2. Kym has a background in journalism with a Bachelor's degree from the University of Iowa in Journalism and Mass Communications. She also has a Master of Arts in Public Administration from the University of Illinois.

Kym is currently on the board for the United Cerebral Palsy of Lincolnland, the Illinois Association of Minorities in Government and keeps very busy with activities at Second Baptist Church.

Wendy Bell, writer

Wendy Bell was born in Charleston, Ill., graduated from high school in Paris, Ill., and then lived in Springfield until moving to the Lincoln area almost three years ago. She has always lived in a county seat.

She is currently program manager for Main Street Lincoln. In addition, she serves as state director of the Miss Illinois County Fair Queen Pageant. This takes up a lot of her "spare time," but she loves being a part of it because of the people she’s met and worked with.

Her bachelor’s degree, from Saint Mary of the Woods College, included a triple major in marketing, management and business administration.

Wendy’s husband, Terry, is owner of Extension Staffing in Springfield and a school board member for West Lincoln-Broadwell. They and their two sons, Corbin, 10½, and Carrington, 9, live five miles west of Lincoln in a Sears kit home built in 1912. Their pets are "Storm," a large, white Labrador/Great Pyrenees mix; "Rocky," a grey, tiger-striped kitten; and "Millie," a petite black kitten.

Wendy enjoys antiques, reading short stories and working on their home. She loves watching the changing seasons in their back yard--from the first spring planting in the 40 acres on either side to the clear, starlit summer skies at night to the combines working the harvest to the stillness of a winter morning when the miles are covered with snow. Her first memory of life in Lincoln was looking over the fields and watching the balloons come up on the horizon.

Joan Crabb, writer

Joan calls Hopedale, Ill., her hometown. She has been living in Lincoln for about five years now.

She attended Hopedale High School (which no longer exists due to consolidation), Roosevelt University of Chicago and Loyola University of Chicago. She earned a master of arts degree in English.

Joan has four daughters, four grandchildren and one great-granddaughter.

She says of herself that she reads a lot, everything from Shakespeare to detective stories. She enjoys opera, Mozart, folk and bluegrass music. She is a “bird nut,” and feeds all the birds in her yard. She seldom goes walking without her binoculars.

There are five generations of her family living--all female.

John Fulton, writer

John Fulton has worked in Logan County for 17 years. He is currently the unit leader with the University of Illinois Extension.

He and his wife, Sherry, have three sons, Andrew, 11, David, 8, and Daniel, 8.

He graduated from high school in St. Charles, received his bachelor’s degree in ag science from Western Illinois University in 1979 and his master’s degree in agronomy from the University of Illinois in 1986.

His favorite pastimes are working around the family’s small-scale farm, hunting and fishing.

Tyler Havlin, technical assistant

Tyler grew up in Atlanta, Ill., and has been living in Logan County for about eight years on and off in his life. He graduated from Lindbergh High School in Seattle, Wash.

He says that he enjoys playing basketball, listening to music, walking around downtown Seattle and hanging out with friends. What Tyler excels at is computers. 

Tyler is currently working as technical assistant on the Lincoln Daily News project.

Katherine Heller, managing editor, writer

Katherine moved to Lincoln from East Palestine, Ohio.  Her family includes her parents, George and Vickie, and an older sister, Allison, and an older brother, George. She graduated from East Palestine High School in 1995 and attended Youngstown State University where she received her B.A. in professional writing and editing.

She enjoys spending time with her family and shopping with her great-grandmother. She also enjoys working with the youth program at her church and working with youth at summer church camp as a sponsor team leader.

Her claim to fame is that she was a state-ranked clarinetist for two years in high school, but remarks that she hardly plays anymore.

Mary Krallmann, publication assistant

Mary lived her earliest years in Marysville, Neb. (a rural spot about 30 miles west of Lincoln, Neb.). She  has lived in the local Lincoln for the last 16 years.

She graduated from Pomeroy Community High School in Pomeroy, Iowa;  St. Paul’s College in Concordia, Mo.; and Concordia College in Seward, Neb., where she earned a bachelor’s degree in education.

Her favorite activities are playing the organ for church, jogging, walking and daydreaming.

She is currently working on the Lincoln Daily News project, serving as a staff writer and copy editor.

Jeff Mayfield, writer

Jeff was born in Oceanside, Calif. He grew up far from the West Coast in Mount Vernon, Mo. He has been living for the last 17-plus years in Logan County. He is married to Melinda (Byers), and currently is employed as director of partnership at Lincoln Christian College and Seminary.

He attended college at both Lincoln Christian College and Southwest Missouri State University. He has also done graduate work at Lincoln Christian Seminary and the University of Illinois.

He enjoys traveling and spending time with his wife. His passions are evangelism and preaching. He also reads, watches movies, drives a few golf balls and is known to attend as many major sporting events as humanly possible.

Jeaneen Ray, writer

Jeaneen Ray was born in Indianapolis, Ind., and lived in Dallas, Texas, for eight years, but spent most of her schooling days in Lincoln. She graduated from Lincoln Christian College in 1981 with a bachelor of arts degree. She and her husband, Keith, have been married since 1979 and have three daughters, Ashleigh, 18, Allyson, 14, and Abigale, 6.

She says her days are filled with family first and a traveling husband. She works part-time at Prairie Years in downtown Lincoln and is pursuing a graduate degree on a part-time basis.

Her spare time interests include reading, playing games with her 6-year-old, skating, walking, mowing, going to the lake, spending time with friends and enjoying a cup of Starbucks and Kenny G with her husband. Jeaneen says, "I’m happiest when my daughters and their friends are having fun at our house and it is filled with laughter and good times."

Sam Redding, editor-in-chief

Sam grew up in Towanda, Ill., and currently lives with his wife, Jane, in Lincoln. Jane is a teacher at Washington-Monroe school. Together they have four children and three grandchildren.

Sam is a graduate of Normal Community High School and earned his B.S. in history, his M.S. in psychology and his Ed.D in educational administration from ISU. He also earned an M.A. in English from U.I.S.

He is Executive Director of Academic Development Institute in Lincoln and in his spare time is an avid reader, playing a little golf. He dabbles in genealogy too.

Curt Schleich, writer

Curt  is a computer guru and one of the owners of CCA and CCAonline in Lincoln, a computer service and local Internet service provider.  He lives at home with his son, Steven; his wife, Carrie; and dog Einstein.

He joins the staff at LDN to provide technical expertise and writes to answer technological problems which confront us.

Ryan Seggelke, site/display coordinator

Ryan Seggelke serves LDN as our site and display coordinator. During the day he works in the pre-press department at Key Printing in Lincoln, where he currently resides. He is quoted as having no spouse or children, but shares his home with pet canary “Peep.”

He graduated from Lincoln Community High School and later received a degree in mathematics from the University of Illinois. He plays guitar, reads and is interested in shopping and traveling. His favorite food is “Chunky Monkey” ice cream. Some might say that Ryan’s ability to be both a night person and a morning person is an unusual trait. 

Tom Seggelke, president

Tom Seggelke, an LDN partner, was born in Lincoln on July 25, 1948. He graduated from LCHS in 1966 and from Lincoln Christian College in 1970. He is married to Rita, who is a social worker at Illini Central Schools in Mason City and Easton. They have four children.

Tom is the owner of Key Printing in Lincoln. He and Rita attend Lincoln Christian Church.

His claim to fame is that he once shook hands with President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Rachael Shelley, writer

Rachael Shelley is currently a student at Lincoln Christian College.

She graduated from Lincoln Community High School and has lived in Lincoln for 10 years.

Rachael enjoys the outdoors. She also likes to read and just make the best of time.

John Welter, writer

John F. Welter grew up in Colby, Kan.. He has been living here in the Lincoln area for about 11 years with his wife, Tamara, his son Brian and daughter Olivia. They have a Wirehair Terrier named “Niblet.”

John attended high school in Colby, Kan., received his B.S. from Kansas State University, a Masters from Eastern New Mexico University and has done advanced graduate work at UCLA.

John is currently working as professor of history and religion at Lincoln College.

He says his favorite pastimes include reading and listening to music of all kinds.

Fuzz Werth, writer

Fuzz Werth is a lifelong resident of Lincoln. He currently works for the Illinois Secretary of State at the Lincoln facility.

He graduated from Lincoln High in 1961 and from Lincoln College in 1963. He then earned a bachelor's degree in journalism from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale and has done postgraduate work in public administration at the University of Illinois-Springfield.

He says, "I am owned by two cats, Booker and Richard. I am still ‘happily’ single."

Fuzz enjoys hot weather (July and August are his favorite months), working outside, reading, writing, fishing and an occasional golf game.

Jan Youngquist, coordinating manager

Jan moved to Lincoln 16 years ago and currently serves as coordinating manager for Lincoln Daily News, RMA manager for Computer Consulting Associates and as a tutor at Lincoln College. She and her husband, Jim, have a daughter in college in Virginia. The Younquists share their home with Bob, the cat, and Scarlett, a Scottie dog.

Jan graduated from Streator Township High School and has studied at Joliet Junior College (horticulture), Lincoln Christian College, Lincoln College (pre-nursing), and Millikin University (nursing).

Jan likes variety in life and a sense of adventure. She enjoys playing with the dog or cat, gardening, reading (novels and gardening stuff), movies, listening to books on tape while driving or floating in the pool, traveling in the U.S., walking through parks and wilderness, and camping. She also lists worship on Sundays – not as a pastime, but a necessary time.

As far as dislikes are concerned, there’s coconut. And she takes mice caught on sticky traps and sets them free in the country.

Jim Youngquist, CEO

Jim Youngquist grew up in Joliet, Ill., and moved to Lincoln in 1984 with his family to attend Lincoln Christian College. He attended Joliet West High School and Joliet Junior College where he majored in horticulture. Jim was a preaching major at LCC.

He lives quietly in Lincoln with his wife, Jan, and Bob, the cat. Jim and Jan have a daughter, Trisha, who is currently a sophomore in college.

Jim says that his hobbies are computers, collecting clocks and tropical fish, but his favorite pastime is actually teaching Sunday School at Eastview Christian Church in Bloomington.

Penny Zimmerman-Wills, writer

Penny Zimmerman-Wills is a self-employed communications/public relations consultant and freelance writer. She has a bachelor’s degree in communications from Western Illinois University and has done graduate work in public relations at the University of Illinois, Springfield.

A Kilbourne native, she graduated from Easton High School. She has resided in Logan County for 4½ years.

Her husband, Chris, is bureau chief for the State Capitol office of the Associated Press.

Penny and Chris have a dog, Cisco, and three cats, Minnie, Pearl and Chessie.

Penny’s favorite pastimes are gardening, antiquing, restoring their century-old home, walking and anything outdoor-related, and traveling.