The Pantagraph from Bloomington, Illinois • Page 2

I in (il JUIarh lfi-r. Pantagraph A-2 Bioomingion-normoi, ff ffrf rrrrf ffffffff ffrfff ff lf tlltJI Ma i if rrr" Stanczak: Bigger at-lorge council possible By Mike Glover The city of Bloomington could conduct a referendum on enlarging the size of the City Council while retaining at-large election for all council members, Corporation Counsel David Stanczak said Friday. Stanczak's opinion came at the request of Mayor Richard Buchanan. During the April 3 municipal election, voters will decide whether to enlarge the City Council by two and to have council members elected from wards. Buchanan said he sought the opinion to refute statements by backers of the proposition that the only way to enlarge the council was to institute a ward system.

Stanczak said that state code sets the number of councilmen Bloomington can have at four. However, he said, home rule authority allows the city to "exercise any power and perform any function pertaining to its government and affairs." The manner in which the council is structured, Stanczak said, is "a fit subject for the exercise of the city of Bloomington's home rule authority." Should the council decide, Stanczak said, it could set a date for a referendum on the question, including terms of office and the effective date of the change if passed. Buchanan said the opinion was not aimed at attacking a proposition to institute the ward system, but was meant to clear up circumstances under which the size of the council could be enlarged. Buchanan said he favored enlarging the size of the council, but stopped short of saying he would try to get that question on the ballot of a later election if the aldermanic issue is defeated. Mike McGraw, a spokesman for a group backing the change to be voted on in April, said, "Our basic thing is equal representation; we want it equally divided." Buchanan said he has long favored increasing the size of the City Council and had planned on trying to get that question on the April ballot.

His proposal would have left election of council members at-large, Buchanan said. However, the move to enlarge the council and to institute a ward system came before Buchanan's effort and state law allows only one change of government question per election. Buchanan would not say be planned to seek a vote on enlarging the council should the change in April be defeated. He said he feared residents would interpret such as statement as "taking shots" at the aldermanic question. Then stubbed twice Elderly Pekin woman begs thief for Bible r-, A I slim with long dark hair and wearing dark trousers, a black jacket and a light cap.

Mrs. Berry told police she was standing about 10 feet from the road in her driveway waiting for a ride to church when she noticed the man on foot approaching her from Derby Street. The man passed and then approached her from behind, knocking her to the ground with the butt of his knife, Mrs. Berry told police. She said he grabbed her plastic bag that contained a Bible and fled up the driveway toward her garage, according to police.

When she cried out "Don't steal the Bible," the man returned, stabbed her and also took her purse containing personal papers and $5.63, police said. Mrs. Berry told police the man disappeared behind her garage. After making her way to Alma's Beauty Shop, located a short distance from her home, Mrs. Berry said she received help and was taken to Pekin Memorial Hospital.

She was transferred later Thursday night to the Peoria hospital. Police said Friday night that no suspects had been apprehended. They were asking Pekin residents to search their garages and garbage containers for the stolen items. PFKIN-'Don't steal the Bible," a 70-year-old Pekin woman on her way to church begged a fleeing purse snatcher Thursday night. The thief returned, took her purse, along with the Bible, and then stabbed her twice before fleeing again.

The woman, Beth Berry, 1226 S. 13th was in serious condition Friday night at St. Francis Hospital Medical Center, Peoria. Police said the woman was stabbed in the neck and abdomen about 7:15 p.m. while standing in the driveway of her home, Pekin police said.

Mrs. Berry described her assailant to police as a young male about 6 feet tall, IVoit'l trim programs M-D-R to ask tax hike would be $2.67 per $100 assessed valuation; the building fund 47Vi cents and the transportation fund 19'a cents per $100 assessed valuation. All funds already are legally as high as possible without voter approval. The new tax rate would be $3.82 per $100 assessed valuation. No date was set for the referendum Don Peters, school board president, said he would not predict whether the referendum would pass.

He said district officials will give voters all the information they need to make a choice. "I favor its passage. We need the additional revenue for the district to survive," Peters said. Superintendent Ted Knudsen said approval would not necessarily make the Ry Bob llolliduy MINONK The Minonk-Dana-Hutland School Board rejected program cuts and decided at a special meeting Friday night to ask voters for a tax increase. Several hundred district residents attended the meeting The board turned down, with one dissenting vote, proposed cuts In 14 programs.

Also with one dissenting vote, the board agreed to submit to voters a proposal to Increase taxes $1.25 per $100 assessed valuation. Voters will be asked to increase the education fund by per $100 of assessed valuation, the building fund by 10 cents and the transportation fund by 7'' cents per $100 of assessed valuation. If voters approve the proposal by a simple majority, the education fund tax A Normal fireman worked among the Friday afternoon, but no one was in- Af ruins of a home destroyed by fire at 1712 jured. Damage to the home, owned by VV UI Wily Fort jesse Road. Two persons were in Warren and Bonnie Moser, was esti- the home when the blaze broke out mated at $55,000.

Family home gutted said. He took his cousin from the living room, then used a blanket to try to put out the blaze. "I couldn't put it out, so I just got out," he said, standing in front of the gutted home at 1712 Fort Jesse Road, Normal. By Bernie Schoenburg Martin Fillenworth was sitting in the kitchen of his home when her heard his 6-year-old cousin, Susan Wilbon, screaming in the living room. He looked into the room, and saw the curtains on fire.

"It was pretty bad," he district solvent. Approval of the referendum would allow the district to move toward solvency, he said. Knudsen said the board would probably have to ask for another increase in two or two and one-half years. The district may have to reduce expenditures, raise more money or close when money runs out, he said. District officials said the district is being hurt by inflation and a declining enrollment.

At its last meeting, the board authorized the issuance of $492,000 in warrants to help tide the district over until tax money arrives. Friday night, that figure was changed to $450,000. A proposal to issue $450,000 in working cash bonds is being considered. Possible program cuts rejected Friday night included art on the secondary level, music, athletics, special reading and speech therapy districtwide; elementary librarian, elementary physical education, psychologist and guidance counselors foreign languages on the secondary level; teacher aides on the elementary level, and agricultural programs. Knudsen said that although these cuts were rejected Friday night, the same or additional program cuts might be considered later.

Spectators applauded loudly after the board voted against cutting any programs. Donald Janssen, board secretary, voted against the motion to make no cuts. He also voted against the motion on the referendum. He said he voted against no cuts because the district "just does not have the money," and against the referendum motion because he thought the proposal was too high. He said, however, he would support the referendum.

Fillenworth, 18, watched as fireme watered down sections of the buildin and began looking for the fire's origir He coughed intermittently. "I got som smoke," he said. He had taken his cousi to a neighbor's house to rest. Normal firemen received word of th fire at 2:24 p.m. Friday.

After the firs engine arrived, all off-duty firefighter were called in. About 12 members of th department fought the blaze, which wa out shortly after 3 p.m. Fillenworth is a son of Bonnie Mosei who also lives in the home with he husband, Warren. Moser, a carpenter, was driving nort on Belt Line Road when he saw smok in his neighborhood. "I saw that smok rolling over the hill," he said.

He arrive just before firemen. "That fire wa shooting out them front windows 15 fet in the air," he said. Fire Capt. Ronald Patterson said th living room and hallway in front of th three-bedroom ranch house wer engulfed in flames when he arrived. there had been somebody inside th house, we would have had a difficu time reaching them," he said.

Fillenworth and his cousin, who wa visiting, made it to safety. A dog and cat, however, were lost in the blaze. Patterson estimated damage at $40, (X to the building and $15,000 to content: Moser said the house was insured. Mrs. Moser, who was called at wor by her husband, seemed calm but di: mayed.

"I just can't believe it," sh said. "I always read about fires, but never had one before. I just can't believ the damage it can do. "We just got new carpeting, new livin room furniture, drapes and everything. Assistant Chief Charles Smalley wa working through the wet rubble of tli living room.

He said it appeared the fix started there, but the cause was determined. Flooding A id SPRINGFIELD (AP)-Gov. James R. Thompson requested Friday that the Small Business Administration declare nine Illinois counties, including DeWItt, Tazewell and Woodford, flood disaster areas. If the agency complies with Thompson's request, it would make emergency loans available at 7 and three-eighths percent Interest to homeowners, farmers, and small businesses whose property suffered flood damage, said a statement from the governor's office.

Warren and Bonnie Moser watch as A nlrh'mn firemen fignt tne flames that gutted VVUlClllliy their home on Fort Jesse Road. (Pantagraph photos by Chris Covatta) on oa Twin Cities to get WAND signal US 1 By Mike Glover Construction of a new tower and 5-million-watt transmitter by WAND-TV in Decatur will bring Bloomington-Nor-mal within the area covered by the station's signal, officials said Friday. The project, which officials hope to have operating by June, will make the station one of the more powerful in the country, officials said. Barrett H. Geoghegan, president and general manager of the station, sa'1 Friday that the Federal Communications Commission has approved plans for the tower and transmitter.

The tower will be constructed in Argenta. The new tower will replace one that collapsed March 25 during an ice storm last year. The station was off the air for a week. square miles, to include Bloomington-Normal, and would increase the population covered from 554,000 to 770,000. The effect of that is unclear.

WAND is carried by TeleCable of Bloomington-Normal and 18,000 residences in the Twin Cities subscribe to TeleCable. The move may increase television competition in the Bloomlngton-Normal market. WAND is an ABC affiliate station and will be competing with WRAU-TV, Peoria, also an ABC affiliate. According to the Nielsen rating service, WRAU carries the highest entertainment program ratings in Peoria, but runs second and third in news ratings. Ratings for the 10 p.m.

news in November showed WEEK, channel 25, with a commanding lead with a 36 share of the market, with WRAU, channel last at 24. WMBD, channel 31, claime a 25 share of the market. However, the latest ratings in Febn ary showed WEEK increasing its shar to 38 and WRAU and WMBD switchin places. WRAU had climbed to a 27, whil WMBD was last at 26. WEEK has dominated news rating i Peoria for several years.

The switch also could have an effec on the manner in which markets ar designed in Central Illinois. For rankings purposes, Peoria an Bloomington-Normal are combined a one market, as are Champaign an Decatur. The Peoria-Bloomington-Normal mai ket is ranked as the 89th largest marks in the country while Champaign-Decatu is 73rd. Since that time, the station has been broadcasting at greatly reduced power from a temporary site. A spokesman for Lin Broadcasting WAND's parent company, said officials had been planning the new transmitter even before the ice storm destroyed the station's former tower.

Cost of the new tower and transmitter is estimated at $2 million. Mike Cheever, a spokesman for the station, said the 5 million watt transmitter would make the station the most powerful in Illinois and one of only 15 stations in the nation broadcasting at 5 million watts. The station was operating at 1 million watts prior to the ice storm. Cheever said the new transmitter would increase the station's coverage area from 5.000 square miles to 8,000 Crews from the Toledo, Peoria and Western Railroad worked until midnight Friday removing the wreckage of five freight train cars that derailed on the rast edge of El Paso about 8:30 a.m. fjOrClllpCj Damage to the tracks and train was estimated at $100,000.

The derailment. the. result of a broken axle on one of the cars, caused hours of delay for other trains that use the track. (Pantagraph photo by Litta Kinsella).