People

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Local breeder's herd of hedgehogs is in high demand

Sarah Roberts lifted a little hut covering Bailey and her offspring and plucked the protective mother off her babies, four tiny hedgehogs that looked like a clump of cactus.

"She has two girls and two boys," said Roberts, who has made a business of raising and selling the playful, trendy and trouble-free African pygmy hedgehogs. She also shelters hedgehogs who have run into trouble in other homes where owners no longer want them, often because they've grown old or become sick.

Paxton's Pacey kids graduating four at a time

PAXTON – Twenty-two years ago this week, the last of the Pacey quadruplets came home from the hospital.

It was a sweet Mother's Day for their parents, Brenda Pacey, a librarian, and her husband, Paxton attorney Steve Pacey, who had waited anxiously while their children's tiny lungs grew strong enough to let them breathe on their own.

Lifelong learners finish another odyssey

Yo, graduates – new diploma in hand and thinking school is out not just for the summer, baby, but for good – take one more lesson from folks like Doris Downs, 78, of Savoy and Mamie Brown, 49, of Champaign, who graduated after a fashion themselves this weekend.

"I'm probably going to be a lifer as far as going to school and getting educated," said Brown, who graduated Saturday from the Odyssey Project, a college-accredited course in the humanities offered at no cost to people living below the federal poverty level.

Saturday, May 10, 2008

Fourth-grader honors grandmother in essay contest

DANVILLE – Nancy Henderson thought she was going to a Cannon Elementary School assembly on Friday to watch her 10-year-old granddaughter, Honesty Morgan, get an award.

She didn't realize that she was the guest of honor, too.

Barracks to be named for Piatt County Marine

MONTICELLO – The Marines are naming a barracks for Piatt County's only Medal of Honor winner.

Pfc. Robert C. Burke, one of 13 brothers and sisters from Monticello, died on Go Noi Island, Vietnam, on May 17, 1968 – but only after saving his fellow Marines from enemy fire.

Thursday, May 8, 2008

Journalist Quindlen touts female strides

URBANA – Anna Quindlen's own family tree illustrates the progress the country has made in the lives and rights of women, in just three generations.

The Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and novelist called it the "greatest societal change in the history of the country." Quindlen was the keynote speaker Wednesday afternoon at the Biennial Conference for Women at the University of Illinois.

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Heir apparent to be nominated for county engineer's post

DANVILLE – Three years ago, Doug Staske became the county's assistant engineer with the intent of some day succeeding county engineer Bob Andrews.

That day has almost arrived.

Monday, May 5, 2008

Central's Jones picks surprise Indiana as college choice

Champaign Central senior point guard Verdell Jones announced today that he will play college basketball at Indiana University.

"I have chosen to attend Indiana University to be a future Hoosier under Coach Tom Crean," Jones wrote in an e-mail to The News-Gazette. "I chose the university because of playing style, Coach Crean's energy, and the tradition."

DACC teacher 'was out there for the world'

DANVILLE – When Mary Elizabeth Coffman died unexpectedly last week, she left behind the footprint of a free spirit who voraciously embraced the world and all the lives she came across.

"It just seems like there's a big, black hole in the world right now," said close friend and former colleague Martha Kay, 69.

Sunday, May 4, 2008

Council unlikely to stop man from airing anti-Semitic views

URBANA – Timothy A. Brumleve is sitting in his haven.

The razor-thin Brumleve, wearing a dirty brown jacket and work pants, is in the cramped basement of his Urbana home. He's surrounded by old televisions and videocassette recorders. A bare bulb provides light, and an old desk chair with a collapsed back provides seating.

On metal shelves, long cardboard boxes of videotapes are piled on top of each other. "Jews," "New York" and "Oklahoma" are some of the titles on the boxes.

Tock teens have the looks that make cameras start clicking

Jeff and Kathy Tock are proud of their tall, attractive children, but Mahomet residents say they were all a little surprised when a Chicago modeling agency launched their careers into high gear.

Suddenly, the Tocks' three youngest children started showing up in national ads and even on a magazine cover, coached by their oldest daughter, Erika, who will graduate from the University of Illinois in May with a degree in music.

Danville pastor finds joy in bringing people together

DANVILLE – Pamela Starr considers herself a homemaker in God's house. At one point in her ministry, this was literally true.

"Twice we actually lived in a part of the church where I served. In one church, there was no clothes dryer, so I would spread the clothes out to dry in the sanctuary," Starr said with a smile. "I always had everything picked up and folded as quickly as possible, but at any time, Jesus could have been surrounded by laundry."

Thursday, May 1, 2008

Woman's personality shined in academic, other successes

PAXTON – Ashley Marcotte was a well-liked and accomplished student at Paxton-Buckley-Loda High School and a published poet and devoted family member in her private life.

By all accounts, she was a special person who is greatly missed.

Monday, April 28, 2008

Couple aiding daughter finding time to help others

CHAMPAIGN – Making retirement plans? How does an unpaid job helping homeless people in a faraway country sound?

Tom and Cecelia Tang, a retired couple from Malaysia, found themselves with lots of time on their hands when they moved to Champaign-Urbana to be closer to their daughter at the University of Illinois.

Sunday, April 27, 2008

Painter raises awareness, money for cancer patients

After a good friend received her second diagnosis of breast cancer nearly seven years ago, Champaign artist Suzanne Keith Loechl knew she had to do something to help.

Having always wanted her art to have meaning, she began etching into her paintings the words and stories of women confronting cancer. Later she had the idea to cut the word paintings on tile into pendants and smaller tiles.

Police department's mechanic still enjoys job 29 years into it

Jeff Nicoson, 48, has been a mechanic with the Danville Police Department for nearly 29 years. He oversees a fleet of about 45 police vehicles and regularly repairs the 18 cars on active patrol.

Nicoson rotates each one through a bumper-to-bumper inspection schedule. The active patrol cars each average between 700 and 1,100 miles a week. Occasionally, Nicoson has to don biohazard gear to clean out vomit, blood or urine from the back seat of a patrol car. He is also on call 24 hours a day.

Saturday, April 26, 2008

Governor's medal honors slain Douglas County deputy

SPRINGFIELD – Fallen Douglas County Chief Deputy Tommy "T.K." Martin will be awarded the governor's Medal of Honor next month.

Mr. Martin, who died last year after being shot during a Douglas County crime spree, is being honored with 27 other officers who performed heroically in the line of duty. It's the highest honor issued by the state.

Downtown Danville hires an executive director

DANVILLE – Downtown Danville Inc. officials said Friday that Dana Schaumburg has been hired as executive director of the organization.

Phearn Butler, president of the DDI board, said Schaumburg will start May 5.

Friday, April 25, 2008

Award winner the image of volunteerism

DANVILLE – The annual Downtown Danville volunteer breakfast took on a special celebratory look for more than one reason Thursday at California Catering.

The group, anticipating its 25th anniversary this fall, is celebrating the changes that have taken place over those years. Changes include becoming a part of the Main Street Illinois program.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Champaign church plans to remember slain student

CHAMPAIGN – Members of the First United Methodist Church in Champaign will remember Austin Cloyd with a memorial tree to be planted in Centennial Park this weekend.

The tree will be planted along Kirby Avenue near Prairie Farm at 10 a.m. Saturday.

Sunday, April 20, 2008

After years of travels, retired UI professor keeps on moving

CHAMPAIGN – Say, at age 18, Andrew Sofranko could see 50 years into his future. He might have said, "No thanks."

A coal-miner's son, Sofranko had no inkling he would:

Fifty years later, fair queens look back fondly

A potential Champaign County Fair queen needs to understand agriculture.

And be a good sport in every situation.

Former storyteller to share story line of her second book

CHAMPAIGN – Janice Harrington once made a name for herself as a storyteller, something she's given up to devote herself full time to writing and teaching. And she's been quite successful, having won a number of major awards for her children's books and poetry.

Now Harrington, an assistant professor in the graduate program of the Creative Writing Program at the University of Illinois, will briefly return to storytelling at 9:45 a.m. and 10:30 a.m Wednesday at the Champaign Public Library, 200 W. Green St.

Former Urbana resident honored for book

Former Urbana resident Beth Finke has won an award for her children's picture book "Hanni and Beth: Safe and Sound."

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals gave her the Henry Bergh Children's Book Award in the category of nonfiction companion animals.

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Soldier dies in training accident

MONTICELLO – A hero on the football field, defending a friend and in the Army, Pfc. Seth Miller died Monday.

An ammunition specialist assigned to an ordnance company in Grafenwoehr, Germany, Pfc. Miller was taking part in a training exercise when he was pinned between two trucks, according to the Army.

Community comes to aid of injured couple

VILLA GROVE – A benefit dinner and auction for a Villa Grove couple injured recently in a Florida motorcycle accident will have an added attraction: Walter "Bub" and Carol Ezell will be able to attend the April 26 event.

"It's a benefit with a plus," said Dana Craig, one of several organizers, because the couple, now recovering at home, can visit with many many people who have helped them through their ordeal.

Dinner honors family of Potomac girl who died in house fire

POTOMAC – Organizers of a spaghetti supper benefit want to show the family of Savannah Bruns that they "remember their loss and support their future."

Miss Bruns, 16, died as a result of an explosion and fire at the family home at 203 N. Vermilion St. in Potomac the morning of Dec. 31.

Friday, April 18, 2008

Cap fundraiser raises money for young cancer patient

CHAMPAIGN – The ball caps on the heads of students at Dr. Howard Elementary School on Thursday were a sign of support for a little boy fighting cancer.

Lynn Mikovich, a physical education and health teacher at the school, organized a fundraiser, called Put a Cap on Cancer, for the son of another teacher in the district. Ten-month-old David Weber has a type of cancer called rhabdoid sarcoma and he needs a liver transplant. His father, Phil, teaches fifth grade at Kenwood Elementary School.

Monday, April 14, 2008

Winning teacher tries to get to know students

CHAMPAIGN – Mallory Morris gets down to business as soon as her students enter her Jefferson Middle School classroom. The day's assignment is on the blackboard, and she quickly reviews what they'll do during class.

"We need to do some vocab review because our quizzes on Monday were abysmal," she says.

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Feeling the pinch: People are having to dig deeper

Don't let anyone tell you the economic pinch in the U.S. has bypassed this neck of the woods. Rising prices have struck just about everywhere you look, from the gas station to the grocery store aisle.

It might start with a decision to cut back on extras. That vacation might just last a weekend this summer. Coupons might get a second look. A roommate might help ease expenses. A college student might decide to go easy on the junk food.

In East Central Illinois, people are coping just as their neighbors across the country are. A trucking company owner's wife pitches in at the business. A farmer decides the price of diesel means he won't plow the corn stalks from last year into the ground before he plants soybeans this year. A 71-year-old goes back to school.

We spent the last few days asking folks how they're getting by. Their stories:

Saturday, April 12, 2008

Paxton worker proudly declares earnings in annual survey

PAXTON – Sergio Martinez didn't know until Friday that he had been chosen for inclusion in Parade magazine's annual survey of "What People Earn."

Martinez, 29, of Paxton will be among 130 people whose salaries and wages are featured in this Sunday's Parade, which will be distributed with The News-Gazette.