Eight bodies pulled from rubble of tavern

Don Babwin, Associated Press, reports:

Searchers with shovels and buckets pulled eight bodies Wednesday from the rubble of a tavern where residents had gathered to seek shelter from a twister that flattened the century-old building.

Mayor Fred Esmond said several people from a nearby trailer park had congregated in the basement of the Milestone Tap. Nine people were removed alive from the ruins of the country-western-themed watering hole.

"They heard it on the radio. Some of them went to the tavern for safety, and it just so happened ... ," Esmond said, his voice trailing off.

LaSalle County Coroner Jody Bernard said the dead, who were found in various locations of the bar, ranged in age from 18 to 81 and were all from the Utica area. The two-story building's crumbling sandstone foundation slowed rescuers' efforts as they gingerly dug through the sandy rubble. Rescue workers used listening devices to comb through the building's remains.

Authorities were not aware of anyone else missing.

Bernard identified the dead as Larry Ventrice, 49; Wayne Ball, 63; Marian Ventrice, 50; Beverly "Bev" Wood, 67; Helen Menke, 81; Carol Shultheis, 40; Mike Miller, 18; and Jay Vezain, 47.

The tornado that devastated Utica -- turning homes into piles of brick and splintered wood -- was part of a storm system that smashed through north-central Illinois Tuesday night.

More than 10 people were taken to hospitals and at least six remained there Wednesday afternoon, authorities in Utica said.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who toured Utica Wednesday, declared LaSalle, Putnam, Kankakee and Will counties state disaster areas before leaving for trips to Joliet and Granville, two other towns hit by the storm. Federal Emergency Management Agency officials planned to visit Thursday to see if the areas met the criteria for federal disaster relief.

"Our prayers are with everyone in this community, particularly those who lost their lives," Blagojevich said. He praised the rescuers, saying Illinoisans should "take inspiration from the heroes who are here."

In Joliet, a city southwest of Chicago, the storm damaged a dozen homes in a historic district and collapsed a drug store roof. The storm also damaged about 60 homes and a bank in Granville, officials said.

But Utica was hardest hit. The tornado swept through the center of the small town, a popular stop for people on their way to nearby Starved Rock State Park. The town is located about 90 miles southwest of Chicago.

Mayor Fred Esmond knew many of the people who died in the Milestone. The Ventrices ran the tavern and lived above it, while Vezain worked for the grain elevator across the street from the tavern. Ball was a retired railroad worker and Shultheis, his daughter, worked at another restaurant in town. He said Ball, Wood and Menke, who was retired, all lived in a trailer park near the tavern.

In Utica, other buildings were destroyed or seriously damaged. Bill Burke, director of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, had no estimate of the damage but expected it to be in the millions of dollars.

A metal silo at the grain elevator was toppled, and a chunk of it was wrapped around a stop sign. A wall of bricks from a downtown bar rained down on the car parked next to the building, and a string of Christmas lights flapped in the breeze after the huge picture window they were shining in was blown out.

On houses that officials had checked for injuries, marks of "OK" were spray painted in orange and pink. One home, with its back wall torn off, resembled a child's dollhouse -- the china cabinet was still standing with dishes inside, and magnets remained on the refrigerator.

Utica residents said the tornado arrived within seconds. John Devore, 44, rushed his family into the basement and looked outside about 15 seconds later.

"It was like my brain wasn't comprehending what my eyes were seeing. I said, 'Well, it looks like the car's OK,' and then a split second later, 'Wait a minute, I'm not supposed to be able to see my car. Where the hell's my garage"'

Jeri Alonzo, 60, said just as she heard the town's sirens sound, her hearing diminished and her nose blocked up because of the barometric pressure drop.

"I knew when my hearing went and I started to get a little dizzy (I had to get to the basement)" she said. "I heard a cracking blowout sound. That was all my windows."

Alonzo said the tornado jumped across town "like checkers." A 50-foot tree in her front yard was toppled, but across the street a sign reading "Support Our Troops" remained upright.

Associated Press writer Maura Kelly contributed to this report.

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