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Touchstone Energy co-ops demonstrate new technology at state fairs

The Illinois Touchstone Energy cooperatives met with thousands of consumers during the Illinois State Fairs in Springfield and DuQuoin. Co-op members and other consumers saw demonstrations of the latest technology, like fuel cells, geothermal heat pumps and a solar/fuel cell car. Kyle Finley's enthusiastic Live Line Demo entertained and educated fair-goers with a safety demonstration using actual high voltage distribution equipment. Finley, a former Eastern Illini Electric Cooperative lineman, has an energy level that drew large crowds as he fried hot dogs, zapped balloons and tripped fuses with explosive results.

Kyle Finley's Live Line Demo energized fairgoers of all ages, including this youngster who learned about electric safety firsthand.

The Touchstone Energy Balloon, manned by Cheri White, the National Women's Division Hot Air Balloon Champion, and her crew made several appearances, including a flight over the fairgrounds.

Touchstone Energy is an alliance of local, consumer-owned utilities across the country committed to providing high standards of service to customers, large and small. Launched nationally by electric cooperatives in 1998, Touchstone Energy cooperatives represent America's largest network of energy providers, comprised of more than 560 cooperatives in 38 states, serving more than 16 million customers every day.

Illinois Touchstone Energy cooperatives are: Jo-Carroll Electric Cooperative in Elizabeth; Corn Belt Energy Corporation in Bloomington; McDonough Power Cooperative in Macomb; Eastern Illini Electric Cooperative in Paxton; Menard Electric Cooperative in Petersburg; Illinois Rural Electric Cooperative in Winchester; Rural Electric Convenience Cooperative Co. in Auburn; Shelby Electric Cooperative in Shelbyville; Coles-Moultrie Electric Cooperative in Mattoon; EnerStar Power Corp in Paris; Norris Electric Cooperative in Newton; Tri-County Electric Cooperative in Mt. Vernon; Monroe County Electric Co-Operative, Incorporated in Waterloo; Egyptian Electric Cooperative Association in Steeleville; SouthEastern Illinois Electric Cooperative in Eldorado; Southern Illinois Electric Cooperative in Dongola; Soyland Power Cooperative in Decatur; and Southern Illinois Power Cooperative in Marion.

U.S. POSTAL SERVICE-STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP MANAGEMENT AND CIRCULATION (Required by 39 U.S.C. 3685)

Title of publication—Illinois Country Living.
Publication No.—258420.
Date of filing—September 5, 2000.
Frequency of issue—Monthly.
No. of issues published annually—12.
Annual subscription price—$5.00.
Complete Mailing Address of Known Office of Publication—Association of Illinois Electric Cooperatives, 6460 S. Sixth Street Frontage Road E., Springfield, Sangamon, Illinois 62707.
Complete Mailing Address of Headquarters or General Business Office of Publisher—Association of Illinois Electric Cooperatives, 6460 S. Sixth Street Frontage Road E, Springfield, Illinois 62707.
Full Names and complete Mailing addresses of Publisher, Editor and Managing Editor—Publisher, Association of Illinois Electric Cooperatives, P.O. Box 3787, Springfield, IL 62708-3787. Editor—John Lowrey, RO. Box 3787, Springfield, IL 62708-3787.
Senior Editor—Jack D. Halstead, PO. Box 3787, Springfield, IL 62708-3787.
Owner—Association of Illinois Electric Cooperatives, PO. Box 3787, Springfield, Illinois 62708-3787.
Known Bondholders, Mortgagees, and Other Security Holders Owning or Holding 1 Percent or More of Total Amount of Bonds, Mortgages or Other Securities—None.
Publication Name—Illinois Country Living.
Issue Date for Circulation Data Below—September 2000.
Extent and Nature of Circulation—Average No. Copies
Each Issued During Preceding 12 Months—Actual No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date:
Total No. Copies—164,870; 158,913
Paid and/or Requested Circulation—Sales Through Dealers and Carrier, Street Vendors and Counter Sales None; None
Paid or Requested Mail Subscriptions—162,434; 156,597
Free Distribution by Mail —1,511; 1,507
Free Distribution Outside the Mail—None; None
Total Free Distribution—1,511; 1,507
Total Distribution—163,945; 158,104
Copies Not Distributed—Office Use, Leftovers, Spoiled—928; 809
Return from News Agents—None; None
Total—164,873; 158,913
Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation—99%; 99%

This Statement of Ownership will be printed in the October issue of this publication.

I certify that all information furnished on this form is true and complete. I understand that anyone who furnishes false or misleading information on this form or who omits material or information requested on the form may be subject to criminal sanctions and/or civil sanctions.
/s/John Lowrey

6 ILLINOIS COUNTRY LIVING   OCTOBER 2000

Sports travelers well worth recruiting

Illinois' Touchstone Energy cooperatives helped bring sports tourism dollars to Mattoon as one of the sponsors of the Cal Ripken Baseball World Series. Coles-Moultrie Electric Cooperative employees hosted this team from the Pacific Northwest and a team from the Netherlands.

A new state-funded study shows that sports fans attending Midwest events spend nearly twice as much as a typical leisure travel party, indicating that Illinois communities interested in reaping the benefits of tourism should consider hosting sporting events.

The first-ever Sport Event Travel Survey commissioned by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs, Bureau of Tourism showed that travel parties spent an average of $945 each time they traveled to an Illinois sporting event, compared with $536 for a leisure trip.

This is good news for the many Illinois communities hosting sports events and those looking for new opportunities to capture a share of tourism dollars. Travel done exclusively for the purpose of attending or competing in an organized sporting event was estimated as a $44 billion industry in the U.S.

Sports fans tend to spend more mainly because they travel in larger groups, enjoying the outing with family or friends whether attending a professional, minor-league, collegiate or youth event, and stay longer.

This July alone, Illinois hosted the John Deere Classic at Deere Run in the Quad-Cities; the LPGA U.S. Women's Open Championship in Lake County; the National High School Rodeo Championships in Springfield; the Bassmaster's Classic fishing tournament in downtown Chicago; and the training camp for the Super Bowl champion St. Louis Rams in Macomb.

Also, the Touchstone Energy cooperatives of Illinois and Coles-Moultrie Electric Cooperative (CMEC) helped sponsor the Cal Ripken Baseball World Series in Mattoon this summer. Teams from all over the world came to compete. Two employees helped host teams. Char Bailey, CMEC service representative, hosted the Pacific Northwest Regional Champion team and Brad Tucker, CMEC journeyman lineman, hosted the Netherlands team.

Does your vote count?

So, the elections are coming up, and you think that your one vote doesn't make any difference one way or another? Wrong. Think about this:

In 1776, one vote gave America the English language instead of German. In 1845, one vote brought Texas into the Union. In 1868, one vote saved President Andrew Johnson from impeachment. In 1875, one vote changed France from a monarchy to a republic. In 1923, one vote gave Adolf Hitler leadership of the Nazi party.

Closer to us in time and place: In 1960, John F. Kennedy won over Richard M. Nixon by a margin of less than one-third of one vote per precinct. In 1994, Rep. Sam Gejdenson won re-election to his House seat representing the Second District of Connecticut by 21 votes out of 186,071 votes cast.

In a nation of nearly 260 million citizens, of whom more than 170 million are eligible to vote, can it really be possible that an individual vote makes a difference? The answer is an emphatic "Yes!"

FERC to investigate volatile energy market

In its last formal meeting before its annual August break, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission took several far-reaching actions on electric power issues. The commission ordered its staff to undertake an investigation of bulk power markets to determine whether power markets are working effectively and, if not, what is causing any problems,

High on the commission's list of questions to be answered by the investigation is whether volatile price fluctuations can be moderated by FERC actions. The question is if the commission "should take within its jurisdiction to correct any market behavior, operation, design, or structural problems."

OCTOBER 2000  ILLINOIS COUNTRY LIVING 7

There are so many electrical appliances and so much equipment on the market today, and every one of them seems to have a special plug. What are they, and what do they do? Computers, faxes and other electronics almost always have a three-prong plug. That third prong provides a path to ground for any leaking electricity, to protect the equipment and help prevent the user from getting a shock. NEVER remove the ground prong on a three-prong plug. If your outlet is just a two-prong type, have it replaced with a grounded outlet. Even two-prong plugs are a bit different today; one prong is usually larger than the other. This is called a polarized plug, and it ensures that the plug is inserted correctly in a socket to reduce the risk of electrical shock. Don't try to force the plug into the socket. If it won't go in easily, simply turn the plug the opposite direction and try again. Chances are, it will fit the second time. Many appliances designed for use in bathrooms, such as hair dryers, now sport a big box-like plug on the end. This plug may be an appliance leakage circuit interrupter (ALCI), an immersion detection circuit interrupter (IDCI), or a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI). Although each works a little differently, they are all designed to shut off power to the appliance in unsafe conditions, particularly if the appliance is submerged in water. But that doesn't mean that if you drop your hair dryer in a sink full of water, you can safely reach in and get it out. To be safe, you should still unplug the appliance first and carefully remove it. And even with these special plugs, appliances used around water should always be plugged into a GFCI wall outlet, too. Source: National Electrical Safety Foundation (www.nesf.org)

Federal historic preservation tax credits available

Are you planning to rehabilitate a barn, apartment complex, or office building? If so, you may be eligible for a federal income tax credit. The historic rehabilitation tax program is a federal incentive to encourage the owners of income-producing historic properties to rehabilitate them while preserving their historic features. The Tax Reform Act of 1986 established a federal income tax credit equal to 20 percent of the rehabilitation expenditures.

To qualify, the property must be listed in the National Register of Historic Places, be a contributing structure in a National Register Historic District, or be located in a historic district designated under a local preservation ordinance (both the ordinance and the historic district must be approved by the state historic preservation office). The structure must be income producing, and the owner must spend an amount equal to the adjusted basis (purchase price minus land value and depreciation, plus improvements). Finally, the completed rehabilitation must be certified by the National Park Service as having respected the building's historic features.

Since the beginning of the tax program, more than $700 million in historic rehabilitation work has been completed in Illinois. The largest tax projects in the state have exceeded $50 million.

Any type of historic property is eligible for the historic tax credits provided it is income producing. In Illinois, projects have varied from rural barns to down-town high-rises.

For additional information, write Resources Protection Section, Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, 1 Old State Capitol Plaza, Springfield, IL 62701-1507, or phone (217) 785-5027.

The 5th Cooperative Principle — Education, training and information — find it on the Internet

Co-ops work "hard to communicate with their members. Today it's through the digital communication link of the Internet. Start by visiting your local cooperative's website. You can access Illinois electric cooperatives by going to the Association of Illinois Electric Cooperative's website at www.aiec.org. Next, check out the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association's site at www.nreca.org and Touchstone Energy's web site at www.touchstoneenergy.com.

Then for more co-op information go to the following sites:

• www.coop.org - International Cooperative Alliance has a unique section called Co-ops 4 Kids. They welcome anyone to e-mail an addition to the 50 Fun Facts about Co-ops. There is also a Co-op Kids Postcard Exchange you might want to encourage young readers to go on line and check it out.

• www.cooperative.org - National Cooperative Business Association has The Whole Co-op Catalog of publications and videos online.

• www.ncb.com - National Cooperative Bank has just created an e-commerce position that will have a direct effect on this site. Keep watch on developments. Under the publications section is the useful document, "A Day in the Life of Cooperative America."

• www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs - USDA's Rural Business - Cooperative Service has an extensive publications section, including free documents that can downloaded with Acrobat Reader.

• www.wisc.edu/uwcc - University of Wisconsin Center for Cooperatives is a great place to catch global cooperative current events.

8 ILLINOIS COUNTRY LIVING   DECEMBER 2000