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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
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For employment information,
contact us.
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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.
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reasonable rates and links to business websites. Call (217)
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"Happy ads" are a special feature to enable our readers to celebrate birthdays, graduations,
anniversaries and other good news.
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To the editor:
I come from a
military family. My grandfather fought in World War I, and my dad
served in World War II. My dad was on a Navy destroyer in the
Pacific. He is almost 80 now and in a nursing home, and when we talk
it is always about the Navy. He remembers every detail, and he
smiles as he tells the story again, and again. He is so proud! And I
am sooooo proud of my dad.
My son is in the USAF
and will have to go to the Gulf if there is another call-up. My
heart aches with the thought of that. I am also very proud of my
son.
So it should come as
no surprise that I cry at the beginning of every sporting event when
"The Star-Spangled Banner" is sung.
I love this country.
My family has laid their lives on the line so we can all share in
the freedoms of this great country.
[to top of second column in
this letter]
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Now… I want to
express one of those freedoms, the freedom of speech. I resent many
people who say if you disagree with this war or take issue with the
policies of the Bush administration, that makes you unpatriotic.
Being patriotic is loving your country. Disagreeing with the
president and his policies does NOT make one unpatriotic.
I fear the policies
of the Bush administration in the Middle East will lead to unrest in
the world and cause more hate and mistrust of our great nation.
My heart and prayers
go out to all the brave young Americans who are in the Middle East
and elsewhere, fighting for what they believe in.
I wish to take this
opportunity to say "thank you" to all the veterans of past wars.
May God bless our
troops and have mercy on us all.
Joyce Gleason
Lincoln
P.S. Thank you, LDN, for this forum to
express our views and opinions.
(posted
4-9-03)
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Hello. My name is Stacy Greco. I live
in Chicago, Ill. Recently I had to attend a meeting in Springfield,
Ill. As I was driving back to Chicago my work car broke down in
Lincoln. The experience of my car breaking down in Lincoln ended up
being a positive one. I saw how genuinely good the people of
Lincoln are.
First, a construction worker drove me
to the gas station so that I could call a tow truck. He let me use
his phone, and he said that he could drive me to Chicago if I
couldn't get my car fixed. The tow truck driver was the second
person to be concerned about my situation. He did not just drop me
off at the mechanic. He stayed around for a couple of hours to see
if he could help me. He drove me to the train station to look at the
schedule in case my car could not be fixed. He took me to Duvall
Automotive, where I received service that I would never expect in
Chicago. Dave Duvall, the shop owner, put everything aside to take
care of me. He knew that I had an important meeting the next day,
and he did everything in his power to get me on the road again that
night.
[to top of second column in
this letter]
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I am very impressed with the people of
Lincoln. It is nice to know that there are such good people in this
world, especially Dave Duvall. He could have easily taken advantage
of me. I was at his mercy and he treated me with respect. The auto
repair shop can be a scary place for a woman. He did not take
advantage of me and charged a fair price, especially for the fact
that he worked so quickly. Once again I would like to say that I am
very impressed with the people of Lincoln, Ill.
Thank you,
Stacy Greco
(posted
4-9-03)
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To the editor:
I'm ashamed of Illinois' legislative
failure to serve the educational needs of Illinois children!
When is "the right time?"
I was one of several hundred people who
rallied in Springfield on April 2 to draw legislative attention to
the financial crisis that is harming most Illinois schools. On a
beautiful day, shadowed by a statue of Abraham Lincoln, school
children held signs that read, "Support Our Schools," and "What
About Me." One man in the crowd commented to me that "Lincoln would
be rolling in his grave if he knew what legislators were doing to
Illinois schools and school children."
Illinois ranks 49th of the 50 states in
funding to its public schools. Illinois was graded "F" for financing
state education. In a shameful show for a state of our great wealth,
we edged out North Dakota for the worst ranking in the nation.
Over 80 percent of Illinois schools are
in deficit spending. Program cuts are crippling or eliminating fine
arts, music, physical education, library and counseling services.
There will be larger, more crowded Illinois classrooms. The
legislature is in violation of its own Illinois Constitution by not
meeting its "primary responsibility" of funding the cost of
educating Illinois public school children or by providing an
"efficient system of high-quality public education." Suburban
schools are being financially bailed out at the last minute to avoid
forced closings. We now see reductions in dollars to fund public
schools as costs to operate them increase dramatically.
A shell game has been played with
voters to make them believe that revenue from the lottery, riverboat
gambling, off-track betting, and alcohol and cigarette taxes will
save Illinois schools. If it's a questionable activity that the
public might have a moral problem with, legislators attempt to make
it legitimate by telling the public it will create a tax that will
help the schools. Citizen concerns for the plight of schools pass
the tax measure, but schools get no income increase. There is only a
shifting of dollars that takes away what was originally allocated to
schools and sends it elsewhere in the state budget. Then the
bewildered public doesn't understand why the school money problem
still exists.
Legislators fault the schools when the
failure is in their own lack of addressing the problem. I am tired
of being misled and having children used by politicians with no
resulting benefit. The Illinois legislature is failing to serve the
educational needs of children. It's a public disgrace. It's an
insult to taxpayers and families. It's a national disgrace that we
as citizens should demand our elected officials to immediately
correct. I am ashamed of the way the Illinois legislature has
ignored the needs of over 2.2 million Illinois students, citizens
and future leaders. I am also ashamed that there hasn't been a
greater public outcry of anger from parents who see educational
resources dwindling before their eyes as they are asked to provide
more and more, while an indifferent state legislature tells schools
to "tighten their belts." The problem is that the belt is around
your school's neck, and the school is being strangled.
The legislative response when they are
questioned about why they don't fix the problem is, "It's not the
right time." It's the right time to use school children when they
are trying to get elected and make promises they know they won't
keep. They drag schools and education out of the drawer like an old
flag to wave at election time and then forget hollow promises made
that help get them elected. Why? Because we let them get away with
it. Because to them, as long as schools open, "It's not the right
time."
[to top of second column in
this letter]
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One of my local representatives, Dave
Leitch, at least had the courtesy to come out to address the rally.
His opening remarks included a comment about education being a
"priority" as upcoming budgets are developed. In hopeful
desperation, I would love to believe you, Mr. Leitch, but lip
service that has worked in the past is getting old. It just won't
fly, because school children don't need more promises or excuses.
They need action, and they need it NOW.
Sen. George Shadid had time during the
rally to make a photo-op appearance on the legislative floor to
recognize the Peoria Central High School state basketball
championship team (Congratulations, gentleman!), but he chose not to
come outside to address the rally. Rep. Ricca Slone was nowhere in
sight either.
The combined efforts of our legislators
have done little to correct this ongoing problem. The problem only
worsens. Remember the performance record of your elected officials
at election time and what they do to help or ignore the educational
needs of your children and grandchildren.
On top of this mountain of apathy, we
have our new Illinois governor, Rod Blagojevich. Remember him, the
"education governor" at election time? He was recently quoted in a
WLS-TV interview saying, "I suggest that they (school leadership),
read Ralph Waldo Emerson's essay on "self-reliance." In response, I
suggest that he spend less time reading Emerson and more time
reading the Illinois State Constitution, Article 10, Section 1, that
outlines the state's funding obligation to schools. It would be
refreshing to see the political leader of Illinois take a stand to
enforce his own state constitution. This time it's more excuses and
hollow words from our new Illinois governor. It sure didn't take him
long to turn his back on school children.
Why would new business and families
want to come to a state with such a disgraceful record of assistance
to schools? Why would families with children being victimized by
such a system want to stay in Illinois? Why isn't the grounds of the
state Capitol swarming with sign-carrying, angry parents who are
willing to demand the rights their children deserve? When is the
"right time" for the legislature to stop giving us excuses and start
being more concerned about addressing an educational crisis than
getting elected?
To the little boy who held the sign
that asked, "What About Me?" the answer is: You don't count with the
Illinois legislature because you don't vote, because your parents
aren't angry and demanding your rights, and because your school
doors haven't closed yet because the district can't pay its bills.
You won't be convenient to use again until another election year.
Until then, stand there and hold your sign. That bronze statute of
Lincoln may be the best friend you have in Springfield.
Gene Beltz, principal
Peoria Heights Grade School
Peoria Heights
(posted
4-9-03)
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