Harris/Beason Trial: Print Coverage in The Pantagraph

Series clincher on hold as Bulls fall to Nets / Sports

TUESDAY, APRIL 30, 2013

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BEASON SLAYINGS

Trial begins Hudson firefighters, personnel from the McLean County coroner’s office and other other law enforcement officials were investigating Monday the discovery of a body in Evergreen Lake off the west boat ramp of Comlara Park. A fisherman found the body Sunday night.

Local, A3

Escaping death

By Roger Miller rmiller@pantagraph.com

Pantagraph file photo/STEVE SMEDLEY

A no trespassing sign is seen earlier this year in front of the Gee family home on Broadway Avenue in Beason.The home is the site where five family members were killed in September 2009.The trial of Christopher Harris in the slayings began Monday.

Judge bars statements to doctor on teen boy’s behavior at opening of proceedings in killings

By Edith Brady-Lunny eblunny@pantagraph.com

Lawyer: Search ruined home A Mississippi man’s home is uninhabitable after investigators searched it but failed to find evidence of the poison ricin in the toxic letters case, a lawyer for former suspect Kevin Curtis claimed Monday.

Nation, A10

Google Now takes on Siri Google is trying to upstage Siri, the droll assistant that helps answer questions on the iPhone.

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WEATHER Mostly sunny and warm

Today’s weather symbol was drawn by Rachel Maas, Heyworth Elementary School,Heyworth.

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$1.00 Bloomington, Ill. Copyright 2013 The Pantagraph 3 sections, 28 pages Vol. 167, Issue 120

University of Illinois’former Assembly Hall, the arena that is home to the Illini basketball team, has been renamed the State Farm Center.

$60M pact gives U of I arena State Farm name

Body found

Syrian Prime Minister Wael alHalqi escaped an assassination attempt Monday when a bomb went off near his convoy in Damascus.

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Associated Press, The News-Gazette/DARRELL HOEMANN

PEORIA— The fears Ruth Gee may have passed on to her son’s doctor about his behavior will be barred from a jury in the murder trial of the man accused of killing the m o t h e r, son and three other Gee family members in 2009 in Christopher Harris their Beason home.

Judge Scott Drazewski ruled during the opening day of the Christopher H a r r i s murder trial that statements made by Ruth Gee about the 14-yearold boy’s Dillen alleged viConstant olent demeanor occurred two years in advance of the killings, making them too remote to be relevant.

Harris, 34, and his brother Jason, 26, both of Armington, each face more than 50 murder charges in the beating deaths of Rick and Ruth Gee and three of their children: Justina Constant, 16; Dillen Constant, 14, and Austin Gee, 11. A third child was severely injured but survived.

Lawyers for Chris Harris intend to argue that their client, who was once married to Rick Gee’s daughter Nicole, killed Dillen in self-

Flowers could be seen outside the Gee family home in Beason only days after the five members of the family were killed at the home in September 2009. defense after Harris interrupted a killing spree by the teen inside the house. The Harris brothers, intoxicated and under the influence of drugs, stopped at the home in search of marijuana, according to court records.

Defense lawyer Stephanie Hammer said the statement from Ruth Gee that her son was violent “reflects her fear that he was going to severely hurt himself or another person.”

Assistant State’s Attorney Jonathan Wright opposed the defense effort to allow the jury to hear the statement. He said a state investigator heard the statement last week in an interview with Rick Gee’s mother, Judi Stodgell, of Lincoln, who attributed the remark to Rick Gee. “Rick told her if they didn’t get Dillen under control they were all going to wake

up dead one day,” said Wright.

Stodgell didn’t take the statement as an indication that Dillen was planning to harm his family, said Wright.

Drazewski ruled that the statement contained no direct threats and was made in 2007, two years before the incident.

If the statement comes up in the testimony of other witnesses, a determination will be made as to its relevance.

The judge also turned down a defense request to show a small selection of crime scene photos to potential jurors when they are questioned later this week.

“Words cannot describe how graphic and horrible these photos are,” said defense lawyer Daniel Fultz, arguing that some people may not be able to view the severe trauma suffered by the victims.

Drazewski agreed with prosecutors that legal precedent is lacking for such a move; he agreed to give lawyers some leeway in their questioning of jurors to address the violence issue.

Before would-be jurors start the selection process today by completing a lengthy survey, the state is expected to give its decision on which charges it will dismiss against Harris, a procedural move to summarize its case that includes 77 charges — 59 of them firstdegree murder. The multiple murder counts involving the five victims repeat the same allegations with SEE TRIAL / PAGE A2

CHAMPAIGN — The iconic venue of Illini basketball and big-name entertainers is now the State Farm Center.

The University of Illinois and Bloomington-based State Farm Insurance Cos. announced Monday the immediate renaming of the Assembly Hall as part of a 30-year, $60 million naming agreement. That money will READ MORE play a major role in the $160 million renova- ◗ Tupper: State Farm securing tion of the 50-yearnaming rights old building expected to be completed in fall to a venue a 2016. sign of the times “We are extremely Page B1 proud to announce this relationship with State Farm, one of the most respected corporate brands in the world,” said Mike Thomas, the U of I athletics director, in a prepared statement. “State Farm has been an outstanding partner for the University of Illinois for more than two decades, and this agreement will carry that partnership forward for at least three more.”

State Farm felt the partnership was a good way to expand its relationship with the U of I and demonstrate the company’s significant SEE PACT / PAGE A2

Germ-zapping ‘robots’ eyed to fight superbugs

By Mike Stobbe ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK — They sweep. They swab. They sterilize. And still the germs persist.

In U.S. hospitals, an estimated 1 in 20 patients pick up infections they didn’t have when they arrived, some caused by dangerous ’superbugs’ that are hard to treat.

The rise of these superbugs, along with increased pressure from the government and insurers, is driving hospitals to try all sorts of new approaches to stop their spread: Machines that resemble “Star Wars” robots and emit ultraviolet light or hydrogen peroxide vapors. Germ-resistant copper bed rails, call buttons and IV poles. Antimicrobial linens, curtains and wall paint.

While these products can help get a room clean, their true impact is still debatable. There is no widely accepted evidence that these SEE ROBOTS / PAGE A2

ISU candidate Dietz looks to more diversity

By Lenore Sobota lsobota@pantagraph.com

NORMAL — Illinois State University is “at a crossroads,” according to a finalist for ISU president who says he wants to take on the challenge of keeping the university on top.

“I love challenges,” said Larry Dietz, ISU’s vice president for student affairs and the last of four finalists to participate in on-campus interviews and public forums.

“It’s difficult to stay at the

READ MORE ◗ What’s next in the ISU presidential search Page A2 top of your game when you’re losing resources,” Dietz said at Monday afternoon’s forum, attended by about 275 people.

He said a key part of implementing the university’s strategic plan, Educating Illinois, will be developing a long-range financial plan, a process that is al-

Larry Dietz, a finalist for president at Illinois State University, and his wife, Marlene, answer questions Monday at a public forum at ISU’s Bone Student Center.

ready under way.

Dietz cited declining state resources, pressure to keep tuition low, state pension issues and competition as challenges facing ISU. As the only candidate among the final four who currently works at ISU, Dietz said after the forum that he would have an advantage over the other three candidates in addressing the challenges.

“I’ve been here almost two years,” Dietz said. “I know a lot of people. I’ve built a lot SEE DIETZ / PAGE A2

The Pantagraph/LORI ANN COOK-NEISLER

A2 • The Pantagraph • Tuesday, April 30, 2013

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Panel faces meetings, a lot of reading before decision

Flick fact

Question:Veterans Parkway is a wonderful portrait of modern American commerce, with hundreds of businesses stretching up and down its eight-mile path. Do you know what year it was when the very first national retailer moved to the east side, along what then was called Beltline Road? (a) 1948; (b) 1967; (c) 1962; (d) 1953.

Answer below

Daily digest Kroger donates $5,000 to YouthBuild BLOOMINGTON — The Kroger Co.’s Bloomington store has presented a $5,000 K-12 education grant to YouthBuild McLean County.

YouthBuild provides a hands-on approach to math, language arts, science and social studies to kids who have not been successful in traditional school settings.

Immigration reform event, service planned BLOOMINGTON — An immigration reform event, with an interfaith service, will be at 5:30 p.m.

Wednesday along East Street in front of the Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts.

The service will celebrate immigrants, and there will also be a march for immigration reform.

Leading the service will be pastors from Catholic, Universalist-Unitarian, Jewish, Presbyterian, Restoration and Assembly of God congregations.

Today in history Today is Tuesday, April 30, the 120th day of 2013.

There are 245 days left in the year.

Today’s highlight On April 30, 1900, engineer John Luther “Casey’’Jones of the Illinois Central Railroad died in a train wreck near Vaughan, Miss., after staying at the controls in a successful effort to save the passengers.

By Lenore Sobota lsobota@pantagraph.com

NORMAL — The Illinois State University board of trustees will have a special, closed-door meeting Saturday to discuss — and possibly select — the person to succeed retiring President Al Bowman, Board Chairman Michael McCuskey said Monday.

McCuskey doesn’t know how soon after the meeting the board might announce its decision. He said he will have a better idea after the meeting “whether a decision is imminent.”

The next regularly scheduled meeting of the board is May 10.

Between now and Saturday’s meeting, the trustees will have a lot of reading to do.

Each of the four finalists went through a series of

DIETZ FROM A1

of relationships.”

Those relationships include not only people on campus but also alumni, legislators and donors, he said.

During the forum, Dietz said, “We’ve got a great story to tell and the alumni are eager to hear that story.”

He said, “We need to brag more” and talk about the success of its graduates and “what differences they are making in the communities where they work and live.”

In answer to a question about his support for diversity, Dietz said, “The diversity pie is much larger than recruiting students of color or faculty and staff of color.” He said the issue also goes beyond ethnicity, gender orientation and other protected classes to “diversity of ideas, diversity of

on-campus meetings, not only with the board but also with various campus leaders, constituency group representatives and the public. People were given evaluation forms on which to rate the candidate and provide feedback.

“I’ll be up every night this week perusing all the comments that have been received,” McCuskey said.

McCuskey said board members will read through those evaluations and on Saturday they will receive input from the executive search committee. He said under ISU’s culture of shared governance, the input from various sectors of the university is important to the board.

“I’m certainly pleased with the quality of the pool of applicants,” McCuskey said. “The final four are very good.”

Board member Betty Kinser and student trustee Aaron Von Qualen echoed McCuskey’s views on the caliber of the candidates.

Kinser said, “I’m so proud of Illinois Stat University” for the quality candidates it was able to attract.

Von Qualen said he thinks “any one of the finalists would do a good job.”

The candidates are: Karla Hughes, provost and vice president for academic affairs at Morehead State University, Kentucky; Randy Dunn, ISU graduate and former state school superintendent who is president of Murray State University, Kentucky; Tim Flanagan, president of Framingham State University, Massachusetts; and Larry Dietz, ISU vice president for student affairs.

Larry Dietz ◗ 64, married, two adult children ◗ Vice president for student affairs,

Illinois State University, since June 2011 and tenured associate professor of educational administration and foundations ◗ Vice chancellor for student affairs and special assistant to the chancellor at Southern Illinois University, Larry Carbondale, from April 2006 to May Dietz 2011; other capacities at SIU starting in April 2000. ◗ Ph.D. in professional studies in higher education administration from Iowa State University. thought, diversity of research.”

In his opening remarks, Dietz said, “I don’t think an institution can have success without diversity.”

He doesn’t think coming from student affairs rather than the academic side of administration is a drawback as a candidate for university president. He noted that at least two former ISU presidents — David Strand and Victor Boschini — had back-

grounds in student affairs.

“We understand students,” said Dietz, who was vice chancellor for student affairs at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale for 11 years before coming to ISU in June 2011.

He noted the good relationship retiring ISU President Al Bowman has had with students during his 10 years as president.

“I feel like I have the same passion and compassion toward students,” Dietz said.

On this date In 1789, George Washington took office in New York as the first president of the United States.

In 1803, the United States purchased the Louisiana Territory from France for 60 million francs, the equivalent of about $15 million.

In 1938, a precursor to the cartoon character Bugs Bunny first appeared in the Warner Bros. animated short “Porky’s Hare Hunt.’’

In 1983, blues singer and guitarist Muddy Waters died in Westmont, Ill., at age 68.

Thought for Today:

“Upper classes are a nation’s past; the middle class is its future.’’ — Ayn Rand, Russian-born author (1905-1982).

My 3 6-7-9

7-0-4 Pick 3

7-2-9

5-4-1 Pick 4

7-9-0-5 6-5-8-7 Lucky Day Lotto 23-28-30-33-35 Lotto 4-5-7-12-31-45 Lotto jackpot $2 million Mega Millions jackpot $114 million Powerball jackpot $165 million Answer: It was (c) 1962 when K Mart opened and became the first retailer to locate way out on what would become the Twin Cities’ so-called east side.

As late as the 1980s, there still was a horse pasture along the road where Parkway Plaza — Best Buy, Jewel, Monical’s Pizza, etc.

— is today.

ROBOTS FROM A1

inventions have prevented infections or deaths.

Meanwhile, insurers are pushing hospitals to do a better job and the government’s Medicare program has moved to stop paying bills for certain infections caught in the hospital.

“We’re seeing a culture change” in hospitals, said Jennie Mayfield, who tracks infections at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis.

Those hospital infections are tied to an estimated 100,000 deaths each year and add as much as $30 billion a year in medical costs, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The agency last month sounded an alarm about a “nightmare bacteria” resistant to one class of antibiotics. That kind is still rare but it showed up last year in at least 200 hospitals.

Hospitals started paying attention to infection control in the late 1880s, when

TRIAL FROM A1

small legal distinctions.

Lawyers with the Illinois attorney general’s office who are assisting Logan County with the case were unsuccessful in convincing the judge to reverse his ruling Friday to allow a psychologist to testify on violent video games and their potential to lead minors to violent behavior. The expert will be allowed to discuss the risk factors he identified in Dillen Constant to act violently, but he may not given an opin-

mounting evidence showed unsanitary conditions were hurting patients. Hospital hygiene has been a concern ever since, with a renewed emphasis triggered by the emergence a decade ago of a nasty strain of intestinal bug called Clostridium difficile, or C-diff.

The diarrhea-causing C-diff is now linked to 14,000 U.S. deaths annually. That’s been the catalyst for the growing focus on infection control, said Mayfield, who is also president-elect of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology.

C-diff is easier to treat than some other hospital superbugs, like methicillin-resistant staph, or MRSA, but it’s particularly difficult to clean away. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers don’t work and C-diff can persist on hospital room surfaces for days.

The CDC recommends hospital staff clean their hands rigorously or better yet, wear gloves. And rooms should be cleaned intensively with bleach. ion as to whether its likely the youth committed the trauma that killed his family.

Assistant Attorney General Steve Nate argued that the jury may consider the psychologist’s testimony to be such an opinion.

“We know risk factors can’t be used to predict violence in individuals,” said Nate.

Starting Wednesday, jurors will be brought into the courtroom individually for questioning, a process that could take at least three days. Four alternates will be chosen in addition to the 12 main jurors.

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309-662-7729 www.pamzimmerman.com 2103 E. Washington, BL Associated Press, The News-Gazette/DARRELL HOEMANN

Mike Thomas, the University of Illinois’athletics director, left, looks over at Randall Harbert, executive vice president and chief agency, sales and marketing officer for State Farm Insurance Cos., center, and Michael Lipscord, State Farm’s vice chairman and chief operating officer, after Harbert and Lipscord received ceremonial T-shirts on Monday.They were at a news conference at U of I in Champaign where it was announced that the University of Illinois had sold the naming rights for Assembly Hall to State Farm.

FROM A1

Monday’s results

Using ultraviolet light, a machine disinfects a hospital room last month at the Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, N.Y.

GOT DIVERSIFICATION?

PACT

LOTTERY

Associated Press/SETH WENIG

support for NCAA athletics, said State Farm spokeswoman Holly Anderson.

“This is the first time we have done something to this degree,” she said of the naming agreement. “It’s obviously a classic venue.”

This is not the first Central Illinois campus building the take on the State Farm name, even if it is by far the most famous. The corporate name is associated with Illinois State University’s College of Business building, a new classroom building being built at Illinois Wesleyan University and U of I’s research and development center.

The only other State Fa r m - s p o n so re d athletic/entertainment venue is the 6,800-seat State Farm Arena, a community facility in Hidalgo, Texas, she said.

Thomas had said previously that the sale of the

“This is the first time we have done something to this degree.”

Holly Anderson spokeswoman for State Farm Insurance Cos. naming rights would be a major component in the renovation plan expected to be approved next month by the U of I board of trustees.

Construction is expected to start in March 2014 and conclude in time for the 2016-17 basketball season.

Work would be suspended for each basketball season so the programs wouldn’t be interrupted, Thomas said.

Seating would be reduced from 16,618 to 15,250 to accommodate premium suites, Thomas said.

Other improvements would include air condi-

tioning, more restrooms and concessions areas, wider concourses, new team locker rooms, new dressing rooms for performers, new scoreboards, club areas, retractable lower-level seating, and a grand main entrance with a Hall of Fame area.

Corporate, foundation and individual donations are expected to fund 75 percent of the work, and a student fee would cover the rest.

“We are proud to be a part of the renovation of this classic Illinois venue, and further expand our longstanding relationship with the University of Illinois and the state where our company has been headquartered for more than 90 years,” said Randall Harbert, State Farm’s executive vice president and chief agency, sales and marketing officer, in a statement.

Pamela S. Zimmerman CPA, CFP® Financial Adviser

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*Source: Brinson, Singer & Beebower, Financial Analysts Journal, 1991.

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Flex open playoffs with victory / Sports

Double the value of your LINK purchases at the Market this weekend up to $10!

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BEASON SLAYINGS

HARRIS GUILTY Trail mixer A National Trails Day celebration at Sugar Grove Nature Center will include a new trail, guided hikes and information stations.

Local, A3

Hobbling along Medicare’s long-term health is starting to look a little better, but both Social Security and Medicare are still wobbling toward insolvency.

Nation/World, A9

Needs new home A Twin City pizzeria will temporarily close Sunday until it can find a new location.

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Cubs streak Scott Hairston and Matt Garza keep the Cubs on a roll as Chicago beats Arizona.

Sports, B1

Storm prep Preparation is key to getting through power outages.

Life, D1

WEATHER Storms likely

Today’s weather symbol was drawn by Eric Forrest, Grove Elementary School, Normal.

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$1.00 Bloomington, Ill. Copyright 2013 The Pantagraph 4 sections, 38 pages Vol. 167, Issue 152

34-year-old faces life in prison for killing five

By Edith Brady-Lunny eblunny@pantagraph.com

PEORIA — A Peoria County jury on Friday convicted Chris Harris of murdering five members of a Beason family, rejecting his claims of self-defense.

Harris looked down,his hands folded in front of him, at the defense table as Judge Scott Drazewski read the guilty verdicts on first-degree murder charges in the deaths of Ruth and Rick Gee and their children, Justina Constant, 16, Dillen Constant, 14, and Austin Gee, 11, and the attempted murder of Tabitha Gee, who was 3 at the time and survived the attack.

He also was convicted The Pantagraph/STEVE SMEDLEY of home invasion, aggra- Assistant Attorney General Mike Atterberry walks from a short news conference Friday at the Peoria County Courthouse vated battery of a child in Peoria after Chris Harris was convicted on all murder counts in the killings of five family members in Beason. Logan and armed robbery in the County Sheriff Steve Nichols is at left.

Sept. 21, 2009, incident.

The jury deliberated about 4½ hours over two days after a monthlong trial that was moved to Peoria after the defense successfully argued it

By Lenore Sobota would be difficult to selsobota@pantagraph.com cure a fair jury in Logan County.

BLOOMINGTON — Chris HarThe guilty verdicts did ris’ conviction Friday in the brutal not come as a shock for slaying of a Beason family cleared the defense. the name of 14-year-old victim “We didn’t come into Dillen Constant and, many hope, this with unreasonable furthered the expectations. We knew it process of healing would be tough,” said defor the families fense lawyer Daniel Fultz. and the people of Seth Jones, 19, a memthe small town in ber of the jury of seven Logan County. women and five men, said Harris, 34, of after the verdicts that he Armington was looked for ways to believe convicted of Harris, but the damaging murder Friday in evidence was too strong Dillen the Sept. 21, to ignore. Jones, a restauConstant 2009, deaths of Nichols listens intently as Logan County State’s Attorney Jonathan Wright rant worker from Peoria, Rick and Ruth Gee and three of speaks briefly with reporters at the Peoria County Courthouse. found it difficult some their children and attempted days to look at the gruemurder of another child. The desome crime scene photos. fense argued that Harris came Steve Nichols said. “I hope it can tims who commented earlier that A member of the Gee upon the scene while Dillen was provide a little closure to the Con- they would be happy when a decifamily hugged him after killing his family members and stant family for all they’ve gone sion was returned. the verdicts, which were that Harris killed Dillen in self- through these past few months.”

Dillen’s stepmother, Terry returned shortly after defense. The jury rejected that Members of the Harris and Gee Miller, handed out photos of the noon. claim. families left the courthouse in boy to reporters after the verdicts.

Harris, 34, of Arm“When I heard the verdict, I felt Peoria without making state“We wanted our son’s name ington faces life in Dillen was vindicated, that he was ments after the verdicts. Two rows cleared and that was done,” she prison when he is senreally the hero for the family that of the courtroom were crowded said. tenced July 19.

SEE HARRIS / PAGE A2 SEE TEEN / PAGE A2 night,” Logan County Sheriff Friday with relatives of the vic-

Sheriff: Teen ‘vindicated’

Concealed carry gets OK Potentially landmark plan headed to Gov. Quinn’s desk for signature

By Kurt Erickson kurt.erickson@lee.net

SPRINGFIELD — Illinois lawmakers approved a potentially landmark plan Friday to bring Illinois in line with the rest of the nation when it comes to allowing citizens to carry concealed weapons.

The proposal, approved by wide margins in both the House and Senate, overcame the geographic divisions that have kept the state in limbo on nearly all gun control laws in recent years. The measure now heads to Gov. Pat

Quinn’s desk.

State Sen. Gary Forby, DBenton, who sponsored the legislation, recommended a “yes” vote because the state is under a federal court ruling to get a concealed-carry law on the books by June 9.

“If there are no rules made, it’s wide open: You can carry anyplace, anywhere,” Forby said.

State Rep. Brandon Phelps, D-Harrisburg, said, “June 9th is coming. I don’t think any of us want that mayhem.”

A handful of Chicago lawmakers argued that proposal would not make their

often violent city safer.

“I just don’t feel that this bill has gone far enough to Pat protect us,” Quinn said state Sen. Kimberly Lightford, DMaywood.

“The city of Chicago is totally different than downstate,” added state Sen.Tony Munoz, D-Chicago.

In December, the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ordered lawmakers to end the state’s ban on concealed weapons saying it violates the Second Amendment of SEE GUNS / PAGE A2

Lawmakers sign out with no pension plan

By Kurt Erickson kurt.erickson@lee.net

SPRINGFIELD — Illinois lawmakers exited the Capitol on Friday evening without resolving what has been described as their No. 1 challenge: Reforming the state’s underfunded pension systems.

If the hasty retreat seemed familiar, it was because members of the General Assembly have done it before.

“I feel like I’m hearing the same speeches tonight that I heard a year ago. It is mind-boggling to me,” said House Minority Leader Tom Cross, R-Oswego.

Even though the House, Senate and governor’s office are controlled by Democrats, the majority party could not piece together a solution to a pension problem that is considered the worst in the nation.

Not only is the $97 billion pension shortfall squeezing money from other parts of the state budget, but also it could negatively affect Illinois’ lowest-in-the-nation bond rating.

Moody’s, Standard and Poor’s Ratings Services and Fitch Rating all have said the state faces further downgrades if the system SEE PENSION / PAGE A2

A2 • The Pantagraph • Saturday, June 1, 2013

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GUNS FROM A1

Question: Which are there more of in America — McDonald’s restaurants or State Farm Insurance Cos. agency offices?

Answer below

Daily digest Bloomington farmers market to accept Link BLOOMINGTON — The Downtown Bloomington Association Farmers’ Market can double the value of Link tokens, up to $10.

Last year, the market was able to use more than $3,500 from Heartland Local Food Network for the program and added 74 new Link users.

The program raises awareness about the market; provides access to locally grown, fresh, healthy foods; and provides education on food uses, nutrients and origins.

Road closures South Fell Avenue, Normal

– South Fell Avenue, from Virginia to Glenn avenues, will be closed to through traffic for sewer repairs starting at 6 a.m. Monday.

Beech Street, Normal – Beech Street, between Phaeton Place and Jenny Lind Drive, will be closed Monday through Friday for pavement patching. Beech Street through traffic should use Raab Road, Linden Street and Shelbourne Drive as a detour.

Today in history Today is Saturday,June 1, the 152nd day of 2013.

There are 213 days left in the year.

Today’s highlight On June 1, 1813, the mortally wounded commander of the USS Chesapeake, Capt.James Lawrence, gave the order, “Don’t give up the ship” during a losing battle with the British frigate HMS Shannon in the War of 1812.

On this date In 1533, Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII, was crowned as Queen Consort of England.

In 1792, Kentucky became the 15th state of the union.

In 1862, Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee assumed command of the Army of Northern Virginia during the Civil War. In 1915, the T.S. Eliot poem “The Love Song of J.Alfred Prufrock”was first published.

In 1943, a civilian flight from Portugal to England was shot down by the Germans, killing all 17 people aboard.

In 1967, the Beatles album “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”was released.

In 1980, Cable News Network made its debut.

Thought for today:

“Patience! Patience!

Patience is the invention of dullards and sluggards. In a well-regulated world there should be no need of such a thing as patience.” — Grace King,American author (1852-1932).

LOTTERY

The Pantagraph/STEVE SMEDLEY

Logan County State’s Attorney Jonathan Wright speaks briefly with reporters at the Peoria County Courthouse.

HARRIS FROM A1

Logan County State’s Attorney Jonathan Wright, who handled the case with Illinois Assistant Attorneys General Mike Atterberry and Steve Nate, said the short deliberation “shows the jury believed the story presented in our case and that the evidence matched our charges.”

The verdicts reflect the jury’s rejection of Harris’ claim that he was forced to kill Dillen Constant. He claimed he entered the home and found the youth in the midst of beating the family members to death with a tire iron.

Harris testified that he and his brother, Jason Harris, 25, also of Armington, went to the Gee home to buy marijuana from Rick Gee, a known user of the drug. The visit followed a night of drinking, drug use and several attempts by Chris Harris to connect with women.

Jason Harris’ testimony differed from his brother’s, beginning with what he said happened after Chris Harris pulled into the driveway.

According to Jason Harris, Chris Harris slipped a tire

PENSION FROM A1

Daniel Fultz, right, and Pete Naylor, defense lawyers for Chris Harris, walk down Main Street outside the Peoria County Courthouse in downtown Peoria on Friday. iron up his sleeve as he headed for the house to talk to Justina Constant. A woman’s scream and loud thumps that sounded like a bowling ball were heard several minutes later from inside the house, Jason Harris told the jury.

Jason Harris, who originally faced the same charges as his brother, has reached a plea deal that includes a 20year sentence for concealment of a homicide, drug sales and obstruction of justice for initially lying to police. When he receives credit for time served in jail and day-for-day credit for good

TEEN

behavior, he will be in prison for about six years.

For Fultz and fellow defense lawyer Peter Naylor, two factors were toughest to overcome with the jury, according to their comments after the case ended.

“The timeline and the multiple blows to the same area on the back of Dillen’s head” were the biggest defense challenges, said Fultz.

The state was able to substantiate the timeline that put the brothers in the home shortly after 12:30 a.m., when neighbors logged their last Internet conversation with Ruth and Rick Gee.

Gee murder case

FROM A1

The Rev. Dayle Badman, pastor of Beason United Methodist Church, conducted a memorial service for the victims shortly after the killings. She knows her community has lived with the memories of the crime for the last 3½ years.

“That’s good news,” she said when told of the verdicts.“I think it will hopefully, finally, begin to provide some closure for the community.”

Although she welcomed the verdict, Badman said: “It won’t bring the family back. It won’t bring the children back.”

Logan County Coroner Robert Thomas called the murders “a tragedy for Logan County.”

He said, “I think Mr. Harris had due process of law and I wish him the best and I wish the whole family the best.”

The nature of the victims and where the murders happened made the case even worse to some.

“It’s a difficult thing to have something of this magnitude any place. But I think it’s exacerbated in a small town,” Badman said. “They knew everybody.”

Nichols said, “Any crime scene with a loss of life is hard on a person,” but that’s especially true when young people are victims.

“You never get used to it. You always question how this could happen,” Nichols said. “It’s a part of the job you don’t like, but you’ve got to do it because if you don’t do it, justice isn’t served.”

Badman said she hopes the verdict “will

Members of the Rick Gee family were found in their home Sept. 21, 2009, in Beason, a small community about 12 miles east of Lincoln.

Victims: Rick Gee, 46, and his wife, Ruth Gee, 39; and their children, Justina Constant, 16; Dillen Constant, 14, and Austin Gee, 11.

Survivor: Tabitha Gee, then 3, who was severely injured, has recovered and now lives with her grandmother.

Defendants: Chris Harris, 34, and his brother, Jason Harris, 25, both of nearby Armington. Both are charged with killing the family during an alleged armed robbery and home invasion. A plea bargain on the table for Jason Harris in exchange for testimony offers a 20-year sentence for concealing a homicide, selling drugs and obstruction of justice.

Chris Harris trial: Began April 29 in Peoria County Circuit Court, where it was moved after a change of venue. help the community move forward” and that, with the trial over, something will be done with the home where the murders occurred. The home remains cordoned off as a crime scene, virtually untouched since the early days of the investigation.

Nichols said the investigation “was a great team effort between the Illinois State Police and the Logan County Sheriff’s Department. We couldn’t have done it without their assistance in many ways.”

Edith Brady-Lunny contributed to this report.

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isn’t overhauled.

“The failure of the Democrats to accomplish pension reform eclipses everything accomplished this session. It is a massive failure despite their substantial majorities,” said Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno, RLemont. “The failure of pension reform will have a devastating effect on the state and will almost surely result in a yet another credit rating downgrade.

“The further Illinois sinks, the harder it will be to recover.”

For now, however, employees and retirees who were looking at the possibility of working longer, paying more toward their retirements and health insurance and seeing reduced cost-of-living increases are safe from any changes.

The 2013 death knell of pension reform came Thursday when the Senate dumped a compre-

hensive pension reform package that had come over from the House.

Hours later, the House allowed a Senate-backed plan to die a parliamentary death.

House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, signaled that lawmakers may be back to work on pensions before the fall veto session starts in October.

“I don’t think we should take our lack of success today as a reason to give up,” Madigan said.

“I am committed to staying at the table until a comprehensive solution is passed into law,” said Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago.

Gov. Pat Quinn lashed out at the two leaders.

“This is wrong. I will not stop fighting until pension reform is the law of the land,” he said in a prepared statement.

“I understand the public’s frustration because I share that frustration,” said state Rep. Dan Brady, R-Bloomington. “It’s the noose around the neck of state government.”

Your news contributions are welcome. Please call (309) 829-9000, ext. 241 or e-mail newsroom@pantagraph.com or fax to (309) 829-7000.

Corrections: Accuracy is important to us, and we promptly acknowledge and correct our mistakes. To report an error, call the phone number, listed above.

Friday’s results 6-5-7

the U.S. Constitution.

After months of talks and debate, the issue remained up in the air until Friday, the last scheduled day of the General Assembly’s spring session.

Under a plan negotiated in part by Forby,Phelps and state Sen. Kwame Raoul, D-Chicago, the legislation would create a system to provide concealed-carry licenses to Illinoisans that would be good for five years.

The proposal calls for the creation of a special review board to determine if an applicant flagged by law enforcement officials should be given a permit.

The plan calls for a permit holder to have a safe haven in his or her car if the firearm is locked in a case or in the truck.

Guns also would be banned from child care facilities, governmental buildings, public events such as street fairs, sports

arenas and stadiums, amusement parks and a host of other public areas.

It prohibits larger communities from further restricting any issue related to concealed carry, transportation of firearms and any new assault weapons bans.

Negotiators also added in tougher mental health reporting so that people with mental health issues cannot get a firearms owner’s identification card.

The National Rifle Association took no position on the measure.

Supporters said the plan was a good compromise.

“To me, this all comes down to public safety. It’s all about allowing lawabiding citizens to protect themselves,” said state Sen. Bill Brady, R-Bloomington.

The legislation was approved 89-28 in the House and 45-12 in the Senate.

Quinn’s office did not immediately have a position on the measure.

The legislation is House Bill 183.

20535097

Flick fact

8-4-6 Pick 4

0-0-1-3 9-9-1-3 Lucky Day Lotto 2-20-24-27-39 Mega Millions 2-20-26-44-46 (26) Lotto jackpot $3.95 million Mega Millions jackpot $30 million Powerball jackpot $40 million Answer: According to Forbes.com, there are far more State Farm agency offices in the country (more than 18,000) than number of McDonald’s (12,804).

Midwest

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BEASON SLAYINGS

On the prowl Tiger Woods pulls to within one of leader Miguel Angel Jimenez at the British Open.

Sports, B1

‘Everyone has been changed’

Town eyes razing house ‘Green’ retrofit idea unfunded

By Mary Ann Ford mford@pantagraph.com

Barbie blues Barbie, long the reigning queen in the doll world, is losing her lead to edgier competitors.

Money, C1

The right touch A summer-inspired interior can become a tacky, tropical disaster if it’s done with too heavy a hand.

Life, D1

WEATHER Sunny and warm

The Pantagraph/STEVE SMEDLEY

With a Logan County sheriff escort,Tabitha Gee, who was the lone survivor of the Beason killings and was badly beaten, walks with her grandmother,Judi Stogdell, following Friday’s sentencing of Chris Harris.

Harris handed life sentence as families watch

By Edith Brady-Lunny Today’s weather symbol was drawn by Natalie Olmstead, Stevenson Elementary School, Bloomington.

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86 63 FIND Abby ............................D8 Classified .................... C2 Comics........................ A9 Crossword .................. A7 Horoscope .................. A9 Movies ........................D5 Obituaries .................. D4 Opinion ........................A6 Scoreboard ................ B7 TV Listings ..................D2 Weather ......................D3

$1.00 Bloomington, Ill. Copyright 2013 The Pantagraph 4 sections, 36 pages Vol. 167, Issue 201

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LINCOLN — The little girl who was left for dead

by Chris Harris came to court Friday to deliver a message to him before he was sentenced to life in prison for killing her parents and three siblings.

“I am 7 and it still breaks my heart and I wish you were dead and my brothers and sister and mommy and daddy were alive,” the child said through the statement read by her grandmother, Judi Stogdell.

◗ Harris’ ex-wife: ‘You are nothing to my babies or me’ Page A2

Harris was sentenced for the murders of Rick and Ruth Gee and three of their children, Justina Contant, 16, Dillen Constant, 14, and Austin Gee, 11.

He also received 30 years for the attempted murder of Tabitha, who lay severely injured for more than 12 hours before she was found by police. He received an additional 20 years for armed robbery.

A crowd of about 75 relatives, journalists and police officers came to the third-floor courtroom of the Logan County Courthouse to watch the final chapter of a tragic

people. … You have to say sorry because do you know how badly that broke my heart?” said the child’s statement.

After she followed Tabitha’s statement with her own to Harris, the grandmother took the little girl by the hand and led her from the courtroom, leaving other family members to wipe away tears after hearing the dramatic remarks.

Harris looked down at the table where he sat between defense lawyer Dan Fultz and Peter Naylor as the statements were read.

story that began Sept. 21, 2009, when a relative discovered the bodies of the Gee family in their Beason home.

Dressed in a pink dress and pink sandals, the dark-haired child looked around the courtroom with a little girl’s curiosity as her grandmother read the statements in a strong voice that overcame the hum of window air conditioners.

In the statement that started with “To Chris from Tabitha,” Stogdell quoted the child as calling Harris “a big liar.”

“You don’t sneak up on other

On the Web Online extras – For more pictures from the sentencing of Chris Harris, log on to:

www.pantagraph.com

SEE CHANGED / PAGE A2

NORMAL — A townowned house in Underwood Park once eyed to be a showcase of environmental design could be facing the wrecking ball.

The town is seeking bids to raze the house at 900 S. Linden St. and the form e r parks a n d recreation departChris ment ofKoos fice at 611 S. Linden St. The town purchased the five-bedroom house that sits on nearly 6 acres on the edge of Normal’s Underwood Park in 2007 for $725,000 — about $30,000 less than the appraised value. It has an in-ground swimming pool and attached and detached garages.

“We spent a lot of money on the property to get the acreage,” said Mayor Chris Koos. “We never had interest in the house but thought it could be something good if we could do it.”

One idea was to use the house as a public model for retrofitting an existing home to make it more environmentally sustainable. In 2008 Heartland Community College’s Green Institute even expressed an interest in partnering with the town on the project.

The town received a $75,000 Kresege Foundation grant and a $5,000 Ecology Action Center grant to help with the cost of a $125,000 study for the project.

But, Koos said, the town could never find the money to actually do the retrofit.

“It’s a difficult house to retrofit,” he said.

In addition, it would have been costly to make the house accessible for disabled people because it is on several levels. If the project would have been done, it likely would have become a new home for SEE HOUSE / PAGE A5

Obama: Martin ‘could have been me’ 35 years ago

By Julie Pace ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Barack Obama grappled with the Trayvon Martin case in the most personal of terms on Friday, telling Americans that the slain youth “could have

been me 35 years ago” and urging them to do some soul searching about their attitudes on race.

The nation’s first black president said the nation needs to look for ways to move forward after the shooting and trial in Florida.

And he said it may be time to

take a hard look at “stand your ground” self-defense laws, questioning whether they contribute “to the kind of peace and security and order that we’d like to see.”

“Where do we take this?”

Obama wondered aloud during an unscheduled appearance in the White

House briefing room. “How do we learn some lessons from this and move in a positive direction?”

His appearance marked his first extended comments on the Martin case since neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman was acquitted last weekend

of second-degree murder and manslaughter charges in Martin’s death last year.

Jurors found that Zimmerman was acting in self-defense when he shot the unarmed black teenager. Zimmerman identifies himself as Hispanic.

SEE OBAMA / PAGE A7

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2055 20552143 205 20 2 05521 05 0 5521 521 143 43

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Harris’ ex-wife: You are nothing to me

Flick fact

By Edith Brady-Lunny eblunny@pantagraph.com

ISU teachers over the years have no doubt thought of some of their students as crazy, has it ever been proposed to convert ISU into an insane asylum? Answer below

Daily digest Tickets for Rotary brats, bags fundraiser available BLOOMINGTON — The Bloomington-Normal Sunrise Rotary will host its annual Brats & Bags fundraiser Aug. 6 to benefit the Midwest Food Bank Back Pack Program Aug. 6.

A bratwurst lunch will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in downtown Bloomington.

Advance tickets are $7 from Sunrise members or at Specs Around Town. Free delivery is available for a minimum of 15 lunches at a single address.

Call 309-662-5533 or email aoneal@eastlandsuites. com.

A double-elimination beanbag tournament, with cash prizes, begins at 3:30 p.m.

Registration is $50 per team before July 26.

Register at bnsunriserotary. wordpress.com/brats-andbags-2013.

Road closures LeRoy School Road, LeRoy

— LeRoy School Road, between Barnett Street and Sabina Road, will be closed to through traffic Monday for maintenance work.

Stanford/McLean County Road, Stanford —

Stanford/McLean Road, between McLean County 400 North and Olympia School roads, will be closed to through traffic Tuesday morning for road maintenance.

Hudson East Road, Hudson

— Hudson East Road, between Kenneth Drive and Pipeline Road, will be closed to through traffic Tuesday afternoon for maintenance.

Today in history Today is Saturday,July 20, the 201st day of 2013.There are 164 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight On July 20, 2012, a gunman wearing a helmet, body armor and a gas mask opened fire inside a crowded movie theater in Aurora, Colo., during a midnight showing of “The Dark Knight Rises,” killing 12 people.

On this date In 1944, an attempt by a group of German officials to assassinate Adolf Hitler with a bomb failed as the explosion only wounded the Nazi leader.

Thought for today: “The regret on our side is, they used to say years ago, we are reading about you in science class. Now they say, we are reading about you in history class.” — Neil Armstrong,American astronaut (1930-2012).

LOTTERY Friday’s results My 3 3-0-4

7-9-5 Pick 3

9-3-0

9-7-6

Pick 4 8-6-1-1 9-3-3-8 Lucky Day Lotto Midday: 4-5-11-21-36 Evening: 21-22-23-25-33 Mega Millions 16-20-24-39-42 (46) Lotto jackpot $2.95 million Mega Millions jackpot $12 million Powerball jackpot $141 million Answer: Amazingly, yes.

The suggestion was made back in 1875, at the same time it was proposed that SIU-Carbondale be turned into a home for “feebleminded” children. It was ISU President Richard Edwards who convinced the Legislature that the Normal campus should remain a university.

LINCOLN — A judge took away Chris Harris’ freedom for life Friday for the 2009 slayings of five members of the Rick Gee family.

Harris’ ex-wife, Nicole Gee, took away his children.

“You are nothing to my babies or me,” Gee said in a statement read at Harris’ sentencing hearing by victim witness advocate Lisa Bobb.

Harris and Gee had a daughter, now 12, and a son who was an infant when Harris killed five members of her family.

She lives in Florida with the children.

Gee, who was the daughter of Rick Gee, called on Harris to tell the truth about what he did to her family.

“You are never getting out so give it up,” Gee said.

“Remember you had it all — no, you could have had it all. You are a mess-up and that is all you will be,” the statement continued.

Gee’s statement was one of four victim impact statements read at the hearing.

Judi Stogdell, Rick Gee’s mother, read two statements that outlined the harm and loss caused by Harris — one from her perspective and one written by Tabitha Gee, now 7, who was severely beaten by Harris and left for dead.

Accusing Harris of possessing a savage rage that surpasses that of an animal,

The Pantagraph/STEVE SMEDLEY

Terri Miller Reagan, right, hugs her mother,Terry Miller, after speaking to the media Friday following the sentencing of Chris Harris at the Logan County Courthouse in Lincoln. Miller Reagan is a sister of murder victim Dillen Constant. Logan County Sheriff Steve Nichols is interviewed by a television crew at left.

Stogdell laid bare the loss his action caused her.

“You also beat to death my only child at least 55 times with a tire iron. No animal would do that,” said Stogdell, describing Rick Gee as her best friend who planned to help her in her senior years.

Her grandson, Austin Gee, 11, was described as “a caring soul” who, along with his sister, Justina Con-

CHANGED FROM A1

When given his chance to make a statement before the mandatory life sentence was imposed, the 34-year-old Armington man apologized to the family but denied he killed the Gees.

“I made a lot of stupid, stupid decisions that night but I did not commit this crime,” Harris told McLean County Judge Scott Drazewski.

Logan County State’s Attorney Jonathan Wright asked for the maximum terms available on all charges — starting with life in prison on the murder charges and 30 years on each of the armed robbery, home invasion and attempted murder counts.

Wright asked the judge to consider Harris’ statement, noting that it was “deafening in its silence. There is no remorse, no ownership for what he has done.”

Harris was found guilty in May by a Peoria County jury. The trial was moved to Peoria in response to defense arguments that it would be nearly impossible to select an unbiased jury in Logan County.

Fultz acknowledged to the judge that sentencing options were limited but asked for less than the maximum of 30 years on the charges other than murder.

Saying Harris “will pay a horrific price for what he did,” Fultz also observed that “everyone has been changed by what happened in this situation.”

Harris was once married to Rick Gee’s daughter Nicole, who lives in Florida with the couple’s two children.

In his remarks before handing down the sentence, Drazewski called Harris’ apology “hypocritical sympathy,” adding that he struggled to find words to describe the loss left by the tragedy.

“I have searched for words and I don’t have sufficient vocabulary to describe the gravity of these crimes,” said Drazewski.

Life in prison is a fitting punishment, said the judge.

“I hope you will never be able to forget what you did that night,” he said.

The process of bringing the case to a jury for a decision affected everyone involved, said the judge.

Chris Harris is escorted into the Logan County Courthouse for sentencing Friday.

Emotions had to be set aside and mental walls constructed to desensitize those who had to view the evidence of the massacre of two adults and three children with a tire iron, Drazewski told Harris.

As part of the legal process, the judge vacated Harris’ conviction for aggravated battery of a child because those allegations were covered in the attempted murder conviction. He also denied Harris’ motion for a new trial.

The jury rejected Harris’ self-defense claim in which he said he had to kill Dillen Constant. Harris said the boy was killing other family members when Harris arrived at the home after midnight with his brother,

stant, 16, “could sing like angels.”

Harris’ claim that 14year-old Dillen Constant killed the family is beyond comprehension, said the child’s grandmother.

Dillen was hit more than 50 times with the tire iron “and then you blamed him for your evilness,” she said.

Closing her remarks, Stogdell told Harris, “I pray you are dealt with the Jason Harris, in search of marijuana.

An appeal will be filed on Chris Harris’ behalf by the state appellate defender’s office.

Jason Harris, also charged with murder initially, made a plea deal on lesser charges. He stayed outside the Gee home while his brother went inside the home with a tire iron, according to authorities.

Jason Harris, 25, also of Armington, recanted his first statements to police that his brother was looking for sex, presumably with Justina Constant, when he went inside the Gee home.

A plea hearing for Jason Harris, who is expected to receive a 20-year sentence, has not been scheduled.

A criminal case against one of two women connected to the Gee matter remains pending. Jennifer Earnest, the former girlfriend of Jason Harris, still faces obstruction of justice charges accusing her of providing Chris Harris with a false alibi.

Earnest’s mother, Sara Duncan of Florida, pleaded guilty in May to obstructing justice, was placed on two years of probation and ordered to pay a $2,500 fine. Duncan was visiting her daughter and Jason Harris when the Beason murders occurred.

amount of mercy you showed my son and his family.”

Terri Miller Reagan expressed the loss to Dillen’s family in a victim impact statement. Dillen was Ruth Gee’s son and Rick Gee’s stepson.

“The love I have for my brother is beyond words,” Miller Reagan said of the boy who would have turned 18 this year and been in line

for many first experiences.

After the hearing, Miller Reagan said Harris’ denial “proves the fact that he’s a coward still to this day.”

A statement read on behalf of Vickie Buss, a sister of Ruth Gee, detailed the sadness the family feels every day.

“I will never get to see her face again other than in photographs,” Buss said in her statement.

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SUGGESTED RETAIL RATES Daily & Sunday $259.93/year; Thurs., Fri., Sat. & Sun. $161.20/year Thurs./Sunday $156/year.

Weekend only subscribers, by foot carrier or motor route delivery, will receive these holiday or legal holiday observance editions; Columbus Day, Thanksgiving week, Christmas week, New Years Week, Martin Luther King Day, President’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day. Please note that the home delivery of our Thanksgiving Day edition and the May 26, June 30, August 25, and September 29 editions will be priced at the added premium rate of $3.00 and Our Annual Report editions and the July 23 edition will be priced at the additional premium rate of $2.00 each for our Daily and Sunday, Thursday-Sunday and Sunday only subscribers. Home delivery subscribers will see a reduction in their subscription length to offset this added premium rate. For any questions, please call customer service at 309-820-3358.

DIGITAL RATES $65.95 for digital only subscribers and $12 for print subscribers

POSTMASTER

Please send address changes to The Pantagraph, 301 W. Washington St., P.O. Box 2907, Bloomington, IL 61702-2907.

Periodicals postage paid at Bloomington, IL 61701 ©2013 The Pantagraph (USPS 144760) 20524581

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