The Pantagraph from Bloomington, Illinois • Page 1

Hockey coach readies for opening ot training camp sports -rfesi TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 19, 2006 teas www.pantagraph.com 2006 marks 100th anniversary for Snyder Corp. Money fsttgy nside PREPARING FOR LinCOlfl "Lincoln loved McLean County. It ivas very important to his career. Bob Lenz, chairman of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission of McLean County ELECTION 2006 Electric rate hike hot topic in election By Kurt Erlckson kurt.erlcksonlee.net SPRINGFIELD The prospect of skyrocketing utility rates is adding some spark to the November election. With less than two months before voters head to the polls, candidates are busy defending their positions on a plan by ComEd and Ameren to Fx- By Mary Ann Ford mfordpantagraph.com BLOOMINGTON When Abraham Lincoln was an attorney in the Eighth Judicial Circuit of Illinois, he collected his largest fee $5,000 from a McLean County lawsuit.

When he ran for a seat in Congress, Lincoln lost in his home base of Sangamon County but carried McLean County with about two-thirds of the vote. When he set his eyes on the presidency, Lincoln depended on help from many Bloomington friends, including Judge David Davis, for the nomination. "No county, except Sangamon, was more important to Lincoln's career than McLean County," said Bloomington attorney Bob Lenz. "Lincoln loved McLean County. It was very important to his career." As the nation prepares to recognize the 200th anniversary of Lincoln's birth in 2009, Lenz and other community leaders want to promote those and other little-known facts about Lincoln in McLean County.

They recently formed the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission of McLean County to coordinate a variety of events and exhibits. "Ultimately we want to come up in the next three years with local historical celebrations that recognize the importance of Lincoln to McLean County," said Lenz, chairman of the bicentennial committee. The first will be a modern-day news conference on Wednesday with Lincoln, portrayed by renowned Lincoln impersonator George Buss. Buss has done nearly 400 performances as Lincoln, including numerous appearances on stage at Ford's Theater in Washington, D.C. He also was a guest of Laura and President Bush at a special presentation of Harold Holzer's "Lincoln 'Seen and Heard," a tribute to Lincoln in the East Room of the White House in 2005.

SEE LINCOLN BACK PAGE 'ft IJ( 1 "-w 1 -I llM" gut -if. I rv. -r. -v. vf boost residential electric rates by more than 50 percent in some parts of the state.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich is against the rate increase, which was unveiled Friday by the power companies. His Republican opponent, Judy Baar Topinka, says Blagojevich could have acted sooner to avert the looming increases. But even Topinka agrees rid-4m i Rod Blagojevich Judy Baar Topinka with her foe that the rate increase should be blocked. "These rates need to be frozen again until a process that's fair to consumers can be worked out," she said in a statement issued Monday The increases will go into effect Jan.

1 unless lawmakers extend the current rate freeze or allow the utilities to phase in the increases over a period of years. SEE ELECTRIC BACK PAGE YOUR HEALTH Study: More ADHD cases linked to lead, tobacco use By Llndsey Tanner ASSOCIATED PRESS CHICAGO About one-third of attention deficit cases among U.S. children may be linked with tobacco smoke before birth or to lead exposure afterward, according to provocative new research. Even levels of lead the government considers acceptable appeared to increase a child's risk of having attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, the study found. It builds on previous research linking attention problems, including ADHD, with childhood lead exposure and smoking during pregnancy, and offers one of the first estimates for how much those environmental factors might contribute.

SEE STUDY BACK PAGE Constitution Day Flanagan High School hosts its annual Constitution Day assembly. Local, A3 ill Papal warning Al-Qaida in Iraq warned Pope Benedict XVI on Monday that its war against Christianity and the West will go on until Islam takes over the world. NationWorld, A7 NFL action Pittsburgh and Jacksonville matched 1-0 records in their Monday night football game. Sports, B3 Record trade deficit The U.S. trade deficit increased in the spring to the second highest level ever, the Commerce Department reports.

Money, C1 Bad preschoolers A national study shows preschoolers are expelled at more than three times the rate of older children, but an Illinois program is changing that. Life, D1 Weather 9 1 i A- Today's weather symbol was drawn by Marie Lintzenich, Stevenson Elementary School, Bloomington. HILOW 5839 For complete weather information, see Today's Weather on the back page; and for continuous updates, see pantagraph.com Online Can't get enough of Bill Flick in your daily newspaper? Go to www.pantagraph.comblogs to read Flick exclusive online musings and to check out the Web logs of Pantagraph.com editor Michael Freimann and online sports editor Joel Fellers, as well as past columns from Flick and other Pantagraph columnists. Find Abby D3 Classified C4 Comics B6 Crossword C6 Horoscope D3 Movies D5 Obituaries D4 Opinion A6 Scoreboard B4 Stocks C2 Sudoku C6 Wednesday Thyme traveling Saving and drying the herbs from your garden is a good way to savor them throughout the winter. In Life.

LEE ENTERPRISES 50 Cents Copyright 2006 Pantagraph 4 sections, 32 pages V- Lincoln events GO News conference What: Modern-day news conference with President Abraham Lincoln, sponsored by the David Davis Mansion Foundation and the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission of McLean County When: 7 p.m. Wednesday Where: Normal Theater, 209 W. North Normal Cost: Free Reception What: Reception honoring President Lincoln and impersonator George Buss When: 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday Where: David Davis Mansion, 1000 E. Monroe Bloomington Cost: $25 per person; proceeds used to fund educational events for the community McLean and Jefferson streets.

The text for the compact disc was written and performed by Lincoln impersonator and Bloomington resident James Keeran with the assistance of Lincoln scholars Dr. Roger Bridges and Guy Fraker and Museum of History library staff, said Greg Koos, executive director of the museum. SEE TOURS BACK PAGE PantagraphSTEVE SMEDLEY Bob Lenz stands with an Abraham Lincoln marker outside the McLean County Museum of History. Lenz is the chairman of the Lincoln bicentennial commission. Museum to introduce Lincoln audio tour will be equipped in coming years with interactive exhibit panels.

The sites include: Phoenix Hall, where Lincoln delivered his last lengthy speech before accepting the Republican Party's nomination for president; Major's hall, where Lincoln delivered his so-called "Lost and the property once owned by Lincoln at the northwest corner of HEROES prepares for Iraq 1 By Mary Ann Ford mfordpantagraph.com BLOOMINGTON The McLean County Museum of History is going to make it easy for visitors and residents to learn about the connection between McLean County and Abraham Lincoln. This fall the museum will introduce a self-guided audio tour of 17 Lincoln-related Twin City sites, which also OUR Streator Guard By Greg Stanmar gregstanmarinsightbb.com STREATOR The 170 men and women of the Streator-based 1744th National Guard Transportation Company have flown to Kuwait to begin their last phase of training before going into neighboring Iraq. "They (the unit) will spend the next few weeks fine-tuning their training before moving north to Iraq," publicist Mike Chrisman said in an e-mail to the Pantagraph. Chrisman serves with the unit as a staff sergeant. The guard members are living in 90- to 100-person tents in the desert while I Bombers kill at Iraq on awaiting The 1744th of few months mission in said.

The June for where for "being trained and units that out of the 'i i I Chrisman said. The morale and motivation are high during the "most crucial" times during the deployment, he said. The training ranged from mission-specific tasks to reviewing basic soldiering skills. The Indiana training was also on the most up-to-date equipment the Army is using. Only about a half-dozen of the company's members actually come from the Streator and gunmen least 41 people in Monday.

Page A7 deployment. has done a variety training over the last to prepare for its Iraq, Chrisman unit left Streator in Camp Atterbury, it was commended one of the best well-disciplined has ever mobilized training post," area, Wltn me Unit aiSO For the PantaqraphGREG STANMAR fromTivetherunits6 hAhe About 100 Streator-area National Guardsmen participate in unit Chicago and St. Louis sub- ceremonies after they returned home from Iraq in January. The urbs and Central Illinois. 1744th has begun its last phase of training in Kuwait before see GUARD back page preparing to serve in an area north of Baghdad, Iraq..