Update
on youth injured in auto accident
[SEPT.
22, 2000]
In
yesterday’s paper, we covered a story of a head-on collision on Lincoln
Parkway on Wednesday afternoon. At the time we reported that 19-year-old James
Dullenty’s condition was unknown. Dullenty was moved out of the Intensive Care
Unit this morning and is in stable condition at St. John’s Hospital in
Springfield.
[click
here for earlier article about accident]
|
|
Downtown
businesses to be
honored for renovation projects
[SEPT.
22, 2000] When
Main Street Lincoln has its Harvest Fest on Saturday, a
ribbon-cutting will help celebrate the renovation of a number of
downtown businesses. The ceremony to mark the building renewal
program will be held at 9:30 a.m. on the south lawn of the Logan
County Courthouse.
|
[click
here for picture page]
Twelve
of the properties in the process of facade restoration were funded
in part by an Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT)
Enhancement Grant. IDOT paid for 80 percent of the work; the
property owners paid for the remaining 20 percent. Other properties
downtown have been restored by owners.
![](../../images/ads/Bluedog/BlueDog.gif)
Many
of the buildings in the IDOT program are on Pulaski Street: three
between Kickapoo and McLean, and three more between Kickapoo and
Chicago. The first three include the Arcade building, at 511-519
Pulaski, owned by John Guzzardo. According to Jeff Byerline of
Vancil Contracting Company, the firm which did the restoration for
the program, the brick was washed and tuckpointed, windows were
repaired, a neon sign was put up, and lighting was added. New
awnings will complete the building project.
The
adjoining 509 Pulaski building, also owned by Guzzardo, is finished
except for putting up a sign, Byerline said.
The
Logan County Title Company, at 507 Pulaski, was also tuckpointed,
painted, and windows and metal trim repaired. Joan A. Parker is
president of the title company.
In
the next block, two law offices and the Alley-Bi Tavern were
renovated under the IDOT grant.
The
law office of Tom Funk at 427 Pulaski was washed and tuckpointed and
the metal trim at the tops of the windows repaired. New doors were
added, and the building is waiting for leaded glass to be installed.
Funk said he was pleased with the work that has been done and called
the Vancil firm very professional. "They kept us up to date on
the progress being made and how long it was going to take," he
said. He expects the leaded glass to be in next month.
The
law office of John Turner, 419 Pulaski, was acid washed and had
windows repaired. It still needs light fixtures, according to
Byerline.
The
Alley-Bi Saloon, at 415-417 Pulaski, is 95 percent done, needing
only a couple of pieces of glass. Owner Ricky Garrett said he was
pleased with the results.
Jane
Wright, owner of the State Farm Insurance Agency building at 200
South Chicago, on the corner of Pulaski and Chicago, was also
pleased with the final appearance of the building, which is complete
except for a new door. It was washed and tuckpointed, and windows
and metal trim were repaired.
"The
folks that worked on my building were fantastic," she said.
"They were courteous, and they were sticklers for detail. They
pulled me out of the office three or four times a day to be sure
that what they were painting and where they were painting it was
what I wanted."
She
said she chose the colors for the building with the help of an
architect from the Illinois Historical Preservation Agency.
"They helped me choose color placement and exact colors. I’m
very happy with the outcome."
Across
the street from the State Farm building, at 128-130 South Chicago,
the structure has been painted but still needs new storefront glass
and leaded glass over the doorway. It will soon house an office of
the Sun Loan Company, a San Antonio-based firm which has an office
in Bloomington and is planning to locate other offices in Peoria,
Decatur and Champaign.
"The
new tenants are delighted with the way the building looks,"
said Ivan Ray, manager for the trust that owns the building. He
expects the new glass to be installed next week.
[to top of second
column in this article]
|
"In
my relationship with the city and the contractor, everything was up
front; I knew exactly what the cost was going to be," Ray said.
"Grant Eaton, city IDOT contractor, was very amenable to
changes that might be necessary to make the project look better. I
think when the project is done the whole community will be
proud."
On
Broadway Street, the building housing the Lincoln campus of
Heartland Community College has had an entirely new façade
installed, including brickwork and new doors and windows. It still
needs an awing and light fixtures.
At
519-521 Broadway, between Chicago and Kickapoo, two buildings
belonging to Larry Steffens have been tuckpointed, painted, and
windows repaired. An awing will be installed over Action Rental, and
it will have a solid oak door to match the door on Sorrentos,
Steffens said.
"We
are very, very pleased with this," he told the Lincoln Daily
News. "We got about $67,000 worth of restoration for about
$11,000 cost. " He said the Vancil firm rebuilt all the windows
upstairs on the buildings — windows which hadn’t been opened for
40 years — and put up new period signs for each of the businesses.
Renovation
is just beginning at 513 Broadway, the former home of Edward Jones
Investments. That firm recently moved to a new building on Kickapoo
and Clinton Streets, and the renovation did not begin until they
vacated the building. The building will get a complete new front,
Byerline said, and it should be done by the end of October.
Two
buildings on Sangamon Street, 201 and 205, owned by Larry Crisafulli
and Dale Bassi, are also in the renovation program. One of the
buildings is still surrounded by a wooden barricade, but painting is
proceeding on the upper stories. New windows and leaded glass will
be added.
Crisafulli
said the contractor is replacing or restoring all windows on the
second floor and has removed all the old paint. He said during the
restoration of the building which houses Elder Cycle, workers
discovered an entirely new entrance. The entrance may have been
covered up since the last time the building was rehabbed, probably
in the 1920s.
![](../../images/ads/MErealty/merealty.jpg)
"We
seem to be working very well with the contractor," Crisafulli
told the Lincoln Daily News. He and Bassi will be restoring
the interior of both buildings as well as constructing apartments on
the upper story.
Main
Street Lincoln will also honor other businesses that "have
invested in downtown Lincoln" by renovating their buildings
during the year 2000, said Program Manager Wendy Bell. These include
the Carpenter’s Union building on Chicago Street, which is being
renovated by Vancil but is not part of the IDOT program; Steffens’
Grapes and Grounds building on Sangamon Street; the Farm Bureau
building on McLean Street; and the new Edward Jones building.
Buildings in the IDOT program will be identified with blue ribbons
and balloons, and the others with red ribbons and balloons.
[Joan
Crabb]
|
Think
You're Pregnant? WE
CAN HELP.
Free
and Confidential:
Pregnancy Testing. Information and Counseling. Supportive
Services. "A
CRISIS PREGNANCY CENTER"
#5 Arcade Building, Lincoln |
Claire's
Needleworks
and Frame Shop
"We
Frame It All"
On the square
in downtown Lincoln
217-732-8811
M-F 10-5 Sat 10-4
cmstitches@aol.com |
Gossett's
Cleaners
will soon be closing to move into our brand new facilities
at 621 Woodlawn.
Please
pick up any overdue orders. We regret any inconvenience to our
customers. |
|
|
Woodlawn
Cafe fire begins in kitchen
[SEPT.
22, 2000] A
fire ignited yesterday afternoon in the kitchen of the Woodlawn
Café at 926 Woodlawn Road. 926 Woodlawn Road. The blaze started at the fryers, exterior grease caught fire, and
flames spread throughout the kitchen
and part of the dining room. Fortunately, the flames did not reach the freezers.
The
Lincoln City Fire Department was notified at approximately 4:30 p.m.
They called Lincoln Rural Fire Protection District for a two-man,
one-truck backup, since the rural department is actually closer to
the cafe. Lincoln City Fire sent 11 men, including their chief, with
engines No. 1 and No. 4 and the No. 1 squad vehicle. They used a
1¾-inch hand-line and water to quench the flames. The firemen spent
two hours fighting the fire, checking that all the hot spots were
extinguished and cleaning up.
Investigators
Tim Aper and Jim Davis assessed the cafe's damage to be $40,000 to
$45,000. All of the food and supplies in the kitchen were lost. The
food in the freezers may be salvageable, because the flames did not
reach that area.
|
![](../../images/092200pics/cafefire2.jpg)
[The fire damage in the main dining room at the cafe
appears to be mostly in the ceiling. Most of the damage was
reported to be in the kitchen.]
![](../../images/092200pics/cafefire3.jpg)
Word spread fast between regular patrons that their
favorite cafe might not be open for their morning coffee, breakfast,
lunch or dinner. An ever-changing crowd gathered, commiserating and
consoling one another.
Some
of the comments made by steadfast customers were these:
"I
don't know what I'll do; I eat here twice a day."
"I
get my coffee here every morning. I'll miss my friends I have here,
because I see and talk to the same people every day. If I come in
two hours later, it's not the same; it's an all-new crowd that I
don't know."
"They
[the Dave Sherrer family] have done so much [fund-raisers] for other people
whenever they could."
[LDN]
|
|
Council
votes raises for three city posts
[SEPT.
22, 2000] Raises
for three city employees — the mayor, the treasurer and the city
clerk — were approved by the Lincoln City
Council at its regular meeting Monday evening. The raises, the first
in 11 years, will see the mayor’s pay go from $10,000 to $12,000,
the treasurer’s pay from $3,000 to $5,000, and the city clerk’s
pay from a starting salary of $32,000 to a starting salary of
$37,000.
|
Only
the city clerk is a full-time position. Each fiscal year the clerk
gets a 3 percent increase in salary, a provision the council agreed
to keep so that the clerk’s salary stays ahead of that of her
employees.
The
pay raises will not take effect until May 1 of 2001, which is the
beginning of the next fiscal year and after the next election of
city officials.
Alderman
Glenn Shelton, recently appointed to the council, asked again that
aldermen consider "coming up with something more substantial
than a $2,000 raise" for the mayor. "Not the individual — I’m talking
about the position," he said.
At
several recent meetings, Shelton has said he thought the position of
mayor should command a larger salary than the proposed $12,000
because of the amount of work necessary to run a city the size of
Lincoln. However, several council members expressed a different
view.
"Personally
I think the $2,000 raise is fair to both the mayor and the
treasurer, said Alderman Patrick Madigan.
"I
talked to different people and asked about their feelings on the
raises. The biggest majority said that was a significant raise at
this time," said Alderman Steve Fuhrer. Alderman William Melton
also said he thought the raises as proposed were fair.
![](../../images/ads/neal_tire/Neal3.gif)
Aldermen
have declined on several occasions to consider voting in raises for
themselves. Their current pay is $75 for a regular meeting, $50 for
a committee-of-the-whole meeting and $25 for special meetings, not
to exceed a total of $300 for special meetings in any one year.
Alderman George Mitchell
commended the work of the treasurer, Les Plotner, especially
"the timely way he has gone about renewing loans and having
money working in the interim [when the city did not need the money]
that shows he’s on top of the situation day in and day out,"
he said.
[to top of second
column in this article]
|
![](../../images/ads/Key%20Printing/key.gif)
The
council also voted to extend the city’s enterprise zone to
Spectrum Energy Inc.’s proposed new "peaker plant," an
electric generator to be built east of New Holland. The zone will be
extended in a three-foot strip along Route 10 to the new 5.6-acre
site to allow the company to take advantage of the 6.25 percent
sales tax waiver on the purchase of equipment and materials.
According
to Spectrum spokesman Matthew Hortenstine, the village of New
Holland has "had all its questions about the plant
answered," and the Logan County Board is expected to approve
the Lincoln-Logan County Enterprise Zone change this week.
Hortenstine
said recently he thought ground would be broken for the
three-turbine plant in October and it would be completed and in use
by June of next year.
The board approved the
purchase of a new combination sewer cleaner truck from Coe Equipment
Inc. in Rochester for $173,201. They also approved purchase of a
sewer television inspection system van for $46,150 from Cues of
Orlando, Fla., if the company will agree to honor its bid. If not,
they will purchase the equipment from Aries Industries Inc., of
Sussex, Wis., for $74,492. Grant Eaton, sewer plant manager, said
the Cues company thought it had made a mistake giving such a low
bid, and they might not choose to honor the contract.
[Joan
Crabb]
|
|
Mason
City's Vic Wunderle bringing home precious Olympic silver
[SEPT.
21, 2000] Mason
City has a new hometown hero, Victor Wunderle. The 24-year-old Mason
City native is bringing home the Olympic silver medal in men’s
individual archery. Wunderle, a Texas A&M student, took time out
and has devoted full time to working toward his Olympic goals for a
year now.
|
The
opening competition consists of all 64 competitors shooting 72
arrows, 70 meters. The scores rank the individual archers. Then they begin
competing as matched pairs for the second round, shooting only 12
arrows. Half of the competitors are eliminated each round until only
four remain. The last two rounds they shoot only 12 arrows.
In
Monday’s second round, Victor Wunderle (U.S.) won out over
defendant Serhiy Antonov (Ukraine) with a score of 152-151, which
promoted Wunderle into Wednesday’s elite quarterfinals.
Competition continued in matched pairs, with the higher score of
each pair going on to the semifinals. In the semifinal round, all
four remaining competitors go head to head, shooting just one round
of 12 arrows. The four scores determine fourth place, third place
bronze metal, second place silver medal and first place gold medal.
![](../../images/ads/maple/MapleRdg-AUG.jpg)
[to top of second
column in this article]
|
![](../../images/ads/lincoln_college/LincColl.gif)
Wunderle
continues his Olympic competition by representing the USA in team
competition. Other members of the three-man team are Butch Johnson
of Woodstock, Conn., and Rod White of Waterloo, Iowa.
Their
schedule is as follows:
Archery
with men's team 1/8 eliminations
Men's
team quarterfinals
Men's
team semifinals
Men's
team bronze medal match
Men's
team gold medal match on Friday, Sept. 22.
[LDN]
[see
Olympic archery results below]
|
|
|
Olympic archery results
Monday,
Sept. 18
Men's individual first round
Jang Yong-Ho (South Korea) def. Kuresa Tupua (American Samoa) 172-98
Hasan Orbay (Turkey) def. Juan Carlos Manjarrez Godinez (Mexico) 165-153
Baljinima Tsyrempilov (Russia) def. Peter Ebden (New Zealand) 168-147
Bartosz Mikos (Poland) def. Fu Shengjun (China) 157-155
Oh Kyo-moon (South Korea) def. Dominic John Rebelo (Kenya) 168-132
Butch Johnson (U.S.) def. Peter Koprivnikar (Slovenia) 164-151
Matteo Bisiani (Italy) def. Martinus Grov (Norway) 166-158
Masafumi Makiyama (Japan) def. Alexandr Li (Kazakhstan) 151-150
Kim Chung-tae (South Korea) def. Yehya Bundhun (Mauritius) 169-141
Ilario di Buo (Italy) def. Yuji Hamano (Japan) 163-158
Michele Frangilli (Italy) def. Lars Erik Humlekjaer (Norway) 168-158
Scott Hunter-Russell (Australia) def. Ozdemir Akbal (Turkey) 154-146
Baard Nesteng (Norway) def. Henk Vogels (Netherlands) 158-149
Sebastien Flute (France) def. Serdar Satir (Turkey) 160-156
Rodney White (U.S.) def. Francois Latil (Vanuatu) 158-145
Fred van Zutphen (Netherlands) def. Jari Lipponen (Finland) 161-155
Wietse van Alten (Netherlands) def. Miika Aulio (Finland) 163-160
Grzegorz Targonski (Poland) def. Takayoshi Matsushita (Japan) 166-164
Stanislav Zabrodskiy (Kazakhstan) def. Essam Sayed (Egypt) 166-149
Niklas Eriksson (Sweden) def. Rob Rusnov (Canada) 161-155
Christian Stubbe (Germany) def. Lionel Torres (France) 163-161
Yang Bo (China) def. Viktor Kurchenko (Ukraine) 164-155
Tang Hua (China) def. Matthew Gray (Australia) 163-161
Magnus Petersson (Sweden) def. Nuno Pombo (Portugal) 165-146
Victor Wunderle (U.S.) def. Cristobal Antonio Merlos (El Salvador) 160-150
Nico Hendrickx (Belgium) def. Jubzang (Bhutan) 162-156
Serhiy Antonov (Ukraine) def. Bair Badenov (Russia) 164-153
Vadim Shikarev (Kazakhstan) def. Mattias Eriksson (Sweden) 158-156
Ismely Arias (Cuba) def. Igor Parkhomenko (Ukraine) 164-160
Simon Needham (Britain) def. Ken Uprichard (New Zealand) 160-155
Jocelyn de Grandis (France) def. Iouri Leontiev (Russia) 171-163
Simon Fairweather (Australia) def. Juan Carlos Stevens (Cuba) 170-161
![](../../images/ads/gcs/GCS.jpg)
Men’s individual second round
Oh Kyo-Moon (South Korea) def. Butch Johnson (U.S.) 166-160
Masafumi Makiyama (Japan) def. Matteo Bisiani (Italy) 162-159
Michele Frangilli (Italy) def. Scott Hunter-Russell (Australia) 164-154
Kim Chung-Tae (South Korea) def. Ilario di Buo (Italy) 162-159
Fred van Zutphen (Netherlands) def. Rodney White (U.S.) 153-152
Sebastien Flute (France) def. Baard Nesteng (Norway) 160-148
Wietse van Alten (Netherlands) def. Grzegorz Targonski (Poland) 160-157
Stanislav Zabrodskiy (Kazakhstan) def. Niklas Eriksson (Sweden) 163-146
Victor Wunderle (U.S.) def. Serhiy Antonov (Ukraine) 152-151
Vadim Shikarev (Kazakhstan) def. Nico Hendrickx (Belgium) 154-151
Ismely Arias (Cuba) def. Simon Needham (Britain) 164-164 (tiebreak 9-8)
Simon Fairweather (Australia) def. Jocelyn de Grandis (France) 161-150
Magnus Petersson (Sweden) def. Tang Hua (China) 157-148
Yang Bo (China) def. Christian Stubbe (Germany) 159-152
Wednesday, Sept. 20
Men’s individual 70m quarterfinals
Wietse
van Alten, Netherlands, def. Sebastien Flute, France, 106-102
Magnus
Petersson, Sweden, def. Kim Chung-Tae, South Korea, 112-111
Victor
Wunderle, Mason City, Ill., def. Oh Kyo-Moon, South Korea, 108-105
Simon
Fairweather, Australia, def. Baljinima Tsyrempilov, Russia, 113-104
Semifinals
Victor
Wunderle, Mason City, Ill., def. Magnus Petersson, Sweden, 108-107
Simon
Fairweather, Australia, def. Wietse van Alten, Netherlands, 112-110
Bronze
medal match
Wietse
van Alten, Netherlands, def. Magnus Petersson, Sweden, 114-109
Gold
medal match
Simon
Fairweather, Australia, def. Victor Wunderle, Mason City, Ill.,
113-106
|
|
Man
loses life in collision on Old Rt. 66
![](../../images/ads/LDN/LDN-webdesign-ad.jpg) [SEPT.
21, 2000] There
was a fatal car accident yesterday on Lincoln Parkway. The driver of
a 1993 Ford Escort is believed to have entered the northbound lanes
near Tropics Restaurant and headed south. Two cars swerved around
the Escort, but the driver of a Pontiac Grand Am could not. The two
vehicles collided about three-tenths of a mile north of Fifth Street
on Lincoln Parkway. The police were notified at 4:27 p.m. The
coroner and deputy coroner pronounced the 93-year-old driver of the
Escort dead at the scene. They have not yet released his name. The
19-year-old driver of the Grand Am, James M. Dullenty of Greenview,
was taken to St. John’s Hospital in Springfield. LDN was unable to
obtain a report about his condition other than that he was going
into surgery this morning. Both drivers were wearing their seat
belts. An air bag deployed in the Dullehty vehicle and is believed
to have saved him from more serious injury.
[LDN]
|
|
District
27 board hears two sides
of new-school issue
[SEPT.
21, 2000] The
Lincoln School District 27 board heard a request Wednesday evening
from a citizens group that wants to prevent tearing down Central
Elementary and Lincoln Junior High schools. At the same meeting, the
board also reviewed a memo from the architect hired to build the new
schools, suggesting that the costs of renovation could be higher
than the costs of the new construction.
|
The
Save Our Schools Citizens Committee (SOSCC), a group that is dedicated
to preserving both schools, requested that District 27 schedule a
hearing on the historic value of the buildings before its referendum
Nov. 7. The referendum asks district voters to authorize the sale of
$4.1 million in bonds to cover the district’s share of construction
costs for the new schools. The referendum must be passed before the
district can receive state funding of $8,318,181 to complete the $12
million construction project.
The
language in the referendum, specifically "build two new school
buildings and demolish Lincoln Junior High and Central Elementary
School," makes it mandatory that a review and public hearing be
held before the referendum, according to SOSCC member Valecia
Crisafulli.
Because
73 percent of the funding for the new schools will come from the
state, the project must be evaluated by the Illinois Historic
Preservation Agency (IHPA) and the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).
The IHPA must determine whether the site is a historic resource. SOSCC
members believe the schools, particularly Central School, have
historic value and should be renovated rather than destroyed.
The
request to initiate action on the hearing was made by David Lanterman,
SOSCC member. Lanterman said the review process must take place prior
to the election to adhere to state law and to let the community know
all the options available. He also gave the board and Superintendent
Robert Kidd a manual showing how many other communities have saved
older schools.
![](../../images/ads/Pacesetter/PaceSetter.gif)
Crisafulli
also addressed the board, asking them to "act responsibly"
by scheduling the hearing now. The hearing will present "a formal
review of all feasible and prudent options" regarding the school
construction project, and holding such a hearing after the referendum
would be a sham, she said, because if the referendum passes, the only
option available will be to demolish the two schools.
"We
have been reminding the school board of this responsibility since last
spring," Crisafulli told the Lincoln Daily News. "We
sent them a letter in June calling for this. This should be no
surprise to them."
However,
Bill Bates, school board president, disagreed with SOSCC. "It is
my understanding that the hearing is not mandated at this juncture.
This is not consistent with information given us by our architect and
our attorney," he said.
Board
member Leta Herrington asked if there was any reason not to hold the
hearing. Bates replied that he saw no reason to do so. Herrington said
that holding the hearing before the referendum would give the public a
more accurate idea of the alternatives.
[to top of second
column in this article]
|
Elaine
Knight, membership chairman of the Lincoln Elementary Education
Association (LEEA), told the board and the audience that she wished to
correct any misconception that the organization had not had input on
the process of building the new schools. "We had input all along
in all processes," she said.
![](../../images/ads/Bluedog/BlueDog.gif)
She
said LEEA has taken a formal stand and was supporting the new building
project. "This is what is best for our children, their children
and their grandchildren," she said. "We are very pleased the
board is going on with the referendum." She also said the
teachers organization had contributed financially to support the
referendum.
Many
of the dozen District 27 faculty members who attended the board
meeting were wearing red buttons which said, "Kids First! Vote
yes!"
Dr.
Kidd also handed out a letter from architect Dave Leonatti discussing
historic renovation versus new construction. The letter was to clear
up "misconceptions about the construction costs, scope of work
required for each, and relative quality of each option," and
indicated that renovation could become more costly than new
construction.
Leonatti’s
letter said that a new school "will be in every way equal to or
greater in quality and longevity of service as a renovated school. …
For opponents of the new construction option to claim the new schools
will not equal the existing buildings in quality or appearance is
inaccurate and misleading." The architectural firm would design
"state-of-the-art buildings with historic features and use
appropriate scale and materials to match the residential and city
neighborhoods."
The
letter also said that while renovation and new construction options
are relatively the same cost if no major changes are made to the
existing schools, the cost for renovation would probably be greater
than the cost of new construction "if more extensive structural
repairs or reconstruction is undertaken in the existing schools."
These
changes could include replacing floor systems with steel structural
elements, shoring up foundations because of soil bearing inadequacies,
and removing and cleaning up lead-based paint. Central School does
have lead-based paint present, the letter pointed out, and test
borings indicate potential soil bearing problems there. The need for
additional foundation underpinning "is greatly increased for the
renovated Central School option," the architect’s letter said.
"The
board discussed the renovation option and the architect has stated
that the potential for unforeseen conditions is greater for a
renovated building than a new construction project," the letter
concluded.
[Joan
Crabb]
|
|
Raging
field fires cause crop destruction in and around Logan County
[SEPT.
20, 2000] At
1:42 yesterday afternoon, the Lincoln Rural Fire Protection District
(LRFPD) was called to an above-nine-foot-grade fire on the 600 block
of 900th Street in Elkhart. Fourteen LRFPD personnel, under the
direction of Officer Duane Ingram, responded with engines No. 9 and
10. The fire started in a field belonging to Richard Kaesebier of
316 Kennedy Road, Elkhart.
|
[click
here for photos]
When
Lincoln Rural firemen arrived at the scene, they observed that the
fire was rapidly spreading northward through numerous picked and
standing corn and bean fields. Lincoln Rural battled alongside the
Elkhart, Broadwell, Williamsville, New Holland and Middletown Fire
departments from 2:04 to 4:17 p.m. They used pumpers, tankers, and
farm tractors and disks to extinguish the flames.
In
all, five landowners’ and tenants’ fields were damaged. Chief
Robert Thomas said that at this time the cause of the fire is unknown.
An estimated 340 acres of land burned. No exact measurements were
taken, but the area affected appears to be one-half mile wide by 1¼
miles long.
Chief
Thomas said, "This year has been the worst for standing corn
field fires in the last 10 years." He believes that the number of
fires is due to the corn drying faster than normal this season.
Elkhart’s
fire was one of only four fires to keep firemen busy Tuesday
afternoon. Two fires were located in the Mount Pulaski area, but their
spokesmen were not available to interview. Mason City and San Jose had
the last fire.
[to top of second
column in this article]
|
The
last of the four fires started between 3:30 and 3:45 p.m. in the Mason
City district. At approximately 4 p.m. the fire jumped into San Jose’s
district. That was the third alarm for the fire. The Easton, Forman,
Delavan and New Holland Fire departments all helped the Mason City and
San Jose Fire departments fight the blazes.
In
the course of the battle, San Jose lost one of their tanker trucks as
it drove through the burning fields. The vehicle’s operators were
taken to Memorial Hospital in Springfield. One fireman was treated and
released, and another had to be admitted to the burn unit at Memorial.
The fire department has not yet released the names of the two injured
men.
Stacey
Coon, an E.M.T. at the San Jose Fire Department, said that the fire
damaged an area estimated at 1 mile wide by 2 miles long. She
said that San Jose battled the fire for about 3½ hours. They left at
7:30 p.m., after all the flames were extinguished.
[Jean
Ann Carnley]
|
|
Main
Street Lincoln plans
Harvest Fest in Scully Park
[SEPT.
20, 2000] Newly
renovated Scully Park will put on its "fall finest"
Saturday, Sept. 23, for Harvest Fest, co-sponsored by Main Street
Lincoln and the city of Lincoln.
|
The
day’s events will begin at 9:30 a.m. on the south side of the Logan
County Courthouse, with a salute to the many businesses sprucing up
their buildings this summer. The Downtown Renovation Celebration will
feature a giant ribbon surrounding the inside square to be cut by
Mayor Joan Ritter. Individual buildings participating in the facade
renovation program will be marked with a blue ribbon and balloon.
Other businesses that have taken the initiative to revamp their facade
this summer will be recognized with a red ribbon and balloon.
"Although
all the renovations are not complete, we wanted to take this
opportunity to recognize the businesses who’ve made the commitment
to downtown Lincoln and invested in its future," said Main Street
Program Manager Wendy Bell.
After
the ribbon cut, free coffee and donuts will be available in Scully
Park, courtesy of Vancil Contracting, contractors for the facade
renovation grant.
Activities
in the park will kick off at 10 a.m.
Two
new contests will be highlighted during Harvest Fest. The first is a
sidewalk "Art in the Park" Contest for kindergarteners
through adults. Participants will be provided brushes and six colors
of tempera paint and assigned a four-foot square of sidewalk to
decorate with the theme "Fall Fun." Sign-ups in three age
divisions will be from 10 a.m. until 1:30 p.m., with an entry fee of
$5 to defray expenses. "Art in the Park" will be judged at 3
p.m., with first, second and third places announced and awarded prizes
at 3:30.
The
second highlighted activity is a Back-seat Driving Contest, slated for
1 p.m. Teams of two on a riding lawnmower and trailer will maneuver
through a course on Clinton Street while the driver is blindfolded and
the pilot navigates from behind. Teams will be timed and points
deducted for going outside the course. Drivers must have a valid
license or be at least 21 years of age, and pilots should be at least
10. There is no entry fee. Sign-ups are prior to the contest, and
prizes will be awarded for first, second and third place.
[to top of second
column in this article]
|
The
Pumpkin Decorating Contest, an old favorite, also returns this year.
Entries can be any size pumpkin decorated with any type of material.
The contest is open to those 14 and younger. No entry fees will be
collected. Those wishing to participate should bring their decorated
pumpkins to the children’s area between 10 a.m. and noon. Judging
will take place at 2:30, with announcement of winners at approximately
3:30. First through third place will be awarded and pumpkins can be
picked up between 3:30 and 4 p.m.
Other
contests include the Kid’s Pedal Pull, beginning at 11 a.m., and
Horseshoe Pitching, beginning at noon. "Sam, the living
scarecrow," will make appearances throughout the day. Lunch and
delicious treats will be available to purchase to support Main Street
Lincoln activities. Several unique agricultural products will be
featured, as well as a farm safety demonstration for kids, sign-ups
for 4-H and an antique tractor display.
There’ll
be plenty for children to do. The straw scramble for ages 2 to 12 will
be at noon. Free hayrack rides will leave the park on the half hour.
Several make it/take it kid’s crafts will be available for a nominal
charge. Face painting, beanbag pitching, apple scooping and goofy golf
are all free. For those interested in soapbox derby racing, the club
from Mount Pulaski will have an informational booth and display of
several cars.
There
will be entertainment for everyone, starting at each hour. The IB5
Brass Quintet will perform at noon. They were part of the Concerts in
the Park schedule this summer, courtesy of members of the Logan County
Board, but were rained out both times they were scheduled. Brenda
Maddox will sing at 11 a.m., Jeff Kindred at 1 p.m., and entries from
the Logan County Fair talent show will perform at 2 p.m.
Individual
Harvest Fest events are being sponsored by Tarter Bros. Heating and
Cooling, Logan County Farm Bureau, Bassi Construction, Country
Companies, Century Dental, Lincoln Radiator and Power Equipment, L
& R Properties, Ag Land FS and Schmidt-Marcotte Inc. For more information on Harvest
Fest activities, call Main Street Lincoln at 732-2929.
[Main
Street Lincoln news release; ed. LDN]
[click
here for contest details]
|
|
Back
to top
|
Top
Stories | Sports
News | Sports
Talk | Area
Athletes in Action | Out
and About | TechLine
| Weather
| Elsewhere
A
Day in the Life... | Milestones
| Obituaries
| Diaspora
Business
& Ag | Organizations
| Events
| Good
Neighbors | Honors
& Awards
Ombudsman
| Law
& Courts | Rural
Review
Crosswords
| Games
The
Arts | Home
and Family | Spiritual
Life | Health
& Fitness | Teaching
& Learning | Book
Look | Movies
& Videos
Still
Waters | The
Hallway Buzz | What's
Up With That? | Where
They Stand | the
em space
How
We Stack Up | By
the Numbers
Letters
to the Editor | About
LDN | Corrections
| Happy
Ads | Quick
Coupon Clip-Outs
|
|