Herald and Review from Decatur, Illinois • Page 2

mm tani Decatur, Illinois, Wednesday, June 24, 1992 9 ii Altai o)(0) -ft LJ The EIU power plant has become a world-class boondoggle and a burden on the backs of Roland Burris Illinois Attorney General A ates. A company spokesman was not available for comment Tuesday. The suit alleges BDM is responsible for nearly 20 design flaws and errors in carrying out the project. The cost to correct the errors is $1.1 million. The suit also asks that BDM cover the cost of a $425,000 judgment against the state from a related suit, filed by a Missouri contractor, Natkin Co.

It also says BDM should pay for any damages awarded against the state in a related suit by the same contractor. Burris' lawsuit also goes after Natkin, claiming it shares responsibility for deficiencies in a scrubber. The suit seeks $130,000 from Natkin or its insurance company to cover those costs. It seeks another $187,000 from FMC the maker of the scrubber. Finally, the suit seeks $224,000 from Hays Republic which designed a computerized combustion control system for the plant that the state claims is faulty.

State sues Champaign firm for errors in 11-year-old EIU power plant project. By JEFFREY RAYMOND Mattoon Bureau Chief CHARLESTON The state is trying to recover $3.2 million spent on "a world-class boondoggle" at Eastern Illinois University. Eastern's long-awaited but never operational coal conversion power plant has cost more than $10 million since work on it began in 1981. A litany of engineering problems has kept the project from being completed. On Tuesday, Attorney General Roland Burris filed a $3.2 million lawsuit in Coles County Circuit Court against a Champaign architectural firm, a contractor, an insurance company and two manufacturers of power plant components.

He said the suit targets "those whose mismanagement and mishandling led to this monumental mess." The General Assembly approved an extra $1.3 million last year to make the final corrections to the plant. Mia Jazo, a spokeswoman for the state's Capital Development Board, said the new deadline to make the plant operational is October, when it will undergo a six-month test. The main target of Burris' lawsuit is Brown, Davis, Mul-lins and Associates, a Champaign architectural firm. The firm is commonly known as BDM, even though last year changed its name to Gleason, Hagen, Ramshaw and Associ DMA test nDts isuW if life I J- vW W- AV mm Vjjp vt5- "j-j -im vkf FX Shelbyville man killed in crash SHELBYVILLE -A 78-year-old Shelbyville man was killed late Tuesday morning when his car went off the road and ran into a house. John H.

Jordan was driving, east on Route 16 when his car veered off the roadway for over 400 feet and hit a house, Illinois State Police said. Jordan died at Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center. Extensive damage was done to the house. Truck overturns, operator injured MATTOON A Charleston man was listed in fair condition Tuesday after the truck he was operating overturned onto its side. Jerry A.

Baumgartner, 61, was in the cab of the parked vehicle when he activated the dump, preparing to unload some rock, police said. He later told authorities that he believed the truck might have been loaded on one side, thus causing the vehicle to tip. The incident happened in an unloading area at Howell Asphalt, 1020 N. 13th in Mattoon at 10:44 a.m. Monday.

The truck is owned by Trucklines of Charleston. Baumgartner was taken to Sarah Bush Lincoln Helath Center. DOVE, Charleston shelter get grants SPRINGFIELD Two Central Illinois domestic violence shelters will get more than $320,000 in state grants during the budget year starting July 1. DOVE in Decatur will receive $235,207. The Coalition Against Domestic Violence in Charleston will receive $86,189, the Illinois Department of Public Aid said Tuesday.

A total of 48 Illinois community organizations wiH get $8.2 million in grants if the legislature approves the spending. The agencies receiving grants provide a broad range of essential services, including emergency shelter, 24-hour crisis line, transportation, food, clothing, counseling, advocacy and community education. The grants are expected to help 34,000 women and children. Crossing repairs to close King Drive Martin Luther King Jr. Drive at the railroad crossing north of Eldorado Street will be closed starting at 7 a.m.

today through July 3 for track improvements. The Norfolk Southern railroad is renewing the crossing, said Bud Benton, track supervisor for the railroad. King Day planning committee to meet Planning is under way for the 1993 Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration. A steering committee will meet at 5:30 p.m.

Thursday in the management services conference room on the second floor of the Decatur Civic Center. The meeting is open to the public. The committee will meet the fourth Thursday of each month at the same time and place. The committee has 12 members, and is looking for more. Angela Hughes of Decatur will serve as chairperson of the event.

Photo by Dennis Magee Paramedics from the Decatur Fire Department and Decatur Ambulance Service tend to Leasheka Young, 11, of 1261 E. Walnut who was injured Tuesday morning when her bicycle and a car collided on East Walnut Street. The driver of the car left the scene before police arrived. Young was treated and released from Decatur Memorial Hospital. EOT i Lest Disipp obh lis Decatur teacher gains new respect for communication skills.

By JEFFREY BILS Staff Writer wheels became a frustrating exercise in communication. How do you communicate the color gray? "I pointed to black, and I pointed to white, and I sort of put the two together," Barr said. "I sort of did, like, you're stirring." And how do you describe bad weather, which caused a change in flight schedules and ultimately led to the lost Defense expert in murder trial says sample was insufficient. By JIM GETZ Taylorville Bureau Chief VANDALIA There's two reasons why you shouldn't believe Stuart Heaton murdered 16-year-old Krystal Lynn Naab, defense attorney William Fair told jurors in his opening statement Tuesday. First, Fan said, the prosecution's DNA tests linking Heaton's semen with that found on Naab's body are inconclusive.

Second, two people saw Heaton in Vandalia at 12:30 p.m. July 23, 1991 around the time the murder occurred nine miles north in a trailer in the countryside near Ramsey. "We ask that you give this matter your best consideration and bear with us as we present evidence," Fair told the Fayette County Circuit Court jury. Heaton, 25, of Bluff City is charged with two counts of first-degree murder. Fayette County State's Attorney Don Sheafor rested his case Monday after presenting 33 witnesses and 60 pieces of evidence to try to prove Heaton had sex with the girl and stabbed her 80 times with a pair of scissors.

Closing arguments in the case are expected this morning. Circuit Judge Joseph Fribley already has told jurors they would stay overnight in a Vandalia motel if they could not reach a verdict today. Dr. Robert Allen, who performed DNA testing at the American Red Cross Blood Services laboratory in St. Louis, had testified Friday that semen found oh Naab matches Heaton's.

DNA is the genetic molecule unique to each human being. But Dr. Gary Litman, a pediatrics and molecular chemistry professor at the University of South Florida who has evaluated genetic samples for trials, testified that there simply was not enough DNA tested for Allen to reach his conclusions. Identical DNAs are revealed through identical bands on charts known as autoradiographs. Sheafor and Litman became visibly frustrated with each other when, time after time, Litman told Sheafor the matching bands either did not exist or were not dark enough to be accepted scientifically.

"One can't arrive at any conclusions with this analysis, and I'm going to point the finger and say it was because there wasn't enough DNA to do the analysis," Litman said. "There weren't any standards." A week ago, Fayette County Coroner Gary Blurton testified Naab probably died 2 to 4 hours before her brother, Curtis, found her at 4 p.m. On Tuesday, Vandalia residents Ralph Bruno and Jean Carter testified to seeing Heaton at 12:30 p.m. and 12:40 p.m. July 23 at Landreth Lumber Co.

in Vandalia. Bruno, a Landreth employee, said Heaton came in to pick up an estimate on a deck. Bruno remembered the time because his manager was at lunch. Carter, a friend of the Heaton family, said she "waved and hollered" at Heaton before he pulled his pickup truck out of the Landreth lot. Barr Improvised excursion "made me more sensitive to those who can't express themselves as well," Barr said.

That, ultimately, was one of the most important lessons Barr said she learned as she and Suellen Brauer, another Decatur teacher, toured the former Soviet Union through the People to People International Citizen Ambassador Program. Barr returned to Decatur Saturday. And being more sensitive to her students needs is a lesson Barr said she would bring back into her Decatur classroom. On the other hand, Barr said she definitely would not mimic some of the teaching techniques she saw during the trip. Many of the teachers still use a harsh "drill and practice" method of teaching, leftover from the days of Stalinism, when creativity was frowned on, Barr said.

"Actually, they did more learning from us than we did from them when it comes to teaching practices and methods," Barr said. But when it comes to life experiences that can enhance a teacher's abilities, she said, the American teachers came out way ahead. Sometimes lessons come in strange packages. That was certainly the case for Carol Barr, a sixth-grade teacher at Adams School in Decatur who spent two weeks in the former Soviet Union. Her mission was to learn more about her profession by visiting foreign schools and talking with the teachers there.

Little did she expect that one of her most valuable teaching experiences would happen shortly after she landed at the Moscow airport without her luggage. "Here's my introduction to Mqscow, by myself, trying to describe lost luggage," Barr said. The airport officials didn't understand her English. What otherwise would be a simple matter describing a gray suitcase with "I did rain with my fingers," Barr said. Slowly, agonizingly slowly, Barr was able to make her point to the bewildered airport personnel and her luggage finally caught up with her three days later.

At the time, it was a nightmare. But now that Barr can relax and look back at her international experience, she feels a greater empathy for her students. Her airport experience and other difficult language experiences during the two-week Mm anofD msm 9 Noland says picketers may be sorry By REIO MA6XEY Staff Writer White said. "I am tired of special interests and party politics keeping us from a decent health care system." "They're dead wrong," Noland said. "It infuriates you when a group says you do something based on contributions, your friends or on your business associations before you were elected." White said the group has figured that Noland accepted approximately $10,000 from medical and insurance industry political action committees since he was ap Noland targeted, but he says program would double budget.

By REI9 HA6XEY and ANGELA CALLAHAN Staff Writers Carrying signs and chanting slogans, three dozen supporters of universal health care picketed outside Mate Rep. Duane Noland's Decatur office Tuesday. Noland, a Blue Mound Republican, opposes creating a state-run health insurance system, which prompted Tuesday's "accountability picket" by the DecaturMacon County Area Committee for Universal Health Care. The local group and others around Illinois are organized under the banner of Campaign for Better Health Care. Noland couldn't hear their chants because he was in Springfield.

In an interview, Noland called universal health care plans "a tax increase in disguise. It would double the entire state budget." "According to a recent survey, my constituents adamantly oppose any increase in their taxes," No-land said. But universal health care supporters have their own survey. "We've found that in a survey, the majority of Illinois citizens want some sort of health care different from what we have," said Walt Dannewitz, an organizer for the local Campaign for Better Health Care. The group is critical of Noland's votes on bills in the state legislature calling for health care reform.

"We're aJdng Noland to support an amendment to study this situation," Darinda Redding of Decatur said at the rally. Noland voted against one amendment and for another amendment to the universal health care bill May 21. The universal health care bill itself is dead, but the amendments could come back attached to another bill, Noland said. Noland Denies influence Illinois medical and insurance industries purchased state Rep. Duane Noland's vote against universal health care with campaign donations, a group charged Tuesday.

Noland denied the allegation and said the accusers will be sorry the next time they need his help. "Sometimes you can close doors when you use those tactics," said Noland, R-Blue Mound, noting that group members are also involved in other issues usually labor. "They don't want to debate the issues," Noland said. "They would rather infer something illegal based on campaign contributions." The group, Campaign for Better Health Care, picketed Noland's Decatur office to protest his vote against an amendment to a universal health care bill in Springfield. "When every opinion poll states that the public wants a universal health care program, Rep.

Noland votes against it," said group organizer Bob White, a member of the Allied Industrial Workers union. "Is he voting the wishes of his constituents or those who put PAC money in his campaign fund?" pointed to the General Assembly in 1990. But Noland said he voted against the medical interests' key bill last year, health care surrogates, which allowed the appointment of a surrogate for hospital patients who are incompetent to make their own decisions. This year, Noland said he voted against the insurance companies' big issue, supporting a bill that allows vehicle owners to choose which auto glass repair shop to use. Insurance companies wanted to designate certain shops..