[OCT. 15, 2001]  As the Finance Committee continues to review the proposal for a new county budget, brought forth to the board Thursday night, the question of necessity takes center stage. Although it has been almost nine years since Logan County has actually experienced a deficit in the budget, board members all agreed that, realistically, it appears that revenues are in the beginning stages of a serious decline. At a time when, on the federal level, earnings are doing the same, the board is looking to not only maintain an even financial state and avoid a coming reduction, but also to give Logan County a positive future fiscally. So a proposal of $5 million it is.

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An exchange on another issue, which brought on an impromptu straw vote, was the rezoning of a local 7-acre agricultural property. The vote went through on a tight 6-5 passage, splitting the board, but in doing so, allowing two separate country homes to be built on rural Lincoln land.

The issue had already seen a recent rejection in an earlier vote, due to incompatibilities within the county’s ordinance in regard to rural homes. But the board’s Planning and Zoning Committee, led by David Hepler, claims the request to rezone does in fact comply with the statutory requirements of the ordinance, citing that those requirements were established in the first place so that smaller lots could be used for residential properties.

A motion from board member Dale Voyles, declaring that by denying the request, the Zoning Board of Appeals Committee was out of order, helped the proposal to pass this time around.

The property under dispute is located on Old Illinois 121 and is owned by Carol Litwiller, who reverentially presented his case to the board.

[Colin Bird]

[OCT. 15, 2001]  The House Republican Long-Term Care Funding Task Force held its first two public hearings Oct. 3, taking testimony in Springfield and Bloomington. State Rep. Jonathan Wright, R-Hartsburg, said he was pleased with the input task force members received today from state agency officials as well as a number of local long-term care providers.

[OCT. 11, 2001]  Even though many aren’t paying them, the ordinance committee of the Lincoln City Council doesn’t plan to recommend lowering the fines for minors caught consuming alcohol.

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[Joan Crabb]

[OCT. 11, 2001]  In light of the recently revealed difficulties at the Lincoln Developmental Center, many members of the community are concerned about the impact that would be deeply felt if the facility should be closed. LDC is at risk of losing its federal certification.

Gov. George Ryan declared on Friday that they have 30 days to move 90 residents to other facilities and make patient care reforms. Gov. Ryan is quoted as saying, "Any decisions we make about the future direction of the facility will be made with the best interests of the residents in mind."

Not only would the closing of LDC be a devastating economic loss, but also, having been here a hundred years, this facility has been a significant part of our history.

If you would like to respond to this situation, you are urged to write a simple support letter to the governor and state representatives. You should state that as a member of this community you believe in keeping this important facility in operation here.

You can send your signed letters to:

Honorable George H. Ryan

Governor of Illinois

207 State House

Springfield, IL  62706

Claude "Bud" Stone

Illinois State Senator

618 N. Chicago St.

Lincoln, IL  62656

or

119 Capitol Building

Springfield, IL  62706

Jonathan C. Wright

Illinois State Representative

407 Keokuk St.

Lincoln, IL  62656

U.S. Rep. Ray LaHood

3050 Montvale Drive

Springfield, IL  62704

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Model letter

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,

(Signature)

Your Name

Address

Phone Number

[LDN]

[OCT. 11, 2001]  At their Sept. 28 meeting, the board of directors of Corn Belt Energy Corporation approved new rate schedules for central region members. Corn Belt’s new rate structure has been calculated following an extensive cost-of-service study. Each rate class was reviewed and evaluated as it relates to the cost to provide electric service. The last adjustment to Corn Belt’s central region rates was on Jan. 1, 1991.

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[News release]

[OCT. 10, 2001]  The sewer rate increase that Lincoln needs in order to get a loan to upgrade its wastewater plant could be put in place in two steps, according to Joseph Miller, general manager of the Environmental Management Corporation, which operates Lincoln’s sewer facility.

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Charges for industrial and institutional users such as the Lincoln and Logan Correctional Centers would also rise according to volume and to BOD and TSS readings.

City won’t pursue purchasing
water company

[Joan Crabb]

[OCT. 10, 2001]  Rep. Jonathan Wright, R-Hartsburg, and Sen. Claude Stone, R-Morton, met today with officials from Exelon Generation and AmerGen regarding the Clinton nuclear power plant. Rep. Wright and Sen. Stone were assured that the nuclear power facility is taking appropriate security measures in response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

"Obviously, the facility will not and should not disclose all the specific details regarding security measures at the facility," Wright said. "But Senator Stone and I were given adequate information to indicate that measures are in place to safeguard the facility."

All nuclear power plants are heavily regulated as to all aspects of the facility — including safety. Even before Sept. 11, these types of facilities have had significant security measures in place. The Clinton plant is simply adding to those measures.

[News release]

[OCT. 9, 2001]  Monday evening, Oct. 8, in the chapel on campus, Lincoln Christian College and Seminary hosted a forum on Islam. The forum presentation by Dr. Robert Douglas was entitled "Islam, Muslims, and America: A Christian Missionary’s Perspective." Douglas is the professor of intercultural studies at Lincoln Christian Seminary and an internationally recognized authority on Islam.

Dr. Keith Ray, president of the college and seminary, welcomed the audience and gave a brief introduction of the speaker and topic. Speaking for the school, he said, "It is our hope that through this conversation that Dr. Douglas will be able to inform you about the basic tenants of [the Islamic] religion, some aspects of that world view and bring you to a greater understanding about what is happening in our world." It was his wish that the forum would do three things in the audience’s lives: "To help you think more clearly about the world in which we live … [To help] all of us to engage a greater zeal for the truth of God … That you would sense in your own lives a greater calling in the affairs of God’s mission on this earth."

The outline of the evening was simple. After the introduction, Douglas gave a short speech introducing the audience to the religion of Islam and the varying beliefs among Muslims. Then there was about an hour of question and answer, followed by a closing prayer by the LCCS president.

Douglas began his speech by breaking through some misconceptions and prejudices held by many Americans. He said that in many people’s minds, all Arabs are Muslims and all Muslims are Arabs. This, however, is incorrect. He said that one-fifth of the world’s people are Muslims, and that this one-fifth is comprised of over 700 different ethnic and language groups. In fact, only one-fifth of all Muslims are Arabic.

But even beyond that, he said, many people think that not only do people believe that Muslim=Arab, but they believe that Muslim=Arab=Terrorist. He cited the television show "West Wing" in comparing this equation to Christian=White=Ku Klux Klan, a shockingly effective analogy.

From there, he explained how there are great differences, not only in the ethnic background of Muslims, but in the beliefs and practices. The spectrum ranges from orthodox or fundamental to progressive, and even within each label there are wide differences. His main point, which was driven home by the end of his speech, was that we, as people and as a nation, cannot allow ourselves to fall into bigotry or prejudice. Not every Muslim believes that Islam condones acts such as the ones committed on Sept. 11.

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After this, the floor was opened for questions. Eleven questions were posed by various people, from LDN’s own photographer Bob Frank to Pastor Mark Carnahan of Zion Lutheran Church. Some of these questions and answers are below.

Douglas answered, "From the terrorists’ perspective, yes." He then went on to explain the term Jihad, which essentially means "struggle." There are two forms, "Greater Jihad" and "Lesser Jihad." Greater Jihad is both the striving within yourself to be what God wants you to be and the struggle in action and speech to spread Islam. Lesser Jihad is striving in terms of warfare.

Again, Douglas answered that some would say yes. He cited some verses in the Qur’an that say not to befriend a Jew or Christian, or say that Muslims must "fight against polytheists and destroy them." According to the Muslim view of polytheism, which is that you associate any "partner" with God, Christians are polytheistic, because of the belief of Jesus as God’s son.

Douglas said that the reason the terrorists did what they did was because they were people "who believed that they were doing the will of God." The specific will of God was that they were attacking the nation that they saw to be corrupting the world and keeping society from being how God wants it.

The Qur’an was compiled of the speeches given to Mohammed by God. It is the unquestionable truth to the Muslims. The Bible is true only "to the extent that the Bible and the Qur’an match."

"No." Douglas quoted a Muslim acquaintance as saying, "You cannot know until the time. We cannot know how God will judge." God could always change his mind.

[Gina Sennett]

[OCT. 8, 2001]  As promised, the United States led an attack on Afghanistan. The attack began Sunday. 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.afghannews.net/ 

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.

[OCT. 8, 2001]  Pastor Mark Carnahan is the minister of Zion Lutheran Church in Lincoln. Preston Carnahan, his son, has been the subject of previous LDN news articles and is now attending the United States Merchant Marine Academy, located in Long Island, N.Y. Pastor Carnahan and his wife, Maggy, visited Preston for the annual Parents Weekend at the academy. They arrived on Thursday, Sept. 6, five days before the attack.

"We looked the part of the tourists," said Carnahan, smiling at his wife sitting next to him in a sizable church office offset to his own. The room itself was lit somewhat low, giving it a sullen atmosphere at almost 8 o’clock at night, which would not only set the tone for the conversation, but also match it, in regard to the difficult subject matter.

"On Saturday, Sept. 8, we took the subway into the basement of the Trade Center," he said, also noting the many men and women they rode alongside of that day and on Monday who undoubtedly worked there — none of them the wiser as to what was on its way.

"You just took it for granted," Maggy began, in describing the twin towers before the tragic fall. "Just these beautiful, fantastic buildings that dwarfed the city. They were just so imposing, and yet you just took for granted that they were even there."

The Carnahans had visited New York on previous occasions and describe the misconception most have toward the city as humorous. "I love New York," Maggy continued. "The people there are so friendly, I always look forward to going." Surprisingly her attitude remains so optimistic, considering the events of this past trip.

Ready to return home after a successful visit, Carnahan recalls Tuesday morning, Sept. 11, in LaGuardia Airport:

"I was waiting in line to check my luggage before boarding (on American Airlines), when an employee came out and said there weren’t going to be any more flights that day," Carnahan began. "I looked at the airline employee, looked outside, then back at him and said, ‘Looks like a nice day to fly to me.’"

Eventually everyone in the airport was told to vacate the premises. "They told us we had to go," he continued. "I looked around and said, ‘Go where?’ And then he just told us, "Go!"

Once outside, the Carnahans and all the other airport evacuees began to grasp the severity of the situation, as they gathered to watch a massive fire in the sky.

Hearts pounding and fears rising with the smoke, Maggy recalls that leaden moment when she realized and said, "Wait a minute... One of the towers is gone."

Pastor Carnahan explained how another employee then came outside shouting, "You need to go! Everybody! The FBI is evacuating the area, everybody needs to go!"

Perhaps more shocked than confused, Carnahan asked yet again, "Go where?" There they were met with an answer of the inevitable... "Just go!"

With that, Pastor Carnahan, his wife and all other would-be travelers of the air became wanderers on foot. With literally nowhere to go but the interstate and no sight to focus on but a "giant in flames," they began walking. "We were like refugees," said Carnahan. "For awhile, that’s what we were."

Maggy noted how amazingly calm everybody seemed to be. As they walked, a small rental van pulled alongside, which they were the first to board. They described the van ride as quiet, nobody really saying anything, just watching. Watching as a city before them was falling apart and as the lone tower left standing was beginning to fall.

The van pulled over. Quiet. No words. Jaws and hearts alike instantly dropped. Carnahan and his wife looked out over the city toward the giant cloud pounding out of the crumbling shrine.

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"Thirty seconds to a minute passed after it fell before anyone made a sound," said Carnahan quietly.

Then the driver, a native New Yorker, stood by the door and asked aloud the very thing that each and every one who witnessed it was thinking: "Did I just see what I thought I saw?"

"I paddled until I was paddled out," Carnahan said reflectively, recalling his need to clear his mind later that night. Out in the water, kayaking with God, he tried not to think about the terror. He tried not to think about what he was forced to see that day, or what, within the course of retaliation, he may be forced to see in the coming months. He tried not to think about the cots he and his wife had slept on just a few nights before, for an event as innocent as Parents Weekend, that were now being shipped across the harbor, being used to hold dead bodies as part of a makeshift morgue, if need be.

Sitting back home

Safe here in the office, recalling those moments and the days that followed, Carnahan tried not to think and he tried not to cry.

He battled a new set of tears while relaying the trip home, where they encountered an all-but-abandoned truck stop in Pennsylvania. Abandoned because of the owner’s skin color… brown. Sadly he recalled how they witnessed the truck stop owner being harassed.

Rubbing the sleeping head of his young son on his wife’s lap steadied his emotions as he continued, explaining his family’s rocky mental state. "I just zone out. It’s like slow motion. I’ll be driving, and it’s like I’m in another zone, like I’m not a part of normal things," says Carnahan.

"I don’t think I’ve ever had nightmares before," added Maggy, adjusting her son, "but I’m having them now."

Arriving safely back in Lincoln — by car, not plane — the Carnahans say they are struck with a deep sense of guilt for leaving that world behind, for returning to normalcy while others maintain the horror.

Though while still there they stood in line to give blood and stood aside the city to pray, back here they fight to scatter the ashes of terror — the pictures their minds have brought back with them. Fighting, however, with undoubtedly the best weapon Carnahan knows to arm himself with: a resounding faith. "God is in control," the pastor said firmly. "God is good, and He is in control. I just trust God. He is the only answer for my fears."

It’s a faith that will serve the Carnahan family well as they continue to seek out a life as they knew it, a life that may not return, given Carnahans’ stolid summary about this ordeal and each vivid memory therein: "It’s not a matter of reliving it... because we’re still living in it."

The Carnahans have a daughter and son-in-law stationed in Hawaii. As of now they are uncertain where they will be assigned or what that assignment will be. They are parents to a young toddler girl. ... Her power of attorney papers are currently en route to Lincoln.

[Colin Bird]

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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