Mental Health Board bonds OK’d

Has Boone County officials even discussed what it will do with its ARRA funds? 

Board members [of McHenry County] voted, 13-8 with two abstentions, to allocate the bonds and allow the mental health board to use some of the $4 million to reimburse for expenses incurred to date planning for the expansion

McHenry County received $45.8 million in federal bonding authority under the American Reinvestment and Recovery  Act  (ARRA) to jump-start shovel-ready projects. The bonds are supposed to encourage lending by giving investors a 45 percent refund of the federal taxes payable on them, which in turn lowers interest rates.

The mental health board request represented the last of the $18.3 million in bonding authority for government agencies. The remaining $27.5 million must be used for private-sector projects

Click on the following for the rest of the story:  Northwest Herald | Mental Health Board bonds OK’d

‘A lot of support’ for Amtrak route

Readers—here is a little ego thing.  I was very disappointed that there were only sixty citizens there—there must have been more than twenty officials from the various government agencies and paid consultants. 

Bill Pysson of Belvidere questioned whether there needed to be two stations in Rockford — one at South Alpine Road and one downtown. He didn’t think the downtown one would get enough use to be worth the money.
But he didn’t mind IDOT’s decision to put the route through Genoa instead of his city, since Amtrak’s study showed the Genoa route would cost less, be faster and draw more people.
“I think the facts really indicate that it’s better for all of us if it went the other way,” Pysson said

Click on he following for the whole story:  ‘A lot of support’ for Amtrak route - - BusinessRockford.com

Twitter plays it close to vest when it comes to revenue

Twitter founder finally tells how the company will make money.

Without advertisements or subscription fees, the micro-blogging service Twitter has had many wondering how the site makes money.

Stone said the company will introduce commercial accounts for businesses by year-end that will "make them better Twitterers."
Stone emphasized that Twitter will remain free for all users, including businesses. But corporate users will have the option of paying for extra features such as analytics, which help businesses measure their online popularity and monitor traffic.

Click on the following:  Twitter plays it close to vest when it comes to revenue -- chicagotribune.com

New ban on Naperville street living

Free Speech or free living? 

Naperville will no longer allow Scott Huber to live on a downtown sidewalk where he has been camped for years.

Councilmen approved an ordinance Tuesday banning sleeping, camping and storing personal property downtown.

Scott Huber, 58, has been living on the streets of Naperville since 2001 and has said he is not homeless but is protesting city government injustices against him

Read the rest of the story by clicking on the following:  Daily Herald | New ban on Naperville street living

Recession forces fee for NIU job fair | Daily Chronicle

"In the past, we had enough employers to cover all the expenses that go into planning and preparing this event, so we could open it up to the community," she said. "With the drop in employers, we decided it would help us out if we charge admission to people who are not current students."

For the first time, the university's career services department is charging an admission fee to the fair for non-students. NIU students are admitted free, and alumni can get in for $5.

Click on the following for the rest of the story:  Recession forces fee for NIU job fair | Daily Chronicle