[MARCH 6, 2001]  The city zoning committee met last night to discuss a new proposed ordinance concerning bed and breakfasts in the residential districts of Lincoln. Aside from a few points on the language of the ordinance, committee members discussed both fire safety and parking clauses at length.

Fire Chief Ebelherr and fireman Tim Aper were present to clarify the issues surrounding the fire code provisions in the ordinance. The committee clarified language on the requirement of lighted exit signs and inserted a clause requiring that the businesses submit floor plans to the fire department. The provisions in the code do not go beyond what they would ask a homeowner to do but take into consideration the safety of the general public. As Alderman Glenn Shelton said at the meeting, "This requires more responsibility to the general public…but we don’t want it to become an obstacle to the businesses."

A second issue which the committee considered at length was a clause requiring that one off-street parking spot per unit be provided by the bed and breakfast. City residential building code already stipulates that parking spots cannot be located in the front yard. Upon inspection of a few proposed sites in Lincoln, the committee found that this requirement could be somewhat difficult for some new bed and breakfasts to meet. Against the advice of city code enforcement officer Les Last, the clause was removed from the ordinance.

[to top of second column in this article]

The committee decided on a $30 annual license fee. They also decided on a required annual life-safety inspection that would be provided at no cost. The ordinance was then tabled. The ordinance will be discussed with the whole council on March 13 and will be voted upon at the March 19 council meeting.

[Trisha Youngquist]

[MARCH 6, 2001]  Tuesday evening’s Lincoln City Council meeting was short but included two petitions of note. Action Rental and Furniture Center, 519 Broadway, petitioned to have the direction of traffic changed in the alley between Broadway and Pulaski streets. Mayor Joan Ritter petitioned to have March 2001 designated as Red Cross Month.

Action Rental has had issues with customer parking recently with the addition of Sorrento’s Pizzeria next door to their business. To better accommodate their customers, they have added a drive-up window on the alley side of their business. In order for customers to make payments from the driver’s side window, Action Rental petitioned to have the direction of traffic switched from one-way northbound to two-way traffic. Many of the aldermen inspected the situation and found no problems. The petition was unanimously approved by the board members.

Mayor Joan Ritter petitioned to have March 2001 declared Red Cross Month in order to recognize the importance and achievements of the Red Cross. This petition was also unanimously approved by the board members.

[Trisha Youngquist]

[MARCH 6, 2001]  The rent, or lack of rent, on the 3.5 acres of farm ground at the Logan County Airport was again discussed by the County Board's Airport/Farm Committee Monday night.

According to board records, Don Otte, who farms the parcel, hasn't made payments from 1996 to present. The committee decided to send Otte a letter requesting payment, with a reply deadline of 30 days.

Members also discussed letting someone else farm it, or other ground management proposals could be explored.

In other action, the members voted to take half of the 2,000 bushels of beans and half of the 4,000 bushels of corn along with 647 bushels of beans stored at the county farm and put them up for sale for the next 30 days.

The motion, made by Lloyd Hellman, would offer the corn at $2.05 per bushel and the beans at $4.50 per bushel.

[to top of second column in this article]

Replacement of the mowers was also discussed. Rod White will follow up to see if the county can buy any surplus from the State Highway Department.

[Fuzz Werth]

[MARCH 5, 2001]  It was a big day Friday at Lincoln Christian College and Seminary as they had a groundbreaking ceremony for their new athletic facility. The new facility replaces a long-outdated, too small gymnasium that sits behind the cafeteria. The new $3 million, 30,000-sq.-ft. facility will house some office space, training rooms, locker rooms, a weight room, a lobby and concession area, and a large gymnasium that will seat more than 1,000 spectators. It will also have its own parking lot. As coach Jeff Mayfield points out, "You gotta think big to be big."

[click here to see more photos from the groundbreaking ceremony]

LCC/LCS is known for their rigorous studies and high academic standards, but they also strive to support these standards in all aspects of student development and personal life. LCC/LCS recognizes that Christian values are communicated in everything we do, including athletics.

"Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might," says coach Kevin Crawford, citing Ecclesiastes 9:10a.

Coach Nancy Siddens points out, "Winners — everyone playing to their fullest potential."

It is in holding to these high standards that the school steps forward with confidence in the importance of building this new facility. "As an athlete on the court you represent your family, your hometown, your home church, Lincoln Christian College and Seminary, and most of all Christ," says coach Mayfield.

The mission statement for the building of this facility reads:

Lincoln Christian College and Seminary values students and their holistic development in and out of the classroom. Our objectives and educational philosophy encourage our students to glorify God in his or her physical body through opportunities for Christian service, spiritual formation, social development, and individual physical health. This new athletic facility will be constructed with that end in mind.

Faculty, students, board members, supporting church members, and alums gathered in the chapel at 10 a.m. Friday. Lynn Laughlin, vice president of student development, former basketball and baseball coach and athletic director, joyously welcomed everyone. It was with great sentiment that he recalled some of LCC/LCS history. Then, following some brief introductions of guests and a few words from Dr. Keith H. Ray, LCC/LCS president, the crowd was led out to the new site that is located just in back of the chapel.

Several shifts wielded the honorary gold shovels. In the starting lineup there were Dr. Marion Henderson, distinguished professor of New Testament, athletic director 1952-1972, men’s basketball coach 1952-1968, baseball coach 1960-1962 and 1969-1975; Jeff Mayfield, director of partnership development, men’s basketball coach 1990-1996; Nancy Siddens, assistant director of financial aid, women’s basketball coach 1986-1999; Kevin Crawford, vice president of finance, women’s volleyball coach 1991-present; Randy Kirk, director of student services, athletic director, and men’s basketball coach 1996-present; Mike Gaston, alumnus and friend of LCCS.

Other dirt-tossing shifts included President Ray and members of the school’s board of directors.

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Previous groundbreaking ceremonies were in 1953 for the original campus, in 1964 for Restoration Hall and in 1970 for Earl C Hargrove Chapel.

While P.J. Hoerr of Peoria was awarded the new construction, local contractors will be used for $2 million in renovations. The renovations entail converting the present service building, which is located in the middle of the campus, into a student center with offices, reception and conference rooms, a game room, and a student lounge. A new service building will be constructed at the edge of the campus. Also in the plans are renovations of dormitories and student apartments, including new siding, furniture, carpeting and light fixtures, and replacing flat roofs with new, gabled roofs that will match those of the new athletic building. Updating building exteriors and interiors also includes staining yellow exterior brick to match the other brick on campus.

The current economic impact of LCC/CS on the Lincoln community is a little less than $15 million a year, considering the money paid to employees and spent locally. With the new facility LCC/CS will be able to host regional and national sports tournaments and other sports events. The new athletic facility will increase that economic impact on Lincoln by bringing people to town for athletic events.

With a completion goal by the end of 2001, the Preachers and the Angels should start the new 2002 year playing in glory in their new facility.

[LDN]

[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.

[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.]

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]

[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]

[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]

[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]

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