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Friday, August 31, 2012
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Commission: Wind farm rules not compatible with comp plan | Belvidere Daily Republican
The 5-0 vote came Tuesday night and was based primarily on the belief that setbacks, recommended by the planning, zoning and building committee (PZB), would preclude a wind farm from being developed anywhere in the county.
Some commissioners also thought the proposed rules were too restrictive.
Assistant planner Gina DelRose will present that recommendation, and the commission’s comments, to the county zoning board of appeals at Tuesday night’s public hearing. It is scheduled for 7 p.m. in the county administration building, 1212 Logan Ave., Belvidere.
This is the meeting in which residents will be entitled to make comments concerning the proposed regulations.
Click on the following for more details:Commission: Wind farm rules not compatible with comp plan | Belvidere Daily Republican
BCJ: Letter to Editor on Wind Farms
The following is taken from page 2, of the August 31, 2012 Boone County Journal, which is available free of cost at merchants across the county and on line at: http://boonecountyjournal.com/news/2012/Boone-County-News-08-31-12.pdf#page=3
Editor,
What is the definition of renewable power? Is it the
construction of wind turbines?
Mainstream Renewable Energy, based in Ireland, intends
to build 100 wind turbines in northern Boone County. Many
landowners have been approached to lease their land .
And many have signed contracts. These contracts are
to be kept very secret. A landowner may not disclose any
information even if he wanted to. Therefore, the location of
possible turbines is not known. A developer can sell the lease
to a third party without the knowledge of the landowner. A
lease could possibly control your land for 50 years. Heirs
would have to abide, as the contract goes with the land.
These are just a few of the restrictions that a landowner will
agree to for payment of the lease.
There are many questions and concerns given by
surrounding property owners at county meetings, where the
developer is present, but no answers are given.
These turbines are not like the wind mills of years ago.
The wind does not power them. They must have electricity
to operate.
Of the many goals a wind developer will say is, they
want to reduce the use of fossil fuels.
But nothing is said about the amount of various fuels
needed to operate a single turbine transformer at the base
of each turbine, depending on the size, can contain up to
500 gallons of oil; hundreds of gallons of hydraulic and
lubricating oil; antifreeze (glycol) which is from gas and oil
reserves; greases and cleaning fluids.
A substation with one or two transformers may require
12,000 gallons , possibly more, of mineral oil which is a
byproduct of crude oil.
The manufacturers of large turbines do not include
electricity consumption in the specifications they produce.
Oil leaks do happen. On January 26, 2012 in Warsaw,
N.Y., 45 tons of soil had to be removed due to a transformer
leak of 400 gallons of oil at the base of a wind turbine.
Doris Nelson
Caledonia, Illinois
Friday, August 24, 2012
Daily Chronicle | Gambling in DeKalb could be a vote away
By DAVID THOMAS
Bar patrons could be using video gambling machines as soon as Sept. 6 if the DeKalb City Council passes an ordinance approving it Monday.
The council already has approved the measure once and will vote on it in second reading. If approved, the new ordinance would take effect 10 days later.
The establishments, KJ’s Tap, 518 E. Lincoln Highway; American Legion Post 66, 1204 S. Fourth St.; Mardi Gras Lanes, 1730 Sycamore Road; and Sullivan’s Tavern, 722 E. Lincoln Highway, will have to create a separate area and secure leases with the machine suppliers as well.
Click on the following for more details: Daily Chronicle | Gambling in DeKalb could be a vote away
Agenda for Belvidere Township Meeting for Tuesday, August 28, 2012
AGENDA
BELVIDERE TOWNSHIP
MEETING OF THE TOWNSHIP BOARD
8200 Fairgrounds Road
August 28, 2012 – 5:00 P.M.
I. Call to Order / Roll Call
II. Pledge of Allegiance
III. Public Input
IV. Approval of Prior Meeting’s Minutes
V. Transfers
VI. Reports
a. Supervisor’s Report
b. Highway Commissioner’s Report
c. Assessor’s Report
d. Clerk’s Report
e. Trustee’s Report
VII. Unfinished Business
a. Orth Road Contract
b. Setting of Salaries
c. Harvest Fest Request
d. Wind Turbines
VIII. Legal
a.
b.
IX. New Business
a.
b.
X. Treasurer’s Report and Approval of Bills
XI. Closed Session
XII. Adjournment
* Please note in order to take final action on an item it must be specified on the posted agenda 48 hours in advance of the meeting
Three Boone County business apply for video gaming licenses - Rockford, IL - Rockford Register Star
Why is Belvidere City Council discussing this matter? Why is Boone County Board not discussing this? Two of the applications are under county jurisdiction; the other in Poplar Grove.
By Jennifer Wheeler
Veterans of Foreign Wars Department of Illinois Post 1461, 1310 W. Lincoln Ave., unincorporated Boone County; Pleasant Street Tavern, 6828 Pleasant St., Garden Prairie; and Mortimers Roadhouse and Grill, 105 W. Grove Ave., Poplar Grove, have applied for the machines, according to the Illinois Gaming Board website…..
All Belvidere businesses and unincorporated Boone County “adult entertainment establishments” prohibit housing the machines, according to the Illinois Gaming Board website. It remains unclear whether any bars fall into “adult entertainment establishments.” Poplar Grove, Caledonia, Capron and Timberlane have not taken action.
Click on the following for more details: Three Boone County business apply for video gaming licenses - Rockford, IL - Rockford Register Star
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Bain Documents: Romney Offshore Investments Used 'Blockers' To Avoid Taxes
In the financials for the Bain Capital Asia Fund, for instance, the audit describes the establishment of blocker corporations to hold more than $92 million in contributions from the fund.
Some experts have pointed to the blockers to help explain how Romney has been able to amass between $20.7 million and $101.6 million in a tax-free IRA, many times more than the typical amount an IRA can hold. Romney has not responded to questions about his IRA.
Click on the followings for more details: Bain Documents: Romney Offshore Investments Used 'Blockers' To Avoid Taxes
Cardinal Dolan to give benediction for RNC
Read the entire article by clicking on the following: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/23/nyregion/new-york-archbishop-will-give-closing-prayer-at-gop-meeting.html?_r=1
Current status of mulch fire injunction/case
As noted below pre-trial set for August 28, with a new (undetermined) judge. The motion to dismissed denied. Attorney Van Evera represents the defendants. Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) is granted.
UPDATED 8-24-2012
Click on photocopy to enlarge:
Obtain the latest update of the above record by going to: http://www.judici.com/courts/cases/case_history.jsp?court=IL004015J&ocl=IL004015J,2012CH319,IL004015JL2012CH319P1
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Northwest Herald | Woodstock business to lease street parking
Interesting—rent out the street for parking.
By CHELSEA McDOUGALL
At Tuesday’s meeting, Harding withdrew a petition to tear down a neighboring house for a parking lot. Council members, at a meeting earlier this month, were less than thrilled with razing the more than 100-year-old house.
The council settled on offering Harding on-street parking, but it wasn’t without some trepidation.
“I have some problems with dedicated parking spaces,” Mayor Brian Sager said. “But I’m willing to consider it if the petition is off the table relative to demolishing the house.”
The ordinance that city staff will draft will include a lease agreement with Harding for eight spaces. Rent for the parking will be “reasonable.”
Click on the following to read the entire story*: Northwest Herald | Woodstock business to lease street parking
*This link may be available free of charge for only a limited time period.
Northwest Herald | Feds indict Crystal Lake veterans advocate
This article has a good listing of all the charges and allegations.
By STEPHEN Di BENEDETTO
John C. Blanchard of Crystal Lake and four employees of National Association of Systems Administrators Education Corp. and Liberating Solutions Corp. were indicted on six counts of wire fraud, one count of mail fraud and 10 counts of providing material false statements and documents.
The charges focus on NASA Education’s securing of government contracts, and the company’s relationship with Liberating Solutions, a Crystal Lake business that has done contract work for federal and local governments.
*This link may be available free of charge for only a limited time period.
Boone County saves thousands from refinancing jail bond - Rockford, IL - Rockford Register Star
Will the 1 per cent sales PSB tax end in 2018?
The $9.3 million bond was originally issued in 1999 to help pay for the county jail. It is set to expire in 2018.
Additionally, the board received an Aa2 bond rating from Moody’s Investors Service, which is the third highest bond rating offered by the agency. To receive that rating, County Administrator Ken Terrinoni met with representatives from Moody’s Investors Service, who interviewed him about the county’s finances for an hour.
“We gave them a full picture of our finances, and they were mostly questioning the ways we got through this recent recession,” he said.
The agency said the county’s strengths included a strong and conservative management team, as well as having a healthy reserve level. One of its weaknesses included relying on sales tax revenues.
Boone County saves thousands from refinancing jail bond - Rockford, IL - Rockford Register Star
Refinancing jail bonds will save Boone County $377,000 | Belvidere Daily Republican
Written by Bob Balgemann
Refinancing $3.32 million worth of bonds, the remaining amount from the $9.3 million issuance in 1999 for jail construction and other projects, will save the county an estimated $377,000 in interest.
The repayment interest was reduced from 3.7 percent to 0.97 percent thanks to a AA bond rating …
The half-cent public safety sales tax, approved in 1999 for the jail project and others, is due to expire in 2018. It has generated more than enough money for the annual bond repayment, and sometimes elicited controversy as to how the overage should be spent.
Click on the following to read the entire article: Refinancing jail bonds will save Boone County $377,000 | Belvidere Daily Republican
Belvidere Township to have referendum on electric aggregation | Belvidere Daily Republican
Written by Bob Balgemann
….5-0 vote to approve the necessary ordinance came Aug. 14. Then the ordinance was filed with the Boone County Clerk’s office so the vote can be part the Nov. 6 general election ballot.
Supporters claim residents and small businesses can expect to see reductions of up to 25 percent in their monthly electric bills.
Residents of unincorporated Boone County voted against aggregation in the March 2012 primary election, as did those in the village of Poplar Grove…..
While Poplar Grove will have a second referendum Nov. 6, the county can’t have another one until February 2014. Given that, Belvidere Township officials decided to try and schedule a vote for their residents living in the unincorporated area.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Condition of bridges in Boone County raises concern
Read the entire story(by clicking at bottom) to find out about the county bridge at Green Giant.
Of that number eight county bridges and 10 township bridges are between 40 and 55 years. With the average life of a bridge being 50 years, he noted, “The next decade could see a large number of bridges needing to be replaced.”
He told the committee the county “has a pretty good reserve – $3 ½ million.”
“Most of them will have to be done in the next 20 years,” Hunt
Read the entire story by clicking on the following: http://www.belvideredailyrepublican.net/news/condition-of-bridges-in-boone-county-raises-concern/
Sunday, August 19, 2012
US over 15% on its way to the 2030 goal of producing 20% of its energy from wind
The following is taken from the government publication:http://www1.eere.energy.gov/wind/resources.html
Click on the photocopy to enlarge:
Click on the photocopy to enlarge:
Committees to consider wind farm regulations later in August
Written by Bob Balgemann
Two Boone County advisory committees will be holding public meetings on proposed new wind farm regulations later this month.
First stop will be the planning commission at 6 p.m. Aug. 21 in the county building, 1212 Logan Ave.
Next up will be the zoning board of appeals at 7 p.m. Aug. 28 at the same location…..
The final stop will be the county board, either in September or October.
At some point after that Mainstream Renewable Power is expected to apply for a special use permit, to allow development of an 8,000-acre wind farm on the northeast side of the county.
Upwards of 100 wind turbines are being proposed for that property, which is bordered by Grade School Road on the west, the Wisconsin state line to the north, North Boone School road on the south and the McHenry County line to the east. All of the land is in Manchester and Leroy townships.
Click on the following for more details:http://www.belvideredailyrepublican.net/news/committees-to-consider-wind-farm-regulations-later-in-august/
Wind farm development in Illinois, elsewhere likely to slow in 2013
By Brian Leaf
-
ROCKFORD — Wind power is the most visible form of electricity generation and only one state, California, made it more visible in 2011 than Illinois.
The Department of Energy said in a report last week that Illinois installed turbines capable of generating 692 megawatts wind power capacity, bringing the state’s capacity to 2,700 MW — enough to power about 680,000 homes. California led the nation with 921 MW of new capacity.
While the DOE expects 2012 to be another strong year for new wind energy, development of wind farms will dramatically slow in 2013. That’s because tax credits that provide wind energy producers 2.2 cents per kilowatt hour expire at the end of the year.
The tax credits have become part of an energy policy debate between Democratic President Barack Obama and his GOP challenger Mitt Romney, which makes the likelihood of an extension before the November election doubtful.
Click on the following to read all of the story: http://www.rrstar.com/news/x1782330807/Wind-farm-development-in-Illinois-elsewhere-likely-to-slow-in-2013
Friday, August 17, 2012
Northwest Herald | Obama campaign offers Romney 5-year tax disclosure
Barack Obama's re-election campaign kept up pressure against Republican rival Mitt Romney on two fronts Friday, launching a new ad defending the president's record on Medicare while challenging Romney to release at least five years of tax returns.
Local politics has a presence at annual Boone County Fair | Belvidere Daily Republican
Pysson was asked what it would take for a Democrat to win in District 1? “Part of it is strategy,” he replied. “Part of it is very hard work and telling people what you stand for.”
He said he would be campaigning door to door, though that will be difficult because District 1 is very rural.
The current county board is made up of 11 Republicans and one Democrat.
He said people were questioning whether Republican leadership should continue and were asking about the board’s promise to end the half-cent public safety sales tax in 2018. Pysson said he thought voters should decide that issue.
Staff recommendations request a more limited change of current Boone County wind farm ordinance
The initial proposed changes were prepared by board members, Hunt, Glass and Newhouse. Such was quite unprecedented.
Staff recommendations are on on Page 19. All of the major changes were limited from those originally proposed by the board member who researched the item.
Click on the photocopy to enlarge:
The above was taken from: tp://www.boonecountyil.org/sites/default/files/Boone%20County%20RegionalPlanning%20Commission%20August%2021,%202012.pdf
The proposed ordinance is available at above citation and also on this blog at:http://www.boonecountywatchdog.blogspot.com/2012/07/proposed-wind-farm-ordinance-for-boone.html
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Local politics has a presence at annual Boone County Fair | Belvidere Daily Republican
Democrats Kevin “Wes” Swezey, candidate for coroner, and Bill Pysson, candidate for a District 1 seat on the county board, were there one afternoon talking with visitors.
Asked why he was running Swezey said he was concerned about more than $90,000 being spent on salaries to run an office that isn’t very busy. He thought the jobs of deputy coroner and secretary should be combined, which would save some $20,000.
He also thought the office should be more involved in the community, especially with young people.
Pysson was asked what it would take for a Democrat to win in District 1? “Part of it is strategy,” he replied. “Part of it is very hard work and telling people what you stand for.”
He said he would be campaigning
Click on the following for more details: Local politics has a presence at annual Boone County Fair | Belvidere Daily Republican
Romney: I’ve paid at least 13 percent tax rate in each of past 10 years - The Washington Post
Will actual tax returns be far behind?
look at my taxes and over the past 10 years I never paid less than 13 percent. I think the most recent year is 13.6 or something like that. So I paid taxes every single year,
Click on the following to read all of the story: Romney: I’ve paid at least 13 percent tax rate in each of past 10 years - The Washington Post
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Paul Ryan’s Cramped Vision - NYTimes.com
Editorial
Mr. Ryan’s Cramped Vision
Published: August 11, 2012 805 Comments
Mitt Romney’s safe and squishy campaign just took on a much harder edge. A candidate of no details — I’ll cut the budget but no need to explain just how — has named a vice-presidential running mate, Paul Ryan, whose vision is filled with endless columns of minus signs. Voters will now be able to see with painful clarity just what the Republican Party has in store for them.
As House Budget Committee chairman, Mr. Ryan has drawn a blueprint of a government that will be absent when people need it the most. It will not be there when the unemployed need job training, or when a struggling student needs help to get into college. It will not be there when a miner needs more than a hardhat for protection, or when a city is unable to replace a crumbling bridge.
And it will be silent when the elderly cannot keep up with the costs of M.R.I.’s or prescription medicines, or when the poor and uninsured become increasingly sick through lack of preventive care.
More than three-fifths of the cuts proposed by Mr. Ryan, and eagerly accepted by the Tea Party-driven House, come from programs for low-income Americans. That means billions of dollars lost for job training for the displaced, Pell grants for students and food stamps for the hungry. These cuts are so severe that the nation’s Catholic bishops raised their voices in protest at the shredding of the nation’s moral obligations.
Mr. Ryan’s budget “will hurt hungry children, poor families, vulnerable seniors and workers who cannot find employment,” the bishops wrote in an April letter to the House. “These cuts are unjustified and wrong.”
Mr. Ryan responded that he was helping the poor by eliminating their dependence on the government. And yet he has failed to explain how he would make them self-sufficient — how, in fact, a radical transformation of government would magically turn around an economy that is starving for assistance. At a time when state and local government layoffs are the principal factor in unemployment, the Ryan budget would cut aid to desperate governments by at least 20 percent, far below historical levels, on top of other cuts to mass transit and highway spending.
Those are the kinds of reductions voters of all income levels would actually feel. People might nod their heads at Mr. Romney’s nostrums of smaller government, but they are likely to feel quite different when they realize Mr. Ryan plans to take away their new sewage treatment plant, the asphalt for their streets, and the replacements for retiring police officers and firefighters.
All of this will be accompanied, of course, by even greater tax giveaways to the rich, and extravagant benefits to powerful military contractors. Business leaders will be granted their wish for severely diminished watchdogs over the environment, mine safety and food quality.
Mr. Romney had already praised the Ryan budget as “excellent work,” but until Saturday the deliberate ambiguity of his own plans gave him a little room for distance, an opportunity to sketch out a more humane vision of government’s role. By putting Mr. Ryan’s callousness on his ticket, he may have lost that chance.
The above is from: Paul Ryan’s Cramped Vision - NYTimes.com
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
How poor was Paul Ryan?
Paul’s father was an attorney. And then there was Paul’s Great-Grandfather’s company. Ryan worked as a marketing consultant for this family's construction business before being elected to Congress.
From: http://www.ryancentral.com/history.html
Founded in 1884 with a single team of mules building railroad embankments in Southern Wisconsin, Ryan Incorporated Central has grown into one of the nation's largest site-work contractors. Today the Company performs residential, commercial, industrial and power site work, landfill construction and capping and full-service golf course building/remodeling for both public and private customers. Throughout its 125 year history, Ryan Incorporated Central has remained committed to safety, excellent work, customer service and professional integrity.
Ryan Incorporated Central has been shaping the earth since 1884. The Company started in Janesville, Wisconsin with a team of mules building railroad embankment in Southern Wisconsin and Northern Illinois. As it grew, it added road work and mining in the early 1900's. By the 1940's the Company had become a full-service grading contractor serving both private industrial and public transportation customers, including some of the original work at what would become O'Hare Airport. During the 1970's and 1980's, Ryan expanded its services to include landfill construction and waste remediation, and in the 1990's added golf course construction. Today, Ryan Incorporated Central is one of the nation's premier mass excavation and site-work contractors with expertise in residential, commercial, transportation, entertainment, energy and environmental work. This including extensive experience in power and industrial site-work, state-of-the-art municipal and industrial landfill construction and capping and full service golf course construction. The Company's project size ranges in dollar value from $10,000 to $50,000,000.
As the Company has grown its capabilities, it has also expanded geographically having successfully completed projects in over 25 states. While Janesville, Wisconsin is still the Company's corporate headquarters, it now has offices in Elgin, Illinois and Hagerstown, Maryland and a permanent presence throughout the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions.
From horses to motor scrapers, from railroad embankments to power plants, landfills, subdivisions and golf courses and from Wisconsin to Virginia, the company has evolved and grown over 125 years. But as the company prepares its fifth generation to take the reins, the entire organization's commitment to safety, excellent work, customer service and professional integrity remains unchanged.
1884
Patrick W. Ryan began an earthmoving company specializing in railroad construction. In 1913, William H. Ryan, Patrick's oldest son, a graduate Civil Engineer, started P.W. Ryan Sons, an earthmoving firm which became one of the first road building organizations in the State of Wisconsin.
1952
William, Thomas, and Donald Ryan, the sons of William H. Ryan, upon graduation as Civil Engineers, began their own highway building partnership, Ryan Brothers Company. In 1957, Ryan Incorporated of Wisconsin was created to better serve the growing business of Ryan Brothers Company.
1985
Throughout the 1970's and 1980's, operations expanded to serve clients on a nationwide basis. In 1985, Ryan Incorporated Central was formed under the management of the fourth generation of Ryans: Adam, David, James, Matthew, Nancy, and Patrick to continue this tradition of service.
Family, Faith and Politics Describe Life of Paul Ryan - NYTimes.com
JANESVILLE, Wis. — Representative Paul D. Ryan’s childhood home here was not overtly partisan. His parents were enthusiastic supporters of Representative Les Aspin, a Democrat, yet adored President Ronald Reagan from their glimpses of him on the evening news. But the death of his father when Mr. Ryan was only 16 punctured his life of math tests and bike riding, and in that fissure, the seeds of his worldview were planted.
Ryan to Colo. supporters: I drive a truck. I worked at McDonald’s.I like to camp. I’m you.
LAKEWOOD, Colo--Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan took the stage before 2,600 supporters at Lakewood High School Tuesday to promote Mitt Romney's energy proposals, but he had another agenda. Interlaced throughout his speech were subtle, but clear, references to Ryan's common-man appeal. Over the course of his nearly 20-minute address, Ryan discussed working at McDonald's, [...]
Belvidere Township Meeting at 5:00PM Tonight (Tuesday 8-14-12)
AGENDA
BELVIDERE TOWNSHIP
MEETING OF THE TOWNSHIP BOARD
8200 Fairgrounds Road
August 14, 2012 – 5:00 P.M.
I. Call to Order / Roll Call
II. Pledge of Allegiance
III. Public Input
IV. Approval of Prior Meeting’s Minutes
V. Transfers
VI. Reports
a. Supervisor’s Report
b. Highway Commissioner’s Report
c. Assessor’s Report
d. Clerk’s Report
e. Trustee’s Report
VII. Unfinished Business
a. Orth Road Contract
b. Setting of Salaries
c.
d.
VIII. Legal
a.
b.
IX. New Business
a. Harvest Fest Request
b. Electric Aggregation Ordinance
c. Wind Turbines Special Use
X. Treasurer’s Report and Approval of Bills
XI. Closed Session
XII. Adjournment
* Please note in order to take final action on an item it must be specified on the posted agenda 48 hours in advance of the meeting.
Monday, August 13, 2012
Northwest Herald | McHenry County Board to ponder referendums
How many referendums?
The McHenry County Board will decide Thursday whether to put a referendum on the Nov. 6 ballot to make the board chairmanship popularly elected.
The move is meant to challenge a referendum placed on the ballot by state Rep. Jack Franks to change to a county executive form of government. And the potential second referendum by the county has raised the opportunity for a third.
Board members not only will decide whether to add their referendum, but also an advisory referendum requested by anti-township activist Bob Anderson.
Click on the following for more details: Northwest Herald | County Board to ponder referendums
IEPA waiting for response to complaint about odor in Garden Prairie| Belvidere Daily Republican
Written by Bob Balgemann
He said the facility, found to have 25 violations, had 15 days left in a 45-day window to respond to the state’s notice. “We will either accept or reject it,” he said.
Jacobsen was quick to say the company was “trying to do their best to rectify the situation.”
Daily Chronicle | With Illinois Cares Rx gone, elderly struggle with drug costs
Illinois Cares Rx program ended just weeks after Gov. Pat Quinn signed legislation axing it in an effort to save $72 million and help fill a $2.7 billion hole in the Illinois Medicaid budget – giving seniors and the disabled, who also qualified for the program, little time to plan.
At the time, some agencies advised worried seniors to get a 90-day supply of their prescription drugs.
Now they’re bracing for another surge of calls when seniors need medication refills they can no longer afford.
. About 168,000 seniors and disabled people were enrolled in the program when it ended. Of those, about 143,000 are 65 and older and about 25,000 are disabled people younger than 65.
They include individuals who make less than $22,340 a year and couples who make less than $30,260 a year.
Because the program had no restrictions on assets, people could have large bank accounts and still be eligible.
Sunday, August 12, 2012
What is the projected five year cash flow for Boone County Government’s General Fund?
The county is refinancing its jail bonds. The following was submitted to the Moody’s rating agency.
Click on the following to enlarge:
Deficit Scenario:
Balance Budget Scenario:
New Website dedicated to the Wind Farm Issue and Boone County
It appears that residents concerned about Wind Farms in Boone County have a website. See below or click on the following: http://concernedcitizensofboonecounty.org/index.html
Information concerning Wind Farms which the county should be aware
1. Back in February the Congress failed to extend the PTC for 2013; new attempts continue for the extension however much may depend on the Presidential election. The Boone County project maybe affected.
Wind production tax credit(PTC): Tax credit extension deal fails for wind - Chicago Tribune
|By Julie Wernau
the tax credit extension, which provides an income tax credit of 2.2 cents per kilowatt-hour for the production of electricity from wind turbines….
Among the projects that were expected to get off the ground after the tax credit expires are a 200 MW wind farm slated for Boone County and a 437 MW project that straddles Lee, Whiteside and Bureau counties….
Both were slated for construction in the next 12 to 24 months but now would be delayed, said Matt Boss, a project manager with Mainstream Renewable Power….
Click on the following for more details: Wind production tax credit: Tax credit extension deal fails for wind - Chicago Tribune
2. Switching to Non-Com Ed suppliers may mean that Com Ed and Ameren will not be able to maintain their commitments to renewable power.
By law, 25 percent of Illinois' electricity must come from wind, solar and other renewable resources by 2025.
But as more municipalities elect to buy power from suppliers other than Commonwealth Edison Co. and Ameren Illinois, developers of renewable energy are losing confidence that their projects will be funded long term. Some have already given up on Illinois.
switching is occurring at a rapid clip. As of Wednesday, 100 municipalities statewide had moved their residents to alternative suppliers, and another 160 had passed measures stating they intend to switch
If the monies available from the utilities are shrinking dramatically, that does not bring about a lot of confidence that any commitments made by ComEd or Ameren are going to be lived up to over the long term,
Click on the following for more details on this subject: http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-05-31/business/ct-biz-0531-aggregation-kills--20120531_1_renewable-energy-wind-and-solar-developers-renewable-portfolio-standard
3. A sample of the 34 page contract supplied by an individual who did not sign a lease for a wind turbine for his Boone County land is available at: http://concernedcitizensofboonecounty.org/index.html
Reema Bajaj: The Morning After(Including revelations about Reema from a friend.)
Sycamore Attorney Bajaj and her charge of prostitution gained national coverage last year here is the latest update.
By David Lat
As we reported yesterday, the comely young Reema Bajaj, a 26-year-old Illinois solo practitioner charged with prostitution, has pleaded guilty to a single misdemeanor prostitution count. I previously expressed my favorable opinions of Bajaj and my belief in her innocence (despite the existence of nude pictures of her floating around the internet). Alas, it seems that my confidence may have been misplaced.
See the following earlier postings concerning this case: http://boonecountywatchdog.blogspot.com/2011/05/sycamore-attorney-faces-prostitution.html
http://boonecountywatchdog.blogspot.com/2012/08/reema-bajaj-morning-afterincluding.html
http://boonecountywatchdog.blogspot.com/2011/12/status-of-previous-news-posting.html
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Poplar Grove yay, county nay on new electric aggregation vote | Belvidere Daily Republican
Written by Bob Balgemann
Grove Village Attorney Roxanne Sosnowski has determined the village doesn’t have to wait. And so officials have agreed to send the appropriate ordinance to the county clerk’s office so the vote can be part of the Nov. 6 general election ballot.
But it’s the opinion of State’s Attorney Michelle Courier that the waiting period does apply to the county. That means county officials, who never formally took up the matter, will have to wait until 2014 if they ultimately decide they want to try it again.
Cherry Valley solar farm project on hold indefinitely - Rockford, IL - Rockford Register Star
would-be developer of a proposed 180-acre solar farm on the eastern boarder of Cherry Valley has withdrawn his annexation and zoning petition that would make the project possible.
It’s unclear if the withdrawal means that project is finished for good or if the developer will reapply at a later date.
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Mitt Romney still profits from Bain Capital — at our expense | The Rock River Times
Mitt Romney still profits from Bain Capital — at our expense
Some have written and attempted to excuse Mitt Romney’s Bain Capital and other international corporations that pay little or no taxes, and when the bottom line looks better by shipping jobs overseas, they couldn’t care less about American jobs and lives.
I was at the public meeting in Freeport about Sensata (a division of Honeywell) shipping 170 Freeport jobs to China, last Sunday, and I didn’t hear anyone say, “It’s just the way we do business here in the U.S.” I heard many loyal long-time employees of Sensata — a division of Honeywell — vent their frustrations, anger and worries as to what the future holds for them. Some were in tears. Some had given their all for 30 years, only to be tossed in the trash bin when “offshoring” looked like it would bring a few more bucks to the bottom line.
Some, in their 50s or early 60s, are rightly concerned that no one will hire them unless it’s a low-paid, part-time job that no one can live on. Others are worried about losing health insurance, losing the ability to educate their kids, even facing the possibility of foreclosure on their houses. Retiring with any kind of security or livable income also looked remote.
Mitt Romney is just a symbol of what’s going on in this country, but he continues to profit handsomely from Bain Capital to the tune of more than $5 million just in 2011 in his financial disclosure. “Offshoring” (isn’t that a nice name for company greed?), if it continues, will impoverish this country. They are either ignorant or don’t care that people without jobs can’t buy new cars, electronics, tires or go to restaurants — all businesses that Freeport relies on. The more people that are “down-sized” (another convenient term), the more the U.S. becomes a Third World economy.
We don’t buy it if it doesn’t say “Made in the USA.”
We’ll vote for America first candidates this November.
The 1950s are looking better and better.
Peg and Ray Ruthenberg
Stockton, Ill.From the Aug. 1-7, 2012, issue
See: Mitt Romney still profits from Bain Capital — at our expense | The Rock River Times
Darts slow to take off - Automotive News explains why - Rockford, IL - Rockford Register Star
there are several reasons Dart sales are off to a sluggish start.
* Most of the first vehicles sent off to dealers were manual transmissions, which many dealers say prevent those who can't drive stick shifts from taking test drives.
* Cox confirmed Chrysler has delayed introducing the Dart's R/T version indefinitely. The Dart R/T was to be the first to have Chrysler's turbocharged 2.4-liter Tigershark engine. Cox said the delay will allow workers at the plant to launch the other Dart trim levels successfully.
* Chrysler started its Dart marketing campaign with a 90-second ad during the Major League All-Star Game on July 10. Since then, there has been almost no media push for the Dart. The Summer Olympics has been full of Ford, General Motors, Toyota ads, but nothing for the Dart.
Cox told automotive news that a big media push is planned for September when more Darts and more Dart versions are on dealer lots.
Most Belvidere Township officials plan to seek re-election | Belvidere Daily Republican
Written by Bob Balgemann
Incumbent Supervisor Pat Murphy and incumbent trustees Bill Robertson and Bob Turner said they are running again; incumbent Trustee Paul Zeien Jr. is not seeking re-election; and incumbent Trustee Debbie Carlson is undecided.
Assessor Diann Helnore, Road Commissioner Rich Lee and Clerk Judy Schabacker all said they planned to run again.
Qualifying petitions may be taken out starting Sept. 6 and they must be returned by Dec. 31. The primary election, if needed, is in February 2013; the general election is in April.
Read the entire article by clicking on the following: Most Belvidere Township officials plan to seek re-election | Belvidere Daily Republican
Monday, August 6, 2012
The Terrible Economy and the Anti-Election of 2012
Sunday, July 29, 2012
The worst economy since the Great Depression and you might think at least one of the candidates would come up with a few big ideas for how to get us out of it.
But you’d be wrong. Neither candidate wants to take any chances by offering any large, serious proposals. Both are banking instead on negative campaigns that convince voters the other guy would be worse.
President Obama has apparently decided against advancing any bold ideas for what he’d do in the second term, even if he has a Congress that would cooperate with him.
He’s sticking to a worn script that says George W. Bush caused the lousy economy, congressional Republicans have opposed everything he’s wanted to do to boost it, it’s slowly on the mend anyway, the Bush tax cuts shouldn’t be extended for the rich, and we shouldn’t take a chance electing Romney.
Yet the public wants bigger ideas from the President, and wants to know what he’ll do in his second term to get us out of this mess. A New York Times-CBS News poll released last week showed that a majority of voters believe the president “can do a lot about” the economy. That’s a double-digit jump from the fall of 2011.
The President could propose a new WPA, modeled after the Depression-era jobs program that hired hundreds of thousands of jobless Americans to rebuild the nation’s infrastructure, or a new Civilian Conservation Corps.
He could suggest permanently exempting the first $25,000 of income from payroll taxes, and making up the lost revenues by eliminating the ceiling on income subject to it. He could propose resurrecting the Glass-Steagall Act and breaking up the big banks, so Wall Street doesn’t cause another financial collapse.
But you won’t hear any of this, or anything else of this magnitude, because the White House doesn’t want to take any risks. Polls give Obama a slight edge in the critical eight or so battleground states, so, the thinking goes in the Obama camp, why say anything that might give Romney and the GOP a target?
Besides, polls also show Romney isn’t well-liked by the electorate.
So Obama has decided to campaign as the anti-Romney.
Mitt Romney is playing it even more cautiously. His economic plan is really a non-plan: more tax cuts for the rich, undefined spending cuts, and no details about how he’d bring down the budget deficit. No presidential candidate since Herbert Hoover in 1928 has been more vague about what he’d do on the critical issues facing the nation.
Romney’s advisors assume Obama can’t possibly be reelected with the economy this bad. Just 44 percent of registered voters in a Washington Post-ABC News poll earlier this month approve of the job the president is doing on the economy, while 54 percent disapprove. Even more encouraging for Romney is that 41 percent of those polled “strongly” disapproved of Obama’s economic performance, while just 21 percent “strongly” approved — an enthusiasm gap of major proportion.
So Romney’s advisors have concluded that all Romney has to do between now and Election Day is avoid a mistake that might give Obama and the Democrats something to shoot at.
Romney has decided to campaign as the anti-Obama.
The two anti-the-other-guy strategies fit with a ton of negative advertising that’s just begun but will reach mammoth proportions after Labor Day. Much of it will be financed by super-PACs and by political fronts already taking in hundreds of millions of dollars in secret donations. Romney’s camp hopes to out-negative Obama by almost two to one.
So whatever happens on Election Day, the next president will have to contend with two handicaps. The public won’t have endorsed any new ideas or bold plans, which means he won’t have a clear mandate to do anything on the economy.
The only thing the public will have decided is it fears and distrusts the other guy more. Which means the winner will also be burdened by almost half the electorate thinking he’s a scoundrel or worse.
The worst economy since the Great Depression, but we’re in an anti-election that will make it harder for the next occupant of the oval office to do a thing about it.
The above is taken from: http://robertreich.org/post/28289563809
Emerald Ash Borer in Huntley
The article below is taken from: http://www.firstelectricnewspaper.com/2012/08/huntley-marking-trees-for-eab-removal.html
Illinois getting tougher on human trafficking - Springfield, IL -
Among other changes, the new law expands the definition of "serious harm" to include non-physical forms of coercion, like psychological intimidation or withholding a passport to keep someone in servitude.
It also lengthens the statute of limitations for prosecuting those who exploit minors.
The National Human Trafficking Resource Center says Illinois generates the fifth highest number of calls to its hotline.
NIU spokesman: police investigating secret fund
Might there be any connection with this story and an earlier Daily Chronicle story and the public comments on that story? SEE: http://district100watchdog.blogspot.com/2012/08/two-niu-administrators-leave-recently.html
NIU spokesman Paul Palian Northern Illinois University officials are investigating reports of an alleged secret bank account channeling thousands of dollars to several university workers. NIU spokesman Paul Palian confirms to WNIJ the university's police department is looking into the matter: "There is currently an investigation underway. It was launched Friday afternoon. It is an NIU police investigation." - Paul Palian, NIU spokesman NIU employees working at a campus physical plant allegedly sold scrap metal to a local company, which would write checks to an account known as the ``coffee fund.'' Electronic records show checks from the DeKalb Iron and Metal Company to the fund have totaled more than $13,000 since 2005. School officials say they have no record of such a fund.J & WNIU
Click on the following for the source of the above story: NIU spokesman: police investigating secret fund | WNIJ & WNIU
Today’s Daily Chronicle has much more detail. GO TO: http://www.daily-chronicle.com/2012/08/03/niu-probes-existence-of-coffee-fund/awdfbmu/
Kunkel said several employees, mainly from NIU’s Physical Plant, have sold scrap metal from the university to DIMCO on and off for at least the past 25 years. The company’s electronic records date back to February 2005, and checks from DIMCO since that time have totaled more than $13,000.
“It’s not going back to Northern,” said Kunkel.
Kathryn Buettner, vice president of university relations, said NIU Police plan to open an investigation immediately. She said Friday was the first time she or other administrators had heard about the coffee fund and said NIU takes the allegations very seriously…..
Kunkel said employees often used university-owned vehicles to drop off the scrap, usually coming in on Saturdays; sometimes they sent family members. Kunkel said when he asked what the coffee fund was for, he was told the money was split between several workers at the Physical Plant, who sometimes used the money for cookouts, or purchased coffee and food for the office.
Kunkel said the company keeps separate accounts for different NIU funds, including the Physical Plant and telecommunications department. He said he grew suspicious years ago, when NIU employees began asking him to pay a small percentage to the university and a larger percentage to the employee who dropped off the scrap, which prompted him to contact the university.
It appears that Associated Press has picked up the story. See the Northwest Herald’s short AP Piece: http://www.nwherald.com/2012/08/06/niu-probes-existence-of-a-secret-coffee-fund/av9uru6/
Friday, August 3, 2012
Daily Chronicle | County Board contemplates transparency
Note: Boone County received a similar score.
recent D-minus grade in transparency given to DeKalb County by the Illinois Policy Institute did not sit well with some County Board members and officials, and changes could be coming.
The county had low scores in categories such as employee salary and benefit information and Freedom of Information Act standards. Although salary and FOIA information is available on the county’s website, the IPI said the site should list salary and benefits on an individual basis and have clearer information on how to contact FOIA officers…..
new state statute will require counties to list the salaries and benefits of individuals making more than $75,000, so Charles Foster, R-Shabbona, said the county might as well list every employee….
seemed open to the idea of listing the few lobbying agencies to which the county belongs, as well as those agencies that lobby the county. Statements of economic interest also could be published on the website in the future
Economy responsible for new ‘ghost towns’
Is Boone County thinking about this?
How quickly they rebound will be directly linked to the reasons the development stalled in the first place,” he said. “There’s a big difference between a development that sits 90 minutes outside a metropolitan area whose pool of buyers dried up, and a very desirable, well-located piece of land being developed by someone who got in over his head financially.
“If the project made great sense because of its amenities, location and price, it will make great sense again,” Rice predicted. “If it was a project located just another exit or two farther from the city than the last project that was built, well, I think those developments may be slower to recover — and it’s possible they may never be completed. We’ve actually seen that with some Detroit developments, where they’ve just pushed dirt over the poured foundations. They’re done
Belvidere Township’s Governance in the news again
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Belvidere Township attorney, resident disagree over accusations
Written by Bob Balgemann
Belvidere Township resident Max Newport believes the township board of trustees has violated state statutes.
Township attorney Keri-Lynn Krafthefer disagrees, saying there is no proof of that.
They exchanged those views at the board’s July 24 meeting during the public comments portion of the agenda. And the public’s ability to address the board also was criticized by Newport.
Belvidere Township’s legal fees have skyrocketed 383 percent from five years ago.
By Jennifer Wheeler
The township has been scrutinized for months with residents filing lengthy Freedom of Information Act requests and writing memos that require legal responses. People have questioned the township’s budget, public comment process and whether the government body should even exist.
Click on the following for all of this story: http://www.rrstar.com/news/x417563755/Belvidere-Township-legal-fees-spike-leaders-blame-public-scrutinynity
Boone County reconsiders electrical aggregation vote - Rockford, IL - Rockford Register Star
By Jennifer Wheeler
Walberg speculated that the referendum failed because residents felt uninformed on the issue, did not trust the government to negotiate rates or believed they were voting on smart meters
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