Herald and Review from Decatur, Illinois • Page 3

Remembering the Korean WarFriday i 1 1 i 0 0 OpinionA4 Questions or comments regarding this section? Contact Night Editor John Reidy at 421-6973 Macon Board vote on tateti County safety tax money for other offices won't be an option next year, he will approve the budget in large part because of its projected $120,000 surplus that could be used to pay off some of the county's $2.6 million in internal debt. He also noted a "bright spot" to the budget is the state's attorney's civil division, which he thinks will increase revenue through stricter enforcement of animal control and solid waste regulations. The civil division would be funded mostly through the $80,000 in public safety tax money the state's attorney is slated to receive this year, which may not be awarded by the county board next year. Mary Tallon can be reached at or 421.7984 fails to approve the budget before the new fiscal year begins Dec. 1.

The tax was approved by voters in April 2003 in large part through lobbying by the sheriff's department, which said it would use the money to hire more deputies. Sheriff Jerry Dawson has warned that his office would need all of the public safety money in next year's budget when a jail expansion is complete. "I have tried to help the county with its financial problems Now, however, there is little extra, and these funds should go where the voters intended them to go the Macon County Sheriff's Office," Dawson wrote in a Herald Review guest column this week. Board member Dave Drobisch, R-Decatur, said even though the going to be able to support it." Snyder said he thinks the budget is unfair in how it allocates money for the wages of county employees working for different county officials. On the other hand, finance committee chairman Bob Sampson, D-Decatur, said he plans to vote for the budget tonight despite voting against it when it came before his committee.

"You have to be realistic," Sampson said. He said he still has concerns about using public safety tax money to supplement general spending for the state's attorney and public defender, but his concerns about the safety tax are not great enough for him to force a county government shutdown, which could happen if the board Members disagree over where funds should be allocated By MARY TALLON Staff Writer DECATUR The Macon County Board is set to vote on a 2006 budget tonight, but the cost-cutting and fund-shifting used to craft the spending plan has some members saying they'll oppose it and others offering only minor enthusiasm. As a finance committee member, John Snyder, D-Decatur, voted to approve the budget in committee so it could be considered by the full board. Snyder said Tuesday he's "probably not VETERANS DAY Decatur TTtv i I JL nBute LL MM ALALSLL man gets 22 years yw'myym mmismmmmimmmf lit 1 1 1 m9WS: News from Central Illinois BECATim Man takes purse, pizza A man armed with a silver-colored handgun confronted'a 41-year-old woman about 6:35 p.m. Tuesday and demanded money as she emerged from her garage in the 300 block of South Stone Street.

The woman gave up her purse and a pizza she was carrying, said Decatur police Sgt. Steve Chabak. Officers called to the scene began canvassing the area and were flagged down by a man the 13C0 block of East Clay Street who directed them to a purse he had found nearby, Chabak said. The purse belonged to the robbery victim but the money and a cellular phone were missing, Chabak said. The robber was described as a black male in his late teens, about 6 feet 2 inches tall, weighing about 180 pounds and wearing a dark colored jack and a white scull cap.

Anyone with information about the robbery is asked to call police at 424-2711 or CrimeStop-pers at 423-TIPS. ARC0LA Areola death investigated The Oct. 9 death of an Areola woman is still being investigated, according to the Douglas County state's attorney. Maria Salazar, 44, was found dead at about 9:45 p.m. Oct.

9 at her home at 447 E. Main St. The Douglas County State's Attorney's office said Wednesday Salazar's death was still being investigated and that no one has been taken into custody. Early autopsy findings performed at Springfield Memorial Hospital indicated the preliminary cause of death as ligature strangulation. DECATUR Oreana teenager robbed A 1 6-year-old Oreana teenager was robbed of an undetermined amount of cash about 7:15 p.m.

Tuesday in a parking lot in the 2900 block of North Water Street. The teenager had just emerged from a nearby restaurant when he was stopped by a polite man who asked if he could provide change for a $10 bill, said Decatur police Sgt. Steve Chabak. When the teen pulled money out of his wallet in an effort to help the stranger, the robber grabbed the cash and ran, he said. DECATUR 2 burglaries investigated Decatur police are investigating two apparently unrelated north side burglaries that were reported on Tuesday.

A 27-year-old woman said burglars broke into her garage in the 2100 block of North Water Street between 7 p.m. Monday and noon Tuesday. Missing were a Roberts power carpet stretcher; Coleman Powermate air compressor; Stanley silver-colored plastic tool box with various hand tools; pneumatic stapler; and a blue electric scooter. The items were valued at nearly $1,700. A 30-year-old woman said burglars forced a door to her resi- dence on Northland Drive between 7:15 and 11:45 a.m.

Tuesday and took a Compaq laptop computer, a Sony Playstation and two controllers. The items were valued at more than $1,500. Attention all bridesmaids Are you a bridesmaid who has done something with your dress other than let it hang in your closet? We'd like to hear about it for possible use in a feature story. Please e-mail staff writer Alicia Spates at or call her at 421-6986 to provide some details andor contact information. 1 Herald ReviewKevin Kilhoffer Todd Rauch, 22, an Army veteran who served in Iraq until he was seriously wounded, speaks about his experiences Wednesday at Lake Land College in Mattoon.

The Mattoon native is a student at the college. Soldier speaks about coping after serving in Iraq ing his mission. "I felt like I let my country down," said Rauch. But Rauch, who Rauch 18-year-old pleads guilty to cltarges By RON INGRAM Staff Writer DECATUR Jonas D. Bond, 18, wept Wednesday afternoon as Circuit Judge Ted Paine sentenced him to 22 years in prison for his guilty pleas to the Class felonies of aggravated kidnapping, armed robbery and aggravated vehicular hijacking.

The sentences were for the March 14 assault on Damon Lee, 62. Lee was sitting in his car in the driveway of his east-side home when Bond and Cordell Cooper, then both 17, approached, asked for the time and then hit Lee. The pair dragged their victim out of his car, beat and kicked him, robbed him and forced him into the car trunk before driving around the city in Lee's car. Lee was told to be quiet or he would be killed. Lee used his cell phone to call police, who used the telephone signal and a global positioning system to locate the car.

Both assailants were apprehended after a chase and Lee was freed from the car trunk. Bond received a 22-year prison term for each of the Class crimes and two 10-year terms for guilty pleas to vehicular invasion and aggravated possession of a converted (stolen) vehicle. All five sentences will run concurrently. However, because on March 14 he was on bond and awaiting sentencing for a February conviction for unlawful possession of cocaine with intent to deliver and possession of a controlled substance, Bond will have to serve his new sentences after a 10-year prison term on the drug charges is completed. He must serve 85 percent of the sentences for the Class crimes, meaning he will be jailed for at least 23 years and seven months.

Moments after Paine pronounced sentence, Bond told the judge he intended to appeal the sentences. He raised his arm to members of his family seated in court and shouted, "I'll be home!" Assistant State's Attorney Richard Current asked Paine to sentence Bond to 30-year terms for the most serious of his crimes. He said Bond was adjudicated as a juvenile for robbery, possession of a firearm and retail theft before being charged with the drug offenses as an adult. But defense attorney Joseph Vigneri argued Bond was not the main culprit in the attack on Lee, which was initiated by Cooper, and should not face a penalty greater than the 22-year sentences Cooper received on the same charges following his conviction by a jury. Paine said Bond's apologies in court on Wednesday to Lee, himself and Bond's family for his conduct weighed in his favor.

Ron Ingram can be reached at or 3 Decatur events honor war veterans Staff Report VAll DECATUR Three free events in recognition of Veterans Day will be held in Decatur this year, the first one at 11:30 a.m. today in Richland Community College's Mueller Student Center. Community members are invited to join Richland students, faculty and staff members for a ceremony where all branches of the U.S. military will be recognized. A scroll will be displayed for veterans to sign.

The seventh annual downtown Decatur Veterans Day ceremony will be Friday at 10:30 a.m. in front of the Barnes Citizens Building in the 200 block of North Water Street. Owner Charles Barnes will host the event along with the Macon County Veterans Assistance Commission. Veterans will be honored with messages from local political leaders, a 21-gun salute by the Macon County Honor Guard and the firing of a cannon. Melinda Rueter will sing the National Anthem and Taps will be played.

The veterans commission also is sponsoring a Veterans Day program open to the public at 7 p.m. Friday at the Masonic Temple, 224 W. William St. Gordon Brenner, state commander of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, will serve as emcee. William Williams, a retired Millikin University professor and U.S.

Army veteran of the Korean War, will be the guest speaker. Remarks also will be made by state Rep. Bob Flider, D-Mount Zion; a poem read by retired Air Force Ma j. Robert Garrett; thoughts on Veterans Day given by Webelos Scouts from Cub Scout Pack 104 chartered to Trinity Lutheran Church and the Lutheran School Association; and patriotic songs sung by an ensemble from the Greater Decatur Chorale. tance with medical care Rauch said he had been there before and understood their feelings.

"I wanted every soldier to go through the acceptance and appreciation stage, but not the disappointment phase," Rauch said. Rauch also discussed the importance of his second favorite holiday, which is Veterans Day. His first pick is the Fourth of July. Before becoming a veteran, Rauch admits his idea of veterans was probably similar to a lot of young people's. Veterans were the older guys, who wore pointed hats, stood at the side of a parade route and waved flags, he said.

Rauch, 22, challenged his generation to come together and help veterans tell their stories and support veterans and soldiers. There are a lot of differing opinions in this country and that is what makes America great, Rauch said. But, please, continue to support America and the troops, he said. "That's important," Rauch said. Krista Lewin can be reached at or 238-6858.

By KRISTA LEWIN Staff Writer MATTOON After being injured in Iraq, army soldier Todd Rauch spent a year recovering and battling feelings that he had let his country down. Rauch, a Lake Land College freshman who plans to transfer to the University of Notre Dame-South Bend to study psychology, spoke at his hometown college Wednesday about his experiences in combat and the challenges of transitioning into civilian life. Rauch received life-threatening injuries August 2003 when he was hit by a mortar. Doctors had to re-attach his right hand. "Aug.

21, 2003, was a day that changed my life," Rauch told the audience. Rauch, who loved being a soldier, was told after the surgeries he was going home. He was surprised because he didn't think his injuries were that serious. "I thought 'What was going on. Why is this happening to I didn't want to leave my fellow soldiers behind," he said.

The transition from combat soldier to civilian haunted Rauch as he struggled with feelings of not being accepted into society and not complet- describes himself as having a can-do, never-quit attitude, found comfort in talking with and making friends with other soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. And visits from President George Bush and First Lady Laura Bush, along with actors Gary Sinise and Adam Sandler, also helped brighten Rauch's dim outlook. He also credited the support of his family during his recovery and said they have always been there for him. Rauch recovered and was stationed in Germany. In 2004, he was awarded a Purple Heart.

He longed to return to combat, but believes firmly in the theory that everything happens for a reason. Undaunted, Rauch knew his new mission was to assist other soldiers, who were injured and returned home, challenged by the transition to civilian life. He worked as an advocate for wounded soldiers and would assist them if they needed someone to talk to, or if they needed assis VETERANS DAY OBSERVANCES CORRECTION TOWER HILL In Tower Hill, a memorial to honor area veterans of the Tower Hill area will be dedicated at 11 a.m. at Tower Hill Park, on the south side of the town. TUSCOLA In Tuscola, a dedication ceremony will take place at 2 p.m.

at Douglas County Courthouse. Priority seating will go to World War II and Korean War veterans and families and anyone with disabilities. The courthouse will be open at 12:30 p.m. for tours and the 144th Army Band will play a concert starting at 1:30 pm. In an announcement of birthdays in Wednesday's Herald Review, it was incorrectly reported that Louise Moreau Barbee of Decatur, wife of Cecil Barbee, was deceased.

The newspaper erred. i.