Kathy’s #Mailbag, Dec. 30, 2022 | Tom’s Mailbag

Drop in a query of your very personal BY CLICKING HERE or by emailing Kathy Reiser at mailbag@news-gazette.com

A reasonably quiet week right here at Mailbag World Headquarters, as a number of as our go-to sources are having fun with some further time without work.

We nonetheless managed to provide you with some newsy gadgets: what an Illinois State Police reorg means for our close by posts, whether or not electrical utility clients might even see extra rolling blackouts within the subsequent few years, and why snowbirds can’t purchase Illinois lottery tickets once they’re touring or staying out of state.

Why you may’t purchase Illinois Lottery tickets from out of state

“Snowbird right here. Why cannot Illinois residents purchase Illinois Lottery tickets on-line once we are out of state? Cannot perceive why the State would cross up any alternatives to usher in income!”

Illinois State Lottery spokesperson Meghan Powers stated, “It’s within the Illinois regulation that you will need to bodily be positioned inside the state when enjoying. Nonetheless, if in one other state that has a Lottery, an Illinois resident can play it there!”

For the “why behind the why,” we turned to Landon Stenger, chief of workers for Illinois State Senator Chapin Rose. “Typically, the prohibition on inter-state purchases of on-line lottery tickets has been a fixture within the Illinois Lottery Legislation [20 ILCS 1605] because the on-line pilot program was first created in 2009. The reasoning for that is linked to federal regulation and opinions by the U.S. Division of Justice, which has traditionally regulated inter-state gaming,” he stated.

The Illinois Lottery Legislation particularly references this in its language: “The Division should set up a process to confirm that a person is eighteen years of age or older and that the sale of lottery tickets on the Web is proscribed to transactions which can be initiated and obtained or in any other case made solely inside the State of Illinois, until the federal Division of Justice signifies that it’s authorized for the transactions to originate in states apart from Illinois.”

So, “With out approval from the federal authorities, Illinois regulation would require the acquisition of tickets from inside the borders of our State,” Stenger stated.

What’s going up at Fourth & St. Mary’s in Champaign?

“I see a big development venture is underway on the southwest nook of Fourth Road and St. Mary’s Street. Is it an addition to the I-Lodge and Convention Heart, or one thing else?”

It’s the long run residence of the College of Illinois Basis, based on UIF’s Sue Johnson. “The Basis is creating a brand new heart for philanthropy that may have fun the wealthy historical past of generosity on the College of Illinois, convey Basis workers collectively from its two main places, and function a studying hub for the development neighborhood,” she stated.

Right now, the constructing is on monitor for completion by early subsequent winter. The ultimate title of the constructing “is but to be decided and will probably be finalized within the coming months,” Johnson stated.

The brand new constructing is being constructed on the positioning of the outdated UI feed mill. “The Basis is trying ahead to being neighbors with the I Lodge and Convention Heart, UI Analysis Park, Preventing Illini athletic amenities, and your complete south campus neighborhood,” Johnson stated.

Future threat of rolling blackouts in central Illinois

“The North American Electrical Reliability Company (NERC) not too long ago printed this map depicting the chance of rolling energy blackouts within the U.S. from 2023-2027. The Central Illinois space is designated as ‘excessive threat.’ How would this probably have an effect on Ameren clients?”

Earlier than we reply this query, we in all probability ought to serve up slightly alphabet soup. NERC is a non-profit group that develops and enforces reliability requirements, and assesses and displays reliability of the U.S. energy grid. The MISO space that’s proven on the map — which incorporates Ameren Illinois’ territory — is a part of the Midcontinent Unbiased System Operator group of utilities which can be concerned in producing and transmitting electrical energy. MISO is the regional grid operator that manages the provision of energy for a big swath of the U.S., together with all or a part of 15 states, plus Manitoba, Canada.

OK. If you happen to’re nonetheless with me … Ameren spokesperson Marcelyn Love confirmed that MISO, “has warned that areas with out enough technology might must implement momentary, managed outages in an effort to keep grid stability” over the subsequent few years. “If we’re directed by MISO to cut back vitality demand on our grid by implementing outages, our purpose is to take action in a fashion that might reduce interruptions to residential clients, well being care amenities and different important clients. The danger of our clients experiencing prolonged ‘brownouts’ or ‘blackouts’ is extraordinarily low.”

Love stated potential, momentary vitality shortages could be “the results of various advanced components, together with demand, climate, and the retirement (and deliberate retirement) of sure ‘always-on’ dependable energy sources.”

She famous that Ameren Illinois doesn’t generate vitality. “Illinois is a deregulated vitality market, which implies that utilities like Ameren Illinois earn a revenue for sustaining the poles and wires and know-how that carry energy to residential and business clients. The ability that we ship is bought for our clients by an impartial state authorities company. Additionally underneath deregulation, our clients can select to buy energy on the open market.”

For an additional perspective, we reached out to Tom Overbye, Director of the Texas A&M Good Grid Heart. If his title is acquainted, it might be as a result of he is also the Fox Household Professor Emeritus in Electrical and Pc Engineering on the UI. Overbye stated Champaign County may see rotating blackouts within the subsequent few years. “As famous by the NERC report, MISO is dealing with potential technology shortfalls within the coming years beginning in 2023. The ability grid is quickly altering with the retirement of coal and a few pure gasoline vegetation, and plenty of new progress in wind and photo voltaic.”

“As I am certain your readers know, wind and photo voltaic are intermittent. Normally issues work wonderful, however there definitely could be climate circumstances by which the wind may not blow throughout a large area, it is perhaps overly cloudy, or photo voltaic panels is perhaps coated in snow.”

Overbye’s crew at Texas A&M is researching the frequency and future chance of these occasions, generally known as wind useful resource droughts and photo voltaic useful resource droughts. He cites one such occasion that affected Illinois and Iowa in January of 2020 for a number of days. On Jan. 29, 2020, MISO had no (zero!) wind output over its total multi-state footprint. “So underneath the appropriate circumstances, Illinois may run into an electrical energy scarcity and rotating blackouts is perhaps required.”

He stated wind vitality manufacturing usually declines in summer season, however that is considerably offset by photo voltaic technology. “This variation is taken into account throughout electrical grid planning. For instance, upkeep of thermal and nuclear vegetation is scheduled throughout time durations by which the load is anticipated to be low, and growing when wind is anticipated to be excessive. From a blackout potential, what’s most essential is sudden occasions. One such occasion occurred in Illinois in summer season of 1998 once we had very excessive temperatures throughout June whereas a few of the vegetation had been nonetheless off-line for spring upkeep.”

ISP expands, shifts focus of patrol division

“I’ve heard that the Illinois State Police are renaming their districts ‘troops’ and that District Ten will quickly be generally known as Troop Seven. Can you discover out why?”

The brand new 12 months will convey a number of modifications to the company, based on Trooper Jayme Bufford, a public data officer with ISP’s southern area. Starting on Jan. 1, 2023, ISP will “modernize” its patrol division — going from 21 districts statewide to 11 patrol troops — and can create “a brand new statewide command targeted on legal interdiction.”

With the company’s expanded give attention to intercepting and arresting individuals engaged in critical legal exercise, “ISP is balancing its sources to battle crime and present security providers in areas with excessive crash and excessive crime charges, in addition to on highways with excessive ranges of drug trafficking, whereas nonetheless offering protection in areas with fewer public security calls for. Below this plan, we’re merely modernizing the patrol construction. This may permit ISP to higher meet the wants of the general public whereas we proceed to rebuild the company.”

That “rebuilding” has seen 417 new Troopers added to the ISP drive since 2019. Bufford stated the biggest fiscal-year funds in ISP’s historical past has allowed the company so as to add greater than 90 new troopers throughout the state this month alone. The ISP Coaching Academy’s most up-to-date graduating class was a “lateral entry coaching program” (LETP) class. All 49 members of the category had beforehand served as regulation enforcement officers with different companies.

“Their earlier expertise mixed with complete coaching by the ISP Academy has allowed ISP to extra shortly put skilled and extremely educated Troopers again into the communities from which they got here,” stated ISP Director Brendan Kelly.

As of Dec. 26, 4 of these newly graduated cadets have joined the ranks of Troopers based mostly in Pesotum, and three are based mostly in Pontiac. The brand new officers have already begun their patrol duties.

Realigning patrol workers into troops will allow extra officers to be accessible every shift to answer requires service, Bufford stated. “ISP is accountable to the taxpayers and we should allocate sources based mostly on present information. The brand new organizational construction higher matches different state patrols and is predicated on crime, inhabitants and crash information evaluation reasonably than outdated previous practices,” Bufford stated.

Regionally, the ISP posts at Pesotum and Ashkum will stay energetic. The brand new Troop Seven, headquartered in Pesotum, can have the identical geographic boundaries as the present District 10. It serves Champaign, Coles, Douglas, Edgar, Macon, Moultrie, Piatt, Shelby and Vermilion counties.

The present Ashkum and Pontiac districts are being consolidated into a brand new Troop 5, and the posts based mostly in these cities will stay energetic. Troop 5 will serve De Witt, Ford, Iroquois, Kankakee, Livingston and McLean counties.

Information-Gazette puzzle books

“We have now actually loved your month-to-month puzzle books previously. Are we going to have the ability to cross these lengthy winter nights with them as soon as once more?”

The following puzzle ebook is tentatively scheduled for publication on Wednesday, Feb. 8, based on Mark Lukas, Information-Gazette vice-president of gross sales. He stated the puzzle books usually have “excessive reader engagement and nice shelf life” – a very good alternative for advertisers to attach with potential clients.

Elm Boulevard historical past

“What’s the historical past of Elm Boulevard in Champaign? Stunning, older homes round a singular brick road boulevard….”

We may in all probability fill this week’s column with the wealthy and colourful historical past of Elm Boulevard. For these not acquainted with its location, it’s about halfway between Neil Road and Prospect Avenue in Champaign — and between John and Charles Streets. Elm Boulevard and its centerpiece, Harris Park, had been the center of the Harris Place improvement. Its plat was filed in April of 1907 on behalf of Janet Harris.

From its beginnings, Elm Boulevard was a close-knit neighborhood with loads of appeal and character. A few of the properties are stately, whereas others are extra modest; all of them had been constructed to final. A ebook produced in 1996, Elm Boulevard Remembrances, included recollections of many previous and current residents. A few of their names could be acquainted to townies in addition to these acquainted with UI historical past: Harris, Christie, Harding, Burwash, Newmark, Keck, Mulliken, et al.

Vi Schroder, 708 Elm, recalled within the ebook that when she and her husband had been out there for a house in 1963, “The neighborhood appeared to talk of permanence and continuity, a spot for roots, and it has been so.” She described it as, “an oasis of quiet and large timber inside strolling distance of South Facet, Edison, Central and the UI.” A unique resident famous, “Different neighborhoods have yards; on Elm Blvd., now we have terrain.”

Neighbors fondly remembered annual Fourth of July parades, kids’s lemonade stands that raised cash for charity, yard chickens and horses, and children enjoying limitless rounds of “kick the can” and hide-and-seek. All of which sounds idyllic. However the neighborhood’s historical past had its extra dramatic moments, too.

On Jan. 29, 1923, masked bandits entered the house of the Frank Keck household, 702 S. Elm, to steal a diamond stick pin. Son Charles was shot within the hip and suffered a critical head wound as he pursued one of many robbers. His father “was felled by a blow on the top,” based on an article within the Bloomington Pantagraph.

Mrs. Keck ended up with one of many robbers’ weapons and “fired level clean at one of many desperatoes (sic).” Two of the critically wounded bandit’s companions dragged him almost a block, and “Mrs. Keck, in pursuit, battled all of them the best way. The gun she had was empty by that point. After they left their injured companion to retrieve their automotive, which was parked a brief distance away, “Mrs. Keck attacked the wounded robber with the fury of a tigress. They rolled again and again within the mud, every with a dying grip on the opposite’s throat. The battle came about on the base of a giant tree, examination of which afterward confirmed bloody shreds of hair hanging to the bark the place the heroic lady had endeavored to place the bandit out by banging his head in opposition to the tree,” the newspaper article stated.

The battle “ended solely when Mrs. Keck had been knocked out by a blow on the top with a revolver butt, and lawyer A.D. Mulliken, a neighbor, who had gone to her assist … shared the identical destiny.” Clearly, these early Elm Boulevard residents had been product of sturdy stuff!

Researching your house’s historical past

Some time again, a pal stated he was planning to ship me a Mailbag query about researching an older residence’s historical past — when it was constructed, who designed and constructed it, who-all had lived there, and many others.

The parents on the Urbana Free Library and the Preservation and Conservation Affiliation (PACA) should have overheard our dialog, as a result of they’re sponsoring a January workshop on that very topic.

Brian Adams, a analysis archaeologist on the Illinois State Archaeological Survey, will lead the workshop on the Champaign County Historic Archives within the Urbana Free Library. It’s set for six to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 11. If the subject’s of curiosity, mark your calendar!