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Features
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Countdown
for new radio
station nears liftoff
[MARCH
27, 2001] "It
could be as soon as next week." The statement made by station
manager Jim Ash was in regard to the area’s new radio station,
WMNW, going on the air. The local station, situated on a parcel of
land on Lazy Row, rural Atlanta, is just about ready to begin a
courtship of central Illinois listeners. Owned by K and M
Communications out of Skokie, the new station will bring local radio
back to Logan County as well as supplement existing stations in the
30-mile radius surrounding the transmitter.
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Ash,
a 19-year mainstay at the defunct WPRC and for the last two years at
WUIS in Springfield, says that both the tower and transmitter are
ready to span the airwaves on 96.3 FM. "We still need carpeting
and some furniture and other items," Ash said, "but as
soon as we get our hookup with our network affiliate, ABC, we will
go on the air."
Ash
reiterated that the station will primarily be music. "The
format will be classic rock from the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s,"
Ash noted. "We will have news briefs from ABC and some local
news as well. Primarily we are interested in delivering music and
are not interested in becoming another news station." Ash was
quick to point out that with a 24-hour format geared to the Logan
County area, any important breaking news will receive priority.
"In the event of special alerts, inclement weather bulletins or
area schools or businesses closing, WMNW will drop its music to give
residents the latest information as soon as possible."
[to top of second column in
this article]
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Ash
stated that as the station delves into the airwaves it will
determine if any fine tuning will be done to the principal format.
He also stated that any businesses interested in becoming an
advertiser on the station can contact him at his home at 735-4930.
[Mike
Fak]
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K.
Heller named marketing director at LCCS
[MARCH
19, 2001] Lincoln
Christian College and Seminary recently named Katherine Heller as
director of marketing for the college and seminary. She will work
with the newly appointed vice president of stewardship development
for LCCS, Gary Edwards, in the areas of marketing and public
relations.
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Heller
holds a bachelor’s degree in professional writing and editing,
with a specialization in organizational communications, from
Youngstown State University. An Ohio native, Heller has lived and
worked in Lincoln for the past year and has experience in public
relations, communications and journalism. She has served as the
programs and events coordinator for the Youngstown/Warren Regional
Chamber of Commerce, writer and managing editor for the Lincoln
Daily News, and most recently as the communications director for
the Academic Development Institute in downtown Lincoln.
[to top of second column in
this article]
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In
her new role, Heller says she looks forward to informing the public
of the many wonderful things God is doing at and through LCCS.
"LCCS is an exciting place to serve," she says. "I am
thrilled to be a part of an excellent team of faculty, staff and
administration."
Hailing
from a small town in eastern Ohio, Heller also enjoys Lincoln’s
close-knit community and considers it her second home. "Lincoln
has a friendly, welcoming appeal," she explains. "It is a
great place to live, work and serve."
[LCCS
news release]
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Little
Indian Shop offers jewelry, artifacts and hands-on learning
[MARCH
8, 2001] Jewelry
crafted by Native Americans shares shelves at The Little Indian Shop
with raw materials from which it is made.
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Bob
and Cozette Reichle, co-owners of the shop, have many samples of
stones and shells used in making Indian jewelry. Some are displayed
adjacent to the corresponding jewelry; more are in a box Bob eagerly
pulls out and shares with interested customers. He even has some
fake turquoise made of plastic in order to demonstrate how much
lighter it is than the real thing.
[Kachinas,
displayed in a row at The Little Indian Shop, are divine beings who
showed the Native Americans how to live.]
Besides
turquoise, there are samples of black jet, Mediterranean coral,
tiger’s eye, serpentine, Wyoming jade, pipestone and ironwood.
Reichle can illustrate how the various colors in Zuni inlaid
figurative pieces come from a myriad of shells, including purple
lip, mother-of-pearl, green snail, black oyster, green and red
abalone, and turtle shell. As an example of their use, cowry or
spotted shell is used for the spotted hide on a pendant depicting an
appaloosa horse.
Reichle
is also quick to share notes and magazine articles signed by some of
the artists. A favorite article features Alex Seowtewa, a widely
known painter who has decorated the walls of a Zuni church with
paintings of kachinas and masks. The masks appear so
three-dimensional that Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, when visiting the
site, looked up the plane of the wall before she would believe
nothing projected from it. Reichle has paintings by Seowtewa in his
private collection.
Bob
Reichle was formerly in the propane business. The couple first
became interested in Indian jewelry in 1974, when Bob purchased a
bracelet while vacationing at Lake of the Ozarks. The merchant told
him he could meet the artist if he traveled to the reservation in
the Southwest, and the Reichles set about to do just that.
They
decided to stock rings for sale to Cozette’s beauty shop
customers. In 1975 they made their first buying trip. The rings they
brought back were snapped up quickly. Teenage girls bought them even
if they did not fit their fingers, Bob Reichle said; they wore them
on chains instead. On subsequent trips the couple gradually added
other pieces of jewelry and decorative artifacts. Showcases were set
up, and that was the beginning of The Little Indian Shop as a
partner business to Cozette’s Beauty Salon, both at 519 Woodlawn
Road.
Behind
the jewelry counter is a row of kachinas. Reichle commented that a
kachina is "not a god but awfully close; the kachinas showed
the Indians how to live when they first came" to this
continent. Early Morning, for example, went about waking everyone;
he is always depicted with clouds, lightning and rain on his cheek.
Other
kachinas displayed at the shop include Hummingbird, Longhorn, Black
Whip Dancer, Ram, Hunter and Apache Spirit Dancer. In fact, all the
kachinas represent dancing figures, Reichle said. Poleyesteva, the
artist who made the Hummingbird kachina, told him its feathers were
colored with "Indian rouge."
[to top of second column in
this article]
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Drums,
ceremonial headdresses, paintings, pottery, carved figurines and
assorted wall decor all are displayed at The Little Indian Shop. The
men’s case contains bolos, belt buckles, watch bands, chokers,
collar tips and tie bars. Women’s jewelry includes earrings,
necklaces, rings, bracelets, pins, pendants and watch bracelets.
There are wooden flutes and a box made of birch bark, porcupine
quills and sweet grass.
A
Native American jewelry-maker’s tribe can usually be discerned
from the piece’s style and materials. The Navaho specialize in
silver work, often incorporating turquoise. Zuni work is usually
figurative and patterned of inlaid seashell and stone. The Hopi do
silver overlay, in which one silver layer with cut-out patterns is
soldered over another layer blackened with liver of sulfur. The
Santo Domingo make heshi necklaces by stringing shells and stones
together on a wire, grinding to round the segments, then
transferring to string and adding silver fasteners.
Materials
are sometimes imported from great distances. Reichle remarked that
the Southwest Indians already had Mediterranean coral in 1540. The
Spanish explorer Francisco Vasquez de Coronado brought it as a
medium of exchange. The Native Americans traded produce and
livestock for it, admiring how well it went with turquoise.
Pipestone, from which pipes are carved, comes from an underground
vein in southwest Minnesota. Reichle said the quantity of pipestone
is limited.
[Bob Reichle
stands beside a ceremonial war bonnet.]
It
has been several years since the Reichles’ last buying trip, but
while business was brisk they went four or five times a year. They
visited the Zuni reservation south of Gallup, N.Mex.; the Navaho
capital at Window Rock, Ariz.; the Santo Domingo reservation north
of Albuquerque; and the Hopi in Arizona, among others.
Demand
for Native American jewelry is cyclical, according to Reichle. It
was high from the time the business opened until 1980, then cooled
until around 1990, then picked up again. In 2000 business slacked
off once more. "Every 10 years it seems like it’s a
rotation," he summarized. "A new generation comes along
and it’s hot again."
Hours
of the shop are 8 to 5 Tuesday through Friday.
[Lynn
Spellman]
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Affordable,
high-speed Internet
access finally comes to Lincoln
[MARCH
5, 2001] More
than a year and a half after the first plans were laid, Lincoln’s
major Internet provider, CCAonline, has broken ground for a new
tower that will provide Lincoln with broadband-wireless Internet
access. "Lincoln can now compete with surrounding larger cities
such as Springfield and Peoria that have DSL and cable modems,"
says Curt Schleich, webmaster and co-owner of CCA Wireless.
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This
new wireless service will offer high-speed Internet service at
reasonable prices that businesses and individuals can afford. While
the service is new to the public, the technology has been around
since the ’60s. It was previously used only by the military.
Wireless solves the "last mile" communications problems
that occur between house and main source, as in between house and
local Internet server.
Why
wireless?
The
consideration to add wireless began more than two years ago when
Computer Consulting Associates owners Jim Youngquist and Curt
Schleich began researching for an improved means to provide better
quality high-speed Internet access. Without the use of big company
equipment, our area telephone lines cannot support DSL or cable
modems that are used by other larger communities.
Where
do you go to buy a tower and what tower do you choose?
CCA
investigated "getting an antenna into the air using downtown
buildings or current towers," informs Schleich, but those
choices proved to be either quality or cost-prohibitive, or lacked a
place for nearby equipment storage. It was soon recognized that a
tower was the only option.
The
quest for a tower source was the first step. After some searching a
company was located that had been building towers since 1949. Plans
were drawn up and engineer approved. All was falling in line with
the timing of the city building code and special use applications.
Then a sad thing happened. One of the partners in the tower company
died suddenly. The company was shutting down. After a new search was
begun, it took many months to find another provider at a much higher
cost. Then there would be the special application for engineering
approval, more time and fees again. Just as another company that
could do the job was found, CCA received word that the original
tower company was resuming business with a new assistant. The
original plans, already drawn up with engineering approval, could be
used.
[to top of second column in
this article]
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Dotting
their i’s and crossing their t’s
In
the meantime, there was also some time involved in getting approval
from the city to erect the tower. Soon, CCA was approved as one of
several tower sites under the city’s new Telecommunications Tower
Ordinance. CCA is open to adding other antennas for other
businesses. At this time the tower will sport two antennas. One will
be for CCA Wireless and they have one renter, Illinois Paging,
scheduled to go up later. Currently, there is room for one more
antenna on this facility.
New
technology
Schleich
is excited about bringing this new technology to Lincoln. Because it
is new technology he could not say just how many users the wireless
will be able to support on the first antenna. As with their online
business, he plans to "closely monitor equipment for bandwidth
and how much the service is used."
When
asked about what this project has cost besides a lot of patience and
planning, Schleich responds, "By the time we’re all done it
will have cost between $20,000 and $25, 000."
You
can log on to www.ccaonline.com
for more information about wireless technology. Schleich says you
can also find cost and sign-up information. There are already about
70 sign-ups on the waiting list. The sign-ups will be notified via
e-mail when the tower is up and service has been initialized. Then
"sign-ups will be contacted in turn for site evaluation and
equipment setup," he says.
Welcome
to the 21st century, Lincoln!
[Jan
Youngquist]
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Farmers
Bank in Mount Pulaski will grow
[MARCH
1, 2001] Both
Farmers Bank and Citizens National Bank are excited about a recent
transaction. Mount Pulaski’s Farmers Bank committed to buy the
liabilities and assets of the Citizens National Bank branch in Mount
Pulaski. The sale will be finalized after regulatory approval, which
should take 90 days. At that time, Farmers Bank will acquire
approximately $6 billion in deposits.
Richard
Volle, vice president of Mount Pulaski’s Farmers Bank branch, and
Timothy C. Flemming, president and CEO of Citizens National Bank in
Macomb, announced that both banks will work to "provide a
smooth transition for the customers of the branch." According
to Volle, "The additional deposits and assets would allow
Farmers to more effectively compete in the Logan County market
area." Flemming believes the sale "would allow Citizens to
better emphasize its presence in its McDonough, Macoupin and Henry
County markets."
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Davis
presents Lincoln landmark ideas
[FEB.
22, 2001] Pastor
S.M. Davis, a local resident, presented slides last night to the
Looking For Lincoln meeting under the administration of Main Street
Lincoln. The town of Lincoln was named in honor of Abraham
Lincoln before he became president, but Davis mentioned that it
seems apparent that most people in the United States are not aware
that the city was named in honor of Abraham. The slides presented
interesting ways in which the city could advance the Looking for
Lincoln program in our town.
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Davis
suggested that a large landmark is a positive way to attract
tourists and inform them of the Lincoln heritage. He suggested that
a huge statue of Mr. Lincoln could be built, like that of Lincoln
christening the city with the juice of a watermelon, as shown in the
painting by Lloyd Ostendorf.
Davis
named monuments which attract a large number of visitors every year,
such as the Statue of Liberty, the St. Louis Arch, the presidential
carvings at Mount Rushmore and many more. He suggested that Lincoln
could have a visitor's center, souvenir shops and a watermelon
playground to entertain children. Also an art gallery might be
included, showing the character and qualities of Mr. Lincoln, such
as truthfulness, fairness and charity, and perhaps there would be a
fireworks display on the Fourth of July.
[to top of second column in
this article]
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The
Looking for Lincoln committee members seemed interested in Davis'
plan. The committee feels there is enough merit to the plan to
pursue the idea. A motion was made by the committee to go on to the
next step.
The
next Looking for Lincoln meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, March
21, at 7 p.m.
[Kathleen
McCullough]
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Announcements
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ALMH
names March Employee of the Month
[MARCH
16, 2001] Congratulations
to Rose Lancaster (laboratory), who was named ALMH March Employee
of the Month. Rose began her career on the Med/Surg unit in 1989
as a nurses aide and in 1993 transferred to the lab as a
phlebotomist and secretary.
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One
of Rose’s nominators (a patient) states, "Rose is about the
only one who can draw my blood and no matter how busy she is, she
takes the time to do it and doesn’t complain." Another
nominator says that Rose is very conscientious and exceptionally
compassionate. She’s always ready and willing to learn new tasks
and lend a hand.
Rose
was born and raised in Lincoln and has two children, Chrystal and
Chad, a son-in-law, Brian, and a beautiful new grandson, Blake.
Rose enjoys going to World of Outlaw Sprint Car races and flower
gardening. She says she has made lots of good friends at ALMH over
the years. "We are a collection of the best," she says.
[ALMH
news release] |
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 The
Chamber Report
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[APRIL
2, 2001] For
the week of April 2-7:
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•
Chamber board of
directors meeting
Thursday,
April 6
11:45
a.m., Chamber Conference Room
•
Chamber ambassadors meeting
Friday,
April 7
Noon,
Chamber Conference Room
Upcoming
events
April
10 —
Customer service seminars
Three
training sessions for customer service personnel — 7:30 a.m.,
Customer Relations Skills; 8:45 a.m., Telephone Customer Relations;
10 a.m., Dealing with the Angry Customer
April
18 —
Legislative breakfast, 7:30-9 a.m., The Restaurant at the Depot
Learn
more about the IACCE joint legislative agenda and its impact for
local businesses.
April
19 —
Chamber mixer, 5-7 p.m., Graue Inc., 1905 N. Kickapoo St.
Networking
social event for chamber members and POTENTIAL members.
[to top of second column in
this section]
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April
25 —
Franchising seminar
"Business
Start-Up Workshop" for anyone with an interest in owning a
franchise business. Call for details.
April
26 —
Office professionals luncheon
Always
a sold-out event, this luncheon brings bosses and office
professionals together for lively entertainment, a generous buffet
lunch, free office product samples and door prizes!
June
8 —
Chamber roundup golf tournament, auction and dinner
The
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.
Lincoln/Logan
County Chamber of Commerce
303
S. Kickapoo St., Lincoln
(217)
735-2385
Fax
(217) 735-9205
www.lincolnillinois.com
chamber@lincolnillinois.com
[Provided
by Bobbi Abbott, executive director of Lincoln/Logan County Chamber
of Commerce]
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Honors
& Awards
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Central
Illinois Ag president elected to dealer council
[MARCH
1, 2001] Steven
P. Schmidt, president of Central Illinois Ag, formerly Schmidt-Marcotte
and George H. Dunn, has been elected into the Case Dealer Council
to represent all the Case IH dealers in Illinois. The Case Dealer
Council is a very select group of 15 dealers from across North
America that meet with upper-level management from Case IH to
discuss ways to improve their businesses and deal with pertinent
issues of the day. Topics discussed also include new product
issues; concerns in parts, service and whole goods areas; and
financial matters as well. Members of the Case Dealer Council
serve a two-year term and meet biannually. Central Illinois Ag has
business locations in Atlanta, Clinton, Pekin and Farmer
City.
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Main
Street Corner News
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• AS ALWAYS, Main
Street Lincoln is working with you to make downtown a great place to
work, shop and socialize. Got a suggestion? Call us at 732-2929.
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