Herald and Review from Decatur, Illinois • Page 3

House of Mouse A Decatur woman has devoted herself to collecting all things MickeySunday Local Questions or comments regarding this section? Contact Night Editor John Reidy ramis state flight records analyzed by The Associated Press. After being asked about the flights Friday, Gov. Rod Blago-jevich ordered Brunsvold to reimburse the state for all Brunsvold trips that started or ended at his home and for two trips to South Dakota for charity hunting events. "At a time when we are requiring state government to accomplish more with less, Director Bruns-vold's use of state planes and helicopters is an egregious abuse of taxpayer money and the public trust," Blagojevich spokeswoman Cheryle Jackson said. She did not say how much money Brunsvold SOLDIERS' FAMILIES SUPPOmr GROUP F7 I an through long other strength Natural Resources chief ordered to repay flight expenses SPRINGFIELD (AP) While overseeing millions of dollars in budget cuts and laying off scores of agency workers, the head of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources was using state planes and helicopters to fly from his hometown to business engagements around the state.

At least nine times since his appointment in March 2003, Joel Brunsvold has used state aircraft to shuttle to or from his home 120 miles from Springfield, according to Parents suffering absences lend each By KUEY FREEMAN Staff Writer PARIS Every parent of a combat soldier has a rocky road to travel, but it gets rougher when news starts rolling in of fatalities among members of the same unit. The Paris-based 1544th Transportation Company of the Illinois National Guard lost five soldiers during its first seven months in Iraq, including a sergeant who was killed March 17, the first day in the country. Parents of six members of the 1544th banded together one year ago in Wisconsin, when their children were preparing to serve in Iraq. The parents, who are all from Central Illinois, say their support group, which meets monthly and stays in touch daily, has carried them through this long year. "This has been the worst year of my life," said Diane Wetherell of Stewardson, who has two sons in the 1544th.

"I couldn't have done it without having this group to rely on. This group has been like an oasis for me in the desert." The time of extreme stress and worry is almost over, as the 1544th has begun its return home. Sgt. David Wetherell, oasis 'It's just unbelievable. right here in of us, and he's It's great' Sheila Schroedtei; whose son, just returned from Iraq Stephanie meeting teen, the Army school were that is That fly to News from Central Illinois DECATUR Korean War presentation Richland Community College will host a Korean War Veterans presentation 1 p.m.

Monday, Feb. 14, in room C142. Guest speakers include Floyd Cooper and Dave Mayberry of the Korean War Veterans Association. The community is welcome to attend. Call 875-7211, ext.

392. FORSYTH Microsoft Word class The Education and Training Center will offer adult computer classes on Microsoft Word 5:30 to 7:45 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, Feb. 15-17. The cost is $25, and students should be able to type at least a little.

Call 875-0061. MOUNT urn Rep. Johnson mobile office A staff member for U.S. Rep. Tim Johnson, R-Champaign, will conduct mobile office hours in Macon and Piatt counties during February.

District aide John Morris will offer constituent services by appointment or on a walk-in basis. Constituents are encouraged to call 348-6759 to make an appointment. Morris will be at Mount Zion District Library from 11 a.m. to noon and at Macon Community Center from 1 to 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb.

16. He will be at Cerro Gordo Village Hall from 11 a.m. to noon and at Monticel-lo Municipal Building from 1 to 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 23.

Water Street closure Work by Bendsen Signs Graphics Inc. will close Water Street between Main and Wood streets and State Street between Main and Wood streets from 5 a.m. to about 3 p.m., Monday, Feb. 14. DECATUR State park ranger president Park ranger Chief Ward Davis was elected as president of the Illinois Parks Law Enforcement Association, the Decatur Park District announced.

The organization represents park district law enforcement officers throughout the state. Davis joined the park district as chief park ranger in March 2000. He also served with the Decatur Police Department from 1967 to 1995. OECSTUR Pershing Road work Work by city crews will partially close the 700 Block of West Pershing Road from 8 a.m. Tuesday, Feb.

15, to about 3:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 18. Old House Workshop The city of Decatur's Historical and Architectural Sites Commission will hold its 10th annual Old House Workshop 8 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.

on Saturday, Feb. 19, at the Decatur Masonic Temple. Professionals will present how-to sessions for fixing older homes. Scheduled sessions include Metallic Faux Finishes by Ellen Taylor; The Genealogy of your House by Karen Kumer of ArchiSearch; Salvaging How to Find Architectural Treasures by Mark Edwards of Bloomington Architectural Salvage; Approaches to Historic Landscaping by Jennifer Schultz, University of Illinois Extension; Appropriate Accessories for Your Bungalow, by Annette Russo, Millikin University; and Chair Caning by Colleen Curtis. Registration for the workshop is $10 per person and includes continental breakfast.

The event is sponsored by Soy Capital Bank and Trust Co. For more information, call 424-2786. BLUE M0UM0 School screenings Developmental screenings for children ages 3 to 5 who have not been attending preschool in the Meridian School District will be March 14 at Blue Mound Interme-diate School and March 15 at Macon Primary School Appointments are required by March 4. Call 692-2081 or OpinionA4 at 421-6973 would be asked to pay. Through early December, Bruns-vold's helicopter bills topped all other state executives, including the governor, and his use of state planes for special trips exceeded everyone's but the governor and lieutenant governor.

Brunsvold's flights cost the Department of Natural Resources $7,800. The true cost to taxpayers is unclear because the state Transportation Department pays more for operating aircraft than it charges agencies, including not charging for empty flights to pick up an official or to return after dropping one off. Transportation Department rules allow for such use, and Brunsvold, 62, defended the practice as a time-saver when asked about it this week. zr JLL Clinton. "They were all there, wanting to know what they could do," Morris said.

"Diane and Ruth (Shasteen) were at my house the following night to comfort me." While Morris did not know the severity of the injuries, she was comforted when she received a smiling picture of her son a few days later, with two bandaged hands and a bandaged arm. Beside him in the photo was Sgt. Shanna Wilson of Robinson, whose parents, Mark and Winetta, would join the group a few months later. Huey Freeman can be reached at or 421-6985. get 'unwrapped7 versity.

His background includes arts council executive and music teacher at an elementary school in Niles. Greenblatt said the biggest difference from his previous job in Evanston and his new post is "this is separate, nonprofit, free-standing and not part of city government." "Everybody's been great so far," Greenblatt said. Greenblatt spoke philosophically about where he believes the council should head. "I strongly believe we should be a granting institution," said Greenblatt. "We should support local groups through dollars." Greenblatt also said he'd like to bring the arts to area children.

Greg Fields can be reached at gfields or 421-6986. iiredirs irk 1 Brunsvold said, for example, having a helicopter fly to Moline, near his Milan home, take him to Springfield for a bike trail ribbon-cutting June 5, then take him back home He arrived in Springfield at 8:15 a.m. and returned home at 10:15 a.m. "I could have spent three hours driving here and three hours driving back, but it's a lot easier in a helicopter," he told the AP on Tuesday in his Springfield office "My time is as valuable as anybody else's, and that's a work-related issue on a weekend. I think it's the best way to do it." Brunsvold said he hopes to soon move to Springfield, where he bought a home in October 2003.

Couple file wrongful birth lawsuit Accuse doctors, Sarah Bush center By DAVE F0PAY Staff Writer CHARLESTON A Mat-toon couple think doctors should have given them a better idea about their son's condition before he was born, and now they want them to pay for his problems. Danele and Nathanial Kilz-er are suing Sarah Bush Lincoln Health System, the organization that administers the Coles County hospital, and physicians Rick Miller and Aldo Ruffolo, claiming prenatal examinations should have discovered the birth defects of their son Logan. The Kilzers and Sarah Bush officials refused to comment on the case. While this type of lawsuit may be new for Coles County, it is not unheard of in Illinois. Eugene Basanta, professor at Southern Illinois University School of Law, said the state's courts have allowed lawsuits such as the Kilzers' in which parents say they might have terminated a pregnancy if they had received medical advice about their child's condition.

"Illinois has recognized that, under those circumstances, parents can sue and recover the expenses they'll incur," Basanta said. The lawsuit says Danele Kilzer received an ultrasound examination during a prenatal checkup in February of last year, but there were no additional checks between then and when her son was born June 18. It says the baby was born with several defects and a genetic disorder that should have been detected, and the suit asks for damages to cover the couple's additional expenses in raising the child; no court dates are scheduled. Marshall Kapp, another SIU law professor, said wrongful birth lawsuits have not been successful in other states, presumably because the courts have decided it is better for a child to be born with disabilities than to not be born at all. "You have to prove there was an injury," Kapp said.

"The courts in general have been unwilling to find that being born is an injury." Basanta said Illinois courts make a distinction when it comes to what are called "wrongful life" suits, which courts have "consistently" said aren't valid. In those distinctive cases, the parents sue on a child's behalf for pain and suffering because of the deformity, he said. "I guess the notion is that it's fairly easy to accept that if (parents) had been properly counseled, (they) might not have conceived at all or terminated the pregnancy," he said. "That's different than the child saying he'd be better off having never been brought into this world." Dave Fopay can be reached at or 348-5733. -m, Herald Review photosPhil Jacobs Elmer, left, looks at one of the photographs Ruth Shasteen brought to the monthly of parents with relatives in Iraq.

recently returned to United States to attend leadership training in Nebraska. They among a group of 15 now in Nebraska. group is scheduled to Fort McCoy, today. Schroedter said in a phone interview Friday afternoon from Wisconsin. "You worried so long, it's hard to stop.

It's just unbelievabla He's right here in front of us, and he's OK. It's great." Sheila Schroedter had planned to attend a meeting with the group members, which she arranged with the Herald Review for Thursday afternoon. But after receiving a call from the National Guard informing her that her son was flying in within hours, she hopped a plane to see him. Cathy Morris of Lerna said the other parents rushed to her side when she heard her son, Spc. Derrick Jeske, was injured in a roadside bombing that took the life of another soldier, Spc.

Jeremy Ridlen of He's front OK. About 45 company members arrived at Fort McCoy at 3 a.m. Friday, including Spc. Blake Schroedter, 21, of Newton whose mother, Blake, Sheila, also belongs to like surreal," Sheila 24, and Sgt. Jake Shasteen of Sullivan, the son of Ruth and Mike Shas- Mi arts council Greenblatt boasts wealth of experience By GREG FIELDS Staff Writer DECATUR Harmon Greenblatt's office has a "new guy" look about it.

There are boxes in the corner, no pictures on the walls. He doesn't even have a business card. "I'm so new I've yet to be unwrapped," Greenblatt said. What Greenblatt's office lacks, he more than makes up with enthusiasm. Greenblatt, a native pf Chicago, is the new executive director of the Decatur Area Arts Council, replacing the beloved Susan Smith, who died in March.

The council's board of directors the group. "It's chief can't wait to picked Greenblatt from an exhaustive list of candidates. Applicants were thoroughly researched and interviewed for several qualities such as fund raising, relevant experience and an arts background, said Michael Gibson, chairman of the council's board of directors. "We feel we chose the best candidate," said Gibson, indicating the board's decision was unanimous. Greenblatt, who was offered the post two weeks ago, has a resume that includes a Fulbright scholarship to Romania, teaching in the Middle East and serving as executive director for the Evanston Arts Council for more than three years, Gibson said.

Greenblatt graduated with an economics degree from Northwestern University and a master's degree in music education from DePaul Uni.