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The
Lincoln Daily News publishes letters to the editor as
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Lincoln Daily News
601 Keokuk St.
Lincoln, IL 62656
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Dear
Editor:
On behalf of Mothers Against Drunk
Driving and the Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs Task Force, we
would like to congratulate Membrata on winning the Battle of the
Bands! Membrata's members are Mark Luttrell, Nathan Whiteman and Joe
Pesha (all are from Lincoln).
MADD and the ATOD Task Force would also
like to thank IGA for donating the hot dogs and buns, Cookie's
Bakery for donating cookies, Lincoln Police Department for letting
us to use their grill and trailer, the Logan County Board for
allowing us to use Latham Park, the sesquicentennial planning
committee for permitting us to offer the Battle of the Bands as an
alternative activity for teenagers, and Eric Wassell for bringing
his sound equipment from Springfield and running the sound board.
Approximately 325 people attended the
Battle of the Bands. Thank you to all of the volunteers who helped
to make our event a success!
Sincerely,
Kristi Lessen
Co-chair ATOD Task Force
Member of MADD
[posted 9-6-03] |
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On May 9 of this year, my son was a
passenger on a motorcycle driven by my stepfather. They were just
out for a leisurely ride before dinner. Little did they know that
the rest of their lives were about to be changed.
Around 7 p.m. they left Madigan State
Park and headed home on Old Route 66. They were riding along,
enjoying the evening, when out of nowhere a car came flying up behind
them and struck the motorcycle. My son and stepfather were ejected
off the bike and about 15 feet into the air, where they traveled
approximately 285 feet before hitting the ground. The car never even
slowed down until about 200 yards or more after it hit the
motorcycle. The speed limit on that particular stretch of Old 66 is
55 mph, but an eyewitness to the crash said the car appeared to have
been traveling in excess of 70 mph.
The motorcycle was thrown about
20 to 25 feet into the air and somehow landed in front of the car
and was hit again. Meanwhile my son and stepfather are rolling and
skidding along the pavement, where they received quite serious
injuries.
Luckily, my son only ended up with a
severe case of road rash. By some miracle, he had no broken bones or
life-threatening injuries. My stepfather, on the other hand, was not
so lucky and has injuries that will be with him for the rest of his
life.
What happened to the person who caused
this tragic event? He ended up with nothing more than a traffic
citation for failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, and
received a fine.
[to top of second column in
this letter] |
Is this justice for nearly costing two
people their lives?? Everyone I know says no, the person responsible
should have been arrested on the spot. But according to Illinois
law, the trooper that responded to the scene did the only thing he
was allowed by issuing the traffic citation. The driver was not even
tested for drug or alcohol use! (The trooper said there was "no
cause.")
Correct me if I am wrong, but when you
nearly kill two people for no apparent reason (it was still
daylight, a straight road and no adverse weather at the time to
distract the driver), does it not make sense to test the person to
see if there were drugs or alcohol involved??
What is wrong with the law that someone
can get away with ruining the lives of two families and only get a
traffic ticket out of it?!!
I have contacted everyone from our
congressman to the senator's office to try to find a way to make
laws stricter concerning these types of "accidents" and have gotten
the same response each time, which is that there is nothing that can
be done about the way the laws are written.
What is a person supposed to do to get
justice? It doesn't seem that there is such a thing anymore.
The only reason I am even writing this
letter is so that people know the truth about what really happened,
since a local paper made it sound like it was just a little fender
bender and everyone is fine. That is absolutely not true! My son
will carry the scars from this, both physical and mental, for the
rest of his life, and my stepfather faces even worse consequences in
his future.
Jennifer Harris
[posted 9-6-03] |
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To the
editor:
We would like to take this opportunity
to thank those who planned, worked, donated and attended the benefit
for the Janet Christian family on Saturday, Aug. 2, in Hartsburg.
We appreciate the outstanding support of area churches, community
and youth who put forward their time and talents to make this
benefit a success.
We would like to especially thank Alan
Klokkenga, Jim Klokkenga, Randy Baker, Dawn Reiners, Lincoln IGA,
Hartsburg-Emden area churches, Hartsburg-Emden School, Atlanta
Locker, McDonald's, Interstate Bread, Fairview Acres, Long John
Silver's and Kentucky Fried Chicken.
[to top of second column in
this letter]
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We also thank the Logan County chapter
of Thrivent Financial for providing matching funds for the benefit.
Proceeds from the benefit will help the
Christians pay for medical expenses associated with Janet's stem
cell transplant.
Your generosity and support is greatly
appreciated.
The Janet Christian family
The Janet Christian benefit committee
[posted 9-5-03]
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To the editor:
Main Street Lincoln was overwhelmed by
the generosity shown at the "Who Let the Dogs Out?" art auction held
during the sesquicentennial celebration. Our event was just one of
many successful events attended within the festivities. Lincoln is
so fortune to have such a giving and dedicated citizenry that
supports the efforts made to improve the quality of life in our
community.
On behalf of the board of directors,
thank you to the following individuals and businesses that purchased
the artwork:
Al Firma
Marsha Warner
Cheryl Johnson
Dan Wheat
[to top of second column in
this letter]
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Chuck McGee
Dr. Kristen Green-Morrow
Brad Nikles
JM Abbott & Associates
State Bank of Lincoln
Logan County Bank
Beans & Such
The Mustard Moon
Best Friends Animal Hospital
The Courier
White Oaks West Animal Hospital
Lincoln College
David G. Lanterman
President, Board of Directors
Main Street Lincoln
[posted 9-4-03] |
