Journal Gazette from Mattoon, Illinois • Page 3

LOCAL STATE www.lg-tc.com Friday, July 11,2008 HA3 Group wants to improve recycling services LOCAL Report services. The meeting is set -tv 4 -fty3 Public, city officials invited to strategy meeting Monday By ROB STROUD Staff Writer CHARLESTON Donna Wieck and Bob Whittenbarger were both perplexed when the city recycling bins they had been using "disappeared" this spring. Later, the two avid recy-elers found out that the bins had been moved from the fire station behind McDonald's to a site under the Adkins Drive water tower. The move of the bins sparked ongoing discussion between Wieck, Whittenbarger and others that has grown into a grassroots Citizens for Recycling group. Citizens for Recycling has invited the public and city officials to turn out Monday to air concerns regarding recycling options and develop strategies to improve these has a minimal impact on surrounding properties.

Hummel said Citizens for Recycling would be glad to provide "leg work" and other help to find a more central location for the bins and enhance recycling services. Adkins Drive is located on the north side of town, off of Illinois Route 130. The official hours there for the recycling bins are noon Friday through noon Monday each week. "It's got to be convenient for families, especially families that have young children," said Lou Conwell, a member of Citizens for Recycling. Conwell, who teaches third grade at Carl Sandburg Elementary School, said seeing their parents recycling helps reinforce the lessons children learn at school.

As an example, she said her school has been recycling for more than a decade. Citizens for Recycling member Alan Rathe said the group wants to encourage the expansion of recycling via Kevin KilhofferStaff Photographer A sign near the recycle bin on Adkins Drive north of Charleston on lUesday gives the recycling site's hours of operation. drop-off containers and other means if possible, including curbside recycling. Rathe is the coordinator for Eastern Illinois University recycling. Group member Sheila Simons has established This site includes a list of items that can and cannot be recycled at the Charleston State agency appeals Lutz discipline recommendation, wants license suspended Eric HilfnerStaff Photographer Larry Clapp of Ashmore stands among ash trees at the former Four Seasons Garden Center, 1050 Nursery Charleston, which he purchased this spring.

Clapp is currently trying to sell off the nursery stock and turn the 12.5-acre plot into a residential area. Gardening center purchased with plans for residential development for 6:45 p.m. in the Charleston Carnegie Public Library, 712 Sixth St. "It's not going to be a gripe session. It's going to be moving forward for solutions," said Kathy Hummel, a member of Citizens for Recycling.

The city moved the bins to make way for changes to the entrance and exit layout at the fire station property. The city and county share the costs for the recycling program. Jeff Lahr, who works on waste issues for the Coles County Regional Planning and Development Commission, said he has looked into alternate bin locations without success so far. The bins have been placed at the Adkins Drive site in the meantime, "We are looking for a long-term, permanent site," Lahr said. According to Lahr, the bins need a monitored site that is accessible to the waste hauler, currently Veolia Environmental Services, and that "Basically, we are just kind of blending it back in with the surroundings," Clapp said.

The 12.5-acre property on the semi-rural southern edge of Charleston also includes two ponds and an existing house, which Clapp plans to maintain. "The house is being totally remodeled. It will be like new inside," Clapp said. "The house will be ready and be on the market in the next 30 days." Clapp said there are still many trees, shrubs and landscaping supplies on the property that need to be sold. He said workers are available to transplant.

He said customers can stop by when they see people working there or call him at 232-5160 for an appointment. The Four Seasons Garden Center site in Charleston was previously known as Lee's Nursery. Charleston area residents still refer to the roadway in front of the property as Lee's Nursery Road. The group was traveling in three separate vehicles and had apparently come from Florida to Illinois in search of farm work, Montenegro said. The people taken into custody were five met) and one woman from Guatemala and five men from Mexico.

Cox said the deputy went to the station to stop a vehicle on an unrelated matter and noticed the large group of people there. The deputy became suspicious of the identity information he received from some of them, so the federal agency was notified, Cox explained. Montenegro said two of members of the group were in the country legally and were released. Others released were six children ages 9 months to 3 years and five adults who are the children's parents, she said. detained CHARLESTON Stomi debris to be picked up next week City street crews are scheduled on Monday to begin the curbside collection of storm debris.

Public Works Director Curt Buescher reported the street crews will begin on the north end of Charleston and proceed south, and will be covering every street. Residents may place their limbs in a pile near the edge of the street for collection. The street crews will not go onto private property. The piles should be placed so they do not block the sidewalk or the street. Crews are scheduled to make one pass through town.

The city's leaf and limb dropoff site on West Madison Avenue is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for residents who wish to haul their landscape waste to this site on their own. MATT00N Charleston man accused Police arrested Christopher M.Gast, 21, of Charleston for domestic battery at 11:30 a.m. Monday in the 300 block of Richmcid Avenue after he allegedly engaged in a physical altercation with a person whom he has relations with. Gast, who was taken into the custody of Charleston Police Department, was transferred to Coles County Safety and Detention Facility in Charleston. MATT00N Siiplis auction is this nsonoginMattoon The city surplus equipment auction may offer some bargains today.

The auction, which this year includes bicycles, signs, a mower, truck parts and more for sale, starts at 9 a.m. at the old garment factory at Pine Avenue and 32nd Street, near Lytle Park. CHARLESTON Fire, police board to meet on Monday The Charleston Board of Fire and Police Commissioners is scheduled to meet at 3:30 p.m. Monday in the basement conference room at City Hall, 520 Jackson Ave. The board will consider amending the city's emergency medical technician licensing requirements in regard to the hiring of new firefighters.

Other agenda items include accepting scores for entry-level police officer and firefighterparamedic testing, establishing entry-level polite officer and firefighterparamedic initial eligibility lists, removing three police officers and 10 firefighterparamedics from the experienced final eligibility lists, and issuing final certification to one firefight-erparamedic. CHARLESTON Home rule group to meet Tuesday Home rule communities, regulations, and revenues will be discussed on Tuesday by the Charleston Home Rule Ad-Hoc Committee. The panel's meeting is scheduled for 5 p.m. Tuesday in the basement training room at City Hall, 520 Jackson Ave. By DAVE FORAY Staff Writer CHARLESTON Officials with a state agency still say a proposed reprimand against Coles County Public Defender Lonnie Lutz isn't enough for charging a fee tp a man he had been appointed to represent.

The Illinois Attorney and Disciplinary Commission is asking the Illinois Supreme Court to suspend Lutz's law license for 30 days. The commission appealed a finding by its own review board that Lutz should only receive a reprimand for not telling Max G. McCall that he would receive the same legal services whether he hired Lutz or whether Lutz remained as his court-appointed attorney. Charleston attorney Rodney Smith, who's representing Lutz in the proceedings, said the commission misunderstood its review board's findings. He noted that, earlier in the process, an ARDC hearing board recommended that Lutz receive no punishment.

"We look forward to the Illinois Supreme Court dismissing the charges," Smith said. "The hearing board got it right the first time." Smith also said he'll file a response to the ARDC appeal for the Supreme Court to consider. Lutz, who no longer takes private clients and works only on court-appointed cases, couldn't be reached for comment Thursday. The ARDC complaint against Lutz alleged that after a judge appointed him to represent McCall on a marijuana offense in 2004, Lutz told McCall it would be in his "best interests" to instead hire Lutz as a private attorney. McCall claimed that he was led to believe his case would get a higher priority that way than if he remained a court-appointed client, the complaint said.

The ARDC review board report said Lutz received a total of $2,159 in payments from McCall, who was eventually convicted and received a nine-year prison sentence. bins, and other related information. Lahr said the formation of Citizens for Recycling is great for the city and county's ongoing recycling efforts. "We are going to need citizens' input," Lahr said. Contact Rob Stroud at or 348-5734 The board said the harm to McCall was "limited," namely payment of an unnecessary fee, but there was nothing to show that Lutz suggested that McCall hire him privately.

In August of last year, an ARDC hearing board made an initial recommendation that the case be dismissed. The commission then appealed that finding to its review board and recommended a 30-day suspension of Lutz's law license, but the review board recommended that the Supreme Court only reprimand Lutz. The deadline for either the ARDC or Lutz to appeal the reprimand recommendation was Wednesday, and commission spokesman Peter Rot-skoff said the Supreme Court will probably make a decision on the case sometime during its September term. A reprimand would be a mark on Lutz 's disciplinary record and wouldn't prevent him from practicing law. The ARDC appeal contends that the license suspension is the "appropriate sanction" because it follows the.

discipline in similar cases in the past. It says Lutz "overreached" his attorney-client relationship with McCall by not fully explaining the situation to him. McCall claimed that during a private meeting at Lutz 's office in February 2004, Lutz said McCall's file would be placed in a smaller filing cabinet if he hired Lutz, instead of the larger cabinet he used for his court-appointed cases. Lutz denied he made the comment about the filing cabinets, but said he did tell McCall that he had fewer private cases than court-appointed ones. The ARDC hearing board's conclusion last year was that McCall wasn't believable and noted that "the only testimony in support of the charge of dishonesty or misrepresentation came from McCall." Contact Dave Fopay at or 348-5733.

homes, but there is no evidence that the activity referenced in the messages is occurring in any local communities. He recommended people call local law enforcement if they have questions about such a text message or concerns with security at their homes. NOTICES Readers MOES SPORTS BAR Fish Fry Every Friday BRIAN'S PLACE $2 JAGER $1 Rolling Rock Giveaways SIMS' GREENHOUSE 100 Shelby, Mattoon 40 Off. Closing soon for hot summer. i By ROB STROUD Staff Writer CHARLESTON A new owner has purchased the former Four Seasons Garden Center in Charleston with plans to eventually offer the 12.5-acre property for housing or other development.

The remaining trees, shrubs and landscaping supplies at the property, 1050 Nursery Road, are being sold off in the meantime. Larry Clapp of Ashmore recently purchased the property from the estate of Jerry Hesse, co-owner and operator of the Four Seasons Garden Centers in Charleston and Mattoon. Hesse, of Mattoon, died in April 2006. Clapp said he hopes to find someone who would like to develop the property for housing or other purposes. He has started transitioning the property away from being a nursery and plans to demolish some of the garden center buildings.

Several alleged illegal Steve Matheny of Century 21 Hutton-Matheny Realty Inc. said his company listed the Charleston and Mattoon Four Seasons properties in February as the first gardening season without the two nurseries open dawned. "I never had so many calls on a listing," Matheny said. "I could not believe the response to the property in Charleston." Matheny said some potential buyers also have expressed an interest in the former Four Seasons at 312 N. Logan St.

in Mattoon, but this approximately 3-acre property is still on the market. The Mattoon property includes a two-story retailoffice building as well as two greenhouses and a machine shed. "It's a good opportunity for someone with some type of business," Matheny said. Contact Rob Stroud at or 348-5734. Family of teen girl missing for six months calls for help CHICAGO (AP) The family of a teenage girl missing since January is urging the Chicago Police Department to increase their investigation into her disappearance.

The family says police believe Yasmin Acree ran away from home. But the girl's mother, Rose Starnes, says mere are many reasons her daughter wouldn't run away, including her excitement about starting her first job During a gathering outside a police district headquarters Wednesday, the Reverend Marshall Hatch said the missing girl's case is not getting the attention it deserves because she is an African-American honor student from the West Side. Grand-Central Commander Joseph Salemme is calling the family's criticism insulting. Starnes said she last saw her daughter January 14 as she left to visit grandchildren in Elgin; When she returned home, she found the locks cut on two gates, and door to the basement forced open. immigrants Police say text message warning of local assaults may be hoax Staff ReportO MATTOON Law officers are receiving calls regarding a text message apparently spreading false information this week through Mattoon and other East Central Illinois communities.

Mattoon Police Chief Dave Griffith said the text message reportedly claims people dressed in business suits are going door-to-door to gain entry for committing sexual assault in Coles and Shelby counties. "It sounds like a message for being on the lookout, but it is a possible hoax. We have received calls about it and so has Charleston and Shelby County Sheriff's office," Grif-fith said. Griffith agreed residents should be wary about allowing strangers into MATTOON Eleven people were taken into federal custody at a local gas station Tuesday morning after authorities discovered they were apparently in the United States illegally. A total of 24 people were first questioned by a deputy with the Coles County Sheriff's Department, who discovered the group at the BP station on Miller Road near the Showplace 10 movie theater about 5 a.m.

Tuesday, Sheriff Darrell.Cox said. After U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was notified, agents from its Springfield office arrived and detained the 11 people who will begin going through deportation proceedings, said Gail Montenegro, a spokeswoman for the agency..