[JUNE 29, 2001]  Edward C. LaScola Jr., 19, of Hopkins Park was arrested at 11 last night, June 28. A Logan County grand jury indicted him yesterday with six counts of first-degree murder in the death of 11-month-old Daneysia Williams, daughter of his girlfriend, Kimberly Williams. The incident took place in Lincoln on Sunday afternoon, May 27.

LaScola was picked up by Lincoln Police Department and has been transported here. He is presently in the Logan County Jail waiting a hearing. He is being held on a $1 million bond. His first arraignment was scheduled for 10:30 this morning, June 29.

Logan County State’s Attorney Tim Huyett said that LaScola is the last of the suspects to be arrested in this case.

[LDN]

[JUNE 29, 2001]  Starting July 1, the office of Jonathan Wright, state representative for the 90th District, will be located at 407 Keokuk St. in Lincoln.

The office phone number is (217) 732-4011; fax number (217) 732-8971.

Wright replaces John Turner of Atlanta, who served almost seven years as the state representative from the 90th District. Turner is now a justice of the 4th District Appellate Court.

[News release]

[JUNE 28, 2001]  After 14 years of dedicated service to the 45^th Senate District, Sen. Bob Madigan, R-Lincoln, is resigning from office to pursue another career opportunity. His resignation will take effect June 30.

"I have enjoyed every day of my tenure in the Illinois Senate," said Madigan. "It has been both a pleasure and privilege to serve the residents of the 45^th District. Originally, I had hoped to serve 12 years in this position, but I have been blessed to serve even longer. For that, I would like to thank my constituents for their trust in my abilities. It has been a tremendous honor to serve as your state senator."

Madigan was appointed Wednesday by Gov. George Ryan to the Illinois Industrial Commission. His appointment will be effective July 2. The Industrial Commission administers Workers’ Compensation and Occupational Diseases Acts that provide compensation for accidental injuries or death suffered while employed in the state.

"I am grateful for this opportunity and proud of the confidence the governor has shown in making this appointment," Madigan said. "This will be a new challenge and one where I believe I can make a contribution."

As a legislator, Madigan has made several noteworthy contributions over the years. He currently serves as chairman of the Senate Insurance and Pensions Committee (formerly the Insurance, Pensions and Licensed Activities Committee). He is also a member of the Licensed Activities Committee and the Agriculture and Conservation Committee.

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In the General Assembly, Madigan was a leader in the fight to maintain the financial integrity of the five state pension funds, while boosting retirees’ benefits. He was the leading negotiator for the retired teachers health insurance program and for mandatory auto insurance and consumer issues. Madigan also fought successfully for HMO reform and a Patients’ Bill of Rights in Illinois. This year, Madigan successfully pushed for creation of an insurance ombudsman to advise the uninsured on their options.

In the area of agriculture and conservation, he passed the Conservation Enhancement Program and supported key proposals to diversify agriculture and boost rural economics. Madigan is immediate past co-chairman of the Illinois Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus.

Before his tenure in the Senate, Madigan served as Lincoln city clerk, taught special education and was a claims specialist for State Farm Insurance. He and his wife, Connie, live in Lincoln and are the parents of two adult children, Patrick and Amy. They are also the proud grandparents of 3-year-old Teran.

The 45^th Senate District includes all of Logan, Mason and DeWitt counties and portions of Tazewell, McLean, Piatt and Woodford.

[News release]

[JUNE 28, 2001]  The Airport Committee of the Logan County Board will be looking at plans for a nine-hole golf course on property by the airport, probably at the committee’s next meeting on Monday, July 2, according to County Board Chairman Dick Logan.

[Joan Crabb]

[JUNE 28, 2001]  The public is invited to the dedication of the Dunlap House, Middletown’s Stagecoach Inn, at 4 p.m. on the Fourth of July.

Agenda

• Invocation
• Presentation of colors by Middletown American Legion
• Presentation of certificates of recognition
• Recognition of class of 1948 — flagpole
• Dedication of the Dunlap House (Stagecoach Inn)
• Speaker: Dr. Wayne C. Temple, Illinois historian
• Tour of the inn
• Music

• Refreshments

The dedication will take place rain or shine.

People attending are asked to bring their lawn chairs.

The event is sponsored by the Middletown Bicentennial Commission.

[News release]

[JUNE 28, 2001]  Lincoln’s police department has just been awarded another grant, this one $28,900, to continue work on violence prevention with kindergarten through fourth graders.

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[Joan Crabb]

[JUNE 27, 2001]  Safe Ride, the Lincoln area’s only taxi service, is now under new ownership, but for the immediate future riders will see no change. However, a 50-cent fare hike may be coming soon.

[to top of second column in this article]

[Joan Crabb]

[JUNE 27, 2001]  Main Street Lincoln, the organization dedicated to revitalizing downtown Lincoln, will be getting some financial help from the state, according to Sen. Bob Madigan.

"I’m pleased to announce that Main Street Lincoln will receive a $10,000 state grant from the Department of Commerce and Community Affairs," said Madigan, R-Lincoln. "The money will be used to restore an old public drinking-water well from the days of Abraham Lincoln."

The well, now covered up, is located on the current site of VFW Post 1756, formerly Deskin’s Tavern, a place where Lincoln stayed on his travels throughout central Illinois as a lawyer.

Wendy Bell, program manager for Main Street Lincoln, said the $10,000 grant will be put to good use.

"The plans are to completely restore the old water well and make it part of the town’s official Lincoln sites," said Bell. "Restoration will once again make the well usable, and there are a number of ideas for promotion, including making the well a public drinking fountain … [and] bottling the water for sale, with a label depicting Mr. Lincoln."

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The city of Lincoln is one of many Illinois communities participating in the national Main Street program, which was begun in 1980 to help communities revitalize their historic or traditional commercial areas.

[News release]

[JUNE 26, 2001]  It really isn’t news, but you have probably noticed that gasoline prices continue to plunge lower and lower. The average price at the pump in Illinois right now is reported at $1.65. Area stations are posting a price of $1.49 for their base grade this morning. Over the weekend prices dipped as low as $1.34 in Bloomington in a regional gasoline price war.

The word in the gasoline industry is that we should expect prices to continue in a temporary downward trend. The Lundberg Letter, a petroleum industry newsletter, confirms this information from a variety of sources but reserves judgment on how low prices should be expected to go or how long they will remain low.

Industry insiders have stated that the price increases we experienced this spring were not intentional attempts to maneuver the gasoline market and make more profits but were rather the result of extremely low inventories and poor planning for increased demand at the refineries. The result, however, was higher profits for refiners and suppliers.

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Although the price increases were not intentional, insiders say that the refineries have learned an important lesson: They have more power than they previously had imagined. There is little competition at the supplier level because supplies are tight. All the refiners now have access to the same information, courtesy of satellite and Internet information sources. When one refiner decides to raise prices, the other refiners will follow suit and also raise prices. The result will probably be an unstable gasoline market for the foreseeable future.

So, for now, take advantage of lower prices. And let area fuel-station managers know that you appreciate the opportunity to save a little money.

[LDN]

[JUNE 26, 2001]  The special Senate committee on the Teachers Retirement Insurance Program had its first meeting Thursday. The session dealt specifically with the financial health of the program, according to Sen. Bob Madigan, committee chairman.

"The Segal Company, which was hired to assess the financial health of TRIP, presented us with an abundant amount of information," said Madigan, R-Lincoln. "The information, including possible suggestions for addressing the financial problems facing TRIP, will be very helpful to the committee in crafting workable solutions."

Retirees under the Teachers Retirement Insurance Program face the potential for a large premium increase in order to keep the program solvent. An originally projected increase of 45 percent was recently lowered by the governor to 21 percent.

Madigan says the testimony at the first hearing clearly shows a very difficult and complex decision awaits the legislature and state government.

"When we look at the short-term solution that’s facing us now and coming up with a solution to be considered during the veto session, this committee needs to determine how best to reach that short-term solution," said Madigan. "We must determine whether our long-term goals for TRIP can be met while also addressing the short-term problem, or whether we make the short-term decision easier to reach now with an eye toward a long-term decision."

Madigan said the work the committee will do over the summer is very important to 40,000 people enrolled in TRIP now and to the thousands of retired teachers who will come into the program in the years ahead.

According to Segal’s Mitch Bramstaedt, using current data available, the 21 percent or even the 45 percent increase is not enough to save the program unless specific steps are taken.

"We calculate an increase of 54.2 percent would be required," said Bramstaedt. "However, if we were to blend in managed health plan costs, we find the increase would only be 44.8 percent.

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Bramstaedt also noted that the current method for estimating the state’s matching contribution to the program has consistently underestimated the match. He also said the current funding approach, which is a pay-as-you-go method, is inadequate because the population of retired teachers continues to grow and mature and the number of retirees needing medical care continues to exceed payroll increases paid by active teachers.

Steve Cyboran, also of the Segal Company, told panelists that a long-term funding mechanism that properly pays for the benefits over the working life of active teachers is needed; otherwise, TRIP will continue to face financial problems in the future.

"Medical costs are likely to continue outpacing payroll contributions made by active teachers, which is the main basis for the funding revenue," said Cyboran.

The next meeting of the special Senate committee on the Teachers Retirement Insurance Program has been tentatively set for July 26. The location has not been determined.

Members of the committee include Chairman Madigan; Republican Sens. Stan Weaver, R-Urbana, Tom Walsh, R-LaGrange Park, and Dave Syverson, R-Rockford; and Democratic Sens. Vince Demuzio, D-Carlinville, Denny Jacobs, D-Moline, Ricky Hendon, D-Chicago, and James Clayborne, D-East St. Louis. Other committee members include representatives of the Illinois Retired Teachers Association, the Illinois Education Association, the Illinois Federation of Teachers, the Illinois Association of School Boards, the Illinois Association of School Administrators and the director of the Illinois Department of Central Management Services.

The committee is directed to report its recommendations to the Senate no later than Nov. 1. The fall veto session begins Nov. 7.

[News release]

[JUNE 25, 2001]  A decision on the video production of Looking for Lincoln will be made Wednesday, June 27, according to Paul Beaver, committee chairman. A final meeting of the committee will determine which company will complete the documentary.

The committee has presented to the production companies the information requested to be included in the documentary. The planners feel they have many photographs, local people and stories of incidents that will make an interesting historical panorama. The video will include scenes of the Middletown Stage Coach Inn, conversation with Mr. Lincoln and John D. Gillett in Elkhart, a courtroom scene in Mount Pulaski and pictures by Lloyd Ostendorf, as well as other photographs and paintings which will convey everyday scenes and events in the life of Abraham Lincoln in Logan County. Local residents who have any historical photographs or paintings of Abraham Lincoln are asked to contact Paul Beaver.

Shirley Bartelmay reported that during the month of May over 200 visitors stopped at the Postville Courthouse to discover the history of Abraham Lincoln's work as a circuit lawyer in Logan County. She said that 123 visitors came individually and 96 school children arrived in three separate groups.

 The site is looking for more volunteers, as occasionally some of the present volunteers go on vacation or have other necessities arise. The training is entertaining and interesting. The 47 current volunteers include schoolteachers and many senior citizens. Richard Schachtsiek, site manager, is present at the courthouse every Friday and Saturday. Volunteers may contact him there and also have a chance to see the courthouse if they have not visited in the past.

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The Lincoln College Museum has also shown an increase in attendance due to the Looking for Lincoln activities. Museum curator Ron Keller reported that attendance and sales have increased. Over 400 people visited the museum from mid-April to mid-May. A woman from York, England, and a group from Virginia visited recently, as well as many other tourists.

Larry Steffens, chairman of the Lincoln Statue Committee, reported that a short video has been made to provide information to the public regarding the proposed living history theme park, including wagon rides, split rail fences, 1850 manned and working mills and barns. The videos have been distributed for public viewing at the following businesses: Wal-Mart, Bonanza, IGA, Kroger, video stores, Lincoln Public Library, City Hall, Franz Express and others.

[Kathleen McCullough]

[JUNE 25, 2001]  Community leaders here are continuing to bring the construction of a 305-foot statue of Lincoln artist Lloyd Ostendorf’s depiction of Abraham Lincoln closer to reality. Videotapes explaining their plans and answering the many questions that residents of this historical city have posed are being shown throughout the area. The videos have been distributed for public viewing at the following businesses: Wal-Mart, Bonanza, IGA, Kroger, video stores, Lincoln Public Library, City Hall, Franz Express and others.

Committee members feel that educating the residents of the city as to the benefits to be derived from this project is an important first step in securing the support of the entire community for honoring the city’s connection to Mr. Lincoln.

Mayor Beth Davis and the Lincoln City Council overwhelmingly back the project and believe that the increased popularity of the city of Lincoln as a national tourist destination could answer many of the area’s economic woes.

One of the prime concerns of the committee is to maintain control of the project and constantly work to make the statue and the adjacent theme park area a family-oriented destination that will honor and display the values and ideals for which Abraham Lincoln was famous.

The theme areas at the park could encompass the statue as the centerpiece, with outdoor theatre, IMAX theatre, art gallery and animatronic displays of Lincoln’s famous moments in history.

[to top of second column in this article]

Other areas could be dedicated to an early 1800s working farmstead, an area for period arts and crafts with costumed workers lending authenticity to the attractions, a water park which would be a summer attraction, and many more.

The next committee meeting, for voting members only, will be at 7 p.m. June 26 at the Union Planters Bank. This session will work on the prioritizing of the proposed sites for the park in conjunction with the city’s managers and engineers.

The statue committee is actively seeking endorsements from all of the area’s civic groups and will be glad to make presentations of the project upon request. Larry Steffens says that many of the little issues have been resolved following the original presentation of the project, and a new PowerPoint presentation has been prepared. You can contact Larry Steffens at 732-6102 to schedule a presentation.

[News release]

[JUNE 23, 2001]  ^"This is your next state representative. He emerged from an outstanding field of candidates after a deliberate and thorough process. He is articulate, sincere, honest, intelligent, blessed with common sense and a strong work ethic."

With these words John Turner of Atlanta, for almost seven years the state representative from the 90th District, introduced his successor, Jonathan Wright. Turner, now a 4th District Appellate Court Justice, wore his robes as he administered the oath of office to Wright in a standing-room-only second-floor courtroom in the Logan County courthouse Friday afternoon. 

"You are embarked on a great journey. You will have good days and bad days. But the honor of representing the 105,000 people of this district is one you will never forget," Turner said. 

"I am honored and humbled to receive the appointment from among so many fine, strong candidates. I know it was a difficult decision," Wright told the crowd. "John Turner has been a fine representative for this district and set a high standard. I will try to meet it." 

Wright was chosen from a field of seven candidates by the Republican Party chairmen of the six counties that are in the 90th District. He will complete Turner's unexpired term and will run again for the seat in November of 2002. 

"We had a lot of good candidates. I think we made a good selection," said Ron Sparks, Logan County GOP chairman. 

"It was the right choice," affirmed Jered Hooker, DeWitt County GOP chairman and at one time a contender for the office. He and Sparks both said the six GOP chairmen, whose choice was unanimous, and the other candidates would support Wright in his election bid next fall.

Wright said he would assume his new duties immediately, with a high priority on getting out into the district and getting to know his constituents. He said he has already informed Lincoln Mayor Beth Davis that he will be resigning as city attorney, although he will stay until the city finds a replacement. 

[to top of second column in this article]

Asked if he would continue with a private law practice, Wright said he might practice some real estate law but would not be involved in litigation and would not serve as city attorney because of the time commitment necessary. 

Wright was appointed city attorney by Lincoln's former mayor Joan Ritter when she took office in 1997. Ritter attended the swearing-in ceremony along with a number of other city, county and 90th District officials. 

"I think they selected a man of good character and morals. He's not abrasive, and he will do well serving the citizens of the 90th District," Ritter said. 

Turner resigned after his appointment to the Appellate Court, and the GOP chairmen of Logan, Mason, DeWitt, Tazewell, McLean and Piatt, which are all or in part in the 90th District, had the job of choosing a successor. 

No one knows whether or how much the upcoming redistricting will change the 90th District before Wright runs for the seat, according to Sparks.

"The map has moved northward after the last census. The last two times they've remapped, the district has moved north," he said. A further move north might remove some of Logan County from the district. 

Although Wright himself has never run for political office, politics runs in the family. His father, Harold Wright, a former high school teacher in Wheaton, was a precinct committeeman in Bloomingdale Township in the western suburbs of Chicago. 

"I've done my share of walking door to door, and Jon carried pamphlets, too," the elder Wright said. 

After retiring as a teacher, Harold Wright was appointed regional representative for the Department of Education for Region 5, which includes the states of Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota. 

He later served as administrator of management services for the Department of Education during the Ronald Reagan administration, working under both Secretaries T. H. Bell and William Bennett. 

Wright's parents, his sister, his wife and three daughters, along with many friends, attended the ceremony.

[Joan Crabb]

In memory of Dan Bird

[JUNE 23, 2000]  A gentle soul, one who truly loved mankind, has slipped from our presence here on earth. Dan Bird passed away on Wednesday evening this past week.

Bird granted Lincoln Daily News an interview for our Thanksgiving issue last year. In his memory and in honor of his wife, Elaine, we offer this re-posting of that interview. Our condolences to the family of this wonderful man.

[Originally posted NOV. 22, 2000]  Thanksgiving. We pause now to offer thanks. On the eve of that big thankful day of the year, what are your thoughts? Are you too preoccupied thinking of all there is to do for the holiday — all the shopping, fixing meals, taking care of kids, running around on errands, cleaning, company coming over — all the proverbial ups and downs of the holidays.

Whether you are simply wondering what someone else finds to be grateful for on this chilly day here in the heartland, or are on a quest to sort out your own thankfulness, you are sure to glean something from the insights gained by one local man’s experience. He shares from the heart his profound experience. He has boiled it down to the most important of the important.

Dan and Elaine Bird came to Lincoln four years ago for Dan to study at Lincoln Christian Seminary. He graduated in May with a master of arts in counseling ministry. The following is an account of his unique experience that brings him to say, "I’ve just got to be the most grateful person in Logan County."

Wouldn’t we all like to say that? If we could take heed of the lessons he so graciously shares with us here, we could all be living much fuller lives.

After about five years of battling prostate cancer we’d exhausted most of the traditional methods, and one year ago tomorrow, the day before Thanksgiving, I got the bad news that the cancer had spread from small spots on the bones to all over the bones from head to toe — from my skull to down near my ankles and all points in between, and, something it doesn’t normally do, it even went to the liver.

I was pretty shaken up. It was a rough Thanksgiving and a rough Christmas. At that point, since we had exhausted everything that is considered effective, my future was looking pretty bleak. Most people, including medical personnel, were pretty sure that it was going to be my last holiday last year, and anyone that knew my prognosis believed that that was going to be it! And I fell in line with them. I believed that they were correct.

I wrote a will, I planned a funeral. I called all the people I wanted to be pallbearers, the whole nine yards, so I could get that behind me and so that my wife wouldn’t have to deal with it. Anything else I felt like I needed bring to closure, I did! Any conversations I need to have, that kind of thing (I did).

But, it’s a year later and the next Thanksgiving is just one day away, and I’m here! 2000 was such a roller coaster I’m out of breath. We did some nontraditional therapy and chemotherapy, which is usually not very effective against prostate cancer. It has been moving the cancer back. At least at this moment that’s what’s been happening.

So, I’m looking forward to this Thanksgiving. This Thursday is going to be my best Thanksgiving. I’m going to my son’s house, and I am incredibly grateful. I am so, so, looking forward to Christmas!

Q: What do you find to be thankful for this year?

A: Oh my — being here, this is a big thing for me! I am not taking it for granted, because I was so convinced I would not be alive for this coming Thanksgiving and Christmas. I had a lot of reasons to believe that.

I know it sounds trite to say I am grateful to be alive, but I guess you really have to experience having it taken away from you to really appreciate it. I guess it would be like someone having their sight restored or their hearing restored. I’m incredibly grateful just to be here this year.

I guess probably what really adds color to it all is how close I have gotten to so many people this last couple of years while I was dealing with cancer. This last year, particularly when people thought I was going to die, how deeply they would share with me, how much they would care for me. I am so grateful for the relationships that came out of my illness.

Q: You have had five different death sentences. Many people know the charged feelings we get after we have a close brush with death. Your experiences have not been mere brushes, but definite pronouncements made with certainty. Miraculously you are still here. Could you say a little more about what happens when you face and survive this repeatedly?

A: It wakes up your senses! It really, really does! What has happened with me, and I think this is choice because I have talked to other people who have faced these things — every one faces it a little differently — but what happened to me was it put everything in priority. The things that I used to think were important, the goals I set and raised, I found out that many of them were really secondary. What is happening (now) is that I’m enjoying life so much because I am finding the things that are really important. I focus and function on those, and probably that gets centered around people, not accomplishing my goals in life, and not bringing in income.

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My wife and I were pretty middle class before we moved to Lincoln. This illness has taken away much of our financial security, but it hasn’t robbed us of anything that’s important. Our love for each other has grown, and I’ve found out how much I can depend on Elaine. I had no idea how much I needed her. It spreads from there to how much I need other people and how much I want to be a part of other people’s lives.

When I thought I was going to die — and miraculous is the word — for whatever reason, God decided I needed to be here a little longer than what the doctors originally thought. I have (been forced) to look it over. I don’t say this every day, but I know I live it. All right, I’m alive now when I shouldn’t be. What am I supposed to do with that? Who am I supposed to talk to? What purpose am I here to fulfill? God has given me more time, and there is a reason for that! I usually find myself involved in someone else’s life when I follow that line of thinking.

Q: How do you stay focused on being thankful?

A: I guess I was struggling with this question until it hit me why! It was bothering me because I don’t always stay focused on being thankful. I’m taking chemotherapy every week, and I’m having a nasty reaction to it as far as being weak all week long. It’s not as bad as it could be, but it keeps me from being productive as I want to be. I can only work part time and that sort of drives me crazy because there’s so many things that I want to do that I can’t do. And it’s very easy to sink into despondency. It’s very easy to begin feeling sorry for myself.

In order to be thankful, it is a matter of focus: being thankful! I don’t make it (to being thankful) enough. This week has been easy. There was a great sermon at church, people are talking about being grateful for Thanksgiving, and I’ve just got to be the most grateful person in Logan County! There can’t be anyone more grateful for Thanksgiving than I am because I know that I dodged a bullet to be here, maybe more than one. But I want to make that decision, and when I make that decision, then it starts happening.

Q: If you could recommend one thing, what would you say we should all do this season?

A: That is probably the easiest question I have ever been asked. Now, if I had been asked that question five years ago I probably would have come up with something a little more along the lines with my profession. I would have probably tried to come up with something profound in a sermon or a lesson, but I’ll tell you what, this last year has been so experiential. This last year has made so clear to me my very favorite line in any movie or any book, from Charles Dickens in the "Christmas Story," when the ghost cries out, "Mankind was my business!"

I think about last Christmas and the people that came to my door. (They came doing) "The Twelve Days of Christmas." They came by every day doing another one every day for 12 days. It was hilarious, but it’s so vivid in my mind because people cared.

Some days at church I can’t make it up to greet people. I end up sitting in a pew. I can’t get up and go shake hands, but they come to me. And these people bring their hearts to me. They bring their lives to me. These are the things that keep me going.

It’s other people that drives me! My relationship with my boys; they’ve become my best friends. My relationship with my wife, the sweetest relationship on earth!

None of these are perfect, but if I were to recommend one thing, find a way to become involved in other people's lives. Do whatever it takes!

Dan and Elaine came here after 23 years of ministry in Clark County in southern Illinois. Both grew up in Michigan — Elaine (maiden name Telfer) in Lansing and Dan from Owosso. They have been married 32 years and have three sons. Brian, 29, and his wife, Jody, recently moved to Sarasota, Fla., with their daughters, Haley and Emily.  Aaron, 24, and wife Pandy live in Lincoln. Colin, 23, single, also lives here in Lincoln. Bird serves part-time as pastoral care minister at Jefferson Street Christian Church.

Happy Thanksgiving, Birds, and all Logan County!

[Obituary: Dan Bird]

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