The Daily Illini from Urbana, Illinois • 3

news the daily illini. tuesday, march 28, 1978 3 Area ice storm leaves thousands without electricity 88 de An ice storm accompanied by high winds damaged power lines and poles along south First Street Champaign, Friday. Although Illinois Power workers were able to repair the damage and restore power to south Urbana, the repair crews were not able to prevent extensive blackouts that occured late Friday and Saturday in other areas. (photo by Mick Ireland) Weekend's storm hardly over for many rural county residents Thousands of rural Champaign County residents were still living in darkness Monday night in the wake of a crippling Easter weekend storm. Freezing rains and gusting winds toppled hundreds of area power lines, leaving customers with only their gas stoves for heat and shared generators as temporary sources of electrical power.

Cyndy Felty, a schoolteacher from Tolona, said the temperature was 38 degrees in her house when she woke up Saturday morning. Felty, whose husband was away when the power went out Friday afternoon, said she was left with only one-half gallon of water in the house. To make matters worse, a power line was blown down in the Felty's backyard. Felty said she contacted her power supplier, Illini Electric Coop Friday and Saturday, but "they have never committed themselves to any day" to make the repairs. "I'm trying not to step on it and keep the dogs away from it," (the power line) she said.

"We're sleeping on the floor because our water bed is 44 degrees," Felty added, her breath still visible in the chilled house. "It's been kind of fun, but I wouldn't want to be too much longer without it (the power)," said Helen Bircher of Tolono. a "pretty good job of keeping everything warm." Tolono residents Lee and Wella Fisher set up makeshift living quarters in their basement to take advantage of a gas heater they had installed one year 18 ago. "I really can't complain, we haven't had any serious I do miss television and a warm house," Wella Fisher commented. Senator's Inn Restaurant on U.S.

45 South of Champagn lost an estimated $3,000 of Easter weekend business when the blackout forced them to close from Friday afternoon until Monday morning, according to manager Sam DuPuy. DuPuy said the restaurant has not finished totaling the losses from spoiled refrigerated food. Tolono farmer Bob Trowbridge demonstrated some of the comraderie which often develops in emergency situations. Trowbridge said his generator is being shared among five households and "has been running 24 hours a day." Trowbridge has been using the generator six to nine hours each day in his own home, providing enough electricity for his two children to at least watch a portable black and while television, while powering essential household appliances. All the blacked-out customers seemed resigned to cope with the chilly situation until the power can be Bircher said the fireplace and gas oven were doing Pizza World car stolen, returned to Quad by Curt Pesmen Cohn first reported the car taken," Richard said.

"Apparently A pizza delivery car was delivered "hot" to the Quad after it was stolen early Monday and quickly recovered before reported missing, according to police. After Allan Cohn, junior in LAS, made his last Pizza World delivery of the night at 611 E. Daniel Champaign, he returned to find his delivery car missing. The car was picked up by University Police on a sidewalk just west of Noyes Laboratory within 30 minutes, according to Paul Dollins, University police chief. No arrest was made, nor were any suspects apprehended.

by Maureen Cahill and Mike Waters staff writer missing at approximately 12 a.m. to Joseph Richard, manager of the Pizza World store at 102 E. Green Champaign. The car was reportedly left locked with the engine running for no longer than three minutes when it was taken. Cohn had the car keys in his possession, according to Champaign police records.

University Police located the car at 12:11 a.m. and notified Champaign Police of the recovery before Richard reported the missing auto to Champaign police at 12:22 a.m. "Our driver came out and saw the car had been broken into and UIUC Official Notice Thinking of dropping out? Want to talk about it with someone who's been there? Talk with a Peer Adviser in 130 Student Services Building, available 10 a.m, to noon and 1-3 p.m., Monday through Friday. Peer Advisors are students who have dropped out and returned to school. They are available to provide you with relevant and practical information, not to make up your mind for you.

Call 333-0057 for more information. by Linda Tufano and Mike Waters The Easter weekend usually brings mild weather and spring flowers but not this year. At least not in central Illinois. A major ice storm swept through the area Friday and Saturday, downing power lines and leaving thousands of residents without electricity throughout the weekend. Federal disaster relief funds were requested Saturday by Sen.

Charles Percy, R-Ill. and Gov. James R. Thompson after Thompson declared 24 central Illinois counties a disaster area. Federal disater workers were evaluating the damage Monday afternoon.

A spokesman for the governor's office said a decision is expected soon, but did not know when. Approximately 900 people in rural areas of Champaign-Urbana weere still without electrical power Monday afternoon. Illinois Power spokesman Tom Illinois Power spokesman Tom Taylor said the ice and winds toppled 175 power poles in the twin-city service area. He estimated that power would be returned to rural customers by Wednesday afternoon, but added, "There will be some isolated cases where power won't be restored until the end of the Johnson Kanady, IP assistant to the president in Decatur, estimated cost of the damage in the millions. He said that while power has been restored to Decatur, IP is having problems distributing it to customers.

"It will be some days before everyone has his power back," Kanady said. Large parts of Springfield, Bloomington, Jacksonville and Danville were also without power Friday night. Central Illinois Public Service, with customers in hundreds of central Illinois communities, lost 47 miles of 138,000 volt transmission lines that had supplied power for a million customers. "The power lines just cascaded and fell over like dominoes," Bill Voisin, CIPS spokesman, said. Power is being restored "very slowly" to several cities, he said, and some communities will not have power until Thursday or Friday.

"At the present time we have no count on the number of towns still without service," he said. WAND-TV, Channel 17 in Decatur, stopped broadcasting Friday afternoon and still has not resumed service, according to a spokesman. The electrical lines to the station's steel broadcasting tower went down Friday, and the tower itself toppled at 2 p.m. Saturday. WAND considered erecting a temporary tower, the spokesman said, but will instead transport the fallen tower's transmitter from Argenta to an old 550-foot tower located behind the television station.

Monday afternoon, chunks of ice were falling from the temporary tower, punching holes in the station's roof and causing flooding and an undetermined amount of damage to equipment. "We might be on the air in 10 to 14 the spokesman said, although not all of the Central Illinois area will be served immediately. Public Televison WILL-TV in Urbana, was off the air from Friday afternoon to Sunday evening. Mike Mottler, assistant manager, said electical service was lost at 2:38 p.m. Friday when the two power lines feeding the station's transmitter went dead.

The 20- to 30-foot power poles The 20- to 30-foot power poles feeding the lines were toppled by ice and wind. The station secured a diesel electric generating unit Saturday evening from Caterpillar Tractor in Peoria, Mottler said. Working through much of the Easter holiday, a Caterpillar mechanic and University electricians hooked the generator to the Monticello broadcasting tower. "Full power was restored at 6 p.m. Easter Sunday, and we've been on the air with it ever since." Mottler said.

Illinois Power has told WILL that it will take from three days to a week to restore service to the station. Champaign police reported 22 automobile accidents Saturday and Sunday because of ice-covered roads, while Urbana reported "no accidents to speak of." Glen Coughill, county superintendent of highways, reported that Monticello road was closed west of Bondville, due to fallen power lines. The storm also closed U.S. 49 and 45, according to the Illinios State Police in Pesotum. U.S.

49 was closed late Friday night, said Sergeant Cal Showers, but one lane south of Homer to Oakton is now open. U.S. 45 was closed Monday afternoon, but Showers predicted the stretch from Tolono to Pesotum would open Monday evening. Illinois Bell Telephone fared well, according to a Champaign spokesman. No large areas were without phone service, although some isolated homes were without telephones Friday night.

the car had been driven up on the Quad. The University police almost caught him." Richard added that Pizza World delivery cars have been repeatedly vandalized in the past, and that the car taken Monday was unmarked. According to Richard, someone had previously removed the store's lighted sign from the auto. University police knew the 1976 blue Gremlin belonged to Pizza World, because of a warming oven in the rear of the car and because "they know we have Gremlins," Richard said. The car was not damaged, Richard said.

EYES EXAMINED See or call Weisser before you buy Contact Lenses (hard or soft lenses) Ask for a free trial with new Softlens by Bausch Lomb Student, faculty and staff discount Weisser SAVE OPTICAL Dr. Donald R. Johnson, Optometrist 518 E. Green, 356-4733 Mon-Sat 8-5 Municipal Parking Next Door.