The Pantagraph from Bloomington, Illinois • Page 3

Pantagraph A-3 Bloomington-Normal, III. Aug. 27, 1976 ri 1 Drabing indicted in Lincoln deaths when the defendant appeared in court last Friday. Drabing, who listed his salary at $320 a month, said his assets totaled (126. Schneider's will was filed for probate while the grand jury was investigating his death.

The value of his estate is estimated at $530,000. with $50,000 personal property and $480,000 real estate. Annual income from real estate is listed at $45,000. The will was dated Feb. 17, 1976.

Heirs to the estate are the Schneiders' surviving daughters. Nancy, Champaign, a student at the University of Illinois, and Sheryl, who is staying with the Hen jam in Guouskis family at 321 Wyatt, Lincoln. Executor is Herbert J. Aper, Peoria. A probate hearing is scheduled for 8:30 a.m.

Monday, Sept. 13. It IV I Walker signs equal hiring bill feW. -J By Miriam Engelhorn UNCOLN-Michael Edward Drabing. a 21-year-old Lincoln house painter, was indicted Thursday on nine counts of murder in the deaths of three members of a prominent Lincoln farm family.

Drabing is charged in the Aug. 19 stabbing deaths of Lloyd C. Schneider, 44, a grain and livestock farmer; his wife, Phyllis, 45, and their daughter, Terri, 17. Three counts of murder were filed in each death. The Schneiders were killed in their farm home four miles west of Lincoln.

Minor language differences among the three murder counts for each victim cover distinctions in definitions of the offense in the criminal code, said Roger W. Thompson, state's attorney. The Logan County grand jury heard evidence for 6' 2 hours Wednesday and for nearly 5 hours Thursday before returning the indictment. Sixteen wit-' nesses were called. Chief Circuit Judge John T.

Mc-Cullough read the indictment at 5 p.m. Thursday in open court. Drabing, 519 N. Adams, will be arraigned at 9 a.m. today.

He is in Sangamon County Jail in lieu of $3 million bond. A hearing on a pretrial motion to obtain a blood sample from the defendant is also scheduled this morning. Drabing's attorney. J. H.

Weiner, Springfield, replaces Daniel W. Handlin, who was appointed public defender A Mackinaw woman and her two chil- I drtn wtro injured in a one-car accident I Uffled OVer Thursday night on U.S. 51 about three miles north of Normal. Mrs. Paula Oliver, 30, 6-year-old Edward and 10-year-old Tammy, were being treated at St.

Joseph's Hospital Medical Center early Friday. (Pantagraph photo) Woman, children hurt in accident on U.S. 51 CHICAGO iUPI) Gov. Daniel Walker Thursday signed into law bills requiring all state constitutional officers and state colleges and universities to develop plans for hiring women, handicapped persons and minorities. Walker said the new law will require state officers and agencies to make regular reports on progress and he said, "I'm behind this personally, this isn't just lip service." He said he is aware prejudices still exist around the state and has run into resistance when pushing affirmative action programs in the past, but "I'm sure this legislation is going to be carried out." Walker said Illinois is the first major industrial state to put affirmative action requirements into state statutes and may be the first in the nation.

About 115.000 persons are employed in agencies affected by the new law. Under the legislation, equal employment opportunity plans must be developed by each elected state official, each state department and agency and the governing boards of state colleges and universities. The first plans must be developed in the next 90 'days and employment reports must be prepared annually, may have been thrown from the car. Mrs. Oliver told police the car was southbound on 51 when she turned the car to avoid an object in the road.

that when he arrived at the scene the two children were near the car, crying, and the woman was still in the vehicle. Firemen later said that the children Firestone, union tentatively agree A Mackinaw woman and her two children were being treated early Friday morning for injuries received in a one-car accident on U.S. 51 north of Normal, McLean County sheriff's police said. Mrs. Paula Oliver.

30; and Edward, 6, and Tammy, 10, were injured when the car Mrs. Oliver was driving overturned on 51, three miles north of Normal, about 8:30 p.m. The three were taken to St. Joseph's Hospital Medical Center, where their condition had not been determined. A nearby resident who arrived minutes after the accident told police that he heard "the screeching of tires" and found the car laying on its roof on the shoulder of the highway.

Donald Klund, R.R. 1, Hudson, said reach tentative agreement on a new contract, which was expected to boost tire prices significantly. Some 60,000 rubber workers struck the big four makers April 21 and were joined several months later by 10,000 others as contracts with smaller companies expired. All remain on strike pending ratification votes. Mario A.

DiFederico, Firestone executive vice president, and Peter Bom-marito, URW international president, said the agreement will add $1.43.8 cents an hour irr general wages over the three years of the contract. A cost-of-living adjustment included in the contract for the first time was estimated to add another 69 cents to that CLEVELAND (AP) The United Rubber Workers union and Firestone Tire Rubber Co. reached tentative agreement on a three-year contract Thursday night that was expected to end the 128-day strike at the firm early next week, their spokesmen said. Firestone became the second of the four major tire makers this week to figure, assuming annual inflation of 6 per cent, Firestone said. Under the old contract that expired April 21, wages averaged $5.50 an hour with benefits adding an average of $3.55.

Pensions, life and health insurance, company contributions to Supplemental Unemployment Benefits and to a joint occupational health program also were improved, they said. The Firestone agreement was slightly higher than the 36 per cent improvement reached Monday with Goodyear Tire Rubber the largest of the industry giants that were The difference was in the general. wage boost, which was $1.35 an hour in the Goodyear agreement on which voting was scheduled to begin on Friday. Sides square off in hearings on freeway By Bill Wills Assistant city editor A 1A c-r i vrvr I na mat; rlraum Proponents argued that such a road field. The commission, he said, is would be inadequate in the Twin City nothing more than an appointed ad-area within 10 years if growth projec- Vvisory body to the legislature.

tions of Bloomington-Normal are met. A For an advisory body to make use of interstate-type standards, or whether the stretch from LaSalle-Peru through Bloomington-Normal to Decatur should be a four-lane divided highway similar to U.S. 66. The Illinois Department of Transportation says the 100-mile stretch should be freeway. Consultants to the study different idea that caused a lot of buzzing in the crowd and strange looks on the face of commissioners.

Robert Saunders, a retired Eureka craftsman, suggested that all possible alternatives should be explored before building freeways. One such alternative, he said, is to adapt semitrailer trucks to run on railroad tracks, a suggestion he made two years ago here. Then, he said, there would be no heed for a North-South Freeway because the trucks could use the Illinois Central Gulf Railroad tracks for north-south trips in Illinois. basis for public hearings. State Rep.

John F. Dunn, D-Decatur, became emotional in charging that it was not within the legislative province to decide where a road should go or what type it should be. Dunn said the freeway design work has met federal and state standards and it should be built. "We're sitting in the only major industrial center in Illinois not on an interstate. We're frustrated," said Dunn.

"We feel the consultant has us by the throat. We feel we're going down for the third time. We're going to fight back." The Normal hearing did produce one freeway they said, means economic gain to urban areas and safety to those who must travel. The same arguments were used in Decatur, but the political tone was just the opposite from that in Normal. Sen.

Robert W. McCarthy, D-Decatur, tore into the commission for using a private consultant's report to discredit the Illinois Department of Transportation (I DOT). The legislature, McCarthy said, appropriates money to the executive branch to hire professionals in their a report that even implies a conflict with the executive branch represents a "disservice to the historic concept of separation of powers," charged McCarthy. He said the commission should be using the report as an internal document, not to smear IDOT. "There have only been two times I know of that the legislature has gotten into the road-building business," said McCarthy.

"Both times were failures." McCarthy said the commission should be using the report to make a recommendation to the legislature, not as a commission say it should be a four-lane divided highway with some realignment, bypasses around towns and grade separations in urban areas, using existing U.S. 51 when possible. The consultant's recommendation would reduce the cost from $766.7 million for a freeway to $450.9 million for the combination they propose. State politicians pretty well established the themes Thursday in Normal and Decatur. In addition to Senator Hall, State Reps.

Gilbert Deavers, R-Normal, and Gerald Bradley, D-Bloomington, went on record opposing a freeway from LaSalle-Peru to Decatur, but endorsing a four-lane highway with at-grade "Years ago.V said Hall, "I thought the freeway from Rockford to Salem was a necessity. I no longer feel that way." Farmland If it were up to him, Hall said he would possibly "scrap, if not in total, at least a major portion of the supplemental freeway system" proposed by the Illinois Department of Transportation. Hall said the fuel shortage led to lower speed limits and smaller cars that don't necessarily, need freeways that take so much farmland out of production. He endorsed upgrading existing highways, but said the U.S. 51 corridor needs four lanes.

Hall said freeway endorsements by the Bloomington-Normal city councils and the Association of Commerce and Industry of McLean County were on an "economical, selfish basis." But Hall admitted that he couldn't condemn them for looking out for their interests. Hall was the senator who introduced a bill in April, 1973, to provide $50 million for construction of part of the North-South Expressway as a counter attack on Gov. Daniel Walker's plan to between Bloomington-Normal and Decatur in the near future. On the north will be the fighters with farming interests. the south will be industrial-urban government battlers.

That was the indication given Thursday in hearings in Normal and Decatur on whether to build all of the North-South Freeway or to build a freeway only from Rockford to LaSalle-Peru with a four-lane highway similar to U.S. 66 south from LaSalle-Peru to Decatur. Freeway objectors outnumbered proponents 3-1 in a 4'2-hour session in Normal that brought about 30 people to the speaker's table And in Decatur, the hearing lasted 34 hours with the opposite results 27 for a freeway and 9 in opposition. The freeway proposal is obviously shaping up as a battle between farming interests and industry-urban government. And the latter has been joined in Decatur by a partner labor to fight for a freeway virtually parallel to U.S.

51 from Rockford to Interstate 57 near Salem. Atmospheres The single group evenly divided may be state politicians, including State Sen. Harber H. Hall, R-Bloornington, an outspoken freeway advocate who no longer feels a freeway is necessary from LaSalle-Peru to Decatur. The arguments were basically the same in both cities, but much more forceful in Decatur than in Normal, where about 200 people quietly milled about in a room set up for about 100 people at Citizens Savings Loan.

At least there was ample standing room. But in Decatur, you couldn't get into the Decatur City Council chambers if you were on time. About 300 people packed into the chambers and another 75-100 spilled into a lobby. About half of the Decatur crowd consisted of members of that city's unions for laborers, operating engineers, truck drivers and electricians. A few even milled about with signs supporting, the North-South Freeway.

And the applause that rang when a speaker in Normal opposed the freeway was matched by cheers in Decatur for freeway proponents. The hearings were called by the Illinois Transportation Study Com in 1 -y "'Wtm 1 iimmmImmmmm Normal Thursday. Objectors to North-South Freeway outnumbered proponents 3 to 1 in Normal, but the opposite was true at a later hearing in Decatur. State Reps. Gilbert Deavers and Gerald Bradley, left to right at small table, were first to testify in Illinois Transportation Study Commission's hearing in One side of road Another proposal draws debate shelve part of the freeway project.

Hall repeatedly attacked Walker for wanting to drop the freeway project through the Twin Cities. Deavers and Bradley haven't been as outspoken on the freeway issue. Thursday, both urged the state to build an interchange at the west edge of Normal, regardless of what type road is finally built along U.S. 51 to link with the Interstate 55-74 bypass around the Twin Cities. From that point orv arguments were basically the same.

A freeway would take too much farmland out of production at a time when millions of people in the world are starving, said freeway opponents from as far north as Rochelle. The secondary concern was the cost of a freeway versus a four-lane highway as proposed by consultants. farm near Delavan. His opposition Thursday was a spokesman for Caterpillar Tractor the Peoria Association of Commerce and the Woodford County Board. All said the freeways would provide greater access to the Peoria area.

The proposed freeway from Peoria to Hennepin, they argued, would 'serve as an industrial truck route from Interstate and the Hennepin 80 steel plants into Peoria and the Caterpillar conglomerate, which John P. Edwards said is the state's largest employer with 49,000 employes, 32,000 of The North-South Freeway wasn't the only hot topic at the Illinois Transportation Study Commission's hearing in Normal Thursday. Freeways proposed earlier by the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) between Hennepin and Peoria and between Morton and Lincoln drew the ire of farm owners too. As was the case with the North-South Freeway, urban government and industrial people argued for both freeways. Opposition to the freeway parallel to Illinois 121 hasn't changed.

Objectors were led by Peoria attorney and farm owner Timothy Swain and attorney M.O. Gard, who represented Swain and 26 other objectors. None opposed a four-lane highway within existing rights-of-way, but all were against building a freeway in farmland alongside Illinois 121 and using the existing road as a frontage road. IDOT, said Gard, pushed the project to the point of construction, but the work was enjoined by the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals pending a new environmental impact statement on the project.

It was the same group which took its case to federal court. Swain, leader of the group, owns a those in the Peoria area. Edwards is community affairs manager, of Caterpillar. The urban government-industrial officials argued thai Peoria's economic development is geared toward better transportation links. Without those links, they said, there will be a decay in Peoria's industrial base.

The Delevan-Hartsburg area objectors and others who came from as far away as Sparland argued that farmland can't be taken out of production needlessly and frequently for bigger bigger highways. mission, a 16-member group of state representatives, state senators and Illinois residents picked at large to serve as, more or less, a watchdog over governmental agencies' transportation programs. The arguments The heart of the argument is whether the entire stretch of what was proposed as the North-South Freeway 20 years ago should be an expressway, built to.