CITY BEAT: ‘SCRAPBOOK’ ARTICLES ARE REMINDERS OF THE PEOPLE AND PLACES WE KNEW

     Many years ago, when I published an article on Bradley’s Auto Court, one of Decatur’s early motels, my former classmate at Roosevelt Junior High School, Joe Keller, contacted me with a lot more personal information about Bradley’s.
     Joe passed away in 2020 and looking through his comments about the auto court, that are printed in this week’s “Scrapbook” on pages 4 and 5 of the print and online editions, also reminded me of those days so long ago when Joe was my classmate — and both of us had our lives ahead of us.
     One of my favorite parts of being editor of this newspaper for so long is compiling and revising the “Scrapbook” articles because they usually speak of a time when life seemed to be at a slower pace and people got to know each other better.
     The articles also remind me of the people I’ve met over the decades and their words bring back personalities and places that are heart-warming to remember.
     It seems hard to believe, with all of the passwords for cellphones and computer-generated messages, long phone numbers and an often stressful platform of technology, that there was a time in the not-to-distant past, when the telephone number for Bradley’s Auto Court was 5821.
Maybe that’s the reason that so many of the “older” generation fondly remember a time when life was less complicated.

     • SHORTAGE — Illinois is projected to have a shortage of over 6,200 doctors by 2030, but a law that took effect this year cuts regulations and will help foreign-educated doctors start treating patients sooner.
     The above information is from Chris Coffey who wrote about the problem in a recent Illinois Policy article.
I’ve mentioned before in this column that, in the space of a few years, I’ve had three different personal physicians and a physician assistant as my primary doctor of record. (One of my doctors was here for such a short time that he was gone before my first six-month routine check-up.)
     I have all the confidence in the world in my present doctor, but my other doctors were certainly good physicians also.
     Many Decatur people I know are seeking medical help by going to other communities for medical care and personal physicians.
     I had the same Decatur doctor for more than 20 years, but he no longer is in the medical field.
     That doctor knew all about my medical history and it seems that, these days, when doctors don’t stay in an area very long, it is like starting all over with someone new who doesn’t know anything, or very little, about my medical history.
     On the other hand, when I was in Decatur Memorial Hospital for congestive heart failure four years ago, I could not have received better treatment from all of the doctors, nurses and hospital staff.
     However, all the doctors and specialists I had, and felt comfortable with, four years ago, are gone — except one!
The medical staffing problems that the Decatur area seemingly has been experiencing the past few years are not unique to our city or county.
     As Chris Coffey explained in his article about the new law that took effect this year, that cuts regulations and will help foreign-educated doctors start treating patients sooner, the entire state is affected by the doctor shortage.
     “As of January 2025, when the law took effect, 81 out of Illinois’ 102 counties had a county-wide shortage of primary care health professionals. Rural counties are especially impacted. Eleven counties, including those home to Chicago and its suburbs as well as Springfield, have a partial shortage. Only 10 Illinois counties have an adequate supply of primary health care providers.”

     • COOKIE FIRE! One of my staff members was in the South Shores Kroger Store last week, when she noticed a fire in one of the aisles!
     Another person who saw the fire about the same time yelled: “Fire! Fire! Aisle five! Cookies!!!!”
     A store employee ran to the site of the fire and threw his coat over the flame and snuffed it out before it got real serious!.
What caused something to catch on fire? At last word, there was some concern about a person with a hood over his head leaving the store hurridly just as the fire was noticed!
     Whether he (or she) had anything to do with the fire is not known as I’m writing this column, but that person did act suspicious and was in the area where the fire started.

     • CANDIDATE — A few weeks ago, I reported that Macon County Clerk Josh Tanner has decided not to run for re-election to a third term — and he an-nounced that early to give potential candidates an opportunity to an-nounce their candidacy for the position.
Tomorrow (Thursday, May 15) at 5:00 p.m. in front of the Macon County Building, Republican Marsha Webb will be announcing her candidacy and her platform will be “honest elections, open government, and equal treatment for all residents.”
     Her top priority is “election integrity.”
     Webb previously ran for election to the Illinois House of Representatives to represent District 107.
She lost in the Republican primary on March 19, 2024.

     • PROPERTY TAX — If you own property in Macon County you should have received your property tax bill from the Macon County Treasurer’s Office by now, or will very shortly.
     It is for 2024 property taxes that are payable in 2025.
     The Treasurer’s Office reminds residents that property tax payments can be made online, by mail, in person, or at participating local banks. Detailed payment instructions are included with the tax bill.
     For additional information or to access property tax details online, please visit propertytaxonline.org or contact the Treasurer’s Office directly.
     High property taxes in Macon County is the complaint I hear most often from local residents.
     The property tax bill for many residents is higher (averaging it out over 12 months) than the monthly payments the property owners made when they bought the house and paid back principal and interest to a financial institution.
     That’s crazy!
     By the way, don’t get mad at the Macon County Treasurer’s Office. They did not set the rate.

     • MEMORIES — Former Decatur School District Superintendent Robert Oakes was named to the position in 1969 — the same year I became editor/publisher of this newspaper.
     I met Bob in 1969 when we were both only days into our new positions when I was coming out of Howard’s Restaurant on East Eldorado and Bob was arriving.
     We introduced ourselves and chatted for awhile — the very first of many conversations we would have during the years he served as superintendent and I covered the school district news.
     Bob passed away on May 20, 2010, at the age of 81, after retiring many years earlier from the superintendent’s position.
Earlier this year, in this column in the Jan. 15, 2025, edition I wrote that during the time Bob was superintendent, when Decatur had four high schools, five middle schools and more than 20,000 students, there really had to be a record-breaking snowstorm before Bob would dismiss school and use a snow day!
     Parents and students still remember the few “snow days” that closed the schools.
     After that column appeared, I received the following email from Elizabeth Oakes Crowder: “I smiled when I read your comments about my dad, Robert Oakes, in the Tribune I received today. He felt strongly that kids should be in school whenever possible. I recall many mornings when he was out of the house at 4 a.m. to drive the roads himself to see if the school buses could operate – that was the deciding factor. You will never meet anyone that enjoyed their job or believed in the importance of public education more than he did.
     “My mom (age 93) and I both live in Memphis now and we enjoy reading the Tribune each week.”
     Two weeks ago, Elizabeth emailed me again to let me know that her mom, Constance Ann Bennett Oakes, had passed away.
     Her obituary was printed on page 20 of last week’s edition and she was also a force in local education her entire career and was very active in community organizations.
     Now, both Bob and Constance have passed on — but they left a lot of what they were in their family and in the countless lives they touched in their careers and dedication to education.

     • I JOIN Brian Byers on Byers & Co. every Thursday morning at 7:00 to talk about the people, places and events that impact our community in the “City Hall Insider” half-hour.

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