LDN - Sports / Sports Stories

Monumental makeover begins

[FEB. 15, 2001] In the quiet of clear blue winter skies with below-zero temperatures, two skilled craftsmen silently ascended and descended the cold marble tower of a Civil War monument in Mason City Memorial Park. Precise movements and calculated measurements were choreographed between the hoist of a crane, extension ladders, lowering straps and two men dedicated to their profession. A 133-year-old tribute to Civil War soldiers was respectfully disassembled on the mornings of Feb. 2 and 5 and transported to Springfield.

Arnold's Monument Service of Springfield was recently commissioned by Mason City Historical Society to begin rehabilitation of the monument. Consultations with Camp Butler, Oak Ridge Cemetery, Illinois Heritage Association and Washington, D.C.'s Save Outdoor Sculpture, along with other research, led the local historical society to the difficult but end decision. There was only one way to do it and that was to do it right.

This piece of American history will be gently groomed during the next four months as it lies in the laboratory of Arnold's Monument Service. The 10 individual pieces of Victorian marble will be buffed and smoothed to fill aged pores. Intricate re-carving will be done on an eagle with its prey, a draped scarf with tassel, six wreaths, a shield with swords, plus leaves of laurel. Most importantly, names and regiments of soldiers from this area will be re-carved. The information will be burned into a stencil, which must be tediously proofed by the local society. The approved names and inscriptions will be carved into the newly buffed pieces by the latest laser technology.

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Winter allows Arnold's the best opportunity to direct total attention to this time-consuming ordeal. Winter freezing also offers the best time to move heavy equipment in and out of the park grounds.

The public paid little attention during the monument removal process. Two retired gentlemen slowed or stopped to watch while passing through the neighborhood. They were assured that proper authorities knew what was going on. It's the dream of Mason City Historical Society that huge crowds will give their attention when the monument returns after its makeover.

Scheduled for Memorial Day weekend, May 26 and 27, is Civil War Living History Weekend. This second annual event continues to be the fundamental fundraiser for the monument project. Appreciated contributions to "Save A Site" can be mailed to Melanie Gordon, MCHSociety Treasurer, 407 N. Main St., Mason City, IL 62664.

[Mason City Historical Society news release]

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Downtown business wants
one-way alley to change directions

[FEB. 14, 2001] Whether to change the direction of traffic flow and allow a drive-up window in the alley adjacent to Action Rentals and Home Furniture Center, 519 Broadway, was the main issue discussed at Tuesday night’s work session of the Lincoln City Council.

Henry Baird, president of the firm, addressed a letter to the council asking permission to put a payment window on the west side of the building and change traffic flow in the alley from northbound to southbound so drivers could make payments at the window from the driver’s side of the car.

The need for the change, according to the letter, was the increase in parking near the business, caused by the opening of Sorrento’s restaurant, which is next door to Action Rental.

Police Chief Richard Ludolph said that alleys have run north from Clinton to Pekin streets "forever," and the change in the direction of traffic flow would affect everybody who had a business in the area. He noted that because of State Bank of Lincoln’s drive-up window, traffic would have to continue to run north from Broadway to Pekin streets.

City Attorney Jonathan Wright said that allowing a drive-up window in an alley would require the approval of the council, since parking is prohibited in alleys except for loading and unloading.

City Clerk Juanita Josserand told the council she had informed Roger Mattson of the local office of Action Rental that a drop box on Kickapoo Street was available, but Mattson said that was not feasible for the firm’s clients, since cash cannot be left in drop boxes.

Alderman Joseph Stone suggested a 15-minute parking zone near the business, but Chief Ludolph said there would be enforcement problems.

However, Alderman Steve Fuhrer was looking on the bright side. "It’s a nice problem to have when people can’t find parking spaces downtown," he quipped.

No action was taken on the request, which will be discussed at a later meeting of the streets and alleys committee.

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Another matter up for discussion was farming the 40 acres of land the city owns on West Kickapoo Street. For 17 years the 38 tillable acres have been farmed by Welch Agribusiness, because it was adjacent to 85 acres that business owned. The 85-acre plot has been sold to Darrell Benner of Broadwell, who has contacted Wright about taking over the farming of the city land.

Welch had farmed the 38 acres on a 50-50 crop share basis, under which the city and the tenant split the costs and the revenue. Alderman Gerald Dehner suggested the council look into a different arrangement, charging Benner cash rent for the land. Grant Eaton, sewer plant manager, said whatever arrangement is made, the tenant farming the land must agree that the city can still use the location for a storm sewer.

In other business, bids were opened for a new crane truck and a platform for the truck — equipment for the sewer treatment plant. However, bids were received for the platform but none for the truck itself. Eaton said the city would be able to purchase the needed equipment from the state of Illinois.

Alderman Stone reported that the firm which did the audit of the city’s finances for the last fiscal year had raised its price by 41 percent and said he would go out for bids from other firms for the 2000-2001 fiscal year audit.

Three petitions for new sidewalks to be constructed by the city, an ordinance to vacate an easement on College and 21st streets, an ordinance for a handicapped parking space at Lincoln Medical Supply, and an ordinance approving Economic Development Revenue Bonds for Lincoln Christian College were put on the agenda for the next regular meeting.

Because of the President’s Day holiday, the regular council meeting scheduled for Monday, Feb. 19, will be on Tuesday, Feb. 20, instead. The ordinance and zoning committee will meet at 6:30 p.m., the sewer committee at 6:45 p.m. and the full council at 7:15 p.m.

[Joan Crabb]

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Abe's birthday party

[FEB. 13, 2001] Children and adults came together to celebrate Abe Lincoln’s 192^nd birthday party Saturday morning at the Logan County Courthouse rotunda. They met Abe (Lincoln impersonator Charles Ott), enjoyed cake and ice cream, and heard interactive storytelling about Abraham Lincoln’s life from Lincoln College Museum curator Ron Keller. Other activities were enjoyed as well.

[click here to see photos]

A. Lincoln site groundbreaking

[FEB. 13, 2001] Thousands of people were in attendance at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield on Monday, Feb. 12. The library and museum is of particular interest to many in Logan County because of local concern for the preservation of Lincoln artifacts, documents and memories. Lincoln College Lincoln Museum curator Ron Keller went to "show support from one Lincoln heritage place to another." He said it best when asked about the significance of this library and museum: "There will finally be a central location for significant historical Lincoln documents."

The library and museum will also be a central location for Illinois Heritage Tourism promotions. Tourists will be provided literature that will direct them to many Looking for Lincoln and Route 66 sites in Logan County.

[LDN]

[click here to see photos]

Community and school commitment results in governor’s award

[FEB. 12, 2001] On Feb. 8, Lincoln Elementary School District 27 hosted the School Community Council banquet. The banquet at the Restaurant at the Depot was part of an ongoing work in which District 27 teachers, leaders and parents celebrated and were honored for their commitment as a community to education.

[click here for photos]

A new program began at the September 1998 Lincoln Elementary School board meeting with approval of a district improvement plan that includes a School Community Council as a site-based team at each school. Each council meets twice each month.

The principal, two teachers and four parents serve on each school's School Community Council. The council focuses on areas of overlapping responsibility between the school and the home in children's learning and character development. Establishing good reading and study habits and encouraging respectful and responsible behavior are typical goals the councils set for their teachers, students and parents.

Honorary keynote speaker for the banquet was Dr. Eunice Greer, division administrator for reading at the Illinois State Board of Education. Greer spoke on the necessity for parents to participate in their children's education. She quoted some interesting figures indicating that the parent who reads to a child during infancy for 30 minutes a day will have a child who has heard nearly 10,000 books by the time that child gets to kindergarten. If that is cut back to 30 minutes a week, the child will have heard under 1,500 books. In less than 30 minutes weekly, a child will have been read to nearly 60 hours and will have heard fewer than 600 books. When those children enter school, the child who has heard 10,000 books will have a distinct advantage over those who have received less parental attention.

Greer suggested that parents start in infancy to sing with their children, rhyme with their children, read with their children, write with their children, draw and talk, show and talk, share and talk, do and talk, go and talk. These are the parent behaviors that will create a literate child.

Washington-Monroe received certification as a School Community from the Alliance for Achievement Network. Washington-Monroe is the first school in District 27 to receive certification in the program. Principal Rebecca Cecil received a plaque commemorating that certification and a framed letter from Illinois Gov. George H. Ryan.

A copy of the letter is below:

OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR

207 STATE CAPITOL

SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS 62706

GEORGE H. RYAN, GOVERNOR

January 30, 2001

Rebecca Cecil

Principal

Washington-Monroe Elementary School

Lincoln, IL

Dear Mrs. Cecil,

Congratulations to Washington-Monroe Elementary School for its certification by the Alliance for Achievement Network as a school community. Your school is demonstrating that teachers, parents and students can work together to see that all children learn to read, to study, and to develop a sense of responsibility and respect. Functioning as a community with clear expectations of its members, a school best achieves its purpose.

My administration is committed to goals very similar to those of Washington-Monroe. Through Illinois Reads and other initiatives, we are providing children and their parents with the tools necessary to become successful readers. We are helping children come to school ready to learn and helping parents engage their children in reading and learning. We are challenging good citizens of many walks of life to do their part to provide all children a path for success. Our children are our most precious resource and they are our personal investment in the future of our state and nation. By making education a priority, we are giving our children the tools they need to be productive and successful.

Best wishes to you, your School Community Council, and your students, teachers and parents. Washington-Monroe is a wonderful example of a school that is also a place of community, where children succeed because their parents and teachers are full partners in their education.

Sincerely,

GEORGE H. RYAN

Governor

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[District 27 Superintendent Robert Kidd and Washington-Monroe Principal Becky Cecil receive plaque from Dr. Eunice Greer.]

2000-2001 School Community Council members

Adams/Central

Kristi Casper

Pat Colegrove

Steven Cosby

Joe Hackett

Leonard Janet

Lisa Montcalm

Stacy Plummer

Julie Rawlings

Jeanne Scheurer

Tracy Thomas

Amy Tippett

Northwest

Cindy Aussieker

Jennifer Bone

Eldon Broster

Karen Martinez

Michelle Venneire

Marla Williams

Jefferson

Eldon Broster

Sue Brummell

Kathy Hawkinson

Connie Hofer

Brenda Miller

Amy Williamson

Lincoln Junior High

Keith Backes

Laura Brewer

Chris Evans

Gil Gandenberger

Kathy Litherland

Joyce Metz

Curt Nettles

Marsha Perring

Washington-Monroe

Candy Boulb

Rebecca Cecil

Jeff Cooper

Kate Ewing

Dawn Fry

Kathy Papesch

Leslie Singleton

District 27 School Board members

Shelly Allen

William Bates

Joe Brewer

Bruce Carmitchel

Leta Herrington

Marilyn Montgomery

James Wilmert

Dr. Robert Kidd, superintendent

There are School Community Councils throughout the country, including others in Logan County.

[LDN/news release]

Women get their stripes at
Lincoln Correctional Center

[FEB. 9, 2001] Lincoln Correctional Center was the epicenter of the Illinois Department of Corrections’ largest exodus of inmates, on Oct. 7. Over 600 male inmates were moved to other correctional facilities and 746 female inmates were moved into Lincoln Correctional Center in one day, bringing an end to the era of coed correctional facilities at Logan and Dixon Correctional Centers.

"Planning was the key to making the transition the success that it was," said Lincoln Correctional Center’s Warden Augustus Scott Jr.

"Our staff put one population to bed, and the next day they woke up to a totally new population. This was something that had never been done before in the state of Illinois. We did everything we had to do to ensure the continuous operation of the facility from one day to the next," he continued.

"I was pleased with the professionalism of my staff. I believe Lincoln was partly chosen due to the availability of space, the stability of its staff and the professionalism the staff has shown in handling many of the department’s other initiatives. They did extremely well with the transition," he added.

Scott also credited IDOC’s Director Donnie Synder’s dedication to this project for the smooth transition. "He ensured adequate training for his staff. This reflects the director’s commitment to the program. The director’s ideal is to cluster all of the female institutions in the central Illinois area, from intake, to programming to parole. Lincoln is a direct link to Chicago and to the other female institutions in the state like Decatur, Dwight and Kankakee. Lincoln has now been added as a link to that chain and, in the future, Hopkins Park."

Jerry Sternes, warden at Dixon Correctional Center in Dixon, said, "This initiative allows us to provide more programming options to the inmates. Isolating the two populations gives us an opportunity to provide better, more in-depth and comprehensive programming. This way we can develop our resources.

[to top of second column in this article]

"The inmates see the move as a positive one. As for the staff, they know that it is much easier to supervise one population," Sternes added.

Inmates perform most of the manual tasks that are needed to keep the correctional center physically operational. Both wardens agreed that the women have an opportunity to learn some real skills because they will be responsible for doing all of the jobs necessary for helping to run the institution.

Warden Scott explained that even in corrections, women have different issues than men.

He said, "When a male goes to prison there is usually a female left behind to take care of his children. When women go prison, more often than not, there is no one left behind to care for her children. Therefore there are issues of foster care, guardianship and possibly adoption that must be addressed while women are incarcerated. As a result, advocacy services had to be increased."

Other changes were those made in the visiting room to make it more child-friendly. The facility has seen an increase in volunteer services, since more women attend religious services than men. The staff has had to plan activities that women are interested in, since their statistics showed that women are less physically active than their male counterparts. They had to be more creative with activities that were geared toward women.

As a result of the transition, the Lincoln Correctional Center’s Work Camp in Springfield was reassigned to Logan Correctional Center so that it could continue to serve a male population.

[Kym C. Ammons-Scott]

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