The Pantagraph from Bloomington, Illinois • Page 6

REGIONSTATENATION A6 THE PANTAGRAPH, Saturday, Feb. 5, 1994 3-1 Priest removed from parish after molestation allegation Here is the status of the cases involving nine priests and a pastor from the Belleville Roman Catholic Diocese who have been accused of sexual misconduct. None of the clergymen have been charged with any crimes. Rev. Jerome Raterman, Blessed Sacrament Church, Belleville; resigned in March, ordered permanently removed from parish in July.

Rev. Robert Vonnahmen, St. Joseph's Church, El-izabethtown; resigned in March, ordered permanently removed from parish in July. Rev. James Calhoun, St.

Boniface Roman Catholic Church, Germantown; resigned in March, ordered permanently removed from parish in July. Rev. David Crook, St. George Church, New Baden; on administrative leave since March. Rev.

Eugene Linneman, St. Patrick's Church, Ruma; on administrative leave since May. Rev. Robert Chlopecki, St. Ann Catholic Church, Nashville, resigned in April, ordered permanently removed from parish in July.

Rev. Edwin Kastner, St. Rose Catholic Church, St. Rose; on administrative leave since September. Rev.

Louis Peterson, St. Teresa's Church, Belleville; voluntarily stepped down temporarily In January 1994. Rev. Walter MacPherson, St. Martin of Tours Church, Washington Park; placed on administrative leave in February 1994.

Deacon Francis Theis, former manager of National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows gift shop, Belleville; on administrative leave since mid 1993. Another priest voluntarily stepped down last month. None of the priests have been charged with any crimes. The diocese has about 110 priests serving 128 parishes. About 124,000 Catholics are registered in the diocese, which stretches from the Mississippi River to Indiana.

David Clohessy, chairman of the St Louis chapter of Survivors Network of Those Abused By Priests, said the string of allegations against priests "has got to be very, very disconcerting for parishioners, and I really feel sorry for them." "I hope that this will help end some of the denial by people who would like to think that priests don't do these kinds of things," Clohessy said. "A year ago, there were certainly people who believed that" MacPherson will receive psychological counseling while diocesan officials continue to investigate, Margason said. The administrator said he planned to meet with St Martin parishioners Sunday to answer questions. I cident occurred or give any details. He also didn't know where MacPherson had been before coming to St Martin.

"We promise our victims confidentiality and I don't want to do anything to risk that confidentiality," he said. Margason said the allegation against MacPherson was reported to the diocese less than two weeks ago on its sexual abuse telephone hot line, set up last spring. A diocesan review board decided there was sufficient evidence to remove MacPherson but Margason insisted the priest has not been found guilty. Margason said MacPherson was "distraught" over the allegation but the administrator refused to say if the priest admitted guilt Margason said that MacPherson being removed from the parish was not an indication of guilt Since March, four priests have been ordered permanently removed from their parishes over sexual misconduct allegations. Four others and a deacon were placed on administrative leave.

Investigators seek cause of explosion STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) Gas company workers went door-to-door yesterday putting homes and businesses back on-line after a natural gas explosion and fire shut down the heart of this ski resort community. Schools and the Routt County Courthouse were closed. Busi-; nesses opened late. While Greeley Gas Co.

worked to restore gas service to more than 600 residences, investigators tried to find out what happened. The lunchtime explosion Thurs-' day tore through the Good News Building, which housed two res-' taurants and several small businesses. Six people remained hospital-, ized yesterday from injuries they suffered in the explosion or while I jumping out of windows. Twenty-, four people were hurt. David Adams, district manager for the gas company, said there apparently was a problem its distribution system.

"We have a high probability that we have found the leak," Adams said. A man whose business was destroyed by the explosion told The Associated Press that he smelled gas in the building for a year before the blast "I've been complaining to the owners of the building and to the restaurants, and they have a man that has a service contract on the building, and I told him, too," said Eugene Kite, owner of Good Time Sports. Kite, hospitalized with a broken foot, said he complained to another 1 building tenant about the gas smell just moments before the explosion. defiant pep talk to selected followers Associated Press times, and he made several questionable statements. For one, he said the Clinton administration had manipulated government statistics and estimated a higher deficit so that it could gain political support for tax increases last year.

In fact, it was the Bush administration that in its final months issued the higher deficit projection. Perot gives DALLAS (AP) Ross Perot delivered a defiant pep talk to his followers yesterday, urging them to oppose President Clinton's health care plan and work "day and night" until Congress passes an array of budget and ethics reforms. "You are now a very effective force in this country and you have created a certain level of trauma by your presence," Perot told 100 leaders of his United We Stand America organization. "Both political parties are dedicated to see you go away. We're not going to get away we're going to grow." Perot's 50-minute speech was the only open event as the United We Stand leaders huddled throughout the day to draft a 1994 legislative and election strategy and iron out organizational wrinkles like naming an audit committee to monitor its books.

Perot made only a brief mention of last year's North American Free Trade Agreement fight, a painful defeat for the Texan and the organization that sprung from his 1992 independent presidential campaign. Since failing to block NAFTA, Perot's personal political standing has tumbled, and many in politics question whether United We Stand can deliver on its promise to become the most powerful grassroots force in American politics. Many of the United We Stand leaders still were fuming over the NAFTA debate, accusing Clinton of buying votes and promising to vent their anger at incumbents who On health care, Perot had only scorn for Clinton's plan and said United We Stand members were eager to hear today from Democratic Rep. Jim Cooper of Tennessee, the author of a rival plan with growing support Perot said Clinton's approach was "one where the government basically runs health care," a prospect he said was frightening because of the government's stewardship of veterans' hospitals and the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Perot said U.S.

trade and tax policies already were driving manufacturers out of the country and predicted even more jobs would be lost if Clinton got his way and required employers to pay 80 percent of their workers' health insurance tab. Perot's speech was unfocused at "Good service, good coverage, good price- That's State Farm insurance." Maggl Pratt B14 E. Loouat 887-FARM Opart Bat. A.M.-Noon Like a good neighbor, Stale Faim is there Stale Farm Insurarce Companies Home OMices Bloomington Illinois iff pyi i .1 8 STATI FARM 1 I INSUHANCI 1 VfljJf 'firs nmw BELLEVILLE (AP) A 70-year-old priest was removed from his parish after being accused of sexually molesting a minor more than 20 years ago, the Belleville Roman Catholic Diocese announced yesterday. The Rev.

Walter MacPherson of St Martin of Tours parish in Washington Park, near East St Louis, was placed on administrative leave pending an investigation. Since March 1993, nine diocesan priests have been placed on administrative leave pending investigation or ordered permanently removed from a parish. Most of the allegations are decades old. "I want to acknowledge the difficulties we face and assure all that I believe with God's help we will not only survive this crisis but be stronger and more united as a diocesan church," the Rev. James Margason, diocesan administrator, said during a news conference.

MacPherson has been with the diocese since his ordination in 1955. He was at St Martin for about 20 years, but Margason refused to say where the alleged in- Criminal damage charge leveled The state's attorney's office yesterday filed a felony criminal damage charge against a Heyworth man accused of beating on a car with a metal pipe. Santiago Martinez, 35, also was charged with two misdemeanors battery and aggravated assault The motive in the incident was not clear from initial reports. Police said Martinez had a ver- bal exchange with 17-year-old i Caleb Lee in Heyworth Jan. 4.

Po-J lice said Martinez grabbed a metal pipe, tried to pull Lee out of the car, beat on the car and threatened to kill Lee and passengers. Martinez is to appear in court March 4. He was jailed last night on $5,000 bond. i Streator man nets jsex abuse charge OTTAWA A 34-year-old Streator man is in LaSalle County Jail on $50,000 bond, charged with aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a child younger than 13. Terrance L.

Hallam, 1404 N. Otter Creek Road, Apt 74, was arrested Wednesday by Streator police after an investigation, a spokeswoman said. Hallam allegedly had sexual contact with a boy sometime from Oct 1 to Dec. 15, the spokeswoman said. HEALTH LaLeche League "Arrival of Baby: The Family in Relation to the Breastfed Baby" will be the topic of discussion at the 7 p.m.

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1 The closed planning sessions were led by Perot's national United We Stand staff. Only the 50 state directors handpicked by Perot and 50 state chairman elected by local United We Stand leaders were allowed to attend. Other United We Stand activists who paid their own way to Dallas were allowed to watch Perot's speech but then were ushered out of the meeting room. Rattling off a list of staple issues carried over from his presidential campaign, Perot said United We Stand would lobby Congress this year to pass a balanced budget amendment, a line-item veto, lobbying and campaign finance reforms and cuts in congressional pay and perks. "The arrogance of public officials must be controlled," Perot said.

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