The Pantagraph from Bloomington, Illinois • Page 1

www.pantagraph.com SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2002 $1.75 I LLINOIS Illinois State falls 9-0 to Western Kentucky sports Finding hot toys still one of harder parts of holiday shopping Focus i PA A TPMT IT 1 i VjC yLJL jl jl ft 0: con; Ten years after the completion of the final stretch of Interstate 39 between Bloominglon-Normal and LaSalle-Peru, the communities that line the road reflect on the changes progress has brought. Many governor races are still close Taking ROAD Gang ties evident in city's 3 killings By Kevin Simpson PANTAGRAPH STAFF BLOOMINGTON Gang connections are evident in each of Bloomington's three killings this year. Although police say the slay-ings of Mary Walker on May 11 and Robert C. Reed on Oct. 6 were committed by gang members, police don't believe the crimes were motivated by the suspects' gang affiliations.

A motive in Thursday's shooting death of Antonio Perry, who has gang ties in his crimi- of nal back- ground, re- suspected mains under gang-related investigation, incidents Regardless Bac, page of motive, the three slay- ings underscore growing police concern over an escalation of violence and gunfire involving gangs. Through September, Bloom-ington police had recorded 36 gang-motivated crimes, including 24 where firearms were used. In six of the incidents, someone was struck by gunfire. That compares to 30 gang-motivated crimes and 16 weapons offenses during all of 2001, according to Bloomington police. Statistics do not reflect gang-related crimes unless the offense was motivated by gang membership.

Normal police, meanwhile, investigated 21 gang-motivated incidents, including six involving guns, during the first nine months of the year. Last year, Normal recorded eight crimes involving guns among its 26 gang-motivated incidents. There also has been a steady increase in gang violence over the past 18 months, and the severity of those incidents has risen steadily, said Jack McQueen, criminal intelligence analyst for Bloomington police. Gang violence, he said, "is not slowing down, and I don't have an easy answer for you. This is the first time since 1990 that we have had a cycle without a beginning or end.

It's a continuum." Twin City police also have discovered gang members have been armed with higher quality and caliber weapons during drug investigations, traffic stops and incidental contacts, said McQueen. SEE GANG BACK PAGE ASSOCIATED PRESS More than a dozen races for governor remain neck-and-neck in this election's final, furious days as Democrats push to win back control of a majority of the states' top offices. Republicans, who gained that majority in 1994 by wresting 11 governor's mansions from the Democrats, now face the strong prospect of losing their 27-21 majority. Though each state focuses on "-'St its own issues, close and the governors closely have a lot to offer watchod the national par- watcnea ties, including a races loud voice to Back page shape domestic policies and a platform to boost presidential hopefuls in 2004. The stakes are clear to Republicans, who know what the past eight years of GOP dominance after years of Democratic control in the states has meant: "It's helped us deliver the White House, number one," said Connecticut Gov.

John Rowland, chairman of the Republican Governors Association. "Nationally, Republican governors have helped frame the issues on welfare reform and education reform and given more power back to the states," he said. This year, term limits and retirements make the situation tough for the GOP: Of 36 seats up for election, Republicans are defending 23, while Democrats are defending 11. Minnesota and Maine are held by independents. Add to that falling state revenues and program cuts, and incumbents and those tied to outgoing administrations are vulnerable to calls for change.

Democrats expect to pick up seven seats, and possibly as many as nine. SEE GOVERNOR BACK PAGE GOP hopes to win Senate in election ASSOCIATED PRESS By Karen Hansen PROJECT COORDINATOR Each Monday through Friday, Cathy McKay of Minonk is among thousands who drive to and from work via Interstate 39. "I couldn't ask for a better commute," said McKay, an academic adviser at Illinois State University "I used to drive (U.S.) 51 it was the most dangerous road. Thank God they put in 39." Buffered by farmers' fields, seemingly uncongested, the unbroken stretch of interstate from Bloomington-Normal to LaSalle-Peru marks its 10th anniversary this fall replacing a treacherous stretch of U.S. 51 known as "Killer 51." But Interstate 39 has brought more than safety to Central Illinois.

Since its beginnings, the road has reshaped life along the corridor. Today an interstate interchange can mean more revenue but also more police calls; schools may receive more local dollars, but less state support. The eco- Missing 'KILLER 51' Pantagraph file photo Despite the damage, this 1987 collision on U.S. 51 near Hudson resulted in no deaths. Rescuers remember killer road By Kevin Simpson PANTAGRAPH STAFF HUDSON Few people can appreciate Interstate 39 the way Del Thomas does.

The Hudson Fire Department chief vividly recalls far too many fatal crashes on "Killer 51" the old stretch of U.S. 51 that ran north from Normal in the years before 1-39. The department's territory covers the highway from just north of Normal to the Mackinaw River bridge, north of Evergreen Lake. Traffic crashes claimed 22 lives along that 9.5 mile stretch in the three years before the completion of I-39 in 1992, said Thomas, citing state police records. In the decade since then, he estimates there only have been a handful of fatalities along that same stretch of what is now 1-39.

"You've lost 22 in three years," said Thomas, still numbed by the statistic. "After a while you know there was a lot but you don't realize how many. It shook me in a way to think we lost that many A lot of them I knew." SEE KILLER 51 PAGE A6 Cherry Valley Hillcrest DeKalb Rochelle Steward Oglesby ottawa Streator VLostant kWenona Paw Paw Mendota 4 Troy Grovel LaSillejp rpr PeruH I I IWTonica INSIDE ABBY E2 BOOKS C5 CLASSIFIED Hl CROSSWORD C5 HOROSCOPE G4 LOTTERY A2 MOVIES G4 OBITUARIES B5 STOCKS F4 TRAVEL Gl VIEWPOINT CI quences for communities near and far will be profiled in a two-day series, Missing 51: 10 years of Inter state 39, be- ginning today. lOyearSOf wthe Interstate 39 completed stretch through Cen- Inside tral Illinois is I El Paso has old, the first seen benefits inklings of I- of Interstate 39 developed Page A6 more than a half-century Coming Monday A look at towns for a national that were interstate missed by 1-39 system. and prospects As part of for the future.

America World War II defense strategy, 40,000 miles of interstate highway were proposed including a route from the Wisconsin border to Southern Illinois along U.S. 51. "We wanted a road system that would enable us to move the men and materials of war," said Tom Teague, executive director of the Illinois State Historical Society in Springfield. A lack of funding stalled progress, "but Central Illinois supporters didn't give up and began pushing for a safer north-south route through the area. Interstate advocates referred to the need for "The Missing 51," referring to the number of miles between the Twin Cities and LaSalle-Peru.

Two-lane U.S. 51, with its hills and curves and speed, was dangerous. One particularly perilous year tallied more than 500 accidents and 11 fatalities between Rockford and Decatur. Central Illinois shops along the highway used to sell t-shirts that declared, "Pray for me. I drive Route 51." SEE ROAD PAGE A6 Rutland Minonk T.Panola aPPa.

gQ WASHINGTON, D.C. Republicans hope to buck history and capture Senate control in an Election Day contest so excruciatingly close that factors as fickle as the weather may help decide the outcome. Arkansas, Colorado, Missouri, New Hampshire, Minnesota and South Dakota all have tossup Senate races, and the outcome in five other states is far from sure. Operatives from both parties agree no visible overriding national issue has arisen that should tilt the voting to either party's advantage. "I wish I was smart enough to give you a good answer," said Democratic pollster Fred Yang when asked what the decisive factor might be.

"I don't think there's a single factor, it's race-by-race," said GOP consultant Jan von Lo-huizen. Minnesota and New Jersey have been the settings for the campaign's most extraordinary events, both featuring the unexpected re-emergence of 70-something candidates. In Minnesota, former Vice President Walter Mondale stepped in as Democratic candidate after the death of incumbent Sen. Paul Wellstone after the crash of Wellstone's campaign plane Oct. 25.

Former Sen. Frank Lautenberg became the Democrats' nominee in New after Sen. Robert Torricelli dropped out because of ethics allegations that seemed to doom his re-election drive. Lautenberg seems likely to win, while Monday's prospects are uncertain. SEE SENATE BACK PAGE Weather TODAY'S FORECAST Cloudy; showers later on.

High 42 Low 32 For complete weather information, see Today's Weather on the back page. Copyright 2002 The Pantagraph A PULITZER NEWSPAPER 1 'Towanda Danvers ftsoU Normal wT7 Bloomington Stanford rp. Downs f3? (5u McLean' 3. Pantagraph graphicMICHAEL FREIMANN 9 sections, 72 pages.