Fourth day of pickets ends without plans for teachers, district to meet GLASFORD - Teachers in Illini Bluffs School District 327 remained on the picket line for the fourth straight day Monday, with no clear indication of when the school year would begin. The teachers union went on strike Wednesday over the board's insistence that random drug test of union members be included in a new three-year contract. As of late Monday there were no plans for the two sides to meet. [continues 315 words]
Adolescent Addicts Face Same Challenges As Experienced Adults BLOOMINGTON - On May 25, Brent, an 18-year-old from Milford, will leave Chestnut Health Systems after a stay of 87 days, a stretch of time that will mark the beginning of a lifelong fight to bury his addiction to drugs and alcohol in his rocky, blurry past. The next day he will graduate, on time, with the rest of the Milford High School Class of 2006. Talk about a fresh start. "I feel good about where I am right now," Brent said recently inside his Chestnut counselor's office. "And I haven't been able to say that for a long time." [continues 1711 words]
Ida Crall's Ordeal With Son's Drug Dependency Illustrates The Toll Addiction Takes On A Family GLASFORD - Ida Crall sat in the audience at her granddaughter's DARE graduation program and cried hard tears of a tough-to-pinpoint origin. The steady leak - brought on by a confusing mix of pride, guilt, shame, hope, sadness - stirred a sympathetic reaction from those around her. A soft pat on the back. A squeeze of the shoulder. A "God bless you and your son," whispered in her ear. [continues 1578 words]
