Pardon gives man chance to resume hunting

MAHOMET -- With a pardon from President Bush in his pocket, a retired southern Illinois railroad worker is getting a fresh start -- and the chance to hunt again -- two decades after pleading guilty to a federal charge.

Fifty-two-year-old Richard Culpepper was convicted in 1987 of making a false claim by drawing unemployment while still working other jobs.

The former railroad locomotive engineer says he was only trying to support his family, not commit a crime.

The pardon Culpepper received last month from Bush allows him to resume hunting. That's something he couldn't do because as a convicted felon he couldn't get a required firearm owner's identification card.