Friday, April 15, 2011

Sarah Palin wades into Wisconsin union battle -

The former Alaska governor is scheduled to speak Saturday at a tea-party rally at the state Capitol in Madison, according to organizers of the event.

Other potential 2012 candidates such as Newt Gingrich and Tim Pawlenty have supported Walker's efforts, but none have gone as far as to appear in person in Wisconsin during the fight.

"She was an early supporter of Scott Walker's and so it makes sense that Sarah Palin would come to Wisconsin to celebrate Scott Walker's war against its working families," said Wisconsin Democratic Party chair Mike Tate in a statement. "Equally-divisive and equally hungry for attention, the two make a perfect pair of poster children for a bizarre social agenda, diminished Wisconsin standards, a hostility to education and lower wages and benefits for Wisconsin families."

Sarah Palin wades into Wisconsin union battle - Local News - Anchorage, AK - msnbc.com

The story behind a recent story: Catholic Observer’s announcement of Aurora’s new Sacred Heart Church

With our own Belvidere Catholic community in the mists of a building program, it is interesting to read about a a successful program elsewhere in the diocese.  That parish was able to alter plans and diocesan demands to build a church which conformed to both its needs and financial abilities.

First the story from the Observer:

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Diocese--sacred heart 1

Diocese--sacred heart 2

The Chicago Tribune/WGN had a story on the groundbreaking and featured the history of this parish.  The following is from: http://www.wgnradio.com/news/local/breaking/ct-met-aurora-church-20110407,0,1783368.story?track=rss and represents just a short condensation of the story.

Originally attended by Aurora residents of French descent, Sacred Heart, at the corner of State and Fulton streets, has been a pillar of the community since 1898.

Now, the church holds three Spanish-language Masses that serve nearly 1,400 mostly Mexican immigrants, said the parish's pastor, Msgr. Arquimedes Vallejo.

The parishioners are tightknit — though many live in poverty — and they have a history of banding together to support the church, Vallejo said.

In 1987, as the parish faced a mounting debt, the diocese's Aurora Area Parish Planning Project recommended Sacred Heart merge with nearby St. Nicholas Parish.
But the merger proposal died after parishioners rallied and boosted the church's income by 20 percent.Instead of closing the parish, Sacred Heart's school folded and consolidated with two other area parochial schools. The consolidated school closed in 2009 due to lack of funding.


Authorities said a 15-year-old boy who had a previous arson conviction confessed that he started the 1998 fire with a lighter "for the fun of it." But a Kane County judge ruled in 1999 that the statement was inadmissible in court after the teen's defense attorney alleged that at least one investigator had lied about whether the teen had received an adequate explanation of his Miranda rights. The diocese did not press charges against the youth, said diocesan spokeswoman Penny Wiegert.


The parish received $1.2 million from insurance proceeds and used about $580,000 to pay down its debt, according to church officials. Tentative plans to build were approved in 1999 and again in 2005, but shelved by the diocese because of a lack of money. So parishioners got creative. They downsized building plans, held fundraisers and brought Sacred Heart's savings back up to about $1.2 million, Vallejo said. Last year, Bishop Thomas Dolan gave Sacred Heart the green light to rebuild.
Construction is expected to be completed by October, Vallejo said. The congregation needs about another $400,000, Vallejo said, but he is confident that will not be a problem.
"When the church was burned it was very painful for the community," Vallejo said. "The (parishioners) had this feeling that 'this is my church.'"

 

It was a long hard journey—apparently at time, there were many  conflicts with the diocesan authorities in Rockford.  The following a letter to the editor of an Aurora paper.  See:  http://www.americantowns.com/il/aurora/news/rockford-diocese-vs-sacred-heart-parish-1-7-million-battle-181840

Rockford Diocese vs. Sacred Heart 


posted:April 23rd, 2009
 
This letter is to make you aware of the ongoing situation with the Rockford Diocese in Rockford, Illinois and the Sacred Heart Parish located on the East Side of Aurora, Illinois.  And to extend an invitation to cover this story further when a group of parishioners make a trip to Rockford to continue their efforts in trying to meet with Bishop Doran regarding his the continued promises of support for rebuilding a church that burned over 10 years ago.  It is now being said that they will be shut down and the $1.7 million raised by the parishioners will pay for other diocese debt.  One of such debts is legal fees accumulated for representation of Father Campabello (a story that was covered by the Beacon News, Aurora) which accumulated to over $2 million.  

Following is a synopsis of what the Parish has been through and how they have been led to believe they would get a new church if they raised funds.  Now those funds are going to be stripped away and they will be left without a church:

The parish church burned down in December on 1998.  It was an unfortunate situation which devastated the whole community.   They immediately came together and found a solution to try to keep the community whole; they began holding masses in the basement of the school.   Assured by the diocese that this would only be temporary until the new church was built they maintained their spirits high.

In late 1999 Father Camacho arrived at Sacred Heart Parish.  He immediately became a fierce advocate for his new community and tried to work with the Diocese of Rockford to move on the promise they had made to rebuild the church.  After tried conversations and letters with the Diocese, Bishop Doran published a response in the Observer (a Catholic Newsletter that goes out to parishioners of the Rockford Diocese)  In that publication he stated that the Sacred Heart Parish would be given 18 months to liquidate all debt and prove that they would be able to sustain a new church.  If they met that goal the Diocese would provide a percentage of the funds needed to have the church built.  With new added hope the parish began to work diligently to meet the expectation.

Fast forward to present day issues–

With the insurance payoff of $800,000 and through many fundraisers which include family fairs, dances, and raffles the parish has been able to liquidate all debts and have a savings account of $1.7 million.  Everything for these events has been donated.

When the Diocese began to notice that the debt had been liquidated and the bank account was quickly accumulating funds they were fast to approach Father Camacho via messages (never did they ask him to come in and meet with Bishop Doran or any other higher official at the diocese) and specifically advise him that only 2 fundraisers would be allowed per calendar year.  The messages also relayed that it was not felt that there was not enough proof that the parish could sustain a new church and they should continue to raise funds.  

A group of friends came together to brainstorm ideas on what needed to be done, so that the dream of having a new church would become a reality.  They determined that the first step would be to have blueprints drawn up and available to show Bishop Doran or his representative.  They paid an architect $18,000 (not part of the $1.7 million) to draw the blueprints.  Once this was complete they were ready to present the blueprints and the continued desire of the community to have a church.  They followed procedure in trying to obtain an appointment with Bishop Doran, they wrote a letter and mailed it to the diocese, after a period of waiting, there was not a response.  Again they followed the same procedure and followed up with a phone call.  In that phone conversation they were told that Bishop Doran reads all his correspondence and that he would get back to them.  Again there was no response.  They began a letter marathon and for one month straight they sent letter daily requesting the opportunity to meet with him, and again no answer.  This has been an ongoing request for the past few years.

The most recent involvement that Bishop Doran has had with the parish is to advise that Father Camacho will be removed from the Parish and sent to Freeport.  Father Camacho has been told that the $1.7 million will be used to pay off the debt St. Mary’s Church (also in Aurora) has, and that there may not be another priest available to cover the masses at Sacred Heart Church  so the Parishioners will be asked to go to St. Nicholas or St. Mary’s.

With constant failed attempts to try to meet with the Bishop Doran a group of 10 people made the trip to Rockford, on Thursday April 16, 2009 to personally ask for an appointment to meet with Bishop Doran regarding two issues: the removal of Father Camacho and the plans for a new church.  When they arrived they were able to go into the Diocese building but got no further than being met by the secretary of Monsignor Arquimides to be told that a letter needs to be set to ask for an appointment.  They left without any accomplishment.

On Sunday April 19, 2009 hundreds of signatures were collected at the Parish masses asking Bishop Doran to please not remove Father Camacho from the Parish and to please consider building the church he promised. 

Everyone has worked really hard and they feel that the diocese is stealing the money that has been raised and collected for the purpose of building a new church.  It was never said that this money raised by Sacred Heart Parishioners (for a church that was promised) would be used to pay off debt of another parish.

This group of parishioners including many more will be heading back to Rockford to try to meet with Bishop Doran and we would like to invite the media to cover the story and make the public aware of the corruption this Bishop is causing.

The planned date of the trip is Tuesday, April 28, 2009.  The buses will leave Aurora, IL at 7:30 am and arrive at 555 Coleman Center Dr., Rockford, IL  61125 at approximately 9:00 a.m.

Attached you will find the two latest letters that were sent to request a meeting.

Please let me know if you will be able to join us and make the public aware of what is happening.  My contact information is Jesus Sanchez and I can be reached at 630-649-3136.

Sincerely,

Jesus Sanchez

Friends of Sacred Heart

Dead man found in Boone County field was wanted for cop assault

BELVIDERE — A local farmer found the body of a 21-year-old wanted Poplar Grove man in a field Wednesday.
The body of Travis M. Radford, who is listed as one of Belvidere/Boone County’s Most Wanted, was discovered in a wooded area in the 12000 block of Beaverton Road in rural Boone County about 3 p.m.
The cause of death has not yet been released. The Boone County Coroner’s Office conducted an autopsy on the body at 9 a.m.

Click on the following for more details on the Rockford Register Star article:  Dead man found in Boone County field was wanted for cop assault - Rockford, IL - Rockford Register Star

UPDATE 10:30PM  4/15/2010

Boone County Body Ruled Homicide

The investigation into a body found in Boone County on Wednesday has been ruled a murder.

Police say the circumstances surrounding Travis Radford's death are suspicious.

21 year old Travis Radford... seen here in a 2009 Boone County Jail mugshot... died of a gunshot wound to the chest.

He was found in a wooded area off of a farm field wednesday.

Radford had problems with police since 2007. He was put on the Boone County most wanted list this month for a 2009 assault on a police officer.

Court records show he also faced theft, drug, and alcohol charges. He also had several traffic violations ranging from speeding to leaving the scene of an accident.

Police say Radford appeared to have been homeless at the time... and detectives are busy.

"There's a lot of information out there, he did have a lot of contacts in the Boone County area."

Police don't know yet if Radford was murdered next to the field... or if his body was hidden there.

Farmer Don Ellingson's son found the body. He says he knew there was foul play when he saw the body.

"A boy doesn't go out in a wooded area without any shoes on, how'd he get there, there was no vehicle, and you don't go walking in the country without any shoes."

Ellingson never expected something like this to happen.

"All my life I've heard about people finding dead bodies on the farm, I've often wondered about it, never thought it'd happen, but it did."

The sheriff's department says there are a lot of leads to follow, and the investigation is far from finished

 

Here is the Crime Stoppers’ ad from the Boone County Journal:  http://boonecountyjournal.com/news/2011/Boone-County-News-04-15-11.pdf#page=9

Click on the photocopy to enlarge: 

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Belvidere Daily Republican’s article on the discovery of the body:

Body of Poplar Grove man discovered in wooded area

Friday, 15 April 2011 14:07 Editor

POPLAR GROVE - The Boone County Sheriff’s office is investigating the discovery a body April 13 near the 12000 block of Beaverton Road. According to the Boone County Sheriff’s Office, the body of Travis M. Radford, 21, of Poplar Grove, was found in a wooded area.

The body was discovered at approximately 3 p.m. by a local farmer.

The cause of death has not yet been determined.

The Boone County Coroner’s Office was scheduled to conduct an autopsy on April 14.

A phone call made to the Boone County Sheriff’s Office  seeking information was not returned as of press time.

The Belvidere Daily Republican will have more on this story in the coming days.

http://www.belvideredailyrepublican.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6372:body-of-poplar-grove-man-discovered-in-wooded-area&catid=107:poplar-grove&Itemid=509

Fund-raiser generates $11,000 for local food pantry

about $11,000 was raised through the various activities during “April Foods”, which made a tired Executive Director Linda Clark very happy. “I’m exhausted – still,” she said Monday from her office in Capron. “But I’m very happy.”

The $11,000 realized from the fund-raiser will almost pay one month’s worth of bills at the 18,600-square-foot food pantry off 173 in Capron

typically serves 2,000 people a month, including food, clothing, household goods and furniture

distributes food and other goods from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Tuesday

still use volunteers, that never ends….takes 20-25 to run the pantry on Tuesday but we could use 10 every day, other than staff. We’re always behind; we never catch up.”

Click on the following for more details:  Fund-raiser generates $11,000 for local food pantry

Boone County real estate transactions recorded April 4-8

 

BOONE COUNTY - Following is a list of the Boone County real estate transactions recorded April 4-8.

Recorded April 4

2107 Oakbrook Dr., Belvidere, $79,900, Michael J. Scaccio to Federico Aguado.

Recorded April 5

600 Jamestown Ave., Belvidere, $96,700, US Dept. of HUD to Hector Guzman.

Recorded April 7

885 Spring Ridge Court, Belvidere, $385,000, Carl T. and Dawn Nuccio to Carlos and Tanzee Miller.

Recorded April 8

8313 Shaw Road, Belvidere, $180,000, Ray and Joann Anderson to Richard and Terri Messling.

11606 Tyson Dr., Rockford, $280,000, Avelino and Elizabeth Dee to Kimberly A. Camm.

This legal record was taken from the Belvidere Republican:  Boone County real estate transactions recorded April 4-8

New CPI figures are out--

CONSUMER PRICE INDEX – MARCH 2011
The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.5 percent in March on a seasonally adjusted basis, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the last 12 months, the all items index increased 2.7 percent before seasonal adjustment.

Gasoline and food prices continued to rise and together accounted for almost three quarters of the seasonally adjusted all items increase in March. The gasoline index posted its ninth consecutive increase and has now risen 14.4 percent over the last three months. The household energy index rose as well, with advances in the fuel oil and electricity indexes more than offsetting a decline in the index for natural gas.

The food at home index continued to accelerate in March, rising 1.1 percent as all six major grocery store food groups increased. The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.1 percent in March, a smaller increase than in the previous two months.

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See the following for more details: http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/cpi.pdf

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