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Pick up a copy of the current Normalite for Senior and Normal Township event
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For information on the Uptown Normal project, click
here
Inside:
Normal Cornbelters Baseball
Civil War at Davis Mansion
Build a Rain Barrel
Conklin's comedy back in the habit
Normal Town
Council Report
by
Steve Robinson
Bikes banned in Uptown roundabout
Normal Town Council unanimously passed an
ordinance regulating the riding of bicycles in the Uptown area, at its
regular meeting Monday at City Hall. The ordinance would prohibit anyone
from riding a bicycle on a sidewalk or within the traffic roundabout. The
need for such an ordinance came to the Council’s attention during a
walking tour of the area last month. Council members witnessed young
people riding their bikes in the internal walkways of the roundabout at an
increased rate of speed. There was also an increased number of incidents
between pedestrians and bike riders in the Uptown area.
The boundaries of the Uptown area are defined
as south of Mulberry St., east of Fell Ave., north of the Union Pacific
Railroad right-of-way, and west of Linden St. with the exception of area
near Constitution Trail.
Although violators of the new ordinance would
be subject to a $50 fine, City Manager Mark Peterson said the ordinance
“will be enforced gradually. We’re concerned with those persons who
blatantly and repeatedly violate the ordinance. It is those people who will
be fined.”
Town, Library Enter Into Intergovernmental
Agreement: Council members
unanimously approved a resolution authorizing the execution of an
Intergovernmental agreement between the Town and the Normal Public Library.
It is the first time the town and the library have had such an agreement,
Peterson told Council members.
Discussions surrounding library authorization
required to carry out banking transactions sparked discussion for the need
for the agreement. The Town will continue to provide services such as snow
removal, solid waste removal, and brush and leaves collection to the
library.
Normal Maintaining Near-Perfect Bond
Rating: Town Finance Director Ron
Hill reported to Council members that, based on fiscal year 2009-10
spending, the Town’s plan to reduce spending at the outset of the oncoming
recession almost three years ago proved a smart move. Hill’s report included
the fact the Town’s bond rating from Standard & Poor’s remains at a rating
of “AA” — one notch below a perfect Triple-A rating.
Peterson reminded council members that it was
their taking actions to curb spending in light of concerns about an oncoming
recession over three years ago that made the news they received Monday
possible.
“Maybe it was luck,” Peterson said. “Maybe it
was good financial management. But whatever it was, it put us ahead of the
game. We assumed the recession would drag on. We assumed a worst-case
scenario.”
He credited Town departments with managing to
come in under budget in their spending projections. He said he was proud of
the heads of the various Town departments for accomplishing their budget
reductions in an effort to curb spending.
Public Works Director Hall Retiring:
Monday’s Council session was the last one Mike Hall will attend as the
Town’s Director of Public Works. He is retiring after 22 years on the job.
“He’s been a tremendous asset to this
community,” Peterson said. “He was a great fit to this organization. We
could always count on Mike when he is in the mix.”
Hall began his career with the Town as its
first Town Engineer. A retirement reception will be held for Hall on July 26
at the Normal Public Works Building on Warriner St., from 1p.m.-5p.m.
Hall is the second high-profile Town employee
to retire in recent weeks. Steve Westerdahl, who doubles as both Community
Development Director and Purchasing Officer for the Town retires later this
summer, having been employed by the Town since the mid-1970s.
Liquor Commission Meets:
Normal Liquor Commission met prior to the Council session. The only business
on the Commission’s docket was to approve minutes for four previous
meetings: a regularly scheduled meeting held on March 15, and three special
meetings held April 5, May 17, and June 21.
Omnibus Agenda Items Approved:
Omnibus agenda items approved by the Council included:
Approval of minutes of the Council’s regular
meeting held July 6, 2010.
Approval of Town of Normal expenditures for
payment as of July 14, 2010.
A motion to accept bids and award the purchase
of a front-end wheel loader from Birkey’s Construction Equipment Co., Inc.
in the total amount of $84,000.
A motion to accept bids for the 2010-11
Miscelleneous Sidewalk Improvements – 50/50 Sidewalk and ADA Ramps Project
and award a contract to Hammond, Ill.-based Was Con Co. in the amount of
$92,314.80.
A resolution authorizing the release of
Executive Session minutes.
A conditional
resolution partially reapproving the Final Plat of South Cottage Village. A
resolution conditionally and partially approving a final development plan
for The Shoppes At College Hills Planned Unit Development – Panda Express
Heartland Community College announces Community Scholars
Heartland Community College has announced its
2010-11 Community Scholars. Fifteen students were selected for the Heartland
Community Scholars program, which gives students the chance to pay for
college by performing community service and building leadership skills.
Heartland students selected for the Community
Scholars Program included:
Natalie Howard, Joseph Lazaro, Madison Roberts
and Kati Stegner (all of Bloomington); Carlyn Seeman (of Chenoa); Mary Frey
(of Danvers); Courtney Funk and Derek Stoller (both of Gridley); Elizabeth
Laurence and Jessica Welch (both of Lincoln); Kaitlyn Goodwin (Normal);
Matthew Cox, Donald Tyler Griswold and Elizabeth Lindstrom (all of Pontiac);
and Ashlynd Wilson (of Waynesville).
Participants in the intensive two-year
Community Scholars program are expected to use leadership training and
experimental learning techniques to fulfill community service commitments.
As a Community Scholar, tuition and fees are waived for up to four semesters
of full-time enrollment, as well as for two summer sessions. Each student
also is assigned a program mentor and designated advisor and provided with
opportunities for on-campus leadership exercises and practical off-campus
work experiences. Students volunteer at such pre-approved, non-profit
organizations as Advocate BroMenn Medical Center, Special Opportunities
Available in Recreation (SOAR), the David Davis Mansion and the Humane
Society of Central Illinois, as well as various schools, after-school
programs and nursing homes.
The Community
Scholars program at Heartland is specifically designed for recent high
school graduates of District 540. Admission to the program is based on high
school academic performance, achievement scores, teacher recommendations and
the quality of the application. For more information about the Community
Scholars Program at Heartland, contact Pamela Sweetwood, director of Special
Programs, at (309) 268-8168 or email
pamela.sweetwood@heartland.edu. |
In The July 23 Printed Normalite:
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Bill Linneman
From Siberia to home
Helen J. Leake's Gardeners Tips
Hot weather tips
The Spectator by Jim Bennett
A
History of Sports in McLean County
Capitol Facts by Rich Miller
Women favor Quinn, seniors choose Brady
Normal Town Council Report
by
Steve Robinson
Bikes banned in Uptown roundabout
Unit 5 School Board Report
by
Steve Robinson
'Late start Wednesdays' to save $1 million
McLean County Board Report
Regular Meeting this Week
Capitol Commentary from Senator Bill Brady
Multiple topics this week
News from State Rep.
Dan Brady
Absent this week
Publisher Ed Pyne - Pyne Needles
Busy, fun weekend
Chimperscage - by Alan Look

Mystery Photo, Legal Notices, Obituaries, Service
Directory, School and Senior Information, and Classified advertisements
Pick up a copy for these stories and more.
Unit 5 School Board Report
by
Steve Robinson
'Late State Wednesdays' to save $1 Million
For 10 Wednesdays in the 2010-11 School Year,
students in Normal’s Unit 5 School District will be starting their day an
hour later than normal so that their teachers can attend professional
development sessions.
On the days teachers will be receiving the
professional development, they will be meeting for 90 minutes. District
Superintendent Gary Niehaus said starting one school day a month an hour
later than usual will save Unit 5 close to $1 million which is currently
spent on teachers when they travel to professional development sessions and
on hiring substitute teachers.
“Late Start Wednesdays” will take place on
Sept. 15 & 29; Oct. 13 & 27; Nov. 10; Jan. 12; Feb. 9; March 9; April 6; and
May 11. On those days, Unit 5’s high schools will begin their day at
8:15a.m., junior highs will begin their day at 8:45a.m.; and elementary
schools will begin their day at 9:30a.m. The schools will be dismissed at
their regular times. Buses to school will run one hour later on those
Wednesdays, and a flier concerning the late start times advises students to
be at their designated bus stop one hour later than the scheduled pickup
time on those days. The flier advises all schools will be dismissed at their
normal dismissal times on late start days.
The program was proposed to Unit 5 School
Board members in March by the principals of Unit 5’s two high schools – Dr.
Jeanette Nuckolls of Normal Community High School, and Tom Eder of Normal
Community West High School. Board members approved the program in April.
“Parents are accepting the idea that we have
to have cost reductions in place for next year,” Niehaus said. “This is one
of those reductions. We have done enough research to know that this is the
best practice. This is something that is happening in the state and across
the nation for professional learning communities.
“From a research base, we think we will do
better in the classroom,” Niehaus added. “And we’ll do better with student
achievement because we’re better prepared and organized as a faculty and
staff through these late starts.”
Dr. Gary Niehaus said doing these professional
development sessions at the schools means the district is not paying for
out-of-town travel – a cost often associated with teachers attending
professional development sessions. As another cost-saving measure, Niehaus
said Unit 5 is limiting the number of conferences that teachers and staff
are attending, as well.
When the idea was first floated, and then
discussed, Niehaus said he knew he had resistance from Unit 5 staff members
who had never done professional development in that way before, and from
those who were unsure of the idea.
“We had Board members who were questioning the
inconvenience to parents,” Niehaus said. He added that Unit Five Education
Association (UFEA), the union that represents Unit 5’s teachers, reacted
positively enough to the idea that UFEA offered the district an additional
30 minutes of flex time for those days with late starts, giving the district
90 minutes to work with. The district had originally wanted to use just 60
minutes for this program. UFEA’s gesture of the extra half-hour bumped the
time to be used to 90 minutes.
Unit 5 set up a booth at the Sugar Creek Arts
Festival and distributed fliers indicating how the program would work,
including the days the delayed starts would take place.
State Provides Late Payment:
The State of Illinois still owes Unit 5 $5 million in reimbursements for
transportation and special education, Board members learned from the
district’s new Chief Financial Officer, Erik Bush. Bush formally sat with
Board members at his first meeting since being named CFO in April.
Bush said $1.6 million of the $5 million owed
would go toward transportation costs, with $3.4 million going to reimburse
the district for special education.
Bush said the State has traditionally made
four payments to Unit 5 for reimbursement of transportation costs. Unit 5
received $800,000 from the State in January – a payment, Bush explained,
should have been in the district’s hands last September. The State’s latest
reimbursement to the district was literally very late – given to Unit 5 in
late June – totaling $600,000. That means Unit 5 still has two more payments
for school year 2009-2010 to yet arrive from Springfield. Illinois also
typically provides reimbursement for special education costs, but has yet to
send money for special ed to Unit 5, as of Wednesday’s meeting, Bush said.
Niehaus told Board members the delivery of
transportation payments by the State has been such that, in the last couple
of years, at least one of the four payment due Unit 5 has come in late.
Bush told Board members Unit 5 has managed to
reduce staff to cut costs, as well. As school year 2009-2010 began last
July, the district had 1,860 employees on the payroll. As school year
2010-2011 opens, there are 1,673 employees.
Bush told Board members the downturn in
staffing numbers “isn’t necessarily decreasing the level of services
provided by the district.”
Construction Update:
Board members were provided with an update on the construction of two
elementary schools and one junior high school to be added to the district.
Cedar Ridge Elementary School and Benjamin Elementary School will open this
coming school year. George L. Evans Junior High was slated to open this
fall, as well, but due to lengthy weather related construction delays, will
not open until the beginning of the 2011-2012 school year.
Richard Ach, senior project manager for
Chicago-based Turner Construction, reported that movers have begun loading
furniture into the second floor of Cedar Ridge Elementary, after Unit 5’s
having taken possession of the building from construction crews on July 1.
At the site of Benjamin Elementary, Ach
reported the school’s first floor classroom wing, including the commons
area, have been turned over to the district. The second floor classroom wing
is scheduled to be put in district control by July 26. Ach said lighting has
been installed in the gymnasium wing of the building.
At the site of George L. Evans Junior High,
interior and exterior metal stud framing continues in the building’s north
classroom wing, as does glazing in the school’s library, now that curtain
wall framing has been completed; window installation is underway in the
building’s south classroom wing; and face brick installation will begin on
the building outside its kitchen/cafetorium area.
Ach said crews have experienced a total of 165
delay days trying to work on this site. Of those 165, crews have been able
to make up for just 19 of them.
There will be no
second Board meeting in July. The next meeting will be Wednesday, Aug. 11.
Registration for ISU Homecoming events now open
Approximately 90 days from now, Illinois State University will celebrate
Homecoming for the 90th year.
Students, alumni, faculty, staff and community members are invited to “Roll
Out the Red” and celebrate Homecoming at Illinois State with a parade,
football, tailgating, a 5K run and a host of other events. Online
registration is already open for several events including the Town & Gown 5K
run, Roll Out the Red Gala and the Great Urban Race.
The 10th Annual Illinois State University and Town of Normal Town & Gown 5K
run is set for 7 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 16 at the corner of College and
University. Online registration is open until 4 p.m. on Oct. 13.
Participants may register at www.IllinoisStateHomecoming.com The
registration fee is $20, but increases to $25 on Oct. 13.
This year’s formal Homecoming event, the Roll Out the Red Gala, is in
celebration of Homecoming and the 40th anniversary of the College of Fine
Arts at Illinois State. It will be held on Saturday, Oct. 16 at the new
Marriott Bloomington-Normal Hotel & Conference Center. In addition to
dinner and cocktails, the gala will feature an interactive showcase of
performances by students, alumni and faculty of the College of Fine Arts.
Tickets cost $75 per person. Reservations are required by Friday, Sept. 24
and may be made at www.IllinoisStateHomecoming.com or by calling (309)
438-2586.
The Great Urban Race
returns for a second year, closing out Homecoming week activities at noon on
Sunday, Oct. 17 at Fat Jack’s in downtown Bloomington. Participants in this
event will use clues to find checkpoints, complete challenges, and navigate
the streets of downtown Bloomington, uptown Normal, and the Illinois State
campus. Illinois State has been the only college to be selected as a host
location for the Great Urban Race for the past two years. Proceeds from
each team’s registration will benefit the Alumni Association Scholarship
which provides financial assistance to outstanding students at Illinois
State. Registration is open and available at www.
IllinoisStateHomecoming.com
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Alan Look Photography - Bloomington - Normal's Best Look in Sports Action
Photography
Images from
recent games are available for viewing and purchase
Normal
Community Ironmen, Normal Community West Wildcats, Ridgeview Mustangs,
University High School Pioneers, Central Catholic Saints, Lexington
Minutemen, ElPaso Gridley Titans, Illinois State University Redbird,
Illinois Wesleyan Titan, State Farm Holiday Classic, McLean County
Tournament, HOI Conference, Heart of Illinois

Historic North Street
Dialnetwork
- Dialogue Connecting the Community.
Web Hosting and internet services.
Unit 5 Lunch Menus
School is out

coming next to the Historic
Normal
Theater
Gen.
admission $6; children & students w/ID $5. Refreshments $1.
Prize
drawing every night.
Great
cartoons before classic movies. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Hotline:
454-9722.
Tues & Wed
• July 27 & 28 • 7 pm
Picasso & Braque Go To The Movies
(2010) Director Martin Scorsese contributes to
this mesmerizing documentary on the influence of expressionist, cubist and
abstract art on early film and vice versa. NR/60 min. Presented in LCD Digital
Projection.
McLean
County Board Report
Matt Sorensen, Chairman
Recording
Secretary: Judith LaCasse
Regular Meeting
this Week
At the regular meeting of the McLean
County Board on Tuesday, July 20, 2010, the County Board approved the
appointment of Judges of Election.
The County Board approved the application to amend
the text of Chapter 36 of the McLean County Land subdivision Ordinance to add a
section regulating stream buffers.
The County Board approved an amendment to the
Lease Agreement between the Public Building Committee of McLean County, as
lessor, and the city of Bloomington and the McLean County, as lessees, and
providing for the Levy and collection of a direct annual tax sufficient to pay
the rent payable under such amendment to the Lease Agreement.
The County Board
approved an extension of the outside auditing services of McGladrey & Pullen,
LLC.
Staff Sgt. Martin Taylor returns to USA
Army Reserve Staff Sgt. Martin A. Taylor is
returning to the U.S. after a deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan in support of
Operations Iraqi Freedom or Enduring Freedom, respectively.
The soldiers return to Fort Dix, N.J. for
debriefing, evaluations and out-processing procedures before returning to their
regularly assigned Army Reserve or National Guard units.
The specialist served in support of Operation
Iraqi Freedom in the Iraq Theater of Operations. While deployed, he received the
Meritorious Service Medal, and Army Commendation Medal.
Taylor, a psychological operations specialist, is
assigned to the 346th Psychological Operations Company, Columbus, Ohio. The
staff sergeant has served in the military for nine years.
He is the son of Wally C. Taylor of Riss Drive,
Normal.
In 2001, he graduated from Normal Community High School, and received an
associate degree in 2007 from Heartland Community College, Normal.
Cole Rosenbaum enters basic training at U.S. Air Force Academy
Cole D. Rosenbaum has entered Basic Cadet Training
at the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo., in preparation to enter
the first academic year at the academy. The six-week, two-phased orientation
program must be successfully completed by the cadets prior to entering their
freshman year. The training prepares men and women to meet the rigorous mental
and physical challenges experienced by new cadets.
Phase one involves personal in-processing,
orientation, and training in the fundamentals of being a cadet. Cadet trainees
are prepared to adjust from civilian to military life and disciplines, and learn
proper wear of the uniform, saluting policies and procedures, drill and
ceremony, marching, and living quarters standards.
During phase two, cadets train outdoors living in
tents while learning to function in field conditions. Cadets apply and practice
team work, cohesion and learn to deal with physically and mentally demanding
situations. They complete the obstacle, confidence, assault, and leadership
reaction courses, and participate in a rescue mission termed Operation Warrior.
He is a 2010
graduate of the University High School and the son of Douglas and Sandra
Rosenbaum of Normal.
Lincoln’s Bloomington Festival set for July 31
The second annual Lincoln’s
Bloomington Festival held in downtown Bloomington and surrounding neighborhoods
will be held on Saturday, July 31 beginning at 10 a.m.
The festival will open with the flag raising
ceremony conducted by the 10th Volunteer Mounted Union Calvary and a welcome
from Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln (Chris Holtz and Deborah Senger) on the steps
of the McLean County Museum of History. The Museum is situated on the old
courthouse square where Lincoln visited travelling with the 8th circuit from
1847 -1857. There are many fun and enlightening activities for adults and
children planned around the square including a Lincoln scavenger hunt,
exhibitors and a talk with local historian Guy Fraker at 11:30 a.m. Take some
time to visit the market and the re-enactors and have lunch at one of downtown’s
eateries, then join the Museum’s executive director, Greg Koos for a walking
tour of Lincoln related sites around the square at 1:00 p.m.
The air will be filled with folk music selections
by the Old Men Boys and the Blue Grass folk musicians as a backdrop to the
festival and the weekly Downtown Bloomington Association’s Farmer’s Market.
Children’s crafts and carriage rides will add to the fun at this year’s event.
The Looking for Lincoln Heritage Coalition based in Springfield will also have
presenters and story tellers stationed at a number of the sites.
The David Davis Mansion will kick off their
festivities at 10:30 a.m. with “Path to the Presidency”, a humorous recollection
by the 16th President presented by the well-known Lincoln presenter George Buss
followed by an Officer’s tea vignette demonstration under a large tent on the
shady Clover Lawn and free tours. Enjoy a fashion show at 2:00 p.m. with the
ladies of the 33rd Illinois Regiment Band who will wear their period costumes.
Later the band will lead an early evening military ball with the President and
Mrs. Lincoln along with Civil War dancers.
Guests can arrive at the Ball in style with free
carriage rides from the mansion gate to the tent. There are also planned
activities for the children, Mansion tours, food vendors and period
demonstrations on the grounds of the Mansion. The David Davis Mansion State
Historic site is administered by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency.
Davis had been appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court by his grateful friend
Abraham Lincoln, and had the lavish Victorian Mansion built in 1872.
The “Oaks” will be the site for the Asahel Gridley
Encampment staged by the 10th Volunteer Mounted Union Calvary where you can get
a sense of what life in the camp during the Civil War. Demonstrations include
Aerial Telegraphy, Saber training and cooking for the Cavalry. The Lincolns will
be available throughout the day at the various Downtown and surrounding
locations. The Burr House, a Civil War Era brick home constructed in 1864,
situated near downtown Bloomington across from Franklin Park will feature tours
free tours and refreshments and re-enactors including a Union Surveyor. The
Bloomington Public Library will feature Confederate re-enactors on the lawn and
author, Betty Carlson Kay as Elizabeth Todd Edwards in the community room.
There will be craft activities for the youth, Lincoln movies playing in rotation
throughout the week of the festival in common areas of the library and a Civil
War costume contest the day of the festival.
Hal Smith, Executive Director, Looking for Lincoln Heritage
Coalition and Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area had this to
say about the upcoming festival,
“This year we are commemorating the 150th anniversaries of
Lincoln’s presidential campaign and the Civil War. “The Looking for Lincoln
Heritage Coalition is excited to see that the Lincoln Festival is once again
taking place in Bloomington-Normal this year. With the recent launch of efforts
to develop the management plan for the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area,
we enthusiastically recognize this Festival as precisely the type of community
event that highlights and celebrates the wondrous history of this community. We
sincerely hope the Lincoln Festival serves as a sustainable and vibrant event
for the community and their related groups and sites to celebrate their great
Lincoln heritage with one another, year after year.”
The festival committee is anticipating a large reception to
the second annual event so come out (in costume if you desire) enjoy all of the
events at the various locations to commemorate the 150th anniversary and
Lincoln’s connections in Bloomington, Illinois.
For more information on this event please contact the
following participating sites directly:
The Burr House: Burrhouse@hotmail.com or 1-(800-449-4182)
David Davis Mansion: davismansion@yahoo.com (Jeannie
Riordan) or (309) 828-1084
McLean County Museum of History: marketing@mchistory.org
or (309) 827-0428
Lincoln’s Bloomington Festival Committee chairperson, Barb
Adams at history.bea@gmail.com (309) 824-8862
Bloomington Public
Library: (309) 828- 6091 (Karen Moen) |