Know where you are

Emergency cell phone use

[APRIL 3, 2002]  There is no doubt that technology has given us a better, easier, higher quality of life. But if you’re working in a field that relies on technology, the rapid rate of development can cause more than a few headaches on an ordinary day. As director of the Emergency Services Disaster Agency, Dan Fulscher takes advantage of all that modern technology has to offer, including advanced communication systems. He also oversees the E911 system. He will tell you, "As technology has grown, problems have increased."

In 1993, when the 911 service began, there were 239 calls the first month. That was thought to be a lot of calls. Now 1,600-1,800 land-based calls and 600-800 cell calls are received each month. This constitutes an increase to12 times as many calls as in the beginning. This increase is not due to an increase in crime or fire but rather because people are more aware of how to call, and they use it like a security blanket. The goal of a simple number to call for help has been achieved.

To illustrate his point, Fulscher said that a recent Police Magazine article on domestic violence said that most victims used to say, "I’m going to call the police." They now say, "I’m going to call 911."

Cell phone calls started showing up the first year 911 was in place and are rapidly on the increase. Chicago’s 911 system now logs 35 percent cell calls. Logan County calls monitored over the last two months indicate that 30.5 percent — nearly one-third — of the 911 calls are from cell phones.

It used to be that a person could expect to make two to four emergency phone calls in a lifetime. Now, that number has doubled, and a person will make eight to 20 calls. Part of that is due to the availability of a phone while traveling, in addition to increased time spent in the car. At one time we traveled 15,000 miles per year, including special trips as a family. Now the average on-the-go working family drives twice that in everyday driving, plus special trips and vacations.

It is the good fortune of Logan County that, through vision and hard work, we have a fully completed and operational enhanced 911 system, E911. When you call from a land-based phone, your call shows enhanced caller ID information, the e-mapping system instantly shows where the call is coming from, the destination is mapped and coordinated, and the information received is disseminated quickly to all emergency services needed via a dispatcher.

"E911 is what America thinks is available nationwide. It is not," Fulscher says.

Callers need to be aware that there are 911 systems without enhanced features and that those calls and cell phone calls will take a little longer than a land-based call to an E911 system. The dispatcher will need to know who the callers are, where they are and possibly what services need to be called. Remember, it takes more time to process a cell phone call since the automated features of E911 are not enacted.

The growth of cell phone use has reduced the efficiency of the E911 system. The E911 system is driven by the information provided by their enhanced caller ID system. Cell phone calls do not provide any usable caller ID information beyond the cell phone number that the call is coming from. A cell phone call could be made from any location.

(For those who may be wondering, cordless phones are considered land-based.)

When you dial 911 on your cell phone, it connects you to the closest 911 dispatch in Illinois. If you are in Logan County, it connects to the Lincoln dispatch center. Other than the phone number being displayed on the caller ID, the E911 service provides no more benefit.

Tips for calling 911 from a cell phone:

1.  When using cell 911, look at your surroundings as you are traveling; periodically check road coordinates, route signs and towns just passed.

[Photos by Bob Frank]

2.  If you are carrying a cell phone, get used to looking at addresses before going into a home or business. When at a social or recreational event, note the town, a building name, an address if possible, and note where you are specifically located in a building or town. A constant check on your surroundings could speed up rescue and make the difference in life-saving measures.

3.  Leave your cell phone on after making a call.

4.  Do not make other calls, in case dispatch needs to call you back for more information or clarification.

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Please remember that terrorism and domestic violence is on the rise. Although you may not be a target, you could happen upon an incident as it occurs. Remember to speak clearly and slowly because the dispatch will have to document information instead of simply typing it into a computer. Since location information is not automated as with a land-based call, be aware that gathering information could take from one to two minutes. You can help speed this process by being prepared to answer any other questions dispatch may ask.

Many calls are made when an accident is witnessed on an interstate highway. If you can be specific about location, your call will be most helpful. The following are some recent bad examples of calls from highway drivers trying to report an accident: "I’m about 1½ hours south of Chicago"; another driver reported, "I’m on Route 136, between Havana and McLean."

Keep in mind that in Logan County there is Interstate 55 (I-55) and there is Interstate 155 (I-155). Be clear about which highway you are on. The mile markers for the two interstates are slightly different, with I-55 having the higher numbers. The problem of similar highway numbers that are easily confused exists elsewhere as well.

James Courtwright of American Freightways in Lincoln said that most of their drivers have been driving a long time and generally drive the same daily routes. The drivers keep aware of the following information as they travel:

1.  Major highway arteries: i.e., I-55 and Route 136.

2.  Mile marker numbers

3.  Exit numbers

4.  Proximity to towns: north, south, east or west

5.  Direction of travel

6.  Landmarks

7.  Other tangible information

Giving directions

Use right, left, straight; not north, south, east or west. You may start out indicating a geographical direction, but the remainder of your coordinates should be provided as "right," "left" or "straight" terminology.

Example: Go north on Nicholson Road from Business 55, turn right at Krueger Road, go straight about two miles and look for the grain elevator on the left at the end of the road just over the tracks.

While there are many cellular phone companies to choose from in Logan County, there is only one land-based phone service. E911 services must be coordinated with the phone system to provide enhanced services. Cellular coordination will require not only development of technologies, but also daily updating with all telecommunications systems.

At the Logan County E911 site, office manager Dianne Ruff communicates with our only land-based phone provider, Verizon, keeping our land-based phone information current. Weekly she manually processes 125 changes related to location moves and phone number changes.

At present, surcharges added to telephone bills support our E911 system: 85 cents per month on land-based and 43 cents per month on cell phone bills. These fees pay for technical improvements. The Logan County 911 board is assessing the effects that increased cell phone use is having and is monitoring finances while looking to the future.

While enhanced cellular 911 is on its way, it will probably be many years before it has the capacity of the current land-based enhanced 911 system.

"It will take as many years as it did to develop from what we had at first in 1993 to what it is in 2002," says Fulscher. "It will be great when it gets here, but in the meantime we need to do our part in being prepared to supply good directions when making emergency calls."

[Jan Youngquist]

[APRIL 2, 2002]  In its efforts to cut about $1 million from next year’s budget, the Lincoln City Council has decided it must pass the fire hydrant service fees back to water company customers.

The move, passed unanimously by council members at the April 1 meeting, will save the city about $212,000 annually and will add approximately $5 to city residents’ bimonthly water bills.

The change will not take effect until about the end of June, however, because it must go through the Illinois Commerce Commission, so the city will need to put some money in the 2002-2003 fiscal year budget for the hydrant fees, finance chairman Steve Fuhrer said.

Three years ago the council decided to pay the annual fee to cover the local water company’s charges on fire hydrants. Previously, American Water added those costs to customers’ monthly bills.

Now, however, with falling sales tax revenues and a historically low rate of return on its investments keeping the city strapped for revenue, the council has reluctantly decided it must pass the charge back to the water customers.

"We looked everywhere possible for dollars before we decided we had to do this," Fuhrer said.

Other cuts the city has made so far are wage freezes for department heads, hiring freezes, elimination of new vehicles for the police and the city zoning office, and cuts in funding for the Elm Street improvement project between Fifth and West Kickapoo streets.

Even these cuts are not deep enough to balance the city’s budget for the new fiscal year that begins May 1, Fuhrer said. Projections show that the city can expect about $4 million in revenue next year, and the original budget projections came to almost $5 million. To balance the budget, he said recently, the finance committee must whittle away at least another $200,000. He said he hopes to do that without layoffs, but he cannot rule them out. Another meeting of the committee is scheduled for April 8.

In other business, the council tabled a motion to accept a small building from West Lincoln Township. The building, at Fifth and Adams streets, has been used as a polling place for many years.

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Mayor Beth Davis believes the building has "definite historic value" and has said she would like to move it to the Postville Courthouse historic site. She said local historian Paul Beaver is having the building dated and believes it was constructed before 1888, the date for which the first title was found.

Two members of the city’s historic preservation commission, chair Betty York and member Georgia Vinson, attended the council meeting.

The council also voted to allow the sale of a vacant lot at 1305 Tremont St. and to share the proceeds with Logan County. The city has a demolition lien of $5,900 on the lot, as well as mowing costs, and the county is owed back taxes of $15,000 on the property. The city voted to accept one-third of the proceeds of the sale, giving the rest to the county.

[Photo by Joan Crabb]

[Fire Chief Bucky Washam (left) presents awards to two brothers who recently retired from the Lincoln City Fire Department. Assistant Chief Don Fulk (center) retired Feb. 15 after almost 33 years, and Assistant Chief Larry Fulk retired in June of last year after 27 years of service.]

Two retired assistant fire chiefs, brothers Don and Larry Fulk, received trophies from Chief Bucky Washam commemorating their years of service to the Lincoln City Fire Department.  Don served the city for nearly 33 years, retiring in February.  Larry served for 27 years and retired in June of 2001.    

[Joan Crabb]

[APRIL 1, 2002]  Daniel J. Logan, 16, of Lincoln was pronounced dead at 9:44 p.m. Saturday after the car he was driving failed to negotiate a curve on Route 121-Limit Street.

The car was traveling southbound when it moved into the northbound lane and off the road into a ditch. The car overturned and the driver was thrown from the vehicle. He was pronounced dead at the scene by Logan County Deputy Coroner Warren Rogers. There were no other passengers in the car.

The accident occurred just south of Keokuk Street at 8:56 p.m. It is under investigation by the Lincoln City Police and the coroner’s office. An autopsy was performed this morning, but the report has not yet been issued.

Daniel Logan is the son of the local county board chairman, Dick Logan.

[Gina Sennett]

[See obituary]

[APRIL 1, 2002]  Kevin Johnson, 31, was arrested Thursday after he was spotted driving a stolen pickup truck in the Big R parking lot. The owner of the truck reported the vehicle stolen at 4:30 p.m. from the 300 block of Keokuk. Officer Raymond spotted the vehicle in the Big R parking lot at 5 p.m. Shortly after, Johnson exited the store and left the lot, driving that vehicle. Police arrested him at a roadblock.

Johnson is charged with motor vehicle theft, trespass to a vehicle and retail theft ($9 worth of merchandise from Big R). He is being held for court appearance.

Though police do not suspect that this incident has any connection to the recent rash of vehicle thefts, the Lincoln City Police Department continues to urge citizens to never leave their keys in their vehicles.

If anyone has any information concerning the recent vehicle thefts, please contact Detective John Bunner at the Lincoln City Police Department, 732-2151. 

[Gina Sennett]

[APRIL 1, 2002]  SPRINGFIELD — Illinois Department of Corrections officials today released information regarding the impact of cost-cutting measures proposed by Gov. George Ryan’s administration. They are providing the information in response to charges by AFSCME that the cuts will create more dangerous conditions in state prisons.

Corrections Director Donald N. Snyder Jr. provided security staff-to-inmate projections showing a minimal impact by moves to close correctional facilities. Corrections administrators also stressed that reforming the system from top to bottom for the last three years will have a profound impact on the continued safety of state prisons.

"Our prisons are safer today than they were three years ago because correctional officers and prison managers now assign inmates to the jobs, cell houses, visitation schedules and recreation times that the administration determines. In previous years, gang leaders or others with influence in the system could make these decisions, and that was dangerous," said Snyder.

"Cell houses are easier to search and monitor because the property inmates keep in their cells has been significantly reduced. Movement to work assignments, meals and recreation yards now occurs in smaller groups, with more supervision. Gang intelligence officers monitor troublesome inmates and hold them to a higher standard of discipline than before," said Snyder.

Snyder also noted disciplinary sanctions for misbehavior and assaults are strictly enforced. Segregation space to house offenders under punishment for rule violations has been increased. Assaults on officers and inmates have dropped significantly under these new conditions.

Closing Vienna Correctional Center, and possibly other prisons, can be absorbed safely by Illinois Corrections for other reasons. The new Lawrence Correctional Center has 1,600 beds open. These beds are more than enough to hold the 1,200 inmates that will need to be moved as a result of closing Vienna Correctional Center.

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Earlier, Gov. Ryan asked corrections administrators to calculate any change in security staff-to-inmate ratios as a result of facility closings. A slight increase from the 1-4.12 ratio present in the system today to one staff person to 4.32 inmates after the closing of the facilities was calculated by the agency. Three years ago the ratio was 1-to-4.43.

"We need to remember that there are also about 2,600 fewer inmates in the system today than a year ago," said Snyder. "With the more efficient design at the Lawrence prison and the new Kewanee youth center, we will replace 40-year-old, staff-intensive design with state-of-the art buildings requiring fewer staff to operate safely," he said.

Corrections officials added that closing an additional prison could still be within the safety zone needed for the system. Depending on possible increases in the prison population in the coming year, a capacity window of more than 3,000 inmates is still open for consideration. Filling all 3,000 beds with inmates from existing prisons would put the system at the same level of crowding faced one year ago. Opening the new reception and classification prison at Stateville Correctional Center in Joliet is also planned in the last half of the next fiscal year. This facility will also consist of state-of-the art, efficient designs and will have a capacity of 1,800 beds. This addition increases the capacity window by an additional 60 percent.

"In tough economic times, tough decisions must be made. But, we will never jeopardize the safety and security of our prison system while making those decisions. These numbers should shed some light into the debate regarding the continued safety of the Illinois prison system," Snyder added.

[Illinois Department of Corrections news release]

[MARCH 30, 2002]  CHICAGO — For the eighth time in recent months, the union representing state workers has prevailed in its legal battles with Gov. George Ryan. The Illinois State Labor Relations Board has issued a complaint against the Ryan administration in response to an unfair labor practice charge filed by Council 31 of the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees.

"The Ryan administration has been trying to deflect blame for the crisis it has created," said Mike Newman, associate director of AFSCME Council 31. "But once again a tribunal has pointed the finger back at him."

The union charges that Ryan has repeatedly taken actions that violate state law or the union’s contract. "We’re very pleased that in every single instance in which we’ve sought to block his illegal actions in the courts or before the labor board, our position has been affirmed," said Newman.

The complaint for hearing issued today by the state labor board came in response to charges that AFSCME filed after the Ryan administration abruptly broke off negotiations over a proposed furlough program. The union’s contract requires that any such program must first be negotiated.

In listing grounds for proceeding with the hearing, the labor board said that the administration "maintained an inflexible position on its bargaining proposal for a statewide furlough program" during the negotiations and that it then acted unilaterally to implement a furlough program.

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"Most significantly the complaint states that the administration refused to bargain in good faith," said Newman.

AFSCME has consistently said that it was willing to negotiate over how to structure an effective voluntary furlough program and had called on Ryan to return to negotiations over such a program. The union, however, has also repeatedly stressed that a furlough program cannot address the state’s budget crisis and has helped develop, and has advocated for, a range of alternatives to furloughs and layoffs.

The governor’s repeated contention that a furlough program would avert layoffs was also addressed. Included in the complaint is the charge that the administration was unwilling to even discuss using the savings from a furlough to preserve jobs.

[AFSCME Council 31]

[MARCH 30, 2002]  SPRINGFIELD — Gov. George Ryan has announced that a collection of rare newspapers, political memorabilia, photographs and Lincoln-related material, all amassed by former Lincoln Tomb manager Herbert Wells Fay, has been donated to the Illinois State Historical Library. The donation was made by Phillis Kelley, DeKalb County historian, who acquired the material from the family of the late Paul Nehring, who purchased the Fay collection in the 1950s.

"This unique collection will be a valuable supplement to many of the Historical Library’s holdings," said Gov. Ryan. "These items can also be showcased at the new Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum being built in downtown Springfield." The State Historical Library and its collections will move to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum once construction is complete.

Fay was custodian of Lincoln Tomb from 1920 to 1948, where he had access to the elite in both the political world and in Lincoln scholarship. Fay was an avid Lincoln collector and constantly tried to find and record Lincoln artifacts and images. He maintained correspondence with anyone he felt could help him in his quest for new and unusual Lincoln items.

Fay was also an accomplished and well-traveled photographer, and his images feature many one-of-a-kind views of historic buildings and events.

Fay’s collection of images relating to Abraham Lincoln includes 14 images of New Salem village shortly after its reconstruction in the 1930s; a rare lithographic print of the Emancipation Proclamation, done in 1888; and a rare contemporary print of President Lincoln’s funeral service at Columbus, Ohio, on April 29, 1865.

The collection includes manuscript correspondence about Lincoln from 1880 to 1949 with such people as Illinois politician Paul Powell, Lincoln scholar William Dodd Chenery and artist Wallace Nutting. There are also letters from Mrs. Emma Weaver Hoge of Walnut, Ill., whose father, Perry A. Weaver, was present at Ford’s Theatre the night Lincoln was assassinated.

The collection also includes a near-complete run of Fay’s Springfield newspaper column, "Lincoln Tomb Notes," a weekly recounting of the events and people surrounding Lincoln Tomb.

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Fay was noted for his Illinois photographs — many of interest to central Illinois and Springfield. They include a 1930s aerial view of the Illinois State Fairgrounds, local celebrities of note and the celebration of Mass at the new cathedral in Springfield in April 1929.

Fay also took a series of photos while traveling in the West, and the collection includes views of the aftermath of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.

Political memorabilia from Illinois includes a rare 1912 statewide presidential ballot and a broadside used by U.S. Sen. Shelby M. Cullom for his 1912 primary race.

The Fay collection includes rare newspaper imprints from the Illinois State Chronicle, an African-American paper from Springfield; the Log Cabin, an 1840 campaign paper for William Henry Harrison, published by Horace Greeley; and the Chicago Evening Journal with its detailed account of "‘About the Barb City,’ Largest Factory of its size in the west," concerning DeKalb and its notable businessmen.

The donated collection includes more than 300 letters; 40 broadsides and posters; 150 photographs and images, including some of Lincoln; more than a dozen books and pamphlets; and more than 1,000 newspaper clippings.

The Illinois State Historical Library is the state’s chief historical and genealogical research facility. Its holdings include 175,531 books, 391,207 audiovisual materials, 86,572 reels of microfilm, and 10.4 million manuscript items contained in 6,200 collections. The library’s 40,000-item Henry Horner Lincoln Collection features more than 1,500 manuscripts written or signed by the 16th president. The library is located beneath the Old State Capitol State Historic Site in downtown Springfield.

[Illinois Government News Network press release]

[MARCH 30, 2002]   The Miss Heart of Illinois scholarship program pageant is set for Saturday, April 6, at 7:30 at the Bertha Frank Performing Arts Center in Morton. 

The show this year will feature Miss HOI 2001 Alyssa Gunderson (pictured) and the Gina Kennedy Dance Company. Other performers are Elite Force, Cathy Black and Bruce Colligan.

[Miss HOI ’01 Alyssa Gunderson is crowned by Miss HOI 2000 Bethany Von Behren of Peoria. Jenny Powers, Miss Illinois, helps with crowning duties.]

Last year’s pageant, with the theme "Celebrate America," won the "Best Production" award from the Miss Illinois scholarship program.

The Miss HOI program is also a two-time award winner for "Outstanding Pageant of the Year" among Illinois’ Miss America preliminaries. 

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Miss HOI has awarded $27,900 in scholarship dollars to area women in the past four years.  It was reborn in 1998 with a new local volunteer committee, but its history in the greater-Peoria area dates back to the 1950s.

For more information on becoming a volunteer or sponsor for Miss HOI, go to misshoi.homestead.com.

Central Illinois will also be home to two more Miss Illinois preliminaries, Miss Central and Miss Prairie State. They will take place in Morton on April 20, and contestant entries are still being accepted.

Call (309) 263-5950 for more information or e-mail misshoi@hotmail.com

[Miss HOI news release]

[MARCH 29, 2002]  Yes, you read that right. The Logan County Local Emergency Planning Committee, LEPC, is always preparing for the inevitable. As Director Dan Fulscher is quick to point out, there will be natural and man-made disasters that will occur here, and it is better to be prepared for them.

  Logan County Local Emergency Planning Committee, LEPC, had its quarterly meeting at the Logan County Safety Complex on Wednesday, March 20. Many decision- making members from the county, including representatives of all local emergency services, were in attendance. LEPC works directly with county agencies, ESDA and 911 and serves as a collaborative agency between community leaders and rescue agencies preparing for emergencies and disasters through regular communications, planning and training.

The meeting opened with the first in a series of training sessions on handling emergency systems. This class, taught by Fire Chief Robert Washam, was on how to use the Emergency Response Guidebook.

ERG training

The Emergency Response Guidebook is a resource used by emergency personnel for knowing what kind of immediate response must be taken for any chemical spills. Five color-coded sections in the book are cross-referenced for obtaining immediate information.

Take, for example, if a truck overturns on the highway and is leaking some substance. Trucks and train cars have signs telling what kind of load they are carrying. If this sign can be read, it can be found in the white section of the guidebook. There the sign is shown with a number, which references the orange section. If there is no sign, but the chemical ID number or name is known, those can be found in the yellow and blue sections, respectively. In those sections, a guide number is found to cross-reference to the orange section.

For example, suppose the truck has a white sign reading "Poison Gas." In the white section, this corresponds to 123. The orange section gives instructions on how to handle the spill. The entry for 123 indicates that the substance may be fatal if inhaled or absorbed through skin. Also, it may burn, but this is not likely. Self-contained breathing apparatus is necessary when approaching the spill. For evacuation, the guide says to refer to the green section if the substance is highlighted in the yellow or blue sections. The green section has specific evacuation instructions for small and large spills, including an immediate evacuation radius and a secondary evacuation distance for downwind.

For unknown spills, the 111 entry gives general safety instructions, including an initial evacuation of one-half mile.

After the training, members were brought up-to-date on LEPC’s many activities.

Shortly, LEPC will begin a series of community awareness ad campaigns in the news media. Ads will run in Lincoln Daily News, The Courier and the Mount Pulaski weekly papers. These ads will inform the community about LEPC and its activities. It was suggested that LEPC do announcements and informational segments on Log-On, the local cable station, as well.

LEPC will be setting up a household hazardous waste collection center in the spring. More details on this will come.

The Logan County Health Department announced that it has mercury spill kits for small spills such as those from thermometers. Contact the health office if you break a mercury thermometer.

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LEPC has begun plans for their booth at this year’s fair. Plans are being made to share the tent with 911 and ESDA. The booth will inform community members about the emergency response agencies.

Planning has begun for this year’s annual emergency response training. One possible topic is an overturned vehicle.

On April 10 there will be a gas burn, showing the community how emergency officials will handle such a crisis.

ESDA announced that it has a database allowing it to access the dispatch records for all railroad and trucking companies that travel through Logan County. In the event of an accident with one of these vehicles, all information about cargo, origination and destination can be obtained almost immediately.

Hazmat responses are now online. Logan County has 19 recorded in the National Response Center from Oct. 19, 1990, to Feb. 21, 2002.

Local authorities are receiving constant updates from the Homeland Security Advisory System. E-mail updates have reported an "elevated" level of security, which is third out of five security levels.

A report was given on the most recent training in homeland security. Two mock disasters were run in Bloomington-Normal, one which involved the Bone Student Center at ISU being blown up, and one which involved 17 high school students developing symptoms of a biological terrorism attack.

The state poison control center has gone to a national phone number that transfers callers to the Illinois system. The old number still works, but all advertising and announcements will have the new number.

There are national stores of treatments for biological and chemical terrorism. There are currently three local sites in the approval stages of becoming shipping sites for these medications: Lincoln Christian College, the Logan County Health Department and the fairgrounds.

Finally, elections for all offices, voting delegates, committees and their chairs took place at the meeting.

Preparations for potential flooding presented last quarter

At the December meeting, information was shared about disaster preparations that were in place should the Clinton nuclear power plant be attacked by terrorists. It was not the nuclear plants that were of concern, but it was anticipated that terrorists would seek to destroy the dams. The lake has just recently been reopened to the public now that the threat is considered sufficiently reduced.

The floodwaters released in the destruction of a dam would spread a long way before losing their potential destructive force. Dan Fulscher explained the pathway, timing and various degrees of magnitude projected by experts should the Clinton dam be destroyed. Floodwaters are always moving to lower ground, he explained. The waters of Clinton Lake would head through Chestnut and then turn toward Mount Pulaski and begin heading back northwest, following Salt Creek into Logan County. Passing through the southern edge of Lincoln the waters would have diminished damaging capacity as they neared Middletown. The first course of action would be to save Chestnut. All first rescue efforts would be concentrated there.

Next quarter’s training will be a tabletop training exercise presented by Pat Keane, Region 7 coordinator for the Illinois Emergency Management Agency.

For anyone interested in LEPC and its background, there is a videotape available for borrowing.

[Gina Sennett]

[MARCH 29, 2002]  In its second meeting the Lincoln/Logan Regional Planning Commission Ordinance Committee began considering a list of terms needing definition in the county zoning ordinance. It also continued to question the scope of its inquiry.

The 17-member committee was called together by regional planning director Phil Mahler to re-examine the county zoning ordinance and make recommendations to the county board. The ordinance went into effect Jan. 1, 1971, and has had only two or three minor revisions.

In the Feb. 28 committee meeting Mark Smith, director of economic development, suggested that the county comprehensive land use plan, dated December 1980, should be updated before considering zoning changes. He said this order is logical since zoning should reflect the comprehensive plan. In the March 28 meeting county engineer Tom Hickman revived the issue.

Mahler said the plan is not too outdated because the county has not grown much in the last 21 years, and the committee has no money to conduct a review. Zoning officer Bud Miller said he thinks it is a good idea to review the plan every five years, as was originally projected. The question of whether to review the comprehensive land use plan was not definitively resolved.

One area of agreement, however, is that a number of terms have either come into importance or shifted meaning since the zoning ordinance was written and need to be defined. At the March 28 meeting in the Logan County Highway Department building at 529 S. McLean, Miller listed 11 terms in need of definition: "abutting property," "adult entertainment" and "adult entertainment facility," "animal hospital," "bed and breakfast," "convenience store," "club," "manufactured home," "modular home," "travel trailer" and "roadside market." Lloyd Evans, administrator of the Logan County Health Department, added three more: "boarding house," "nursing home" and "assisted living facility." In addition, Miller said "dwelling" needs to be defined more specifically, including subdivisions such as single-family dwelling.

Miller has collected zoning ordinances from a number of other counties, and committee members plan to review the definition sections within the next month as well as to identify other terms that need to be included.

Henry Spellman, owner of Tremont Park in Lincoln, reviewed terms related to manufactured housing. He said a "trailer" was built before 1976, did not need to meet any building code and is probably taxed as personal property. Manufactured housing falls into one of two categories: A "modular home" is built to a locally adopted code (CABO or BOCA) and when set up is normally taxed as real estate. A "mobile home" is built to Housing and Urban Development code standards set by federal law since 1975 and is usually personal property but can be set up as real estate.

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Whereas a trailer rarely had more than two sections each with a maximum floor size of 12 by 56 feet, a mobile home may have five or even more sections, and they may be up to 16 by 76 feet. Some mobile and modular homes look virtually identical, but modular homes are designed to be set with their outside edge on the foundation and mobile homes require foundation support of the undercarriage.

Spellman said zoning can legally forbid the bringing in of trailers, but the ordinance probably must grandfather in existing trailers. He said mobile homes probably cannot be zoned out of areas that allow single-family residences because of federal law. They can, however, be restricted if the same restrictions apply to site-built homes, for example setting minimum width-to-length ratio or prohibiting metal roofs.

Besides defining terms and setting policy regarding manufactured housing, the Lincoln/Logan Regional Planning Commission Ordinance Committee will consider other issues including the minimum size for a farm and provisions regarding country homes. Currently, a farm must be at least five acres, and a country home must be at least 1,300 square feet and set on at least one acre with 100 feet of frontage.

Mahler said public hearings on proposed changes will be held as required but probably not before Nov. 30, since no money is allotted for hearings in the county budget for this fiscal year. The Logan County Board must enact any changes to the zoning ordinance.

Other members of the committee include county board members Dave Hepler and Terry Werth, Health Department environmental health director Kathy Waldo, Lincoln city safety inspector Les Last, Atlanta Mayor Bill Martin, Logan County Farm Bureau board president Kent Paulus, Farm Bureau manager Jim Drew, East Lincoln Township road commissioner Dale Steffens, 30-year planning commission member Delmar Veech and Atlanta Realtor Gordon Johnson. Bill Dickerson, district conservationist for the Natural Resource Conservation Service, is an ex officio member.

[Lynn Shearer Spellman]

[MARCH 28, 2002]  A ruling handed down late yesterday by Associate Circuit Court Judge Don Behle will stop Gov. George Ryan and the Department of Human Services from moving any more residents from the Lincoln Developmental Center without a permit from the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board.

Dan Senters, spokesman for American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 425, which represents LDC employees, said today that Judge Behle’s ruling supports the contention of AFSCME and other plaintiffs that LDC is a health care facility and must follow the legal requirements for moving residents set up by the Health Facilities Planning Board.

Senters said the ruling will also prevent DHS from moving more than nine LDC residents from one cottage to another.

According to the judge’s ruling, the plaintiffs will prepare a preliminary injunction that orders the defendants to comply with the Health Care Facilities Act and apply for a permit before making any substantial changes in the scope, function or operation of LDC, or changing the bed capacity by distributing beds among various categories of service (such as other state-operated facilities or group homes), or by relocating beds from one site to another by more than 10 beds, Senters said.

Plaintiffs include AFSCME Council 31; Don Todd, president of AFSCME Local 425, representing LDC employees; Norlan and Eleanor Newmister, parents of an LDC resident; and state Sen. Larry Bomke of Springfield. Defendants include Gov. Ryan and Linda Renee Baker, secretary of the Illinois Department of Human Services.

Senters said the governor and DHS have two options: to appeal the ruling or to comply with the law and apply for permits before moving any more residents.

If they choose to apply for the permits, by law they will have to hold a public hearing, where parents and employees can testify.

The injunction will be in effect until further orders, Senters said.

State Rep. Jonathan Wright, R-Hartsburg, who is one of two sponsors of House Bill 5976 to restore funding to LDC for 240 residents and 480 employees, said he would assume the ruling also means that employees of LDC scheduled to be laid off will also be kept at the facility.

"If residents are not being moved, I don’t see how you can lay off staff," he said.

"I have not yet communicated with DHS or the governor’s office, but I intend to as soon as possible, to urge them not to appeal this decision," he said. "I think the judge made the right decision.

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"The General Assembly has authorized the Health Facilities Planning Board to issue permits to move residents, and we should not be attempting to bypass that vehicle that has been set up by statute."

He said the decision provides "real hope" for keeping LDC functioning at a greater level than the governor has outlined. Last fall, citing abuse and neglect of residents, Gov. Ryan began moving some of the approximately 375 residents out of LDC. In February, he announced that he would downsize the facility to 100 residents, to be housed in new cottages to be built on the campus, with an employee staff of 210. He also sent out notices of layoffs to 372 LDC employees.

Wright and Rep. Bill Mitchell, R-Forsythe, co-sponsored the bill to seek funding from the legislature to keep LDC at 240 residents. They announced that decision Monday.

Wright said today that holding the hearings required by the Health Facilities Planning Board would certainly make the process of downsizing LDC more complete.

"A lot of issues regarding LDC have not been addressed because there was no opportunity for public hearings," he said.

He also said the ruling will help him and Mitchell as they lobby other representatives to help restore LDC funding.

"Some representatives may have had concerns that the downsizing is a foregone conclusion," he said. "Now we will be able to say that the governor does not have unilateral authority to close LDC."

One argument used by proponents for closing LDC and other state-operated facilities is that residents are being moved to group homes where they can have greater access to the community.

Wright said most LDC residents have not been moved to group homes but to other state-operated facilities, which then must have their funding increased. "Most of those able to benefit from living in Community Integrated Living Arrangements have already been transitioned to group homes.

"I support CILAs and want to be sure they are adequately funded, but building CILAs in Lincoln doesn’t mean they are going to be populated by LDC residents," he said.

[Joan Crabb]

[MARCH 28, 2002]  In a question-and-answer session with the Lincoln City Council Tuesday evening, Economic Development Director Mark Smith and consultant Andrew Hamilton repeated the need for funding commitments from the city and from Logan County to develop the proposed Commercial Park at Interstate 55 and Kruger Road north of Lincoln.

Although some "outside entities" are willing to look at both providing funding and locating in the proposed park, those prospects want to know first that there are financial commitments from the county and the city, Smith said.

The EDC needs to have the commitment "before summer," but first, "We want to make sure everybody is comfortable with our answers," he added.

Smith and Hamilton also reaffirmed the council’s choice of the 63.5-acre site north of town as the best location for the commercial/industrial park.

Alderman George Mitchell said he had received a letter about ground on the west side of town that could be acquired and already had sewers nearby. This 80-acre site, owned by the Burwell family, might be cheaper to develop than the north-side site, he suggested.

Smith replied that nine prospects who visited Lincoln between October 2000 and October 2001 were taken to the various sites that are available and "none preferred the west side," although land costs per acre, about $10,500, were about the same.

The biggest objection, Smith said, was incompatible land use. Development on the west side, along Illinois Route 10, includes housing, churches, restaurants, motels and schools.

Prospects who want to build manufacturing and distribution facilities are concerned about objections to their operations from nearby businesses. At the north-side site, they would not be close to establishments that might object to industrial uses.

"Customers who plan to make a sizable investment want to know what their neighbors will be doing," Smith said.

The EDC is asking for the city of Lincoln to commit about $1.1 million to run a sewer line out to the property. The county’s proposed share is $816,950, which includes $678,000 for acquisition of the land. The proposal also calls for CILCO to provide gas service for $59,100 and American Water Company for improvements totaling $264,000.

Mayor Beth Davis asked about financial options. Hamilton replied that some grants are available from state agencies such as the Department of Commerce and Community Affairs and the Community Development Assistance Program. However, to qualify for these state and federal grants, he said, "You have to have the bird in hand. The key to getting them is to prove they will create jobs in the community."

He said the main thing prospects look for is a location with water and sewer available. Many companies hire consultants to look for sites, and if these amenities are not in place, they will not even consider a site.

City Attorney Bill Bates asked if the EDC has commitments from the utility companies. Smith said the commitment at this time is only verbal. Bates asked about the time frame for the commitments, and Smith said he assumed the utility companies would wait until the local government units have made commitments.

Bates also asked if the industrial park would be annexed by the city, and Smith replied that was the assumption.

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Alderman Steve Fuhrer, one of the city’s representatives on the EDC, asked if the sewer plant loan could be extended to pay for part of the cost of the sewer connection. Sewer plant manager Grant Eaton said such a request would have to be considered a separate project and would require going through the paperwork another time.

"We can’t afford not to do this," Mayor Davis told the council. "Even though we are on a tight budget, we need to keep the city thriving. If we don’t get new revenues, we can’t keep jobs for our people."

The city is in the process of cutting about $1 million from its budget for the coming fiscal year, which begins June 1, 2002. Loss of sales tax revenue and low interest rates, which have cut the amount of interest the city is receiving on its investments, have resulted in a bare-bones budget for the coming year.

City officials are also concerned about the possible loss of as many as 400 jobs because of Gov. George Ryan’s plan to downsize Lincoln Developmental Center. Projections about the commercial/industrial park show a possible income of $561,000 in property tax revenue and $321 million in wages yearly.

Fuhrer, who is also the city’s finance committee chairman, expressed hope that a commercial/industrial park could help alleviate the city’s financial problems.

"I hope people are looking at this. It [development] happened on the west side. Will it happen on the north side? It’s a chance," he said.

He also reported that the budget committee is still $253,000 short of balancing the budget for the next fiscal year.

"We’ve cut, cut, cut and can only cut so far. I hope we don’t get to personnel. Without new revenue coming in, it’s going to get worse every year."

Cuts already made include wage freezes for department heads, vehicles for the police and the building code office, and repair work on Elm Street. The city is also considering passing the local water company’s charges on fire hydrants back to water customers, which would add about $5 to city residents’ bimonthly water bills.

In other business, the council learned that West Lincoln Township wants to give away a small building that sits on the corner of Fifth and Adams streets and in the past was used as a polling place.

Mayor Davis said the building is about 150 years old and has historic value, and she would like to see it moved to the Postville Courthouse site. Several aldermen questioned whether the building would be of any benefit to the city, and Pat Madigan said he would oppose the move if it would cost the city money.

City Attorney Bill Bates reported that the county has asked the city to forgo its liens on a vacant lot at 1305 Tremont St. so the lot can be sold. The city has a demolition lien of $5,900 as well as costs for mowing the lot. The county is owed back taxes of $15,000 on the property.

Bates said the last purchase price for the property was only $2,000. He suggested the city agree to the property sale if the county would give the city one-third of the purchase price, with the county taking the other two-thirds. "That’s all we are going to get," he said.

[Joan Crabb]

Military addresses sought

It is a year like no other. Since Sept. 11 we are a changed nation. Individually, our daily sensitivity toward whom and what we have in our lives has been heightened. We are more conscious and appreciative, first about those we love and see everyday. Next, we have a newfound appreciation for those who risk their lives every day as rescue workers and protectors of life and property in our communities. We also now think more about our military men and women who are committed to serve and protect our country. Many are away engaged in battle, some are in waiting to go, all are ready to lay their lives on the line in defense of our freedom.

Lincoln Daily News is seeking the names and addresses, including e-mail addresses, of friends and relatives who are serving in the armed forces. They need not be from here in Logan County. If you know someone serving, please send the information to ldneditor@lincolndailynews.com. A complete list will be made available and kept updated through the site so we might all hold them in our thoughts, prayers and well wishes.

[Click here for names available now.]

Name of person in military:

Branch of service:

Current location of service:

Postal address:

E-mail address:

Relationship to LDN reader sending information (optional):

[LDN]

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

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

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

[to top of second column in this section]

• LEPC hears plans for annual exercise

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

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

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

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

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

• Clinton nuclear power plant safety measures in place

• Logan County agencies meet to discuss protocol for suspicious mail

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

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

Online news links

Other countries

Afghanistan

http://www.afghandaily.com/ 

http://www.myafghan.com/  

http://www.afghan-web.com/aop/ 

China

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

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

Germany

http://www.faz.com/

India

http://www.dailypioneer.com/ 

http://www.hindustantimes.com/ 

http://www.timesofindia.com/ 

Israel

http://www.jpost.com/ 

http://www.haaretzdaily.com/ 

England

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/ 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/ 

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

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

Pakistan

http://www.dawn.com/

http://frontierpost.com.pk/ 

Russia

http://english.pravda.ru/

http://www.sptimesrussia.com/ 

Saudi Arabia

http://www.arabnews.com/ 

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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.

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