Glancing Back for Nov. 2: Expensive video equipment stays put
CHARLESTON — Fifteen liquor establishments in Charleston have filed a petition asking that they be permitting to sell alcoholic beverages on Sundays. The petition was filed on behalf of the bars and restaurants of Ron Tulin, a Charleston attorney. The city code currently permits one restaurant or steakhouse and one motel or hotel to serve liquor between noon Sundays and 1 a.m. Monday, and the package liquor stores to sell liquor from 1-6 p.m. Sundays ... CHARLESTON — Miss Judy Wilson, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. H.W. Wilson of Mattoon, has been cast in EIU's production of "The Bacchae," opening in the Fine Arts Center Playroom. Miss Wilson has choreographed the dance numbers in the production. The play, by Euripides, deals with the threat of all-out licentiousness or all-out censorship, 2,500 years ago in Greece...The race for Coles County state's attorney post pits an appointed Democratic incumbent against a vocal Republican nominee. Bobby F. Sanders, appointed to the post in November 1973 after the death of the late John McCarthy, is opposed by GOP lawyer Paul Komada. Both men are from Charleston and both have basically come out in support of the same issues. Sanders claims experience as an assistant state's attorney under McCarthy and as the incumbent. Komada also served as an assistant state's attorney under L. Stanton Dotson — McCarthy's predecessor. Pointing out the state's attorney has the option of deciding whether or not to prosecute cases, Sanders said he will be lenient with first time marijuana offenders on an individual basis if the amount of cannabis is not too great. Komada has said he might also be lenient in such cases. Hitting hard at Sanders' record of prosecution, Komada has pledged to enter into negotiated pleas only in extreme cases. He has also pledged to seek the extensive prosecution of all cases.
CHARLESTON — Workers began going door-to-door today in the start of Coles County's property reassessment project. Representatives of Sabre Appraisals of Miamisburg, Ohio, will begin reviewing residential property in the eastern part of Mattoon. Jim Dew, project manager, said the field workers will be measuring the sizes of houses and asking questions about the residences. "They won't know anything about taxes," Dew said. "They are just data collectors." ... MATTOON — At the Aurora Foods frozen food division headquarters in St. Louis on Monday, employees received complimentary Lender's bagels from the back of a vintage 1927 Lender's truck. At the Lender's bagel factory in Mattoon, employees received "goodie bags" with product samples from other Aurora Foods divisions that include established brands such as Aunt Jemima, Duncan Hines, and Mrs. Butterworth's. That was a way of welcoming the Lender's line to Aurora's family of products. At a luncheon meeting at Lake Land College's workforce development center, Aurora officials met with local officials and the media to discuss their first day of ownership of Lender's and its Mattoon production plant. Aurora, a four-year-old company that owns some 100-year-old brands, announced in September an agreement to purchase Lender's bagels from Kellogg Corp. for $275 million ... CHICAGO — Walter Payton the elusive running back who was the NFL's all-time leading rusher and took the Chicago Bears to their only Super Bowl championship, died Monday after battling a rare liver disease. He was 45. Payton rushed for 16,726 yards in his career, one of the most awesome records in sports. He missed only one game, and that was when he had an ankle injury during his rookie season. Although his nickname was "Sweetness," Payton's running style was bruising. He vaulted over goal lines. He stiffed-armed and barreled over tacklers in the open field almost as often as he dodged them ... MARION — About $79,000 in state-owned video equipment meant to be used for college classes remains in the Pepsi bottling plant owned by prominent southern Illinois Republican Harry Crisp, despite earlier assurances that the under-utilized equipment would be moved. The equipment, including a 27-inch color television, cameras, and microphones, was supposed to be used for public classes at the plant as part of an off-campus program with John A. Logan College. But in the four years it has been there, it has only been used for one class. Ross Hodel, deputy director of the Illinois Board of Higher Education, said he decided to leave the equipment in place at the request of Jack Hill, who heads a consortium of southern Illinois colleges. Hill, a Republican, has political ties to Crisp dating back to his two unsuccessful runs for the statehouse. But he said his relationship with Crisp had nothing to do with the request. "I just thought they needed more time," he said. Crisp's dealings with Illinois community colleges and universities came under scrutiny after it was revealed that Southern Illinois University officials gave him an exclusive no-bid contract to provide concessions at SIU-Carbondale sporting events.
