Macon voters OK sales taxMacon County voters approved a 1 per-

centage point raise in the sales tax onNov. 2, while implementation of the raiserests in the hands of the Macon CountyBoard. The county board plans to vote onthe issue at its Jan. 13 meeting.

The board considered placing condi-tions on its approval of the sales tax,such as requiring school boards to prom-ise tax relief or that no bonds would beissued with the new revenue as collater-al. After Macon County States AttorneyJack Ahola said he didn’t think the coun-ty board had the authority to do so, talkof conditions ceased.

The delay of implementation has alsodelayed actions the Decatur and Meridi-an school boards must take to beginplanned construction projects thisspring, as they intended. Until andunless the sales tax increase is imple-mented, those boards can’t issue bonds,put out work for bids or hire architects.Decatur plans extensive remodeling onits two high schools, while Meridianplans to convert the high school to a jun-ior-senior high school and extensiveremodeling for a preschool-fifth gradeelementary building. Other Macon Coun-ty districts plan to abate property taxes.

Shelby County is planning to put asales tax increase on the ballot April 5. Asimilar effort failed last year.

“What we’re really trying to improveon this time is the educational processfor the public,” said Kevin Ross, co-inter-im superintendent for Shelbyville schoolsand high school principal. “We’re plan-ning on scheduling some public meetingswhere anyone can come in and have achance to hear a presentation on whatthis is and how it works and what itcould mean for the districts and commu-nities.”

Shelbyville schools, for example, neednew fire alarm systems and windows andwork on heating systems inthe middle and high school.

Schemer sentencedThe saga of Decatur Ponzi

scheme fraudster WilliamHuber reached a milestone atthe end of 2010 when a federaljudge sentenced him to 20years in prison.

The U.S. District Court inPeoria was told Huber hadripped off more than 300investors to the tune of $15 million over 10 years.Passing sentence Dec. 10,Judge Joe Billy McDade alsoordered Huber to pay restitu-tion of $23 million.

Huber, 61, had to sit and lis-ten as victim after victimrose to their feet to addressthe court and tell how their pensions andlife savings had been stolen. The conman, who claimed he ran a sophisticatedinvestment scheme that was later shownto be a lie, said he was “sincerely andprofoundly sorry.”

Huber’s legal troubles aren’t over yet,however. He now faces civil lawsuitsbrought by investors, and yet how muchhis victims ever get back is hard to say.So far, the court-appointed receiver, aChicago lawyer, said he has rounded upassets of more than $6.6 million, but thatmoney has to pay the cost of receiver-ship, as well as compensate investors.

A look at recent receivership bills, cov-ering the work of the receiver and thelegal and financial experts he hires tohelp him, show they can run more than$100,000 a quarter. The receiver lists hisown fees as normally costing $375 anhour, but the discount rate is now $295.

Ameren looks at rate hikeAmeren Illinois is likely to spend much

of 2011 as it spent much of 2010 — argu-ing for more money.

The company has said it will file a newrate case in 2011 even though it receivedan increase in 2010 for the fees it chargesto deliver electricity and natural gas.

Ameren told industry analysts it plansto file rate cases every 18 months toensure smooth and timely revenue flows.It also says it wants to earn a return oninvestment nudging 10 percent, which ispermitted under Illinois law but it hasn’tachieved so far.

Judging by the struggle it had gettingany kind of rate increase through in 2010,however, Ameren won’t find the goingeasy. Its original rate hike request of$226 million filed in June was laterrevised to $130 million. And Ameren wasshocked in April when the Illinois Com-merce Commission, the state’s rate regu-lator, allowed it just a $5 million increaseinstead.

Ameren complained and, afteracknowledging accounting errors, theICC gave the company an additional $10 million for a total of $15 million.Ameren sought a rehearing on certainaspects of the rate case, and the ICCissued a new ruling in November allow-ing the utility to charge an additional $29million for a grand total of $44 million.

Critics such as the Citizens UtilityBoard watchdog group objected but said,overall, consumers hadn’t come out toobadly. “It could have been worse,” saidDavid Kolata, utility board executivedirector.

He said the board stood ready to fightAmeren again.

Celebration more secureDecatur Celebration weathered a tur-

bulent off-season before the revisedevent was unveiled the traditional firstfull weekend of August.

Most significantly, event creator FredPuglia, Decatur Celebration’s sole pro-ducer for 25 years, announced his retire-ment. The same day, the Celebration’sreduced board of directors announced aplan to charge for wristbands, whichwould be required to purchase food anddrink.

The board was reduced in size thanksto an exodus of six members in January.They said they resigned in protest overthe direction the event was taking.

But the actual event enjoyed near-per-fect weather. An estimated $82,000 worthof wristbands were sold. While there wasan operations deficit for the eighth timein 10 years, new producer Lori Sturgilland the board was pleased the deficitwas an estimated $40,000 as comparedwith $150,000 in 2009.

Sturgill is examining entertainmentoptions for this year, and the wristbandswill return. But the board — now back at

its full complement of members — is notplanning to make the wristbands a per-manent feature.

Food drive exceeds goalA telling sign came Oct. 8 of how the

community was stepping up, despite asluggish economy, to help people in need.

That’s the day the ninth annual WSOYCommunity Food Drive blew past a goalof 400,000 pounds to collect 640,000 dol-lars/pounds, primarily for food pantriesrun by Catholic Charities and the Salva-tion Army.

Decatur’s soup kitchen, the GoodSamaritan Inn, moved to a brand newbuilding in February three times the sizeof the old building. The inn serves 250 to300 people a hot midday meal dailyunder the leadership of new directorBrenda Gorrell Pyatt, who started inAugust.

The Water Street Mission for homelessmen, meanwhile, just completed the sec-ond phase of a remodeling project thatmoved the sleeping area to a previouslyunused second floor in August so thekitchen, dining room and chapel on theground floor could be expanded. An openhouse is planned for mid-January.

Looking ahead, the Salvation Armyhopes to complete a $2.2 million additionto its headquarters by fall after breakingground Oct. 30. Maj. Bob Gauthier saidthe new kitchen and multipurpose roomwill allow the army to better minister tosenior citizens, women and youth.

Decatur Family Refuge plans to openat 539-543 N. Water St. in early 2011 withroom for five families that other home-less shelters cannot accept because of amale in the household 12 or older.

Illinois' deadbeat waysThe state’s budget crisis is expected to

continue hampering the ability of

Decatur area governments and nonprofitagencies to provide services.

Dreux Lewandowski, executive directorof Macon Resources Inc., said the stateborrowed money to catch up on pay-ments through June 30 but has sent noth-ing since then as the agency’s last grant-funded program — Kid’s Connection —stopped getting state funds Dec. 31.

The program provides after-school andsummer day care for 15 young peoplewith special needs. Four children are ona waiting list.

“We’re instituting a fee schedule andfundraising,” Lewandowski said. “We’recommitted to keep the program run-ning.”

The program casualty list for 2010includes home-delivered meals as of July1 for more than 200 Decatur residents.

They had been receiving meals fromCatholic Charities or Decatur-MaconCounty Opportunities Corp. under a 12-year-old demonstration project under itsCommunity Care Program.

Andrea Hogan, coordinator of theMeals on Wheels program for CatholicCharities, said it appears most seniorsare simply managing without the mealsand not by choice.

“We’ve whittled the waiting list downto 53, but it’s not because people haveanother service,” she said.

Road crews stay busyRoads throughout the Decatur area got

a facelift in 2010 as local governmentsmade use of federal stimulus dollars andthe state’s long-awaited constructionfunding plan to make some neededimprovements.

The year saw another long-sought goalcome to completion when the city ofDecatur and state Rep. Bob Flider, D-Mount Zion, finished negotiations withthe Illinois Department of Transporta-

tion that will allow the city toreroute U.S. Business 51 awayfrom downtown Decatur. Citycouncil members, staff mem-bers and state legislators havebeen pursuing the goal for adecade.

With the agreement inplace, the city of Decatur willreceive $2.2 million from theDOT to make improvementsto the roadway, which CityManager Ryan McCrady hassaid will involve reroutingBusiness 51 along Wood Streeteastward to Martin LutherKing Jr. Drive, then north toEldorado Street and backwest to rejoin Franklin Streetand Main Street. Part of theimprovements will involve anew turn lane at Wood Streetand Martin Luther King Jr.Drive that will allow

motorists to bypass the train tracks thatcut diagonally through the intersection.

Business 51 also will take a new routenear Assumption, after a $22.8 millionstate grant that will go toward creating abypass for that community. AssumptionMayor Alan Hays touted the project as apotential for new business growth in histown. It is part of the plan to make U.S.51 four lanes to at least Interstate 70 inVandalia.

Changes afoot downtownSeveral major efforts by the Decatur

City Council and state legislators cametogether over the past year to promisetransformations for the downtown areain the coming years.

The Reynolds Building in the 300 blockof North Water Street has been mostlyempty except for the Regions Bank pres-ence, but after an agreement withArcher Daniels Midland Co., will seeabout 350 new employees from that com-pany transferred into the building.

At the same time, the building’s owner,insurance company Consociate-Dansig,has agreed to build another buildingadjacent to the park which borders theReynolds Building, and to improve side-walks, landscaping and lighting sur-rounding it.

Other projects are slated to move for-ward in the coming year, including $13 million in borrowing for downtownlandscape, sidewalk and lightingimprovements and parking lot andgarage maintenance.

Unfortunately, another issue remainedunresolved in 2010. The parking garageat Franklin and William streets that bor-ders the Barnes Citizens Building contin-ues to sit abandoned and empty, itsstructural integrity found to be unsoundby a court, and with the city pursuingdemolition. Owner Charles Barnes, whoin the past entreated the council to spare

the deteriorating structure that has beenunder scrutiny for three years, has failedto send representatives to court.

City Manager Ryan McCrady hasurged caution on moving forward withdemolition, as the ruined footprint of theparking garage won’t belong to the cityafter the dust settles.

Tenaska project in limboThe fate of the Taylorville Energy Cen-

ter could be decided early in 2011 whenthe Illinois Senate returns to session.The House approved legislation inDecember that would give the greenlight for construction to begin on the $3.5 billion, coal-fed facility.

The Senate, however, did not vote onthe measure. Officials from developerTenaska have said they will likely lookelsewhere to move forward with the long-anticipated project should lawmakersfail to approve it.

Those in the Taylorville area want tokeep the project there in part because itwould create 2,500 construction jobs andat least 400 permanent mining and oper-ations jobs.

Opposition has lined up against theplant, questioning whether it would hurtindustrial power customers, includingArcher Daniels Midland Co. and Tate &Lyle in Decatur.

The Taylorville Energy Center isn’t

the only coal-based project in CentralIllinois with a future in limbo. In August,the U.S. Department of Energyrevamped the FutureGen project, whichhad been anticipated to be built in Mat-toon. However, after the changes wereannounced, Mattoon withdrew as apotential site.

The FutureGen 2.0 plan calls for anupgraded power plant in Meredosia, witha storage site to be determined. In lateDecember, potential sites were narrowedto Douglas, Christian, Fayette and Mor-gan counties. Eliminated from the com-petition for the potentially job-rich plumwere the city of Quincy and Pike County.

Additionally, Richland Community Col-lege plans to take advantage of its prox-imity with a carbon sequestration proj-ect that is under way at ADM. Richlandplans to build a carbon sequestrationeducation center on its campus.

Eagle Creek bouncing backThe new Decatur-based operators of

the Eagle Creek Resort on Lake Shel-byville hope to have extensive renovationwork completed by fall 2011 and reopenthe entire property. The 18-hole golfcourse, renamed The National at EagleCreek, opened to golfers in August afterBMDD Resorts Corp. took over. The com-pany headed by Denny, Mike and DennisBallinger of Decatur received a 10-year

lease to operate the resort.The state had closed the resort for a

year because of mold problems in the138-room lodge. The 20-year-old facilitywith a history of structural, legal andfinancial problems was in foreclosurewhen it was closed.

BMDD plans to replace the roof,remove mold, replace furniture, rehabili-tate the indoor pool and upgrade theguest rooms at a cost that could add upto $3 million. Future plans include a newrestaurant.

In the coming year, a new pro shop isexpected to be added. The courseremained in good shape while closed inpart because the grass continued to bemowed.

Mike Ballinger said the goal is to beable to host a professional tournamentand bring the facility up to resort qualityexpectations.

Shelby County tourism officials hopethe reopened golf course and resort helpbring more visitors to the area.

Sullivan moves aheadOne of the worst storms that most Sul-

livan residents can remember rippedthrough the area July 19. The fast-mov-ing storm packing 60 to 80 mph windsand left a significant amount of damage,although nobody was seriously injured.

As 2011 begins, the recovery has gone

well and the town has for the most partmoved on after the downtown area sus-tained much of the damage. The townwas left without power for a time follow-ing the storm.

One unoccupied building, which wasalmost 100 years old, on the southwestcorner of the square had to be demol-ished in August for safety purposes, cost-ing the city nearly $100,000.

The federal government providedassistance to Moultrie County, enablinglocal governments to receive reimburse-ment for expenses related to the storm.State and federal emergency manage-ment officials estimated local govern-ments in the county had storm-relatedcosts totaling more than $500,000.

The Little Theatre On the Square wasin the middle of summertime produc-tions, but shows went on with little dis-ruption. A group of 15 actors had to bemoved after the roof of the building theywere staying in was torn off.

The theater continued productions asnormal throughout the summer, fall andholiday seasons. It has a full slate ofspring and summer shows scheduled in2011.

ATM bandits to prisonThe crime spree began in the late

months of 2009 when ATMs in MountZion and Decatur were taken in late-night heists involving stolen pickuptrucks crashing into businesses.

It all ended April 29, when NicholasBaptista, 25, and Tiffany Spalding, 21,were arrested at their home in the 1100block of South Silas Street and bookedinto the Macon County Jail.

Baptista and Spalding were suspects inthe thefts or attempted thefts of ATMs inChampaign, Logan, Piatt, Tazwell, Iro-quois and Macon counties.Law enforcement officersworked together to conductinvestigations and make thearrests.

The couple, both convictedfelons with lengthy criminalrecords, each pleaded guilty toone count of burglary, a Class2 felony punishable by three toseven years in prison. On Oct.7, Spalding received a five-year sentence, plus a two-yearparole term. On Aug. 27, Bap-tista was sentenced to sevenyears in prison, plus a three-year parole term.

Rosebud reduxLate April saw the former

Rosebud Theatre reopen asthe Effingham Performance Center, witha new slate of entertainment for the fol-lowing year. Although the stage itself willstill be known colloquially as the “Rose-bud Theatre,” the building itself at 1325Outer Belt West is now owned by the cityof Effingham.

The performance center has beenoperated since the reopening by the ArtsConnection of Central Illinois, which hasbrought in musical acts such as AmyGrant, Sara Evans and The B52s in thepast eight months. The venue has alsoplayed host to stage shows, children’sproductions and stand-up comedians,among others. Current shows are bookedthroughout the winter and into thespring and can be viewed atwww.theepc.org.

Meanwhile, the $800,000 fundraisinggoal for the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasonsremains ongoing, according to directorJane Oldfield. Having just reached the 50percent mark, the director believes thegoal will be achieved.

“With the year-end appeal in fullswing, we are seeing additional dona-tions every day,” Oldfield said.

Future shows include comedians BrianRegan and Ron White, country starKenny Rogers and Grammy-winningbluegrass musician Rhonda Vincent.Since the rededication of the space toCentral Illinois entertainment, moremembers of the Effingham communityand beyond are aware of the programsbeing offered.

“New audiences are added everyweek,” Oldfield said. “Either folks arejust realizing the old Rosebud hasreopened or folks are discovering us forthe first time. As always, communityinterest is synonymous with quality acts— our patrons value top-notch entertain-ment.”

Hospitals push aheadConsociate-Dansig, Decatur Memorial

Hospital and Florida-based U.S. Preven-tive Medicine joined forces in 2010 to kickoff the Prevention Plan Challenge, ayearlong competition that pitted localbusinesses against each other withemployee wellness as the goal. Decaturserved as a pilot site for the community-based program.

During the wellness-based contest,employees completed a health riskappraisal and received a physical evalua-tion to generate a wellness score theythen worked to improve by increasingtheir activity levels and endeavoring tochange their habits and improve theiroverall health.

The view from five floors up at St.Mary’s Hospital offers a view of the hos-pital’s $31-million, three-phase construc-tion project, which began its first phasein May of 2010. Phase one of the project,expected to reach completion in late 2011,will include a revamped parking areacomplete with green space, a new emer-gency department designed to handledouble the volume of the current facility,a brand new lobby, a new laboratory andsome additional space to be furtherdeveloped in the project’s subsequentphases.

A construction crew put a roof on theER’s shell at the end of October andclosed in the building to continue work-ing inside all winter.

In September, the Central Illinois Com-munity Clinical Oncology Programannounced it had received a $1.27 milliongrant from the National Cancer Instituteto help fund local cancer research. Theprogram, which houses its central officeat Decatur Memorial Hospital, plans touse the funding to support research atseven facilities in Decatur, Effingham,Springfield and Elgin.

Over the past 25 years, the program’sphysician researchers have enrolled 7,550

patients in National Cancer Institute tri-als, including 375 who participated incancer treatment and symptom manage-ment trials last year. About 4,500 patientshave been enrolled in Decatur at DMHand Cancer Care Specialists of CentralIllinois.

With the fate of the annual Susan G.Komen Decatur Race for the Cure uncer-tain in October, local organizersannounced the formation of anotherevent, Come Together — Let’s Walk, tosupport local breast, cervical, ovarianand uterine cancer programs. The event,set for June 25 in Fairview Park, alreadyhas garnered a diverse array of commu-nity supporters.

A changing lakefrontScores of people turned out for a series

of meetings to develop a design for Nel-son Park and the Decatur lakefront.

Design firm AECOM presented threepossible designs to the community inMarch, then whittled them to onethrough May and August meetings.

Elements of the plan include a water-front village with several restaurants,indoor and outdoor water parks alongU.S. 36, rock climbing venues, a pavilion,a beach and some residential areas.

For the next step in the process,AECOM will present a potential phasingplan and funding options to the DecaturCity Council and Decatur Park DistrictBoard of Commissioners in a joint meet-ing. That meeting is scheduled for 5:30p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 19, at Scovill Ban-quet Facility, 3909 W. Main St.

The Decatur City Council in the springvoted to privatize the dredging of LakeDecatur, over the objection of union offi-cials who said privatization would notsave the city money.

Dredging is necessary in the area ofthe lake known as Basin 6, city officialssaid, because sediment collects on thebottom and reduces water capacity.

The process began again this fall and

is expected to be completed by Decem-ber 2011.

Boa in Maroa corraledA 9-foot boa constrictor caused alarm

to some residents after it got loose inMaroa, but the story had a happy endingwhen the snake was found alive.

The 30-pound snake turned up missingfrom its owner’s home Aug. 30. It wasunclear whether the animal escapedfrom its aquarium-style cage or wasstolen.

Authorities alerted residents nearbyusing Code Red alert phone calls, and asearch team spent several days combingthe area.

As colder weather approached, itseemed unlikely the snake would survive.Boa constrictors are native to SouthAmerica and Central America. ScovillZoo officials said it was unlikely to with-stand temperatures lower than the 40s.

But on Sept. 21, the snake turned upafter a motorist ran over it near Maroa-Forsyth High School. It sustained someinjuries but appeared to be OK by thetime it was returned to its owner.

New Millikin leadershipMillikin University lost a president in

2010, but found someone to take the spotcome April 1.

The retirement of Doug Zemke, theuniversity’s 13th president, took effectDec. 31. Zemke announced his plans inthe fall of 2009, and a search committeewas formed to find his replacement.

The committee, formed in April, whit-tled more than 80 candidates to justthree who visited the campus. EmporiaState University President Michael Lanewithdrew his name from consideration,

leaving Cheryl Norton, for-mer president of SouthernConnecticut State University,and Harold Jeffcoat, whoretired in June as presidentof Texas Wesleyan University

The title eventually went toJeffcoat. He will take overthe position in April and saida top priority will be findingmore money for endowmentsand scholarships.

Peg Luy, the university’svice president of develop-ment, is serving as interimpresident until March 31.

In May, the universitylaunched an $85 million cam-paign, Transform MU, whichincludes plans to rebuild andrenovate several campusbuildings within the decade.

The campaign has broughtin about $33 million since it wasannounced, and Jeffcoat is expected torally more fundraising for the project.

Surprising political winsThe Decatur area served as a key bat-

tleground in 2010 elections at the stateand federal levels and helped furnishsurprising victories for candidates whowere newcomers to the political scene.

Incumbent U.S. Rep. Phil Hare, D-Rock Island, lost a protracted and expen-sive campaign in Illinois’ 17th Congres-sional District against Colona Republi-can Bobby Schilling.

Schilling, who garnered support fromtea party groups, has said he’s alreadyanticipating the 2012 campaign season,and potential Democratic opponentshave already indicated interest in run-ning against him.

Decatur City Councilman AdamBrown, who has since resigned that seat,succeeded in his challenge against stateRep. Bob Flider, D-Mount Zion, in acampaign that numbered among the 10most expensive state races in the IllinoisHouse. An overwhelming majority of thecampaign donations received by bothmen came from their respective politicalparties.

Brown’s success meant the end ofFlider’s eight years representing theDecatur area, and has also left Brown’sseat on the city council vacant and head-ing for a primary election among sixcandidates.

State races also were expensive andcontentious throughout Central Illinois.

Gov. Pat Quinn narrowly won electionagainst state Sen. Bill Brady, R-Bloom-ington. A muddled primary process sawChicago pawn broker Scott Lee Cohenwin the nomination to run for lieutenantgovernor, then step down in the face ofquestions about criminal allegations lev-eled against him. Quinn himself narrow-ly beat back a primary challenge fromIllinois Comptroller Dan Hynes.

A4 LOCAL SUNDAY, JANUARY 2, 2011 DECATUR, ILLINOIS SUNDAY, JANUARY 2, 2011 DECATUR, ILLINOIS LOCAL A5www.herald-review.com

20 1 0

NEWSMAKERSNEWSMAKERSNEWSMAKERS

Change is one of the few constants in modern American

life, and Central Illinois saw its share in 2010. Besides

new representatives in Congress and the legislature, the

transformation of downtown Decatur continued. Caterpil-

lar Inc. and Archer Daniels Midland Co. reacted to signs

of an improving economy. On these pages, we review

events of 2010 and look forward to the change that is

marching our way in 2011.

H&R file photo

Regions Bank has been the sole tenant in the Reynolds Building in the 300 block of North Water Street, but an agreement withArcher Daniels Midland Co., will see about 350 employees transferred into the building in 2011.

Adam Brown will soon be representing the 101st House District inthe Illinois General Assembly. Brown, R-Decatur, defeated stateRep. Bob Flider, D-Mount Zion, in the November election.

Argenta’s Aaric Kendall and his teammate, Benjamin Rand, won thegold medal in the ice carving competition during the cultural festi-val portion of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Kevin Breheny, Vote Yes, Citizens for Macon County Schools tri-chairman, explains the 1-cent sales tax which will benefit areaschool districts.

If the wishes of the Decatur City Council and Decatur Park Districtcome to reality, residents will see more activity than ever in NelsonPark and along the shores of Lake Decatur.

Decatur Celebration Associate Producer Lori Sturgill makes sureeverything is running smoothly at one of the stages. Sturgill tookthe reins following the retirement of producer Fred Puglia.

Steel for the main glassed-in entrance is in place as workers con-tinue to close in the additions to St. Mary's Hospital.

Work continues in upgrading the city's infrastructure.

Millikin University President Doug Zemke has made a lot of impactin his seven years in this position, including diplomatic educationalagreements overseas. Zemke retired Dec 31.