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, photo editor, graphic designer:
[Click here]

Text processing: Mary Krallmann

Advertising sales and public relations:

Lucky Eichner:  ads@lincolndailynews.com

Writers
[Click here]

For employment information, contact us.

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 that 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. 

To submit classified ads, click here.

"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!

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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.

To the editor:

Pat O'Neill, our new Logan County Board member and chairman of the animal control committee, deserves a round of applause for a job well done. Although he was appointed to chair a committee that got the most heat and least glory, he has shown creativity in problem solving and most of all the drive and desire to do what he has been elected and selected to do as a board member.

I have written letters in the past and voiced numerous concerns over the county's handling of animal control but, folks, we have a winner in Pat O'Neill. The man was serious when he said he was trying. He has been thoughtful, fair and honest in all of his dealings, whether it be [with] the employees, public, constituents, press, or the abused or homeless animals he is trying to serve and protect.

He is creative in his thinking on how the shelter should be run and financed. He is not afraid to ask questions, and we all know how difficult that can be at times, to seek fair and just solutions.

I was at Animal Control today and was astonished to find cars in the lot, the door propped open as a welcome and puppies playing in a cage in the shade in the front. There was a medium-size dog sitting, almost like a statue, in the corner of the office. There were two men in the office. One was on the phone when I walked in, and he looked up and acknowledged that I was there by a brief smile and then back to his business on the phone. When he finished his conversation and finished writing his notes, he stood up and looked at the cage and said, matter-of-factly, "What's the story with this cat?" It was then I realized that my story was unimportant -- it was his at seeing yet another woeful face looking up at him for help, kindness and understanding.

[to top of second column in this letter]

In short, I was impressed by the professionalism displayed by the employees at the animal control facility and believe it is due to the changes employed by Pat O'Neill.

In closing, I was pleasantly surprised by the changes since I was last at the facility in December. I know it's a tough, dirty and mostly thankless job, and I take my hat off to the people who can do this type of honorable work. I know that Pat is working tirelessly in his goal to bring and keep this facility up to and exceeding existing standards.

The community needs to do its part as well. SPAY and NEUTER your pets. Encourage friends and co-workers to do the same. Did I mention SPAY and NEUTER your pets? Report abuse of animals. This includes the infamous barn cats who are usually treated with no better judgment than furry mouse traps. Support your Animal Control and volunteer if you can. Pedigree is OK, but nothing can put as much love in your life than the critter you adopt that will know and appreciate a much better life. Most of all, go out and see for yourself what changes have been made, and bring home something to enrich your life.

Sincerely,

Mary Rousey

(posted 5-31-03)

To the editor:

As co-chairs of this year's American Cancer Society Relay For Life of Logan County, we would like to thank Lincoln Daily News for the coverage of our relay.

We would like to sincerely thank residents of this community for their generosity and support. Sixty teams participated in this year's event, raising over $61,000. We had over 100 survivors participate in the survivor lap, even with the rainy weather.

The top team was Cutler Hammer-Eaton Ethel's Angels 3, captain Karen Lovelace; second-place team, "Angels All Around" Lessen family, captain Susan Gehlbach; third place, MII Boomerangs, captain Donna Miles. The top individuals were Terry Dyer, Carmen Zurkamer and Fran Petersen.

We also want to extend a special thanks to the many Relay For Life volunteers who worked to make this event a success. The Relay For Life committee did an outstanding job of helping with the event. Committee members are Joye Anderson, Marilyn Armbrust, Diane Blaum, Ethel Buchanan, Lisa Curcuru, Jim Drew, Dick Eimer, Susan Gehlbach, Karen Hargis, Shirley Hayes, Emily Kohl, Judy Medaris, Donna Miles, Donna Miller, Kaye Paris, Bill Post, Wally and Nancy Reese, Marlin Roos, Jackie Sullivan, Gerardo and Vivian Valdes.

[to top of second column in this letter]

We also appreciate the generosity of this year's corporate sponsors. Gold sponsors: CEFCU, Family Medical Center, Lincolnland Communications/Cingular, Wal-Mart, Lincoln Christian College and Seminary. Silver sponsors are Cutler Hammer-Eaton, Country Insurance, Graue Inc., Logan County Farm Bureau, Logan County Paramedics Assoc., Quality Glass & Glazing, Joe Hackett Music 4U DJ Service, Union Planters Bank, Jack and Marilyn Wombacher. Bronze sponsors: AmerenCILCO, Graue Pharmacy, Logan County Bank, Manning & McQuellon, MII Industries, Papa John's Pizza, and State Bank.

Thanks to Lincoln Christian College and Seminary for the use of their beautiful facility, and their cooperation made our relay a success!

Sincerely,

Kathy Blaum and Mary Ellen Martin,
co-chairs

American Cancer Society Relay For Life
of Logan County

(posted 5-31-03)

To the editor:

Immediately I looked for the date on the byline. I wanted to confirm it said May 23rd, not April 1st. I thought just for a moment it must be April Fools' Day and the AP story carried by the Chicago Sun-Times that Illinois historic sites would be closed on Memorial Day was a joke.

The story wasn't a joke. Once again it seems we are. Illinois with all its problems, with all its foibles, has now added stupidity to its national resume.

Illinois, the "Land Of Lincoln," the "Visit Illinois" state, now needs an asterisk next to the millions of dollars in ads promoting tourism throughout the state and country. The asterisk needs to denote: "Closed On Holidays."

Fifty-four years of life and still a story pops up that makes a person believe they have never heard anything so dumb in all their life.

I scanned my news source pool on the Web looking for further confirmation of the Associated Press article. Maybe Jayson Blair wrote the article, I hoped. I could find nothing in any other Illinois papers to confirm that 25 of the 26 state-owned historic sites would be closed Memorial Day. It seems the AP wire service story slipped past most newsroom desks.

I believe that is what the director of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency was counting on. Something as important as this would have caused a furor if reported in a timely fashion. Timely as in before people were on their way to visit Illinois' historic sites. Illinois newspapers, including the State Journal-Register in their local activities and events page, listed their area's historic sites among things to do Memorial Day as a family. None of the newspapers carried any notification to potential travelers that the sites would be closed on Monday the 26th.

Did in fact agency director Maynard Crossland purposely withhold this information until it was too late for a media backlash or for anyone in state government to tell him he had best have our historic sites open? In this observer's opinion that is exactly what happened. An agency that has to face a 15 percent reduction in manpower, just like every other state agency, decided to get even with the governor and legislature by pulling the pin on the vacation plans of possibly thousands of tourists.

[to top of second column in this letter]

Mr. Crossland didn't even care to break the story himself. Instead he had agency spokesman Dave Blanchette give his crocodile tear statement to the Associated Press. Mr. Crossland no doubt was already gone with his family for the long weekend. No doubt visiting another state that decided to be "open" for the holiday.

The Illinois Historic Preservation Agency did not even have the decency to advise potential travelers in their website that plans to visit all but old Abe's tomb should be scrapped because Illinois sites would be closed on Monday. Thus many out-of-state travelers as well as Illinoisans had the pleasure of driving long distances just to see a "closed" sign.

I haven't seen this big of a screw-up since Clark Griswald drove the family all the way across America just to find Wally World closed for repairs.

The agency's website brags that three million Americans visit state historic sites every year. One would imagine that a majority of those travelers visit during the big three summer holiday weekends. One can also imagine that many of those travelers finding their plans canceled without proper notification now have "The Hell With Illinois" bumper stickers amidst the myriad of stickers they proudly display on their vans and RVs.

On the agency's website, Mr. Crossland states he hopes readers find the site "helpful and informative." Not hardly, Mr. Crossland. Failure to keep your site posted with up-to-date information voids you and your agency of claiming any vestige of being helpful or informative. The only information on the Web page that would be helpful now is the information that Mr. Crossland has been fired from his post. It wouldn't hurt to also know if the governor and legislature knew of this tourism gaffe as well. It's important to know who to be mad at, you know,

Abe's tomb was open on Monday. It was the only state historic site that was. I need to hear from a reader who was there that day. I need to know if they could sense Abe rolling over in his grave when he heard the news.

(posted 5-27-03)

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