Herald and Review from Decatur, Illinois • Page 1

IK" Today: Cold Tonight Cold TUESDAY, JANUARY 21, 2003 DECATUR, ILLINOIS Self ponders Effingham Co. gifts CSS8 continuesA3 Young artists on LOW changesBl HIGH MB taw o3 diers, spearheaded by the Texas-based 4th Infantry Division, to the Persian Gulf region, officials said Monday. It is the largest ground force identified so far among an estimated 125,000 U.S. troops ordered to deploy by Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld since Christmas Eve.

One of the first ground units to get orders was the 3rd Infantry Division's two 4,000 from the division's 3rd Brigade at Fort Carson, received orders to deploy to the Central Command area of responsibility, which includes the Persian Gulf region. The 4th Infantry Division will be the headquarters element of a Task Force Ironhorse, which also will have more than 20,000 soldiers from 10 other TR00PSA6 Largest group of ground troops so far ordered to deploy to Persian Gulf WASHINGTON (AP) In a major new step to prepare for a possible war in Iraq, the Army is sending a specially tailored force of about 37,000 sol- Pentagon: www.defenselink.mil brigades in Georgia, which began shipping out in early January. At Fort Hood, Texas, spokesman Cecil Green said 12,500 soldiers from the 4th Infantry Division, plus nearly Compouni ay Oii meth labs Anhydrous ammonia additive renders it useless for drugs By RON INGRAM Staff Writer DECATUR A subtle new weapon is emerging in law enforcement's battle against production of methampheta-mine, an illegal, highly addictive "upper" that can have long-term, negative side effects. Researchers at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in North Laurel, have discovered an iron-based Four may be lucky number for schools One less day could equal savings for struggling districts By JAN DENNIS Associated Press Writer Three-day weekends aren't just for Martin Luther King birthday or Presidents Day at some schools around the country. Four-day school weeks are being offered year-round in a growing number of districts as school officials try to maintain educational programs despite ever-tightening budgets.

The modified school calendar has taken hold in at least seven states and could soon spread to Illinois, where eight of every 10 school districts are expected te end the year with significant budget deficits. Quincy is the first Illinois district to float the idea, which achieves most of its savings by running buses and cafeterias only four days a week instead of fiva Under the four-day plan, teachers and administrators still draw their regular salaries, and students spend the same amount of time in the classroom, adding roughly 90 minutes to their four school days in exchange for Monday or Friday off. Nationally, more than 100 schools have made the switch, shaving costs from 2 percent to more than 10 percent. For Quincy, an 8 percent savings would virtually wipe out a projected $3.6 million budget shortfall. Academic achievement also has generally improved, according to education officials who offer four-day school weeks in Arkansas, Colorado, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oregon, South Dakota and Wyoming.

Some schools use the new off day to offer special classes for accelerated students and remedial classes for students who fall behind. "We found that kids were working harder during the week so they wouldn't have to come in on Friday," said Paul Pastorek, president of Louisiana's board of elementary and secondary education. Still, most schools in the states that allow the four-day option have stayed with F0URA6 compound that can be j. 'If it works, it would be Coles County Sheriff Ron Scott mixed with anhydrous ammonia, one of the principal ingredients used by many methamphet-amine mak Herald Review photosCarlos T. Miranda Area residents walk Monday afternoon in the 17th annual Martin Luther King Jr.

Victory March to St. Patrick Catholic Church. Continuing the Cause 1 IX Area residents take to the streets to remember civil rights hero '4 i I Misty Lee, 21, was helping to supervise about 50 children from the Decatur Boys and Girls Club as she stepped off from the school at noon to participate in her first march. "It's important to let the kids know what's going on," she said. "It's also important to let Decatur know that we do care about our kids and about the future and about what Martin Luther King has done for us." Bobby and Mya McClain brought their two daughters, Maleah, 9, and Marissa, 4, in the spirit of unity.

"I want to march because Martin Luther MARCHA6 By THERESA CHURCHILL Senior Editor DECATUR Gloved hands reached down to grasp mit-tened ones Monday as marchers brought the theme of the 17th annual Martin Luther King Jr. celebration to life. The bus from the Decatur YWCA's school-age program arrived before 11 a.m. at Harris School with 30 children and a half-dozen adults ready to take part in the annual Victory March along Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.

"(King) was a man who kept trying and didn't give up," said Alex Joyner, 11, a sixth-grader at French Academy. mama irintrii ----(' John Jewitt III holds a sign while participating Monday afternoon in the Martin Luther King Jr. Victory March. ers, to render the substance useless for drug making but not for its normal use as agricultural fertilizer. The research team at Johns Hopkins is negotiating with different industry groups to determine if they are interested in the new compound, said Dave Lawrence, Ph.D., a senior professional staff member at the laboratory.

The response has been positive, he said. Lawrence said the compound was developed for the Office of National Drug Control Policy. If the compound becomes widely used, the farm chemicals industry will not lose so much anhydrous ammonia to theft, Lawrence said. The new compound will cause no environmental concerns, he said. "We don't know whether the government will mandate its (the compound's) use or make it voluntary," Lawrence said.

"If it works, it would be great," Coles County Sheriff Ron Scott said of the new compound. "But I'm certain the farmers will help pay for it" in higher fertilizer prices. Small methamphetamine labs have been found throughout Coles and other Central Illinois counties, their prevalence increasing in recent years, according to area law enforcement officials. Theft of anhydrous ammonia from farm supply companies' storage tanks or from mobile applicator tanks parked in METHA6 Martin Luther King Jr. Day observances Activist is keynote speaker at annual banquet StoryA3 Coretta Scott King takes husband's former pulpit StoryA2 Investigators, phony school take Department of Education for a ride WASHINGTON (AP) The Y'Hica Institute for the Visual Arts in London appeared to have all the credentials for certification in a student loan program administered by the U.S.

Department of Education a Web site, a school president, a consulting firm and students who needed financial help. Unknown to federal officials who certified Y'Hica, the school didn't exist. But this wasn't just another fraud on the government. This school was an undercover sting operation by con gressional investigators who wanted to learn how closely education officials monitored aid applications from foreign schools. The investigators from Congress' General Accounting Office had little trouble gaining U.S.

certification of the school and obtaining loan approvals for three students from two of three lending institutions contacted. The undercover agents even tried to leave a clue to unravel the scheme, identifying one of the "students" as The department now is conducting on-site visits of all foreign schools applying for eligibility in loan programs and also is working with the State Department to verify a school's existence. The fictitious Susan Collins and the two other "students" each were approved by two institutions for $55,000 in loans under the Federal Family Education Loan Program. The investigators had the payments stopped before any money was sent. Susan M.

Collins. Sen. Susan M. Collins, R-Maine, was the lawmaker who asked for the investigation. Terri Shaw, chief operating officer for the Education Department's Federal Student Aid Office, acknowledged that officials should have verified the school's existence.

In this case, the officials "did not completely follow every step of the procedure, which resulted in Y'Hica obtaining preliminary approval for one year." wed. thurs. fri. sat. mon.

A Time Out! Find out which Super Bowl sun. A former Decatur woman and her husband launch a home and style magazine targeted at 6 reasons to read the Herald Review This week: previews the ever- Can spring training be far away? The St Louis Cardinal Caravan visits Scientists have unlocked a rich dinosaur heritage in the Arctic. Dear Abby advises a woman about dealing with a loud-mouthed neighbor. popular Central Illinois Jazz Festival. commercials scored with our panel of experts.

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