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Still Waters,
the
em space, Where They Stand,
By
the Numbers,
How We Stack Up,
What's
Up With That?
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Seeing
Springfield with
the first lady of Arkansas
By
Lynn Spellman
[MAY
21, 2001] On
Wednesday, May 9, I had the pleasure of a whirlwind tour of
Springfield sites with Janet Huckabee, first lady of Arkansas. A fun
time, it was also a lesson in how effectively a title can open
doors.
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Huckabee
was the featured speaker at the annual meeting of the Illinois
Manufactured Housing Association. Since last August, when she chose a
triple-wide house made by Champion Homes of Indiana as a temporary
residence during restoration of the Arkansas governor’s mansion, she
has become an enthusiastic spokesperson for the industry.
After
Huckabee’s luncheon speech, association chairman Roger Huddleston
assigned Lucy Anderson and Dianne DeRosa, both of Springfield, and I
the delightful task of taking her "wherever she wants to
go." We were a party of six in the DeRosas’ Lincoln. Dick
DeRosa, Dianne and Lucy sat in the front, and in the back were Janet
Huckabee, I and Dustin, whom we were told to introduce as "an
Arkansas state trooper."
Our
first stop was the statehouse. Dianne had some trouble unfastening her
seat belt, and Huckabee ran around the car calling, "I can
help." Inside, IMHA Executive Director Chris Kratzer guided us
through the rotunda, the Senate legislative chamber and a meeting room
with a hearing in session. We met Sen. Larry Bomke, R-Springfield, in
his office. Then an aide to Gov. George Ryan escorted us to the
governor’s office. Though Ryan was in Chicago, as we admired the
richly decorated office we were joined by former Gov. James Thompson,
who stepped out from a meeting to chat with us.
As
we exited the governor’s outer office, Huckabee noticed an arm cover
had fallen off the chair by the door and stooped to replace it. We
then hurried to our car and drove to the Lincoln Home, with Lucy on
her cell phone making arrangements. "The first lady of Arkansas
is in town," she said. "She’ll be at your facility in five
minutes and would like a tour." Meanwhile, the high-energy
Huckabee was on her own cell phone, checking on the status of a $2
million grant application. It turned out she had received only $1
million. "That’s pretty good," she said, "except that
I know who got the other million."
Classes
of grade-school children waiting for tours watched as we immediately
entered the Lincoln Home. Our guide was especially skillful at
presenting the house from Mary Todd Lincoln’s point of view, and
Janet Huckabee was liberal with her thanks, as she had been at the
governor’s office. Our tour continued to the Dean House, where we
examined models of the Lincoln house in its various stages of
expansion.
[to top of second
column in this commentary]
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Then
it was on to the Old State Capitol. In the car I learned that both
Gov. Mike Huckabee and his wife had grown up in Hope, Ark., and knew
Terry and Mickey Becherer, formerly of Lincoln.
Again
we were met by an excellent guide who led us between school classes.
We moved quickly through the offices and legislative chambers but not
so quickly as to miss learning the origin of the term "red
tape." In Lincoln’s day legal documents were folded and placed
in file drawers about 4 inches square on the end. When a drawer was
full, the documents were tied together in bundles using flat red
fabric tape because it did not cut as string did. So a person looking
for a specific document often had to go through a lot of red tape.
After
thanking our guide we considered a quick pass through Oak Ridge
Cemetery to see Lincoln’s tomb, but it was 4 p.m. and the first lady
had to be ready by 5:15 to hostess a reception at the Illinois
executive mansion. Even she, with her ability to pack a great deal
into a few minutes, acknowledged that there wasn’t time. We had made
our tour in about two hours, evidence of how much you can accomplish
when all the doors are open.
Janet
Huckabee, first lady of Arkansas, has the energy level to take
advantage of the opportunities available to her. At 8 p.m. she planned
to drive to St. Louis, fly to Little Rock, sleep briefly and be ready
to fly to Texarkana, Ark., for a full schedule of appointments the
next day.
[Lynn
Spellman]
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Our
money should go down our drain
By
Mike Fak
[JUNE
14, 2001] Someone
needs to ask this question. So, what the heck, I will.
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With
the city of Lincoln facing a $10 million price tag on upgrading our
sewer system for the next half century, why is it that we have been
left out in the cold in regard to Illinois FIRST funds?
There.
I asked the question, and the roof above my desk hasn’t fallen in on
me. I feel the question is a valid one and deserves not only to be
asked but answered as well.
The
city of Lincoln’s need for financial help to rebuild an archaic
sewer system seems to fall appropriately under the governor’s own
definition of what Illinois FIRST’s stated objectives are. They seem
more than valid when one notes FIRST funds of $50,000 going to the
Cook County Guatemalan Chamber of Commerce. Asking for monies for
sewers seems appropriate when one sees $1 million being sent to the
DuPage County Board for architectural and design fees on their county
building. That must be one heck of a building, don’t you think?
I
could give you literally hundreds of instances of FIRST money going up
north that don’t seem to fit any specific category of
infrastructure, save the fact they are going to the districts of the
statehouse’s heavy hitters. I could give you hundreds of examples of
financial largesse that seem to fit only the category of pork barrels
for friends of the governor, but hey, this piece is supposed to be
about the sewers in Lincoln, so allow me to get back on track.
Throughout
the Illinois FIRST website, an individual will find hundreds of grants
for sewer and water upgrades buried among others to obscure
enterprises that in my opinion are by no stretch of the imagination
"dire needs."
I
know all of you hate term papers, so, to make this short, I will list
just a few of the more monumental expenditures given to communities
having the same sewer problems as Lincoln.
[to top of second
column in this commentary]
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I
have pages more, but that should be enough.
Yes,
I know you are already asking what the MWRDGC is all about. I had to
go into another website to find out the initials stand for
Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago. Illinois
FIRST didn’t explain it any better than the abbreviation. You would
think that an entity that receives nearly $40 million for sewers would
deserve at least a moment’s time and effort to have its name
completely typed out on the website. Perhaps with so many grants going
to so many communities, organizations and just plain oinkers in the
state, it seems someone just didn’t find it important to explain
this receptor of funds to mere mortals such as we.
Another
question you might have is, "Have we asked for Illinois FIRST
assistance?" I have reliable information that we have. The
question raised then must be, "Why have we been turned
down?" Which leads to another question: "Are we reapplying
or asking why we are being turned down?" I believe the taxpayers
of Lincoln deserve at least to be told why we are footing this bill on
our own.
There
are too many questions. To date there have been no answers forthcoming
from anyone in the know. Even if the answers are not what we want to
hear, I believe the people of Lincoln deserve to be informed. We
deserve to have our tax money go down our drain, not someone else’s.
[Mike Fak]
Reply
(not for publication) to Mike Fak:
mfldn@lincolndailynews.com
Reply
as a letter to the editor:
ldneditor@lincolndailynews.com
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Welcome
to the em space, a staff writer's commentary section with observations about life experiences in Logan County and
beyond. Enjoy your visit.
-
Mary Krallmann
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A missing category for Father’s Day
I
don’t send Father’s Day cards anymore. Once in a while I look at a few
to see if there are any with messages that fit my thoughts.
I don’t
buy gifts for the occasion either. A can of nuts used to be a standard
idea in our family. Film was also a good choice. The last Father’s Day
gift from me must have been blank cassettes for a tape recorder. I found a
letter with thanks for that.
Recently I
did check an Internet site that advertised possible Father’s Day gifts.
They were arranged for several categories of dads. I could easily have
skipped over the "Caddy Daddy" and "Grandpa" listings
without looking. My dad didn’t play golf, and I don’t know if he ever
imagined becoming a grandfather. Marrying later in life as he did, he was
happy to have a family and see his children grow to adulthood.
I don’t
think he ever spent large amounts of money on clothes, so "Sharp
Dresser" doesn’t sound like the type. As a professional, he did try
to be well-groomed and neatly dressed. He always liked to comb his hair. I
can easily picture him at home in a shirt, tie and overalls, reflecting
both his educational background and a farm boy’s heart.
Except for
visiting the Rockies twice, he wasn’t a "Mountain Man." He did
like to walk on the trails in parks. For him, stops like that along the
way were definitely the more appealing part of any journey, but no special
equipment was required. He had rain gear stowed away in the car in case of
need.
He watched
television some, including sports, but "Couch Coach" wouldn’t
be the right label, especially since a couch was not his usual place at
any time. When he napped, it was on the floor. When he was watching a
broadcast, more than likely he’d be moving around, doing exercises or
going from room to room.
Many items
advertised for a "Gourmet Guy" don’t match my notion of Father’s
Day gifts either, partly because grilling wasn’t on the menu at home.
Dad did most of his cooking during his bachelor days, with refresher
courses when he went away to summer school in later years. He did like
to eat ice cream, but I don’t remember that he indicated an interest in
having a machine to make it. He was the official person to fix Sunday
night popcorn, however. If we got a new popper, it was natural for him to
buy it, since the update depended on whether he had further plans to
rejuvenate the older model one more time.
"Do-It-Yourselfer"
and "Gadget Nut," especially the former, come closer to his
style. The trouble is that the person who fixes things is the one who
knows best what he needs, and if he wants a certain tool or manual, it won’t
always wait for Father’s Day. Besides, much of a do-it-yourselfer’s
equipment is priced well beyond a modest gift budget, especially when
father’s birthday arrives only about a month after Father’s Day.
In
the final analysis, I think of a father much more as a giver than as a
receiver in any category. Besides helping to provide the material
necessities of life, a father gives intangible essentials beyond price in
categories such as his example, his love, his guidance. For that I give
thanks to the Father of us all.
Fourteen
years after my dad’s final Father’s Day, I can look around in my
living quarters and continue to receive his gifts on both symbolic and
practical levels. Taped inside a cabinet door, a message on the label from
one of his popcorn crops wishes me "A happy-snappy, hoppy-poppy
birthday" all year-round. When I need a small hammer or saw, a
screwdriver or a pair of pliers, his are there for my use. At the bottom
of a desk drawer, a scrap of paper with his handwriting lists five things
to do every day. Similarly, letters that remain are full of biblical
applications, advice from other books that influenced his life,
encouragement, playful humor and simple reports of everyday living.
The
last e-mail message I have on file from him ended this way:
"Whatsoever
things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any
virtue, if there be any praise — think on these things."
GOD
BE WITH YOU TILL WE MEET AGAIN.
Love,
Dad
[Mary
Krallmann]
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Where
They Stand
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Where
They Stand is a commentary section that poses a question about a
specific issue in the community. Informed individuals present their
position with facts, opinions or insights on the issue. The
following commentaries have been printed, unedited, in their
entirety, as they were 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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District
vs. at large
April 3 ballot proposition:
"Shall Logan County be divided into districts equal in
population for the purpose of electing County Board members to serve
on the Logan County Board commencing in the year 2002?"
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 YES!
In
January of this year, citizens throughout Logan County circulated
petitions to place this issue on the ballot. That effort was
successful with more than 10% of registered voters signing within a
two-week period (2569 total/2000 needed). The referendum has been
certified by the Logan County Clerk and will be on the April 3rd
ballot throughout the county. The citizens were successful and will
be able to voice their opinion on this matter for the first time in
30 years!
Illinois
law states that every ten years each county in Illinois with a
township form of government shall determine whether board members
shall be elected "at large" from the county or by county
board "districts".
A
"YES" vote on this issue will indicate that residents of
Logan County want to have their County Board members representing
all areas of the county. Each district must be divided equally in
population and will guarantee that all areas are represented! The
present "at large" system allows for all 13 County Board
members to be elected from one area, while the remainder of the
county could end up with no one. In fact, the east side of our
county (from Mt. Pulaski to Atlanta) does not have representation at
the present time! All of the counties surrounding Logan are in
districts. Menard recently changed from "at large" to
"districts" with an overwhelming vote. The greater
majority of counties in Illinois are in districts and have been for
several years. We are not the only county with this issue on the
ballot. Bureau County recently passed a referendum to go to single
member districts. Champaign County has a similar question, as does
Adams County.
Remember
that this question asks how the make-up of the County Board should
be for the next ten years. Under a district system the voter is more
likely to know the person they are voting for. This is your
opportunity to voice your opinion and let your county governing body
know how you feel. If the referendum produces a result in FAVOR
of district representation, then measures will be introduced on the
floor of the Logan County Board to accomplish that goal.
—Rodney
J. White
(Rodney
White is a member of the Logan County Board.)
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NO!
It’s
rather interesting and enlightening to note the places of residence
of people appointed to the Logan County Board to fill terms of
members who have died, moved away, or resigned.
Mr.
Robert "Bud" Behrends was appointed to the Logan County
Board March 18, 1975, to finish out the term of Robert E. Downing,
and Lloyd Hellman was appointed November 15, 1994, to finish out
Robert "Bud" Behrends term on the board. Mr. Behrends grew
up in the Hartsburg area, and spent most of his life in Lincoln, and
Mr. Hellman, who replaced "Bud" has spent most of his life
in the rural Emden area. Mr. Downing was a rural Beason farmer.
The
emphasis on appointments was the type of person needed to
effectively function on the board; not where they resided. A Beason
resident (Mr. Downing) was replaced by a Hartsburg/Lincoln resident
(Mr. Behrends), who was replaced by Mr. Hellman, an Emden resident.
The
above appointments don’t look like "district"
representation. It looks like desire on the part of the replacements
and their ability to effectively function on the Logan County Board.
Mark
H. Werth resigned from the board December 31, 1988. L. Buckles was
appointed to replace Mr. Werth, February 20, 1989. Both were from
rural areas -- Mr. Werth, rural area north of Mt. Pulaski, and Mr.
Buckles, rural area south of Mt. Pulaski.
Mr.
Earl Madigan, who lived southeast of Lincoln, was replaced by Dwight
Zimmerman, who farmed for years just east of San Jose and later
lived in Lincoln. That certainly wasn’t a "district"
appointment. That was an appointment based on the desire of the
person to serve and his ability to serve.
Mr.
Edward L. Spellman, resigned from the board March 18, 1976, and Mr.
Don Smith was appointed to take his place. both came from Lincoln,
Both were successful business people and served well on the board.
Mr.
Robert Welch died in office November 18, 1998. He was a resident of
rural Beason. Mr. Roger Bock of rural Williamsville was appointed to
replace him. Again, not a "district" appointment, but one
based on desire and ability.
To
my knowledge, no proponent of the district plan for electing members
of the Logan County Board has ever submitted a plan, so my question
is: If the at large system of electing county board members is not
flawed, why fix it?
If
the system is working well and the members are getting the work of
county government done, why change?
Will
a district election plan, which apparently is only floating around
in the minds of a few people and has not been committed to paper,
better serve all the people of all the county?? I think not!!!
—Dick
Hurley
(Dick
Hurley is a former member of the Logan County Board.)
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By
the Numbers
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Motor
fuel taxes paid in August 2000
Local
figures are as follows:
Logan
County = $44,078.23
(Counties
receive an allocation on the basis of motor vehicle registration fees, with the
exception of Cook County, which has a percentage allocation set by law.)
Townships
and road districts = $90,973.85
(Townships
and road districts are allocated an amount computed on the basis of mileage in
their jurisdiction.)
City
of Lincoln = $38,003.84
(Cities
receive an allocation based on population.)
[Source:
Economic Development report]
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Population
estimates in Logan County
|
| 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) |
|
Alexis Asher |
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Lincoln High School history
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1859
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Lincoln School
District
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5
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School buildings in
1859
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1
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"Grammar
school" in 1859
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1
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High school teacher,
Mr. January, in 1859
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1870-71
|
Central School opened
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1898
|
High school building
started
|
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1900
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High school dedicated,
Jan. 5
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|
$20,000
|
Cost of new high
school
|
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1920
|
Election authorized
community high school District #404
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1958
|
Dedication of new
Lincoln Community High School, 1000 Primm Road, in auditorium, on
Nov. 9
|
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Alexis Asher
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Lincoln/Logan
County numbers
(2000) |
| 5 |
Wards
in Lincoln |
| 17 |
Townships
in Logan County |
| 29 |
Officers
in Lincoln City Police Department |
| 20 |
Officers
in Logan County Police Department |
| 22 |
Firemen
in the Lincoln City Fire Department |
| 16 |
Rural
Fire Departments in County |
| 13 |
Members
of Logan County Board |
| 10 |
Members
of Lincoln City Council |
| 3 |
Colleges
in Lincoln |
| 44,850 |
Volumes
in Lincoln Public Library |
| 40,000 |
Volumes
in Lincoln College Library |
| 126,000 |
Volumes
in Lincoln Christian College Library |
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How
We Stack Up
|
This feature of the
Lincoln
Daily News compares Lincoln and Logan County to similar cities
and counties on a variety of issues in a succinct manner, using
charts and graphs for illustration.
|
Racial
makeup of selected Illinois counties
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What's
Up With That?
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[Road construction is taking place up and down
Woodlawn Road.]
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