The Pantagraph from Bloomington, Illinois • Page 49

FYI LOCAL nSTEDrnoN SATURDAY, December 2. 2006 Julie Gerke, managing editor, (309) 829-9000, ext. 256, e-mail: newsroompantaqraph.com A3 Emery begins ten as sheriff A By Greg Clma gcimapantagraph.com BLOOMINGTON The weather couldn't stop Sandra Montgomery from seeing her son sworn in as sheriff. "I'd get a husky and sled to get here," she said. Her son, Mike Emery, was sworn in Friday morning at the Government Center in downtown Bloomington.

Emery took over from retiring Sheriff David Owens. Emery said he was very proud to see family members, friends and employees come out to support him despite a snowstorm that dumped freezing rain and snow across Central Illinois. Emery said he had flashbacks to the campaign and went through an "emotional rush" as he raised his hand and was sworn in by Judge David Butler. He said, "It finally hit me that I'm sheriff" just the day. before.

Emery was unopposed in the fall general election after winning the March primary in a high-profile race against Lt. Mike Essig. Both were lieutenants at the sheriff's office at the time. Assistant State's Attorney Mark Messman, who backed Emery in the race, said it was gratifying to see the ceremony for someone he believed in. Emery talked to Messman about the possibility of running a year before he publicly announced his campaign, Messman said.

He added he told Emery it was a terrific idea for him to run and that he would support him. Emery's wife, Becky, had trouble finding words to describe watching her husband be sworn in, but she did call it "moving." She said her family was close before the election, and bonded even more because of it. Emery's 16-year-old son, Chad, said he was relieved the election process was finished. "It's really nice to have it all over," Chad Emery said before quipping, "Now I have to watch my A friend of Emery, Carl Greg Allen, who will soon take over as jail superintendent, said he was thrilled to see Emery sworn in. "I've always been a friend of Mike's, and I'm looking forward to working with Allen said.

He added that he agrees with many of Emery's plans, including re-establishing accreditation for the jail with the American Correctional Association. McLean County State's Attorney Bill Yoder said Emery is professional, thorough and always follows through on his word. Yoder said he looks forward to working with Emery, and he enjoyed working with Owens. Emery said in announcing his candidacy in June 2005 that he took oaths to protect people as a U.S. Marine and a deputy.

"Your support, your votes, will allow me the privilege and honor of raising my right hand again, this time in order to take the oath of office for the office of McLean County sheriff," he said then. I Check for weather-related cancellations at pantagraph.com. Constitution Trail is closed while maintenance crews start removing fallen branches. I The parking ban in Normal remains in effect through 7 a.m. today.

Today Jaycees Christmas parade steps off 10 a.m. at Kingsley Junior High, Normal; heads south toward downtown Bloomington. Christmas parade 2 p.m., downtown Lincoln. Call (217)732-2929. Family pictures with the reindeer -1 to 3 p.m., Miller Park Zoo, 1020 S.

Morris Bloomington. Daily digest Forum on smoking planned in Normal Normal will host an informational public forum on the new smoking regulations at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Community Activity Center, 1110 Douglas St. The new rules go into effect Jan. 1.

Copies of the rules at are www.normal.org or at the clerk's office at Normal City Hall. At a glance Annexation keeps 'Memory Lane' What: Lexington City Council When: Nov. 27 Key action: Approved annexation of Stichter farm into city limits. This 30-acre addition could be available for a future subdivision. The agreement guarantees preservation of a portion of Route 66 known as "Memory Lane." Other action: Discussed further development and property acquisition for a wastewater treatment plant.

State watch Chicago house fire kills three people CHICAGO (AP) Three people have been killed in a house fire and three others were injured, some hurt when they jumped PantaqraphSTEVE SMEOLEY McLean County Sheriff Mike Emery gets a hug from his mother, Sandra Montgomery, following his swearing-in ceremony Friday at the Government Center, Bloomington. Woodward of Bloomington, said McLean County is lucky to have Emery as sheriff and described him as a "role model of what a sheriff should be." Jim Tarman of Normal, who said he was Emery's neighbor for 13 years, described Emery as honest and sincere. WEATHER Snow makes more work for some uiMM-nupi i from windows to escape the blaze, fire officials said Friday. The Cook County medical examiner's By Scott Miller scottmillerdipantaqraph.com BLOOMINGTON While many businesses closed due to the icy, winter weather, Twin City residents could still get a tow, file an insurance claim or even order a pizza. Businesses remaining open, however, were so swamped that most customers are on a waiting list.

Several snow and tree removal services, for example, didn't answer their phones Friday, and some of their answering machines were too full to even accept new messages. "I'm telling some people we might not get to them for a week or so," said Bill Jones, owner of Jones Tree Surgery in Carlock. "It's a big mess right now. I'm getting countless calls. We're putting people on a list." The Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department hoped to finish clearing the roads of trees on Friday.

"If we don't get it done (Friday), we'll be back in (today)," head forester Bob Brooks said. While the department plans to push fallen trees off the roads, it may not remove them until next week, he said. Other city workers also did not get a snow day. Garbage collectors Al Coleman and Josh Auth almost looked like Miche-lin men in their multiple layers of clothes as they slogged through snowy residential streets untouched by a plow. Wearing day-glow yellow reflective vests and following a city of Bloomington garbage truck, they wrestled to free garbage cans frozen to the curbs.

"It's miserable out here for sure," said Coleman. "People don't know what to think," said Auth, adding the two had been yelled at by residents. "They don't know why we are out here. They don't understand the service we provide continues no matter the weather." Coleman gave a little laugh and said days like Friday are balanced out by summer days. The weather forced the town of Normal to cancel its garbage pickup Friday.

Tow trucks keep busy Road conditions and visibility, meanwhile, were so poor in rural areas that Illinois State Police wouldn't let wreckers tow vehicles out of ditches early Friday, said Shawn Hall, owner of Accurate Towing in Bloomington. In town, "we're getting what we can get, but if it's down in a ditch or way off the road, they're not lettingus get it," he said. Still, Hall and other towers don't expect a lengthy backlog of ditched vehicles this weekend. They planned to have cars out Friday. Closures at schools and businesses potentially kept a lot of people out of ditches, noted Jim Quinn, owner of Quinn's Towing in LeRoy.

"That took several thousand people off the road and made it safer for everybody," he said. "(Thursday) night, we got back-logged pretty good, but there's just not a lot of people on the road today. I know LeRoy and Downs are without power, so people just aren't traveling around like they would be." Insurance companies close To put this snowstorm in perspective, Country Insurance Financial Services closed Friday due to weather for the first time in 20 years, spokeswoman Chris Anderson said. State Farm Insurance Cos. also closed, but policyholders for both companies could still file a claim.

Country's 24-hour call centers remained staffed, Anderson said. Calls to State Farm were temporarily rerouted to other customer-service centers around the country, spokesman Phil Supple said. Supple said some local call-center employees would return to work if possible, potentially as early as Friday afternoon. "The function of serving our customers is still intact," he said. M.K.

Cuetersloh contributed to this report. office identified two of the people who died in Thursday's fire as Aleta Dockery, 60, and Linda Bolden, 53. tj-t I tm- i mi i mum it PantagraphCARLOS T. MIRANDA The ice and snow storm created a little more work for people still conducting business Friday. Kevin Chien, co-owner of the Golden Dragon restaurant in downtown Bloomington, hammers away ice from the deliv-ery entrance Friday morning.

Storm collapses tower, strands country star road between Strawn and Cropsey. The. Tazewell County worst area was in tne soutnern part oi the county. The identity of a third victim, a man about 50 years old, had not been released. Three other people remained in hospitals Friday, two were in serious condition and one was in stable condition, fire officials said.

A man was dead when crews arrived at the two-story building on the city's southwest side, according to Fire Department Commander Will Knight. Quotable "This is the nightmare situation for winter storms for electric companies. We don't ever want to have ice. It's the one punch Mother Nature throws that really sets you reeling." Leigh Morris Ameren spokesman on Friday 's ice and snow Lottery Friday's numbers Pick 3 128 560 Pick 4 1450 3000 Little Lotto 7 14 24 25 33 Mega Millions 1622 23 37 53(35) JACKPOTS Lotto $4.25 million Mega Millions $40 million Sunday Touch of home LaSalle-based soldiers get monthly reminders from home. In Local.

By Edith Brady-Lunny eblunnymchsi.com Here's a look at how Thursday night's freezing rain and Friday's snow affected area counties: DeWitt County Many DeWitt County residents were awake during the night Thursday, listening to the sounds of falling branches. Sisters Janice Miller and Monica Miller of Clinton were in their yard Friday morning removing limbs from tree branches that blocked their sidewalk. "It looks like a war zone," Janice Miller said. "We heard the limbs fall around 2 a.m. We've been without power since then.

Thank goodness we have a gas stove so we can cook." The 400-foot tower for WHOW Radio south of Clinton collapsed as a result of ice, general manager Troy Hill said. It may be a week before the AM and FM channels are on the air, Hill said. A warming center at the DeWitt County Friendship Center in Clinton closed by the end of Friday, but seven people were spending Friday night at Clinton Community High School, police said. DeWitt County Emergency Services and Disaster Coordinator Fred Zacher said power outages were hit-and-miss around the county, with most of the damage due to ice 'on power lines pulled from homes. LaSalle County A foot of snow fell in parts of LaSalle County, temporarily closing Interstate 80 in LaSalle and Bureau counties as well as most schools and government offices.

About 6 inches of snow fell in Streator. No county roads were closed after 19 trucks began plowing at 3:30 a.m. Friday. All schools in the county were closed. Livingston County David Winters, who has been with the Livingston County Highway Department for three decades, said Friday was unusual because so much happened in just a day.

Clearing 257 miles of roads was just small part of what the 10-person crew did, the county engineer said. White-out conditions were so bad from about 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. Friday that snowplow drivers were told to pull over. Snapped power poles and downed wires meant multiple trips to place road barricades, including closing the The overnight storm affected more than just Central Illinois residents: Country singer Toby Keith and his bus driver were stranded along Interstate 155 by the storm. Keith spent the night sleeping in the back.

"We got the call that his bus driver had to pull over; they were on the road from a concert in Nashville, and need to be in Ames, Iowa, for his concert tonight," Tazewell County dispatcher Angi Harmon said Friday "They at least had good humor about it." Dispatchers hadn't heard of any power outages Friday, but they did get reports of downed limbs. Some third-shift officers were stranded in ditches trying to get home after they left work at 7 a.m. "Is stress considered damage?" Harmon asked, laughing. The weather didn't stop Joyce Howard from leaving her home in Minier to get to her cleaning jobs in Downs and east Bloomington, but it did make for a more interesting day. She and Debbie Sumner of Minier had scheduled to clean five houses for Howard's Partners in Shine business, but two people "called off," she said.

Logan County Logan County firehouses and the basement of Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital in Lincoln were open Friday night for people to come stay the night, Dan Fulscher, director of the Logan County Emergency Management Agency, said Friday night. A Red Cross trailer with cots also had also been set up in Lincoln. "We have had seven people call who were going to use these accommodations, but with almost 90 percent of the county having power again, most people are staying with family or friends or at a hotel," Fulscher said. "The rural homes and farmhouses who were without power likely had generators on the premises." Mount Pulaski, Chestnut and Latham were all still without power, he said. Much of the county had only 3 inches of snow, he said, but ice hit the county hard.

"Next week we are going to start the damage assessment and will start to clean up and move the debris later in the week," Fulscher said. "We were really hit with that ice.".