Glancing Back for July 17: Provision in motor law to be enforced (2024)

100 years ago,

July 17, 1924

MARION — Louis Williams of Johnston City lost a suit for $5,000 damaged against Johnston City filed as the result of an accident. Williams was smoking a pipe when he walked across a defective board culvert. A board flew up, striking his face, breaking the pipe stem and driving it an inch or more into his tongue, necessitating an operation. Judge Hartwell held that the culvert was not made for a sidewalk and the city therefore not responsible...MATTOON — Local officers have given warning to all repair garages, machine shops and others engaged in the automotive industry against the practice of exchanging engine blocks for motors without due process with the state highway department. They have also been told of the penalty in case of conviction. "We have found where some repair people have been putting in blocks without numbers," said an officer today. "This is contrary to law, and enforcement will be made against any violators of it."

50 years ago, 1974

WINDSOR — State Rep. Charles Keller (D-Effingham) today expressed his support for the Len Thies family. The Thieses are presently waging a custody fight with Illinois DCFS to allow them to keep a six-year-old boy who has been in their custody since 1971. DCFS is attempting to have the child returned to his natural mother, Mrs. Lois Worley of Beardstown. Rep. Keller told the JG today that he had Rep. Weber Borchers (R-Decatur), visited Mrs. Worley at her home Tuesday. "We wanted to see what the story was and look into the situation ourselves," Keller said. He said he came away from the meeting with "mixed reactions" and added that nothing definite had been accomplished...MATTOON — The city council has balked at hiring a local engineering firm for two street projects. The firm is Upchurch and Associates, Inc. of Mattoon. Street Commissioner James Leming's motion Tuesday night that Upchurch be hired died for lack of a second. The projects call for the paving and upgrading of 9th from Charleston to Marshall and 14th from the Illinois Central-Gulf Railroad tracks to Palm...CHARLESTON — A $125,968 program to rehabilitate area juvenile offenders has been proposed. The East Central Law Enforcement Commission wants to establish a youth service bureau to serve five counties: Clark, Coles, Cumberland, Douglas and Edgar. The Illinois Law Enforcement Commission is being asked to provide a $94,400 grant o help implement the program.

25 years ago, 1999

CHARLESTON — Construction may begin in September on the Charleston Post Office's carrier annex at the Northwest Business Park, reported Postmaster Donna Fox. Upchurch & Associates of Mattoon almost has completed a final plan for a carrier annex, but the U.S. Postal Service basically already knows what the layout of the carrier annex will look like. The 14,000-square foot carrier annex will be located at 667 Windsor Road in the business park, northeast of Natural Food and Nutrition and the Dollar General. "I'm excited just waiting for it all to happen," Fox said. The carrier annex will handle the shipping and receiving functions currently handled at the post office, 320 Sixth Street. The current post office site was considered too small to continue handling the shipping and receiving of mail in addition to customer service and parking needs...NEOGA — Members of the Neoga Traveling Little League team have dedicated a tournament trophy and the latter part of their season to a friend and classmate hospitalized in Chicago. The group of 11- and 12-year-old boys decided beginning July 4th weekend, the rest of the season and the holiday weekend tournament would be dedicated to Michael Smith, 11. Smith has been hospitalized since June 24 for surgery to remove a tumor on his pituitary gland...CHARLESTON — A native of Charleston recently got his chance to play "thumbs up or thumbs down" with Roger Ebert on Ebert's nationally syndicated television program. Dann Gire, who has been a film critic for the Daily Herald for a number of years, will appear on an episode of of Ebert's movie review program airing locally at 11 p.m. Sunday on WAND. The 45-year-old Gire, who is president of the Chicago Film Critics Association, will appear as one of a group of guest film critics from Chicago on this week's special episode. Gire is married to Peggy Burk, a former Mattoon resident. He is a graduate of EIU and was the editor of the school newspaper there for many years, according to Jim Gire, Dan Gire's father. Jim Gire said his son is a good friend of Ebert's and they have visited each other's homes several times. Gire expressed pride at his son's achievement.