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SECTION 2 - PAGE 3 - PLAINDEALER - WEDNESDAY. JUNE 18.1M4 Energy assistance not Post office ZIP + 4 system efficient for business mailings available this summer By Cliff Ward Plaindealer news service The program which helped the poor and elderly with twaHng bills last winter doesn't have enough money left to help people trying to battle summer heat, a county housing official said. Diane Kelly, program coor­ dinator for the McHenry County Housing Authority's Illinois Home Energy Assistance Program, said a cold winter has put the summer program in the frying pan.1 "Because of the severity of the heating season, there's no money left over for the cooling season," Kelly said. The program, which uses federal funds administered through the state, helps people who cannot afford to pay electric bills for cooling. To be eligible, applicants have to have a disconnection notice from the electric company and a doctor's certification showing medical need for cooling. Last summer, the program aided between ISO and 200 people in the county, sometimes buying electric fans for the needy, Kelly said. This year, the federal appropriation is lower and funds are all but gone, despite the federal government ap­ propriating more for the program in early spring, Kelly said. "We didn't help all the people that needed heating assistan­ ce," Kelly said. Although the housing authority can play only a limited role because of reduced funding, the program still has a small Think ahead for emergencies on highways By Secretary of State Jim Edgar Defensive driving will prevent automobile accidents and the needless deaths and usuries that occur on our streets highways. Think ahead and anticipate any possible emergency. Remember, you may be a good driver, but not everyone else is. Careless drivers, not bad weather conditions, will be responsible for most of the accidents this summer. Following are three tips from the National Safety Council's Defensive Driving Course to help avoid an accident: -To avoid head-on collisions, drive to the right, reduce speed and go off the pavement, if necessary, to avoid an oncoming staff that can look for aid through the private sector, she said. If someone needing aid con­ tacts the authority, Kelly said the department will try to work through the person's church or some' charitable organization. If the summer is exceptionally hot, Congress may appropriate more money, but Kelly said the prospects of that occurring are dim. "It's going to hurt the ones that really need it," she said. Business owners are finding they can save money on the mail they send out if they decide to use ZIP plus 4. To help them along, the postal service is providing assistance to make it easy, even for small firms, to get started in the ZIP plus 4 program. "ZIP plus 4 is simply an ex- tention of the current five digit zip code," says McHenry Postmaster Leroy Smith. The additional four numbers identify a side of a street between in­ tersections, individual buildings, a firm within a building, a span of boxes on a rural route or a group of post office boxes. "To increase efficiency, the postal service is automating its mail sorting process by in­ stalling sophisticated electronic sorters in postal facilities across the country," explains Smith. "When used to process ZIP plus 4 coded mail, letters can be sorted automatically down to the carrier routes." Smith points out that while ZIP plus 4 is completely voluntary, participating mailers receive postage discounts in addition to more reliable mail service. Also, because ZIP plus 4 identifies very specific locations, volume mailers can use it to direct mailings to a particular geographic area or market segment, resulting in a more cost effective marketing 0 program for the firms that use it. To assist mailers in con­ verting their address lists, the postal service has developed a computer tape containing the ZIP plus 4 national-state directory file, the most com­ prehensive address information . file ever compiled. By using the postal service file to update their address records, firms can benefit because duplication and errors in their own lists will be reduced. Says Smith, "One large catalog showroom operation whose catalogs cost $5 each to produce and $1 in postage to mail, reduced its mailing list from seven million to five million just by eliminating duplicates." FOOD DEMONSTRATION 4-H food project members will share and show how to make their favorite recipes during a food demonstration contest to be held at 9 a.m. Thursday, June 14, at the McHenry County Farm Bureau building, 11909 McConnell Rd.. The contestants will have 10 minutes to give their presentations. The public is invited to attend. car in your lane. Never veer to the left, except as a last resort. -To enter an expressway safely, match your speed to the through traffic and blend in. Stay with the pace of the majority of cars. Stop only in an emergency, and never back up. -To protect against chain- reaction crashes, stay well behind ' other . vehicles. Read signs and use your turn signals when passing or changing lanes. When leaving an expressway, slow down to the posted ramp speed. If a tailgater is a problem, don't get angry. §k>w down to encourage the tailgater to pass you. Rear end collisions are the most frequent type of accident on expressways. Anyone with questions about the Secretary of State's office should call the toll-free number (800) 252-8990. MISSING CHILDREN Legislation that coordinates the efforts of law enforcement agencies in the search for lost, missing or run-away children has the support of the Thompson administration, Democratic and Republican leadership and the Department of Law En­ forcement (DLE). The proposed "Intergovernmental Missing Child Recovery Act" first calls for DLE to coordinate the creation of local I-SEARCH (Illinois State Enforcement Agencies to Recover Children) units And the legislation requires the state to pay for up to 59 percent of each I-SEARCH unit budget. ~ v l W y * 2|| N * >3 m s $ ITS! w3.Si s»8 ' ' * «o«« fi it rL eo > I i if I *r - 5 i =f 2 m s. o o o VI