CLINTON VISITS MICHIGAN CITY

Special Amtrak crew serves Clinton

Rhonda E. Sobecki

For The News-Dispatch

Amtrak employees who waited on President Clinton and anentourage of more than 160 press people on his "21st Century Express"received their assignments just days ahead of time.

Three Amtrak employees, Robert Heath, Beric Ketchum andColleen Abrams, who together have more than 50 years with Amtrak, said workingon the 21st Century Express was the highlight of their career.

"This is the most important assignment in my 23 years,"Heath said.

Heath's co-worker, Beric Ketchum, agreed. "It's themost important of all of my 22 years," he said, adding, "and oneof the nicest."

While Heath and Abrams had not yet met President Clintonas of Wednesday, Aug. 28, Ketchum had -- albeit by sheer luck, he said witha sly grin.

All three employees are based in Chicago.

Photo/Rhonda E. Sobecki

Part of the Amtrak crew pauses next to the 21st CenturyExpress. They are, front (from left) Colleen Abrams, Robert Heath; back(left to right) conductor Marcy Westfielder, Janet Duncan and Beric Ketchum.

Ketchum said when his brother found out he would be workingthe presidential tour, he handed him a Chicago Bulls cap and asked thathe please give it to Clinton.

"Something told me to go sit in the VIP car,"Ketchum recalled of the memorable event. "And he came back there andI said, 'I have something for you Mr. President.' He said, 'God bless you,'and I said, 'God bless you.' "

Although all three conceded that the tour was "a lotof fun" they also agreed the tour was "a lot of hard work."

"This has been one of the hardest-working trips, butthe most fun and memorable," Ketchum said,

The 21st Century Express assignment was based on Amtrakemployees' impeccable work record and years of experience, Heath and Ketchumsaid.

On this trip, the main focus of employees was cateringto media. With the likes of Paula Zahn, Ann Compton and Brit Hume, one mightventure to say the journey was demanding. But the three employees wouldn'tadmit to any problems or excessive demands from media.

"They've been very pleasant to work with," Ketchumsaid.

Added Heath, "They were great in Coach C, too. Everybodywho has been riding press Coach C has been fabulous.

"This is not like any other train trip because thereis no schedule. And we've got people from all over."

Asked their most memorable recollection of this tour, withouthesitation both Heath and Ketchum said meeting Rosa Parks the day beforewould be their most memorable moment on the 21st Century Express tour. Parksis the black woman whose refusal to give up her seat to a white passengeron a bus in Montgomery, Ala., in 1955 helped spark the civil rights movement.

Abrams said pulling into Lansing Tuesday, Aug. 27, andseeing a rally of more than 20,000 people was a special moment for her.

"Last night pulling into East Lansing and all thatelectricity," Abrams said. "This has been almost emotional forme. I feel excited to be a part of this deal."

And while President Clinton will more than likely benefitfrom this train tour, these employees said Amtrak more than likely willbenefit, too.

"I think this (the presidential train tour) will doa lot for Amtrak," Abrams said. "People are finding this morerelaxing and fun instead of having to rush off and fly."

The crew of the 21st Century Express finished their assignmentWednesday in Chicago.

Thousands line tracks to see Clinton

By Rhonda E. Sobecki

For The News-Dispatch

President Clinton captured the cheers of thousands of Michiganresidents before concluding the "21st Century Express" trip inMichigan City Wednesday.

The president was welcomed in every city and town alongthe route of his Michigan tour, with just a few anti-Clinton signs evident.

Clinton began the final leg of the train tour in East Lansing,home to Michigan State University and 35,000 residents. With Michigan oneof the states having the most toxic waste sites, Clinton's promise to cleanup the country by the year 2000 was well received.

Clinton promised Michigan residents a "bold new commitmentfor toxic waste cleanup," nearly doubling the pace of cleanup in thepast.

"Michigan has more of an (interest) in this initiativethan any other state," Clinton told a crowd of about 6,000 in Comstock,just outside of Kalamazoo.

In his plan, Clinton called for two-thirds of the 1,387toxic waste sites now on Superfund's national priorities list to be cleanedby 2000.

The president's overall environmental initiative will cost$1.9 billion over the next four years, White House press spokesman BruceReed said in a press briefing minutes before the Superliner Amtrak trainstopped in Battle Creek. Clinton will ask Congress for $1.3 billion to accelerateand boost Superfund efforts, Reed said.

According to the Clinton administration, four million childrenlive within four miles of a Superfund site.

In addition to cleaning toxic waste sites, Clinton's environmentalinitiative will include an executive order to provide agencies that protectthe lands and waters with new authority to make polluters clean toxic wastesites for which they are responsible.

In addition, the environmental push will include expansionof the administration's Brownfields initiative, which promotes the safeand sustainable reuse of industrial and commercial facilities that are idleor under-utilized because of toxic contamination.

It would include expansion of Environmental ProtectionAgency community grants for site assessment and redevelopment planning andsupport for revolving loans to finance brownfields cleanup efforts at thelocal level.

Clinton traveled all of Wednesday through the Michigancommunities of Battle Creek, Comstock, Kalamazoo, Niles and Three Oaks,after arriving late Tuesday night in Lansing to a crowd of more than 20,000.

In Battle Creek, home to Kellogg's breakfast cereals, Clintondenounced underage tobacco usage.

"Three thousand of our young people a day start tosmoke," Clinton said, "and 1,000 will die sooner because of it.It's the biggest public health problem in the country and I think it's agood thing Americans have taken action on it again."

Michigan recently filed a lawsuit against tobacco companiesfor state-paid health care costs for diseases associated with smoking.

Clinton was the first president in Battle Creek since LyndonB. Johnson visited the breakfast capital of the world in 1965, as well asthe first president to arrive by train since the early 1900s.

"I'm glad to be the first president to come into BattleCreek on a train since President Taft was here in 1911," he said toa rousing round of applause.

"This train started in West Virginia and went intoKentucky," he said, "then we went all over Ohio and yesterdaymorning we started in Toledo and then worked our way into Michigan ... andlast night to a rally at Michigan State University where there were over20,000 people," adding with a big presidential smile, "it wasan amazing event."

Clinton said he campaigned on the "21st Century Express"for two reasons.

"I wanted to get a chance -- while I go to Chicagoto accept the nomination from my party for president and begin the lastand perhaps the most important campaign of my life -- to look into the faces,into the eyes, into the hearts of the people of America in the heartlandfor whom I've worked and fought these last four years.

"I wanted to see you to remember why we're doing allof this. And secondly, I wanted to make the point that our train is notonly on the right track to Chicago, it's on the right track to the 21stCentury and we need to stay on that track."

After briefly stopping in Niles, the Express slowed inThree Oaks. Clinton stepped onto the caboose platform and said, "Thankyou, thank you. That's great. Thank you. Stay with us."

After that, the train never slowed again until it reachedMichigan City, rolling through New Buffalo at high speed.

Photo/Steven Peterka

RIDING IN STYLE: President Clinton's motorcade heads for the tarmacat Michigan City Municipal Airport Wednesday. Clinton flew in the presidentialhelicopter, Marine One, from Michigan City to the Democratic National Conventionin Chicago.