Melton bows out of city council; others face challengers in February

[DEC. 20, 2002]  The makeup of the Lincoln City Council will be a little different after the newly elected aldermen are sworn in next May. Just how different will be determined in the two upcoming elections, the Feb. 25 Republican primary and the April 1 consolidated general election. One difference already assured is the departure of Ward 4 Alderman Bill Melton.

Melton, the city council's lone Democrat and the senior member of the council, will not be running for his Ward 4 seat because he is moving out of his home on East Burlington Street in Ward 4, almost assuring Republican Orville "Buzz" Busby, 220 Peoria St., of a seat on the council next May. Busby previously served as alderman of Ward 4 for about 10 years.

Melton, a 21-year veteran, was appointed in 1981 after the death of his father, Dale, who served a quarter of a century on the council. As chairman of the sewage treatment plant and wastewater and drainage committee, Melton has spent the last several years working with wastewater plant personnel implementing a $9.8 million upgrade of the sewage treatment plant.

Melton said he is stepping down because he because he and his wife are building a home in rural Logan County, not because he no longer has a desire to serve the public. He did not rule out a later run for a seat on the Logan County Board.

When filing for the primary closed Monday at 5 p.m., all other council members whose terms expire in 2003 learned they would face challenges for their seats.

In Ward 1, Patrick Madigan, 110 Park Place, who is completing his first term, will face Anthony "T.J." Swarts, 704 N. Monroe, in the primary. Madigan, son of former state Sen. Robert Madigan, chairs the police committee. Jim Griffin, a former Logan County Board member, took out petitions to run in Ward 1 but did not file.

In Ward 2, incumbent Steve Fuhrer, 1203 Eighth St., is facing former council member Stephan A. Mesner, 205 Third St., in the Republican primary. Fuhrer, who was chairman of the finance committee and now chairs the ordinance and zoning committee, is completing his first four-year term. Mesner chose to run for mayor in the 2001 election instead of running for his Ward 2 seat but lost to Beth Davis, the present mayor.

Fuhrer has pushed hard to pass the 0.5 percent sales tax increase and has also supported the Economic Development Council's plan for the north-side industrial/commercial park.

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The winner of the Ward 2 primary race will face competition in the April 1 general election from Leo Logan, 628 Seventh St., who filed as a Democrat. Logan is the brother of County Board member Dick Logan and has also served on the Lincoln Community High School board.

In Ward 3, George M. Mitchell of 427 Wyatt Ave., an eight-year veteran, is being challenged in the primary by Jonette "Jonie" Tibbs, 1650 Pulaski St. Mitchell chairs the sidewalks, forestry and lighting committee and is serving as mayor pro tem for Davis.

In Ward 5, newly appointed Martha "Marty" Neitzel, 525 Southgate, will face a challenge from Derrick Crane, 540 Maywood Drive, in February. Neitzel was appointed to fill the vacancy left by the sudden death of Alderman Joseph Stone and is chair of the sanitation committee. Although Neitzel has not served previously, her husband, Arthur, was a council member for Ward 3 for many years.

A lottery will be held at City Hall at 9 a.m. Dec. 24 to determine which of two candidates will be first on the ballot for the Ward 3 seat. Both Mitchell and Tibbs were at City Hall at 9 a.m. on Dec. 9, the first day to file. In other races, incumbents filed first and will be at the top of the ballot.

According to a spokesperson for the Logan County clerk's office, Feb. 18 is the last date for a Republican to file an intent to run as a write-in candidate in the primary, and Dec. 26 is the last day for a Democrat to file against another Democrat to force a Democratic primary. City Clerk Juanita Josserand said no Democratic primary has been held for an aldermanic post for at least 30 years.

City council members whose terms do not expire until 2005 are Benny Huskins, Ward 1; Verl Prather, Ward 2; Dave Armbrust, Ward 3; Glenn Shelton, Ward 4; and Michael Montcalm, Ward 5.

[Joan Crabb]

Christmas won't be white
over most of Illinois

[DEC. 20, 2002]  ^"Dreams of a white Christmas will have to suffice in many parts of Illinois," says Jim Angel, state climatologist with the Illinois State Water Survey, a division of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

"As of today, there's no snow anywhere in Illinois," he said Thursday.

"The National Weather Service is predicting a chance of precipitation for Illinois on Christmas Eve. Right now, it looks like only northern Illinois may see snow, and the rest of the state will be warm enough that any precipitation will fall as rain."

So far, snowfall has been only 1-10 inches in northern Illinois, 1-8 inches from an early December storm in southern Illinois and less than an inch in central Illinois.

Snowfall this winter has been greatest at Midway Airport at Chicago, with 10.5 inches, and at Mount Vernon in southern Illinois, with 10 inches.

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Average winter snowfall in Illinois ranges from 28 to 40 inches in northern Illinois, 20 to 28 inches in central Illinois and 12 to 20 inches in southern Illinois. The largest average snowfall usually occurs in the Chicago area in fall and early winter as cold air blows over relatively warm waters of Lake Michigan and boosts storm energy.

According to 1971-2000 snow depth data, chances of having at least an inch on the ground on Dec. 25 are poorest for southern Illinois, at 10-30 percent; better for central Illinois, at 30-40 percent; and best for northern Illinois, at 40-60 percent.

"To be virtually guaranteed a white Christmas, you'll need to travel to Minnesota, northern Wisconsin or upper Michigan. They have snow," the climatologist said.

[Illinois State Water Survey press release]

[DEC. 20, 2002]  ^'Twas a week before Christmas, and all through the campus, not a creature was stirring, not even a prof.  No, it wasn’t because of finals, but it was time for the TV game show "The Price is Right."

The episode that aired Thursday had LCC students and faculty gathered around sets all over campus. Everyone was watching with anticipation as Lincoln Christian College senior roommates Lindsay Heston, Nicole Donacker and Emily Hargrave made their appearance on the show.

Everyone knew Heston became a contestant, but before the show aired no one knew how she did. "I just decided I didn’t want to tell anyone before the show ran," she said.

In the administrative office the staff all huddled around the TV. We were guessing with her, said Patty Drake.

It was during the "It’s in the bag" portion of the show that Heston made her biggest advances. In that game the contestant must place the various items in the right-priced bags. "We thought she lost on several of the difficult items," Drake said, "but it turned out she was right on all of them."

Heston and her roommates all watched from their apartment. The phone rang off the hook during every commercial. "Someone would call and say, 'You did great,’ I’d thank them and then say, 'I have to go, there’s another call waiting.’"

The whole thing seemed surreal at the time, Heston said. "I was definitely excited. I kept thinking, what are the chances that we’d get tickets, sit in the front row, get to speak to Bob Barker, be chosen as a contestant and win? What are chances of all that happening?"

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[Photo by Bob Frank]

Hargrave gave Barker a card from Cracker Barrel where she works. It was signed by all the employees.

Heston was the big winner. She won $16,000 cash and a chest valued at over $700. "It turned out to be the perfect trip," she said

The whole thing began as a joke. "We always said we’ll either go to Macy’s or get on 'The Price is Right,’" Heston said. So, she took the initiative to write for tickets. "I didn’t tell anyone else that I had sent in for them until the tickets actually arrived in mid-September."

The girls flew to Los Angeles, where the show was taped on Nov 4.

Heston is a second-generation LCC student from Maryville, Ill. Both her father and mother, Patrick and Connie (Combes) Heston, are LCC alums. Her goal is to become an actress. She is looking at two schools of acting, one in L.A. and one in N.Y.

[Jan Youngquist]

Santa Shopping Spree winner

[DEC. 20, 2002]  Christmas shopping just got a lot easier for Nancy Moore of Lincoln. Her name was drawn as the winner of the Santa Shopping Spree, which means she will have $1,000 in shopping spree bucks to spend at participating Lincoln businesses. Her entry was from The Mustard Moon.

Other businesses participating are Serendipity Stitches and Custom Frame Shop, Beans and Such, Three Roses Floral, Kathleen's Hallmark, MKS Jewelers, That Place/Merle Norman, Blue Dog Inn, Action Rental, Lincoln Printers and McEntire's Appliance & TV.

At in-house drawings on Thursday, Mary Kay Young of Lincoln won a $50 gift certificate for framing at Serendipity Stitches and Custom Framing, and Ron Craig of Lincoln won a dinner for two provided by The Blue Dog Inn.

The Santa Shopping Spree was a new holiday promotion organized by Main Street Lincoln to replace the former Ho Ho Dough program, which was discontinued by the Lincoln/Logan County Chamber of Commerce and Main Street.

This drawing took place at the Main Street office. The winner was not required to be present to win.

[News release]

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