City Room™ - News In Brief - Judge Expected to Making Ruling on Illinois Abortion Law

1995 Illinois law requires doctors to notify parents 48 hours before their daughter 17 or younger seeks an abortion. But it isn't being enforced now because of a temporary restraining order placed on the law. This is just the latest in years of legal debate over the legislation.
Today, a Cook County judge will decide whether to lift the restriction.

Whatever the judge decides, it's unlikely the law would go into effect immediately

City Room™ - News In Brief - Judge Expected to Making Ruling on Illinois Abortion Law

S&P hits state officials, threatens bond downgrade | Greg Hinz | Crain's Chicago Business

S&Pplaced Illinois' general obligation debt on credit watch with negative implications. It did assign an A-plus rating to a pending $300-million sale of taxable Build America Bonds for state infrastructure work.
    S&P said it based its decision on "the state's growing budget gap, ongoing liquidity pressure and the lack of recurring solutions under consideration for fiscal 2011 and beyond."

"We continue to believe that Illinois has the capacity to restore budget balance due to the absence of tax limitations or stringent constitutional" limits, S&P added. "But its willingness to implement difficult and politically unpopular measures to restore budget balance is questionable."

If Illinois' debt rating was lowered, it would have to pay somewhat higher interest costs to borrow money.

To read more click on the following :  S&P hits state officials, threatens bond downgrade | Greg Hinz | Crain's Chicago Business

Or go directly to the S&P source:  http://img.en25.com/Web/StandardandPoors/IL%20GO%20Mar%2026%2010.pdf

Sexual Abuse Scandal Tests Catholics’ Trust in Leaders - NYTimes.com

NY Times continues the stories.

It is sickening, quite sickening,” said Eamon Gorman, 62, who works for a pharmaceutical company here.

“We deserve better from the church hierarchy,” he added. “If they want to save the situation, they have to come out with the details, all the details, right now.”

Click on the following for more details:  Sexual Abuse Scandal Tests Catholics’ Trust in Leaders - NYTimes.com

On Palm Sunday, Pope Says He Won’t Be Intimidated by Abuse Critics - NYTimes.com

NY Times using a Reuters News release to continue discussion regarding Pope Benedict and the child abuse cases. 

Click on the following to read the Reuters/NYTimes article:  On Palm Sunday, Pope Says He Won’t Be Intimidated by Abuse Critics - NYTimes.com