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Defense gives Beckman a win in debut SPORTS, 4B-5B

Tuesday September 4, 2012

The Daily Illini

The independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois since 1871

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Vol. 142 Issue 7

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ELECTIONS 2012

District 13 candidates contend for votes with election 9 weeks away BY MATT RICE STAFF WRITER

ter said. The city of Urbana was forced to cancel the annual Labor Day parade and postpone the Labor Day picnic due to unfavorable ground conditions caused by heavy rainfall. The picnic has been rescheduled for Saturday. “I was hoping to march with a group of my own volunteers and to show solidarity with many of our members in the area,” said Charlie Smyth, alderman for Ward 1. Back on campus, the University made preparations for the inclement weather prior to the storm, said Andy Blacker, manager of external relations for facilities and services. “We’re basically trying to secure the

The race to fi ll outgoing Rep. Tim Johnson’s seat in the new 13th District will be over in nine weeks, and local candidates are gearing up for the fi nal stretch of election season. On Election Day, the district’s voters will see three candidates on their ballots: Democrat David Gill from Bloomington, Republican Rodney Davis from Taylorville, and independent candidate John Hartman from Edwardsville. The three candidates are competing to represent the district that stretches from Champaign County to as far west as the state border along the Mississippi River. On April 5, Johnson announced that he would not seek re-election, citing personal reasons involving his family. Davis was chosen by Illinois Republican Party leaders on May 19 to fi ll Johnson’s vacant spot on the ballot. Davis said he was “pleasantly surprised” by the decision, which he was notified of via text message while coaching his twin sons’ baseball team. Gill, a physician, ran and lost to Johnson three times in the 15th District before the redistricting but is now facing a potentially lessRepublican-leaning district. “This is a lean Democratic district, and David is the only candidate chosen by

See RAIN, Page 3A

See ELECTION, Page 3A

MELISSA MCCABE THE DAILY ILLINI

Students participating in the university’s Panhellenic Council’s Formal Recruitment, or Rush, walk past Foellinger Auditorium on Monday. In addition to the weather precautions for the football game, Saturday’s sorority recruitment was cancelled and moved to Monday.

Rainfall from Isaac remnants less than expected BY EMMA WEISSMANN STAFF WRITER

All eyes turned to the sky this past weekend as the National Weather Service warned that the remnants of Hurricane Isaac were forecasted to drop around 10 inches of rain on the Champaign-Urbana area. But despite causing localized flooding, the storm that blew in over the Labor Day weekend fell short of the most drastic expectations. Eric Snodgrass, professor of atmospheric sciences, said the region was hit with 3.6 inches of precipitation over the weekend. That was 6.4 inches less than the National Weather Service’s forecast that prompted a mass email from Chancellor Phyllis Wise warning of the possibility of dangerously high water.

Snodgrass set up a rain gauge in his backyard to track precipitation over the weekend, and said that as Isaac moved closer to central Illinois from the Gulf Coast, the rain that fell was a result of the system slowing down and stalling over one area of land. “It’s been (Isaac’s) rain that’s been the big story,” Snodgrass said. “And that’s the story for us here this weekend.” Kris Koester, administrative services supervisor of Champaign Public Works, said crews were sent out Friday to prepare for the storm and continued to work through 11 a.m. Sunday morning. Before the storm was scheduled to hit, service trucks carried “portable barricades, lights, rain gear and other tools that can be used to help clear clogged inlets and address flooding and crews left barricades

in areas prone to flooding to provide them the ability to quickly block off an area as needed,” according to a Public Works press release. Koester said the storm did not leave much damage, as it “drastically diminished over initial reports.” However, there were still a few places around the city that did experience flooding. “There was a section of South Second Street near Armory that flooded during the Aug. 9 storm that flooded again this weekend,” Koester said. “We aren’t sure what caused it, but will look into it with our environmental engineers this week.” Other areas that ended up flooding around the city included intersections at State and Springfield, Bradley and McKinley and the Washington St. viaduct, Koes-

Provena gives award to ambulance, SWAT teams actually part of our team.” The paramedics of the unit were invited Saving lives is a daily routine for the to Friday’s ceremony to recognize their members of Provena Covenant Center’s accomplishments. PRO Ambulance team working with Tim Compton, director of the PRO the Metropolitan Emergency Tactical Ambulance Service Team, said his team Response Operations SWAT team. successfully handled dangerous situations To recognize the group’s efforts in with the SWAT team. “It was actually very seamless. (The responding to high-risk situations, the Provena Covenant Medical Center pre- SWAT team) gives us a call, they let us sented the emergency responders with know where they want us staged, we send the Guardian Angel the unit right away,” Compton said. award on Friday. The M ET RO “(We) dispatch SWAT team unit them by radio and we have them consists of police staged and they officers from the University, Urbana, communicate Mahomet, Parkland directly with the College and Rantoul ambulance.” police departments, At the event, Conas well as the Chamnolly spoke of the JIM LIEVANO, paign County sherparamedics’ value paramedic iff’s office. to the SWAT team. This special unit Jim Lievano, handles situations such as hostage crises, a paramedic with the PRO Ambulance barricaded armed subjects and high-risk Team, said he felt proud being part of the search warrants. But when they’re called team recognized by the award ceremony. “I think through the years, we have to an emergency, paramedics from PRO Ambulance have to be on site to make sure proven ourselves as being one of the most the victims of the crime are transported professional ambulance services not just in the state of Illinois but maybe in the safely to the hospital. Patrick Connolly, Urbana police chief, country,” Lievano said. “For those of us said the PRO ambulance center work close- that are standby with the SWAT teams, ly with the SWAT team on two seperate it is an amazing opportunity to just be tasks. able to mingle with two different disci“First, they stage an ambulance for us in plines of emergency services and law the event when the police officer gets shot enforcement.” or injured,” Connolly said. “In addition to that, they also, on a voluntary basis, pro- Carina can be reached at lee713@dailyvide expertise with paramedics who are illini.com BY CARINA LEE STAFF WRITER

“I think through the years, we have proven ourselves as being one of the most professional ambulance services not just in the state of Illinois but maybe in the country.”

INSIDE

DAVID MERCER THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Farmer Chris Wise climbs out of a combine as he scrambles to harvest corn just south of Champaign on Friday ahead of the heavy rain expected from the remnants of Hurricane Isaac. Parts of Illinois were expected to get 6 or 8 inches of rain after weeks of drought.

Crop insurance in high demand after drought BY CLAIRE EVERETT STAFF WRITER

Despite the rain this weekend, Midwestern farmers will have to rely on insurance, rather than rain, to make up the losses from their drought-stricken crops. Ed Dunn, insurance agent and broker at Strategic Farm Marketing in Cham-

paign, said about 80 percent of farmers in the Champaign area are covered by insurance. The most common type of farm insurance guarantees to pay back 85 percent of the farmer’s yield at market value. He said if the farmer’s yield was supposed to be 170 bushels and they only produced 100, through an insurance claim, that farmer would be able

to get the 70 bushels back. “It’s been 1988 since a drought like this happened, so the farming community felt bulletproof,” Dunn said. “Farmers that don’t have insurance have called and are very scared. They won’t make that mistake again.”

See INSURANCE, Page 3A