The Pantagraph from Bloomington, Illinois • Page 3

www.pantagraph.com The Pantagraph Saturday, September 29, 2001 A3 CENTRAL ILLINOIS Din of Red Cross workers return tome Daily digest and Janis Rechkemmer of Roanoke, from the Red Cross Peoria chapter. They worked 12 to 16 hour days, assisting firefighters, police officers, construction workers and others. They were stationed V2 blocks from the site of the attack. On Friday, more than 2 weeks after the attack, the remains of the buildings were still smoldering. While construction workers have been able to reduce the size of the rubble, "it'll be a number of days before they get to the bottom of it," Stauter said.

Cleanup operations continue to generate a lot of dust and so volunteers wore masks from time to time. Stauter and Ringger were impressed can Republic who were brought in to as sist recovery efforts. And they saw thera-; py dogs brought from Oregan. "In Portland, they're used with victims of child abuse," she said. "Here, they were used to help treat adult stress." "The thing that really sticks with me is how appreciative everyone was that we were there," said Ringger, 67.

"When peo pie saw us with our Red Cross disaster relief shirts on, they would walk across the hotel lobby to shake our hands." "You wish you could do more," said Stauter, 72. "But I'm a farmer's wife and I need to be home. The crop is coming in now. You could stay another month and there would still be a lot to do." By Paul Swiech HEALTH EDITOR BLOOMINGTON Two American Red Cross of the Heartland volunteers are glad they spent two weeks providing drinks, snacks and replacement masks and hard hats to rescue workers at the site of the former World Trade Center. But they're also glad to be home.

Maralon Stauter and Barb Ringger, both of Gridley, landed at the Central Illinois Regional Airport at Bloomington-Normal on Friday night, two weeks after they took a Red Cross emergency response vehicle to New York City. There they joined relief workers from throughout the country, including Norm that rescue workers while tired remained in good spirits. "Last night (Thursday), they recovered one body and during the day they recovered four," Stauter said. "Even though they were deceased, that still helps to bring closure to their families." In addition to helping rescue workers, Stauter and Ringger also served some residents of nearby apartment buildings who were allowed back into their apartments just long enough to get a suitcase full of belongings. They met people who had worked in the towers' building 7 who came back as volunteers.

And they saw merchants returning to their businesses. They saw rescue dogs from the Domini Students overcome fund-raising obstacle hcc lends a hand Tragedy hurts NYC school The PantagraphMAUREEN O'CONNOR Students cheered Friday afternoon as fourth-grade teachers made their way through the inflated obstacle course at the fundraiser for Holy Trinity Schools. Gradeschoolers participated in the second annual Trackathon held on the grounds of Holy Trinity Elementary School, 1 909 E. Lincoln, Bloomington. As the major fund-raiser for Holy Trinity Elementary School and Holy Trinity Junior High School, the event was anticipated to raise between $35,000 and $40,000.

Along with donations from families and companies, 570 students secured pledges for running laps around a quarter-mile track. Streator Hospital gets $60,000 By Kelly Josephsen PANTAGRAPH STAFF NORMAL When Manhattan. Community College lost a newly re; modeled academic building in the World Trade Center terrorist attacks, officials at Heartland Community College with it own new campus felt its pain. That's why school officials were only too happy to help when an 6-mail began circulating asking for trailers or modular buildings to help MCC's 17,000 students get back to class. Although Heartland did not have entire buildings to send, Janet Hill-Getz, director of marketing arid public information at Heartland, said the school had surplus furniture from the move to the Raal) Road campus that could give MCC students a place to sit and study.

So, Heartland loaded tables, chairs and computer equipment to ship to New York. Bloomingtort-Normal's Ace World Wide Moving helped with transportation. Heartland officials were planning to auction off the furnishings when they got the e-mail. Hill-Gelz said the school was only too hapry to forfeit the proceeds it would have gotten from the auction. "It was really fortuitous that it worked out this way," she said.

"The timing was good in terrrjs of Heartland having these things available. It worked out to benefit Manhattan Community College, and it feels good for us to help oat what is definitely a worthy cause!" According to Hill-Getz, 15-stoy Fiterman Hall, which was when 7 World Trade Center collapsed, housed over half classrooms. It had just undergone a $60 million renovation. Furthermore, she noted, MCfJs other campus building was at one point converted to a temporary morgue and is now being used headquarters for rescue workers. "This had a huge impact," she said of the attacks.

"They have 17,000 students at this campus. They had no classroom space, and their lives were hugely disrupted." Peace group plans second meeting time BLOOMINGTON The Bloomington-Normal Citizens for Peace and Justice will host its second meeting since the Sept. 11 terrorist strikes. The meeting will be at 4 p.m. Sunday at the Unitarian Church, 1613 E.

Emerson Bloomington. The organization will continue to shape the work of various committees formed to develop a peaceful response to the crisis and to create a safer and more welcoming community for everyone. For more information, call (309) 663-4896, or (309) 827-0195. The e-mail address is bncpjyahoo.com. Musuem of history gets national honor BLOOMINGTON McLean County Museum of History has been nationally recognized for demonstrating the highest professional practices in the field of museum service.

With the recognition comes a two-year grant totaling $112,500. The Institute of Museum and Library Services cited the museum, located in downtown Bloomington, as one of 178 honored by the institute, including four others in Illinois. The institute is an independent federal agency that promotes leadership, innovation and learning by supporting the nation's museums and libraries. It is advised by the National Commission for Libraries and Information Services and the National Museum Services Board. Greg Koos, executive director of the McLean County Museum of History, called the award "very significant," and said it reflects the museum's insistence to demonstrate the "highest national standards in its work." University awards ceremony scheduled NORMAL The annual Illinois State University Scholarship awards ceremony will be at 2 p.m.

Sunday in Braden Auditorium at Bone Student Center, followed by a reception in the Old Main Room. Based on academic achievement, many students will be recognized including recently named Presidential Scholars, Provost's Scholars, Dean's Scholars, Honors Merit Scholars, Rose Scholars, Watkins Scholars, Minority Academic Scholars, Community College Foundations Scholars, National Merit Scholars and Robert S. Bone Scholars. Provost Alvin Goldfarb will be joined by other ISU representatives in addressing the award winners and guests during the afternoon service. IWU announces homecoming events BLOOMINGTON Illinois Wesleyan University has announced events, starting Sunday and continuing through Oct.

6, for Homecoming 2001, which has the theme "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing." On Sunday, students will decorate the IWU Memorial Center starting at 6 p.m. That will be followed by an Ice Cream Social at 9:30 I.m. in the Center for Natural Science. Oct. 1 will feature a lip sync Contest at 9 p.m.

in the main lounge of the student center while Oct. 2 will feature Spirit Day from noon to 4 p.m. on the quad. At 7:30 p.m. Oct.

3, there will be a talent show in Westbrook Auditorium. The coronation of IWU's homecoming king and queen will be at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 4 outside McPherson Theater. The annual Titan Games, a competition between on-cam-pus students, will be at 6 p.m.

Oct. 5. Among the events planned for Oct. 6 is the dedication of the new $25.7 million Ames Library at 10:30 a.m. All of the above events are free.

The IWU football game against Augustana University begins at 1:30 p.m. with a dinner and dance starting at p.m. at the Radisson Hotel and Conference Center in Bloomington. Philanthropist's donation comes after terrorist attacks worthwhile. i Dieder did not stop with making his own contribution.

He also contacted the people on his computer database and helped and raise another $7,000. He said his businesses are based on agriculture, which is one of the more dangerous professions in the country. "I have friends in agriculture who will' probably be using that emer-; gency room," he said. The $60,000 brings the hospi- tal to within $86,000 of the $800,000 it is asking the community to donate. In addition, Friends of Mary's, a hospital auxiliary group, has pledged enough to bring the capital campaign up to $1 million.

The remaining $4.8 million will come from the hospital's own funds. Construction is to begin in April, or sooner if the weather-allows, i and Charles Dieder, donated the family home on South Vermilion to the Streator-land Historical Society. His parents died 11 years ago, but Dieder "Said community involvement remains important to him. "I don't have children or a family," he said. "So I have no reason not to help support something like this." Dieder credits customers and employees of his Dieder Farm Management and Defenbaugh Trucking companies for making the contribution possible.

"The money just didn't fall out of the sky," he said. "It's possible because those people who work for me and those people who employ me have made this possible." Instead of spending company profits "on a boat or something," he, said he decided to spend it on something more By Greg Stanmar PANTAGRAPH CORRESPONDENT STREATOR As Robert Dieder of Streator was debating when and how much to donate to St. Mary Hospital's fund-raising campaign in memory of his parents, terrorists crashed passenger planes in New York City, Washington, D.C. and Pennsylvania on Sept. 11.

That's when he decided to give $60,000 to the Streator hospital in response to the Sept. 11 attacks, which is raising money for a renovated emergency room, a new lobby, chapel and other hospital needs. "I decided to make my contribution in memory of my parents at a later date," said Dieder. "September ll will be an important date in U.S. history." As he watched the East Coast events unfold, he thought of how busy the emergency rooms in New York and Washington, D.C, must be.

"And so it all worked out (as) to where the memorial" would do the most good, he said. He said the Streator hospital has always been important to his family, and it has not asked for money from the community in 37 years. "I was born there, and I'll probably die there," Dieder said. The Dieder family has a history of philanthropic work in Streator. His parents, Lorraine McLean County jury acquits arson suspect Soup kitchen organizers issue plea for assistance Donations have slowed down in general.

Donna Thomas of Safe Harbor By Steve Silverman PANTAGRAPH STAFF BLOOMINGTON A McLean County jury on Friday acquitted a Normal man of a residential arson charge alleging he burned down his parents' rural Carlock home in 1999. Christopher Mitchell, 22, of the 200 block of Park Trail, was found innocent following six hours of deliberation over two days. The three-day trial featured expert witnesses who offered conflicting opinions about the cause of the Nov. 11, 1999, fire that gutted the four-bedroom house, causing more than $100,000 in damage. Two insurance investigators ruled the fire was arson, but a defense expert told jurors the cause could not be determined.

The fire also was ruled undetermined by Detective Vickie Schae-fer, an arson investigator for the McLean County Sheriffs Department. Prosecutors alleged that Mitchell used gasoline to ignite the fire in a closet, while the defense maintained that the blaze was sparked by a faulty electrical panel. In his closing argument, Assistant State's Attorney Julio Barrdn told jurors that burn patterns showed the fire started on the floor and burned downward, consisteht with the prosecution's theory that Mitchell poured gasoline on the floor. "That is the fingerprint of an arsonist," he said. Defense attorney Jason Cannell noted that no samples were from the scene that could have showed whether traces of gasoline were present in the closet.

i- He characterized the prosecju-tion's arson theory as unsupported speculation. "They haven't proven that ky any stretch of the imagination, beyond a reasonable doubt," he said; Cannell also stressed Mitchell had no reason to burn down his parents' house, where he was residing at the time. "There's really no motive heri" he said. Mitchell still faces another arsn charge alleging he set a fire at a rural Towanda home in July 1999. No trial date has been set.

a.m. The shelter is closed to residents during the day. Items for the Safe Harbor program can be dropped off at the shelter weekdays before 8 p.m. Donations also will be accepted on weekends, but contributors should call the shelter at (309) 829-7399 to ensure someone is available. Loaves and Fishes can use similar items for its lunch program that is offered from 11:30 to 12:30 p.m.

each Tuesday and Thursday. Sipula said the kitchen needs chicken, ham and chuck roast, celery, carrots, onions, potatoes, coffee, powdered drink mix and a variety of paper products including small paper plates, napkins, lunch bags, garbage bags, aluminum foil and plastic wrap. Donations can be taken to St. Mary's as early as 8:30 a.m. on meal days because volunteers are at the site preparing the meal.

Enter on the north side of the building off the parking lot. By Mary Ann Ford PANTAGRAPH STAFF BLOOMINGTON Two Twin City soup kitchens could use the community's help providing lunches each week. Donna Thomas at Safe Harbor, 212 N. Roosevelt has run out of some of the food items donated after a similar plea three months ago. Meanwhile, Tina Sipula, who operates the Loaves and Fishes Soup Kitchen, could use a variety of goods to accommodate the anticipated increase in people now that the kitchen has moved into a larger space.

Loaves and Fishes will open Tuesday in the basement of St. Mary's Catholic Church, 527 W. Jackson Bloomington, a location that will allow 200 to be served compared to 40 at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church. Thomas said Safe Harbor needs lunch meat, cheese, individual bags of chips, coffee and hamburger for its meal program. While the agency receives government commodities for the supper it serves each evening to residents, Thomas counts on donated items for the breakfast and lunch programs she initiated at the first of the year.

"Donations have slowed down in general," Thomas said. In addition, the cooler weather has prompted more people to seek shelter at the Safe Harbor, meaning there are more mouths to feed. Thomas volunteers about 30 hours a week making breakfast for the residents and giving them a sack lunch before they leave each morning at 7.