High-powered wind shear
rampages through NW Lincoln

[APRIL 5, 2003]  The skies darkened to the west of Lincoln around 3:15 p.m. Friday.  Not much warning came before a sudden wind shear left its imprint on a portion of Lincoln’s northwest business and residential neighborhoods. Nearly one third of the Lincoln population, 4,000-5,000 people, were affected by its passing.

     It has not been decided whether it was a tornado or a straight-line storm with a twisting action that struck at approximately 3:30 p.m. Friday afternoon. Physical facts remain today that the high winds caused damages to an area about four blocks wide and 20 blocks long. The 911 tower that toppled at the Rural Lincoln firehouse is supposed to withstand winds of 100 miles per hour, according to Tom Boyd from Lincoln Land Communications.  The damage occurred during the first of several storms in the area.
     The most serious damages begin on the west side near Business 55 and Route 10 (Woodlawn Road) where the old Kmart store is located and extend northeast to the edge of city limits.  The area consists of a combination of businesses along Business 55, moving into a residential area that includes several mobile home parks and apartment buildings. An electrical substation with feeder trunks supplying power to communities north of Lincoln was also struck.
     Logan County ESDA is declaring Lincoln a minor disaster. It is not a state or federally declared disaster, said director Dan Fulscher. 
     There were no injuries, but there has been extensive debris and property damage. Power was taken out to many areas, including homes and businesses from the downtown square to the north and to the west side. 
     Some of Lincoln power has been restored, but a number of AmerenCILCO crews were still out Saturday morning working to restore power to Atlanta and other areas fed by that substation.  It was estimated that it could take up to 24 hours from Friday evening.
     Telephone service, both land and cellular, was affected. Some calls were not able to connect, some were just delayed and some service was just plain and simply gone in much of the affected area.

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     Logan and Macon County ESDA volunteers are canvassing the area all night looking for anyone needing assistance. These people are wearing reflective identifying jackets.
     State police were called in to provide security to the area.
     Illinois Emergency Management Regional Coordinator Dan Smith, who was leaving Springfield for Champaign when storm warnings came out Friday afternoon, headed for Lincoln. He was on the scene moments after the storm swept through and stayed through the night.
     Macon County ESDA coordinator Phil Anello brought their mobile communications center and 14 radio operators that also serve as EMTs, damage assessment and disaster intelligence team members.
     Lincoln City Police and the Sheriff’s Auxiliary are also out patrolling.
     The Red Cross has provided shelter, including food, at the Safety Complex for as long as families are affected by damages.
     The Salvation Army is also assisting with canteen for workers and volunteers.
     Lincoln City Streets Department Superintendent Donnie Osborne had crews back out Saturday morning to continue debris removal from streets and alleys. Major streets are open.
     Mount Pulaski is on standby to assist if needed. 
     The Department of Transportation will have trucks and equipment on-site Monday morning.  The Department of Corrections may have crews with prisoners assisting on Monday morning. 
     Residents are asked to move only storm debris to the curb side for pick-up.
     If anyone would like sheltering or needs assistance. they can call 732-9491.

[Jan Youngquist]

[APRIL 5, 2003]  The newly upgraded Logan County 911 telephone system was put to more than the real test Friday. Even before severe weather rolled into Logan County the system was experiencing an influx of calls and complications.

     The facility that houses cutting-edge communications technology that assists first responders is designed to withstand nearly any disaster. You would think that all would be safe in the basement of a building with thick reinforced walls, a building that guarantees security from nearly any threatening situation.
     Keep in mind Murphy’s Law: Anything that can go wrong, will.  Just an hour before severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings were issued, chaos struck. The timing couldn’t have been much worse when around 2 p.m. water began seeping rapidly into the telephone room.  It immediately caused problems. The primary 911 system failed as it flooded with water.  However, it automatically routed calls to the back-up center.
     Just after this began happening, emergency weather warnings started pouring in. Things just kept going from bad to worse.

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    ESDA director Dan Fulscher contacted the on-call 911 system technician, Curt Schleich, to switch the primary 911 to the alternate back-up site. While Schleich was resetting equipment to route calls to the alternate back-up site, located at the Lincoln Rural Fire Department on Woodlawn Road, high winds toppled that tower and the power was knocked out to that area. 
     The 911 system was kept running with generator-supplied power at the remote site in the storm-struck area. Schleich traveled back and forth between the sites to make necessary changes and assessments throughout the afternoon and evening.
  Cleanup and drying at the primary site were completed and repairs are expected to be completed sometime today (Saturday).

[Jan Youngquist]

Senate Bill 10

Illinois residents to have guaranteed
tuition rates at state universities

[APRIL 5, 2003]  SPRINGFIELD -- Tuition rates at Illinois' public universities would be guaranteed for Illinois residents enrolling after the 2003-2004 academic year. Sen. Larry Bomke, R-Springfield, supported legislation to keep rates affordable.

According to Bomke, the measure will help parents and students budget more accurately for tuition.

"At the rate tuition has skyrocketed, a student can enter college at what is an affordable price for his or her family only to find a 10 percent tuition hike in the next year or even the next two years makes it difficult to complete their studies without transferring to a new school, working extra hours for either the student, the parents or both," said Bomke. "It's simply too difficult to predict how tuition rates will fluctuate. The only given is that they will increase."

Senate Bill 10 would limit undergraduate tuition charged to Illinois residents to no more than the rate charged upon initial enrollment in the university. Guaranteed tuition would apply only to Illinois residents first enrolling after the 2003-2004 school year at the University of Illinois, Southern Illinois University, Chicago State University, Eastern Illinois University, Governor's State University, Illinois State University, Northeastern Illinois University, Northern Illinois University and Western Illinois University.

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The guaranteed tuition would remain in effect for four consecutive academic years or the number of years the university recommends for the student's major. Students who change majors would be charged tuition equal the amount the student would have been charged if he or she had enrolled in the new major upon first entering the university. 

Senate Bill 10 was approved 5-3 in the Senate April 3.

[News release]

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