[NOV. 20, 2001]  Complaints about stray animals prompted Lincoln City Council members to request a report from Logan County Animal Control about its services.

"I’ve had another letter about the animal problem," Alderman George Mitchell told the council at its meeting Nov. 19. "Could we have a county animal control officer come tell us what it does and does not do?"

Mitchell said he and other council members have been getting letters and phone calls from Lincoln residents about the services of the county agency. He said he had a complaint from a woman who called the agency about a squirrel in her attic and was told it did not handle incidents of that type.

Mayor Beth Davis said at least once a week the city gets a phone call from a resident who cannot get in touch with anyone at the animal control service.

She said she has also been hearing on weekends and off hours about dogs running loose and feral cats.

"These calls should be going to Animal Control. We want them to handle these calls so they don’t get referred to the city. People say they call and all they get is a recording. Maybe we should get them cell phones. We are paying for their services, and they should provide better service," Davis said.

The city does not have an animal control service but contracts with the county to pick up stray animals for a fee of $27,951 per year.

Alderman Verl Prather said he would contact Logan County Board member Clifford Sullivan, who is chairman of the animal control committee, to see if he could talk to the council at its committee-of-the-whole meeting on Nov. 27.

Police Chief Rich Montcalm presented two awards to area businesses that have helped with the DARE anti-drug program’s fishing derby. Awards went to Kay and Walter Goodman of Hickory Lane Campgrounds in Atlanta and to Bert Rawlings at the Lincoln Cycle Center. The Goodmans host the fishing derby, and Rawlings helps provide the prizes, including the winner’s choice of a bicycle.

[to top of second column in this article]

City treasurer Les Plotner said that once again the city’s treasury is suffering from the current low interest rates.

"We are going to take a beating on interest, but there is not much we can do about it," he told the council.

He said he purchased a certificate of deposit for the Lincoln Firemen’s Pension Fund from State Bank of Lincoln for an interest rate of 2.92 percent, and also invested Firemen’s Pension Funds with the Illinois Public Treasurer’s Investment Pool at 2.968 percent. He said he did not even check treasury bills because they are at the lowest rate they have been in the past 42 years.

The council heard a letter from U.S. Rep. Ray LaHood, promising to continue to work to get the Lincoln Developmental Center in compliance with federal regulations. They also heard a letter from Mick Turner, representing LDC employees, asking for help keeping the facility open by writing to state officials.

The council and other city officials were also invited to attend the Logan County Chapter of the Coalition of Citizens with Disabilities in Illinois meeting at 7 p.m. Dec. 7 at the Maverick Steak House. Speaker for the evening will be Tonia Bogener, an assistant attorney general in the Disability Rights Bureau of the attorney general’s office in Springfield. The bureau is responsible for enforcing the law that ensures physical access to public facilities by people with disabilities. The public is welcome to attend also.

[Joan Crabb]

[NOV. 20, 2001]   

We are writing this letter in that once again we need your help in keeping Lincoln Developmental Center open. The new management team has been working diligently to make the changes necessary to pass the Department of Public Health inspection. Needed improvements are being made.

Lincoln Developmental Center is a fine facility, staffed by 700 employees who genuinely care about the developmentally disabled individuals they care for. If the Center were to close, the loss of 700 jobs in Lincoln would be devastating to a community that has recently lost many other jobs.

Anything you can do to help us during this trying time for our employees and our individuals who live at and rely on LDC would be greatly appreciated.

Sincerely on behalf of LDC employees,

Mick Turner

A sample letter to send to your representatives in government

Dear Governor Ryan,

I am writing in reference to the recent difficulties at Lincoln Developmental Center. As a member of the community I would like to express my great concern for keeping the facility operating in Lincoln...

I am not only concerned for the residents, but for the economic impact and potential loss of a historically valued institution.

I am in favor of remedying the patient care problems at the LDC facility, preserving the existing facility and jobs for Lincoln and Logan County.

Please make your decisions to make this a win-win situation for everyone concerned: the patients and the people of Logan County.

Sincerely,

Your Name

Address

Phone Number

[to top of second column in this article]

Addresses

Gov. George Ryan

State Capitol

Springfield, IL 62706

Sen. Claude Stone

618 N. Chicago St.

Lincoln, IL 62656

U.S. Rep. Ray LaHood

3050 Montvale Drive - Suite D

Springfield, IL 62704

Jonathan Wright

407 Keokuk St.

Lincoln, IL 62656

Gwenn Klingler

1128-E Stratton Building

Springfield, IL 62706

Raymond Poe

E-1 Stratton Building

Springfield, IL 62706

Larry Bomke

111 State House

Springfield, IL 62706

Please sign your name, address and city at the bottom of each letter and forward to all of the above addresses no later than Dec. 1, 2001.

[NOV. 20, 2001]   

Congressman Ray LaHood

18^th District, Illinois

November 9, 2001

The Honorable Elizabeth Davis

City of Lincoln

PO Box 509

Lincoln, IL 62656

Dear Beth:

Thank you for your recent letter regarding the Lincoln Developmental Center (LDC) and the difficulties that are currently being experienced there.

I fully realize how important LDC is to the many longtime residents, their families, and the more than 600 employees who operate the facility. I have been in regular communication with the new facility management, as well as the Illinois Department of Human Services (DHS), since I first heard of the possibility of decertification by the Federal government.

My staff recently visited LDC, and also participated in the parents’ forum hosted by State Representative Jonathan Wright, State Senator Bud Stone, and State Senator Larry Bomke. Rest assured that I will continue to closely monitor the State’s progress, and encourage them to work vigorously to get the Lincoln Developmental Center back on track, and in full compliance with Federal regulation.

I appreciate the time you took to relay your thoughts on this important issue. If you have any questions, or if there is anything else that I can be doing in this matter, please do not hesitate to contact my constituent services specialist, Judy Hinds, at my Springfield office, or my district casework and projects director, Carol Merna, at my Peoria office.

Sincerely,

Ray LaHood

Member of Congress

Today’s history

Compiled by Dave Francis

324th day of the year

"Life’s been good to me so far." — Joe Walsh

"Now I can go back to being ruthless again." — Robert Kennedy, after winning a race for Senate.

1602 — Otto von Guericke, inventor (air pump)

1620 — Peregrine White, son of William and Susanna White, born aboard Mayflower

1866 — Kenesaw Mountain Landis, judge and first commissioner of baseball

1889 — Edwin Hubble, astronomer (discoverer of galaxies, red shift)

1908 — Sir Alistair Cooke, author

1917 — Robert C. Byrd, U.S. senator

1920 — Gene Tierney, actress; died 1991

1920 — Ricardo Montalban, actor

1925 — Robert Kennedy, U.S. senator; died 1968

1929 — Dick Clark, Mount Vernon, New York, TV host ("American Bandstand")

1947 — Joe Walsh musician, guitarist, singer

1956 — Bo Derek [Mary Cathleen Collins], actress

1956 — Mark [Marcus] Gastineau, football player

[to top of second column in this article]

1789 — The United States Constitution’s Bill of Rights is ratified

1789 — New Jersey becomes the first state to ratify the Bill of Rights

1873 — Budapest is formed when the rival cities of Buda and Pest are united to form the capital of Hungary

1888 — William Bundy invents the first timecard clock

1914 — Photographs became a requirement on passports from the United States State Department

1917 — Under the command of General Elles, 324 tanks strike at the German lines in the battle of Cambrai, France — the first major battle to involve tanks. By the end of the battle no gains have been made and the British have 43,000 casualties.

1945 — The war crimes trials of 24 German World War II leaders begin in Nuremberg

1947 — "Meet the Press," which ran for more than 29 years on television, airs for the first time

1962 — The Cuban missile crisis ends. The Soviet Union removes its missiles and bombers from Cuba, and the U.S. ends its blockade of the island. 

1967 — The census clock at the Department of Commerce in Washington, D.C., passes 200 million

1998 — Afghanistan’s Taliban militia offers safe haven to Osama bin Laden, accused of planning two United States Embassy bombings in Africa

[NOV. 19, 2001]  On a summerlike day, 200 residents, guardians and supporters of keeping the beleaguered Lincoln Developmental Center open gathered at the State Street side of the facility. At the gathering, organized by the LDC Parents Association, over two dozen in attendance were allowed to speak to the crowd.

The rally, with two others planned in the next two weeks in Springfield, was to show support for the institution and its employees. LDC is facing possible state decertification, which would make the institution ineligible for federal Medicare assistance and in effect shut the center down.

The problems stem from a group of reported infractions by staff personnel in the past two years as well as cited problems in administration and lack of manpower, which employees at the center have no control over.

The rally was to show that the family members and guardians of the residents support the employees at the center and resent so-called watchdog groups speaking on their behalf for closure to the 125-year-old institution.

[to top of second column in this article]

Late this summer a report of alleged abuses by employees caused the center to replace the administrator as well as move some 80 residents to other less crowded facilities. LDC was given 120 days to show progress in correcting problems.

Both parents and union officials implored the governor to give the center enough time to show that they can correct all cited problems before he makes his final decision. Rumor is strong that the governor will make his decision early in December.

The above event took place on the LDC grounds Saturday, Nov. 17. 

[Mike Fak]

Today’s history

Compiled by Dave Francis

Monday, Nov. 19

323rd day of the year

"If I only had a little humility, I’d be perfect." — Ted Turner

"Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth, upon this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal." — Abe Lincoln, Gettysburg Address

1752 — George Clark, American frontiersman; died 1818

1831 — James Garfield, U.S. president; died 1881

1905 — Tommy Dorsey, musician, trombonist and bandleader

1917 — Indira Gandhi [Nehru], prime minister of India; died 1984

1921 — Roy Campanella, Brooklyn Dodger catcher (NL MVP 1951, ’53, ’55)

1926 — Jeane J. Kirkpatrick, Duncan, Okla., (R), U.S. ambassador to United Nations

1930 — Bob Mathias, Tulare, Calif., decathelete (Olympics, gold, 1948)

1931 — Brook Benton, soul vocalist ("Rainy Night in Georgia")

1933 — Larry King, New York City, radio-TV host "143 Arivadechi" ("Larry King Show," CNN)

1936 — Dick Cavett, Kearney, Neb, talk show host ("Dick Cavett Show")

1938 — Ted Turner, broadcasting mogul, owner of Atlanta Braves, winner of America’s Cup

1939 — Garrick Utley, Chicago, newscaster ("First Tuesday," "NBC Weekend")

1941 — Dan Haggerty, Hollywood, Calif., actor ("Grizzly Adams")

1942 — Calvin Klein, Bronx, N.Y., fashion designer (Calvin Klein jeans, CK)

1962 — Jodie Foster, Bronx, New York City, actress ("Taxi Driver," "The Accused")

1620 — Mayflower reaches Cape Cod and explores the coast

1703 — The "Man in the Iron Mask," a prisoner in the Bastille prison in Paris, died. His true identity was the cause of much intrigue and is celebrated in the literary works of Francois Voltaire and Alexandre Dumas.

1850 — Carolyn Ingraham, 36, of Madison, N.J., purchases the first life insurance policy issued to a female

1863 — President Lincoln delivers the Gettysburg Address as he dedicates a national cemetery at the site of the Civil War battlefield in Pennsylvania

1895 — Frederick E. Blaisdell of Philadelphia, Pa., patents the paper pencil, which is a pencil that writes on paper

1928 — Published for five years, Time magazine presents its first cover portrait. The subject of the cover is Japanese Emperor Hirohito

1942 — Soviet Red Army troops begin a massive counteroffensive against the Germans at Stalingrad

1959 — After two years and 110,847 cars, the last Edsel rolls off the assembly line. Ford Motor Company stops production of the vehicle because of poor sales.

1959 — The famed cartoon series "Rocky and His Friends" premieres on American television

1961 — A year after Chubby Checker hit No. 1 with "The Twist," the singer appears on "The Ed Sullivan Show" to again perform the song. "The Twist" shoots to No. 1 again on Jan. 13, 1962, becoming the first record to reach No. 1 a second time.

1998 — Vincent van Gogh’s "Portrait of the Artist Without Beard" is sold at auction for more than $71 million

[NOV. 17, 2001]  The I Promise Program, a national effort to reduce teen-driver-related car crashes, is set to launch in earnest in January to the general public, but an insurer with an advance opportunity was the first to register a teen. The press release below was distributed to the insurance industry.

Agents can now promote a teen-driver safety program and better their own loss ratios — a win-win for parents, communities and the insurance business.

Car crashes are the leading cause of permanent injury and death for teens across North America. The I Promise Program, a new initiative to reduce the crash rate among teens, is now available for agents to introduce to parents when writing new teen policyholder business.

"We learned that agents take their role quite seriously when writing new teen business. Many invite the teen with their parents for a meeting prior to providing the insurance policy," says Gary Direnfeld, founder and executive director of the program.

"They want to make sure the teen understands their obligation to themselves, their parents and the community to be responsible road users. This creates an opportune time to promote the I Promise Program and for getting families to register right on the spot," Direnfeld explains, "and at the end of the day, fewer crashes reflect well on the agent’s book of business."

The I Promise Program helps parents and teens come to agreement on issues that relate most to teen car crashes. Together they discuss, negotiate and complete a parent-teen mutual safe driving contract. The document provides the basis of a social contract between parent and teen and encourages discussion on those issues that relate most to the risk of car crashes.

To seal the contract, a decal that displays a toll-free phone number is placed in the rear window of the car. This enables community reports on driver behavior. Calls are taken by a professional call center. Reports are mailed only to the parents so that the information can be managed per the pre-negotiated terms of the contract. This process facilitates accountability between parent and teen and to the general community with regard to responsible road use.

[to top of second column in this article]

Agents can go to the I Promise Program website, www.ipromiseprogram.com, and print out a registration form to enroll the teen and parents. Parents and teen complete the form and mail with payment to the I Promise Program. The information is added to a database for access in the event a call is received. At the same time, a parent-teen mutual safe driving contract, as well as the rear window decal that displays the toll-free number, is mailed to the family

The initiative has received high praise from numerous organizations and government offices from eight countries around the world. Over 80 letters of support are available for viewing on the website: http://www.ipromiseprogram.com/support.htm.

The goal of the program is to reduce teen-related car crashes by 10 percent, which would equate to a reduction of over 800 deaths and 40,000 serious bodily injuries across North America annually.

"It’s not just an insurance solution parents of new teen drivers are looking for. It’s help with their anxiety. Now agents can offer a new solution to ease the tensions and fears of parents with new teen drivers. They can be introduced to the I Promise Program," says Direnfeld.

Recognizing the long-term effect on their bottom line, agents are now linking their websites to www.ipromiseprogram.com in an effort to get as many of their clients registered as possible.

Several major insurance companies are now considering making the program available themselves to reduce their own loss ratios and provide a customer and community service.

The I Promise Program presents a win-win. Agents who introduce it to parents will be viewed as lifesavers, quite literally.

Parents are encouraged to see if their agent makes the I Promise Program available.

[News release]

Today’s history

Compiled by Dave Francis

Saturday, Nov. 17

321st day of the year

"I was well beaten myself, and I am better for it." — Field Marshal Montgomery

"I praise loudly. I blame softly." — Catherine the Great

1887 — Bernard L. Montgomery, British field marshal (World War II, African campaign)

1925 — Rock Hudson, Winnetka, Ill., actor ("Pillow Talk," "A Farewell to Arms")

1942 — Martin Scorsese, Queens, director ("Mean Streets," "Last Temptation of Christ")

1944 — Danny DeVito, Neptune, N.J., actor ("Taxi," "Ruthless People," "Twins")

1957 — Daisy Fuentes, Havana, Cuba, VJ (MTV International) (claims 1966)

1558 — Mary I Tudor, "Bloody Mary," queen of England (1553-58), dies at 42

1796 — Catharina II the Great, empress of Russia (1762-96), dies at 67

1862 — Confederate Secretary of War George B. Randolph resigns

1869 — Suez Canal (Egypt) opens, links Mediterranean and Red Sea

1894 — Daily Racing Form founded

1913 — Panama Canal opens

1917 — Auguste Rodin, French sculptor ("Baiser," "The Thinker"), dies at 77

1978 — James J. "Gene" Tunney, heavyweight boxing champ (1926-28), dies at 80

[to top of second column in this section]

322nd day of the year

"Polling is merely an instrument for gauging public opinion. When a president or any other leader pays attention to poll results, he is, in effect, paying attention to the views of the people. Any other interpretation is nonsense." — George H. Gallup

"A classic is something everyone wants to have read, but no one wants to read." — Samuel Clemens

1787 — Sojourner Truth, abolitionist and feminist

1874 — Carrie White, oldest U.S. woman (died in November 1990 at 116)

1901 — George Gallup, Jefferson, Iowa, public opinion pollster (Gallup Poll)

1928 — Mickey Mouse, cartoon strip

1942 — Qabus bin Said, sultan of Oman
(1970-  )

1948 — Jack Tatum, Cherryville, N.C., NFL defensive back (Raiders)

1189 — William II, the last Norman king of Sicily, dies and is succeeded by Tancred the Bastard

1477 — William Caxton produces the first printed book in the English language, "The Dictes and Sayengis of the Phylosophers"

1626 — In Rome, Urban VIII dedicates St. Peter’s Basilica

1820 — United States Navy Capt. Nathaniel B. Palmer discovers the frozen continent of Antarctica

1865 — Mark Twain’s short tale, "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County," is first published on this date in The New York Saturday Press. The short story’s publication launches his success as a writer.

1883 — The United States adopts standard time and divides the country into four time zones

1928 — After much resistance from movie distributors, Walt Disney arranges for the premier viewing of his first Mickey Mouse cartoon with sound. Titled "Steamboat Willie," it debuts at the Manhattan’s Colony Theater. It is the first cartoon with a fully synchronized sound track. Mickey is not only a huge success, but the cartoon is a major breakthrough for the animation industry.

1959 — The epic film "Ben-Hur," starring Charleton Heston, premieres in New York. The movie later set a new industry record with 11 Academy Awards from 12 nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor and Best Director.

1966 — United States Roman Catholic bishops do away with the rule against eating meat on Fridays

1969 — Financier-diplomat Joseph P. Kennedy dies in Hyannis Port, Mass., at age 81

1978 — Jim Jones, a United States pastor, leads 914 of his followers to their deaths at Jonestown, Guyana, by drinking a cyanide-laced fruit drink. Cult members who refused to swallow the liquid were shot.

1992 — Superman, fictional character, killed by Doomsday at 54

[NOV. 16, 2001]  At its working session Thursday night the Logan County Board heard the report of a feasibility study for a golf course at Logan County Airport and tentatively voted to approve the concept of an industrial park and a plan to proceed with a detailed study.

Before signaling that they would approve the industrial park concept, board members assured themselves that they were committing no funds. Economic Development Director Mark Smith said the Logan County Development Foundation would fund the feasibility study for the project. He said he was only asking for endorsement of the concept at this time.

When asked whether he would proceed with the study even without board endorsement, Smith said, "Probably." However, he added that if the board and the Lincoln City Council indicated they thought it was a bad idea, the Economic Development Council would reconsider.

Smith said he needed the endorsement to provide a stronger position when he talks to potential investors, such as utilities, investment companies and private individuals. Economic Development Committee Chairman Terry Werth, who made the motion to support the concept, said he considers the issue "a vote of confidence in what the Economic Development Council is doing."

Board member David Hepler, who voiced the most objections, called for more information on which to base a decision. He said comparisons were made to projects in Litchfield and Danville and asked for specific figures regarding these projects. Smith said the local situation is different enough to make comparison figures meaningless.

In a lengthy, statistics-filled presentation, Daniel Conway of THK Associates in Denver gave the results of his firm’s market feasibility study for an airport golf course. Based on demographics and number of existing courses, he said the area can support one more 18-hole course. Based on 74,000 people in the primary market area and about 14 percent playing golf, he deduced that the area has 10,500 golfers today, a figure he expects to see rise as county population grows by 460 people per year, the population ages and more women take up golf.

Conway strongly recommended that a course built at Logan County Airport be 18 holes rather than the nine holes the board had previously discussed. An 18-hole course increases revenues by widening the service area, he said, because people will travel farther to play 18 holes than nine.

Conway sees a golf course having a major economic impact. Benefits he cited include utilization of the clear zone off the runway required by the Federal Aviation Administration, creating frontage attractive for "quality of life sensitive" businesses, faster and more valuable development of land, and jobs in construction and airport operation. He said the 25,000 feet of golf-course frontage could attract 60 to 100 new businesses. Additionally, he cited retention of senior citizens, creation of wildlife habitat, flood control and funding of other recreational development as possible benefits.

Conway envisions the course having two nine-hole loops, a clubhouse and practice range. He said it is important to orient the practice range and as many holes as possible on a north-south axis to avoid interference by the sun. THK does not design courses, and if the board decides to continue with this plan, they need to hire a golf course architect.

[to top of second column in this article]

Roger Bock, Airport Committee chairman, said the airport grounds "only have room for about a nine-hole course." However, he added that he sees the economic reasons why a new course should offer 18 holes. To secure enough land, Bock suggested two alternatives: buying adjacent ground or swapping for ground already owned by the county such as County Farm land.

Returning to an issue previously sent back to the Zoning Board of Appeals, the board indicated in a straw vote that it would approve the request by Carol D. Litwiller to rezone 2.1 acres from agricultural to country homes use. Litwiller plans to divide the property, located on 1100th Avenue, into two homesites.

The Zoning Board of Appeals has twice voted to deny Litwiller’s petition, most recently by a 3-2 vote, because the soil is too well-suited to agriculture, spray drift is a potential problem and the request does not meet the purposes of the Country Homes District as stated in the zoning ordinance: "to provide that areas are topographically and locationally well-suited to meet the increasing market for one (1) acre land" and "to encourage the orderly transition of land from agricultural to low-density residential use."

Board member Tom Cash pointed out, however, that the land has not been farmed in 50 years.

The board also indicated that it would approve on Tuesday an increase in building permit fees. The rates as presented by zoning officer Bud Miller would be $50 for a new home or business, $25 for other permits such as for remodeling, and $100 for variance, rezoning or conditional use permits. The latter have previously cost $35, and the two types of building permits have been free. Miller indicated that if the new fees had been in effect this year, they would have raised $3,500 more than the current rate, which has not changed since the ordinance was enacted in 1971.

Tentative approval was also given to accept three bids:

•  $5,097 from The Carpet House for underlayment and vinyl flooring for the treasurer’s office.

•  $26,150 from Graue Inc. for a vehicle for ESDA; the 9-1-1 board will split this bill.

•  Dental insurance at an 11 percent increase from Jerry Palmer, representing Guardian Dental Insurance. Permission was also granted for Guardian to offer term life insurance to county employees, with the provision that if enough insurance is sold, the dental rate increase will be reduced to 9 percent.

The board also agreed in a straw vote to contract with the Illinois appellate prosecutor to supplement the state’s attorney’s office on appeals at an annual cost of $11,000.

Board Chairman Dick Logan announced that one term on the Zoning Board of Appeals expires in December. Anyone wishing to be considered for the position should submit an application and resume to Logan.

[Lynn Shearer Spellman]

[NOV. 16, 2001]  Less than six weeks till Christmas! Main Street Lincoln is asking for volunteers to help decorate downtown Lincoln for the holidays. 

Help is needed Saturday morning, Nov. 17, to wrap lighted garland around the light poles and put white lights on the bushes on the courthouse lawn. Everyone is welcome to help.

Volunteers should meet on the east side of the square (McLean Street) beginning at 8 a.m. Coffee and doughnuts will be provided. Decorating should conclude by noon.

For further information, contact Main Street Lincoln at 732-2929.

Today’s history

Compiled by Dave Francis

Friday, Nov. 16

320th day of the year

"If you want to get along, go along." — Sam Rayburn

"War is regarded as nothing but the continuation of state policy with other means." — Karl von Clausewitz

42 B.C. — Tiberius Caesar, second Roman emperor (14-37 A.D.)

1831 — Karl von Clausewitz, Prussian strategist (Campaign 1813), dies at 51

1908 — Burgess Meredith, Cleveland, Ohio, actor ("Mr. Novak," Penguin in the "Batman" series, "Rocky")

1959 — Corey Allen Pavin, Oxnard, Calif., PGA golfer (1995 U.S. Open)

1961 — Frank Bruno, British boxer (European champ)

1962 — Chuck Finley, pitcher (Angels)

1964 — Dwight Gooden pitcher (New York Mets)

1380 — French King Charles VI declares no taxes forever

1532 — Pizarro captures Incan emperor Atahualpa after victory at Cajamarca

1776 — Hessians capture Fort Washington, Manhattan

1798 — Kentucky becomes first state to nullify an act of Congress

1811 — Earthquake in Missouri causes the Mississippi River to flow backward

1907 — Oklahoma becomes 46th state

1908 — Arturo Tuscanini begins conducting New York’s Metropolitan Opera

1914 — Federal Reserve System formally opens

1959 — "The Sound of Music" opens on Broadway

1960 — Clark Gable dies at 59

1961 — Sam Rayburn, speaker of the House for 17 years, dies

1981 — Luke marries Laura on "General Hospital"

[NOV. 15, 2001]  The Looking For Lincoln committee met Wednesday night to discuss upcoming events and the planning of Lincoln’s holiday schedule.

Lincoln College professor and museum supervisor Ron Keller updated the group on the tourism revenue for post-Sept. 11 profits. "Sales are actually up," said Keller, pointing out that although "some fund-raising had to be cut back, tourism has not slowed at all."

Adding to the positive statistics, Keller’s statement was supported by Postville Courthouse representative Shirley Bartelmay. "We’ve had [tourists] recently from New York, Iowa, Texas and Florida," she said.

Bartelmay was recently credited by the state of Illinois for coordinating volunteers and was rewarded with a plaque for overall dedication.

Keller suggested that Lincoln’s success in not losing tourists lies in Abraham Lincoln. Interest in Lincoln is something that does not fade in any season.

[to top of second column in this article]

This season is exactly what the committee’s goal planning centered on next. "We’ll be conducting our candlelight courthouse tours again this year," noted Bartelmay. The annual tours will be between 6 and 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 27.

The committee is still seeking volunteers to help conduct this year’s tours. Mayor Davis offered to help take part in the festivities by volunteering herself for part-time tour duty. If you are interested in sharing time with the mayor as a tour guide, you can contact Wendy Bell of Main Street Lincoln at 732-2929.

The committee’s next session will be at the beginning of January.

[Colin Bird]

Today’s history

Compiled by Dave Francis

319th day of the year

"Conferences at the top level are always courteous. Name-calling is left to the foreign ministers." — W. Averill Harriman

"I was brought up to believe that the only thing worth doing was to add to the sum of accurate information in the world." — Margaret Mead

1397 — Nicholas V, pope (1447-55); ended schism, founded Vatican Library

1708 — William Pitt the Elder, prime minister of United Kingdom (1756-61, ’66-68), "Great Commoner" (Whig)

1738 — Sir William Herschel, astronomer (discovered Uranus)

1815 — John Banvard, New York City, painted world’s largest painting (three-mile canvas)

1891 — Erwin Rommel, German field marshal (World War II, African campaign)

1891 — W. Averell Harriman, governor of New York (D) and ambassador to USSR (1943-46)

1919 — Joseph Albert, Wapner, La., judge ("People’s Court")

1492 — Christopher Columbus makes first recorded reference to tobacco

1763 — Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon begin surveying Mason-Dixon Line between Pennsylvania and Maryland

1777 — Articles of Confederation adopted by Continental Congress

1791 — Georgetown, first Catholic college in United States, opens

1806 — Explorer Zebulon Pike sights Pikes Peak

1864 — Sherman burns Atlanta

1899 — Morning Post reporter Winston Churchill and wife captured in Natal

1939 — Nazis begin mass murder of Warsaw Jews

1939 — Social Security Administration approves first unemployment check

1957 — United States sentences Soviet spy Rudolf Ivanovich Abel to 30 years and $3,000

1959 — Richard Hickock and Perry Smith kill Clutters

1978 — Margaret Mead, anthropologist, dies in New York at 76

[NOV. 14, 2001]  What was planned as one of the city’s chief tourist attractions, a drink from the "Lincoln Well," may be a long time coming, members of the Lincoln City Council learned this week.

The well, across from the historic Postville Courthouse on Fifth Street, has serious contamination problems, County Board member Terry Werth told members of the buildings and public grounds and sewer and drainage committees at a special joint meeting Nov. 13.

Werth said the well has been pumped out three times, and each time it fills up, the water is found to be contaminated with bacteria from human or animal waste.

"We let groundwater into the well, and pump it out and pump it out, and each time we have the problem," Werth said.

The well, thought to be the original well for the town of Postville, which predated the town of Lincoln and was later annexed by Lincoln, is surely the well Abraham Lincoln drank from when he was trying cases in the courthouse across the street, Werth believes.

The problem may be coming from a main city sewer that runs along Fifth Street or from laterals from homes connected to the sewer, but addressing that problem will be prohibitively expensive. Grant Eaton, sewer plant manager, said to rebuild the 1800 linear feet of sewer near the well could cost from $350,000 to $540,000.

"It would be a major project, because Fifth Street is a state highway and a major route, with gas lines and other utilities in the area," he said. Also, the well is not on city property but on property belonging to the Illinois Department of Transportation.

"IDOT is not real crazy about the well as it is," he said.

He noted that the Casey General Store, to be built across from the Postville Courthouse, will also add to the sewage the line has to carry. "It’s not the best sewer line in the city, but not the worst either," he added.

Alderman Bill Melton, chairman of the sewer committee, said spending that much money now is "not within our grasp." The city must spend almost $10 million to upgrade the sewage treatment plant, which has reached capacity, or risk having the Environmental Protection Agency refuse to allow any new hookups, thus stopping growth in the city.

"I would still like to see something done with the well," Melton said.

[to top of second column in this article]

A suggestion that the well be flushed out again and the water diverted into the sewer line was also not feasible, Eaton said. "It would take millions and millions of gallons to flush that well, and the EPA won’t let us put that water into the sewer system."

Eaton suggested that it might be possible to drill deeper and get to a level where the soil has filtered out any contamination. He said that is what is usually done with a hand-dug well.

A suggestion that a new well be drilled at another site was not well received by several aldermen.

"If we can’t use the bona fide well, I don’t think we should present something else to the public that says it is the well Lincoln drank from," Alderman George Mitchell said.

Werth pointed out that if the well is not used, by law it would have to be filled in. He said the 35-foot-deep, hand-dug well is a model of well construction in the Lincoln era and is very well built and designed, which is why it didn’t collapse years ago,

The bottom of the well is cedar and brick, and the well is "tiered" so that it is larger at the top than at the bottom. Bricks are interlocked, and at the top of each tier is a shelf that supports the next brick tier. The well measurers 4 to 5 feet in diameter at the bottom and 6½ to 7 feet at the top, he said.

"It would be a shame to fill it in," he added.

Werth said one solution might be to drill the well deeper in the existing hole, then line the well with a metal shield to prevent groundwater from seeping in. He said he would have to talk to another well driller, as the Springfield firm he has used does not do drilled wells.

He told the council he would talk to a Mason City well driller and get back to the council with the firm’s answer. He also thought drilling the well deeper might fall within the $10,000 budget for restoration of the well.

"This dashes some of our immediate plans," said Mayor Beth Davis, who has been a strong supporter of the well restoration.

[Joan Crabb]

[NOV. 14, 2001]  A groundbreaking ceremony for District 27’s new Central School has been set for Friday, Nov. 30, at 1 p.m., according to Superintendent Robert Kidd.

The 47,000-square-foot brick building will be constructed behind the present Central School and will face Seventh Street. It will have 14 classrooms, a kitchen and cafeteria, a gymnasium, a stage, a music room, a media center, a library, office space, and a conference room for teachers and administrators.

The new school will house kindergarten through fifth-grade students along with special education students.

Construction is expected to take from 14 to 18 months, according to architect Dave Leonatti.

[to top of second column in this article]

Dr. Kidd said the district is inviting state Rep. Jonathan Wright and state Sen. Claude Stone to attend the ceremony, as well as U.S. Rep. Ray LaHood. The mayor and council members and other local officials will also be invited. Central School students will provide music.

The new school is the first phase of the District 27 building project. After it is completed, junior high students will move into the old Central School and a new junior high school will be built on the site of the present school. When that is completed, the present Central School will be demolished.

[Joan Crabb]

Today’s history

Compiled by Dave Francis

Wednesday, Nov. 14

318th day of the year

"The only alternative to coexistence is co-destruction." — Nehru

"No race can prosper till it learns there is as much dignity in tilling a field as in writing a poem." — Booker T. Washington

1765 — Robert Fulton built first commercial steamboat (or 0819)

1840 — Claude Monet, France, impressionist ("Water Lilies")

1889 — Jawaharlal Nehru, first Indian prime minister (1947-64)

1896 — Mamie Doud Eisenhower, first lady

1909 — Joseph R. McCarthy, senator, R-Wis., anti-communist

1912 — Barbara Hutton, heiress (Woolworth)

1948 — Prince Charles, Britain, Prince of Wales

565 — Justinian, Roman emperor, dies at 82

1263 — Alexander Nevski [Aleksandr], Russian ruler (1252-63), dies at 43

1524 — Pizarro’s begins first great expedition, near Colombia

1666 — Samuel Pepys reports on first blood transfusion (between dogs)

1732 — First U.S. professional librarian, Louis Timothee, hired in Philadelphia

1851 — "Moby Dick," by Herman Melville, published

1906 — Roosevelt becomes first U.S. president to visit a foreign country (Panama)

1910 — First airplane flight from deck of a ship, Norfolk, Va.

1915 — Booker T. Washington, educator and organizer, dies at 59 in Tuskegee, Ala.

1972 — Dow Jones closes above 1,000 for first time (1003.16)

1990 — Malcolm Muggeridge, World War II spy for Britain, dies at 87

It’s on the radio, TV, in all the media. You hear it in the office, on the street and maybe at home — threats of terrorism. America is on high alert. Here in central Illinois, away from any supposed practical target areas, perhaps we feel a little less threatened, but we are still concerned. So how concerned should we be, and how prepared are we for the types of situations that could occur?

Whether the threat is domestic or foreign, violent, biological or chemical, our public health and rescue agencies have been preparing to respond to the situations. Lincoln Daily News has been at meetings where all the agencies gather together as the Logan County Emergency Planning Committee to strategize for just such a time. Our reports have not even provided every detail that every agency has reported; i.e., a number of representatives from differing agencies such as the health and fire departments, CILCO and ESDA went to a bioterrorism and hazmat (hazardous materials) seminar this past August.

Here are some of the articles that LDN has posted pre- and post-Tuesday, Sept. 11. Hopefully you will see in them that WE ARE WELL PREPARED. At least as much as any area can be. Every agency has been planning, training, submitting for grants to buy equipment long before Sept. 11. We can be thankful for all of the dedicated, insightful leaders we have in this community.

[to top of second column in this section]

• LEPC hears plans for annual exercise

• U.S. under terrorist attack
  How is Logan County affected?

• The day after ‘Attack on America’
  Area leaders respond to national tragedy

• ESDA and LEPC conduct successful hazardous materials exercise at water treatment plant 

• Logan County ready for action if terrorist event occurs - Part 1

• Logan County ready for action if terrorist event occurs – Part 2

• Clinton nuclear power plant safety measures in place

• Logan County agencies meet to discuss protocol for suspicious mail

As promised, the United States led an attack on Afghanistan. The attack began Sunday, Oct. 7. American and British military forces made 30 hits on air defenses, military airfields and terrorist training camps, destroying aircraft and radar systems. The strike was made targeting only terrorists.

More than 40 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East have pledged their cooperation and support the U.S. initiative.

Online news links

Other countries

Afghanistan

http://www.afghandaily.com/ 

http://www.myafghan.com/  

http://www.afghan-web.com/aop/ 

China

http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/

http://www1.chinadaily.com.cn/

Germany

http://www.faz.com/

India

http://www.dailypioneer.com/ 

http://www.hindustantimes.com/ 

http://www.timesofindia.com/ 

Israel

http://www.jpost.com/ 

http://www.haaretzdaily.com/ 

England

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/ 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/ 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/

Pakistan

http://www.dawn.com/

http://frontierpost.com.pk/ 

Russia

http://english.pravda.ru/

http://www.sptimesrussia.com/ 

Saudi Arabia

http://www.arabnews.com/ 

[to top of second column in this section]

United States

Illinois

http://www.suntimes.com/index/ 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/ 

http://www.pantagraph.com/ 

http://www.qconline.com/ 

http://www.pjstar.com/

http://www.sj-r.com/ 

http://www.herald-review.com/

http://www.southernillinoisan.com/ 

New York

http://www.nypost.com/

http://www.nytimes.com/

Stars and Stripes
(serving the U.S. military community)

http://www.estripes.com/ 

Washington, D.C.

Announcements

[OCT. 12, 2001]  The city landfill on Broadwell Drive will be open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. for leaf and brush disposal, beginning on Oct. 15, according to Donnie Osborne, street superintendent. Plans are to keep the new schedule in place until Dec. 15, he said. 

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