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Still Waters,
Bird’s-Eye
View, the
em space, Where They Stand,
By
the Numbers, How We Stack Up,
What’s
Up With That?
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Commentaries
posted do not necessarily represent the opinion of LDN.
Any opinions expressed are those of
the writers.
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Site
selection in the 21st century
[DEC.
27, 2001] In
late October the Economic Development Council made public its
recommendation to locate a fully improved commerce park in Lincoln.
Their proposal has become the topic of mostly well-grounded, healthy
discussion. There is also some misguided and/or confusing dialogue
taking place. Both are part of the discussion and decision making
process. Eventually, one side will prevail.
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In
an article in Area Development magazine Scott McAfee, Community
Affairs Coordinator for Westerville, Ohio, points out that community
vision doesn't mean much if the community isn't willing to provide
the resources necessary to make it happen.
He
suggests that it is very short sighted for government to say that
financial incentives alone should be enough help for developers and
potential business partners. He adds that if local government wants
developers to invest in the community, then local government has to
step to the plate and provide the infrastructure immediately, before
any development takes place.
Transportation
is almost always the critical component in siting decisions.
Transportation routes have always attracted business. Are the routes
serving our site(s) *in good condition? Are they adequate for future
growth?
Housing,
education, municipal services, health care, recreational and
shopping opportunities, technology, government attitude and local
business climate are obviously important to businesses in varying
degrees.
A
businesses' exposure to its current and potential customer base is a
direct result of location. What is the best location for the most
business types? After looking at the various locations in and around
Lincoln, using the best available information, listening to advice
from other communities who have actually done similar projects,
asking advice of site location consultants and paying attention to
which location actual prospects preferred, the EDC believes that the
north site, the one they are recommending, is the best site.
Is
the site the only one for business? Of course not. Is it
the better site having taken into account all of the variables? The
EDC feels it is. Join in the conversation and discussion. Let me
know your opinions. After all, in many ways, we are talking about
the future of Lincoln and Logan County.
Distribution as an example
"100
Most Logistic Friendly Cities" -Expansion
Management, September
2001
#
16 - Chicago
#
19 - St. Louis
#
23 - Indianapolis
#
30 - Quad Cities
#42
- Peoria/Pekin
#44
- Champaign/Urbana
#69
- Rockford
#74
- Bloomington/Normal
#80
- Springfield
And
notice where Lincoln & Logan County are in relation to these
communities.
[to top of second column in this
article]
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Real
Estate Activity
October
2001:
Residential
Properties Sold = 36
Average
Selling Price: $ 69,247
Median
Selling Price: $ 64,950
Total
Market Value: $2,492,900
Range:
$ 7, 100 to $ 170,000
Source: Paula Kirby, Logan County Board of Realtors
NOTE: This representation is based in whole or in
part on data supplied by the Logan County Board of REALTORS or its
Multiple Listing Service. Neither the Board nor its MLS guarantees or is
any way responsible for its accuracy. Data maintained by the Board or its
MLS may not reflect all real estate activity in the market.
Number
of Permits issued & Estimated Cost of Construction, by
Jurisdictions
Lincoln
October
2000: 33 permits at $457,370
October
2001: 52 permits at $513,076
Source:
Les Last, City of Lincoln
Logan
County
October
2000: 7 permits at $135,910
October
2001: 9 permits at $451,000
Atlanta
October
2000: 0 permits at $ -0-
October
2001: 2 permits at $110,000
Source:
Phil Mahler, Logan County RPC
County
labor facts
Unemployment rates
| County |
Oct. |
Sept. |
Aug. |
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|
2001 |
2001 |
2001 |
One Year Ago |
| LOGAN |
2.8% |
3.0% |
3.4% |
2.8% |
| Christian |
4.1% |
4.1% |
4.3% |
4.6% |
| DeWitt |
4.3% |
4.9% |
5.2% |
6.1% |
| McLean |
1.8% |
2.0% |
2.3% |
2.0% |
| Macon |
5.3% |
5.2% |
5.9% |
4.1% |
| Mason |
5.4% |
5.9% |
7.0% |
5.1% |
| Menard |
3.4% |
3.5% |
3.4% |
3.2% |
| Peoria |
4.5% |
4.6% |
4.7% |
4.1% |
| Sangamon |
3.4% |
3.5% |
3.7% |
3.1% |
| Tazewell |
3.8% |
3.9% |
4.3% |
3.1% |
| STATE |
5.0% |
5.2% |
5.5% |
3.9% |
[Mark
Smith, Economic Development Director]
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A
Christmas wish list
By Mike
Fak
[DEC.
17, 2001] Well,
the story goes that residents and employees of the Lincoln
Developmental Center have homes and jobs until at least the
beginning of next year. Unless, of course, you are one of the
families of the additional 43 residents being moved to other
facilities. For you, LDC is forever closed. The survivors can’t
find much solace in those words, I am sure.
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The
remaining residents of this community have a special gift under
their tree this year. Perhaps I should rephrase that and say there
is a special gift hovering over our heads instead. It is a package
that says: "Don’t Open Till New Year’s." All of us,
with them, will have to wait to see what the New Year package
eventually is.
Is
the time to catch our breath for the holidays important? Of course
it is. But don’t tell me we don’t all feel like Iggy right now,
walking around with a dark cloud over our heads.
I
always have a small, modest list of gifts I ask for this time of
year. A book or two, new socks, maybe some underwear. This year my
list is even less costly than previous years. I don’t want
anything tangible. Rather I am hoping for just a few questions of
mine to be answered. Let me tell you what they are.
First,
I would like to hear thoughts on LDC from the morass of
gubernatorial candidates planning on running for governor. To date,
I have spoken to the O’Malley camp about this issue. No other
candidate, it seems, wants to come out from under the bed until this
is all over. We don’t need any of these candidates next spring. We
need them this winter.
Secondly,
I would like the derogatory write-ups about LDC that have been
sailing through the media to be inspected one by one for validity.
Case in point. We have all read ad infinitum that a resident
supposedly swallowed a game piece. We have not read that extensive
testing of the resident did not show any such token inside her body.
A trumped-up charge by a clipboard artist? Or was it a case of
building as many negative reports against LDC employees as possible.
Until someone gets to the bottom of this, I will call this the case
of the immaculate digestion.
[to top of second column in this
commentary]
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Third,
I would like to see all the advocacy groups shouting for LDC’s
closure to report on findings in other state-run institutions. I’m
curious if they will spend the time noting alleged failings in other
facilities. I would also like them all to spend a day at LDC. That
way when they fly off the handle with words like abuse and neglect
of residents I will be able to chalk their words up to intolerance
rather than ignorance.
Lastly,
I would like someone to explain how, with a hiring freeze in place,
the governor can appoint Andrea Moore, R-Libertyville, to an
executive post in the Department of Natural Resources at $96,000 per
year. The governor says the post is outside the hiring freeze
because it is deemed an essential job. I need know how such an
essential job could have been vacant for almost seven years, and now
with every state employee facing an unpaid furlough, this job needs
to be filled right now. This reeks so badly of partisan politics
that it feels almost criminal in my mind.
I
could finish my little wish list by stating that I’m not asking
for much, but maybe I am. I am asking state officials to be
fair-minded and honest and decent in their actions. Those gifts are
not very expensive, but they seem to be beyond the capacity of
Springfield to offer.
[Mike
Fak]
Reply to
Fak
(not for publication):
mikefak@msn.com
Response
to Fak’s commentary:
ldneditor@lincolndailynews.com
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LDC
employees not the only ones that make mistakes
Governor and new administrator mistake
employee for resident during tour
By Mike
Fak
[DEC.
10, 2001] Friday,
Gov. Ryan breezed into Lincoln for a surprise executive visit to the
beleaguered Lincoln Developmental Center. Accompanied by new
facility director Peggy Davidsmeyer, the governor, by his own
statement, visited "four or five of the buildings." George
H. Ryan is an intelligent man, so I find it hard to fathom why he
didn’t recall if it was four or five, since he had just concluded
his tour. Perhaps it was because employees blessed enough to see the
whirlwind of suit coats, ties and bodyguards go flying by believe it
could be difficult to determine what he visited at such a great rate
of speed.
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The
Courier headlines blared that Ryan was not pleased with what he saw.
According to my sources he must have reviewed it later in slow
motion. One employee of the center looked for a number on the back
of the governor, assuming he was an entrant in some marathon in
Lincoln that no one had told him about. By all accounts, the
35-minute drive from the executive office to LDC lasted longer than
the governor’s visit. By all accounts, this executive "dog
and pony show" would make the Animal Planet channel blush with
envy.
The
governor was quick to point out he saw a resident chewing on a pen.
He went on to say the resident was unattended as he snacked on the
Bic Click. It seems that "resident" actually was an
employee of the institution. Cruising by, Ryan didn’t stop to ask,
and the new director didn’t recognize the individual as a staff
member of the institution.
Actually
this error by both could be construed as a good thing for employees
of the center. In the event Ryan wants not only residents but
employees under constant supervision, LDC has a whole lot of hiring
to do in the next few months.
[to top of second column in this
commentary]
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All
the details of the visit were supplied by the governor, of course.
Davidsmeyer, who was hired to replace an ill-suited corrections
department official, has been as quiet as a church mouse through
this entire ordeal. This constant silence and lack of openly
defending her new employees asks this observer to wonder if part of
her new job description wasn’t to remain mute while all around her
was assaulted as a debacle of human consideration. The previous
administrator received a promotion for her lack of activity. One has
to wonder what has been promised to Davidsmeyer for keeping an open
ear but a closed mouth to the outlandish accusations draped on the
shoulders of LDC employees.
It
seems a shame that a few of the clipboard carriers were not present
as the governor and director made such a serious mistake as judging
an employee as a resident. I would have loved to have seen that
write-up hit the newspaper. Hey, maybe it just did.
[Mike
Fak]
Reply to
Fak
(not for publication):
mikefak@msn.com
Response
to Fak’s commentary:
ldneditor@lincolndailynews.com
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Bird’s-Eye
View
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The feel of love… upside my head
By Colin
Bird
"Love
is an exploding cigar which we willingly smoke." — Groucho
Marx
[NOV.
1, 2001] Walking
along the city streets of Lincoln, there’s nothing greater than a
man and a woman, hand in hand, alone, with only the company of warm
smiles and fast-beating hearts to surround them. Nothing greater.
Unless of course the above-mentioned man isn’t me… in
which case: I hate them. And I hope "Captain Cupid"
switches over to a pellet gun and starts chasing ’em up and down
Woodlawn for at least eight hours.
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Since
the conception of love back in the early 1950s, many men had known
no greater joy. Due to the fact that, that is when the remote
control was invented. But this resulted in the sparking of a pivotal
chain of events all of which lead back to the fact that men still
forget to buy flowers on anniversaries. What happened first was in
Webster’s Dictionary. People instantly removed the phrase
"Extreme Male Bliss" out from under the word "Super
Bowl" and over to a new word that was created by those
friendly, non-bitter ladies at the National Organization of Women.
That word was LOVE. Which, I should like to point out, stands for
"Losing One’s Vital Enjoyment." Thus expiring the chain
of events, along with those men’s ability to ever again watch
televised sports with their friends.
This
has not deterred me. I have found out through my time in Lincoln
that the relationship process here goes as follows: Man meets Woman;
Woman ignores Man; Man meets Emergency Backup Woman; Initial Woman
smacks Man upside Man’s head; Man falls in love with Initial
Woman. …It’s true. I actually know this couple. They are
extremely content now, currently living more happily than ever in
separate states.
So
I decided that road wasn’t for me. Instead, I myself have taken on
the role of Cupid, and here’s how it works. We’ll be dining out,
my date and I, at one of Lincoln’s fanciest eateries. Then
typically only a short while after I order our Happy Meals, she is
suddenly overcome with an unexpected epiphany: that there has not
been, nor will there ever be, any greater love in her life than that
of her former boyfriend or any future prospect she may have been
considering. Often prompting her to hail down a cab, right there in
the Playland, leaving me behind in a cloud of love-dust, wondering
if I spelled epiphany right.
But
now I’m faced with two problems, coinciding. The first being that
I have met someone in town that I, in the future, may consider being
left by. The second is that I’ve been repeatedly identified by
many highly paid therapists as being dense. A rare disorder, they
tell me, that only affects me when I’m thinking. Although
recently, I was more accurately diagnosed by a good friend of mine
from Springfield, Greg Hoffman, who is both my life insurance agent
and my banker (thus making him more than qualified to make fun of me
publicly), as having two forms of "Colin-itis."
[to top of second column in this
commentary]
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The
first form is "Normal Colin-itis." This variation causes
me to (even though I am, by my own admission, in no way capable,
or even willing, to maintain a relationship that involves any more
depth than that of having random discussions on the vast, ethnical
differences between the smooth and the crunchy peanut butter)
think that every time I meet someone new, an enduring love is in the
air. The second form is "Acute Colin-itis." This is when,
30 seconds after basking in the air of newfound enduring love, I
happen upon somebody new, and for whatever reason, cannot for the
life of me recall a single thing about the previous,
potential-enduring-love person. …I have issues.
This
is not something I’m proud of. In fact, at times, I can downright
loathe it. Partly because as I grow older, I find myself enjoying
less and less the prospect of potentially eating my Happy Meals
alone.
Over
the past few months I have seen an elderly couple walking Lincoln’s
city streets, holding hands, redefining love. Perhaps you’ve seen
them as well. Beautiful, aren’t they? Yes. Except I think they’ve
been hired out by my mother, who has all but threatened me at
gunpoint to get married and provide for her the World’s Record for
number of grandchildren to spoil.
I
admire that couple. I took a picture of them the other day while
they were walking together at sunrise. It reminds me that this
prospective "someone special" I’ve stumbled upon…
well, just might be worth overcoming the fear I own. The fear of
following these feelings I’ve slowly been allowing myself to
experience. Is she the one? Is Lincoln where I’ll find her? Who
knows? But one thing is certain: Captain Cupid is apparently
packing.
[Colin
Bird]
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This
is the em
space, a staff writer’s section with observations about life experiences in Logan County and
elsewhere. Enjoy your visit.
—
Mary Krallmann
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Excerpts from Decembers past
December
is a special time for letters — both the traditional letters
accompanying Christmas cards and the notes of thanks our parents
teach us to send after we open the gifts.
I recently came into
possession of a set of letters saved for me by an elderly aunt, so I
can share with you some selections from our December correspondence
over the years.
= = = = = =
Handwritten on lined
paper shortly before my 10th Christmas
From Route 1,
Staplehurst, Neb.
Dear Uncle Ed and Aunt
Marion,
Thank
you very much for the story "The Other Wise Man." I like
it very much. ...
Yesterday,
Dec. 10, we had the first snowfall of the season. ... Soon the snow
will be just right for making snowmen.
Sometimes
I fall down in the snow. Then snow gets in my boots. This does not
feel exactly pleasant but it’s a good thing to laugh about.
The name of our Christmas
service is "He Came." The words "He Came" are
repeated quite often in the service. The name of a song in the
service is "He Came." Also, in some of the children’s
parts every line starts with "He came."
= = = = = =
From one of the last
letters from Uncle Ed
Dear Mary,
We
think you are very wise to be taking typing for this is a skill
which you certainly will find useful when you get to college.
Please
keep the letters coming. We like them handwritten or produced on the
typewriter and they are acceptable in English, Spanish, or German.
Uncle Ed
= = = = = =
Typed from Pomeroy,
Iowa, on New Year’s Eve
Dear Uncle Ed and Aunt
Marion,
Reports
of the temperature reading this morning varied from 16° below to
20° below. At any rate it was cold. We made use of several of our
Christmas presents in an effort to keep warm while waiting for and
delivering papers.
Many thanks to you for all
the Christmas gifts. The warm coat, the pretty pajamas, ... are all
appreciated. "Instant Insanity" [a game] has already given
us enjoyment as well as a little feeling of frustration. We were
glad to receive your telephone call on Christmas Day.
= = = = = =
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Handwritten
on Christmas letterhead paper with a manager scene and lettering
that says, "For unto us a child is born"
From
San Jose, Ill.
Dear Marion,
We’ve
started to make some cookies. The other day Mom was figuring out all
the kinds she used to make for the choir. Also, Dad bought a big bag
of nuts so we are all set. John and I were "appointed" to
get a tree.
John
is listening to Beethoven’s symphonies. He bought the set last
Christmas for us — for him! It is Beethoven’s birthday today so
I guess he’s in season. The Peanuts comic strip had some joke
about the Strauss waltzes that Beethoven wrote.
Dad
had a funeral to do today in Lincoln. Somebody from the nursing home
had died.
It has
been interesting to read some of the Christmas letters we have been
getting.
I suppose John and Dad
will put the new carburetor on one of these days.
= = = = = =
"In
the year ending tonight, Americans sent a three-legged machine 500
million miles to Mars and a peanut farmer to the White House."
[quoted from news report]
There
was a record -8 reading this morning. It was -6 when I got to
Lincoln.
I’ll finish this by
wishing you a Happy New Year and saying "thank you" for
the Christmas gifts — savings account addition, top, Crunch ’n
Munch. Muchas gracias!
= = = = = =
Christmas Day
A
special thank you to you for the lovely Christmas gifts. ...
We had
a white Christmas, sunny but cold. The roads have been rather slick.
John has been entertaining
us with plenty of Christmas music on the piano and on his computer.
= = = = = =
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Are
you dug out from the snowstorm yet? Lincoln had seven inches and
Peoria somewhat less. Now it’s really cold, but that fresh, clean
air is invigorating...
Perhaps
you would enjoy an ad I hear on the radio in the morning. The
business advertises snowblowers and offers a trade-in on snow
shovels. The line I particularly like is, "Bring in your tired,
your poor, your wretched old shovel..."
John
wrote that he plans to come home Saturday unless it
"blizzards." We’re looking forward to having him here.
Now we just have to decide whether to assign him the washing,
ironing, cooking, cleaning, bulletin printing or telephone
answering! And here he just finished his finals and wants some
vacation! Oh, he could do gift wrapping too.
Monday
is a big day for Mom. ... She is to go down to physical therapy for
a walking lesson or something like that. [She was recuperating from
a fracture and came home from the hospital on Christmas Day.]
Fri. morning — It’s 2
below zero!
= = = = = =
Hope
you are enjoying the Christmas season. You have added to our
enjoyment with greetings, gifts, phone call, etc.
It
seemed like we had so many gifts to open this year. … Mostly John
and Dad gave each other tools. Dad bought a hot air popcorn popper.
He labeled it "to the family, for Dad." We all ate some
for supper.
Right
now Mom and John are working on a huge crossword puzzle.
Yes, I
got quite a bit of Christmas sewing done. ... The robe turned out
very nice. It doesn't fit Dad though. I washed the pieces after I
cut them out and the material shrank. ... Well, maybe I can try
again.
Dad’s
practicing the recorder [a gift from John to me]. He just played
"Three Blind Mice."
It
seemed strange to be driving through a thunderstorm on Christmas
Eve.
On
Christmas Day (afternoon) I bicycled to New Holland [from San Jose]
and back and picked up my hymn numbers while I was there. It was
windy.
Well,
it’s back to work tomorrow.
Happy New Year.
= = = = = =
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From a handwritten
note
Hi —
We have a new supply of
"white stuff" on the ground here. Pretty. Supposed to be
colder tonight. I tried stringing a wire out to my car to check if
the heater for my engine block worked. It did! Might want to plug it
in awhile tomorrow.
= = = = = =
Here
am I back at home in Lincoln after a pleasant Christmas week spent
enjoying the companionship of the rest of the family.
We
enjoyed your phone calls as well as your gifts under the tree.
Yesterday
morning John and I got down to business and ... divvied everything
up … finally flipping a coin to decide who would get which little
pitcher. ... Neither of us had a large serving bowl, so John took
the cut glass bowl with the fruit design in the bottom, and I have
the soup bowl and the ladle, as I didn’t have one of those either.
Maybe now I should have the "official" Grandma’s soup
recipe. We each have two chocolate pudding dishes. I have the item
with the pewter lid, and John has the vinegar cruet with the glass
stopper. Dad said the cruets were always out on the dining hall
tables when he went to St. Paul’s College. ...
I liked all your little
notes to explain what things were and what they meant to you. …
Thanks for giving us a tangible bit of family history.
= = = = = =
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Goodfarm Township
Dwight, Illinois
We
were happy to receive your phone call last night. It was one of the
pleasant traditions that we have come to anticipate….
I’d
never seen a captioned TV show until Christmas Day. The first
program we watched with everything hooked up was called "Newton’s
Apple."
[The
TV] box was about the size of the one my microwave came in, and I
wondered, "Another microwave??" John had the remote
control ... and other accessories ... in a number of separate
packages. It was interesting and, as I said, rather overwhelming.
"All this for me??"
Anyway, THANK YOU VERY
MUCH!! ... At the push of a button I can have company in my living
room and know what they’re saying besides.
= = = = = =
Today
I opened my early package and set Rudolph up on the piano. I already
had a sprig of pine there, so he looks right at home amid the
evergreen, as you said.
He
says thank you for s ending him to his new home. He likes being
farther north. He thinks the cold and snow are just right. ...
Rudolph
says it is OK with him if you stay cozy inside sometimes when it is
extra cold outside, but he hopes you will enjoy looking out your
picture window at the snow ... and if you look closely at just the
right moment, you might even see him go by.
I think he is just
fantasizing, but reindeer are entitled to that now and then,
especially when it’s so close to Christmas.
= = = = = =
This
weekend brought us a couple of outstanding days — warm, sunny and
more like October than December. I didn’t even put a jacket on to
go outdoors in the afternoon.
When I
got back from church, I had enough time for jogging before I left
for "The Nutcracker" in Springfield. ... I wore the
challis scarf you gave me and my red "Christmas dress."
My
balcony seat felt way up there at first, but the view was great...
They had some neat special effects, including a Christmas tree that
got bigger, radio-controlled mice (I’m guessing), lots of
floor-level smoke or fog to introduce the dream sequence. ... I also
thought it was cute when some mice got pulled off stage by their
tails.
I’m
supposed to see the orthodontist at 7:30 tomorrow morning, so I’d
better wind this up.
Good
night.
Mary
= = = = = =
And,
despite the limitations of age, the aunt who saved the letters sent
a December note this year...
Thanks
for pillow. Just what I needed.
Merry
Christmas.
Love
Marion
[ Letter
excerpts compiled by Mary
Krallmann]
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  Peace
Christmas
will be different for most and very difficult for the
thousands who lost family and friends this year. There will be
children who, more than for presents under a tree, will be
wishing that they could only see their mom and dad again. No
doubt Sept. 11th and the tragic attacks on the twin towers,
the Pentagon, and the story of those who died on the plane
that fell short of its goal due to heroics by brave
passengers, will forever affect our lives. Due to these
events, our nation is at war in an effort to stop such acts
from happening again.
During
such a time as this, grief, anger, chaos, uncertainty and fear
darken the spirits of many. There is a message that continues
to be heralded with as much clarity and assurance as the first
day angels proclaimed it to shepherds abiding in the field.
"For behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which
shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the
city of David,
a savior, which is Christ the Lord."
To
accompany this declaration, an angelic host appeared and sang,
"Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good
will toward men." This is the heart of God for the world.
Peace, true peace through Jesus the Christ. Peace that heals
the hurting and causes wars to cease.
--Pastor
Joe Bennett |
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A
Spiritual Message from LDN and the following Sponsors: |
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Lincoln
IGA;
713 Pulaski;
732-2221 |
Coy's Car
Corner;
1909 N. Kickapoo:
732-1661 |
Harris-Hodnett
Agnc;
119 N. Sangamon; 732-4115
Gary Long, George Petro,
Barb Wibben, Sue Stewart |
American Legion
Post 263;
Lincoln, IL;
732-3743 |
Meier Acct. & Tax
Serv.;
519 Pulaski St.;
735-2030 |
Key
Printing;
1112 Keokuk;
732-9879 |
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Where
They Stand
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Where
They Stand is a commentary section addressing specific issues in the community. Informed individuals present their
position with facts, opinions or insights on the issue. The
material is posted unedited, in its entirety, as received. If you have further comment on the
issue, please send an e-mail message, complete with your name,
address and telephone number to ldneditor@lincolndailynews.com.
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Local
teacher announces her candidacy for regional superintendent of
schools
By
Jean Anderson, candidate
[OCT.
31, 2001] My
name is Jean Anderson and I am announcing my intent to be a
Republican candidate for the office of Regional Superintendent of
Schools for Logan, Mason, and Menard counties.
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I
am a graduate of Lincoln College and Sangamon State University (now
the University of Illinois, Springfield). I have a Master’s
Degree in Educational Administration and hold the Type 75
certificate, both requirements for the position of Regional
Superintendent. I am currently employed by Lincoln Elementary
District #27 Schools as the eighth grade Language Arts teacher at
The Lincoln Junior High School, a position I have held for the past
seventeen years. I also serve that school as its Discipline and
Attendance Officer.
A
member of the First United Methodist Church of Lincoln, I was its
organist for over 22 years and currently serve on the Board of
Trustees. I am chair of the Communications and Bargaining committees
and treasurer of the Lincoln Elementary Education Organization, and
also belong to the Illinois Education Association, the National
Education Association, and the Lincoln Junior High School
Parent-Teacher Organization.
The
daughter of Lincoln residents Paul E. and the late Helen Musa
Rankin, I have resided in Lincoln and Logan County for my entire
life. My husband of thirty-two years, Mike, is a Logan County
Highway Department employee. We are parents of Jonathan Anderson,
Director of Instrumental Studies at The Victoria College, Victoria,
Texas; and James Anderson, a kindergarten teacher at Mt. Pulaski
Grade School, Mt. Pulaski, Illinois. My sister, Susan Rohrer, and
her family also reside in Lincoln.
Although
I am a political novice, I believe I would be an effective Regional
Superintendent. For one, I am a strong written and oral
communicator, due to many years of teaching and music performance. I
have a working knowledge of school law and the many issues educators
currently face. Having spent seventeen years in the classroom, I am
very much aware of the concerns felt by today's teachers. I have
received formal training in negotiations, employer/employee team
building, and conflict resolution, and have served as chief
negotiator for our district's bargaining team. Our last three
contracts have been settled amicably, without mediation or
work-stoppage. In addition, I am organized and work well both
independently and in group situations.
[to top of second column in
this
section]
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Teacher
recertification is an important new issue in the education field. I
am currently serving as a member of my district's Local Professional
Development Committee, a group responsible for overseeing and
assessing the state-required recertification requirements of our
teaching staff. I received training for this position through the
Springfield Regional Office of Education. Part of my duties as
Regional Superintendent will be to provide local training for the
teachers of Logan, Mason, and Menard counties, and assist them in
the recertification process. I also plan to work with local school
districts that want to become Providers, a designation that allows
them to bring on-site training for their staff rather than sending
them to another location for training or paying an outside group for
facilitating the process.
When
elected, my intention is to continue in the professional and
dedicated manner of our current Regional Superintendent George
Janet. Not only has his leadership been outstanding, the fact that
he is a resident of this county has been a definite advantage for
all Logan County citizens, and he has represented the Republican
party well. I believe that it is advantageous for this tradition to
continue. Therefore, I feel that my party affiliation, my residency
in this county, my strong ties with area schools and school
personnel, and my knowledge and dedication to current issues make me
a strong contender for the position of Regional Superintendent.
Sincerely,
Jean
Anderson
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By
the Numbers
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Population
estimates in Logan County
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| 30,798 |
Total population,
1990 |
| 15,380 |
Rural population -
49.9%, 1990 |
| 15,418 |
Urban population -
50.1%, 1990 |
| 2,875 |
Projected births,
1990-1998 |
| 2,736 |
Projected deaths,
1990-1998 |
| 3,143 |
Persons below poverty
level - 11.8 % |
| 258 |
Average marriages per
year |
| 135 |
Average deaths per
year |
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Alexis Asher
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| Logan
County high schools: 1960-2000 |
| 1962 |
Middletown
High School consolidated with New Holland |
| 1972 |
Atlanta
High School became part of Olympia School District |
| 1975 |
Elkhart
High School consolidated with Mount Pulaski |
| 1979 |
Latham
High School became Warrensburg-Latham |
| 1988 |
New Holland-Middletown
High School consolidated with Lincoln Community High School |
| 1989 |
San
Jose High School consolidated with Illini Central (Mason City) |
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