[NOV. 1, 2000]  On Tuesday, Joni Castleman, coordinator for Services in the Neighborhood for Seniors (SINS), visited Lincoln’s Oasis Center to explain Medicare 2000 and answer questions. This was the last in a series of three informational sessions presented at the Oasis.

SINS is a branch of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois. SINS does not sell any products but helps individuals understand the paperwork and bills generated from doctor’s offices, hospitals, Medicare and secondary insurance providers. Representatives of SINS do not claim to have a complete knowledge of every insurance company’s system, but because they see so many different forms and bills, they are well practiced at deciphering seemingly illegible forms.

Castleman travels around 40 counties to do presentations similar to the one she did at Lincoln’s Oasis Center. Her goal is to help seniors better understand their Medicare and secondary insurance coverage. She has a booklet, "Understanding Medicare 2000," which simplifies the whole process.

The first part of Castleman’s talk concerned Part A of Medicare, which only covers hospital visits and skilled nursing care. If an individual has worked 10 years, cumulative, the Medicare A premium is waived, because the person has already paid. For those who have not worked, the premium is $301 per month. If someone has worked between one and 10 years, the premium is prorated. The deductible for each illness is $776, provided that the person recovers in 60 days. Next year the deductible will increase by $16 to $792. Medicare A does not pay for private hospital rooms unless the doctor orders one, although a person may choose to have a private room and pay the difference.

In addition to hospital rooms, Part A also pays for skilled nursing care that follows a three-day hospital stay. Skilled nursing care facilities are different from nursing homes, because these facilities do not have custodial care — that is, bathing and feeding. Skilled nursing care may be given in a rehab center or in one’s home. Medicare pays for skilled nursing care because it focuses on short-term rehabilitation or healing. There are a lot of guidelines surrounding skilled nursing care under Medicare A, so it is good to talk to someone like Joni Castleman who can explain the proper procedures.

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In transition to the next topic of discussion, Castleman said that people rarely have problems with Medicare A, especially when compared to Medicare B. Medicare B is more confusing than Medicare A because it covers so many different services. The premium for Part B, if a person accepts coverage at age 65, is $45.50 a month. Next year that amount will increase by $4.50 to $50. If people wait to add Medicare B to their Medicare A coverage, the premium for Part B will increase by 10 percent every year that they wait. Unlike Medicare A’s $776 deductible (possibly every two months), Medicare B has an annual deductible of only $100, and it is not expected to increase in the year 2001. Once this deductible is met, Medicare pays 80 percent of all approved expenses.

Medicare B covers doctor’s care, surgery, outpatient care, lab tests, x-rays, home healthcare, durable medical equipment, other medically necessary services and supplies, and some preventative tests and shots. Part B does not cover dental exams, hearing aids, eyewear, eye exams, prescription drugs, hearing tests and routine physicals. Although Medicare B covers preventative screenings and tests, be extra careful when scheduling appointments. Some annual exams are only covered if the tests are a year and a day apart. If the tests are exactly a year apart, the individual will be charged for the second test. Medicare will pay for more frequent screenings only if a doctor prescribes them.

(To be continued)

[Jean Ann Carnley]

[OCT. 31, 2000]  The Logan County Board, in two separate motions, voted unanimously Monday night to purchase the Union Planters Bank building at the corner of Pulaski and McLean streets.

The $99,000 purchase price represents 22 percent of the current market value of $455,010 and 16 percent of the last selling price of $615,926.89 in June of 1997, according to Rod White, chairman of the Finance Committee.

Dick Hurley, chairman of the Building and Grounds Committee, worked with representatives of Union Planters’ management in order to finalize arrangements.

The board had made an initial proposal of $75,000 to the bank and was given the counter offer of $99,000 to purchase the bank "as is."

Hurley told board members that a survey of the building did not reveal any structural problems or any major maintenance problems with the existing equipment.

The second vote taken by the board was to transfer $70,000 of unused contingency funds to the building and grounds budget in order to make necessary arrangements to open the building.

The board for some time has been exploring different solutions to a growing space shortage in order to accommodate services of various county functions, including space for the coroner's office.

The property also has drive-up windows that would allow the public easier access in order to pay various fees.

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The vaults would be used to provide a secure location for records generated and money that would be collected.

White estimated that the 5,000-square-foot structure, with 2,500 square feet upstairs and 2,500 square feet downstairs, would probably cost in the area of $10,000 to $14,000 per year for maintenance. Since records aren't currently available for past utility bills, the estimate was based on similar buildings and their maintenance costs.

The property also contains a parking lot that is in good condition, according to Hurley, and would accommodate 27 off-street parking spaces.

In the past the board has been confronted with inadequate parking for the public and employees, and this purchase would also help alleviate that problem, said other board members during the discussion session.

The board's next job, according to member Doug Dutz, is to determine which offices will be housed in the building and who will occupy the space made available by those moves.

[Fuzz Werth]

[OCT. 30, 2000]  Vice presidential candidate Dick Cheney and the rest of the Illinois Republican team will be at the Gateway Building at the Peoria River Front tomorrow evening for a campaign rally. The Gateway Building is located at 200 NE Water St. The gates open at 4 p.m. Please call (217) 862-1000 if you have questions, or go to www.georgewbush.com.

[OCT. 30, 2000]  The Central and Lincoln Junior High School buildings have been accepted for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places, according to information sent by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency to the Save Our Schools Citizens’ Committee.

Tracey A. Sculle, Assistant National Register Coordinator in Illinois, reported that both buildings "would make good candidates for listing in the National Register of Historic Places," which is the official list of cultural resources worthy of preservation.

The criterion Sculle references in of support eligibility are the buildings’ contribution to the educational development of the community of Lincoln and the growth of the local school system.

The schools, however, will be demolished if the District 27 tax referendum on the Nov. 7 ballot is successful. That referendum states that these buildings will be bulldozed in order to build two new buildings on the same sites.

The Save Our Schools Citizens’ Committee supports a NO vote on the referendum, asking instead that the district renovate the buildings to state-of-the-art educational facilities as has been successfully accomplished at the Feitshans/Edison School in Springfield and nearly 500 schools in the Chicago Public Schools system since 1996.

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State funds are available for renovation of the schools.

"This national recognition of the value of Central and Lincoln Junior High Schools should make Lincoln residents think very critically about what will be destroyed if the Nov. 7 referendum is approved," said R. James Johnson, a spokesperson for the Save Our Schools group and Professor in Architecture at Lincoln Land Community College. Johnson assisted with the research documentation on both buildings used in the determination of their eligibility.

"Saving the nation’s heritage is a country-wide effort that should be embraced and cherished, " Johnson stated.

[News release from the
 Save Our Schools Citizens' Committee]

Notice of Open Burn Code released
by Fire Department

Open Burning code for the City of Lincoln

BOCA National Fire Prevention Code 1996 Chapter 4 City Code Book Fire Regulations Chapter 3

BOCA

F-403.4.3 OPEN BURNING PROHIBITED: The code official shall prohibit open burning that will be offensive or objectionable due to smoke or odor emissions when atmospheric conditions or local circumstances make such fires hazardous. The code official shall order the extinguishments, by the land owner or the fire department, of any open burning that creates or adds to a hazardous or objectionable situation.

F-403.5 LOCATION OF OPEN BURNING: Shall not be less than 50 feet from any structure.

F-403.7 ATTENDANCE: Any open burning shall be constantly attended until the fire is extinguished. A water supply such as buckets of water or a connected and charged garden hose shall be available for immediate utilization.

CITY CODE BOOK Chapter 3 Fire regulations

5-3-2 FIRE ON PAVEMENTS: Fires are not allowed on blacktop streets, alleys or concrete sidewalks ($25 fine)

5-3-4 BURNING IN THE CITY: E-1 recreational fires shall contact the Lincoln Fire Department and notify them of the date and time of the wiener roast. No garbage shall be burned and burning must be consistent with other laws.

E-2: From October 2 through May 31 between 7:00 A.M . and 5: 00 P.M. residents are allowed to burn landscape waste only. (Leaves, trees, tree trimmings, branches, stumps, brush, weeds, grass, grass and yard trimmings only)

Fines for violations of the following codes are a minimum of $15 issued by fire crews handling complaints and illegal fires.

Persons complaining about fires must sign a complaint with the Fire Department before extinguishments of legal fires is carried out. No fines will be issued to persons burning with in the boundaries of the code. The persons burning will be advised of the signed complaint and asked to extinguish the fire or the Fire Department will extinguish the fire.

[OCT. 11, 2000]  Beginning Monday, Oct. 16, the Lincoln City Landfill will be open extended hours to allow residents to dispose of leaves and yard waste, according to Donnie Osborne, street superintendent. The landfill will open at 8 a.m. and remain open until 4 p.m. seven days a week, probably until mid-December, he said. Residents may bring in leaves any way they like — in bags, boxes or pickup trucks — but they must take the leaves out of the containers and take the containers back home with them.

[OCT. 10, 2000]  The office of the city clerk in Lincoln will be open for filing petitions for nomination for the Feb. 27, 2001, consolidated primary election, with petitions accepted from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the following dates: Dec. 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 and 18.

Petitions will be accepted for the following city offices:

• Mayor
• City treasurer
• City clerk
• Alderman Ward 1
• Alderman Ward 2
• Alderman Ward 3
• Alderman Ward 4

• Alderman Ward 5

[Juanita Josserand, city clerk]

[OCT. 9, 2000]  Registered voters expecting to be absent from the county on the Nov. 7 election day may vote in person at the Logan County Clerk’s Office, second floor, Courthouse, Room 20, Lincoln, from now until Nov. 6.

Election Authority

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