Herald and Review from Decatur, Illinois • Page 1

HerakMRevie StnVlNb LtNIKAL fflk ILLINUI5 SINUt IB3 Thursday, September 13, 2001 Decatur, Illinois Investigators track leads potential death toll, Mayor Rudolph Giuliani was asked about a report that the city has requested 6,000 body bags from federal officials. "Yes, I believe that's correct," said the mayor. In another, 2,500 people visited a grief counseling center handling questions about missing family members Wednesday. The last few floors that remained of the trade center's south tower collapsed Wednesday afternoon in yet another cloud of thick smoke. No injuries were reported, but rescuers were evacuated from part of the area where the titans stood.

Police and fire officials said there were problems with other "mini-collapses" among some badly damaged buildings nearby, and when the towers were destroyed, the Marriott World Trade Center hotel fell with them. The search and rescue mission continued despite the problems. The devastation turned the concrete canyons of lower Manhattan into a dust-covered ruin of girders and boulders of broken concrete. A Brooks Brothers clothing store became a morgue, where workers brought any body parts they could find. The workers' grim task was interrupted by brief epiphanies of life, when a fortunate victim was pulled alive from the wreckage of the steel-and-glass buildings.

In all, five victims, three of them police officers, have been pulled from the wreckage alive. In Washington, the Bush White House, Air Force One may have been targets NEW YORK (AP) As the smoldering ashes of the World Trade Center slowly yielded unimaginable carnage, investigators fanned out across the country Wednesday to track the conspirators who orchestrated an unprecedented day of terror from the air. In one indication of the administration disclosed that the White House and Air Force One may have been among the targets of Tuesday's devastation. The investigation swept from a Boston hotel to Florida and points beyond all in an attempt to determine who was behind the attacks in which two hijacked airliners barreled into the 110-story towers, a third dove into the Pentagon and a fourth crashed in western Pennsylvania. President Bush condemned LEADSA7 Air plans for many on hold By SUSAN REIDY Staff Writer DECATUR As limited air service resumed following a 24-hour ban and the Federal Aviation Administration announced tighter TERROR'S TOLL 'A Fine Man Terrorist attack on the Pentagon strikes home in Central Illinois as a Ramsey mother mourns the Fly the flag EDITOR'S NOTE: On page C7 of today's Herald Review, we are publishing a full-page reproduction of the United States flag.

We are supplying this symbol our freedom so readers can show their respect for the victims of Tuesday's terrorist bombings and support for our country. Readers are encouraged to display the flag in a respectful manner in the windows of their homes or businesses. Gary Sawyer Editor INSIDE: How to help A quick reference for those wishing to contribute. Price gouging The state files a lawsuit against Iowa-based Casey's. A4 Boston probe Investigators begin tracing the hijackers.

A5 From the rubble Humanity emerges from the midst of tragedy. Grim task For the businesses that called the World Trade Center home, the task of accounting for thousands of workers is the next step. For some companies, it may take days, if not Dl At a glance New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani confirms that the city has ordered 6,000 body bags President Bush calls Tuesday's events "acts of war" and asks Congress to spend billions of dollars for rescue and national security needs Markets to remain closed today Early evidence links attacks to Osama bin Laden FBI identifies most of the hijackers and suspected accomplices Bush administration indefinitely postpones full restoration of air service Four stories remaining in the World Trade Center South Tower collapse Jack Punches Jr. am doing what my dad would want me to said Godwin, choking back tears. "Oh God, this is so hard." Godwin, who has five daughters, was being comforted by several of them Wednesday and receiving a steady stream of phone calls and visits.

"I can't begin to tell you how many people have come by to give me a hug or called to say they are there for me," said Godwin. loss of her son happened to me. But this you cannot imagine the agony I feel today. No one can understand this unless you have lost a child." Punches, wife Janice, daughter Jennifer, 25, and son Jeremy, 21, live in Virginia. The officer's family was said to be distraught with grief with Jeremy, a student, doing his best to comfort his mother and sister.

"He said to 'Tell grandma I love her and I am being strong for my mom and my sister and I RAMSEY Ruth Godwin woke up at 3 a.m. Wednesday morning in her Ramsey home with the feeling her son, Jack Punches was dead. By late Wednesday afternoon her worst nightmare was realized: Her grandson had called, saying search teams probing the wreckage of the Pentagon office where his father worked had given up hope of finding anyone else alive. Punches, 50, a graduate of Tower Hill High School, had grown up in Tower Hill and Pana and visited his mom often at her Ramsey home. A retired Navy captain, he had worked in military intelligence and was at his desk when terrorists crashed a hijacked jet into the building Tuesday.

All of Ramsey population 900 joined Godwin in mourning as news spread that the faraway tragedy had reached out to touch a family in America's heartland. American flags were erected along U.S. 51 in Ramsey to honor Punches and the other victims of terror. Godwin's hope for her son had begun to fade as she watched traumatic TV images of the disaster scene. The grim news that there was no more chance of finding survivors was later confirmed by a Defense Department statement Wednesday: "The area of the Pentagon where the aircraft struck and burned sustained catastrophic damage.

Anyone who might have Herald ReviewDennis Magee IMPACT HITS HOME: The Rev. Janice Devor, left, comforts Ruth Godwin of Ramsey. The family had just received word by telephone Wednesday afternoon that efforts at the Pentagon were switching from 'rescue' to Godwin's son, Jack Punches was working in the area of the Pentagon damaged by Tuesday's plane crash and is presumed dead. airport restrictions, some local company officials said they were advising employees to restrict business travel. Wednesday afternoon, the government allowed stranded travelers to fly to their original destinations, including international flights that were diverted to Canada.

Officials said they didn't know when the ban on other commercial flights will be lifted. Archer Daniels Midland Co. advised employees to restrict their travel in North America for at least the next two days, and DemirCo Industries told its employees not to travel for business reasons for the next two "Business as usual has been suspended. People aren't expecting people to get to places," said Jan Moerke, general manager of Carlson WagonlitAtlas Travel in Decatur. Grounded air service stranded Central Illinois business and leisure travelers throughout the country and is restricting the movement of packages and other mail.

As for long-term impacts, local travel agents said some people have canceled their travel plans. The agents said they don't know what will happen with airfares when service resumes. One thing is clear, once people are flying again they will be greeted with new and stricter regulations. "People can't be rushing up to the counter 15 minutes ahead of time. They're going TRAVEUA7 Herald ReviewDennis Magee survived the initial impact and collapse could not have survived the fire that followed," the statement said.

Now, 71 -year-old Godwin widowed in March must also mourn her son, the career soldier and married father of two she will always regard as "my little boy." A trim, fit woman whose eyes are constantly filled with tears, she added: "When I lost my husband Leon, I thought that was the worst thing that had ever S0NA7 Tragedy mobilizes spirit of helping Ik raising events. The desire to help can be overwhelming, said Phillip Finn, emergency services director for the local Red Cross, which services Macon, DeWitt, Moultrie and Shelby counties. In fact, more than 1.4 million people called Red Cross offices within 10 hours of the disasters to make appointments for donating blood. "They want to do something, and we're trying to find something for them to do," Finn said. "It's a genuine human need.

It's common, and it's everyday, and HELPINGA7 granted." That's why today he's joining thousands of other Central Illi-noisans who are taking action to do what they can to aid the growing list of victims. Students at St. Teresa are trading their uniforms today to dress in red, white and blue at a cost of $2 each, the sum to be donated to the American Red Cross. The Macon County chapter of the American Red Cross collected more than $200,000 Wednesday largely due to a radio campaign promoted all day on local radio stations as other organizations throughout the region planned individual fund- By AMY BURCH Staff Writer DECATUR Shock, fear and anger weren't the only emotions Tom Noonan felt when he watched Tuesday's terrorist attacks on television. Like millions of Americans, the 17-year-old St.

Teresa High School senior experienced helplessness as the images of death and destruction mentally transported him to the scene. "My first instinct was, how can I help?" Noonan said. "I saw all these people that were running for their lives, and they seemed so helpless. You feel like you've taken everything for II "02138 "00001 421 -6990 50 Our Four RAW EMOTIONS: Phyllis Atwood of Argenta cries as she comforts her 19-year-old daughter Betti on Wednesday near the WSOY radio station. The women were part of the crowd gathered at the station near the end of the day-long fund-raising effort.

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