LDN

About LDN	Letters to the Editor

About LDN
Lincoln Daily News.com 601 Keokuk St. Lincoln, IL 62656 TEL: (217) 732-7443 FAX: (217) 732-9630 Lincoln Daily News publishes daily news about the Lincoln/Logan County area on the Internet at www.lincolndailynews.com. (We are not a print publication.) All subscriptions are free! Content: The articles published in Lincoln Daily News are the result of research, interviews and news releases submitted. Any opinions expressed are those of the writers. Our staff: In the office Managing editor: Jan Youngquist ldneditor@lincolndailynews.com Technician, writer: Gina Sennett gsldn@lincolndailynews.com Office assistant during vacations: Trisha Youngquist Advertising sales and promotion staff Lucky Eichner: ldn@lincolndailynews.com Mike Fak: mfldn@lincolndailynews.com Writers [click here] For employment information, contact Lincoln Daily News at their offices.	Our mission: The mission of Lincoln Daily News is to tell the stories of Logan County in a contemporaneous manner, with lively writing and a predilection for simple truth fairly told. Lincoln Daily News seeks a relationship with the good people of Logan County that is honest, neighborly and never patronizing. Lincoln Daily News presents news within a full context that contributes to understanding. Lincoln Daily News is more interested in the marketplace of ideas than the competition of personalities. Without shrinking from the bold delivery of unvarnished fact, Lincoln Daily News operates from the premise that God's creatures deserve the presumption of right motive. Lincoln Daily News eschews malice and cynicism; it approaches every person with dignity and every subject with equanimity. In short, Lincoln Daily News informs, stimulates and entertains. Corrections: Please contact us by phone, fax, mail or e-mail with any information about mistakes, typos or erroneous information. If the error is in an item which is still in the paper, we will correct it online immediately. Our services: Lincoln Daily News provides daily news, sports, features and commentary on Lincoln, Logan County and the surrounding area. To promote local businesses, we offer display advertisements at very reasonable rates, and links to business websites. Call (217) 732-7443 or e-mail ads@lincolndailynews.com. "Happy ads" are a special feature to enable our readers to celebrate birthdays, graduations, anniversaries and other good news. Call us for details.

Letters to the Editor
The Lincoln Daily News publishes letters to the editor as they are received. The letters are not edited in content and do not necessarily reflect the views of Lincoln Daily News. Lincoln Daily News requests that writers responding to controversial issues address the issue and refrain from personal attacks. Thank you!

Drug use by students
10-12-02 To the editor: I am disappointed to see all the focus on the athletes taking the ephedrine. Athletes are not the only kids taking these drugs. When I was in school a friend of mine who was an A student took this drug so she could study for finals. She did not sleep for three days. Yes, it is not just the athletes and druggies doing drugs. The intelligent preppies do these drugs too. I always thought it was sad that there is so much pressure on children that they feel the need to take drugs to help them succeed. Tonya Siltman Middletown	. Please send your letters by e-mail to ldneditor@lincolndailynews.com or by U.S. postal mail to: Letters to the Editor Lincoln Daily News 601 Keokuk St. Lincoln, IL 62656 Letters must include the writer’s name, telephone number, mailing address and/or e-mail address (we will not publish address or phone number information). Lincoln Daily News reserves the right to edit letters to reduce their size or to correct obvious errors. Lincoln Daily News reserves the right to reject any letter for any reason. Lincoln Daily News will publish as many acceptable letters as space allows.

Speak up now about the proposed water rate increase
Editor’s note: The following is a copy of the complaint letter that Les Van Bibber has sent to the Illinois Commerce Commission. He recommends that citizens write to them in regard to the water rate increase that Illinois-American Water Corporation has requested. You can use the same letter and sign it with your name and address. Citizens For Justice, Inc. 1320 Sixth St. Lincoln, IL 62656 Oct. 2, 2002 Illinois Commerce Commission Public Utilities Division 527 E. Capitol, P.O. Box 19280 Springfield, IL 62794-9280 Dear Commerce Commission Members, The purpose of this letter is to ask this commission to deny Illinois-American Water Corporation’s request for a 13.25 percent increase in water rates for Lincoln, Illinois, based on the low national and local cost-of-living index for the past several years, the lowest interest rates for borrowers in the past 40 years, and the low cost of local labor. [to top of second column in this letter]	Illinois-American Water Corporation’s request for a 13.25 percent rate increase based on their increased security cost fails to meet a reasonable person’s standard when you compare their actual cost for maintaining security, compared to their lower cost for borrowing money and the extremely low cost-of-living index over the past several years. This company has employed the highest cost security employees they could find to perform this simple mundane job. Since the September attack on this country, Illinois-American has employed off-duty police officers and other high-cost, specially trained security officers to guard their facilities. Why should we be forced to pay this high-cost labor bill for such a simple, low-skilled job. We believe this job duty can and should be done at a much lower cost to them and to us. Please grant the lowest rate increase possible to ensure that we the people receive the most bang for the buck. We believe this commission would violate the public trust by granting a 13.25 percent rate increase in light of the facts outlined in this letter. This rate increase has been and remains a major local topic of discussion. Respectfully yours, Citizens For Justice, Inc. Lester C. Van Bibber III President

Information all parents need to know
10-5-02 Dear Editor: With all the news about the devastating effects of drugs such as alcohol, cocaine and heroin it is easy to understand why some kids and even parents believe that marijuana is harmless. But I have seen the destructive effects of marijuana on the lives of young people. Marijuana is riskier than people think, especially for kids. Research shows that the drug can lead to a host of significant health, social, learning and behavioral problems in young users. Some of the effects of marijuana can last a lifetime. Prolonged use of the drug leads to changes in the brain that are similar to those caused by cocaine, heroin and alcohol. For some, marijuana can lead to increased anxiety, panic attacks, depression and other mental health problems. And many are surprised to learn that marijuana sends more kids to treatment each year than any other illicit drug. [to top of second column in this letter]	Many parents and adults, based on their own experiences with the drug, still believe that marijuana is not as serious as other drugs. Some adults may feel there is nothing they can do to stop their kids from experimenting. Kids overwhelmingly say that parents are the most powerful influence on them when it comes to drugs. It is time to send a "wake-up call" to parents about marijuana. Parents need to be given the facts about the risks of marijuana use and … [educated] about the things they can say and do to prevent their kids from using the drug. Young people need to know that marijuana is a serious drug with serious consequences. For more information about the risks of marijuana, contact Logan-Mason Mental Health at 735-2272. Sincerely, Kristi Lessen, MS Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist Logan-Mason Mental Health Lincoln

Youth football 10-5-02 To the editor: Well, another youth football season is over, and as I won’t necessarily miss the hustle and the bustle to get my boys to the practices, my family wishes the season wasn’t over. We have participated for two years in this league, and I wanted to take a moment to say thanks. Thank you to all the coaches who worked so hard with the teams to teach them how to and how not to play the game. Thank you to all the parents who support the teams by helping in the concession stand or just cheering our teams to victory or defeat. A special thank you goes to Greg and Lisa Curry who tirelessly have made this program valuable to the community. Next year if you get a moment, please come to a youth football game and see the next generation of Lincoln Railsplitters. Respectfully, Terry Bell and family	Coverage of disaster drill 10-5-02 To the editor: I wanted to thank you for the excellent coverage you provided on the Logan County disaster drill. I hope the public comes to realize that Logan County is truly blessed with the amount of professional volunteers that serve their needs. Almost every public service agency in the county was represented, and their professionalism and attention to detail was certainly appreciated. Thanks again for a job well done. Mike Patridge [See "ESDA exercise asks, and answers, important safety questions," posted Oct. 4 in LDN]

*Back to top*
News \| Sports \| Business \| Rural Review \| Teaching & Learning \| Home and Family \| Tourism \| Obituaries Community \| Perspectives \| Law & Courts \| Leisure Time \| Spiritual Life \| Health & Fitness \| Calendar Letters to the Editor