First bids accepted for Central School construction

[NOV. 23, 2001]  Bids for the initial work on Elementary School District 27’s new Central School are in, and preliminary work is scheduled to begin sometime during the week of Dec. 2, according to construction manager Bill Ahal.

I

At a special meeting on Nov. 21, the board accepted a bid package totaling $707,822, just $9,128 more than the budget of $698,694, a difference which board president Bruce Carmitchel called “statistically insignificant.”

The six packages for which bids were accepted are grade beams and foundations, $185,300 compared to the budgeted $193,440; caissons and drilled piers, $107,195 compared to a budgeted $96,312; concrete flatwork at $264,234, significantly higher than the budgeted $175,747; site grading and excavation, $82,400, significantly lower than the budgeted $131,849; site utilities, only $39,393 compared to the budgeted $77,842; and site demolition, $39,300 compared to the budgeted $23,504.

Ahal described the group of bids as the “most advantageous combination” for the school district.

The bids were accepted on condition that S.M. Wilson, Ahal’s firm, complete it’s investigation of one of the four firms who will do the work, Peak Aec of the Kankakee area.  Because of the short time between the bid openings and awarding of the bids, the firm has not completed its final check of the firm, with which it has not done business before. This is merely a normal check of financial qualifications and references, Ahal said.

“There is nothing in the scope of their work that raises any flags,” he told the board.  “If we don’t find anything that’s a problem, we’ll proceed.”

The other three firms, Felmey Dickerson, Burdick, and RD Lawrence, are all area firms that S.M. Wilson has experience with or references from.

The bidding process has just begun, and the board will be accepting more bids in the next three to four weeks, Ahal said.

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Weather permitting, the first phase of construction might be competed by the end of February. This phase includes removing small items such as playground equipment and fences from the site, preparing the site, and pouring the concrete slabs. Site preparation will be especially complicated because soil conditions are poor and because when the first Central School was demolished about 1915, it was used as fill on the site.

The new school is being built behind the present Central School, which faces Eighth Street, on the site of the original Central School, which faced Seventh Street. The new school will also face Seventh Street.

Because the site is crowded, construction trailers will have to be parked on the Ralph Gayle ball field across Union Street from the site. Center field will be pulled in 25 feet and the fence will be moved in, so trailers can be parked across from the Central School site.

Ahal also told the board that a project manager has been selected but a site superintendent has yet to be chosen. The two will work together to oversee the construction process, with the site superintendent to be at the site every working day.  The project manager will oversee paperwork and contracts.

The new Central School is the first step in the District 27 building program. After the new Central School is completed and students moved in, junior high school students will move into the present Central School. The junior high will then be demolished and a new school built on the site. The final stage will be the demolition of the present Central School. The $12 million building project, to be funded with the help of an $8 million state grant, was approved in a referendum passed in Nov. of 2000.

[Joan Crabb]

Today’s history

Compiled by Dave Francis

327th day of the year

"The highest possible stage in moral culture is when we recognize that we ought to control our thoughts." — Charles Darwin

1804 — Franklin Pierce, U.S. president; died 1869

1859 — Billy the Kid [William Bonney or Henry McCarty], outlaw; died 1881

1887 — Boris Karloff [William Henry Pratt], actor; died 1969

1888 — Harpo [Arthur] Marx, comedian, musician, harpist, pianist; died 1964

1499 — Perkin Warbeck, Flemish imposter and pretender to the throne of King Henry VII of England, is executed in the Tower of London. He claimed to be Richard, Duke of York, son of Edward IV.

1718 — English pirate Edward Teach — known as "Blackbeard" — is captured off the Outer Banks of North Carolina near Ocracoke, taken to England and hanged.

1859 — Charles Darwin’s "Origin of Species," a revolutionary work on evolution, is published.

1889 — The first jukebox makes its debut in San Francisco, at the Palais Royale Saloon.

1890 — Princess Wilhelmina becomes queen of the Netherlands at the age of 10 when her father William III dies.

1936 — The first edition of Life magazine is published.

1938 — Bob Hope and Shirley Ross record "Thanks for the Memory," for the film, "The Big Broadcast of 1938." It becomes Hope’s theme song.

1948 — Dr. Frank G. Back of New York City patents the zoom lens, which was first used by NBC television in April of 1947.

1984 — Boston College quarterback Doug Flutie passes his way into sports history, leading Boston College to beat Miami 47-45 at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Fla. On the final play of the game Flutie throws a 48-yard pass that comes to be known as "The Pass."

1990 — British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher announces her resignation.

1993 — Mexico’s Senate overwhelmingly approves the North American Free Trade Agreement.

[NOV. 21, 2001]  With no further discussion since its Oct. 25 budget meeting, the Logan County Board on Tuesday night officially passed a 2002 budget with $8.94 million total expenditures and a $314,000 deficit in the general fund. Levies designed to raise almost $2.6 million were also passed.

In the fiscal year 2002 budget, total revenues are $9.92 million and total expenditures are $8.94 million, yielding a projected surplus of $982,468. The budget year begins Dec. 1, 2001.

For the first time in seven years the board approved a budget with a deficit in the general fund. Projected general fund revenues are $3.76 million and expenditures are $4.07 million, yielding a deficit of $314,000. The general fund includes most of the board’s discretionary spending. Board member Jim Griffin, who has said he would not vote for a deficit, was the sole dissenter.

"A deficit budget is not unique to us," said Finance Committee Chairman Rod White, adding that many other public bodies have the same problem and saying the board will work to keep the financial situation under control in the coming year.

A total 2002 tax levy of $2,588,705 was approved, with roll call votes on each of 11 different levies conducted separately. The general fund levy is $623,500. Other sources of income besides the tax levy include federal and state payments, fines and fees, and interest.

Negating a straw vote taken at last Thursday’s work session, board member Dale Voyles made and then withdrew a motion "to endorse the concept of developing an industrial park in Logan County."

On Thursday Director of Economic Development Mark Smith had asked for the endorsement before proceeding with a feasibility study to be paid for by the Logan County Economic Development Foundation. At that time Smith talked only about the proposal to create an industrial park on 63 acres northeast of Lincoln as presented to the city and county several weeks ago.

[to top of second column in this article]

On Tuesday board members expressed confusion about whether Voyles’ motion meant support for an industrial park on only that one site or on any available site in the county. Voyles withdrew his motion, saying he would confer with Smith and present it again in December.

Another of Thursday’s votes was put on hold when it was announced that a hearing would be on Dec. 6 before deciding whether to increase fees for building permits in the county.

On other issues the board made official the straw votes taken Thursday:

· To approve rezoning 2.1 acres belonging to Carol Litwiller from agricultural to country homes use. No votes were cast by White, Roger Bock and Lloyd Hellman. The Zoning Board of Appeals voted earlier to deny the rezoning request.

· To pay the Illinois appellate prosecutor $11,000 a year to assist the state’s attorney’s office with appeals.

· To accept the $5,097 bid from The Carpet House for vinyl flooring for the treasurer’s office.

· To renew the county employees’ dental policy with Guardian Dental Insurance at an 11 percent increase. Guardian will be allowed to sell term life insurance to county employees, and if enough subscribe, the dental policy raise will be reduced to 9 percent. White and Hellman voted no.

· To pay J. L. Hubbard $250 to increase extra expense coverage from $25,000 to $250,000.

A vote taken several months ago to increase the size of the zoning appeals board from five to six members was revoked. State law requires that the zoning board have either five or seven members. The reason for choosing six was to make the board representative of the districts from which board members are to be elected.

[Lynn Shearer Spellman]

Today’s history

Compiled by Dave Francis

325th day of the year

"Governments need to have both shepherds and butchers." — Voltaire

"Drawing is the honesty of the art. There is no possibility of cheating. It is either good or bad." — Salvador Dali

1694 — Voltaire [Jean Francois Arouet] author, philosopher; died 1778

1867 — Vladimir N. Ipatiev, Russian chemist who owned the house where Tsar Nicholas and family was murdered by the Bolsheviks after the communist revolution

1916 — Sid Luckman, football Hall of Famer; died 1998

1920 — Stan "The Man" [Stanley Frank] Musial, baseball Hall of Famer

1945 — Goldie Hawn [Jean], Academy Award-winning actress

1966 — Troy Aikman, football player

1969 — Ken [George Kenneth] Griffey Jr., baseball player

1620 — The Mayflower reaches Provincetown, Mass. The ship discharges the Pilgrims at Plymouth, Mass., on Dec. 26, 1620.

1783 — The first successful flight is made in a hot-air balloon when Frenchmen Francois Pilatre de Rosier and Francois Laurent, Marquis d’Arlandes, fly for 25 minutes above Paris for a distance of some 5½ miles.

1789 — North Carolina becomes the 12th state to ratify the United States Constitution

1871 — M.F. Gale of New York City patented the cigar lighter

1877 — Thomas A. Edison invents his "talking machine" (phonograph). On Feb. 19, 1878, Edison receives a patent for it.

1922 — Rebecca L. Felton of Georgia is sworn in as the first woman to serve as a member of the U.S. Senate

1929 — Spanish surrealist Salvador Dali has his first art exhibit

1942 — The Alaska Highway across Canada formally opens

1962 — U.S. President Kennedy terminates the quarantine measures against Cuba

1963 — U.S. President John F. Kennedy and his wife, Jacqueline, arrive in San Antonio, Texas. They were beginning an ill-fated, two-day tour of Texas that would end in Dallas. 

1973 — U.S. President Richard M. Nixon’s attorney, J. Fred Buzhardt, announces the presence of an 18½-minute gap in one of the White House tape recordings related to the Watergate case

1980 — An estimated 83 million viewers tune in to find out "who shot J.R." on the CBS prime-time soap opera Dallas. Kristin was the character who fired the gun.

1995 — The Dow Jones industrial average closes above the 5,000 mark for the first time

[to top of second column in this section]

326th day of the year

"I’m at the age where food has taken the place of sex in my life. In fact, I’ve just had a mirror put over my kitchen table." — Rodney Dangerfield

"Silence is the ultimate weapon of power." — Charles de Gaulle

1888 — Tarzan, of the Apes, according to Edgar Rice Burroughs’ novel

1890 — Charles DeGaulle, president of France; died 1970

1898 — Wiley Post, pioneer aviator and parachutist; died 1935

1899 — Hoagy [Hoagland] Carmichael, songwriter, singer, pianist, bandleader, attorney; died 1981

1914 — Lew Hays, founder of Pony League baseball for youngsters; died 1998

1921 — Rodney Dangerfield [Jacob Cohen], comedian, actor

1940 — Terry Gilliam, Minneapolis, comedian, author, animator ("Monty Python")

1943 — Billie Jean King, California, tennis pro (Wimbledon 1968, ’72, ’73, ’75)

1247 — Robin Hood, dies (from "A Lytell Geste of Robyn Hood")

1718 — English pirate Edward Teach (aka "Blackbeard") is killed during a battle off the coast of Virginia. British soldiers corner him aboard his ship, and he is shot and stabbed more than 25 times.

1896 — George Washington Gale Ferris, inventor (Ferris wheel), dies

1899 — The Marconi Wireless Company of America is incorporated in New Jersey

1906 — The International Radio Telegraphic Convention in Berlin adopts the SOS distress signal that means "Save Our Souls" 

1910 — Arthur F. Knight patents a steel shaft to replace wood shafts in golf clubs

1917 — The National Hockey League (NHL) is officially formed in Montreal, Canada.

1928 — In Paris, "Bolero" by Maurice Ravel is first performed publicly

1935 — The first trans-Pacific airmail flight began in Alameda, Calif., when the flying boat known as the China Clipper leaves for Manila. The craft was carrying over 110,000 pieces of mail.

1942 — During World War II, the Battle of Stalingrad begins 

1943 — U.S. President Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Chinese leader Chiang Kai-shek meet in Cairo to discuss the measures for defeating Japan

1963 — U.S. President Kennedy is assassinated while riding in a motorcade in Dallas, Texas. Texas Gov. John B. Connally is also seriously wounded. Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson is inaugurated as the 36th U.S. president. 

1972 — U.S. President Richard M. Nixon lifts a ban on American travel to Cuba. The ban had been put in place on Feb. 8, 1963.

1977 — Regular passenger service on the Concorde begins between New York and Europe

1986 — Mike Tyson becomes the youngest to wear the world heavyweight-boxing crown. He was only 20 years and 4 months old. 

[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 section]

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

Sunday, Nov. 18

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)

[to top of second column in this section]

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

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.

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• 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/ 

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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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