Former President George W. Bush in Beloit

 

Bush was in Beloit Thursday for a private visit to ABC Supply Co. headquarters.

joined by ABC Supply’s owner Diane Hendricks and a small group for a private luncheon. Mrs. Hendricks, who co-founded the company with her late husband, Kenneth Hendricks, has been prominent in Republican circles for many years.

 

After touring ABC, the former president arrived at the company’s gymnasium and fitness center, where a crowd of about 350-400 employees had gathered. Bush spoke to the assembly for about 20 minutes.

Beloit Daily News - your source for news, entertainment, sports, opinion, events, community, shopping and more > Breaking News

Belvidere council to waive bids for firetruck

city received an insurance check of $557,000 to replace the scorched truck, which now sits in the city’s yard.
The city will spend an additional $99,134 worth of land/cash annexation fee revenues to buy the truck. The city had designated that money for a new fire station or equipment.
The truck is expected to be ready within 245 days of a signed purchase agreement. It will feature a 101-foot ladder and will be the city’s sole ladder truck.
While the truck is being built, Alexis — the manufacturer — has agreed to provide the city with a free loaner truck.

Click on the following for more details: Belvidere council to waive bids for firetruck - Rockford, IL - Rockford Register Star

Scientists overcome hurdles to stem cell alternatives

 

can use laboratory-made versions of naturally occurring biological signals to quickly convert ordinary skin cells into cells that appear virtually identical to embryonic stem cells

described in a paper published in the journal Cell Stem Cell, could mark a pivotal moment in the long, contentious history of embryonic stem cell research.

click on the following for more details:  Scientists overcome hurdles to stem cell alternatives

TARP, the Long Goodbye - Yahoo! Finance

Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP, is over - more specifically, its legal authority expires on Sunday, so it cannot be used for new "bailout" activities (although legacy programs, with money already disbursed, could last 5 to 10 years.)

three mistakes were made in the implementation of TARP.

• there was no need to be so excessively generous to the financial executives (and their boards) at the institutions that had to be saved. In part this generosity was due to insufficient safeguards
• missed the opportunity to change the structure and the incentives of Wall Street when it had the chance,…notion that our biggest six banks are untouchable today is uncontroversial.  Their creditors know this, so these banks can borrow more cheaply than their smaller competitors, they can become larger relative to the economy, and if you doubt the risks that this poses, just look at the situation today in Ireland.
• time the administration put forward its financial reform ideas, the big banks were back on their feet - and ready to throw huge numbers of lobbyists and unlimited cash into the fight to preserve their right to take inordinate risk and to mismanage their way into disaster….Dodd-Frank Act, while including some sensible consumer-protection measures, essentially does very little to reduce system risk as we move into a new credit cycle.

Click on the following for more details:  TARP, the Long Goodbye - Yahoo! Finance

U.S. Issues New Regulations on Offshore Drilling - NYTimes.com

 

The Interior Department issued new safety and spill-response regulations for offshore oil and gas drilling on Thursday, but gave no hint of when the moratorium on deepwater operations will be lifted.

— governing blowout preventers, safety certification, well design, emergency response and worker training — provide offshore drillers with clarity on the terms under which drilling will resume when the current freeze ends….rules take effect immediately under emergency rule-making powers

Click on the following for more details:  U.S. Issues New Regulations on Offshore Drilling - NYTimes.com

Search foreclosures in IL 61008 | RealtyTrac.com

397 foreclosed homes in zip code 61008 are listed on this commercial site.

Search foreclosures in IL 61008 | RealtyTrac.com

AIG, U.S. agree on plan for repayment of $100 billion in bailout money - latimes.com

convert $49.1 billion in preferred shares purchased with money from the Troubled Asset Relief Program into common stock in AIG. The move will increase the U.S. ownership stake in the insurance giant from 80% to 92%, but allow the government to sell the shares over time in the open market to end the taxpayer support.

Click on the following for more details:  AIG, U.S. agree on plan for repayment of $100 billion in bailout money - latimes.com

Germany makes final reparation payments for World War I - ABC News

 

German government will pay the last instalment of interest on foreign bonds it issued in 1924 and 1930 to raise cash to fulfil the enormous reparations demands the victorious Allies made after World War I.

Germany suspended annual payments in 1931 during the global financial crisis and Adolf Hitler unsurprisingly declined to resume them when he came to power in 1933.

But in 1953, West Germany agreed at an international conference in London to service its international bond obligations from before World War II. In the years that followed it repaid the principal on the bonds, which had been issued to private and institutional investors in countries including the United States.

 

Germany was allowed to wait until it unified before paying some €125 million in outstanding interest that had accrued on its foreign debt in the years 1945 to 1952.

Click on the following for more details:  Germany makes final reparation payments for World War I - ABC News

JPMorgan suspends certain foreclosures

JPMorgan Chase is suspending more than 50,000 foreclosures as it reviews the legitimacy of legal documents in those cases, the bank said Wednesday.

growing legal problem. The issue could stall an already overloaded foreclosure process and may mean some homeowners lost their homes illegally.

Analysts don't expect the delays to reduce the number of foreclosures in the long run.

CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING FOR MORE DETAILS:  JPMorgan suspends certain foreclosures - Yahoo! Finance

Report: Illinois, Missouri will lose one congressional seat

 

Missouri and Illinois are each likely to lose a congressional seat when 2010 census numbers are complete, according to a new report.

So Missouri and Illinois' losses would be a boon to other states, such as Texas, which is projected to gain four seats.

Click on the following for more details:  The Dome - Report: Illinois, Missouri will lose one congressional seat

Boone County Board candidates focus on budget crunch - Rockford, IL - Rockford Register Star

District 1: Four candidates, two currently seated on the board, are competing for two open seats. Republicans Danny Anderson and Tricia Smith, Democrat Kathy Hartwig and independent Brad Stark face off

District 2: The race brings Republican Paul Larson, who was appointed last year to fill the seat vacated by Brad Rightnowar, up against Democrat and Rockford math teacher Lloyd Roberts for a single seat.

District 3: Republicans Kenny Freeman and Mike Schultz and Democrat Tim Malone vie for two seats at the board

Boone County Board candidates focus on budget crunch - Rockford, IL - Rockford Register Star

What will the Sheriff Deputies and the County be discussing in closed session?

Below is the current labor contract between Boone County Board and the Deputies Union.  The last contract  was settled through  arbitration.  The major item requiring arbitration was the annual pay increases for each year of the three year contract.  Annual increases of 3.5%, 3.0% and 3.0% were approved by arbitration.  (schedule shown below)

Some major items of importance in the present contract:

• Page 15:  Section 1, Sheriff’s Deputies and Sheriff’s Deputies Sergeants will work 12 hour shifts. Budget meetings with the Sheriff’s Department and the Finance Committee of the County Board indicate that there could be a savings in overtime pay and more flexibility of the work load if 8 hours days were allowed.  The Sheriff along with the County Administrator indicated that the union would not shift from the 12 hour day.  Currently with 12 hour days, deputies work only 7 days each 2 weeks, less than 15 days a month.  A second job is quite possible. Multiple periods of extended times off are possible when the 12 (8 twelve hour days) holiday days and the vacation days, 10-20 days (8-16 twelve hour days) are connected to shifts off duty.
• Page 16 &17:  Section 6, Time and a half for court time outside of regular day with 2 hour minimium.  Section 8.  Bidding for shift selection based upon seniority. Section 10 Compensatory time paid as regular time if not used each year.
• Page 18 & 19:  Section 6,  Layoff’s require a two week notification; part-time shall be laid off first then by seniority in each classification.  At the present time there are two part-time deputies who usually work on straight time.  They would have to laid off before any full time deputy.
• Page24:  Twelve holidays are paid.  As part of the county’s budgetary cut’s the county board is considering cutting the number of holidays for non-union employees in other departments.
• Page 25:  Sick leave accrues at the rate of 8 hours per month and can accumulate up to 1040 hours.  Hours in excess of 1040 will be paid to the employee at the rate of one hour pay for four hours of sick leave.  If laid-off or retired, sick leave will be paid to the employee at the rate of one hour pay for each four hours of sick leave;  up to 1,040 hours of leave or 260 hours of pay.

 

 

CLICK ON THE PHOTOCOPY TO ENLARGE:

 

 

Index (i)            (ii)             (iii)             (iv)

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     34               35               36           37

 

     38          Signed Arbitration Agreement

What will the Sheriff Deputies and the County be discussing in closed session?

2 on Boone County Board seek public contract talks - Rockford, IL

 

Pat Mattison and Cathy Ward want to move contract negotiations into the open.
The county must iron out new contracts with Sheriff’s Department deputies and correction officers, whose three-year contracts expire in November, and the United Auto Workers circuit clerk unit, whose two-year contracts also expire in November. The public safety dispatchers’ two-year contract expires in November as well.

If two additional board members were to attend the meetings, aside from the three members included on the negotiating team — board Chairman Bob Walberg, Vice Chair Terri Glass and Administrative and Legislative Committee Chairman Anthony Dini — the meetings may need to be open to avoid an Open Meetings Act violation by having a majority of a County Board committee quorum present at a closed, unpublished meeting, Boone County State’s Attorney Michelle Courier

2 on Boone County Board seek public contract talks - Rockford, IL - Rockford Register Star

Rockford Judge To Hear McHenry County State's Attorney Misconduct Case

Indicted two weeks ago on charges of conspiracy, official misconduct and communicating with a Grand Jury witness

[Lou Bianchi’s case will be heard] … by 17th Circuit Court Judge Joseph McGraw whether he will come to Woodstock or make everyone else go to his Rockford courtroom.  The only thing that was clear Friday was the next court date, Oct. 22.

Click on the following for more of the details:  FirstElectricNewspaper: Rockford Judge To Hear State's Attorney Misconduct Case

Work starts on Chrysler assembly plant expansion

 

. In July, the company pulled a building permit for $4 million for site work and another in August for $1.5 million for the foundation and addition

Click on the following for more details:  Work starts on Chrysler assembly plant expansion - Rockford, IL - Rockford Register Star

Lake County to cut another $9 million

Lake County officials for the second consecutive year are considering millions of dollars in budget cuts in light of continuing dips in revenue and a flat outlook for an economic recovery.

The proposed 2011 budget, presented to county board members Friday, calls for an operating budget of about $306 million - about $9 million less than last year.

Click on the following for more details:  Daily Herald | Lake County to cut another $9 million

Hampshire economy better in most ways

Brian Harger, a research assistant for Northern Illinois University’s Center for Governmental Studies He briefed members of the Hampshire Area Chamber of Commerce on local business statistics during its September meeting at Donley’s Old West Steakhouse in Union.

Hampshire area is slightly better off than the state as a whole or even northern Kane County as a whole.

unemployment problem here is fairly minor compared to what is going around you” in Rockford, Belvidere and Elgin, Harger said.

Rockford has struggled to attract college graduates. But here you have a substantial population that is white collar and college-educated,” Harger said. “That speaks well for starting new businesses, because that’s a population that has money to invest and is entrepreneurial.”

, “Big companies are shedding jobs. So we must look at bringing small companies” to the area, Harger said. “That is where the new employment is coming from.”

Click on the following for more details:  CourierNews :: Speaker: Hampshire economy better in most ways

Adam Tegan’s new home of Wisconsin Rapids combines Planning and Economic Development—could we do this in Belvidere/Boone County?

Wisconsin Rapid’s Department of Planning and Economic Development's mission is to promote a safe, diverse, dynamic, and vibrant community, and enhance the living, working, and recreation choices for community residents and visitors. The Department is comprised of several divisions, including: •Economic Development The Division of Economic Development works to create, diversify, and enhance employment growth and to promote opportunities for business development and stability. The Division provides information relating to community demographics and financial tools that are intended to help businesses grow and prosper within the community. •Inspection and Zoning Services The Division of Inspection and Zoning Services oversees new construction of, and alterations to residential and commercial buildings, and the installation of electrical, heating and air conditioning systems, and plumbing. Plans for these developments or alterations are reviewed to ensure they meet a variety of municipal and State ordinances and codes. •For downloadable forms and permits, visit the Download and Information Center. •To make a request or file a building or property related complaint, visit the Online Request Center. •Planning The Division of Planning promotes the orderly and harmonious use of land, while improving the quality of life for current and future generations of this community. The Division is administered in a manner designed to fulfill the objectives of the City's Comprehensive Plan. Staff within the Division provide assistance to applicants in the processing of permits and give citizens the opportunity to participate in land use decisions.

Above taken from:  http://www.wirapids.org/department/index.php?fDD=15-0

Retailer richest in Wisconsin

John Menard [Menard’s Lumber]  remains Wisconsin’s richest resident with a net worth calculated at $5.2 billion.

Diane Hendricks, co-founder of Beloit-based ABC Supply Co. Inc., saw her net worth rise $100 million, to $2.1 billion.

Click on the following for other Wisconsin Billionaires:  Beloit Daily News - your source for news, entertainment, sports, opinion, events, community, shopping and more > News > Wisconsin News

Unemployment stays high across border in Illinois

 

Rockford had an unemployment rate of 16.3 percent in August, down from 17.5 percent in July. Approximately 12,166 people were unemployed in Rockford in August. The jobless rate for Rockford in August of 2009 was 18 percent.
Belvidere had a jobless rate of 15.5 percent in August, down more than 2 percentage points from July when the unemployment rate was 17.8 percent. About 2,016 people were unemployed in Belvidere in August. The jobless rate for Belvidere in August of 2009 was 16.7 percent.

Click on the following for more details:  Beloit Daily News - your source for news, entertainment, sports, opinion, events, community, shopping and more > News > Local News

Daily Herald | More victims in debit card fraud at Aldi stores

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More victims in debit card fraud at Aldi stores

At least 30 St. Charles residents have come forward since Sept. 16, fraud have surfaced in other suburbs and in Indiana. Wheeling had more than 160 reports of such thefts, and Buffalo Grove more than 50.

Daily Herald | More victims in debit card fraud at Aldi stores

FBI searches two Chicago homes in terrorism investigation :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Metro & Tri-State

 

The FBI says it's searched eight homes in Minnesota and Chicago in a terrorism investigation. One subject says the FBI is targeting leaders of the anti-war movement.

FBI searches two Chicago homes in terrorism investigation :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Metro & Tri-State

DuPage judge faces removal afer hit-and-run crash :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Chicago Crime

 

DuPage County judge fined and placed on probation for a June hit-and-run crash with a parked car now faces disciplinary action that could result in his removal from the bench.

The veteran, 59-year-old judge struck a parked car with his 2003 Jeep, but didn’t stop or report the crash.

Instead, he continued driving to his Wheaton home, at one point forcing a 13-year-old jogger to abruptly jump out of the way of his vehicle, authorities said following the crash.

 

Popejoy has been on the bench since 1997 and faces a retention vote this fall to retain his seat.

DuPage judge faces removal afer hit-and-run crash :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Chicago Crime

Green Party Candidate for State Treasurer eating like a food stamp recipient for one week

• Here is what Harvard resident and candidate Scott Summers writes in his blog:  http://summerstimes.wordpress.com/2010/09/22/its-hunger-action-month-and-im-taking-the-snap-challenge/

It’s Hunger Action Month — and I’m taking the SNAP Challenge

Published September 22, 2010 Uncategorized Closed
Tags: Feeding Illinois, SNAP Challenge

According to www.FeedingIllinois.com, “more than 1.6 million people in our state live on $4.50 a day.”  That’s the amount allotted under the SNAP Program (formerly known as food stamps).

To me, that’s a highly sobering statistic.  It’s a daily struggle for far too many Illinois residents to get by on basic nutrition.   And I wonder:   how many of us — children included — actually go to bed hungry?

It shouldn’t be so.  It mustn’t be so.

From September 19th through the 25th, I’m taking FeedingIllinois’ SNAP Challenge.   As a gesture of empathy, I, too, am attempting to eat on a daily budget of $4.50.

I sit at my computer this morning beginning the fourth day of the challenge with a bowl of oatmeal.  I’ve taken the “luxury” of adding to it a bit of diced apple.  And I confess to “decadence”:  for the first time since Saturday, I’m having a cup of coffee.

Without going into meal-by-meal details — breakfasts are oatmeal.  Midday, I eat a combination of boiled wheat berries and beans, laced with my wife’s bumper crop of tomatoes.  Suppers are a bit more creative:  tonight, we’ll probably have bean enchiladas.  Add occasional apples and carrots, and that’s my diet.

As you might surmise, it’s probably easier for me to budget this than most:  I don’t eat animal protein.  I have been a vegetarian for thirty years, and a vegan for five.

As of this morning, I’m under budget — although I don’t think that’s necessarily laudable.   I’ll give you a final report on Monday, once the one week challenge period is up.

Join me in the SNAP Challenge — for the next few days, or for one day, or for one meal.  Find out more at www.FeedingIllinois.com.

From September 19th through the 25th, I’m taking FeedingIllinois’ SNAP Challenge.   As a gesture of empathy, I, too, am attempting to eat on a daily budget of $4.50.

http://summerstimes.wordpress.com/

Pat Mattison tells public where the present county board stands on the PSB Sales Tax

The paid advertizing below was published in the Shopper and a similar “Letter to the Editor” was printed in the Boone County Journal. Mr. Mattison supplies a summary of how the Public Safety Building sales tax was intended to only pay for the expansion of the jail and how it has been used for “non-intended purposes” since 2004.  Board member/2010 candidate Anderson, Dini, Larson and Glass voted to continue use of the tax for the “non-intended” uses.  Board member/2010 candidate Freeman and  Hartwig voted against “non-intended use”.  Peggy Malone, wife of 2010 candidate for county board, Tim Malone, voted against “non-intended” use of the PSB Sales Tax. 

AG Rules Against Release of Names of DeKalb Council Members Receiving Health Insurance :City Barbs

City of DeKalb, a self-health insurer is successful in withholding names of council members who receive “ health insurance benefits from the city”. 

AG Rules Against Release of Names of DeKalb Council Members Receiving Health Insurance.

Click on the following to see the Illinois States Attorney’s Opinion:  AG Rules Against Release of Names of Council Members Receiving Health Insurance :City Barbs

Proposed law seems to target Kane County Board member

 

anyone "in arrears in the payment of a tax or other indebtedness due to a county" ineligible to serve on any county board or commission.

Lauzen's bill, SB3944, becomes law, Hurlbut may have to factor in her desire to serve on the county board among those bill-paying priorities. …... Another aspect of the bill says anyone convicted of a felony in any state of the country is also ineligible to serve on a county board or commission

Click on the following for more details:  Daily Herald | Proposed law seems to target Kane County Board member

Blagojevich legacy: Recall on the Illinois ballot

Jack Franks, a Democratic state representative in Illinois and a frequent Blagojevich critic, sponsored the recall measure that voters will decide upon in November. To him, the fact that recall has been used so rarely shows that it is “an extraordinary remedy for extraordinary circumstances.”

The recall provision is narrowly tailored and complicated. A recall movement can start only with the support of 10 senators and 20 representatives in the 177-member legislature, with a proportion coming from each party. Then comes the statewide petition drive. The number of signatures needed depends on the turnout in the last governor’s election, but based on the turnout from 2006, some 750,000 names would be required.

The governor would be the only elected official who could be recalled.

Click on the following for more details:  Blagojevich legacy: Recall on the Illinois ballot

Elgin’s Rauschenberger wins case to stay on ballot

around a 2009 vote Rauschenberger placed in the local Democratic primary to support his sister, Carol Rauschenberger.

He later filed to run as a Republican in this year's Feb. 2 primary.

 

Rauschenberger's attorney maintained the case law doesn't apply in the current situation because Rauschenberger pulled a Democratic primary ballot in a separate election cycle.

Click on the following for more details:  Daily Herald | Rauschenberger wins case to stay on ballot

Police release picture of man arrested in brutal beating - WREX.com – Rockford’s News Leader

Bruce Schlichting was found badly beaten in a wooded area off his driveway at 9111 Huber Road in Boone County last week

Stephen J. Keegan, 60, was arrested and charged with aggravated battery on Friday. He posted bond the same day he was arrested.

Click on the following for the picture:  Police release picture of man arrested in brutal beating - WREX.com – Rockford’s News Leader

Amid Tension, China Blocks Crucial Exports to Japan - NYTimes.com

American companies now rely mostly on Japan for magnets and other components using rare earth elements, as the United States’ manufacturing capacity in the industry became uncompetitive and mostly closed over the last two decades.

The Chinese halt to exports is likely to have immediate repercussions in Washington. The House Committee on Science and Technology is scheduled on Thursday morning to review a detailed bill to subsidize the revival of the American rare earths industry. The main American rare earths mine, in Mountain Pass, Calif., closed in 2002, but efforts are under way to reopen it.

Despite the name, rare earths are actually fairly common; they are expensive and seldom mined elsewhere because the processing equipment to separate them from the ore is expensive and because rare earths almost always occur naturally in deposits mixed with radioactive thorium and uranium. Processing runs the risk of radiation leaks

Click on the following to read all of the article:  Amid Tension, China Blocks Crucial Exports to Japan - NYTimes.com

Our View: DeKalb’s Debt restructure includes pitfalls | Daily Chronicle

At a Sept. 13 workshop session, city aldermen were presented with options for refinancing debt, which would extend the debt out 13 years, but free up money to spend now on capital projects. These options include freeing up $8.1 million to use for the municipal building project and other needs, such as road and infrastructure improvements, and another would free up $5.2 million to pay only for the municipal building.

COur View: Debt restructure includes pitfalls | Daily Chronicle

Ally [formerly GMAC] Financial legal issue with foreclosures may affect other mortgage companies

Some of the nation's largest mortgage companies used a single document processor who said he signed off on foreclosures without having read the paperwork - an admission that may open the door for homeowners across the country to challenge foreclosure proceedings.

The legal predicament compelled Ally Financial, the nation's fourth-largest home lender, to halt evictions of homeowners in 23 states this week. Now Ally officials say hundreds of other companies, including mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, may also be affected because they use Ally to service their loans.

As head of Ally's foreclosure document processing team, 41-year-old Jeffrey Stephan was legally required to review cases to make sure the proceedings were justified and the information was accurate. He was also required to sign in the presence of a notary.

In a sworn deposition, he testified that he did neither.

The reason may be the sheer volume of the documents he had to hand-sign: 10,000 a month. Stephan had been at that job for five years.

attorneys working on behalf of homeowners said the setup at Ally was not unusual.

 

Click on the following for more details:

Ally Financial legal issue with foreclosures may affect other mortgage companies

Boone County administrative building still too hot - Rockford, IL - Rockford Register Star

different story from two weeks ago when an air bubble in the Logan Avenue Administrative Campus’ geothermal system line was believed to be solely to blame for rising temperatures in two offices

board postponed the payment of $5,402 to Richard L. Johnson Associates until October. Then, in a 10-2 vote with Danny Anderson and Marshall Newhouse opposed, the board withheld $18,276 from Rockford Structures, while still paying the group $44,690, which amounts to what was owed to the company for its subcontractors. The claims will be up for payment again Oct. 20.

Click on the following for more details:

Boone County administrative building still too hot - Rockford, IL - Rockford Register Star

NDK Investigation Update

BELVIDERE (WIFR) -- NDK managers say its part of the cleanup process.

The crane is helping to dispose of vessel contents in the plant's skeleton.

In the meantime, the investigation continues, a chemical safety board report is expected to be complete in March.

Click on the following for more details: NDK Investigation Update

Police probe Vatican bank officials for money laundering; Vatican "perplexed and surprised" - chicagotribune.com

Italian authorities have seized €23 million ($30.18 million) from a Vatican bank account and begun investigating top officials of the Vatican bank in connection with a money laundering probe.

Tuesday's case, police seized the money from a Vatican bank account being held at the Rome branch of Credito Artigiano Spa, according to news agencies ANSA and Apcom. The bulk of the money, €20 million, was destined for JP Morgan in Frankfurt, with the remainder going to Banca del Fucino.
According to the reports, the Vatican bank had neglected to communicate to financial authorities where the money had come from. The reports stressed that Gotti Tedeschi wasn't being investigated for laundering money himself but for a series of omissions in financial transactions.

Click on the following for more details:  Police probe Vatican bank officials for money laundering; Vatican "perplexed and surprised" - chicagotribune.com

Blog Count

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Since September 1, 2009:  9514 visits, 5311 separate visitors

Last 30 days:  922 visits, 650 separate visitors

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Man arrested in beating of Rockford quarry co-owner - Rockford, IL - Rockford Register Star

 Stephen J. Keegan was arrested late Friday afternoon at 1315 Geneva Ave. in Rockford on charges of aggravated battery.

He is being held in the Boone County Jail on $50,000 bond.
Schlichting is co-owner of Schlichting & Sons Excavating.

The relationship between Keegan and Schlichting is unknown. Boone County sheriff’s officials failed to return phone calls to the Register Star about the case.

Man arrested in beating of Rockford quarry co-owner - Rockford, IL - Rockford Register Star

Bush tax cuts could balance the budget; Obama hints at payroll tax

Here's a fact that should dominate much of next week's debate over taxes: Letting the Bush tax cuts expire would be just about enough to hit Obama's goal of balancing the budget (minus interest payments) by 2015.

Click on the following for more details:  Wonkbook: Bush tax cuts could balance the budget; Obama hints at payroll tax; defunding HCR will be hard - Inbox - Yahoo! Mail

Economic panel says recession ended in June 2009 -

The National Bureau of Economic Research, a panel of academic economists based in Cambridge, Mass., said the recession lasted 18 months. It started in December 2007 and ended in June 2009

To make its determination, the NBER looks at figures that make up the nation's gross domestic product, which measures the total value of goods and services produced within the United States. It also reviews incomes, employment and industrial activity.

Unemployment usually keeps rising well after a recession ends. Four months after the 2007 downturn ended, unemployment spiked to 10.1 percent in October 2009, which was the highest in just over a quarter-century. Some economists believe that marked the high point in joblessness. But others think it could climb higher -- perhaps hitting 10.3 percent by early next year.

Click on the following for more detail:  Economic panel says recession ended in June 2009 - Yahoo! Finance

Hampshire and other Illinois communities brace for longtime political signs

… in Hampshire, and probably in many other Illinois towns, political campaign signs may be staying up a lot longer.

Village Attorney Mark Schuster told the village board Thursday that under a state law which goes into effect Jan. 1, 2011, cities and villages no longer will have the power to limit how long outdoor campaign signs may remain standing in residential areas.

"Yes, sir -- 24/7, 365 days a year,"

Click on the following for more details:  Hampshire braces for longtime political signs :: The Courier News :: Local News

Arrest Made in Brutal Beating of Bruce Schlichting

Investigators arrested 60-year old Stephen Keegan last night for aggravated battery. He's at the Boone county jail on $50,000 bond.

Click on the following for more details:  Arrest Made in Brutal Beating of Belvidere Man - MyStateLine.com

Play the video from Channel 39--it also has additional details.

Midwest Peace Talks Shattered By Illinois Toll-Booth Bombing | The Onion - America's Finest News Source

Here is a funny story from 1998 from the famous newspaper to the North--THE ONION—Don’t take it too seriously.

BELVIDERE, IL–Hopes for a Midwest peace accord were dealt a severe blow Monday, when a bomb ripped through a toll booth on the I-90 Illinois Tollway. The attack, which killed six and delayed westbound traffic for hours, is believed to be the work of Iowa-based militant Lutheran extremists.

Click on the following for more of the “story”:  Midwest Peace Talks Shattered By Illinois Toll-Booth Bombing | The Onion - America's Finest News Source

Construction to begin for high-speed rail leg

breaking ground Friday in Alton for the portion of the line between the Mississippi River city and Springfield, then to near Lincoln.

That $98 million effort is a part of the $1.1 billion the Obama Administration awarded in January to improve passenger rail service between Chicago and St. Louis.

The improvements are expected to allow trains to operate at up to 110 mph. That's up from 79 mph currently.

Click on the following for more details:  Daily Herald | Construction to begin for high-speed rail leg

Regulators close 6 banks in Ga, NJ, Ohio, Wis -

Maritime Savings Bank, based in West Allis, Wis., with assets of $350.5 million.

Click on the following for more details:  Regulators close 6 banks in Ga, NJ, Ohio, Wis - Yahoo! Finance

Fish Stories | FactCheck.org

 

Pelosi’s Job Numbers

The speaker of the House said at a Tuesday night news conference: "It’s important to know that in the first eight months of 2010, more jobs were created than in the eight years of the Bush administration."

Really? Well, no, not quite. In the first eight months of this year, the economy gained a net total of 723,000 jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. During Bush’s eight years, the gain was 1,080,000 jobs.

Pelosi’s staff said she was referring only to private sector jobs, omitting any change in government employment. By that measure, she would be right

Obama: Sept. 10: It’s very hard when you’ve got a determined minority in the Senate that insists on a 60-vote filibuster on every single person that we’re trying to confirm, even if after we break the filibuster it turns out that they get 90 votes.

It’s true that Republicans have blocked and delayed many of Obama’s nominees. The Legal Times reported that a 99 to zero vote on one federal court appointment "follows a pattern of circuit nominees waiting several months for votes in the full Senate, only to be confirmed eventually without dissent." The Associated Press cited a "determined Republican stall campaign" for the fact that Obama has "put fewer people on the bench than any president since Richard Nixon at a similar point in his first term 40 years ago."

Fish Stories | FactCheck.org

‘Second Poorest’ Nation? | FactCheck.org

In a September 10 press conference, President Barack Obama characterized Afghanistan as "the second poorest country in the world." It’s an impoverished country indeed, but second poorest? The CIA World Factbook doesn’t think so.

It lists Afghanistan as number 210 of 227, with a per capita gross domestic product of $1,000 in 2009. That’s orders of magnitude lower than the richest country, Liechtenstein, with a GDP of $122,100 per person — but it’s much higher than the per capita GDP of the actual second poorest country, Burundi, with $300. The Democratic Republic of the Congo ranks last. The International Monetary Fund puts Afghanistan at 170 of 183 nations based on purchasing power parity per capita GDP. (PPP takes into account not only how much money a country makes, but what that money can buy.)

So what gives? The White House tells us that the president was referring to the United Nations’ 2009 Human Development Report, which lists Afghanistan as number 181 of 182 in terms of human development.

‘Second Poorest’ Nation? | FactCheck.org

Convicted ex-cop loses pension in media glare :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Po

Some more Melrose Park scandal news.

Deputy, boss shook down businesses

 

Under Illinois law, police officers lose their pension when they are convicted of a felony related to their job.

Click on the following for more details:  Convicted ex-cop loses pension in media glare :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Politics

Lifelines for the needy disappearing - Sep. 16, 2010

with more people than ever living in poverty, the government's unprecedented effort to strengthen the safety net for needy Americans is running out.

Click on the following for more details:  Lifelines for the needy disappearing - Sep. 16, 2010

Stephenson County pays NIDA $20K -

For FY 2011 a $8,000,000 budget is being anticipated yet this large amount was allocated to economic development in FY 2010.

[Board approved] paying Northwest Illinois Development Alliance the $20,000, which is part of the county’s budgeted $100,000 allocation to the agency in the county’s 2010 budget

NIDA played a crucial role in several recent development projects, including the expansion of Tri Star-Pinnacle Metals, and the opening of the Pinnacle Transportation, LLC, dispatching center in Freeport, which is planned for this fall.

Earlier this year, county officials approved a measure to delay future payments to NIDA until the agency hires a new executive director, a process that is still ongoing.

Click on the following for more details:  County pays NIDA $20K - Freeport, IL - The Journal-Standard

Foreclosures surge in Cook County :

Foreclosure filings catapulted 66.4 percent in Cook County in August from a year earlier, according to RealtyTrac's latest report, but the spike is linked to a 2009 law that delayed foreclosure filings last year.

clogged foreclosure pipeline is being carefully managed on both ends by lenders and servicers," said James Saccacio, chief executive officer of RealtyTrac. "On the front end, seriously delinquent loans are rolling into foreclosure at an unusually slow rate, while on the back end, the dammed-up inventory of properties already in foreclosure is moving to [bank repossessions in a] steady stream rather than a flood, presumably to prevent further erosion of home prices."

Foreclosures surge in Cook County :: The Courier News :: Business

DeKalb County board votes for another budget option | Daily Chronicle

 

county administrators said a property tax increase is necessary so the fund balance doesn’t get too low. But at the full meeting, board members said they would like to see an alternative budget without a tax increase or layoffs of county employees.
Revenues for fiscal year 2010 are about $920,500 under budget, and the proposed FY11 budget relies on a tax increase and cutting expenditures to help the county

 

2.4 percent increase is just the county’s portion of property taxes, which will bring the county about $760,000 for the year.

few board members wondered how many county employees would have to be laid off to prevent a tax increase. Hanson said it would work out to about nine employees, which would be “substantial.”

board members approved placing the fiscal year 2011 budget on file for public viewing. Steve Walt, R-DeKalb, proposed two amendments: removing the 2.4 percent property tax increase and looking into a furlough program instead of laying off county employees. The board unanimously approved the amendments.
Hanson said he and county officials will create an alternative budget including those options.

County board votes for another budget option | Daily Chronicle

Economist says tough decade ahead for Illinois - Peoria, IL - pjstar.com

About $6 billion of Illinois' $13 billion deficit can be tagged to jobs lost in the last 10 years - and there may be another decade of slow growth to go.

One factor in the problem is that Illinois' taxes are outdated, based on a 1970s-era economy when there were far more manufacturing jobs

The state is not losing population. But the people moving in make far less money than the people moving out. Illinois has dropped from fourth to 15th in per capita income….That's a real source of concern,"

investigate the underlying problems and collaborate on a regional approach to solving them

Click on the following for more details:  Economist says tough decade ahead for Illinois - Peoria, IL - pjstar.com

Boone County Animal Control Building—Channel 13 news click

Click on the following to see this news clip: 

http://www.wrex.com/global/video/flash/popupplayer.asp?ClipID1=5112553&h1=Boone%20County%20Animal%20Control%20Facility%20shows%20its%20age&vt1=v&at1=undefined&d1=113134&LaunchPageAdTag=News&undefined&activePane=info&rnd=39247421

Proposal to eliminate overtime doesn't sit well with Boone County - WREX.com – Rockford’s News Leader

Someone must have called to get the TV cameras at a mere budget hearing. The camera rolled for over an hour.  Was this staged?

Boone County has two and a half months to pass a budget that plugs a $1.6 million hole. Every expense is now under a microscope. That includes whether the sheriff's department really needs overtime.

Sheriff Duane Wirth and Lieutenant Phil Bue defended OT pretty passionately at a meeting with Boone County Board members. They call a proposal to eliminate it impossible

Click on the following for more details:  Proposal to eliminate overtime doesn't sit well with Boone County - WREX.com – Rockford’s News Leader

Boone County businessman beaten - WREX.com – Rockford’s News Leader

 

BOONE COUNTY (WREX) - The Boone County Sheriff's Department investigates the near-death beating of an area businessman.   Bruce Schlichting was found badly hurt in a wooded area off his driveway at 9111 Huber Road in Boone County, Wednesday.  The sheriff's department say he was flown to OSF St. Anthony Medical Center in critical condition.  He's one of the owners of Schlichting and Sons.   Police say they have a person of interest in the case but no one's been arrested yet.

Click on the following for more details:  Boone County businessman beaten - WREX.com – Rockford’s News Leader

Boone County votes to restrict use of safety tax - Rockford, IL - Rockford Register Star

This article does not do a good job of delineating which board member wants to continue to use the sales tax for general operations and who does not. In short, voting for or against the ordinance is not directly related to using the safety tax for purposes other than servicing the PSB building debt.

The county pays $780,000 a year on debt related to the jail expansion.
Last year, the tax generated $1.4 million.
In recent months, board members have clashed over what the money could and should be used for.

Click on the following for more details:  Boone County votes to restrict use of safety tax - Rockford, IL - Rockford Register Star

Census: 1 in 7 Americans live in poverty

1965 was the year that Lyndon B. Johnson began the War on Poverty. 

The number of people living in poverty has climbed to 14.3 percent of Americans, with the ranks of working-age poor reaching the highest level since at least 1965.

Click on the following for more details:  Census: 1 in 7 Americans live in poverty

Sign the petition to bring Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University to Rockford | The Rock River Times

 

Sign the petition to bring Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University to Rockford

From press release

Rock the Air is a campaign for the Rockford region to show Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University that this is the perfect place for its new campus. Rock the Air brings together government, business, educational and civic leaders from around the Midwest, and is seeking community support as well.

The campaign’s mission: the Rockford region has a golden opportunity to land the world’s leading aerospace and aviation university.

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is searching for the site of its third residential campus, and a prime spot at Chicago Rockford International Airport is the perfect place. A campus would help our regional aerospace industry soar, bringing more jobs, money and people to this area.

Make the case to Embry-Riddle! Help Rockford Rock The Air. Sign the petition at www.RocktheAir.com, or visit the Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/rocktheair.

Paper copies of the petition are available at The Rock River Times, 128 N. Church St.

Sign the petition to bring Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University to Rockford | The Rock River Times

State agency approves Navistar financing :: Naperville Sun :: Local News

Is this where Boone County’s allocation of Recovery Bonds go? 

The deal grants inexpensive financing through federal Recovery Zone Facility Bonds to the engine and large truck manufacturer for improvements to the site of its new world headquarters.

The inexpensive financing arrangement was credited with closing the deal for the major employer to park itself in the western suburbs.

Several Illinois municipalities and counties contributed their allocations of the bonds, including Rockford, Aurora, Elgin and others. The city of Naperville contributed $11.9 million.

Click on the following for more details:  State agency approves Navistar financing :: Naperville Sun :: Local News

DuPage County board moves to cut chairman's power

 

The amended rules governing board procedures remove from the chairman the ability to appoint board committees and their chairmanships, and give board members the last word on making appointments and hiring county employees.

The newly approved measures also establish a new redistricting committee, mandated by state statute.

Click on the following for more details:  DuPage board moves to cut chairman's power :: Naperville Sun :: Local News

Kane County Board hires firm in defense of circuit clerk's lawsuit

Circuit Clerk Seyller and the board have been at odds because she hired 11 new employees to help staff her office.

County board members on Tuesday denied Seyller's request for additional funding beyond the $4.5 million allocated to her for the budget year, which ends Nov. 30.

 

Seyller has argued the additional staff is needed to fulfill state mandated duties and the board is abusing its discretionary power. County board members say the caseload in Seyller's' office has decreased, that she has automated many of the clerk's office's functions and never asked permission to move forward with new hires.

Click on the following for more details:  Daily Herald | Kane County hires firm in defense of circuit clerk's lawsuit

Comptroller candidates seek more transparency for TIF districts

 

State Rep. David Miller, who is challenging Republican Judy Baar Topinka, said the public needs more information about tax increment financing or TIF districts to assess whether they are benefiting local communities.

Under his plan, the state comptroller would launch an online database to help the public understand how each of the 1,000 TIF districts are operating in the state.

Topinka also has proposed an online database aimed at giving Illinoisans more information about state government.

Click on the following for more details:  Comptroller candidates seek more transparency for TIF districts

City Room™ - Politics - Campaign Manager: Moseley Braun in the Race for Mayor

A veteran of Chicago politics who's been out of the game for a few years is now in the race for mayor. Former U.S. Senator Carol Moseley Braun is running.

 

Click on the following for more details:

City Room™ - Politics - Campaign Manager: Moseley Braun in the Race for Mayor

Analysis of 1999 Boone County Public Safety Tax

To the Boone County Board and Public

Did you know...?

The Public Safety Sales Tax of one-half percent, to be taxed on merchandise sales in Boone County FOR THE PURPOSE OF FINANCING AN EXPANSION

OF THE EXISTING JAIL FACILITY--passed April 13, 1999 by a margin of 66%

Yes, and 34% No.  It was passed for building an expansion of the jail--not for jail operations and Boone County General Fund expenditures.

The following is the use of the Public Safety Sales Tax funds since 2004 suggested by and according to Ken Terrinoni, Boone County Administrator's accounting:

Revenues (actual 2004-2009, projected 2010)

$10,583,234

Expenditures (actual 2004-2009, projected 2010)

$ 5,320,245   Bond Payments

+

          $    285,000 Transfer out, Gen. Fund allowable expenses

          $    521,725 Transfer out, Job staffing

          $ 3,934,268 Transfer out, Jail staffing

          $    376,977 Transfer out, Sheriff's equipment

          $    125,000 Transfer out, Logan Building

          $      15,000 Transfer out, Architect

          $    400,000 Transfer out, Courtroom

$    250,000 Transfer out, Courtroom, Probation, & States Attorney

$ 5,907,970   Total Transfers out

$11,228,215 Total Expenditures (Bond payments & Transfers out)

Total Expenditures minus Total Revenue

$11,228,215 - $10,583,234 = (-$704,981)  More money expended then Sales Tax revenue

$5,320,245 has been expended for voter approved Jail Expansion

$5,907,970 (more than approved for the Jail Expansion) has been expended for General Fund operations, staffing, sheriff's equipment, Logan Avenue Building, Architect, Courtroom Probation, and the State's Attorney--none part of the voter approved Jail Expansion.

Question:  Will the voters of Boone County trust future Boone County tax referendums as being used as proposed?

-- compiled and organized by Patrick B. Mattison, Boone County Board District 3