LDN - Sports / Sports Stories

176 weather-alert radios to be
distributed in Logan County

[MARCH 3, 2001] Radios that sound a warning tone when dangerous weather threatens are being given to 176 schools, hospitals, day-care centers, public buildings and mobile home residents in Logan County.

Tom Zimmerman, grant manager of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA), announced the grant of the tone-alert radios in connection with the Surviving Tornadoes through Awareness and Reaction (STAR) program. The program, begun by IEMA in 2000, aims to encourage early warning and preparedness for severe weather. Illinois averages 30 tornadoes a year; in 2000 there were 55.

Recipients of the radios include all schools in Logan County, all day-care centers, hospitals, nursing homes, government buildings, American Red Cross headquarters and some mobile home residents. Dan Fulscher, Logan County ESDA coordinator, said 40 to 50 weather radios will be divided among the mobile home parks in the county, with a lottery to be held in each park. Recipients of the weather radios are expected to alert their neighbors to threatening storms.

Speaking at a March 1 press conference, Zimmerman said Logan County was chosen as a grant recipient because it has an emergency management program in place and because recent tornado damage has raised awareness of severe weather danger. Fulscher said Logan County suffered more weather-related disasters in the last seven years than any other Illinois county south of Interstate 80; these included flash floods, tornadoes, high winds and blizzards.

The STAR program received $150,000 in state funding two years ago. To date it has awarded 39 grants in cities and counties scattered throughout Illinois. Zimmerman said he expects to have distributed 8,000 weather radios by the end of the year.

High-risk public facilities and mobile home parks have been targeted to receive radios in order to "provide places of assembly with critical advance warning time" in potentially life or death cases, Zimmerman said. He displayed a pie chart showing that in the United States 40 percent of tornado-related deaths during the past 15 years have occurred in manufactured housing.

"Early warning capability becomes especially important if you need to go elsewhere to seek shelter," according to IEMA Director Mike Chamness. "We are not suggesting that manufactured homes are not a good place to live; we are saying that they can be made safer if you are aware that severe weather is on the way and immediately seek appropriate shelter."

Greg Brinner, associated with Terrace Mobile Home Park, noted that parks are often located on the edge of town, and therefore are the first to be hit. He said the industry has long recognized the problem of tornado damage and has an active program to provide proper setup of homes.

[to top of second column in this article]

[Dan Fulscher, Logan County ESDA coordinator, accepts an Illinois Emergency Management Agency grant of 176 tone-alert weather radios for Logan County institutions and residents.]

[Rod Palmer, warning coordination meteorologist with the National Weather Service, demonstrates a tone-alert weather radio. The pie chart quantifies where tornado-related fatalities have occurred.]

One purpose of the STAR program is to promote weather radios as a "silent partner" in weather alerts. Rod Palmer, warning coordination meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said he hopes weather radios will become as common as smoke detectors.

The radios are programmed to a countywide code that eliminates confusion with warnings for other areas. They sound an alarm tone when severe weather threatens. They also broadcast weather information and can be used to issue civil emergency messages in events such as toxic waste spills. For the hearing impaired or in a noisy factory, they can activate a strobe light. Portable versions are available for outdoor activities.

Terry Storer, Logan County ESDA assistant director, programmed the 176 radios to receive Logan County information. They can also be programmed to include adjacent counties to give extra time to prepare. With over 500 U.S. weather radio stations, travelers can tune in almost anywhere. Illinois has 13 weather transmitter sites, most built in the last three years. Palmer said that by the end of the year 97 percent of the state will be covered.

Similar radios with battery backup cost about $50 and are available at Wal-Mart, RadioShack and K’s Merchandise. Zimmerman said grant radios will include free battery replacement for a year.

He noted that one advantage of tone-alert radios is their ability to sound an alert at any time. Cable TV overrides and radio announcements provide a valuable service, he said, but they must be tuned in. Warning sirens are also an important tool, but people inside a closed building may not hear them. The radios coupled with weather transmitting stations offer a "warning means not to be found with older modalities," Zimmerman said.

The American Red Cross, the National Weather Service and the Illinois Insurance Association are partners with IEMA in the STAR program. Fay Stubblefield, representing the Logan County Chapter of the American Red Cross, noted that STAR meshes with the organization’s interest in preparedness as a means to save lives.

Lincoln Mayor Joan Ritter thanked IEMA for the grant, and Logan County Board member Dick Logan commended Fulscher for his efforts in securing it.

[Lynn Spellman]

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Beth Davis wins
Republican mayoral primary

[FEB. 28, 2001] With only a couple of precincts to go, Lincoln City Council members and others who were at the regular council meeting joined the small crowd in the Logan County Courthouse around 8 p.m. The mood was pleasant and exhilarating. Various groups of supporters milled around together, awaiting the final outcome.

When the night was over, the numbers told the story. The voters had chosen Beth Davis to be the Republican candidate in the upcoming mayoral race five weeks from now.

In last week’s LDN primary poll, Davis received 49 percent of the polled responses. In the election, she received 44 percent of the final tally, winning with a comfortable lead.

Interviewed by Jim Ash and Mike Fak from LincOn-TV Channel 15, smiling Beth Davis accepted their congratulations and vowed to fulfill her campaign promises if elected to the office.

In a statement to Lincoln Daily News, Davis said, "I am very pleased at the voter turnout. There were five good candidates, and they selected one. I am very pleased. I hope to do as good or better than the current mayor. I’ll work on bringing more jobs into the city and county. I’ll try to be a very good servant for the city of Lincoln. That is what I pledge to do."

[to top of second column in this article]

Mayor Joan Ritter was also interviewed by Ash and Fak, and conceded the election graciously to Davis, whom she praised as a good candidate. She also had kind words for the other three candidates and thanked them by name for their participation in the race. Ritter praised her supporters, especially those who had closely supported her in this race and during her four-year mayoral term. She thanked her husband, and concluded by saying that she looked forward to some rest after 20 years of serving the city as mayor and as an alderman.

Jason Harlow congratulated the winner of the race. He sent a letter to the LDN editor, and you can read it by clicking here.

Five weeks from now, Beth Davis will face the Democratic candidate, Kenneth Gray, in a runoff for the office of mayor of Lincoln. Until then, her campaign signs will remain up and her supporters will remain active to persuade voters to bring her to office.

[Jim Youngquist]

Excellent voter turnout for primary

[FEB. 28, 2001] For weeks before the primary, some people around Lincoln were saying that there wasn’t going to be any surprise at all about the results of the election. But good weather and five candidates vying for the same office brought voters out in record numbers for the Republican mayoral primary yesterday, surprising many.

Of 10,003 registered voters in Lincoln, 3,009 made their way to the polling places on Tuesday to register their choice.

City Clerk Juanita Josserand remarked that it was the largest voter turnout for a mayoral contest in her memory. Josserand said that having five candidates competing for the same office overcame the usual voter apathy and brought out such a large number of voters to support their candidate. "Everybody’s always unhappy about something," she said. "This election brought the voters out to support the candidate they think can fix things."

[to top of second column in this article]

Temperatures in the low to mid-40s and a little sunshine also contributed to the turnout. The recent minor snow quickly melted off and allowed Lincoln citizens access to the polling places.

At the end of the day, the votes were tallied and the candidates received the following number of votes:

Jason Harlow, 5 percent, with 145 votes;

Don Fults, 9 percent, with 278 votes;

Stephen Mesner, 10 percent, with 310 votes;

Joan Ritter, 32 percent, with 967 votes;

and Beth Davis declared the winner with 1,309 votes, which was 44 percent of the total votes cast.

[Jim Youngquist]

City to adopt bed-and-breakfast code

[FEB. 28, 2001] To help encourage bed-and-breakfast businesses in the city, the Lincoln City Council is reviewing a proposed new ordinance. Alderman Glenn Shelton, chairman of the ordinance committee, said at Tuesday evening’s work session that because of increasing interest in this potential new business, he would like to see the bed-and-breakfast ordinance drafted and passed as soon as possible.

Shelton recently met with the city’s one bed-and-breakfast owner, Larry Steffens, and three other potential owners, and reported that people considering starting such a business need some guidelines.

The proposed ordinance, presented by City Attorney Jonathan Wright, would apply to bed and breakfasts in residential areas only. "In commercial areas it’s pretty clear what needs to be done, but there is not much guidance for these businesses in residential areas," he told the council.

The Illinois legislature has approved a bed-and-breakfast act, and the city code will adopt many of its standards, Wright said.

Owners would get permits through the city code enforcement office, and they would have food operations certified by the Logan County Health Department, according to the proposed code. A fire escape map must be posted on the door of each sleeping room; hallways and stairways must be adequately lighted, including exit signs and emergency lighting; furnaces must have one-hour-rated fire doors; and smoke detectors should be hard-wired and interconnected. Owners would also have to give proof of liability insurance.

The proposed code also recommends one off-street parking place for each sleeping room in a residential B and B, as well as a parking space for the owner of the establishment.

The council must still decide how long a B-and-B permit would be in force and what fees, if any, would be charged to the owner.

Les Last, code enforcement officer, said he thought the off-street parking provision would be a problem for B-and-B operators who have four or five sleeping rooms. Alderman Steve Fuhrer agreed.

Alderman Patrick Madigan suggested there might be a designated smoking room with a separate smoke alarm, since interconnected smoke alarms might wake people needlessly. Shelton noted that most potential owners were not going to permit smoking.

The ordinance committee agreed to meet at 6 p.m. next Monday, before the regular council meeting, to iron out the details.

[to top of second column in this article]

The request by Action Rental and Furniture Center, 519 Broadway, to change the direction of traffic in the alley running from Pulaski to Broadway to allow for a drive-up payment window got another hearing at Tuesday’s meeting.

Traffic is presently one-way northbound in alleys from Clinton through Pekin streets. Action Rental has asked that the traffic flow be changed to southbound in the block from Broadway to Pulaski, so customers can make their payments at a drive-up window from the passenger side of a car. According the firm’s president, Henry Baird, the success of Sorrento’s Restaurant, next door to the firm, has made parking difficult for customers who make regular payments on their furniture contracts.

Aldermen discussed the possibility of allowing two-way traffic in the alley, although Street Superintendent Donnie Osborne said he was not sure there was room for two vehicles, because of utility poles and outside stairways.

Police Chief Richard Ludolph recommended that if the Pulaski/Broadway alley becomes two way, the alley from Pulaski to Clinton streets should also allow two-way traffic. The matter will be on the agenda for the next regular meeting.

Fire Chief Ken Ebelherr reported that bids on a new truck will be in by Friday and be opened on March 13. He also told the council that an $100 million federal grant, the Firefighters Investment and Response Enhancement Act, will soon become available for the current year. Fire departments may apply for funds in six categories: training, purchase of vehicles, equipment, personal protection equipment, fire prevention, and wellness and fitness. In most categories, a grant will require a 10 percent local match.

Because of an early deadline, Ebelherr said he would like to apply as soon as possible. The council agreed to leave it up the fire department to determine what they most need and what they can realistically ask for this year. Next year, Ebelherr said, the grant is expected to rise to $300 million, and the fire department will have more time to consider what they should apply for.

In an adjourned regular meeting before the work session, the council approved a three-year lease with Darrell and Sarah Benner of Broadwell to farm the 40 acres the city owns on West Kickapoo Street for cash rent of $4,000 per year. The Benners recently purchased land adjacent to the city’s acreage from Welsh Agribusiness, which had previously farmed the city land.

[Joan Crabb]

Domestic Abuse and Violence
Task Force is awarded a grant

[FEB. 26, 2001] The Healthy Communities Partnership Domestic Abuse and Violence Task Force has been selected as the recipient of the Health Services Administration Rural Health Outreach Mini-Grant.

Funds are being provided to expand awareness of domestic abuse and violence in Logan County through educational programs. Task force members include representatives from Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital, Logan County Health Department, Sojourn Shelter, the Logan County States Attorney’s Office and Logan Mason Mental Health. This program will be implemented in mid spring of this year.

Your tax dollars at work

[FEB. 24, 2001] Logan County Paramedics Association recently purchased a new Medtech ambulance for $92,000 from the county ambulance tax levy. The paramedics have about 3,000 calls per year, and three units (ambulances) are available 24 hours a day for your emergency calls.

[Steve Siltman, Logan County Paramedic associate manager, checks out the new vehicle.]

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