The Pantagraph from Bloomington, Illinois • Page 11

SUNDAY, October 29, 2006 Julie Gerke, managing editor, (309) 829-9000, ext. 256, e-mail: newsroompantaqraph.com HOLIDAYS Section A monstrous good time If If II 1 Today Halloween at the Zoo -1 to 3 p.m., Miller Park Zoo, Bloomington. Costume parade (2:30 p.m.), face painting, crafts, creepy animal encounters, candy, more; free with paid zoo admission. (309) 434-2243. Week Ahead TUESDAY Trlck-or-treatinq 5-8 p.m.

in both Bloomington and Normal. THURSDAY Public meeting on proposed Indoor smoking ban in rural McLean County 7 p.m., Government Center, 115 E. Washington Bloomington, Martinis for Marc Center 10:30 p.m., The Loft at Central Station, Bloomington. Fund-raising auction of painted and decorated martini glasses, hors d'oeuvre buffet, entertainment; $35. (309) 451-8888.

FRIDAY Comedian Jim Gafflgan, 8 p.m., Braden Auditorium at Illinois State University; general, $20, students, $15. (309) 438-5444. SATURDAY IWU Madrigal Dinner, 6 p.m., Memorial Student Center, lljinois Wesleyan University; general, $35, IWU students, (309) 556-3181. State watch Bradley grad gives school $8 million PEORIA CAP) A 1953 graduate of Bradley University js donating $8 million to support the school's efforts to build a student recreation center, university officials announced Friday. David R.

Markin, who served on- -Sw AVVl Fair draws kids in traditional and weird costumes By Laura Rineer lrineerpantagraph.com BLOOMINGTON For Shawn Cooper, creative and elaborate Halloween costumes are a family tradition. "My mom made me awesome costumes," she said. "One year, I was a cuckoo clock, and another, a Christmas tree. I used to win contests." So when her son, Andrew, said he wanted to be the Monster House from the recent movie of the same name, she spent two weeks working on the costume. The finished result made it's appearance Saturday afternoon at the Community Halloween Fair put on by Catholic Charities.

It was held at Illinois Wesleyan University's Shirk Center. "Nine years ago, this started because we wanted to have a free, affordable Halloween activity for families," organizer Brenda Richardson said. "It's satisfying to see how much the kids enjoy it. That's how I can tell it's worthwhile for them." The event featured a costume contest, canned food drive, dance, music, pizza, popcorn and candy Many kids were decked out in costumes of their favorite movie and cartoon characters. Andrew Cooper, 6, of Bloomington wheeled around inside his Monster House as kids followed trying to peek inside.

Shawn Cooper started the costume with a cardboard box, added folded poster board as siding and gray felt as roofing. It quickly grew too big and too heavy for Andrew to wear. SEE MONSTROUS NEXT PAGE I 5 PantagraphB MOSHER Illinois State students Pat Hoeft, left, and Brennan O'Connor get into the Halloween spirit for the kids at the Community Halloween Fair on Saturday at Illinois Wesleyan's Shirk Center in Bloomington. Hoeft shows off his Buzz Lightyear outfit and O'Connor wears a cow costume. With them is Tavarious Joyner, 10, of Normal, far right, who picks up a sucker.

a I Near right: Alondra Jassica, 1, of Bloomington looks around at the candy booths while decked out in a bee costume during the fair, which was sponsored by Catholic Charities. Far right: Gus Urquizo, 1, of Bloomington holds a sucker in his hand as his mother, Kerry Urquizo, embraces him in her arms and comforts him at the fair. The little boy's bumble bee outfit has been in his family for more than 10 years. "He's the youngest, so it's probably the last year for this mother said. What's ahead Trick-or-treat hours for Central Illinois communities will be published in Tuesday's Pantagraph.

Candidates promise corruption crackdown the school's board of trustees for 12 years, has made significant alumni donations in the past. He is an avid tennis player who played on Bradley's tennis team. "I want to leave the school better than I found it," Markin told the (Peoria) Journal Star. The Markin Family Student Recreational Center will include basketball courts, an indoor track, a climbing wall, an indoor pool, weight room and other amenities. University officials said they expect to break ground on the $90 million facility next spring.

"The leadership and generosity of David Markin will benefit generations of students for many years to come," said Bradley President David Broski. Quotable "It's just a time when kids get to be something they're usually not." Kerry Urquizo a Bloomington mother, giving some thoughts on Halloween Lottery Saturday's numbers Pick 3 Pick 4 Little Lotto Lotto 052 688 5211 8529 14 615 37 10 22 27 42 43 52 JACKPOTS Lotto Mega Millions For weekly numbers check out www.illinoislottery.com $5 million $32 million Inside Get out the vote Frank Hamilton Funk of Bloomington garnered the -greatest proportion of votes of any third-party candidate to run for the state's highest office. See A Paqe From Our Past on Page B5. Monday A place to go By spring, there will be a place in Logan County for women with nowhere to go. In Local.

"Nine years ago, this started because we wanted to have a free, affordable Halloween activity for families." Brenda Richardson organizer of the Community Halloween Fair Coming Monday The race for Illinois secretary of state will be previewed. politically connected workers at a time when he had ordered the state to operate under a hiring freeze. He has said his inspector general has and will root out any problems. He has steadfastly blamed the prob lems on "a few bad apples within his administration. Nonetheless, U.S.

Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, who oversaw the successful prosecution of George Ryan, has taken over an investigation into the governor's patronage office. The allegations of hiring problems come amid reports showing Blagojevich accepted a $1,500 check from a friend and campaign aide for either his eldest daughter's birthday or his youngest daughter's christening. The wife of the friend had just won a state job after failing a state hiring exam. Whitney, a Carbondale attorney, wants to create an independent hiring and promotion bureau to ensure political connections aren't a factor when filling certain state jobs. Topinka, the state treasurer, would create a new certification requirement for state civil service hiring under which agencies would have to make it publicly clear that veterans preference and anti-patronage rules were I mi I Rod Blagojevich PantagraphB MOSHER Nancy Clemmons of Normal, front left, receives guidance from Mark Taylor of Normal, middle, as they try to search for more of Clemmons' family members through the familysearch.org link on the computer during a genealogy conference Saturday at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Normal.

Searching 6n her own is Ann Irvin, back right, of Decatur. Family tales spur search for roots By Kurt Erlckson kurt.ericksonlee.net SPRINGFIELD Gov. Rod Blagoje-vich took office in January 2003 after running on a platform to "end business as usual." His clean government campaign theme won him points at a time when the corruption of then-Gov. George Ryan was daily fodder for voters across the state. Four years later, however, Blagoje- vich finds himself the subject of many of those same types of stories, with his administration under federal investigation and one of his closest advisors, Antoin "Tony" Rezko, facing federal corruption charges.

Blagojevich has not been accused of any wrongdoing, but it's no surprise the governor's opponents in the Nov. 7 election have made ethics and corruption a key part of their campaign messages. Republican Judy Baar Top-inka and Green Party candidate Rich Whitney say they have their own plans to disinfect government if voters give them the green light on Nov. 7. Both would ban or limit state contractors from contributing money to politicians.

And both have plans to crack down on political hiring problems that have dogged the governor's administration since he took office. Analysts say they are not sure, however, whether any of the candidates will have the political capital needed to alter state law radically, primarily because lawmakers, who must approve such changes, were elected under Judy Baar Topinka kr1 pin of Hudson to look into her family history He told her about his grandfather and the Civil War. Lappin discovered "some stories are more interesting than the facts, and facts are more interesting than the stories." Her uncle, George Sarver, said his grandfather, Benjamin Franklin Sarver, had been in Sherman's army during the march to the sea in the Civil War. Her research showed the stories couldn't be true because Benjamin Franklin Sarver was too young, but Lappin doesn't see the story as a lie. Benjamin Franklin Sarver was only 16 when he joined the army, and heard the stories of those who were in the march.

"He just added himself in to make them more interesting," she said. SEE ROOTS NEXT PAGE By Phyllis Coulter pcoulterSipantagraph.com NORMAL Researching a family's history often starts with a good story, according to people attending a one-day genealogy conference Saturday in Normal. Shanna Kurth, one of 260 people attending "Discover Your Roots With Our Help," became interested in family history when she was only 15. Kurth, of Havana in Mason County, eventually met and married a man who shared her interest. Together, they attended the event, which was co-sponsored by the McLean County Genealogical Society and the Peoria division of the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints.

"We both enjoy traipsing through cemeteries," she said. Her uncle's stories inspired Sue Lap- Rich Whitney the current rules. "It takes executive leadership to make those changes stick," University of Illinois-Springfield political scientist Kent Redfield said. Blagojevich says he has addressed problems that have led to the hiring of The candidates also are talking about "pay-to-play politics," in which state contracts are alleged to be awarded based on how much money a business gives to the governor's campaign fund. SEE CANDIDATES NEXT PAGE vjtn i fff SiTW Ss) EHfTWI.