[NOV. 27, 2002]  Lincoln City Council members, meeting in committee and work session Tuesday night, several times found their wishes in conflict with the possible. They want to ban sale of ephedra products to minors, extend sewer service to city residents on Campus View Drive and facilitate owners’ maintenance of historic properties. However, what they can do may be something else again.

The city heard a presentation by Kevin Riggins asking for a ban on sale of products containing ephedra to anyone under 18. Riggins’ son, Sean, a Lincoln Community High School student, died this fall after taking Yellow Jackets, containing ephedra, to enhance his football performance. Yellow Jackets and similar products are readily available at gas stations and convenience stores throughout the country.

When Riggins said he has 2,000 signatures on a petition, Alderman Glen Shelton replied, "We’re behind you; you don’t need to bring us a petition. We’ll do what we can do." The problem is that state and federal laws define natural ephedra as a food or dietary supplement, not a drug that can be regulated.

Though expressing sympathy with Riggins’ plea, City Attorney Bill Bates said a municipality can do little about a substance deemed legal by the state. "Legally, it’s the same as if we told grocery stores they can’t sell a loaf of bread to children under 18," he explained. Such an ordinance is unlikely to be enforceable unless the state law is changed, according to Bates. However, someone like a manufacturer or retail outlet would have to challenge the ordinance before it could be declared invalid. Alderman Verl Prather and others seemed willing to take that chance. Bates was asked to draft an ordinance despite its "gray area" legality.

In the second matter council members agreed that at present there is not sufficient money available to extend the city sewer line to serve nine homes at the end of Campus View Drive, which curves around Lincoln Christian College. Previously the council voted to extend the sewer line when money becomes available. Grant Eaton, waste water treatment plant manager, recommended waiting for receipt of Illinois Environmental Protection Agency reimbursements from preliminary work on the sewage treatment plant.

Eaton asked for authorization to design the Campus View project now and submit it for IEPA approval. He said department personnel can draft all but the electronics portion of the design. He and Mark Mathon, the city engineer, estimated cost of the project at between $400,000 and $450,000. Eaton said the price is high, even though most of the work can be done in-house, because the ground is so flat that a regular gravity feed cannot be used and lift pumps must be installed.

The third brush with the possible came before the council meeting when the ordinance and zoning committee discussed special uses in residential areas. The city ordinance allows a limited list of special uses — for example, a professional office in a person’s home. A special use permit, like a zoning change, requires approval by the planning commission. However, unlike a change in zoning, a special use permit dies when that use comes to an end.

In the case at issue, the owners of the home at 112 Fifth St. have asked for retail businesses such as gift and specialty shops as a special use in residential areas of Fifth and Logan streets and Woodlawn Road. The house at 112 Fifth was constructed in 1903 as a parsonage for the Rev. Gustav Niebuhr and his family. Three of the Niebuhr children — Reinhold, H. Richard and Hulda — and a grandson, Richard R. Niebuhr, became eminent theologians; Reinhold Niebuhr is the author of the widely known Serenity Prayer.

Mayor Beth Davis expressed sympathy with the idea that owners of historic homes on main thoroughfares should be allowed to conduct appropriate businesses there to generate money to help maintain their property.

However, Bates said that the owners’ interests must be balanced with their neighbors’. Parking is a potential problem. Further, Bates warned that allowing commercial uses in residential neighborhoods runs counter to the zoning ordinance and the city’s comprehensive plan. No other city he checked defines special uses so broadly, he noted, and it would be discriminatory to limit a special use to certain streets. Though some members of the council may be sympathetic to the request, any change would require rewriting the zoning ordinance.

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In other business at the council meeting, Tom Koontz, executive vice president of Pedcor Investments, presented a plat showing plans for an apartment complex at the company’s property on 21st Street. Aldermen Dave Armbrust, Benny Huskins and Steve Fuhrer expressed surprise that a project they thought was set two years ago has been divided into two phases and no longer includes a storm-water detention pond.

Koontz explained that splitting the project facilitates financing. Pedcor expects to close in December on construction loans for phase one, which consists of 56 apartments in four buildings plus a clubhouse and playground. If Les Last, building and safety officer, approves the plat, construction is expected to start midwinter. Phase two, at an unknown date, will add 48 apartments in three more buildings.

Bill Kimbley, project engineer for Pedcor, said a detention pond is inappropriate because the property experiences backwater flooding and a pond would make it worse. All runoff will go into Brainard Branch.

In other business Davis appointed Fuhrer to chair a committee to educate the public regarding the 0.5 percent sales tax increase to be voted on again April 1. Also on the committee are Prather, Alderman Bill Melton and City Treasurer Les Plotner. On Nov. 5 voters rejected the proposal 2,980 to 1,881. Plotner noted that, of the current 6.25 percent sales tax, the state gets 80 percent, the county 4 percent and the city 16 percent.

Alderman Pat Madigan said he thinks most voters are intelligent and do not need to be educated regarding the proposal because they already understand it. Plotner disagreed, citing evidence of misunderstanding, such as the idea that the price of gasoline will go up 1 cent a gallon if the tax increase passes. For that to happen, he explained, gas would have to hit $2 a gallon.

A joint meeting of the ordinance and finance committees to discuss the tax levy ordinance was set for 7 p.m., Monday, Dec. 2.

Council votes scheduled for Monday include:

•  Implementing the second phase of the sewer rate increase. In Oct. 2001 the council passed a resolution to raise sewer rates on Jan. 1, 2002, from $11 to $14 per month per residence and to raise them again to $16.43 approximately 18 months later. The IEPA required these increases as security for the $9.8 million low-interest loan to the city for the sewer plant upgrade. Now IEPA wants confirmation that the second phase is in place. Eaton said construction is moving faster than expected, and he prefers to begin the increase on Jan. 1, 2003, instead of July 1.

•  Making Ottawa Street between Union and Broadway one way going north. This is the short section separating First Baptist Church and Ralph Gale Field. With the newly installed stop sign on Union Street by Central School, it currently makes for an ungainly five-way stop. Bates asked, "Have we made that intersection safer or more dangerous?" Madigan said that once the new school is built and occupied, the stop signs will help protect the children.

•  Increasing the number of seats on the planning commission from 10 to 11. Six members will still constitute a quorum. Attendance at commission meetings has been low.

•  Rezoning the Glenn Buelter estate property on Woodlawn Road by Kroger’s from residential to commercial use. Jim and Shelley Horn of J & S Auto Centre said they plan to level the most colorful buildings in town and construct a new building on the site. Their request was unanimously approved at the planning commission meeting on Nov. 21.

At the ordinance and zoning committee meeting prior to the council session, Bates outlined procedures regarding a peddler’s license, which allows its holder to sell items within the city. The fee is $5 for the first day and $3 per subsequent day or $20 for the first week and $10 per subsequent week. In response to complaints, Bates emphasized that private business owners do not have to allow a licensed peddler into their premises and that a license does not allow its holder to stop traffic. Anyone repeatedly selling without a license can be charged with ordinance violation.

[Lynn Spellman]

Illinois individuals and agencies lead
the nation in adoption compassion

[NOV. 27, 2002]  United States Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson has announced the selection of 18 individuals and organizations as recipients of the department’s Adoption Excellence Awards. One-third of the chosen recipients are from Illinois. Given annually since 1997, the awards honor states, organizations, businesses, individuals and families for giving abandoned, neglected or abused children a loving family and a safe and nurturing home.

"The people and organizations we honor with these excellence awards are real heroes to the many children who need loving homes and families," Secretary Thompson said. "These awards reflect our appreciation for their commitment and big hearts as we all strive to help so many children across the country."

The Adoption Excellence awards grew out of the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997. This law provided unprecedented financial incentives for states to increase adoptions, made the safety of children the paramount consideration for determining placement and mandated swifter time frames for permanent placement decisions.

An estimated 131,000 children in public foster care are waiting for adoptive homes. The majority of these children have special needs, such as a history of maltreatment; physical, mental or learning disabilities; older age (between 7 and 16); or are part of a sibling group. More than 50,000 children were adopted from public child welfare agencies last year.

Award recipients are chosen by a committee representing nonprofit adoption agencies, child welfare and adoption advocates, adoptive parents, foundations, the business community, and state and federal offices. This year, the panel reviewed 70 nominations and chose 18 winners in six categories of excellence.

"It is gratifying to confer this honor on a group of people who really are making a difference for children," said Wade F. Horn, Ph.D., assistant secretary for children and families. "They stand as examples of the many thousands of others across the country who are helping foster children move to permanent, stable and loving homes."

The winners by category are:

•  Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, Springfield, Ill.

Through the leadership of the Department of Children and Family Services, Illinois restructured its operations in ways that build on the strengths and cultural traditions of the African-American family and turned kinship care into a viable route for achieving permanency. Illinois provided subsidies to families with guardianship of foster children who were related to them, established a performance-based payment system to reward agencies for achieving permanency goals and implemented state legislative reform that speeded up permanency plans. After these changes adoption from kinship care increased 16 percent in three years.

•  Faith House, St. Louis, Mo.

Faith House cares for children who are drug-exposed, HIV-exposed and abused. Faith House recognized that reunification was not always a viable option for these children and that there were insufficient adoptive homes available. Therefore, Faith House dedicated itself to finding good homes for its often hard-to-place children. It has recruited and trained prospective adoptive parents; conducted public education on child maltreatment, drug abuse and HIV-AIDS; and placed more than 100 children for adoption.

•  Esther Conyers, The Village for Families and Children, Inc., Hartford, Conn.

During the last nine years as an adoption worker, Ms. Conyers has worked closely with the Connecticut State Department of Children and Families to find permanent, loving homes for its most difficult-to-place children. Ms. Conyers, an adoptive parent herself, has developed innovative strategies for recruiting adoptive families, worked closely with the Hispanic community and with faith-based organizations to promote adoption, spearheaded an outreach effort featuring an adoption fair, and served as chair for the Foster Care and Adoption Collaborative.

•  Partnership for Adoptions, Chesterfield, Va.

Partnership for Adoptions has trained prospective adoptive parents to deal with the challenges of adopting a special needs child, increased local and statewide adoptions and experienced no disrupted adoptions. The partnership brings together a licensed, private adoption agency, a department of social services and clinical professionals in the community.

•  The Kinship Center, Adoption and Seedling Clinics, Santa Ana, Calif.

The Kinship Center has provided leadership and innovative funding strategies to create adoption-focused child development and mental health programs in Orange County that support the permanent placement of some of the most challenging children in the child welfare system. The center has a bilingual, interdisciplinary staff, the capacity to serve the youngest foster children; and a strong medical and educational advocacy component that supports school readiness.

•  Mical Anne Morrill, St. Paul, Minn.

Mical Anne Morrill is a family life advocate for Downey Side, Inc.; a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to provide permanent families for foster care youth age 7 through 17. Ms. Morrill has won the respect of her colleagues and clients through her dedication and commitment to support all parties in the adoption process. She personally placed 18 older special needs children in adoptive homes in 2001.

•  Child-Rite, Inc., Taos, N.M.

Child-Rite, Inc., is a private, nonprofit adoption services and support agency founded in 1986 and dedicated to the belief that there is no such thing as an "unadoptable" child. Its post-adoption services include subsidy renegotiating and troubleshooting, crisis intervention, community resource referral, respite care and residential treatment arrangements, monthly phone calls, and advocating for subsequent adoptions if a family moves out of state.

•  African American Adoption Agency, St. Paul, Minn.

AAAA has successfully used mass marketing, cultural connections and community relations to raise awareness and address the issue of the disproportionate number of African-American children in Minnesota who are waiting for permanent homes. Included among their strategies are outreach to faith-based organizations to recruit adoptive parents; partnerships with professional organizations, nonprofits, community-based groups and corporations; and public awareness campaigns.

•  Indiana’s Adoption Initiative, Indianapolis, Ind.

Indiana’s Adoption Initiative is an ongoing campaign designed to educate individuals throughout the state about the need for adoptive homes for special needs children. The program is a partnership with the Indiana Special Needs Adoption Program and licensed child placing agencies statewide. During 2001, Indiana’s Adoption Initiative recorded 18,359 inquiries from prospective adoptive parents as a result of recruitment efforts through this program. This compares with only 220 adoption-related inquiries reported by the bureau in 1996, just before the program’s launch.

[to top of second column in this article]

•  Tom and Elizabeth Richmond, Peoria, Ill.

Since becoming foster parents in 1993, the Richmonds have parented or provided respite care for 15 children and adopted three children, all with special needs. Elizabeth Richmond’s interest in helping children in need began during her internship at a crisis nursery as a college senior. She has since become one of Illinois’ most vocal advocates for children and the parents who care for them, whether birth, foster or adoptive. The Richmonds serve on many adoption-related boards and councils and are frequently invited to participate in state policy discussions.

•  Allison Rosati, Chicago, Ill.

Having once been a foster child, Allison Rosati understands and relates to children who long for a stable family structure. Now a newscaster with NBC 5 Chicago, she accepted the position as host of the "Wednesday’s Child" feature and dedicated herself to developing a unique segment for each child. As a result of two years of her work, 23 adoptions have been finalized, four children are with guardianship families, and 59 children are moving toward permanency with identified families.

•  Jess McDonald, Springfield, Ill.

Under the leadership of Jess McDonald, director of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services since 1994, the department has made dramatic improvement in securing permanency for Illinois children. McDonald’s initial partnership with Cook County Juvenile Court judges resulted in the elimination of case backlogs, the convening of special court sessions on finalizing permanency decisions, the development of the legal framework for Illinois’ Permanency Initiative and the reduction in the average time a child spends in foster care from four years to two years. In addition, Illinois has secured three separate federal waivers to test policy innovations designed to support the rapid movement of children from foster care to permanency.

•  Brenda Krause Eheart, Rantoul, Ill.

An adoptive parent herself, Brenda Eheart oversees Hope Meadows, an intergenerational neighborhood she created eight years ago on a decommissioned military base. Her foster and adoptive families, fixed-income seniors, and children live together and support one another. Children find nurturing, permanent homes through adoption; parents receive tremendous support; and seniors find a safe, affordable and caring neighborhood in which to retire. For more than 20 years, Brenda has conducted, published and presented research on adoption of foster children. She has demonstrated how a dedicated, energetic scholar can bring her work to life by actively engaging politicians, the media, the business community and other academics in providing permanent, loving homes for America’s waiting children.

•  Daunte Culpepper, St. Paul, Minn.

Daunte Culpepper, quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings, is celebrity spokesman for the African American Adoption Agency in St. Paul, Minn. Duante, himself adopted, is personally committed to find permanent homes for Minnesota’s more than 350 waiting children of color. While Duante’s generosity has resulted in significant direct and indirect financial support, his philanthropic contributions are much more far-reaching. He has made substantial contributions by donating the proceeds from television appearances, organizing his own celebrity basketball tournament, committing proceeds from the National Quarterback of the Year awards banquet and much more. He has dispelled pervasive misconceptions about adopting African-American boys by speaking openly in dozens of media interviews about his experience as an adopted child.

•  Freddie Mac Foundation, McLean, Va.

The Freddie Mac Foundation helps children fulfill the dream of having a family of their own. The foundation was founded in 1991 as a nonprofit organization dedicated to opening doors to hope and opportunity for children, youth and their families. Freddie Mac and the foundation have invested more than $130 million in nonprofit organizations that serve children and families. The foundation began the "Wednesday’s Child" program in 1992 as a feature of the local news in Washington, D.C. It has grown to include the Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Dallas and Atlanta television markets.

•  Massachusetts Coalition for Permanency for Children, Leverett, Mass.

The Massachusetts Coalition for Permanency for Children is a multidisciplinary volunteer group with representation from the courts, public and private child welfare agencies, attorneys and community advocates, as well as, birth, foster and adoptive families. MCPC developed a permanency mediation model that offers an alternative to contested court proceedings. While a contested legal process takes an average of two to three years to resolve permanency, a mediated permanency agreement takes three to five months after the parties agree to mediate. In the first year, 450 children were referred to the program, and in the second year 518 children were served. Massachusetts in now a national model for permanency mediation.

•  Erie County Court Improvement Project, Buffalo, N.Y.

The Court Improvement Project is a collaboration of the Erie County Family Court, Erie County Department of Social Services, New York State Office of Children and Family Services, child welfare agencies, legal advocates, and service providers. At its inception in 1998, a child placed in a foster or adoptive family could expect to remain in the system for 6½ years through the finalization of his adoption. Five years later, the number of children in foster care has decreased by 44 percent, and more than 900 children have been adopted into permanent families.

•  Catawba County Department of Social Services, Newton, N.C.

From 1998 through 2002, Family Builders of Catawba Valley, the adoption unit of Catawba County Social Services, created a dramatic change in the county’s foster care population. Adoption increased by 50 percent, the foster care population decreased, more children exited the county’s custody and the median number of days in foster care decreased from 18 months to 11 months. FBCV undertook major system reforms to realize these achievements, including a Court Improvement Initiative, which redesigned the court system to streamline the judicial processes involved in adoption, and an expanded adoption recruitment program to address the disproportionate number of African-American children in foster care.

[News release]

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