Cold, biting rain does not
dampen parade spirits

[NOV. 30, 2001]  The hour struck 7 p.m., and with a light drizzle this year’s "May your days be merry and bright" parade got under way. Not unlike a big city parade, the crowded downtown Lincoln streets were lined side by side and several viewers deep around the historic courthouse district. The parade was co-sponsored by the city of Lincoln and the Lincoln/Logan County Chamber of Commerce.

[Click here to see pictures]

Moments into the parade the drizzle turned to steady rain. Most of the younger crowd seemed to take no note of the dampening situation as they scrambled for candy and took in all the sensational sights, while some seasoned older folks stepped back into whatever shelter could be had from business doorways and awnings. A few motherly frets and exasperated exclamations could be heard, but there was no grumbling as conditions became soggy before the parade’s 8:30 ending.

Led by the traditional old-fashioned firetruck with sirens blaring and horns honking, the parade boasted brightly lit floats with cheery scenes; the Lincoln City Council and Mayor Beth Davis handed out candies; the Boy Scout and Girl Scout clubs were well represented; decorated business vehicles, marchers, several marching bands, numerous groups and organizations including dogs and handlers, baton twirlers, tae kwon do artists and wheelchairs joined in; with Santa and horses bringing up the end of over a hundred entries.

As the spirited Lincoln Community High School Band came to the end, they could be heard to fittingly chant, "The End! … Brrrrr…!"

You will be able to view the parade in its entirety, all while staying warm and dry, by tuning in to Channel 15 on Saturday and Sunday evenings at 8.

[Jan Youngquist]

Kid’s Day events at the Festival of Trees

[NOV. 30, 2001]  Kid’s Day at the Festival of Trees will be this Saturday, Dec. 1, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The children’s event, a first this year, is part of the Festival of Trees at the Logan County Courthouse.  

Special activities will take place in the second-floor rotunda area. Santa will be on hand from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. to visit with all good boys and girls. Photographs with Santa will be available for a minimal fee. Guest storytellers will relate their favorite tales in the morning. Those in attendance will go home with a copy of "The Night Before Christmas," courtesy of the Logan County Farm Bureau. 

Children will have the opportunity to make and take home a unique reminder of this special event. They can choose either red or green to paint their hands and then apply them to the cloth of a festively trimmed potholder. These potholders become cherished gifts to parents and grandparents. 

A children’s shopping area will complement the activities. Gifts $5 and under will be available for the children to purchase and give as gifts. Gifts will be wrapped, ready to put under the tree.

[to top of second column in this article]

The children and young adult choirs of Park Meadows Baptist Church will perform from 1 to 3 p.m., filling the halls with music while visitors stroll through the enchanted forest of decorated trees and wreaths.  

A children’s (and adult) favorite, gingerbread men, can be purchased to take home if you haven’t done your holiday baking. The cookies have been very popular at the Springfield festival and are a welcome addition to Lincoln.   

Lincoln Land Communications is the premier sponsor for the Festival of Trees, co-sponsored by Main Street Lincoln and the Abraham Lincoln Healthcare Foundation.

LDC survives budget cuts;
decertification process still looms

[NOV. 30, 2001]  SPRINGFIELD — Gov. George H. Ryan announced the latest round of budget cuts to several agencies to close the state’s $500 million budget shortfall brought on by the September terror attacks. The governor said some child care funding cut earlier in the week had been restored and that key services to senior citizens and the disabled had been spared.

The cuts are being made without any legislative assistance and come on the heels of the third and final day of talks with the General Assembly’s four legislative caucuses. The cuts represent $109 million in gross savings through the end of fiscal year 2002. The gross amount of savings from this week’s cuts comes to more than $485 million.

The governor has also requested that state universities voluntarily help the state cover the cost of group insurance costs for their employees.

The governor also said every effort was made to avoid further cuts to the elderly and disabled. The latest cuts also managed to avoid layoffs. The governor directed the Bureau of the Budget to spare the Home Services and the Community Care programs from more cuts. Those programs provide at-home care services to the disabled and to senior citizens. The governor also announced that he restored the $7 million allocated for child care co-payments after meeting with the Coalition of Women Legislators.

[to top of second column in this article]

The entire cost-cutting effort has been performed solely by the governor. Gov. Ryan has repeatedly indicated that participation from the General Assembly would allow the cuts to be spread more fairly across a broader set of options. But the legislature did not respond before adjourning its fall veto session today.

"Budget cuts are always a difficult, and often a heart-wrenching, task," Ryan said. "But I am gratified that today’s cuts still allow us to provide for the elderly and the disabled and that we can restore some child care funding."

Thursday’s spending adjustments address a range of cuts in a number of departments: Public Aid, Corrections, Human Services, Veterans’ Affairs, Community and Commerce Affairs, State Police, Arts Council and Agriculture. Additional cost savings will be realized by requesting a voluntary 2 percent reserve in the budgets of state constitutional officers and judicial and legislative agencies.

[News release]

Lawmakers reach agreement to address teacher retirement funding crisis

[NOV. 30, 2001]  SPRINGFIELD — Retired teachers will not see a further increase in their health insurance premium this year. State Rep. Bill Mitchell supported legislation Thursday night to eliminate a $30 million funding shortfall in the Teachers Retirement Insurance Program, known as TRIP.

According to Mitchell, health care inflation has far outpaced teacher salary increases, creating a funding crisis in the TRIP plan. Currently there are three funding sources for TRIP. These funding sources are active teacher payroll contributions from salary, state match of the active teacher contributions and premiums paid by the retirees.

If lawmakers failed to act on a new funding source during the fall veto session, the program would have faced a $30 million debt on Dec. 31. This would have resulted in an 80 percent increase in premiums to cover the shortfall.

"The agreement reached on Thursday addresses the current funding crisis and opens the door to future debate on finding a long-term solution," said Mitchell. "The agreement was based upon the recommendations of a task force formed by Governor George Ryan that has held hearings on the matter over the summer. While it’s not a perfect solution, it addresses the immediate funding crisis retired teachers were facing."

The agreement affects retirees, active teachers, school districts and the state. Provisions of the agreement include:

•  No further premium increases for fiscal year 2002 (a 21 percent increase has already been implemented).

•  For fiscal year 2003, premiums increase up to 10 percent, dependent upon the needs of the system.

•  For fiscal year 2004, premiums increase up to 12 percent, dependent upon the needs of the system.

•  The current 0.5 percent contribution increases to 0.65 percent effective Jan. 1, 2002.

•  No change for fiscal year 2003.

•  The contribution increases to 0.75 percent for fiscal year 2004.

[to top of second column in this article]

•  A 0.4 percent contribution is introduced, effective Jan. 1, 2002.

•  School districts will be entitled to a credit toward their required teachers’ retirement employer contribution equal to the contributions the district will make toward TRIP for the first 18 months of this plan.

•  No change for fiscal year 2003.

•  The contribution increases to 0.5 percent for fiscal year 2004.

•  Matches the increased contribution of active teachers for fiscal year 2002.

•  Provides a $6 million bailout of the TRIP program over two years.

•  In fiscal year 2003-2004, continues to match active teachers’ contributions.

The agreement also requires the Department of Central Management Services to report to the Teachers Retirement System every year about the status of the program. It mandates tax sheltering for active teachers and calls for the creation of a 23-member task force to develop a long-term solution to the TRIP issue before the program sunsets in fiscal year 2004.

The Illinois Federation of Teachers, the Illinois Education Association and the Illinois Retired Teachers Association support the agreement.

"Retired teachers living on a fixed income deserve to have stability in their health insurance system," said Mitchell. "We have adverted a crisis for the time being. But we must continue to be vigilant and find a long-term solution to this problem."

[News release from Rep. Bill Mitchell]

Today’s history

Compiled by Dave Francis

334th day of the year

"An average English word is four letters and a half. By hard, honest labor I’ve dug all the large words out of my vocabulary and shaved it down till the average is three and a half... I never write "metropolis" for seven cents, because I can get the same money for "city." I never write "policeman," because I can get the same price for "cop."... I never write "valetudinarian" at all, for not even hunger and wretchedness can humble me to the point where I will do a word like that for seven cents; I wouldn’t do it for fifteen." — Mark Twain

"Victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory however long and hard the road may be; for without victory there is no survival." — Winston Churchill

Birthdays

1667 — Jonathan Swift, England, satirist ("Gulliver’s Travels," "A Modest Proposal")

1810 — Oliver Fisher, Winchester rifle maker (Winchester)

1835 — Samuel Clemens [Mark Twain], author ("Tom Sawyer," "Huckleberry Finn")

1863 — Andres Bonifacio, leader of 1896 Philippine revolt against Spain

1874 — Sir Winston Churchill (C), British prime minister (1940-45, 1951-55, Nobel 1953)

1930 — G. Gordon Liddy, Watergate felon, radio talk-show host

1936 — Abbie Hoffman aka Free, Yippie activist and author ("Steal this Book")

1962 — Bo Jackson, baseball and football player (Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Raiders)

30 B.C. — Cleopatra, Egyptian queen, commits suicide.

1016 — Edmund II Ironsides, King of the Saxons (1016), dies at 27.

1700 — Swedish troops numbering 8,000 under King Charles XII defeat an army of at least 50,000 Russians at the Battle of Narva. King Charles XII dies on this day. 

1782 — The United States and Britain sign preliminary peace articles in Paris, ending the Revolutionary War. 

1803 — Spain completes the process of ceding Louisiana to France. 

1900 — Oscar Wilde, Irish author, dies in Paris.

1940 — Lucille Ball and Cuban musician Desi Arnaz marry. 

1996 — Tiny Tim, singer with the odd falsetto warble and ukulele ("Tiptoe Through the Tulips"), dies at 64.

LDC survives latest round of budget cuts

[NOV. 29, 2001]  SPRINGFIELD — Gov. George H. Ryan issued a second round of budget cuts in as many days as he seeks to close a state budget gap brought on by the Sept. 11 terror attacks. The latest measures, announced after the governor met with the General Assembly’s four legislative caucuses, will save the state up to $136 million through the end of fiscal year 2002.

Gov. Ryan said further cuts are needed, and he is asking for legislative assistance. Illinois faces a $500 million shortfall in its $23.4 billion General Revenue Fund budget. Like Tuesday’s cuts, this new round can be accomplished administratively without legislative action.

Gov. Ryan has repeatedly indicated that participation from the General Assembly would enable him to distribute cuts more fairly and reduce the severity of some cuts in some areas. Options include asking universities to shoulder the cost of some group health insurance for employees and spreading cuts across a wider range of health care providers. The General Assembly has thus far not considered legislation to provide the governor with broader budget-cutting authority.

"It’s not too late for the General Assembly to roll up its sleeves and show some leadership," Gov. Ryan said.

The spending reductions the governor just announced focus largely on health care issues and will:

•  Make adjustments to managed care contracts for Medicaid recipients, resulting in savings of $30 million.

[to top of second column in this article]

•  Eliminate extra tertiary care payments to hospitals. By reducing the extra payments, the state will save $35 million for fiscal year 2002. Hospitals will receive normal diagnostic rates and added payments to that base rate.

•  Eliminate extra outpatient payments to hospitals. This will save $55 million. Hospitals will be reimbursed at 1998 rate levels, prior to the pre-1999 incentive plan.

In the current budget, on April 1, 2002, human services providers are scheduled to receive a one-half of 1 percent cost-of-living adjustment. Gov. Ryan has said that unless the revenue situation improves or there is legislative assistance, this $16 million increase may need to be cut.

Steve Schnorf, director of the Bureau of the Budget, said the total cuts, including the COLA adjustment, now stand at $383 million. This total includes the detailed cuts making up the previously announced 2 percent reserve in agency budgets and restrictions on hiring and equipment purchases.

[News release]

Today’s history

Compiled by Dave Francis

Thursday, Nov. 29

333rd day of the year

"I’m not afraid of storms, for I’m learning to sail my ship." — Louisa May Alcott

"Liberty, not communism, is the most contagious force in the world." — Earl Warren

"Go West, young man, and grow up with the country." — Horace Greeley

1832 — Louisa May Alcott, Germantown, Pa., author ("Little Women")

1898 — C.S. Lewis, English writer and scholar ("Le Roman de la Rosa")

1927 — Vin Scully, sportscaster ("NBC Baseball Game of the Week")

1928 — Paul Simon, senator, D-Ill., and presidential candidate

1940 — Chuck Mangione, jazz composer and horn blower ("Chasing the Clouds Away")

1946 — Suzy Chaffee, U.S. skier and ChapStick user (Olympics, 1968)

1949 — Garry Shandling, comedian ("It’s Garry Shandling Show")

1955 — Howie Mandel, Toronto, Canada, comedian (Dr. Wayne Fiscus in "St. Elsewhere")

1775 — Sir James Jay invents invisible ink.

1812 — Napoleon’s Grand Army crosses Berezina River in retreat from Russia.

1825 — First Italian opera, "Barber of Seville," produced in United States (New York City).

1864 — One-Eye, Cheyenne chief, dies.

1872 — Horace Greeley, founder and publisher of New York Tribune, dies at 61.

1877 — Thomas Edison demonstrates hand-cranked phonograph.

1887 — United States receives rights to Pearl Harbor, on Oahu, Hawaii.

1890 — First Army-Navy football game; score: Navy 24, Army 0; at West Point.

1924 — Giacomo Puccini, Italian composer ("Mme. Butterfly"), dies in Brussels at 65.

1929 — The first airplane flight over the South Pole made by U.S. Navy Lt. Comdr. Richard E. Byrd. 

1933 — First state liquor stores authorized (Pennsylvania).

1934 — Chicago Bears beat Detroit in first NFL game broadcast nationally.

1944 — John Hopkins hospital performs first open-heart surgery.

1963 — U.S. President Johnson named a commission headed by Earl Warren to investigate the assassination of President Kennedy. 

1981 — Natalie Wood, actress, drowns off Santa Catalina, Calif., at 43.

1982 — The U.N. General Assembly votes that the Soviet Union should withdraw its troops from Afghanistan. 

1986 — Cary Grant dies in Davenport, Iowa, at 82.

Council mulls GO bond issue

[NOV. 28, 2001]  The Lincoln City Council began exploring the possibility of issuing another round of general obligation bonds by hearing a presentation from a Bloomington firm on Tuesday evening, Nov. 27.

Kevin K. Heid of First Midstate, Inc., a firm with which the city has done business for many years, explained various types of bonds the city might use, especially the general obligation type, or GO bonds, which the city has been issuing for the past 15 years.

Because of the tax caps that went into effect in 1996 and because Lincoln is a non-home-rule community, the city can issue bonds totaling only one-half of 1 percent of the equalized assessed valuation without a referendum. This comes to a maximum of $595,000 for a three-year bond issue.

The bonds can be used only for capital projects, such as buildings or infrastructure, not for operational expenses such as salaries or wages, Heid said.

The last payment on the current bond issue, $175,000, will be due in December of 2002. Bonds are repaid from property taxes. If the city wishes to issue bonds soon to lock in low interest rates, it will either have to prepay the $175,000 or deduct that amount from the maximum it can issue, Heid said.

Heid also said the GO bonds are eligible to be purchased by banks and that Midstate has been very successful in marketing the bonds to financial institutions in Lincoln and Logan County. He said he felt sure another issue could also be marketed locally.

Melanie Riggs, deputy city clerk, said getting the bond money in one lump sum is a very useful way to fund capital projects. The last bond issue was used to finance the west side sewer project. She said the city should decide soon if it wishes to roll over the bond issue in order to know what monies will be available when budget discussions begin in February.

Representatives from three Lincoln investment firms attended the meeting to request that if the city plans a major bond issue, they would like to have a chance to bid on marketing the bonds.

Bob Neal of Edward Jones investment firm said if an issue of $5 million or more was being considered, he believed individuals in the community should have an opportunity to buy the bonds. Phil Dehner of A.G. Edwards and Doug DeMay of Eagle One Investments also told the council they would like to bid on a sizable bond issue.

[to top of second column in this article]

In other business, the police committee heard a presentation from Tom Keim of the Fuel Man program. In this program, the city buys fuel for city vehicles from the firm and gets price reductions and weekly monitoring of gas consumption and mileage.

Users of the program must provide an odometer reading and PIN number for each transaction, Keim said. He said the program provides accountability and control as well as fuel at a lower price. The special credit cards can be used only for fuel or other vehicle expenses such as oil or windshield wiper fluid, not for any other purchases. He also said the Logan County Sheriff’s Department has been using the program for about a year and is happy with it. He said there is no contractual agreement and the city can drop out of the program at any time.

Only one service station in Lincoln is now in the Fuel Man program, but others are eligible, Keim said. He said the program has locations in all 50 states. Verl Prather, chairman of the police committee, put the matter on the agenda for the next regular meeting Dec. 3.

City engineer Mark Mathon reported that there will be about $480,000 available through a federal STU fund for road work in the city. The work must be on either collector streets or minor arterials, not on less-used city streets.

The funds will be distributed by the Illinois Department of Transportation, which wants to know soon what the city plans to do with the money. Engineering for STU projects will be done in 2002 and actual construction in 2003, Mathon said.

Street superintendent Donnie Osborne said he would like to do mill and overlay work on downtown streets. Mathon said he thought that would be eligible under the program. Improving Broadway from Union to Hamilton streets and Pulaski from Logan to Sherman is a possibility, he said. The streets and alleys committee will meet to determine specifics of the project.

Alderman Prather announced that Logan County Board member Cliff Sullivan, chairman of the animal control committee, and employee Sheila Farmer will come to the council meeting Dec. 11 to answer questions about the animal control services the city is contracting for with the county.

A public hearing on the tax levy ordinance has been set for Dec. 17 at 7 p.m.

[Joan Crabb]

Letter from the governor concerning LDC

[NOV. 28, 2001]  Mayor Elizabeth Davis received the following letter from Gov. George Ryan.

207 STATE CAPITOL, SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS 62706

GEORGE H. RYAN
GOVERNOR

November 19, 2001

The Honorable Elizabeth Davis

Mayor of Lincoln

700 Broadway Street

P.O. Box 509

Lincoln, IL 62656

Dear The Honorable Davis:

Thank you for your letter regarding the Lincoln Developmental Center. Your opinions and concerns are important to me as I make decisions regarding this important issue.

My first priority is to the residents of Lincoln Developmental Center and making sure their health and safety are not compromised. In an effort to reduce the staff to patient ratio, 90 residents from Lincoln will be moved to other facilities that can properly care for them and attend to their needs. As of Friday, November 16, 2001, 80 residents have been moved.

In addition, the Lincoln Developmental Center is being closely monitored by a 27-member staff comprised of leading administrators and professional staff from six other Illinois state operated developmental centers. Based on their recommendation, the Lincoln Developmental Center was given an additional 30 days to address citations and staff problems and will be re-evaluated again in a few weeks. The Department of Human Services has also held three legislative meetings to discuss the situation with area legislators and keep them informed of any new developments.

I appreciate you taking the time to offer your opinions in this matter. I have not made a final decision on the future of Lincoln, but I am weighing all the options and will make a decision based on what is best for the people who live there.

Thank you for your interest and for sharing your thoughts with me.

Sincerely,

GEORGE H. RYAN

Governor

Today’s history

Compiled by Dave Francis

Wednesday, Nov. 28

332nd day of the year

"An ounce of action is worth a ton of theory." — Freidrich Engels

"The Church says that the earth is flat, but I know that it is round, for I have seen the shadow on the moon, and I have more faith in a shadow than in the Church." — Ferdinand Magellan

1757 — William Blake, English poet and painter ("Songs of Innocence and Experience")

1820 — Friedrich Engels, Germany, social philosopher; Marx’s collaborator

1829 — Anton Rubinstein Vykhvatinetz Podolia, composer (Omitri Donskoy)

1866 — Henry Bacon, architect (Lincoln Memorial)

1908 — Claude Levi-Strauss Belgium, social anthropologist (Structure Anthro)

1929 — Berry Gordy Jr., Detroit, record company owner (Motown)

1942 — Paul Warfield NFL/WFL wide receiver (Cleveland, Miami, Memphis)

1943 — Randy Newman, singer ("Short People," "I Love LA," "Raindrops")

1949 — Alexander Godunov, Russia, composer and dancer (Bolshoi), defected 1979

1949 — Paul Shaffer, Thunder Bay, Ontario, orchestra leader ("Saturday Night Live," "David Letterman")

1520 — Ferdinand Magellan begins crossing Pacific Ocean.

1582 — William Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway marry.

1861 — Confederate Congress officially admits Missouri to the Confederate States of America.

1895 — America’s first auto race starts; six cars, 55 miles, winner averages 7 mph.

1922 — Capt. Cyril Turner (Royal Air Force) gives first skywriting exhibition (New York City). Turner spells out "Hello USA. Call Vanderbilt 7200." There are 47,000 callers.

1925 — The "Grand Ole Opry" made its radio debut on station WSM. 

1929 — Adm. Richard E. Byrd makes first South Pole flight.

1943 — FDR, Churchill and Stalin meet at Tehran to map out strategy.

1945 — Dwight Davis, donator of the Davis Cup, dies.

1964 — Willie Nelson makes his debut on the "Grand Ole Opry."

1981 — Bear Bryant wins his 315th game, to outdistance Alonzo Stagg and become college football’s winningest coach.

1994 — Jeffrey Dahmer, a convicted serial killer, is clubbed to death in a Wisconsin prison by a fellow inmate. 

1995 — U.S. President Clinton signs a $6 billion road bill that ends the federal 55 mph speed limit.

School board reorganizations completed

[NOV. 27, 2001]  Four public school boards in the Lincoln area reorganized and seated new members in November, as required by law, even though school board elections were last April. The combined elections, established by a change in the law in 1998, were a means to reduce costs of elections.

In Lincoln Elementary School District 27, school board officers did not change. Bruce Carmitchel kept his seat as president, Joe Brewer remains as vice president, and Marilyn Montgomery keeps the post of secretary. Other District 27 board members are Shelley Allen, Leta Herrington, James Wilmert and Stephen Rohrer.

In West Lincoln-Broadwell, Lincoln attorney Doug Muck was elected board president, with Terry Bell named as vice president and Don Papirnik as secretary. Doug Muck replaces retiring president Bill Cross. Scott Goodman was elected to fill the seat left open by Cross’ retirement. Other members include Augustus Scott, Laurie Muck and [check name] Patrician Quint.

In the Chester-East Lincoln district, Jeff Brooks was elected board president, with Jim Meyrick named vice president and Lori Birnbaum secretary. Two new board members were seated: Robert Harmon, appointed to fill a vacancy, and Aaron Leesman, elected in April. Other board members are Stephen Elkins and Robert Buse.

The Lincoln Community High School board has named Robert Meinershagen as president, Larry Gleason as vice president and Bridget Schneider as secretary. Other board members are Judy Lumpp, Robert Pharis, Tom Ackman and Jim Mammen. Ackman and Mammen were elected to the board last April.

[Joan Crabb]

[to top of second column in this section]

LCHS District 404 committees

(effective 11-19-01)

Curriculum Advisory Committee — Larry Gleason, Bob Pharis

Extracurricular Committee — Judy Lumpp, Jim Mammen

Building and Grounds Committee — Larry Gleason, Tom Ackman

Tri-County Special Education representative — Bridget Schneider

Lincolnland Technical Education Center — Bob Pharis

IASB governing board — Tom Ackman

IASB legislative liaison — Jim Mammen

LCHS Foundation board representative — Bob Meinershagen, Jim Mammen

Parent-student handbook — Tom Ackman, Bob Pharis

Negotiation Committee — Larry Gleason, Bob Meinershagen, Bridget Schneider

Board policy development — Judy Lumpp, Bob Meinershagen

Technology Committee — Bridget Schneider

Today’s history

Compiled by Dave Francis

331st day of the year

"We are not about to send American boys nine or 10 thousand miles away from home to do what Asian boys ought to be doing for themselves." — Lyndon Johnson talking about Vietnam

"Before we go any further, I want you all to know I don’t take no orders; I walk into a bank, open fire, kill anything that moves, I grab the money and am outta there! If you don’t like it, find yourself another patsy!" — Baby Face Nelson, upon joining the Dillinger gang

1701 — Anders Celsius, Sweden, scientist and inventor (centigrade temperature scale)

1912 — David Merrick, Broadway producer ("Hello, Dolly!")

1917 — "Buffalo" Bob Smith, Buffalo N.Y., TV host ("Howdy Doody")

1940 — Bruce Lee, San Francisco, Calif., karate star and actor ("Green Hornet")

1942 — Jimi Hendrix, rock guitarist ("The Jimi Hendrix Experience," "Purple Haze")

1944 — Eddie Rabbitt, Brooklyn, country singer ("I Love a Rainy Night")

1095 — Pope Urban II preaches first Crusade.

1779 — The College of Pennsylvania becomes the University of Pennsylvania. It is the first legally recognized university in America. 

1870 — New York Times dubs baseball "The National Game."

1895 — Alfred Nobel establishes Nobel Prize.

1901 — Army War College established in Washington, D.C.

1934 — Baby Face Nelson shot by FBI agents.

1963 — U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson delivers his first address to a joint session of Congress. 

1970 — Pope Paul VI, visiting the Philippines, is attacked at the Manila airport by a Bolivian painter disguised as a priest. 

1973 — The U.S. Senate votes to confirm Gerald R. Ford as vice president after the resignation of Spiro T. Agnew. 

1975 — Ross McWhirter, Guinness Book of Records keeper, is murdered.

1978 — San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and Harvey Milk, city supervisor, shot by Dan White.

Today’s history

Compiled by Dave Francis

330th day of the year

Quotes

"Big sisters are the crab grass in the lawn of life." — Charles M. Schulz, in Peanuts cartoon strip

"Variety’s the very spice of life,
That gives it all its flavour." — William Cowper

Birthdays

1607 — John Harvard, England, clergyman and scholar, major benefactor to Harvard University (library and half his estate)

1731 — William Cowper, England, pre-Romantic poet ("His Task")

1876 Willis Haviland Carrier developed air-conditioning equipment

1922 — Charles M. Schulz, cartoonist (Peanuts)

1938 — Rich Little, Ottawa, Canada, impressionist

1938 — Tina Turner [Anna Mae Bullock], Brownsville, Texas, singer ("Proud Mary")

Events

1716 — First lion exhibited in America (Boston).

1778 — Capt. Cook discovers Maui (Sandwich Islands).

1789 — First national thanksgiving.

1865 — Alice in Wonderland published.

1883 — Sojourner Truth abolitionist, women’s rights advocate, dies.

1896 — A.A. Stagg of University of Chicago creates the football huddle.

1939 — James Naismith, basketball inventor, dies.

1942 — The motion picture "Casablanca" has its world premiere at the Hollywood Theater in New York City.

1943 — The HMS Rohna becomes the first ship to be sunk by a guided missile. The German missile attack leads to the death of 1,015 U.S. troops.

1950 — China enters Korean conflict, sends troops across Yalu River.

1956 — Big-band leader and trombone soloist Tommy Dorsey dies.

1962 — First recording session of group under the name "Beatles."

1970 — B.O. Davis Sr., first black general, dies at 93 in Chicago.

1973 — Albert DiSalvo, Boston strangler, stabbed.

[NOV. 24, 2001]  The Illinois Supreme Court announced Tuesday the creation of a special committee to study and recommend ways for lawyers to be more respectful to each other and their clients.

Fourteen attorneys appointed from around the state will sit on the committee, known as the Special Supreme Court Committee on Civility.

Judge Robert R. Thomas will serve as Supreme Court liaison to the committee, and David F. Rolewick, an attorney from Wheaton, will serve as its chairperson. The committee is charged with recommending to the court "ways to promote respectful conduct, as the norm, within the legal profession."

"This is a very worthwhile endeavor," Thomas said. "The Supreme Court’s goal in establishing this committee is to discover appropriate ways to promote civility among Illinois attorneys."

Anecdotal and other evidence suggests that lawyers increasingly are becoming more rude to each other and their adversaries’ clients, putting aside the politeness and civility that once was considered a hallmark of the profession.

"Lawyers sometimes go beyond what they should in terms of aggressiveness in order to survive in what has become a very competitive profession," said Rolewick. "Now, a lot of attorneys go out and practice law on their own, and there’s no system or structure for internship or mentoring young attorneys to help them understand the professional obligations of the practice."

Rolewick also suggested that part of the problem may be lawyers responding to what they believe the public expects.

"Something that may be addressed by this committee is the issue of public perception of the law," said Rolewick. "The general public wants — because they’ve been watching TV too much — the meanest junkyard dog that they can get, and they think they’re going to win if they hire the meanest, toughest lawyer they can get.

[to top of second column in this article]

"Attorneys respond to what their clients want and expect. If a client wants a mean lawyer, he’ll get a mean lawyer."

The idea for establishing the special committee grew out of a symposium organized by Rolewick and other friends of the late Roger K. O’Reilly, a Wheaton attorney who, according to those who knew him, epitomized civility.

Judge Thomas, who had offices in the same building as O’Reilly, was among those who spoke at the symposium last August at the Northern Illinois University College of Law in DeKalb.

Rolewick said that from comments at the symposium, the manifestation of incivility in the courtroom occurs most often in the abuse of discovery practice. Outside the courtroom, he said, attorneys may be verbally abusive, degrading and uncooperative with other attorneys.

"That delays the process and delays the system of justice," he said.

Each of the seven justices appointed two attorneys to the special committee. In addition to Rolewick, the members are George Black of Morris, Michael H. Cho of Chicago, Robert A. Clifford of Chicago, Laura Clower of Champaign, Charles Colburn of Jacksonville, Gordon B. Nash Jr. of Chicago, John Rekowski of Collinsville, Ronald Samuels of Chicago, Lawrence Templer of Chicago, Richard L. Tognarelli of Collinsville, Debra Walker of Chicago, Edward Walsh of Wheaton and Sonni C. Williams of Peoria.

[News release]

Today’s history

Compiled by Dave Francis

Saturday, Nov. 24

328th day of the year

"The ideas I stand for are not mine. I borrowed them from Socrates. I swiped them from Chesterfield. I stole them from Jesus. And I put them in a book. If you don’t like their rules, whose would you use?" — Dale Carnegie

"When I want to buy up any politician, I always find the anti-monopolists the most purchasable — they don’t come so high." — William Vanderbilt

Birthdays

1740 — John Bacon, English sculptor

1784 — Zachary Taylor, U.S. president; died 1850

1847 — Bram Stoker, Irish theater manager and author ("Dracula")

1864 — Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, France, painter ("At the Moulin Rouge")

1868 — Scott Joplin, composer, musician, guitarist, pianist, bugler; died 1917

1888 — Dale Carnegie, lecturer and author; died 1955

1901 — William Vanderbilt, politician; died 1981

1921 — John V. Lindsay, politician, mayor of New York City

1925 — William F. Buckley Jr., writer, commentator, editor

1938 — Oscar Robertson, Charlotte, Tenn., NBAer (Olympics, gold, ’60)

1946 — Ted Bundy, Burlington, Vt., serial murderer

1572 — John Knox, Scottish preacher, dies at about 67.

1863 — During the Civil War, the battle for Lookout Mountain begins in Tennessee. 

1871 — The National Rifle Association is incorporated in the United States.

1929 — Georges Clemenceau, French journalist and premier (1917-20), dies at 88.

1963 — Dallas nightclub owner Jack Ruby shoots and kills Lee Harvey Oswald on live national television.

1971 — Hijacker Dan Cooper, known as D.B. Cooper, parachutes from a Northwest Airlines 727 over Washington state with $200,000 in ransom.

1991 — Flamboyant British rock star Freddie Mercury dies in his sleep in England at age 45, just one day after he publicly announced he was suffering from AIDS. The death of the charismatic lead singer of the group Queen is the result of bronchopneumonia brought on by the AIDS virus. His sudden death stuns the rock world.

1993 — In England, two 11-year-old boys are sentenced to be detained indefinitely after they are found guilty of the murder of 2-year-old James Bulger.

Sunday, Nov. 25

329th day of the year

"I can’t afford to pay them any other way." — Andrew Carnegie’s reply to the question, "Why do you pay your employees so well?"

"Mothers all want their sons to grow up to be president, but they don’t want them to become politicians in the process." — former U.S. President John F. Kennedy

1835 — Andrew Carnegie, steel industrialist and library builder

1846 — Carry Nation, scourge of barkeepers and drinkers

1893 — Robert Ripley, illustrator ("Believe it or Not")

1914 — Joe DiMaggio, Yankee Clipper (56-game hitting streak)

1935 — Gloria Steinem, Toledo, Ohio, feminist writer (Ms)

1938 — Charles Starkwether, serial murderer. With his 14-year-old girlfriend, Caril Ann Fugate, he embarked in 1958 on a shocking, murderous rampage that lasted eight days and left 11 dead bodies in its wake — including Caril Ann’s family.

1960 — Amy Grant, gospel singer ("Glory of Love," "Baby Baby")

1960 — John F. Kennedy Jr., lawyer, son of JFK

1792 — Farmer’s Almanac first published.

1850 — Texas relinquishes one-third of its territory in exchange for $10 million from the United States to pay its public debts and settle border disputes. 

1867 — Alfred Nobel patents dynamite.

1884 — John B. Meyenberg of St. Louis patents evaporated milk.

1920 — First Thanksgiving parade (Philadelphia).

1920 — WTAW of College Station, Texas, broadcasts first football play-by-play.

1922 — Archaeologist Howard Carter enters King Tut’s tomb.

1944 — Kenesaw Landis, baseball commissioner, dies.

1949 — "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" appears on music charts.

1958 — Charles F. Kettering, inventor of auto self-starter, dies at 82.

1963 — JFK laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery.

1968 — Upton B. Sinclair, U.S. author ("Jungle"), dies at 90.

1970 — Japanese author Yukio Mishima commits ritual suicide after giving a speech attacking Japan’s post-war constitution.

1973 — Maximum speed limit cut to 55 mph as an energy conservation measure.

1983 — World’s greatest robbery: 25,000,000 English pounds of gold from Heathrow, England.

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/ 

[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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