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Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Derrick Smith wants case thrown out for being too 'vague'
Legislative Scandals & Subpoenas (45b)
Smith, Derrick--State House, 10
December 10, 2013 (CHICAGO) (WLS) -- A member of the Illinois General Assembly who is facing corruption charges wants the case against him tossed out because it is too ''vague.''
West Side Chicago State Representative Derrick Smith is accused of taking a $7,000 cash bribe.
With a Cook County commissioner and one Illinois governor in federal prison, Smith is pulling out all th...
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Wednesday, December 11, 2013
DCFS report tracks deaths of metro-east children
Child welfare (30)
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DCFS (30)
The Department of Children and Family Services Inspector General 2013 report shows one natural death of a child in Madison County was investigated in 2012. In St. Clair County, three homicidal deaths and one accidental death were investigated last year. In 2011, there were seven deaths reported in Madison County. One was undetermined. Four were listed as accidents. Two were listed ...
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Wednesday, December 11, 2013
State to help renovate Edwardsville senior apartments
Housing (51)
An Edwardsville independent senior apartment complex will be rehabilitated and expanded with help from the state. The May Apartments at 1701 Bryant Ave. is one of 20 projects from across the state selected by the Illinois Housing Development Authority to provide rehabilitation and new construction that will ensure affordable housing for low-income families, senior citizens and thos...
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Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Editorial: Pension change now may avert a disaster later
Pensions (70)
Lost, or at least diminished, in last week’s news that the General Assembly finally approved pension reform was a significant court decision affecting the city of Detroit. Federal judge Steve Rhodes said in a ruling that Detroit could enter into bankruptcy — and that pension benefits are not entitled to any heightened protection in a municipal bankruptcy.
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Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Foe tries to knock Quinn off ballot He contends governor short on signatures
Candidates--Statewide (12)
SPRINGFIELD – A little-known candidate for governor is hoping to take down Gov. Pat Quinn even before voters head to the polls next March. Democrat Tio Hardiman and his running mate, lieutenant governor candidate Brunell Donald, filed a challenge to Quinn’s nominating petitions Monday, claiming the incumbent chief executive doesn’t have enough valid signatures to ge...
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Wednesday, December 11, 2013
State’s credit rating up a bit Pension vote cited, but challenges ahead
Bonds, Bonding, Borrowing, Debt, Credit Rating
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Pensions (70)
SPRINGFIELD— A major credit-rating house took a more positive outlook Tuesday on Illinois’ ability to pay its debts, a rare economic bright spot for the state one week after lawmakers approved major pension-reform legislation. Standard & Poor’s declared Illinois’ fiscal outlook as “developing,” an improvement, if a somewhat fuzz...
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Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Illinois looks for reasons behind rise in child deaths
Child welfare (30)
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DCFS (30)
Hunter, Mattie--State Senate, 3
CHICAGO — Lawmakers questioned Illinois child welfare officials Tuesday about an increase in the number of children reported to have died of neglect or abuse in the state, though agency officials argued the number partly reflected a change in the way neglect cases are counted. The Department of Children and Family Services says 104 children died of abuse or negl...
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Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Mississippi River low again; rock removal begins
Economy (34)
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Rivers (23)
ST. LOUIS — The up-and-down Mississippi River is down again, and the Army Corps of Engineers began rock removal efforts Tuesday in an attempt to ensure the river remains open to barge traffic through the winter. The corps said Tuesday that contractors will remove about 2,800 cubic yards of rock over the next several months from the bottom of river. It is an exte...
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Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Move of Office Depot puts spotlight on ADM
Economic Development (35)
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TIF (85)
Brady, Bill--State Senate, 44
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Madigan, Michael--State House, 22
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Manar, Andy--State Senate, 48
SPRINGFIELD — Office Depot’s decision to move its headquarters out of Illinois is raising alarm bells about the possibility Archer Daniels Midland could follow suit. On Tuesday, Office Depot Inc., which recently merged with OfficeMax, announced the newly formed company will put its headquarters in Boca Raton, Fla., not at the existing OfficeMax offices in Naperville. <...
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Wednesday, December 11, 2013
SIU fares so-so in teacher-ed rankings
Education--Higher (37)
The Online College Database recently revealed its list of the top Illinois colleges for the fields of education and teaching, and SIU Carbondale is ranked 17th out of 53 post-secondary institutions. Only fully accredited, four-year, not-for-profit universities were considered for the list, with a requirement of at least 10 graduates from education or teaching programs to be considere...
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Wednesday, December 11, 2013
State legislation addresses Google Glass
Cell towers, cell phones, texting (94a)
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Transportation (91)
Silverstein, Ira--State Senate, 8
SPRINGFIELD — Even before they go on sale to the masses, an Illinois lawmaker wants to ban motorists from wearing Google’s new computerized glasses while driving. State Sen. Ira Silverstein, D-Chicago, filed legislation last week that would give police another tool to fight what he says would be distracted driving. Patterned after similar proposals in Delaware and W...
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Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Illiana Expressway is a bad idea Illiana Expressway is a bad idea on both sides
Tollways (91b)
For the second time, a regional planning body has the chance to spare taxpayers in two states from an expensive and risky venture: a 47-mile toll road through the middle of mostly nowhere, connecting I-55 in southern Will County, Ill., to I-65 in Lake County, Ind. This time, the vote will take place in Indiana. The Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission board will dec...
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Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Only 7,000 Illinoisans enroll in Obamacare plans in first 2 months
Health Care
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Obamacare, Affordable Care Act
Through two months of open enrollment in new health insurance plans created under President Barack Obama’s health care law, nearly 365,000 Americans have selected policies, including 7,043 in Illinois, administration officials said Wednesday.
The numbers, which include sign-ups from Oct. 1 through Nov. 30, are still short of the roughly 500,000 the Obama administrati...
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Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Why did Republicans reject pension reform? Why did so many Republicans reject pension reform?
Pensions (70)
"I am still not sure that the public has accepted the facts and understands the ramifications of not doing pension reform. ... If we do not do pension reform soon, not only may we not have a pension system, we may not have enough money to fund education or build roads and fix schools." — Illinois House Republican Leader Tom Cross, November 2012
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Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Be careful of the Grinches
A member of the Indiana National Guard, seeing what appeared to be a good deal on a computer tablet on Craigslist, an online exchange, recently set up a meeting...
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Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Our View: Breakups need not be bitter
Election Issues (not candidates) (39)
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Lt. Governor (59)
In 2010, Gov. Pat Quinn desperately needed a respectable running mate on the Democratic ticket, after primary voters saddled him with Scott Lee Cohen, a little-known Chicago pawnbroker. Cohen stepped aside after embarrassing facts about his past came to light. < read more >
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Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Panel to hear objections to County Board candidates Friday; Two objections raised in DeKalb County Board races
Election Issues (not candidates) (39)
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Local Government (60)
SYCAMORE – Douglas Johnson expects hearings on objections to the candidacy of several residents running for DeKalb County Board to be like a court hearing.
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Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Staley Da Bear promotes Bears reading program at Hiawatha
Education--Elementary and Secondary (36)
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Sports (83)
KIRKLAND – Hiawatha Elementary students learned Tuesday afternoon there’s more to Staley Da Bear than his antics at Soldier Field. Staley and emcee Lauren Hart visit...
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Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Staying grounded: Drug court graduates find support together
Drugs (32)
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Legal System (27)
SYCAMORE – Tara King relapsed about a week after she graduated from DeKalb County Drug Court in 2010. Her mother called drug court coordinator Marilyn Stromborg, and King ...
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Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Taxpayers must pay fair share for state’s services
Taxes, misc. (89)
To the Editor: We as taxpayers have voted out of office anyone who has tried to raise revenue (taxes) to pay for the services (roads, social, schools, regulation of quality of food, etc) we demand. ...
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Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Turbine attorney expects court fight
Energy, Alternative Energy (93)
DANVILLE — A court battle regarding noise complaints against turbines in the California Ridge Wind Farm would seem inevitable, according to an attorney fo...
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Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Lawsuit alleging man was terminated from Olin after filing for work comp benefits removed to federal court
Tort Reform (27)
A former Olin Corporation employee’s lawsuit alleging he lost his job after he filed for workers’ compensation benefits has been removed to federal court in East St. Louis. Defendant Olin Corporation filed the notice of removal on Dec. 5. It argues complete diversity of citizenship makes removal appropriate, claiming the plaintiff is a citizen of Illinois while it i...
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Wednesday, December 11, 2013
That darned data! Corporate subsidies don't work
Business (10)
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Taxes, misc. (89)
Yet another study has been released showing that state tax incentives to corporations have several unfortunate downsides, chief among them being that they don’t work. That is, they don’t create any more economic growth than would have been expected without the tax breaks. Nor, say the study’s authors, do they create any measurable number of net new jo...
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Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Illinois health-care sign-ups still 70 percent short of projections
Health Care
Federal officials say more than 7,000 Illinois residents signed up for insurance coverage in the first two months of the troubled HealthCare.gov website. CHICAGO — Federal officials say more than 7,000 Illinois residents signed up for insurance coverage in the first two months of the troubled HealthCare.gov website.
Enrollment figures re...
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Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Illinois looks for reasons behind rise in child deaths
DCFS (30)
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Legislature (56)
Lawmakers questioned Illinois child welfare officials Tuesday about an increase in the number of children reported to have died of neglect or abuse in the state, though agency officials argued the number partly reflected a change in the way neglect cases are counted. CHICAGO -- Lawmakers questioned Illinois child welfare officials Tuesday about an increase in the number of c...
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