Herald and Review from Decatur, Illinois • Page 32

Parents' complaints LONQ BUS RIDES: Some reports of nearly two hours, children failing asleep and missing stops. The district says 1l4 hours is long but not too long and that drivers are conscientious about checking buses. BUSES TOO CROWDED: Parents report as many as 77 on bus. District can't rind that many and says drivers told not to drive with that many children. RIDES DISORGANIZED: Parents say some children pass own homes twice before getting to or from school, transfers make no sense.

District says routes made as logically as possible, though it will try to correct exceptions. warrant another bus route and that 1 12 hours is not too long to ride a bus. When school board member Paul Daily said be did not care bow long his children rode the bus as long as they got to and from school on time each day, the room erupted in yelling. Mike Sullivan, a Humboldt resident and Lake Land College trustee, figured an extra bus route would cost the district less than $3,000 per year. Smith, though, disputed his figures.

Smith said if the community decided an extra bus or two was worth the expense, the district ran the risk of running a deficit in the transportation budget and needing more tax money to cover it His statement was met with rolled eyes and groans. The school board meets again Tuesday night By JEFFREY RAYMOND HAR Mattoon Bureau ChM MATTOON Parents and school board members agree the busing situation needs work. But while school district officials ask for patience, aome of the 40 or so parents at Friday night's special school board meeting let it be known their patience to wearing thin. Superintendent Earnest Smith addressed several concerns that parents have brought to him since school started two weeks ago. The problems arose when the district closed one school because of financial problems and had to redistrict the remaining six elementary schools.

Problems with busing students from Humboldt, a village of about 500 located 10. miles north of Mat-toon, include inconvenient and unsafe pickup points, confusing transfers, crowded buses, long bus rides, and drivers driving too fast will resolve. For example, instead of waiting in front of the firehouse for their bus to schools in Mattoon, Humboldt students will be allowed to wait in front of Humboldt School. But busing problems extend beyond Humboldt. Parents in some sections of Mattoon say their children must walk to school in hazardous conditions.

Smith said the district will lose part of its transportation reimbursement if it allows students who live within IV. miles of school to ride the bus. He did allow Friday, though, that the board could petition the Illinois Department of Transportation to declare the routes hazardous. That would allow the students to ride the buses and the district would not lose reimbursement. But parents remained upset when he insisted that not enough students' were riding buses this year to Smith said he examined each problem.

Some he could not substantiate and others be has resolved or Rains soak broom festival Schedule By JEFFREY RAYMOND Herald Review Staff Writer ARCOLA Well, they still have the second and third days to go. The first day of the Broom Corn though, was mostly a washout because of heavy rains Friday afternoon. Vendors couldn't keep their wares displayed, musicians couldn't hook up electrical sound systems and festival visitors couldn't stroll the brick streets without getting soaked. Festival organizers hope the weather today and Sunday cooperates, but forecasters say more rain is likely. Still, Broom Corn Festival will go on.

Am vW-: 8 a.m. ABC 5K and 1 0K race, Moore Memorial Park, registration at 7 a.m. 10 a.m. Fair opens; awards presented to road race runners; beer tent open until midnight. 10 a.m.

Battlecreek, country and soft rock. 11:15 a.m. Chet Kingery's Knights of Bluegrass. 12:30 p.m. Buddy Lee and Mark Hal-derson, Oak Street Stage.

I p.m. The Whites, Oak Street Stage. 3 p.m. Broom Com Festival Grand Parade. 4:30 p.m.

Battlecreek. 5:30 p.m. Buddy Lee and Mark Hal-derson. 6 p.m. The Whites, Oak Street Stage.

7:30 p.m. Knights of Bluegrass. 8:30 p.m. New Harvest, modern country and western, Oak Street Stage. 8:30 p.m.

Teen dance, disc Jockey Sunday 7 a.m. Lawn Chair Chapel, Areola ministers. 10 a.m. Festival opens. 10:30 a.m.

Kiddie tractor pull, Main Street. II a.m. Battlecreek. -Noon Knights of Bluegrass. Noon Beer tent open until 8 p.m.

1 2:30 p.m. Buddy Lee and Mark Hal-derson. 1 p.m. Shenandoah, Oak Street Stage. 2 p.m.

Areola Jaycees people pull. 2:30 p.m. Buddy Lee and Mark Hal- derson. 3 p.m. Shenandoah.

4 p.m. Battlecreek. 5 p.m. Festival closes. The rain did allow Gary Forrester, lead singer of the Australian bluegrass band The Rank Strangers, to watch on television as the St.

Louis Cardinals came from behind to beat the Chicago Cubs. Forrester grew up in Tuscola where, among other things, he delivered the Herald Review and became a Cards fan. He attended law school at the University of Illinois before a whim and a successful job application took him to a teaching position at Melbourne University in 1976. He came back in 1980 with an Aussie wife, Margaret, living on Indian reserva-! tions in South Dakota and Oregon until 1985. When Forrester went back to Austria- lia in 1985 he latched on to some local bluegrass musicians looking for a lead singer.

Forrester fit the bill. "They needed someone with an accent," said Forrester, who sometimes lapses into an Aussie tone from his slight Tuscola drawl. Photo by Herb Slodoonik Oreana Elementary School pupils invited grandparents to Mary Rohrscheib of Warrensburg. Joshua is the son of Randy lunch at the school on Friday. Seated in the middle is Joshua and Nancy Rohrscheib of Decatur.

Grandparents' Day is Sunday. Rohrscheib, 9, with his grandmothers, Fern Davis of Decatur and About 200 to 250 grandparents were expected to attend. Hillsboro to party in Robin Hood's domain Bthe news staff Where: Sherwood Forest, on the northeast side of Lake Hillsboro; vistors can find it by following signs in town for the "Lake Hillsboro Campground." When: Today, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Admission: Adults, children (3-11 years), 50 cents; 2 and under, free. Today 10 a.m.: Crystal Dance Troupe 10:30 a.m.: Medieval combat by Society for Creative Anachronism 11 a.m.: Archery demonstration 11:30: Troupe Mirage dancers Noon: Zambini the Sorcerer 12:30 p.m.: Music. 1 p.m.: Lady Caroline, storyteller p.m.: Medieval combat by Society for Creative Anachronism 2 p.m.: Crystal Dance Troupe 3 p.m.: Jousting demonstration, Knights of the Silver Sword, Chicago theatrical group 4 p.m.: Zambini the Sorcerer 4:30 p.m.: Troupe Mirage dancers and archery demonstration 5 p.m.: Music 5:30 p.m.: Medieval combat by Soci-' ety for Creative Anachronism Sunday 11 a.m.: Crystal Dance Troupe 11:30 p.m.: Archery demonstration Noon: Medieval combat by Society for Creative Anachronism 12:30 p.m.: Troupe Mirage dancers, storytellers 1 p.m.: Wandering minstrels and archery demonstration 1 :30 p.m.: Zambini the Sorcerer 2 p.m.: Jousting demonstration, Knights of the Silver Sword 3:30 p.m.: Crystal Dance Troupe 4 p.m.: Medieval combat by Society for Creative Anachronism, plus archery demonstration 4:30 p.m.: Zambini the Sorcerer By KEVIN McDERMOTT Bureau Chief HILLSBORO How would ye like to go to Sherwood Forest this weekend, to chat with Robin's merry men and catch a few jousting matches? i The third annual Olde English Faire opens today at Sherwood Forest (that's its real name) on Lake Hillsboro. Ex-panded activities this year include jousting matches by a Chicago theatrical troupe. The fair was dreamed up five years ago, when Bob Wessell, a Hillsboro drove through the Hillsboro City Park and discovered it had been renamed "Sherwood Forest." "I thought 'Boy that's dumb, a Sher-: wood Forest right in the middle of Wessell recalled.

"But the more I thought about it, I figured we should make lemonade when life, gives us lemons!" With the support of the Hillsboro City Council, Wessell and some friends studied an annual Robin Hood-era festival in Pe- oria, and researched Medieval England to lend authenticity to Hillsboro's fair. The idea has been growing ever since. The first two-day festival opened in 1987 with about 1,000 Last year's brought in 1,700, and Wessell expects about 2,500 this year. "I saw this as an opportunity to promote Hillsboro," explained Wessell, a budget control clerk at the Central Illinois Public Service Coffeen Power wandering minstrels, Middle Eastern dancers, archery contests and costumed magicians. Games, food, handcrafted jewelry and other goods will be sold.

Twelfth-Century costumes aren't required, but anybody who wears one certainly won't feel out of place. 'I'll foe the one dressed as Friar Tuck," Wessell said. "The whole intent of the festival is to promote education and entertainment at little or no cost to the people." A committee of 14 people, headed by Wessell, continues to organize the festival annually. He said more than 30 volunteers also help bring it together. Among the attractions at the fair (or "faire," as Robin Hood buffs put it) are Communities tout 'wheres' at SIU Doctors Fair Cocaine blamed in death A Richland County Coroner's inquest has ruled the death of Flora resident Dale Allan De Vaugh a result of a cocaine overdose.

DeVaugh, 25, had a heart attack June 30 at about 4:30 a.m. as he was on his way home. A man who was with the victim told state police DeVaugh had swallowed cocaine before he died. County coroner Randy Kistler said the jury took about 9 minutes Thursday night to make the determination that DeVaugh died "from acute car-dio-respiratory arrest due to a reaction from cocaine ingestion." State police believe DeVaugh got the cocaine from a Chicago source. Police run down suspect A man wanted for failing to appear at a court proceeding led Decatur police on a brief foot chase early Friday before being captured.

The 29-year-old suspect was stopped on the 500 Block E. Leaf-land at about 1 a.m. Police, after finding out he was wanted for failure to appear in a Macon County court proceeding, arrested him. But just before the man was handcuffed, he broke free and fled south. After a foot chase involving several officers, he was caught on the 500 Block E.

Condit one block away. The suspect was booked on an escape charge. Convicted man flees A man convicted of aggravated criminal sexual assault failed to show up for sentencing Friday and is thought to be on the run. Gary Brown, 28, a South Webster Street resident formerly of Georgia, was convicted last month of assaulting an 8-year-old girl. He had deposited cash bail of $500 for the case and $200 for an unrelated pending assault charge.

He faced a sentence of between six and 60 years for the conviction, according to Assistant State's Attorney Kathy McCkire. Fisher, and want to return to a small town. "It's a chance' to see some of the opportunities that are out there for us," she said. "I've seen a couple of places I definitely want to go see and I'm only a third of the way through," Tom Rohde said. "I'm not into the stuff.

I came for the information." closer to finishing their medical training and making decisions on where to practice. One was Tom Rohde, who is nearing the end of his residency at the Family Practice Center of Decatur. Rohde and his wife, Ann, were high school sweethearts who grew up in rural Pitch works for Vandalia hospital board. It is perfect for someone who likes small-town life. Jenison was offering pens, paper clips, and honey candy, because the town has a Honey Bee Festival each year.

"It's like any other sales mission. The more contacts you make, the better chance of success," he said. Hospital administrator John Dillon agreed. "If just one pans out to be a lead, it's certainly worth it" Goodies were high on the agenda, particularly for the medical students, who were more interested in the free-bies than were the residents. Besides food, giveaways included leather business-card holders, visors, sweatbands, first-aid kits, key rings, and refrigerator magnets.

Pens and penlights, all emblazoned with the name of the offering stitution, were everywhere. "You get a lot of good, free stuff here," observed Glenn Winslow, a medical student from Greenville, one of the 200 or so people who attended. Residents, by contrast, appeared more interested in the people and the printed materials, since they were By ANTHONY MAN Springfield Bureau Chief SPRINGFIELD Oppressive humidity and occasional rain dampened the participants, but not their spirits, at Friday's Doctors Fair. Fairgoers from throughout Illinois, stayed optimistic because they came to seek a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow: doctors. The Southern Illinois University School of Medicine's 11th unnual Doctors Fair was essentially a large marketplace doctors and prospective doctors thinking about places to work, and communities and hospitals offering jobs.

It was aimed at medical students, who still have years of classroom work and hands-on training ahead, and the more desired residents about to become fully licensed doctors. Nobody left with a physician in tow, but scouts from towns with 1,500 people and cities with 150,000 people at least left Springfield with leads. One was Paris Community Hospital. The area was one of the big selling points for Ned Jenison, a member of the ing the younger physicians to replace the older ones who retire," he said. "You can't stop and start and stop and start." Sandra M.

Barkley, physician relations coordinator at Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center in Mattoon, offered a similar view. "Even if you don't end up with a physician, when they start looking for a practice, they'll hopefully remember you," she said with her fingers crossed, "if they don't know about you, they can't consider you." ANTHONY MAN SPRINGFIELD Charles D. Rob- -erts, administrator of Fayette County Hospital, used the quality of rural life as a pitch to attract doctors Friday. That approach worked for the Vandalia hospital last year. A resident whom Roberts met last year will meet with him today and sign a contract agreeing to a practice in his community.

Harvey Pettry, administrator at Richland Memorial Hospital in Olney, said he recruited some doctors a couple of years ago, and a presence is needed i even if no firm contacts result. "You've got to be constantly recruit- I.