The Pantagraph from Bloomington, Illinois • Page 1

The Rev. Horton Heat rocks the BCPA stage GO! jjThe THURSDAY I Ausust20 Kl 2009 mvw.pantagraph.com (DILI II KB ft 1 Bloominpton-Normal CENTRAL ILLINOIS THUNDERSTORMS WiiMt 1 Ideas clash on gravel pit zoning By Mary Ann Ford mfordpantagraph.com BLOOMINGTON A noise expert told the McLean County Zoning Board of Appeals on Wednesday night that a gravel pit operation should be at least 2,640 feet a half-mile from a residential area or school. But an engineer who works for Stark Excavating said the setback should not be more than 100 feet to allow full excavation of a site. It was the second day of a hearing on proposed changes to McLean County's guidelines for gravel pits. The county is proposing changes after many questions i TV J'i "t'Htn 4i ----rir' I On the Web See for yourself Log on to The PantagraphSTEVE SMEDLEY Sharon Lahr stands in the doorway of her parents' home on the farm of Bill and Margaret Lahr at 833 1250th northwest of Mount Pulaski on Wednesday.

The home's roof and entire east wall were destroyed, and the home was knocked off its foundation. arose during a public hearing on a request by Stringtown LLC for a special-use permit for a gravel pit operation near Fox Creek Elementary School. The McLean County Board's Land Use and Development Committee suggested gravel pits be at least 1 read full I versions of the current and proposed ordinances: Tornado rips wall off house, foundation Wind and rain slam area By Kevin Barlow kbarlowpantagraph.com ELKHART Bill Lahr may be in his early 80s, but he still enjoys watching a good thunderstorm roll through the Central Illinois prairie. On Wednesday afternoon, Lahr had the perfect view I fi r- TV On the Web Storm Log on to see more storm photos and video: from his two -story farm home on Primm Road in rural Elkhart. But as a tornado bore down on the house, he got a little more than he expected.

The tornado ripped off the front 1,000 feet from houses and schools and that gravel loading areas be at least 2,000 feet from developments. Greg Zak, a former noise expert for the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, said besides changing the required setback, the county should require gravel pit operators to have a noise control plan that SEE PIT PAGE A10 U.S. businesses asked to help in H1N1 fight By Matthew Perrone ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON, D.C. Government officials are calling on U.S. businesses to help manage H1N1 flu this fall by getting vaccines to vulnerable workers and encouraging employees with symptoms to stay home.

Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said Wednesday that employers should develop plans for managing both seasonal and H1N1 flu, also called swine flu. Businesses should encourage employees who are at-risk for H1N1 flu to get the vaccine as soon as it becomes available. First in line are pregnant women, health care workers and younger adults with conditions such as asthma. The government is trying to prepare for the possibility of a widespread outbreak this fall, which could hurt businesses along with the broader economy by keep- SEEH1N1PAGE A10 I The PantagraphSTEVE SMEDLEY Bill Lahr, 87, is comforted by a passer-by after a tornado damaged his house in Mount Pulaski on Wednesday. of the home, expos- ing the entire house to the elements.

Fortunately, for Lahr, he and his wife, Margaret, escaped injury. "But they've lost everything," said Linda Bannister, one their daughters. The Lahrs' home was one of nine damaged in Logan County. The Logan County Emergency Management Agency is continuing to assess damage, but officials say the south and southeastern portion of the county were hit the hardest by a twister that at one point had a rotation of clouds 9 miles wide. Also hard hit by severe weather wag Williamsville, a town of 1,400 about 1,927 customers without power in Logan County shortly before 9 p.m.

Wednesday. In McLean County, 42. customers had lost power. Other counties where customers had outages were Woodford, with 113; De-Witt, with 35, and Tazewell County, with 148. SEE STORM PAGE A10 10 miles north of Springfield, where at least two dozen homes were damaged or destroyed, Sangamon County Sheriff Neil Williamson told the Associated Press.

In addition to the damage from the fierce wind and rain, several outages occurred across Central Illinois. The AmerenIP Web site reported INSIDE Anger saturates health care debate Congressman I wServ Jrs Office 1 fltfltoM 1 irMBaii 1 immmr Him imii On target ISU's enrollment is up about 2 percent, which is on target, early figures show. Local, A3 Tough slate A challenging 2009-10 schedule awaits the Illinois basketball team. Sports, Bl tradition of vigorous, public engagement or evidence of some new, alarming brand of political virulence? "Hate, if it ever truly threatened to leave the political stage, is most definitely back, larger and nastier than ever," University of Missouri journalism professor Charles Davis wrote this week in his local paper, the Columbia Daily Tribune. He urged the media to put a spotlight on the hate, rather than ignore it.

To some political veterans, the phenomenon is unprecedented. "There is more anger in America today than at any time I SEE ANGER PAGE A10 By David Crary ASSOCIATED PRESS NEW YORK The images are striking: One congressman's office defaced by a swastika, other congressmen heckled at public meetings, videos and placards likening Barack Obama to Hitler, private citizens with guns joining anti-Obama protests. Outside one meeting hosted by Sen. Ben Cardin, a Maryland Democrat, authorities detained a man with a sign reading, "Death To Obama, Death To Michelle And Her Two Stupid Kids." In this season of searing po- tl. ri 1 1 Celebration Associated Press JOHN BAZEM0RE A sign outside the office of Rep.

David Scott, in Smyrna, was vandalized earlier this month. litical heat generated by the health care debate, these incidents have raised divisive questions of their own. Are they simply the latest twists in a long The Economic Development More than a year in the making, Eureka is set to celebrate its Sesquicentennial. Section, D6 Council offers mentoring for new business owners to help them succeed. Money, CI Scattered thunderstorms FIND Lin iNTinpniaa Low 75 cents Bloomington, III.

Copyright 2009 The Pantagraph 4 sections, 32 pages Abby D4 Movies D3 Classified C6 Obituaries A7 Comics C5 Opinion A6 Crossword C7 Scoreboard B4 Horoscope C5 Sudoku C7 '4 Today's weather symbol was drawn by Abby Kimball, Sugar Creek Elementary, Normal. 6 million Wednesday lottery Pick 3 8-3-0 9-3-0 Pick 4 I-O-8-6 2-4-7-4 Little Lotto 18-24-27-29-35 Lotto 1-13-23-24-46-49 JACKPOTS Lotto $2.25 million Mega Millions $207 rr.