The Pantagraph from Bloomington, Illinois • Page 1

i Bloomington-Normal Ski Club Program teaches kids to save money, celebrates 40 years GO! serve community Life v. vvww.pa ntagraph.com Bloomington-Normal (mil lILuu ix cu UJ.1 -I SUNDAY lifter Mature iSpg calls in slid SCi OUR KIDS Can online bullying laws work? Proposals multiply following teen's death after MySpace hoax By Joel Currier joel.currierlee.net 3 ST. LOUIS The public's frustration over the inability to punish those ac: cused of using a phony identity to send hurtful messages to a teenager who later killed herself has pushed policy makers into action. But, some experts are already questioning whether the new laws will work in an PantagraphCARLOS T. MIRANDA Icicles form off Julie Collins' winter hat during Saturday's Jaycees Christmas parade.

Jaycees on Ice: Holiday paradegoers brave freezing rain Weather: Hospitals packed, roads a mess, airport pinched PantagraphCARLOS T. MIRANDA Linda Sorak, right, with Town Country Kennel Club walks a pair of dogs during the slippier-than-usual 78th annual Jaycees Christmas Parade on Saturday. Some parade participants left the route early due to the weather. Parade route icy, but Jaycees make it 78 years straight DECEMBER 2,2007 Inside At last, it's launch week After 25 years in the making, Europe's treasured space lab will set sail for the international space station. NationWorld, A3 Feeling safe, or being safe? Is students using cell phones during a school lockdown a recipe for disaster? It's the difference between feeling safe and being safe, some experts say.

Local, B1 Looking back on the harvest Central Illinois farmers look back on the 2007 season and discuss the outcomes of their planting choices. Money, F1 Dyer, ISU put out Flames The Redbirds men's basketball team, led by senior center Levi Dyer, put up a big second half Saturday to rout Illinois-Chicago in a nonconference bout at Redbird Arena. Sports, D1 Weather 4 0 4 Today's weather symbol was drawn by Caroline Pickering, Epiphany School, Normal. High: 52 1 Low: 22 Complete weather: Back page 24-7 updates: Pantaqraph.com PMAGRK Did you know that the Pantagraph publishes a monthly magazine devoted to the finer things in life and that it's available online at www.tcstyle.com? Find Abby E2 Movies G4 Books E5 Obituaries E6 Classified H1 Scoreboard D6 Crossword E5 Sudoku H8 Horoscope E5 Viewpoint C1 londay Notes worthy A new program at BroMenn Regional Medical Center features volunteer musicians playing for patients. The soothing music is a benefit, say patients, staff and volunteers.

In Life. LEE ENTERPRISES $1.75 II Copyright Pantagraph 2007 Bloomington, III. 9 sections, 62 pages On the Web Jaycees on ice Log on for video of Saturday's 78th annual Jaycees Christmas Parade: www.pantagraph.comvideo rade waited in the rain for a salt truck to arrive. Even Santa's mother was worried about the ice-covered sidewalks that lined the parade route from Kingsley Junior High School in Normal to downtown Bloomington. "He's lucky he's going to be in a fire truck," said Joyce Pankonen as she stood with family members in the city parking garage on Market Street electronic medium that is evolving daily Since the story of 13-year-old Megan Meier's suicide became public last month, at least two Missouri cities have made Internet harassment a crime.

Megan's hometown of Dard-enne Prairie, was Megan Meier first. Then Florissant, followed up with its own ordinance. "Somebody has got to do something," said Dardenne Prairie Mayor Pam Foga-rty. "This is uncharted territory Well, somebody's got to put the chart down." In coming weeks, St. Louis, St.

Louis County, St. Charles, O'Fallon, and St. Charles County are expected to consider similar measures targeting online harassment. But, those measures are weak and "100 percent symbolic," said St. Louis attorney J.

Bradley Young, an Internet and computer law expert. SEE BULLYING BACK PAGE Inaction on tax legislation may stall IRS refunds Alternative minimum tax at issue as filing season nears By Jim Abrams ASSOCIATED PRESS i WASHINGTON, D.C. Silena Davis had counted on an early tax refund to pay for getting her teeth fixed. Now, because Congress has dawdled all year on a tax bill, she and millions of other early filers could have to wait extra weeks for refunds that last year averaged $2,291. The Internal Revenue Service is looking hard at delaying the start of its filing season, set to kick off on Jan.

14, if Congress fails to pass legislation in the next two weeks. At issue is how to handle what could be a dramatic increase in the number of people facing a higher alternative minimum tax. If there is a delay and it extends into mid-February, it would slow nearly 32 million refunds worth a total of about $87 billion, the IRS Oversight Board predicts. "It would definitely make a big difference with me," said Davis, a George Washington University Law School administrator. "I'm going to have to get a SEE TAX BACK PAGE Tax problems? Without congressional actions, tax refunds may be delayed.

Here's how it would shake out after Feb. 4: Impact of delays, filing season start date Tax filings delayed Refunds not issued Dollar amount of refunds not issued Feb. 4 VT-. $15.5 million 13.3 I $39.3 SOURCE: IRS Oversight Board Feb. 18 37,7 rzrri3i.8 storm puts area on thin ice I to wait for the parade.

She came from Downers Grove to watch her son, Tom Pankonen, play Santa Claus. "It was extremely slick getting here, but anything for Santa Claus," said Joyce Pankonen. Schukai made the decision early Saturday to have the parade step off at 10 a.m. as planned. "It's our 78th year and we haven't canceled yet," said Schukai.

"I just hope people don't fall down. We're telling people to line up in front of their windows if they can't come Seven members of the McLean County Composite Squad of the Civil Air Patrol, the color guard leading the parade, cheered as trucks sprayed SEE PARADE PAGE A7 i IF1 PantagraphB MOSHER READ MORE I Not many visitors to the zoo Page A7 I Animal shelter's tragic day Page B3 I Tough weather hampers Christmas at courthouse Page B6 i i i "i i i By Edith Brady-Lunny eblunnypantagraph.com BLOOMINGTON The roads were slick and even the airport runways were closed Saturday morning, but the Christmas parade finally managed to deliver Santa Claus to downtown Bloomington, thanks to some help from a salt truck. "Santa is downtown. I would call this a success a frightening success but a success," parade coordinator Emilie Schukai said as the parade ended around 11:30 a.m. Organizers of the 78th annual Jaycees Christmas Parade cautioned participants to be careful on the slippery streets.

Some took that advice and left the route early while the pa- Quick winter Hospitals make room for ice storm victims as CIRA closes runways By Sharon K. Wolfe swolfepantagraph.com BLOOMINGTON Saturday was a good day to stay home. A quick hit of freezing rain and sleet coated Central Illinois with a thin layer of ice late Saturday morning and into the early afternoon, packing hospitals, closing Blooming-ton's airport and snarling weekend travel throughout the area. Police reported numerous traffic accidents along area interstates, county roads and streets in the Twin Cities so many that police were unable to provide information on many of them by late Saturday The storm led to "lots of people falling on ice left and right," plus those who were injured in traffic accidents, said Phyllis Coulter, clinical coordinator at BroMenn Regional Medical Center, Normal. The hospital opened up additional room in the emergency treatment area to handle the volume, she said.

Similarly, OSF St. Joseph Medical Center, Bloomington, had six ambulances arriving in just one hour as a result of the ice, well above normal, a hospital official said Saturday. Warm southern winds Saturday ri j'R 10 Justin Loercher of McLean loads three sandbags from Farm Fleet in Bloomington into his truck to prevent it from getting stuck during Saturday's freezing rain storm. The bags were popular items at the store. night kept away further freezing rain, said Dan Kelly, meteorologist with the National Weather Service, Lincoln.

And today's highs could reach into the mid-50s, though with some showers possible. Though some ice stubbornly stuck to roads and sidewalks ice accumulations in Bloomington and Mi-nonk hit a quarter of an inch by the SEE AREA PAGE A7 TIME IS, Go ta Pantagraph.comholidays for great holiday ideas!.