Herald and Review from Decatur, Illinois • Page 1

DECEMBER 7, 2002 DECATUR, ILLINOIS "TT IT 11 isTTs SERUKiS CENTRAL ILUHDIS SlfJCE 1078 Scrooge lives Church resurrects well-liked musicalBl Warrensburg winner 12th-ranked team in state captures openerDl lllini ready for road Arkansas to host undefeated IllinoisDl REAL-LIFE DRAMA nn Suspects shoot at Decatur police, then attempt to flee as nearby school locked down By RON INGRAM, MIKE FRAZIER and HUEY FREEMAN Staff Writers DECATUR Daniel Karakachos was putting up Christmas lights outside his home in the 100 block of South Dennis Avenue on Friday afternoon when gunshots pierced the air. Moments later, he saw a man running across the street from him. Hrfe Jsi I frJ "fe mm. h' rw i 3 nis3 0 cUwff toil i 5 ill "W-M I4-r-A, i'j -in jmk WW -j v- lln iiniflTOT dt i i i in nf lima in naiiuii it As police swarmed the neighborhood with semiautomatic rifles at the ready, Karakachos yelled out, "He went behind the house!" west and southwest areas before the two alleged robbers crashed their Ford Explorer onto the property of Dennis School, 1499 W. Main St.

They were quickly apprehended by police. One suspect, 26, listed a St. Louis address and the other, 27, gave addresses in Decatur, Rantoul and St. Louis. Both men were being held Friday night in the Macon County Jail for investigation of armed robbery and attempted murder of a police officer.

Deputy Police Chief Todd Walker said an employee of the credit union called police at 2:40 p.m. Friday to say she had heard a commotion in the main lobby and suspected a robbery was in progress. He said officers were dispatched, although initially police were uncertain if a robbery was occurring. As officers approached the credit union, a dispatcher told them the suspects were fleeing the building and running toward a sport utility vehicle, Walker said. Witnesses gave a good description of the alleged getaway vehicle, a blue SUV with a license plate that read "Curly," said Deputy Police Chief James Anderson.

As it turned out, the Missouri plate read "Gurly." But the description allowed an officer to spot the SUV at Monroe and Sawyer streets, Anderson said. Police began their pursuit. During the chase, which Anderson After a short while, he heard police say they found the gun. And a couple of minutes after that, he heard they got their man. His wife, Jaime, found her husband safe, but that didn't end her worries.

Their son, Skylar, 6, was still a block and a half away at Dennis School, which was about to dismiss for the week. She quickly called the school with an urgent message: "Don't let the kids out whatever you do!" That scene ended a real-life cops and robbers chase and shootout that wound its way from the Land of Lincoln Credit Union, 2890 N. Oakland through the city's north- Herald ReviewPhil Jacobs CAPTURED: Decatur police arrested two suspected bank robbers Friday after their Frd Explorer jumped the curb at West Main Street and Taylor Avenue near Dennis School at the end of a high-speed chase. INVESTIGATING: Land of Lincoln Credit Union teller Ann Albert unlocks the door for a police officer Friday afternoon, after the Oakland Avenue facility was robbed. wound through residential and commercial neighborhoods, the suspects fired at police squad cars while pursuing officers returned fire, Walker said.

At least one bullet hit the hood of a squad car and skipped up into the light bar on its roof, Anderson said. Police gunfire struck the SUV at least once, he said. Lisa Crosby was at home on North Taylor Avenue on Friday afternoon when she heard a screech outside. Her first fear: Someone had hit the family dog. R0BBERYA9 il id h4x Herald ReviewKelly J.

Huff tones mm tan share rvic Relative in Douglas County crime asks for justice President ousts Treasury chief Bush wants to convey fresh start for economy WASHINGTON (AP) President Bush pushed Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill and economic adviser Larry Lindsey from their jobs Friday in a Cabinet shakeup designed to control political damage from the ailing economy. By RICHARD GOLDSTEIN Springfield Bureau Writer ernor talked to them, satisfied he was paying attention to their case or convinced he merely gave lip service to their worries and would do what he wants. Ruth Adcock's parents and sister were killed during a break-in at her parents' rural Garrett farmhouse. William Bradley Kirchner, formerly of Decatur, was convicted in the Aug. 8, 1997, stabbing deaths of Charles Brewer, 69, Doris Brewer, 66, and their daughter, Bonnie Brewer, 37.

"We asked for justice for our family," Adcock said. She said that means Kirchner's execution. Asked whether she thought she would get it after her meeting with Ryan, she answered, "I don't know yet." The extraordinary get-together with about 50 family members was prompted by Ryan's suggestion he is considering commuting some or all of the state's 160 death sentences to natural life in prison because of his doubts about the death penalty in Illinois. "What he heard today will be an important MURDERA4 SPRINGFIELD Gov. George H.

Ryan and the families of murder victims exchanged views Friday about the fates of death row inmates convicted of killing their loved ones. Families emerged from a 2 12-hour meeting saying they were variously comforted the gov W-I cif tor Following plans laid weeks ago, Bush will quickly fill the vacancies and unveil a new tax-cut package, said advisers eager to portray the changes as a fresh start for the ppfinnmv Npw lmpm- Mattoon's 'Dear Abby parkers' remain anonymous officials still sulits counci Vrf I ployment figures matched an eight- year mgn, underscoring the economic situ- O'Neill ation. Garman Edwards By AMY HOAK Staff Writer ran in the Herald Review and in newspapers across the nation, a writer who called herself "Adventurous in Mat-toon" said a sheriffs deputy caught her and her husband heating things up in their car to get away from the "same old routine boredom." Henry and Lt. J.R. Redden said no one with the department knew the identity of the deputy mentioned in the letter.

"I'd bet any deputy on the road for any length of time has found parkers," Henry said. "The main reason for checking it out is to make sure it's con-sensual between two adults." PARKERSA9 Staff Report MATTOON If a Coles County sheriff's deputy really did catch a Mattoon couple sparking up their marriage by "parking," as a letter published in Thursday's Dear Abby column said, it would have been a rare occurrence. Two veteran officers with the sheriff's department said they never encountered a married couple during their years of dealing with "lovers lane" visitors. "Most were kids," said Sgt. John Henry, now a detective with the department.

"I did catch an elderly couple once, but that's about it." In the Abby column, which "I appreciate Paul O'Neill's and Larry Lindsey 's important contributions," Bush said in a brief written statement. White House officials said the president sought their resignations through chief of staff Andrew Card. "I hereby resign my position as secretary of the treasury," O'Neill said in a terse 46-word statement. Associates said he was tired of Washington, and might have left without a shove from Bush. "Firing its economic team is an overdue admission by the Bush administra- TREASURYA4 communicate more effectively.

The session came on the heels of the controversy surrounding a utility agreement involving the city and the Lincoln Square Theatre. Proponents of the session said its goal was to iron out differences and define the roles and responsibilities of officials. Those who opposed paying for Dority to mediate the meeting shrugged if off as a "group hug" and complained it was scheduled on a day when two council members two of the city manager's chief critics, C0UNCILA9 DECATUR A policy document aimed at improving working relationships among Decatur City Council members and city staff isn't yet scheduled for a vote, but some on the council are anxious to tweak it and get it adopted. The document, prepared by Tom Dority of The Mercer Group is the product of a Saturday study session in June, when council members, City Manager Steve Garman and other city employees met to pin down their job descriptions and generate ways to INSIDE LOW HIGH 50 cents Our 128th year Issue 341 Four sections WEATHER Today: Partly cloudy, breezy. Tonight: Partly cloudy.

DetailsB3 Business B7 Classifieds C1-10 Comics B4 Dear Abby B6 Life B1-6 inn miiiiii Movies B5 Obituaries A6 Opinion A8 Puzzles Tv Section inside '021 38 "OOOOl Outside.