The Pantagraph Bloomington, IL back issues from August 2008:
If only caped crusader could save our economy, too
Aug 01, 2008; ... COLUMN DIARY, a check of big headlines, small wonders and otherworldly events: July 2008 1. Starbucks announces it is closing 600 stores. Seattle declarednational disaster area. 2. Along western edge of Illinois, massive flooding unfortunatelymaking it Lake ...
Wright stuff? ISU coach thinkstransfer can be solid defender
Aug 01, 2008; ... NORMAL - Illinois State football coach Denver Johnson believesPaul Wright bears a resemblance to former Redbird linebacker KyeStewart. Johnson will be thrilled if Wright plays like ISU's former all-conference performer as well. "He reminds me a lot of Kye Stewart," Johnson ...
Lincoln Legion fallsin 4th Division tourney
Aug 01, 2008; ... BLOOMINGTON - Carrying momentum is vital and Lincoln had none ofit after dropping its first American Legion 4th Division Tournamentgame Thursday to Watseka, 5-4. Paul Foley, Lincoln's game-two starter, did his best to get itrolling, but his 5 1/3 scoreless innings pitched were not ...
Gold goes 1-1on first day ofNABF Series
Aug 01, 2008 ... JACKSON, Miss. - The Bloomington Gold 18-under baseball teambounced back from a tough opening loss by pounding out an 11-4 winover the Long Island (N.Y.) Sound Thursday in the NABF World Series. In the first game, Zac Johnson was thrown out at the plate withtwo outs in the bottom ...
Idolized at the fair
Aug 01, 2008; ... BLOOMINGTON - Ben Laxton has very practical plans for the $1,000he won Thursday night as the 2008 McLean County Idol winner. "I'll pay for books and other school expenses," said Laxton, 20,who beat out 19 other competitors at the McLean County Fair. A son of Tom and Drinda ...
Chiefs fall to Cougars
Aug 01, 2008 ... PEORIA - The Peoria Chiefs left the tying run in scoring positionThursday night and suffered a 3-2 loss to Kane County in MidwestLeague action at O'Brien Stadium. The Chiefs (22-18), who dropped into second place with the loss,trailed 3-1 entering the ninth before pulling within a ...
Jones finds home with ISU
Aug 01, 2008; ... NORMAL - Dismissed from the University of Minnesota football teamin the spring of 2007, E.J. Jones clung to both his innocence andthe hope of being reinstated. "I was determined to play. Unfortunately, it didn't work out,"Jones said Thursday at Hancock Stadium. "When I make a ...
Hours slashed at Springfield historic sites
Aug 01, 2008; ... SPRINGFIELD - In what could be a harbinger of things to comeacross the state, officials Thursday unveiled dramatic cuts inSpringfield area historic sites. Popular tourist destinations like Lincoln's Tomb, currently openseven days a week, will be closed on Sundays and Mondays ...
Public Safety
Aug 01, 2008 ... Police, fire, rescue Ficus trees stolen from office NORMAL - Two ficus trees were stolen from 405 Kays Drive, Normalpolice said. The trees were gifts when Dr. Raju Paturi opened his practice 14years ago, said his wife, Sue Paturi, office manager for CentralIllinois ...
Pieces of old skull found in river
Aug 01, 2008; ... PONTIAC - A trio of fishermen got more than they bargained forWednesday when they found pieces of a human skull along theVermilion River. Authorities said the pieces are from the same skull and showsigns of wear or weathering. A man and two teens found the bones in shallow ...
Deaths
Aug 01, 2008 ... Central Illinois Arthur R. Benz GIBSON CITY - Arthur R. Benz, 89, of Gibson City died at 6:31p.m. Wednesday (July 30, 2008) at Provena Covenant Medical Center inUrbana. Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Sunday at Lamb Funeral Home,Gibson City. Private graveside ...
St. Jude events to draw hundreds from area
Aug 01, 2008; ... BLOOMINGTON - Hundreds of Central Illinoisans this weekend willbe running miles, working the phones and even eating spaghetti forchildren with cancer and other catastrophic diseases. The events are the 31st annual St. Jude Telethon and the St. JudeRuns to benefit St. Jude ...
Lawyer ordered to keep defending convicted rapist
Aug 01, 2008; ... BLOOMINGTON - The defense attorney for a 17-year-old convictedrapist will not be allowed to withdraw from the case, a judge ruledThursday. Yarii Massey faces more than 100 years in prison for the May 2007sexual assault of a Bloomington woman in her apartment. He also wasconvicted ...
Normal Fire Dept. to use grant for radios
Aug 01, 2008 ... NORMAL - Normal Fire Department got an oversized check for$100,000 to buy radios and other equipment to upgrade emergencycommunications, but the real money already is in the bank. "It helps not only with firefighter safety but better protectionof the public," said state Rep. Dan ...
Pontiac, Streator to see water rates go up
Aug 01, 2008; ... PONTIAC - A rate increase sought by Pontiac and Streator watercompanies 11 months ago has been approved, though short of what wasasked. The Illinois Commerce Commission on Wednesday approved a 15percent increase. Illinois American Water Co., which supplies waterto the two cities ...
Letters
Aug 01, 2008 ... Downtown Bloomington needs an open market I think I might be able to save the city of Bloomington somemoney on consulting fees for the downtown redevelopment. Bloomington doesn't need more retail this and hotel that, moreChicago ideas. We need to think about who we are. This ...
Midweek spike creates wide range of gas prices
Aug 01, 2008; ... BLOOMINGTON - How much you paid for gas Thursday was determinedby which pump you used. Some stations in Bloomington-Normal raised prices by almost 40cents, while others remained in the low $3.60s after a week ofslowly declining prices. Higher prices also were reported inClinton, ...
Farmer City home invasion probed
Aug 01, 2008; ... FARMER CITY - Farmer City police continue their investigation ofa home invasion that occurred on Monday afternoon. On Thursday, Chief Larry Woliug said police have questioned morethan one suspect in connection with the incident. Police said an intruder startled two teenage ...
Truck driver sought after two boys hit
Aug 01, 2008 ... EAST PEORIA - Police are looking for the driver of a semi truckafter two young bicyclists were severely injured early Thursday inTazewell County. Illinois State Police District 8 said the boys, ages 13 and 10,were hit about 1:45 a.m. while riding on Illinois 116 at ...
Program boosting diabetes screening
Aug 01, 2008; ... BLOOMINGTON - The war against diabetes is making steady progressin McLean County. An unusual coalition of a health insurer, major employers andhealth care providers announced that more people have been screenedfor diabetes in McLean County since the coalition began its ...
Enjoying golf after college
Aug 01, 2008; ... NORMAL - When most college golfers graduate and get into the 40-hour-a-week working world, their game inevitably suffers. Dustin Wickenhauser seems to be bucking that trend. The 24-year-old Wickenhauser, who is a credit assistant at 1stFarm Credit Services in Normal, is ...
Setting it right
Aug 01, 2008 ... Setting it right Life Theater show - Matinee showings of Prairie Fire Theatre's "ThePirates of Penzance" will be at 3 p.m. Aug. 10 and 17. One of thedates was wrong in Wednesday's Pantagraph. Local Car burglaries - Bloomington Police have received 70 ...
An All-Century arrival ... a few years late
Aug 01, 2008; ... Good news, White Sox fans. You just acquired an All-Centurycenter fielder. The bad news? It wasn't this century. The Ken Griffey Jr. of old would have been rocket fuel for thestretch run of a pennant race. The White Sox got an old Ken GriffeyJr ....
20-year-old man killed in Danvers crash
Aug 01, 2008 ... DANVERS - Dense fog may have played a role in the death of a 20-year-old Stanford man in a single-vehicle crash Thursday morning inrural Danvers, the McLean County coroner's office said. John R. Glenn, a volunteer firefighter, was driving north onIllinois 122 just west of Illinois ...
43-inch muskie among creatures that lurk in night
Aug 01, 2008; ... HUDSON - A couple of weeks ago, The Pantagraph featured a storyon night fishing for muskies. It told how anglers could take bigfish after dark when angling pressure was less and muskies wereactively feeding and vulnerable. A few days later, guide Thad Hinshaw and friend Bob Park ...
U High senior wins 2nd national javelin crown
Aug 01, 2008; ... Conditions were less than ideal Thursday for Normal's Tim Gloverin the Amateur Athletic Union National Track and FieldChampionships. Wind gusts of 20 to 25 mph blew in the face of Glover and hisfellow javelin throwers. A runway chewed up by half-inch long spikesearlier in the ...
Judge grants request of men convicted ot beating
Aug 01, 2008; ... BLOOMINGTON - Three Highland Park men convicted of beating anIllinois State University lacrosse team member last September willbe allowed to serve their jail time close to home, according to aruling Thursday by Judge Charles Reynard. Casey Lomoro, 21; Corey Lomoro, 25; and Matthew ...
Clinton movie theater set to open on Aug. 15
Aug 01, 2008; ... CLINTON - The owner of the Clintonia Eagle Theater has set Aug.15 as the opening night for Clinton's new and long-awaited movietheater. Eric Gubelman, president of Eagle Theater Corp., said staff hasbeen hired and will be led by theater manager Stephen Peirsall. "In the next ...
Something to crow about
Aug 01, 2008; ... BLOOMINGTON - Austin Graf's shouts left him a little hoarse, buthis chicken still took home the prize. The 11-year-old Old Town 4-H member from Shirley had the magicwords for his rooster, winning the crowing contest Thursday at theMcLean County Fair. While most of the 20 ...
Don't change energy-saving habits when prices dip
Aug 01, 2008 ... The ups and downs of oil prices and service station pump pricesare more radical than an amusement park roller coaster - and notnearly as much fun. After seeing prices soar above $4 a gallon earlier this summer,the prices of $3.61 and even $3.59 around Bloomington-Normalrecently ...
Pontiac Heritage Days returning
Aug 01, 2008; ... PONTIAC - Dick Degenhart of Pontiac saw a forge for sale at anauction more than 30 years ago and thought that it could be aninteresting hobby. The former general contractor retired about 2 years ago, but hisinterest in the ironworking hobby remains. He has learned how to make ...
Farmers hoping for growth spurt
Aug 01, 2008; ... BLOOMINGTON - Farmer Scott Hoeft wants to have a longer workseason this year. A longer growing period with a late frost would be just what thedoctor ordered, agreed John Hawkins, spokesman for the Illinois FarmBureau in Bloomington. Corn and bean conditions have improved from ...
Fair results
Aug 01, 2008 ... Plant and Soil Jared Becker, Ardent Tillers; Kelly Carmack, LexingtonLeprechauns; Ryan Carmack, Lexington Leprechauns; Andrea Freitag,Ardent Tillers; Caleb Mohr, Ardent Tillers; Mitchel Mohr, ArdentTillers; Adam Wiggins, Vision Riders Small Engine Aaron Biedenharn, ...
Higher learningTeachers learn classroom lessons at outdoor retreat
Aug 01, 2008; ... BLOOMINGTON - Forty feet above ground, Amanda Hapgood was almostready to move. "This is a little out of the comfort zone for an 11-year Englishteacher," Hapgood said once she was off the platform and back onterra firma at Timber Pointe Outdoor Center. The Olympia High School ...
Commission gives OK to Normal police dept.
Aug 01, 2008 ... NORMAL - The Normal Police Department has received re-accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for LawEnforcement Agencies Inc. The department completed its on-site review by a team ofindependent CALEA assessors in April, and then ...
Names & Faces
Aug 01, 2008 ... GRADUATES Catholic UniversityFARMER CITY - Stephanie M. Holmes, daughter ofRennie D. and Barbara Holmes of Farmer City, graduated magna cumlaude May 23 from the Catholic University of America Columbus Schoolof Law, Washington, D.C.Holmes was a member of VIS Arbitration MootCourt ...
Randy Newman coming to BCPA
Aug 01, 2008 ... BLOOMINGTON - Singer/songwriter Randy Newman has booked anappearance at the Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts on Oct.9.The 7:30 p.m. show has tickets priced at $42.50, $40.50 and$36.50. Tickets for ArtsPartners and seat sponsors are on sale nowby calling (309) 434-2777; orders ...
Man suffers head injuryafter golf club attack
Aug 02, 2008 ... BLOOMINGTON - A 17-year-old male suffered a head injury Fridayafternoon when he was attacked by two men armed with a golf club anda second blunt object in a store parking lot, said Bloomingtonpolice. The attack started shortly after 3:30 p.m. in the parking lot onthe 900 block of ...
Chiefs hit, but fall to South Bend
Aug 02, 2008 ... PEORIA - Despite smacking 10 hits Friday, the Peoria Chiefssuffered a 4-3 Midwest League loss to the South Bend Silver Hawks atO'Brien Field. The loss drops Peoria (22-19) into third place in theWestern Division. Third baseman Jovan Rosa went 3-for-4 with an RBI ...
Area vaulters win national championships
Aug 02, 2008 ... YPSILANTI, Mich. - Two area athletes won titles Friday in theAmateur Athletic Union Junior Olympic National Track and FieldChampionships at Eastern Michigan University. Emily Clay, a sophomore-to-be at University High School, won thepole vaulting title in the girls' intermediate ...
California team blanksGold in NABFWorld Series
Aug 02, 2008 ... JACKSON, Miss. - The BNBA Gold 18-under baseball team suffered a3-0 loss to the Southern California Outlaws in the NABF World Serieson Friday. The Gold (33-15) smacked six hits off Outlaws pitcher RyanEstermyer but was unable to score despite having two one-out bases-loaded ...
Public Safety
Aug 02, 2008 ... Police, fire, rescue Garage intruder caught, jailed DOWNS - A 20-year-old man got into a garage by rolling under adoor left ajar for a family pet, said McLean County Sheriff MikeEmery, cautioning residents to make sure things are locked up forthe night. A man in rural ...
It's a treat for dogs in fair ring
Aug 02, 2008; ... BLOOMINGTON - Kellan Marvin considers her dog, Murphy, sort of alittle brother. The 13-year-old daughter of David and Shelley Marvin ofBloomington always wanted a younger brother but hasn't been blessedwith the human kind. Kellan took best of show honors in the 4-H dog care ...
Ex-teammate Davis keepingRedbirds in line as a coach
Aug 02, 2008; ... NORMAL - They are former teammates, but they are not formerfriends. Still, freshly minted Illinois State offensive line coachStafford Davis promised not to take it easy on Joe Niklasch, ErikMadsen and Landon Humbles. The three Redbird senior offensive linemen were teammates ...
Being up front'ISU assistant says line play key to turning around defensive fortunes
Aug 02, 2008; ... NORMAL - Their position coach pushes around a walker with a built-in seat to take an occasional load off the aching joints. But don't get the impression of vulnerability for Illinois Stateassistant coach Chris Patton or the troops he commands. "I think he'll be all right. He's ...
Letters
Aug 02, 2008 ... McCain has right skills, experience for president The Democratic Party hasn't changed much. At their 1864 convention in Chicago, the writer Fred L. Israelstates, "While also pledged to preserve the union, their platformcondemned the war and called for an end to the fighting." ...
Deaths
Aug 02, 2008 ... Central Illinois Mackenzie Dietsch LEXINGTON - Mackenzie Diane Dietsch, 27, of Lexington, diedWednesday (July 30, 2008) in Peoria. A private family service will be at Carmody-Flynn WilliamsburgFuneral Home, Bloomington. There will be no visitation. In lieu of ...
Topping it offFinal beam placed atop uptown hotel
Aug 02, 2008; ... NORMAL - The Marriott Hotel and Conference Center in uptownNormal won't be open for guests until next summer, but the buildingcelebrated a construction milestone Friday. A crane lifted a ceremonial last piece of steel onto the roof ofthe nine-story, 230-room hotel. "This ...
Pontiac falls twice,ousted in 4th Division
Aug 02, 2008; ... BLOOMINGTON - Pontiac American Legion baseball coach Tim Dunhamhad an uneasy feeling entering Friday's 4th Division Tournament atHorenberger Field. "This is what I feared coming in here," Dunham said. "I said,We'll see which team is going to show up - the one that hits or theone ...
Indoor Football League thinking big
Aug 02, 2008; ... BLOOMINGTON - A merger that was in the works for two yearsfinally came to fruition nine days ago. Now, it has a name. The Intense Football League and United Indoor Football, whichmerged July 23, formally announced their new name at a newsconference Friday in Sioux Falls, S.D. The ...
IWU names top schoolby Princeton Review
Aug 02, 2008 ... BLOOMINGTON - The Princeton Review has picked perennial favoriteIllinois Wesleyan University as one of its top 368 undergraduateschools. Only 15 percent of the 2,500 four-year colleges in the UnitedStates have been selected for inclusion in the book, along with twocolleges in ...
Order deadline extended for book
Aug 02, 2008 ... Order deadline extended for book EUREKA - The Woodford County Historical Society has extended thedate for ordering the 1910 History of Eureka by Burrus Dickinson. Orders will be taken through Aug. 15 at $30 per book. After thatdate, the books will cost ...
Police accepting course applications
Aug 02, 2008 ... Police accepting course applications NORMAL - The Normal Police Department is accepting applicationsfor its Citizen Police Academy scheduled to begin Sept. 11. The 11-week program is open to McLean County residents at least15 years old. Topics covered during the ...
Holtz hoping for full season in Redbird roost
Aug 02, 2008; ... It was difficult to be sure Friday morning, what with fog andhaze hanging over the Illinois State campus. Yet, to the naked eye,no large birds appeared to be circling Hancock Stadium. Consider that a good sign for ISU sophomore safety Brent Holtz. When you've spent your first ...
Preliminary vote set for MMNA
Aug 02, 2008; ... NORMAL - Members of the United Auto Workers at Mitsubishi MotorsNorth America will take a strike authorization vote Sunday. UAW Local 2488, which represents workers at the plant, referredquestions to its Detroit office. A union official there confirmedthe vote but would not give ...
Man failed to appear in court to have probation revoked
Aug 02, 2008 ... BLOOMINGTON - Crime Stoppers of McLean County needs the public'shelp to find a man who failed to appear in court for a probationrevocation hearing. Rachod Dail Raie Thompson, born in 1986, is 6 feet tall andweighs 193 pounds. He has black hair and brown eyes. He last livedin ...
More than horsing aroundHandler keep animals calm for competition
Aug 02, 2008; ... BLOOMINGTON - Rachel Berg, 14, of Bloomington admits she getsnervous when she shows her pony. But she tries to smile and hold her four-legged friend steady.After all, she has to be calm and confident to help her pony, Missy. The animals get nervous, too. "My pony was ...
Atlanta grocery is already seeing fruits of fund drive
Aug 02, 2008; ... ATLANTA - Atlanta Country Market will get a new roof. The small-town grocer in downtown also will be able to repair orreplace cooler and freezer compressors, condensers and exhaust fans,said customer Bill Thomas, a member of the board of directors of theAtlanta Betterment ...
Wrongful death suit filedafter local crane accident
Aug 02, 2008; ... BLOOMINGTON - A judge has ordered that attorneys for a Topeka mankilled in a crane accident in Normal last week be given access tothe area where the mishap occurred. The family of Joshua Dawe has filed a wrongful death lawsuitagainst Johnston Contractors Inc. in the July 23 death ...
Animals recieve top titles
Aug 02, 2008 ... Grand champions PoultryCaleb Lindsey, a 14-year-old member of Ellsworth TipToppers 4-H Club, says even a 7-week-old Cornish rock eats a lot offeed - and everything else. The 4-pound bird, which is unnamed, won commercial GrandChampion. Caleb got the bird at a hatchery and ...
God can lead you through firestorm
Aug 02, 2008; ... Have you ever said to yourself, "Man, life is hard. Is it evergoing to end?" I have found myself thinking this during times offrustration or disappointment. I sometimes describe hard times inlife as a "firestorm." This is an intense, challenging, hard seasonin which Satan works to crush ...
Peoria firm buys Diversified Service
Aug 02, 2008 ... LOCAL Peoria firm buys Diversified Service STREATOR - Diversified Service for Industry in Streator wasrecently acquired by Vonachen Services in Peoria. DSI is a janitorial service provider that operates in northernand Central Illinois, southern Wisconsin and eastern ...
Good night to annual Night OutOrganizers looked to move on before city budget ax fell
Aug 02, 2008; ... BLOOMINGTON - For the first time in 14 years, Miller Park will bequiet on the first Tuesday in August. The annual National Night Out Against Crime, an event thatannually drew thousands of people to the park for free food,entertainment, games and safety information, fell victim to ...
ISU dorm objects sold as noveltiesDoorknobs, numbers, mailbox doors for sale
Aug 02, 2008; ... NORMAL - The mailboxes university students eagerly checked forletters from home, the dorm room doorknobs they turned, and the roomnumbers that helped them find their way are now for sale. Former residents wanted keepsakes from the soon-to-be demolishedWalker and Dunn-Barton ...
Excerpts from comments related to Opinion page material posted at www.pantagraph.com/opinion
Aug 02, 2008 ... "How well does Pontiac rehabilitate inmates?" YourViews, July 30 Let's ask those same questions of every prison in the state, notonly the one in a district represented by a state senator hated bythe governor. ... My beef is the governor is making his decisionsabout which prisons to ...