St. Louis Post-Dispatch from St. Louis, Missouri • Page 33

IS. rr ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH THl'RStUV UlCL'ST 7, 2003 SECTION Illinois I 1 Ml kj' Jj.o SYLVESTER BROWN JR. METLIFE INC. SURVEY 3 Coroner's jury cites alcohol overdose in coach's death Two recent fatalities at industrial sites are ruled accidents iwig mm fe Hjuin ire ling hi reins hJIIlii, I i .1 i wwiaoaari I i my sk ft 44tU By Paul Hampel Of the Post-Dispatch An assistant wrestling coach at Edwards-ville High School who died after being found unconscious in his car had ingested a lethal amount of liquor, a Madison County coroner's jury ruled on Wednesday.

The jury also ruled as accidents the recent deaths of two men at industrial sites. The cases involved: Daniel R. McGinnis, 41, a wrestling coach who also worked as an insurance agent and died on April 23. Paul A. Kuczka, 36, of Highland, a worker at the Olin Corp.

in East Alton who died July 1 after inhaling nitrogen, rather than oxygen, through his breathing apparatus on a welding job. Kriss A. Gibbs, 37, of Bunker Hill, who died on June 27 at the U.S. Steel City Works plant when he was crushed between two heavy trash bins. A meter maid found McGinnis unconscious, sweating and salivating profusely about 3:30 p.m.

April 22 in his car parked alongside the Shelter Insurance office he operated in downtown Edwardsville. Co-workers told investigators that McGinnis had been in the car for three hours, and that he regularly spent part of his workday drinking in the vehicle, Madison County coroner Steve Nonn said. See Inquest, B3 KAREN ELSHOUTPOST-DISPATCH Eileen Toy lifts her mother, Clementine Rose Ortmann, 94, into her bed Wednesday at the skilled-nursing home Anna House on the DePaul Hospital grounds in Bridgeton. Toy says her mother's care, which began 2 'A years ago, had been costing $2,600 a month when money ran out and "she had to apply for a Medicaid bed." But the national average is far higher, survey finds an average of $60,000 a year "That dog has a will to live, and there's got to he someone out there who's meant to have him." St. Louis City Pound Supervisor Rosemary Ficken Average cost of a nursing home room per day by region By Michael D.

Sorkem Of the Post-Dispatch for a nursing home out of pocket," says Karen Barkey. She's a radio station traffic director, her husband is a minister, and in June his mother entered a private nursing home in Boonville, near Columbia, Mo. The family is nervously waiting to find Region Semiprivate room average Private room average Nationwide average $158.26 $181.24 St. Louis $114.93 $133.21 Kansas City $104.17 $120.83 Peoria $124.20 $166.20 Chicago $141.77 $171.53 Hispanic culture will be on display at downtown fest Her words paint an inviting picture. Her Bolivian accent adds rhythm to her descriptions.

To make sure I understand, she adds, "You know?" at the end of her sentences. Haniny (pronounced Janine) Hillberg is describing a traditional Sunday meal in a Hispanic household. As she talks, I visualize the scene. A Latin-American tune floats in the air. The smell of spicy chicken, stew and sweet pastries teases the senses.

In the kitchen, practiced hands prepare a feast with an eye on the clock. "On Sunday it's normal for the whole family to get together. You'll see the mother, the father, the children and the grandchildren there," Hillberg said. "It's the culture, you know? You have to share with everybody. Through good times and bad, you share with everybody." This weekend, Hillberg wants to share her culture with everyone.

The Greater St. Louis Hispanic Festival kicks off on Saturday at Memorial Park across from St. Louis City Hall. The two-day festival started eight years ago in Chesterfield's Faust Park. As the region's Hispanic population has grown, so has the need for a larger venue.

Hillberg is the president of Hispanic Festival Inc. She says her event is the largest Hispanic celebration in the region. It's little wonder why the fair has grown. Hispanics are now the largest minority group in the United States. In Missouri, the number of Hispanics has nearly doubled since 1990 to more than 119,000.

Hillberg's 27-year-old daughter, Elisa Bender, will be one of the volunteers working at the festival. She remembers being the only Hispanic child in her school and in the Florissant neighborhood where she was raised. Hillberg made sure Elisa stayed close to her roots by taking her to Bolivia and Mexico several times. Elisa speaks of the growing Hispanic population with pride. "I now realize how large it is.

Not only are we in North County and in the city, but there are large populations in Fairview Heights and Granite City as well." The government's definition of Hispanic includes all people coming from a Spanish-speaking country. That includes Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Bolivia and other countries in Central and South America. Hillberg doesn't mind this broad definition, as long as people understand that it represents many cultures. That's one of the purposes of the festival. "We want people to walk away understanding our culture.

We are so diversified, you know? Each of us has a different style, yet we have so much in common." Getting people to understand and appreciate St. Louis' Hispanic population is Gilberto Pinela's personal mission. Pinela was born in Puerto Rico and raised in New York City. A job transfer brought him to St. Louis 13 years ago.

He will serve briefly as the festival's master of ceremonies on Saturday. Pinela hosts "Ahora San Luis," a weekly program on City TV 10. He also produces and hosts "Enterate" which airs Sundays on KMOV. On the weekends, Pinela and a group of friends operate Radio CUICUI on WEW-AM. Pinela, 40, has that enviable mix of talent, good looks and dogged determination that catapults show biz folk to the top of their field.

His programs are popular, informative and have a twofold purpose. They showcase the positives of a growing Hispanic community while promoting the city as a viable place for them to live. His long-term goal is to own the first Hispanic television network in the region. Hillberg said fairgoers can expect a smorgasbord of Latino music and culinary goodies. Craftsmen, performers and vendors from around the country are expected to display their wares, food and talents.

Hillberg won't be hard to find at the festival. She said to look for the Bolivian lady having the most fun. "I'll be somewhere between the beer, the margaritas and the shish kebabs. I will dance. I've got to have fun too, you know?" E-mail: -J- Ptione: 314-340-8374 Figure on paying $48,000 a year to put mom or dad into a St.

Louis-area nursing home. That's the average cost for a private room here, according to a Source: June survey by MetLife of 476 nursing homes new survey by MetLife Inc. Consider the price here a relative bargain compared with the national average of $66,000. The most expensive home surveyed here cost more than $60,000 a year for a private room; the cheapest cost at least $35,000. For a semiprivate room here, the average cost goes down to about $42,000 a year.

Nursing home costs vary widely from region to region. The lower costs here may be deceiving, says Richard Cavanagh, state ombudsman for nursing homes in the St. Louis area. "Our incomes are lower here," he out whether his mother qualifies for Medicaid so that the government will assume the payments. "I don't know what we are going to do if she is turned down," Barkey said.

Nationally, the survey found that nursing home costs increased 8 percent since the last survey 15 months ago. That is four times the inflation rate for that period. "That's a wake-up call for people," said Sandra Timmermann, a MetLife gerontologist who conducted the survey. Nursing home costs are lower in the Midwest, where it is cheaper to See Nursing homes, B3 said. "We make less.

It's really a cost-of-living factor. "I don't think there's anyone in this community that would think that a $4,000 or $5,000 per month expenditure is small even if you live in Ladue." Some people stay at a nursing home just long enough to recover from an injury or illness. But the government says the average stay is 2.4 years. At $133 per day, that brings the tab for an average nursing home stay here to $116,691. "For an ordinary, working-class family, it's almost impossible to pay I 1 Link to complete statistics on the costs of nursing home care online at STUoday.comlinks.

TEAK PHILLIPS POST-DISPATCH Quentin, a year-old Basenji, at the Stray Rescue shelter, where he was taken after surviving the gas chamber. "I've found it thoroughly satisfying." Circuit Judge Robert Hillebrand Judge Robert Hillebrand plans to retire in the fall Governor signs law restricting tongue-splitting Procedure must be done by medical personnel The Associated Press DETERMINATION Pup is a local celebrity after becoming first canine to survive St. Louis pound's gas chamber By David Bracken Of the Post-Dispatch 4" and six grand-children. They resided in Belleville for 34 years but their current home is in O'Fallon, 111. They plan to spend part of next winter with family in Arizona.

Hillebrand grew up in Rockford, 111. He attended the University of Illinois where he graduated from 'A the list of unlikely survivors, add the name of Quentin, a year-old, nonbarking dog that is the first adult dog to survive the Hillebrand Served nearly 15 years in St. Clair County By Robert Goodrich Of the Post-Dispatch St. Clair County Circuit Judge Robert J. Hillebrand has announced he will retire Oct.

31, after 14 12 years on the bench, one day before his 63rd birthday. Hillebrand spent 24 years in private law practice before becoming a judge. In an interview Wednes-day in his chamber after completion of a murder trial, he said his work as a lawyer was a pleasure but that being a judge was even better. "It's something I always wanted to do," he said. "It seems like the cap of a legal career.

I've found it thoroughly satisfying." Hillebrand said his retirement plans include relaxing, golfing, volunteer work and traveling with his wife, Joyce. They will celebrate their 40th anniversary on Aug. 31. They have three grown children SPRINGFIELD, 111. Illinoisans who want to look a little more reptilian will have to go through medical personnel or face jail time.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich on Wednesday signed into law a measure that restricts the practice of tongue-splitting. Some people are taking piercings and tattoos another step by getting the end of their tongues split in half. The result is a forked tongue like a snake's. The legislation would bar anyone but doctors and dentists from performing the procedure.

Offenders could face up to a year in jail. Some who have had the procedure done say they do it for shock value, while others say it's a spiritual experience. See Law, B3 canine gas chamber at the St. Louis city pound. In doing so, Quentin has become a local celebrity and brought attention to the plight of all abandoned dogs in the city.

Quentin is believed to be a Basenji, a breed with the defining characteristic of not barking. Instead, they make a peculiar noise that sounds like a baby crying. Quentin weighs about 30 pounds and has short, rust-colored hair and pointy ears. The dog's unusual journey began on July 28, when his owners, who were moving to a place that didn't allow dogs, left him at the Animal Control building on Gasconade Street See Dog, B3 law school in 1965, after which he entered private law practice. While practicing law, he also worked as a clerk for the late Judge Joseph H.

Goldenhersh when Goldenhersh was a Fifth District Appellate Court judge at Mount Vernon and later an Illinois Supreme Court justice. See Judge, B2 i.