A dozen children expected to testify against former teacher

DECATUR -- A dozen central Illinois families have the task of preparing their children to take the stand in court against one of their former teachers.

The children, who range in age from 8 to 14, are expected to be key witnesses in the trial of Jon White on charges that he molested nine girls at Urbana's Thomas Paine Elementary School and two girls at Colene Hoose Elementary School in Normal. The Champaign County case opens Feb. 25 in Decatur, where the trial was moved because of extensive news coverage in the Bloomington-Normal and Champaign-Urbana areas.