|
East
Park subdivision comes to a stop
[JUNE
19, 2001] Plans
for the proposed 16-home East Park subdivision, which have been
under discussion by developer Rodney White and the Lincoln City
Council for several months, came to a halt Monday evening over who
will foot the bill for upgrading a city street.
|
|
In a
surprise move, the ordinance and zoning committee agreed to approve
the plat for the 16 houses facing Sherman Street only if White
agrees to pay the full costs of putting in curbs and gutters and
upgrading the southeast half of the city street that will serve his
development.
When
the vote came before the full council, all nine members present
supported the committee’s decision. Alderman Glenn Shelton was
absent.
"I
think at this time it is not feasible for me to develop the 16 lots
and upgrade the entire street," White told the council after
the vote. "Thank you for your time and consideration."
White and his wife, Paula, then left the council chamber with no
further discussion.
Before
the vote, Mayor Beth Davis tried to mobilize support for White’s
latest plan. "I’d like to say that people have tried to start
building in Lincoln to make it grow. I am behind this plan, but it
is up to the council."
The
sticking point for the ordinance committee appeared to be the
provision in the city code that a developer must bring a street up
to city code before dedicating it to the city, including installing
curbs and gutters. While that provision always applies to a road
constructed by the developer, there is some question about how it
applies to a road already owned by the city.
"Curbs
and gutters must be put in for a roadway going into a
development," Grant Eaton, sewer plant manager, told the
council, "but I don’t know how you would classify this
road."
Eaton
said the curbs and gutters could be put in now, "but we’d
have to do road work and fill in the ditch first." He also said
if White puts in part of the street now, "we’re going to have
to tear out most of what he does" when it is time to put in
sewer connections.
White
has maintained that he did not want the city to upgrade Sherman
Street until at least half the lots have been sold, so it would not
have to be torn up again to put in sewer and utility lines.
City
Attorney Jonathan Wright told the aldermen they have the authority
to require a developer to upgrade a road if they wish to do so, even
if it is a city street and not a new one. He also suggested the
council ask for a letter of credit, which would assure that funds
provided by the developer were on hand to put in the required
improvements.
[to top of second column in
this article]
|
White
had originally proposed that he would develop the 16 lots along
Sherman Street, donating one to the Lincoln Community High School’s
Technical Education Center for its building trades project, allowing
Lincoln Christian College an easement for a water main and
dedicating a space for a street in case the land behind the 16 lots
was developed. He said he wanted to sell the lots for about $10,000
and allow local builders to put up homes costing $80,000 to $90,000.
He asked the city to upgrade Sherman Street, at the city’s
expense, some time after sewer and utility hookups were in place, a
cost estimated at about $230,000. He also estimated the development
would bring in revenue of $90,000 to the city over 10 years’ time.
White
came to Monday night’s council meeting with a new proposal, to pay
for the curbs and gutters, about $25,000 to $30,000, and install
additional fire hydrants. However, Alderman Michael Montcalm,
chairman of the ordinance and zoning committee, proposed that White
also pay for upgrading the side of the street abutting the property,
because curbs and gutters cannot be installed without preliminary
work.
Aldermen
also expressed concerns about "doing this right,"
according to the ordinance, so they would not set a precedent that
would have to be followed for other developers.
"In
our code it’s always been developers who put in curbs and
gutters," Alderman Steve Fuhrer said.
"Whatever
we do, let’s do it correctly," Alderman Bill Melton added.
"I’ve had several phone calls on this." He said that
other developers were watching the council’s decision.
"We
are walking a fine line," Alderman Patrick Madigan said.
"I’d love to be able to do this [allow the development], but
we are getting away from the ordinance. What are we going to do down
the road for other developers?"
Mayor
Davis said after the meeting that she hoped the city could still
work with White on the development. She said it might be necessary
to change the city ordinance if it is prohibiting development of new
homes in the city.
White has had support for
his development from Lincoln Community High School officials, School
District 27 and local building supply companies. Cindy Olmstead,
director of the Lincolnland Technical education Center, appeared at
Monday’s meeting to urge approval of the new subdivision. She said
the school has difficulty finding lots that students in the building
trades program can use and would like to buy at least three lots
from White.
[Joan
Crabb]
|
|
|
Announcement
County office open for tax payments Saturday morning
 [JUNE
19, 2001] The
Logan County Treasurer’s Office announces the office will be open
from 8:30 a.m. to noon on Saturday, June 23. The first installment
of real estate taxes will be due without a penalty on Friday, June
29. Beginning July 2, a 1½ percent penalty will be charged on the
first installment. The second installment is due without a penalty
on Sept. 5. A penalty of 1½ percent will be charged on the second
installment beginning Sept. 6. The annual tax sale of all property
with unpaid taxes will be at 10 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 29, in the
first floor courtroom of the Logan County Courthouse. Taxpayers are
reminded of the new drop box for the Logan County treasurer. The box
for payments is in the city parking lot on North Kickapoo Street.
|
|
|
|
|
Sunny
skies, shady breezes and bluegrass tunes draw crowd for
Mount
Pulaski Heritage Days
[JUNE
18, 2001] Hundreds
of visitors made the courthouse square in Mount Pulaski a busy place
on Friday evening and Saturday, when the community sponsored its
Heritage Days and Bluegrass Festival.
[Click
here to see photos from Heritage Days]
|
|
The
picture-perfect weather —
blue skies, a refreshing breeze and the shady
courthouse lawn — brought
many folks out with their lawn chairs Saturday afternoon to enjoy a
varied program of bluegrass and other old-time music. The audience
included both young and old, as well as a few family pets. Some
people brought their own coolers, but most took advantage of the
refreshments being sold across the street, including cold drinks and
pork chop sandwiches and dinners.
Keeping
the crowd entertained were a number of area music groups: the Sherri
Farley Trio, McGee Creek, Marcus and Megan Mullins, Farmer’s
Daughter, Long Creek Bluegrass and Rod Nicholson.
People
also visited the museum and toured the historic courthouse, one of
only two surviving courthouses where Abraham Lincoln practiced law
on the 8th Judicial Circuit. Listed in the National Register of
Historic Places, it is the only one restored and furnished as a
operating 1850s courthouse.
[to top of second column in
this article]
|
A
special exhibit of almost 50 quilts, some old and some very new,
brought visitors upstairs to see the courtroom and view the quilts.
The courtroom still has the original floor, so visitors were
standing on the floorboards where Lincoln once stood.
The
colorful entrants in the children’s art contest were displayed in
store windows around the square.
The event was a benefit
for the Mount Pulaski Tourism Committee and Historical Society.
[Joan
Crabb]
|
|
Our
staff offers more than 25 years of experience in the
automotive industry.
Greyhound
Lube At
the corner of Woodlawn and Business 55 No
Appointments Necessary |
The
Mustard Moon
1314
Fifth Street
Gifts ~
Dolls
Infant Clothes
Mention
ad
for 2 FREE votives |
Advertise
your
Garage
Sale in Lincolndailynews.com
--
It's FREE! --
Click
here |
|
|
|
Turner
replacement not picked yet
[JUNE
18, 2001] The
replacement for John Turner as state representative, expected to be
chosen this weekend, has still not been named, according to Mason
County GOP Chairman Mary Jane Jones.
|
|
"There
were a couple of latecomers we didn’t get a complete background
check on," Jones told the Lincoln Daily News. She said
she believed the choice would be made on Thursday at an undisclosed
time and location. The GOP chairmen of the six counties that are in
the 90th District, all or in part, will choose Turner’s successor.
Seven
candidates remain in the race to fill Turner’s unexpired term,
four of them from Lincoln, one from Elkhart and one from Mason
County. Lincoln candidates are Jonathan Wright, currently the city
attorney; Dave Hawkinson, director of marketing and public affairs
at Corn Belt Energy Corp.; John Guzzardo, mayor of Lincoln for eight
years; and George Davis, retiring supervisor of St. Clara’s Manor
nursing home.
[to top of second column in
this article]
|
The
other three are Lois Olson of Elkhart, who is employed by the Illinois
Department of Financial Institutions; Jerry Davis, former mayor of
Leroy; and Tim Sickmeyer of Kilbourne,
in Mason County, with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
Guzzardo
and Davis announced last week that they were seeking the
appointment, shortly before the Wednesday deadline.
The candidate chosen will
fill out Turner’s term, which expires in January of 2003. Most
candidates have said they would run for another term if they were
named to fill the seat. Turner resigned to accept a seat on the 4th
District Appellate Court.
[Joan
Crabb]
|
|
|
|
Lincoln Daily News Archives
now available
[JUNE
16, 2001] Monday,
Aug. 4, 2000. It was the opening day of the Logan County Fair. At
Lincoln Daily News we were preparing for our first year at the
fair. Anxiety, tensions and excitement were riding high. We
had been preparing for weeks, but in reality we had no idea what we
were doing or how it would go. We were going to the fair to let
people know about Lincoln Daily News and to provide county
fair coverage in the
newspaper.
|
|
We look back and
wonder now if anyone would have bothered showing up for work at all on Monday
morning if we had known in advance what we would face that week .
You may remember that on Sunday afternoon, an accident caused a
power outage in Lincoln. That power outage crashed the LDN server,
seriously damaging all our data files. In simple English, we lost
everything that was related to Lincoln Daily News, and LDN on the
Net
was gone, really gone! Talk about stress!
We worked through the
morning not knowing if we would be able to publish that day or any
day soon or if we might actually be done for good. There we were at
the fair, and there wasn't any Lincoln Daily News for the day to show
anyone.
The tech guys tried
to sort out what remained of the LDN website. A couple minutes
before noon we received word that we could post on another server
from a different site for that day. Readers had no idea how close it
was that we even had a publication, nor was it readily obvious that
we were not on our usual site. It was only on closer inspection it
could be noticed that there were a number of oddities. There were
articles on the inside pages that were ages old. More recent
articles were gone. It was a little like being in a nightmare
— lots
of big and little things just weren't quite right.
[to top of second column in
this article]
|
All the damages were
not apparent immediately. LDN was hosted on the temporary site for
weeks before new equipment replaced some of the damaged old
equipment. The biggest loss was our recently completed archives. We
had worked all summer to catalog the articles for complete and
simple reference. Archives were now inaccessible, and the damages
have kept them unavailable until today.
We have worked hard
in recent months, and what is left of the archives is now accessible
again to the public. You can find them at http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/.
You will notice that
some entire issues are missing, others have pictures missing, links
broken, and other anomalies. But for the most part, our publishing
history and the stories about our community are now once again
preserved and ready for your perusal.
The newly restored
archives will allow you to go back through LDN and read past
articles and view pictures. In about a week, our search engine will
be in place and you will be able to search for specific articles,
words, names, etc.
We thank you for your patience, and we
bid you welcome to the newly reopened archives.
[LDN]
|
|
|
Board
to vote on salary and fill vacancy
[JUNE
15, 2001] Logan
County Board members will vote Tuesday evening to accept or reject
the recommendation of the Insurance and Legislative Committee to
increase their salaries effective December 2002.
|
|
The
recommendation calls for an increase from $35 per committee meeting
to $50 and from $50 to $75 for each board meeting.
At
their work session June 14, board member Rod White objected to the
proposal being made at this time, since current talks to divide the
county into districts and to consider the size of the board haven’t
been completed.
"Our
current budget allows for $45,000 for board salaries and mileage
reimbursement," White said. "This proposal calls for a 63
percent increase and would result in an increase in this amount to
over $62,000.
"I’m
not saying we shouldn’t address an increase at some point,"
White said, "but 63 percent is too much at one time in light of
the fact that, by law, we are almost a year premature in looking at
it."
Board
Chairman Dick Logan, who supports the proposal, felt that it would
be an incentive for anyone who might be interested in running for
public office.
"There
might be someone younger who is interested in running for office,
and this salary increase might be a way, as a second job, for the
person to help raise his or her family," Logan said.
A
straw vote Thursday night indicated six members for the change and
four against the measure.
Board
members currently receive retirement and insurance benefits.
[to top of second column in
this article]
|
In
other action at the Thursday work session, Cliff Sullivan, chairman
of the animal control committee, said that they had gone online to
let others know, through the Internet, what animals had been found,
including pictures of the animals and also of those that are
available for adoption.
"There
might be someone in the county or outside of the county that is
looking for a lost pet or one to adopt," Sullivan said.
"With this service we will be able to reach more people that
ordinarily wouldn’t have the opportunity to come to the animal
control office," he said.
Board
members also heard from Roger Bock, chairman of the airport
committee, that the county is still operating the airport.
"We
had two bids for the position of fixed-base operator," Bock
said. "Both bids were rejected by the committee."
Logan
reported to the board that he had received 13 applications to fill
the unexpired term of Beth Davis, who resigned following her
election as mayor of Lincoln.
"I
have decided to interview Gloria Luster, Delmar Stewart and Tom Cash
on June 19," Logan said.
He
also told members that he would submit a name for approval at their
June 19 meeting or at the special session scheduled for June 21.
[Fuzz
Werth]
|
|
|
Senate
Session in Review
Illinois
Legislature approves 540 bills
[JUNE
15, 2001] This
week the governor begins sorting through the 540 bills the General
Assembly approved this spring. Among the legislation gaining support
in both legislative chambers was historic coal legislation and a
comprehensive pro-consumer telecommunications measure that will
dramatically improve telephone service in Illinois.
|
|
The
session also yielded a resolution creating an election task force, a
bill with reforms of the firearm owners identification card
application process and an agreement on insurance coverage of mental
illnesses, according to state Sen. Bob Madigan, R-Lincoln.
The
General Assembly approved a $53 billion budget directing nearly $9
billion toward education spending. The budget also allocates about
$460 million of all new general revenue growth to education, which
is 51 percent of the total new general revenue growth.
The
budget provides almost $80 million for thousands of developmental
disabilities direct-care workers to receive a $1 per hour increase
in pay that is retroactive to March 1, 2001. The budget also
provides $3 million to fund an additional 150 community-integrated
living arrangements for individuals with developmental disabilities.
Other
budget highlights include money to fully fund the Medicaid program
at a 30-day payment cycle without imposing any additional rate
reductions to Medicaid providers and $80 million for updated cost
reports for nursing homes for the purpose of increasing Medicaid
rates for certain long-term care providers.
There
also is $176.7 million included in the budget to fully fund the
governor’s Venture Tech I proposal that will improve the state’s
medical research and treatment capabilities and foster economic
development.
Both
chambers also sent the governor a comprehensive telecommunications
plan that benefits consumers by creating basic, flat phone rates,
providing more consumer choice, and putting into place tougher
service-quality standards and better access to technology statewide.
The
legislation (HB 2900) provides three basic rate packages for
consumers. The legislation also requires the installation of new
basic services within five days of a customer order and requires
companies to credit consumer bills for any period of time beyond 24
hours when basic phone service is not restored. Also, at the request
of the AARP, the bill requires consumers to be notified of the new
quality standards.
Other
legislative action includes legislation sent to the governor that
will rejuvenate the coal industry in Illinois and help meet the
state’s future energy needs. The legislation (HB 1599) creates a
financial assistance program that allows new energy producers and
coal mines to tap into billions of dollars of bond money, provides
state tax incentives for the production of coal and the building of
new power plants, and sets parameters for local governments to
provide property tax breaks for coal mines and new power plants.
The
Senate also took action to improve the election process in the state
by approving Senate Resolution 153 that creates the I-Vote Senate
Task Force on integrity in voting. The I-Vote Task Force will be
composed of 11 members (seven senators and four public members) who
will examine various issues relating to voting procedures and
elections technology and then issue a final report by April 1, 2002.
In
the wake of the Feb. 5 shooting at Navistar in Melrose Park that
left five people dead, the General Assembly approved legislation (SB
1065) that improves the process of applying for a FOID, as a means
to prevent felons from owning firearms in Illinois. The following
are some of the key components of Senate Bill 1065:
•
Allows for the use of the secretary of state’s digital photo
system for FOID card applicants, requires the FOID card applicant’s
signature to be displayed on the card and prohibits use of the
digital images if those images are associated with fraud or
erroneous data.
•
Allows for online FOID card applications when the Illinois State
Police have the capability.
•
Makes giving false information on a FOID card application a Class 2
felony.
•
Modifies the current system in which felons can appeal to the
director of the state police and grants that power to the Circuit
Court in certain cases involving serious felons, in order to give
the hearings more public scrutiny.
•
Makes it a Class 1 felony if someone transfers three or more
firearms to people who do not properly display a valid FOID card and
requires the surrender of firearms after a felony conviction to be
done at a time and place designated by the court.
Another
measure (SB 1341) provides coverage under group policies (based upon
medical necessity) of up to 45 days of inpatient treatment and 35
visits for outpatient treatment per year but does not limit lifetime
coverage. Mental illnesses would also be covered at same amount
limits, deductibles, co-payments and co-insurance factors as
physical illnesses. The legislation does not apply to businesses
with 50 or fewer employees.
Under
this measure, hospital and medical expenses for schizophrenia,
paranoid and other psychotic disorders, bipolar disorders, major
depressive compulsive disorders, depression in childhood and
adolescence, and panic disorder would be covered.
The
following bills were sent to the governor for final approval:
Agriculture
and conservation
MTBE
(HB 171) — Prohibits the sale and production of MTBE as a fuel
additive in Illinois, a move which will allow for increased use of
ethanol.
Value-added
agriculture (SB 994) — Creates a grant program to encourage
businesses to market and package Illinois agricultural products
locally, adding value to the commodities and creating jobs.
Industrial
hemp (HB 3377) — Authorizes a study on the feasibility and
desirability of industrial hemp production in Illinois.
Business
and utilities
Brownfields
(SB 75) — Expands the brownfields grant program.
Mercury
(SB 683) — Requires utilities to inform landowners when they work
on equipment containing mercury.
Boeing
(SB 1285) — Authorizes economic incentives to the Boeing
Corporation as they prepare to move their headquarters to Chicago, a
move that is projected to bring 500 jobs and $4.3 billion in
revenues to Illinois over the next 20 years.
McCormick
Place (HB 263) — Allows expansion of the state’s premier
convention and exposition center and creates a fund for statewide
economic development purposes.
Children
and families
Abandoned
babies (SB 216/HB632) — Allows parents of newborn infants to leave
their baby at a safe haven (church, hospital, fire station, etc.)
for purposes of adoption without repercussions.
Baby
AIDS legislation (SB 1254) — Requires managed-care insurance plans
to cover routine HIV testing for expectant mothers.
Child
support (SB 950) — Publishes a list naming 200 child-support
deadbeats who owe $5,000 or more in back support. (SB 993) —
Notifies parents who are 30 days late (or more) on child-support
payments that simple interest will accrue at the rate of 9 percent.
(SB 661) — Allows the courts to use child-support collection
incentives, such as driver’s license suspension or criminal
prosecution, even after the child reaches the age of 18 years old.
Tobacco
(HB 2254) — Creates a unique driver’s license format for those
younger than age 19 to prevent underage purchase of tobacco.
Car
seats (SB 403) — Increases the maximum fine for failing to use a
child safety seat or seat belt from $25 to $50 for a first offense
and from $50 to $100 for subsequent offenses. (SB 98) — Requires
every person transporting passengers ages 4 to 15 to ensure
passengers are in car seats or seat belts.
[to top of second column in
this article]
|
Consumers
Home
loans (HB 2439) — Creates the Treasurer’s Home Loan Collateral
Fund to help Illinois residents buy new homes or avoid foreclosure
through low-interest loans.
Sweepstakes
fraud (SB 797) — Protects consumers from sweepstakes fraud by
requiring mailings to state clearly that no purchase is necessary,
disclose all information and award the prize within 30 days.
Insurance
discrimination (SB 869) — Prohibits unfair discrimination based
upon race, color, religion or national origin by life, accident and
health insurance policies.
Restricted
call registry (HB 176) — Creates the statewide Restricted Call
Registry for consumers who do not want to be called by telemarketing
sales companies.
Halal
food (SB 750) — Makes it a Class B misdemeanor to misrepresent
food as being halal, food that is prepared under the strict
compliance with laws and customs of the Islamic religion.
Tree
trimming (HB 1776) — Sets standards utilities must follow when
they trim trees on private property.
Crime
FOID
cards (SB 1065) — Provides more oversight for the FOID card
application process, tightens the FOID card felony exemption,
creates a new offense for anyone falsifying a FOID card application,
uses driver’s license photos to confirm identities and cracks down
on repeat FOID card offenders. (HB 1942) — Sets Class 2 felony
penalties for any person who forges or materially alters or
counterfeits a FOID card or possesses a card that has been forged,
altered or counterfeited.
Too-drunk
defense (SB 265) — Eliminates the defense that persons were too
intoxicated to know better when committing a crime.
Meth
labs (HB 978) — Allows stiffer prison sentences on those convicted
of operating an illegal drug lab if emergency response personnel are
injured or killed in connection with illegal drug lab fires or
explosions.
Project
Exile (SB 5/HB 231) — Encourages the federal prosecution of all
persons who illegally use firearms in crimes against others.
Education
School
funding (HB 3050) — Implements EFAB’s recommendations for
minimum per-pupil state funding at $4,560, average daily attendance
and hold harmless. Eliminates the threshold for poverty grants and
maintains the continuing appropriation for school funding through
the next fiscal year.
Education
license plates (SB 1521) — Creates education license plates with
funds benefiting scholarships for teachers. Illinois school children
will design the special plates in a statewide contest.
Marine
Corps scholarships (SB 267) — Creates U.S. Marine Corps license
plates benefiting the Marine Corps Scholarship Fund for Illinois
residents who are children of Marine Corps veterans and plan to
attend an Illinois college or university.
MAP
grants (SB 406) — Increases the maximum Monetary Award Program
grants for undergraduate students to $4,968 for full-time students
and to $2,484 for part-time students.
Veterans’
diplomas (HB 12) — Allows high schools to award diplomas to
honorably discharged World War II and Korean War veterans who left
school to serve during the war and never finished high school.
Government
Quick
take (SR 41) — Sets guidelines for local governments to follow
when they exercise their quick-take authority.
Government
land purchases (HB 3024) — Requires the state to disclose the
beneficiaries of any trusts involved in the state purchase of land
for airports or prisons.
Health
Health-care
grants (SB 149) — Expands health-care options to improve access in
medically under-served areas through a community health center
expansion program.
Nursing
aides (SB 1504) — Prohibits a mental health or developmental
disability facility from employing a nurse’s aide who has been
found to have physically or sexually abused a patient.
STD
testing for attackers (SB 1049) — Provides victims of sexual
assault with information about their attackers’ HIV and STD
status.
Breast
cancer (HB 25) — Provides Medicaid coverage, under the Department
of Public Health’s breast and cervical cancer screening program,
for uninsured women under the age of 65 who have tested positive for
breast or cervical cancer.
Mastectomy
coverage (SB 866) — Requires all insurance companies to offer
coverage for prosthetic devices and complete reconstructive surgery
for patients who have had mastectomies.
Emergency
contraception (SB 114) — Requires a hospital to inform a rape
victim about emergency contraception or provide the medication if it
is requested.
Baby
AIDS legislation (SB 1254) — Requires managed-care insurance plans
to cover routine HIV testing for expectant mothers.
Mental-health
parity (SB 1341) — Provides the same insurance coverage for
serious mental illnesses as for physical illnesses.
Taxes
College-savings
deduction (SB 902) — Creates a state income-tax deduction for
contributions to Bright Start, the treasurer’s college savings
plan on which earnings are already tax-deferred.
Tax
deadbeats list (SB 60) — Publishes the names of delinquent
taxpayers who owe between $1,000 and $10,000 in back taxes.
Currently, only those who owe more than $10,000 are publicly named.
Transportation
DUI
(HB 2265) — Requires use of ignition interlock devices for
restricted driving permits and increases penalties for drivers who
test for double the legal BAC limit or drive under the influence
with a child younger than 16 in the vehicle. (SB 660) — Increases
penalties for repeat DUI offenders. (SB 64) — Increases the fine
DUI offenders pay to trauma centers from $25 to $100 for a first
offense and $200 for a subsequent offense. Creates an additional $5
fine to benefit spinal-cord-injury paralysis research. (SB 20) —
Makes it a Class 4 felony to injure someone while driving drunk in
school zones during times the 20 mph rule is in effect.
Scott’s
Law (HB 180) — Requires motorists to take certain precautions when
approaching a barricade or a stationary emergency vehicle displaying
flashing warning lights. Violators face license suspension and a
fine of up to $10,000.
Car
keys (SB 115) — Car dealers may not issue replacement keys for a
vehicle without making a copy of the person’s driver’s license
and keeping it on file.
[News
release]
|
|
|
North Kickapoo
Street temporarily closed at tracks
 [JUNE
14, 2001] The
railroad crossing on North Kickapoo Street, near the Dollar Store
and Michelle’s Garden Shop, will be closed starting Monday, June
18, and reopen at 7 a.m. Monday, June 25. Automobile and single-axle
truck traffic can detour to McLean or Hamilton streets, but
tractor-trailers will be routed completely around Kickapoo Street
onto Lincoln Parkway. The railroad will be installing a new concrete
crossing to replace the old rubber crossing, according to Donnie
Osborne, Lincoln street superintendent.
|
|
|
Two
more local people seek House seat
[JUNE
14, 2001] Two
more Lincoln residents have announced they are seeking the
appointment to the 90th District House seat vacated by John Turner.
They are George E. Davis, retiring administrator of St. Clara’s
Manor, and John Guzzardo, former mayor of Lincoln and restaurant
owner.
|
|
Davis
believes his 31 years of running a multimillion-dollar operation and
his longtime interest in politics would be assets in serving as a
state representative. He was campaign co-chairman for recently
retired Judge Gerald Dehner when Dehner ran for state’s attorney
and Circuit Court judge. Recently he served as treasurer for Tim
Huyett’s successful run for state’s attorney. He is especially
interested in the concerns of senior citizens and issues concerning
Public Aid.
Guzzardo
served as mayor of Lincoln for eight years, as a school board member
in Elementary District 27 for 10 years and as an alderman from Ward
2 for one year. Currently he serves as president of the YMCA. A
lifetime resident of Lincoln, he and his son, Nick, operate Guzzardo’s
Italian Villa restaurant.
He
said he hopes to be chosen to represent the people of Illinois House
District 90 and will serve in the best way he can.
[to top of second column in
this article]
|
Davis
and Guzzardo bring the number of Logan County residents seeking the
post, vacated when Turner was appointed an Appellate Court judge, to
five. Others are Dave Hawkinson, Lincoln, marketing director at Corn
Belt Energy Corp.; Jonathan Wright, Lincoln, who serves as city
attorney; and Lois Olson, Elkhart, with the Illinois Department of
Financial Institutions. Other candidates are former LeRoy Mayor
Jerry Davis, DeWitt County Republican Chairman Jered Hooker and Tim
Sickmeyer of Mason City, who is with the Illinois Department of
Natural Resources. Four other potential candidates have dropped out
of the race.
The appointee will be
chosen this weekend by the six Republican Party county chairmen
whose counties are, completely or in part, in the 90th District.
[Joan
Crabb]
|
|
|
White
withdraws de-annexation proposal
[JUNE
14, 2001] Developer
Rodney White has withdrawn his request for a binding agreement with
the city of Lincoln to improve Sherman Street in front of his
proposed 16-home East Park subdivision and said he would settle for
a "good-faith effort on the part of the city" instead.
|
|
At
Tuesday’s work session of the council, White said he would not ask
the city to pass a disconnection agreement for his property and then
agree to reannexation with the stipulation that the street would be
improved by the city. Because he does not want the road work done
now and because an agreement of this kind is usually binding for
only one year, the disconnection and reannexation would be necessary
to ensure the city will do the work.
White,
a New Holland resident and a member of the Logan County Board, wants
to develop 16 homes on lots fronting Sherman Street. Another
developer, Steve Boch, had planned to build 57 homes on the 14.66
acres but dropped plans for the development. White and his wife
purchased the property, but White plans to develop only 16 homes at
present.
He has
asked the city to pay the estimated $230,000 cost of upgrading the
street so he can keep the price of the lots down to about $10,000.
He envisions homes costing about $80,000 and would try to make lots
available to local builders, keeping the money in the local economy.
White
said he did not want to have an upgraded road, with curbs and
gutters, put in at present, because the work would have to be torn
up again to install utilities, sewer and water lines. Instead he
would like to get all sewer work done before the road work begins.
He said he thought the three- to five-year stipulation in the
annexation agreement was "a little ambitious" for his
building plans.
He
also gave the council his estimate of the revenue the city would
receive from his new development, based on $90,000 homes.
For a
10-year period, the 16 homes would bring taxes of $60,000,
sewage-plant revenue of $28,000, and sales taxes of $7,200, bringing
the total to $90,000, he said. He is also asking the council to
approve his final plat so that he can begin work.
"I’ve
done some research on what he says, and the revenue is about what he
says it will be," Alderman Steve Fuhrer told the council.
Although he is in favor of the development, Fuhrer said he had some
concerns about White’s plans conflicting with the city ordinance
covering developers.
The
city has an ordinance which says developers will put in streets with
curbs and gutters when building a new street in a development.
However, Sherman Street is an already-existing street, and Fuhrer
said he did not know if that would fall under the ordinance. City
Attorney Jonathan Wright said that the city would have the authority
to ask a developer to improve an existing street if it wished to do
so.
[to top of second column in
this article]
|
Fuhrer
said he did not want to set a precedent that might have to be
followed for other developers. The ordinance and zoning committee
will meet at 6:30 p.m. June 18 to discuss whether to approve the
final plat.
Talks on sewer line for Campus View
Drive
In
other business, sewer plant manager Grant Eaton said he has talked
to officials at Lincoln Christian College about running a sewer line
down Campus View Drive to provide service for 12 homes at the end of
the dead-end gravel road. The homes still have septic tanks.
Although the homes are in the city, the road belongs to the college.
He said the college is willing to dedicate the road to the city,
which would allow the line to be run. He agreed to ask the college
if they would give the city an easement if the city does not take
over the road.
Grant possibility for police
officer at schools
The
council heard a presentation from Police Chief Richard Montcalm
about applying for a grant for a school police officer. This officer
would spend 75 percent of his time at Lincoln Community High School
and the rest at other schools in town. The grant would pay the
officer’s salary for the first three years; then the city would be
obligated to pay the $44,820 yearly salary for the fourth year.
The
current grant application must be submitted by June 15, but council
members said they would like more time to study the proposal before
deciding to apply. Chief Montcalm said there would be other such
grants in future, and the council agreed to study the matter before
another grant opportunity comes up.
"A
school resource officer is becoming a very popular thing for schools
to have," Chief Montcalm said. He said he would like to see the
city have one but it was not necessary to apply for the current
grant.
Increased
pension contributions for firemen
The council also heard a
report from City Clerk Juanita Josserand that the contribution to
the Fireman’s Pension Fund must be increased. The city has not
been paying enough into the find since August of 1999, she said.
Instead of paying $9,000 this year, the city will pay a total of
$15,509 to bring the fund up to its current required total.
[Joan
Crabb]
|
|
|
Council
faces decisions on sewer rates
[JUNE
13, 2001] The
Lincoln City Council has begun what promises to be an ongoing series
of debates on sewer charge increases, which will be needed to pay
for the $10 million loan for the upgrade of the city’s sewer
plant.
|
|
The
big questions the council must decide are, first, how to allocate
the increases between residential and commercial-industrial users,
and then how to restructure the fees paid by commercial-industrial
users.
The
sewer plant, already operating at capacity, must be upgraded to
assure that the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency will allow
the city additional sewer hookups. If the IEPA decides the sewer
plant cannot handle an increased load, it can turn down requests for
new hookups and thus stall any growth in the city.
Grant
Eaton, sewer plant manager, said the city is already getting
requests for sewer extensions and new hookups.
To
secure the $10 million loan from the IEPA, the city must have a
"dedicated revenue source," Carl Alsbach, program manager
for Environmental Management Corporation, told the sewer and
drainage committee Tuesday evening. EMC manages Lincoln’s sewer
plant, as well as others throughout the Midwest.
Alsbach
suggested a $1.86 monthly increase for residential users, who
currently pay $11 per month, and a complete reallocation of the fees
paid by commercial-industrial users. He said there are 548
commercial-industrial users who are paying only $11 per month, the
minimum rate.
This
fee may not accurately reflect the real use of the sewage treatment
plant, because charges are based on water use, not on the load sent
to the treatment plant, he said.
Eaton
pointed out that when rates were last increased, probably about
1994, residents bore most of the cost. Alsbach recommended that the
council look at the various types of commercial-industrial use and
reallocate the fees for these users so that charges will be more in
line with the actual load on the sewer plant. He said he would bring
examples of charges made by other cities and urged sewer committee
members to move quickly. The council doesn’t have a lot of time,
he pointed out, as the final design of the plant will be done in 90
days and the IEPA then has 90 days to approve it.
[to top of second column in
this article]
|
"I
can’t move forward without bigger decisions being made by
you," he said.
Council
members also questioned the share of the debt service to be paid by
the Lincoln and Logan Correctional Facilities, which are hooked up
to the city sewer plant.
Under
the present plan, the correctional facilities will pay 22.4 percent
of the cost, a norm set by the IEPA. However, a year ago they
accounted for 40 percent of the load on the treatment plant. Eaton
said there has been progress in bringing the prisons’ share of the
load down to 22 percent, and they now at about 35 percent of the
load.
Patrick
Madigan, a member of the sewer committee, said he was concerned that
city residents would be paying for treating some of the prisons’
load on the sewer.
Eaton
said he would continue testing to see what the load from the
correctional facilities is, but told the committee the prisons have
a big incentive to bring down the load.
"They
know if it doesn’t go down, they will have to pay for additional
technology or disconnect and built their own treatment plant, and
they don’t want to do that," Eaton said. The correctional
facilities can also be fined if they don’t meet IEPA requirements,
Alsbach noted.
Alsbach
recommended that city representatives draw up an agreement with the
prisons about the payment schedule and that aldermen also talk to
the commercial-industrial users who may be seeing a fee increase.
The
20-year loan of $10,066,207 carries an interest rate of 2.905
percent, Alsbach said, and will be repaid at $667,000 per year, paid
semiannually. Some of the cost will come from the sewer plant’s
current revenue, as well as the share paid by the prisons. Eaton
said he is applying for grants which may reduce the cost somewhat,
and is currently working on a grant for $500,000.
The completion date for
the sewer plant upgrade is projected to be April of 2003.
[Joan
Crabb]
|
|
|
Part
2
Veteran
horsewoman offers riding classes
[JUNE
13, 2001] Ann
Liesman, whose stable is located just off old Route
121 north of Lincoln, is offering riding classes through the Lincoln
Park District the week of June 18 to 22.
|
|
[click here for
Part 1]
At
Lebanon, Ill., she recently judged an open horse show, meaning that
the horses were of varied breeds. She saw many nice horses and
enjoyed herself. Still she described it as a grueling experience,
judging 22 classes of seven to 18 horses each in five hours, moving
all the time, with only one soda and no break. The ring had not been
wet down, so she worked in clouds of dust.
[Annette Bates walks Hambone clockwise around the ring.]
Donna
Laroux, who worked as ringmaster, reporting the results to the
announcer, asked Liesman how she picked the five winners in each
class so quickly. Liesman said she knows what she’s looking for
and therefore can eliminate some of the horses easily. Her biggest
problem, she said, occurred when a horse she had picked for a winner
made a major mistake, like misbehaving or taking the wrong canter
lead, and she had to look again at other horses that she had passed
over.
The
number of private lessons Liesman gives varies per week. For the
hour-long lessons she prefers students who are at least 7 years old.
Some students ride their own horses; for others Liesman provides the
mount. What she teaches depends on what the individual wants to
learn. For example, she must be more exacting with a student who
wants to show compared to one who wants to trail ride or pleasure
ride. Although the Park District course will be Western, she also
works with English style. Western riders sit a trot, for example,
while English riders post a trot, sitting for one beat of the
two-beat diagonal gait and holding themselves above the saddle for
the next beat.
[to top of second column in
this article]
|
Nancy
Sprague has been taking lessons from Liesman for about six months,
trying to unlearn some bad habits. Early in the training Liesman
took away the bridle, forcing Sprague to ride with just a halter and
lead rope until she gained a lighter hand. Now she works on turning
the horse while maintaining speed. Liesman instructs her to use her
arms like levers, one pulling back to turn and the other moving
forward to give the horse some room.
[Nancy Sprague checks Beau's girth strap before her lesson.]
The
majority of the lesson is devoted to cuing the horse to change
gaits. To cue a walk, Liesman explains, the rider moves his or her
hand forward and squeezes with both legs. Squeezing a little harder
and firmer with both legs signals a trot. The canter in English
style or lope in Western, each a controlled gallop, is more
difficult to cue. The rider must shift weight, cock the horse’s
head slightly, squeeze with the outside leg and raise both knees.
Temporarily Sprague uses a riding crop to tap the horse’s shoulder
to start the canter.
Sprague
sees positive results from Liesman’s instruction. "She saved
my bacon more than once, because I could hear her voice in the back
of my head when I was about to get in trouble," she said. That
voice no doubt said something like what it is saying now:
"Shift
your weight to cue him. You do not lean forward, ever."
"Keep
your hands quiet and still."
"Beautiful!
By George, I think she’s got it!"
[Lynn
Spellman]
|
|
|
Part
1
Veteran
horsewoman offers riding classes
[JUNE
12, 2001] "Squeeze
with your knees."
|
|
"Sit
down, sit back, give him a cue."
"Talk
to your horse."
These
are some of the directions that Ann Liesman calls out from the
center of the indoor ring as she guides a student rider through her
private lesson. Liesman, whose stable is located just off old Route
121 north of Lincoln, is offering riding classes through the Lincoln
Park District the week of June 18 to 22.
[Annette Bates holds Hambone to clear the way for
another rider.]
Of
the 16 slots in the program, at least 15 are taken. Anyone who has
completed first grade on up can take the series of five one-hour
classes, offered at 9 and 10:30 a.m. and 1 and 2:30 p.m. to four
students at a time. Cost of the classes is $75 for Lincoln residents
and $80 for others. Students must wear a helmet and shoes with
heels.
New
students will learn to walk and trot. More advanced work is possible
depending on the individual, Liesman said. She plans to use games
such as Simon Says, obstacle courses and timed events to practice
skills such as turning and guiding. She stresses that students
absolutely must pay attention and follow directions. Otherwise, the
young riders will endanger themselves.
Danny
and Hawk, two of the horses to be used for the classes, belong to
Liesman, while Beau and Mirage are owned by Laurie Muck and by Greg
and Donna Laroux, respectively. Hawk, a recent purchase, is 12 years
old; all the others are over 20. Liesman said that although it is
not unusual for a horse to live past 30, most horses are no longer
ridden regularly after they reach 25 to 28. However, if they are not
arthritic or crippled, they can be used occasionally, especially
with light riders.
[to top of second column in
this article]
|
[Ann Liesman calls out lessons and encouragement
from the center of the indoor ring.]
Although
private students learn to clean and tack up their horse before
riding and untack and brush afterwards, time does not permit these
activities at the group classes. Annette Bates, who boards her
Morgan, Hamlet (called Hambone), at the stable, stressed the
importance of saddling one’s own horse. "It’s a time for
the rider to get comfortable with the horse, to sense if something
is wrong," she said.
Bates
and Katie Muck will help Liesman get the four horses cleaned and
saddled by 9 a.m. for the classes. They may also help spot the
horses in the ring, but Liesman will do all the instruction.
She
was trained by Charlotte Stubblefield of Atlanta, one of the premier
horsewomen in the country at the time. Liesman also worked for
Stubblefield for a year and has 50 years of experience as a rider.
At age 3 she rode a draft-type horse by herself at Holzwarth’s
Neversummer Ranch in Colorado. She said that when the horse would
bend its head for a bite to eat, she would often slide down its neck
and land on the ground. Then someone would put her back on, and she
was ready for another trail.
(To
be continued)
[Lynn
Spellman]
[click
here for Part 2]
|
|
Back
to top
|
News
| Sports
| Business
| Rural
Review | Teaching
& Learning | Home
and Family | Obituaries
Community | Perspectives | Law
& Courts | Leisure Time | Spiritual
Life | Health
& Fitness | Letters
to the Editor
|
|
