Herald and Review from Decatur, Illinois • Page 3

5iEiaSEBrCE KIEFS 0 Service to others Many area social agencies offer Thanksgiving meals to people in needFriday Local OpinionA4 Questions or comments regarding this section? Contact Night Editor John Reidy at 421-6973 oath as st Eager Aho at attorney a mm interviewing new attorneys." Ahola introduced Richard Current as the new first assistant in his office and Michael Beck as 1U.M.WJJJJJJL' IWMUIIUW-JWW his chief investigator. Current, who has spent 25 years in the office, was an assistant under outgoing State's Attorney Scott Rueter until he resigned Oct. 4. At that time, he said the office had fallen into disarray and "dismissed cases and unwarranted plea bargains are the norm instead of the rare exception." By RON INGRAM Staff Writer DECATUR Macon County State's Attorney-elect Jack Ahola took his oath of office on Wednesday with his hand on the Bible his parents gave him for his confirmation June 2, 1968, at Pilgrim Lutheran Church. County Clerk Steve Bean administered the oath in the county board room as Ahola swore to uphold the U.S.

and Illinois constitutions. Looking on as Ahola took the oath were his wife, Carole; his mother, Joyce; Sheriff Jerry Dawson; and a few close supporters. "I'll officially take over at midnight on Dec. 1, but I'm already working on some murder cases that will take place about a week after we start," Ahola said. "My thanks to Jerry (Dawson) and the folks at the sheriff's office for giving me space to work the last few weeks.

We've been announced he would challenge his boss. Rueter fired him. "He was always prepared in court, and he cared about the victims," Beck said. Ahola plans for current first assistant Jay Scott to take over his previous post as the head of drug prosecution. "I've always worked closely with him," Ahola said.

"He's a good prosecutor." Ahola said there will be some reshuffling of existing personnel in the state's attorney's office upon his arrival but the reorganization will take a little time. He said there is a need to raise morale within the office. "It's the most important office in the county," Ahola said. "We need to be proud to work there." Ron Ingram can be reached at or 421-7973. Staff Writer Stephanie Potter contributed to this story.

Ahola A former Decatur police officer, Beck was an early supporter of Ahola's election bid. "I've worked with him on so many cases in the past, and he was so effective," Beck said of his support for Ahola, who was the first assistant state's attorney until a year ago when he STEPPING UP U.S. 51 project gets boost from Congress v- I Vf Ti I i y. I A vv "I- I '6 News from Central Illinois DECATUR Stolen property recovered Two Decatur brothers, ages 17 and 18, are being held in Macon County Jail in connection with two alleged residential burglaries and three alleged business burglaries in the Macon area and theft of property worth less than $300 from an individual in Blue Mound. The brothers have not been formally charged, said Macon County sheriff's Capt.

Steve Jones. The alleged burglaries to Supermarket, Macon Carwash and Wempen Lumber are believed to have occurred Tuesday evening, Jones said. The residential burglaries and theft are believed to have taken place since last Saturday, he said. Numerous items were recovered, Jones said. decaiur Symphony of Trees Visitors to the Symphony of Trees at the Decatur Civic Center selected winners in several categories open to public voting.

The event is the major fund-raiser organized by the Symphony Orchestra Guild of Decatur. The winner in the most original category was "Holiday Hattitude," entered by the Red Hat Society and decorated by Thelma Raupp, Jo Caulkins, Zips Flowers, Wyonna Price, Brenda Gadberry, Sally Shields and Joyce Shields. DECATUR Humane Society pet toys The Decatur and Macon County Humane Society will give a pet Christmas toy with each adoption from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov.

27, at 2890 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in the Northgate Pet complex. BETHANY Lighting contest The village is having a lighting contest for residents. First place is $100, second and third places are $50 and there will be eight $25 winners.

Residents should contact the village hall at 665-3351 before Monday, Dec. 13, to register for the contest. ARTHUR Load Emit for bridge A posted legal load only restriction of nine tons per axle and 37 tons gross weight will go into effect Dec. 1 for the bridge carrying County Highway 12, the Arthur-Atwood Road, over the Kaskaskia River's west fork about one mile north of Arthur. The load limit will remain in effect until further notice, said Joseph E.

Crowe, Illinois Division of Highways Region Three engineer. DECATUR CASA fund-raiser Macon County Court Appointed Special Advocates will present Light Up the Night fund-raiser by selling luminaries at $10 each to represent the more than 1 ,000 children in the Macon County juvenile welfare system; the event starts at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 9, at Central Park's band shell. Millikin University's Tudor Singers will perform.

To purchase a luminary, write your name, address, telephone number, e-mail address and how many luminaries you'd like to buy and mail to Macon County CASA, 1960 E. Cantrell Decatur, IL 62521. For more information, call 428-8424. COWDEH Woman dies in deer-car wreck A 42-year-old Cowden woman died Tuesday evening when she was thrown from a vehicle that was swerving to avoid a deer on Illinois 128. Sheri Sutton was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected from a vehicle driven by Tina M.

Hooper, 43, of Cowden, according to Illinois State Police reports. Hooper was wearing a seat belt and was treated and released at Shelby Memorial Hospital. Hooper was driving north on Illinois 128 when she swerved to avoid a deer. The vehicle left the roadway, struck a ditch, flipped and ended on its top. State Police are continuing their investigation.

Herald ReviewKate Dougherty Jessica Gravatt and fellow dancers from Pana High School will be dancing in the Thanksgiving parade in Chicago. Santa gets his groove Pana High School dance squad leads St Nick in Chicago parade Cassy. "That's how we get all of our cheers, and it works out pretty well." The dance squad was formed by the high school art director, Kathy Hanners, who believes class art should involve much more than painting and drawing. She had contacted the saw all the little kids' faces, that all changed," Cassie said. "We even had kids trying to dance with us, it was so great." To show how feisty and confident they're feeling, the dance squad assembled in the school library for this interview ear By RON INGRAM Staff Writer DECATUR The omnibus appropriations bill passed by Congress over the weekend contained $500,000 to continue the upgrading of U.S.

51 to four lanes south of Decatur, a lesser amount for this year than project backers had anticipated. The money was put into the appropriations bill by U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-I1L, to cover preliminary engineering costs and keeps the project moving forward, said Joe Shoemaker, Durbin's press aide. "There was supposed to be money for U.S.

51 in the new transportation bill, but that bill was all bollixed up and died. It never was acted on by Congress," Shoemaker said Wednesday. Durbin will continue working with members of the Illinois congressional delegation to obtain funding for the U.S. 51 expansion project in the new transportation bill expected next year, Shoemaker said. Contacted about the stop gap funding, Jim Schwarz, secretary-treasurer of the Route 51 Coalition and vice president of marketing for Dunn a Decatur paving contractor, said he had not heard what amount had been included in the new appropriations bill.

Congress previously set aside $35.5 billion for highways, $19 billion more than the Bush administration had sought, Schwarz said. But he believes that money was included as the fiscal 2005 highway appropriation within the transportation bill that failed to win approval. "I've heard the new Congress will approve the transportation bill after it comes into office in January," Schwarz said. "I believe it must do that by April 30 for fiscal 2005." Funding for highway projects should be better than previously anticipated because of ethanol tax provisions that Congress included in the American Jobs Creation Act passed and signed into law by President Bush in October, Schwarz said. Under that act, the full amount of user excise taxes levied will be remitted to the federal Highway Trust Fund.

That is expected to generate about $3 billion more each year to help improve the nation's infrastructure. "Hopefully, some of that additional money will go to U.S. 51," Schwarz said. Ron Ingram can be reached at or 421-7973. Chicago parade organizers back in March to see if they would be interested in some live Santa escorts and got the OK in September.

"I think, for the students, it's a chance to enjoy the ability to go ner in the week quickly formed themselves in a chorus line and launched into one of their five festive cheers: "Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way, Here comes Santa Claus riding Missed the Pana High School Art Club Dance Squad in Chicago on Thanksgiving? Won can catch them in action at 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 27, when they perform in the Pana Christmas Parade. For parade information, call 562-4240. By TONY REID Staff Writer CHICAGO Run, run Rudolph and get out of the way Santa's got a whole new escort for his sleigh.

Those sprightly red and white costumed elves dancing and cheering in front of Old St. Nick in the 71st annual State Street Thanksgiving Parade in Chicago today are members of the Art Club Dance Squad from Pana High School. Twelve girls age 15 to 18 plus an alternate and a student to do video and another to shoot pictures will march in the parade from 8:30 until 11 a.m. The event features more than 100 floats and participants, ranging from 24 marching bands to giant helium balloons to horse riders to circus animals including elephants. The whole thing will be watched by an estimated 350,000 people lining the parade route through downtown and broadcast on TV to an audience numbering more than 1.5 million.

So, are the Pana girls feeling at all nervous? Cassie West, 15, said the newly formed dance club got rid of their nerves performing on Saturday in front of Mr. and Mrs. Claus in Decatur's downtown Christmas Parade, a kind of dress rehearsal for today. "We were like really concerned and worried in the beginning but then, when we got out there and out and be in front of people and be somebody else for a while, to use their imaginations and express themselves," said Hanners. "It's a chance to be an elf, have some fun." The girls, whose parade day started at 4:30 a.m.

after staying overnight in the Windy City, were praying it wouldn't rain and the parade animals especially the elephants wouldn't suffer incontinence. "But we would like some snow," said Sarah Cushing, 16. "Snow would be nice." Tony Reid can be reached at treid or 421-7977. his sleigh. You go boy, you go boy, you go boy, you You ride that funky sleigh at midnight in the snow." Dancing as they sing, they finish with a voluminous flourish that has the textbooks trembling on their shelves.

Cassy Burrus, 18, said the girls form a workers collective to make up their cheers, each chipping in a phrase or two and then everyone pitching-in to hammer out the finished version with choreography. "Somebody comes up with one thing, and we're like 'Hey, that's and then another person will say 'Why don't we add said Edwards pledges continued accountability in second run for city council "There are several people who are not interested in being questioned. But when you work for the public body and you operate a pub lic meeting, you need to be prepared to answer the public's questions." Edwards, an Illinois State Police offi- whatever he can do for Decatur," Stewart said of Edwards. "He has an unbelievable work ethic. If you call him and you've got a problem, he will react immediately and stay with it." Edwards also has been a strong supporter of neighborhood groups, said Francie Johnson, a Fans Field neighborhood resident.

Edwards supports National Night Out, an observance dedicated to crime prevention and awareness, she said. "He has been very active in the neighborhoods," Johnson said. "His main concern is all the neighborhoods, especially the inner-city neighborhoods." Mike Frazier can be reached at or 42 1-7985 efforts to spur economic development, build new housing in the city's urban core and improve infrastructure. He pledged to be a "voice of reason" for working famines and businesses and to support police, fire and municipal service workers. "I will continue to be an outspoken advocate for local businesses, always trying to ensure that qualified local companies receive first opportunities at city contracts," Edwards said.

Chuck Stewart, CEO of Parke Warehouses, praised Edwards' support of expanding an enterprise zone, which allowed the business to grow. "He's young and enthusiastic for Councilman 's supporters note enterprise zone, neighborhood work By M'XE FRAZ2ER Staff Writer DECATUR Shad Edwards announced Wednesday he's running for a second term on the Decatur City Council, pledging to champion fiscal responsibility, economic development and to improve communication and accountability from the city. "Really, I continue to be the person who asks the most questions at a council meeting," Edwards said. "And I'm not going to change that. munity problems Edwards stem from communication problems.

He intends to keep lines of communication open with citizens and neighborhood groups and to work with other government bodies. Edwards touted the council's.