New TV ads in US Senate race

New TV ads in US Senate race

Friday, Feb 26, 2016

* Press release…

The largest progressive group of veterans in America, VoteVets Action Fund, is up in Illinois with a $600,000 statewide ad buy, over the next two weeks, featuring an Illinois veteran saying that when it comes to security, the military, and veterans, he trusts Tammy Duckworth, over Senator Mark Kirk. VoteVets vowed that this would be just the first ad on the issue of security, military, and veterans, as long as Senator Kirk wants to make it into an issue.

Opening with a shot of a Blackhawk helicopter and fading to pictures of Tammy Duckworth, Michael Terranova, a Marine Corps veteran from Chicago says, “You gotta be a special kind of person to fly one of these. That’s Tammy Duckworth. After she lost her legs in service to her country, she still served ten more years in the National Guard. But now Senator Mark Kirk is attacking her, asking who do you trust? Well Senator, you voted against fixing broken equipment that keep guys like me safe in the field, and against expanding our veterans benefits when we get home. So to answer your question…I trust Tammy Duckworth and it’s not even close.”

In 2014, Senator Mark Kirk voted against a $21 billion package, supported by veterans’ groups, that would have greatly expanded veterans care. And in 2003, while in the House, Mark Kirk voted against an amendment that the Washington Post said, in part, would have allocated money “for the repair and replacement of damaged equipment” for troops in the field.

“Frankly, we’re thrilled that Senator Kirk spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to turn this election into one about security and the military,” said Jon Soltz, Iraq War Veteran and Chairman of VoteVets.org, referring to an ad that Kirk launched this week. “If there are two political losers for Mark Kirk, they’re the issues of trust and keeping America strong and safe. As long as he wants to keep on talking about it, we’ll happily keep running ads like these, because there’s not a shadow of a doubt that Tammy Duckworth wins if this campaign is about those issues.”

* The ad is pretty good…

…Adding… Kirk campaign…

“Yet another blatantly false and dishonest ad by Rep. Duckworth and her liberal SuperPac allies in an attempt to distract from Duckworth’s reckless and extreme policy of allowing 200,000 Syrian refugees into the US even though they cannot safely be screened. The simple truth is that while Senator Kirk secured a historic level of funding for veterans’ benefits, Rep. Duckworth has spent her time preparing for her April trial where she faces charges that she fired Veterans’ Affairs employees after they blew the whistle on her for not responding to veterans being abused and receiving poor care while she served as the Director.”

More here.

* Meanwhile, from the Tribune…

Republican Sen. Mark Kirk’s campaign is complaining about the latest in a series of incorrect statements and advertising against the incumbent lawmaker. […]

The latest came Thursday when the Democratic-backed Senate Majority PAC attacked Kirk in a social media ad for “obstructionism” on filling the vacancy of Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court.

Kirk initially took no stand on whether President Barack Obama should forward a nominee to the Senate, but then broke with party leaders and said a nominee should be considered. Kirk’s decision to break ranks came a day after Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, of Kentucky, declared that no nominee would be considered by the majority.

All this huffing and puffing (I received 6 e-mails from the Kirk campaign) was about a single tweet pointing to a web page. Happily, the offending tweet is no longer on the Senate Majority PAC’s feed.

* And I’m told there are just 275 ratings points behind this new Andrea Zopp ad as of yesterday morning, all in Chicago…

* Apparently, a TV ad touting Kay Hagan for US Senate is also playing occasionally on Chicago network TV. Somebody really messed up badly. Hagan lost her North Carolina race in 2014 and isn’t running again.

- Posted by Rich Miller

To view actual ads go to:  http://capitolfax.com/2016/02/26/new-tv-ads-in-us-senate-race/

Belvidere law enforcers talk drugs and gangs at Chamber of Commerce event

Both States Attorney Candidates speak out

Belvidere law enforcers talk drugs and gangs at Chamber of Commerce event

By Susan Vela
Staff writer

Posted Feb. 25, 2016 at 9:09 PM
Updated Feb 25, 2016 at 10:15 PM

BELVIDERE — Kathy Reed wants to protect her 13-year-old grandson from gangs.

The Poplar Grove grandmother was among about 50 people who attended a morning presentation on gangs and drugs in Boone County at the Boone County Council on Aging. The presentation, a Belvidere Area Chamber of Commerce Breakfast Before Business event, featured Belvidere Police Sgt. Dave Dammon, Belvidere Police Sgt. of Detectives Matt Wallace and Boone County State’s Attorney Michelle Courier. They provided some things for parents and grandparents to look for if they want to keep their youngest relatives free of the gang culture.

Reed intends to take notes on her grandson's clothing. Wearing the latest styles and similar colors often is a common indicator of gang involvement

“And I want to learn more about his friends,” she said.

Typically, gang members are male, 11 to 24 years old, and of all racial and socioeconomic backgrounds.

“You've got to keep them out of gangs,” said Dammon, who advised parents and grandparents to keep their children and grandchildren busy with school activities. “If they don’t go into them, then you don’t have to deal with them.”

Representatives from Boone County’s criminal justice system said Courier’s successful 2010 lawsuit against gang members, requiring them to pay $14,518, plus court costs, diminished the problem greatly.

Since Courier proved during the litigation that the Latin Kings’ gang activity cost taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars, the number of gang members has dropped to about 50 in 2015, compared to the peak of 385 in 2008, according to the Belvidere Police Department.

Gang graffiti reports numbered 289 in 2015, compared to the peak of 690 in 2008.

“Drugs don’t exist without gangs. Gangs don’t exist without drugs,” Courier said. “The Belvidere Police Department chief once said if you were to eliminate gangs and drugs in the city of Belvidere, you’d eliminate 65 percent of the crime. So, directly and indirectly, gang activity affects Belvidere and Boone County.”

In the last year and a half, Courier said she has prosecuted gang members aggressively and been more likely to charge juveniles as adults.

Tricia Smith, Courier’s opponent in the March 15 Republican primary, was in today’s chamber audience. The former Boone County Board member spent nearly six years as a Rockford police officer. She has worked as both an assistant state's attorney and a defense attorney.

Smith said Courier overstated her success with local gang activity.

She used it as a platform for her political campaign,” Smith said. “Studies have shown that the only time you can make a difference is in juvenile delinquent court. By the time they’re adult, it’s too late.”

The Belvidere Police Department released this week its 2015 annual report, which indicates 430 incidents of drug and narcotics offenses, an 11 percent drop compared to 485 in 2014. The drop would have been greater, Smith said, if Courier and local law enforcers were as successful at diminishing the gang problem as they say.

Terrance Smith, president of R&D Thiel, approached Dammon after the presentation and asked him to visit his company to educate employees about gang activity.

“I also want him to take a look around,” Smith said. “You never know.”

Susan Vela: 815-987-1392; svela@rrstar.com; @susanvela

Above is from: http://www.rrstar.com/article/20160225/NEWS/160229637/0/SEARCH/?Start=2

Status of Livingston County Wind turbine case

 

Pleasant Ridge WInd was denied a zoning request for a wind farm by Livingston County in 2015,  No court date has thus far been set; a status conference is set for March 14.

For more details on this case go to:  http://boonecountywatchdog.blogspot.com/2016/01/lawsuit-regarding-denial-of-wind-farm.html

 

Above court record is from:  http://www.judici.com/courts/cases/case_history.jsp?court=IL053015J&ocl=IL053015J,2015MR162,IL053015JL2015MR162P1

Trump's 12 Years of Audits 'Very Unusual,' Ex-IRS Agent Says

 

By Lynnley Browning 3 hours ago

Donald Trump’s disclosure that his tax returns have been under review by the Internal Revenue Service for the past 12 years reflects a “very unusual” level of scrutiny by tax authorities, according to a former Internal Revenue Service agent who now works as an accountant for wealthy people.

“He signed his name to a return in which the IRS is finding problems for the past 12 years,” said Alan Olsen, the managing partner of Greenstein Rogoff Olsen & Co. LLP, an accounting firm in Fremont and Palo Alto, California that caters to wealthy Silicon Valley clients.

More from Bloomberg.com: A Look Inside Trump's Global Deals Exposes Trouble in Many Spots

Trump’s disclosure, which emerged during a contentious GOP debate on Thursday in Houston, Texas, was a departure from prior statements about his tax returns. He has previously suggested to interviewers that his campaign was working on preparing the returns for release and that the process was time-consuming because of their complexity.

“For many years, I’ve been audited every year,” Trump said Thursday night. “Twelve years or something like that.”

‘Strong Christian’

After the debate, Trump suggested to CNN interviewer Chris Cuomo that there might be an unsavory reason the IRS has targeted him -- because he’s a “strong Christian.”

An IRS spokesman declined to comment Friday, citing routine taxpayer confidentiality rules. While Trump cited the audits as a reason for not releasing his tax returns to the public, taxpayers aren’t prohibited from disclosing their own returns, regardless of whether they’re under review.

More from Bloomberg.com: Trump Dominates in Bloomberg Poll of 'SEC Primary' States

The issue moved to the top of the agenda this week after Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican nominee -- and no stranger to controversy over tax returns himself -- said in an interview with Fox News that Trump’s tax returns may contain a “bombshell.” Romney speculated that Trump’s personal tax documents might show that he is not as wealthy as he has claimed. On Thursday night, Romney needled Trump again, posting on Twitter: “No legit reason @realDonaldTrump can’t release returns while being audited, but if scared, release earlier returns no longer under audit.”

Trump, who has said he’s worth more than $10 billion, has responded by calling Romney a failed candidate and posting on Twitter: “Just for your info, tax returns have 0 to do w/ someone’s net worth.”

More from Bloomberg.com: Rubio Declares War on Trump at the 11th Hour

Bombshell Revelation

Olsen said that Trump’s revelation about 12 years of audits is something of a bombshell itself. “If the IRS examines your tax return and finds no issues they will not audit your return again for two years,” he said. “If returns are properly prepared, the IRS typically goes away.”

Pressure on Trump to release tax information may only build through the weekend as his two main rivals for the GOP nomination announced plans to release their own tax documents.

Senator Ted Cruz, who released some tax returns during his 2012 U.S. Senate race in Texas, said he’ll make more returns public as early as today. Senator Marco Rubio, who released some tax documents during his 2010 Senate race in Florida, said he’ll release additional information as well.

On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton has released several years’ worth of returns, through 2014, when she and former President Bill Clinton reported adjusted gross income of $27.9 million. Senator Bernie Sanders has released part of his 2014 return, on which he and his wife, Jane, reported $205,271 in adjusted gross income.

Above is from:  http://finance.yahoo.com/news/trumps-12-years-audits-very-141036901.html

Universities given credit downgrade

Fri, 02/26/2016 - 7:00am | Julie Wurth

Several beleaguered Illinois universities took another hit this week, with Moody's Investor Service downgrading their credit ratings because of the ongoing state budget crisis.

Northern Illinois University and Northeastern Illinois University saw their ratings lowered to Baa2 and Baa3, just above "speculative" or "junk bond" status, while Eastern Illinois University is now below investment grade, dropping from Baa3 to Ba1 and Ba3.

The ratings range from a high of Aaa, or "prime," to C, which signals default.

Schools use the bond market to borrow money for new classroom buildings, laboratories or residence halls, or just to consolidate debt. They secure the loans with student fees, housing payments, clinic income or other sources of money.

The lower the bond rating, the higher the interest rate will be for the schools to pay back that money. Ideally, schools want a high rating so they can borrow at a cheaper rate and keep their overall debt low.

"Without state money coming in, this would be what's expected over time, that the financial situation of these institutions will continue to erode, and the bond markets will continue to notice that," UI education finance Professor Jennifer Delaney said of Wednesday's announcement by Moody's. "In general, it's a signal to the market and also, frankly, the students and families about the financial health of the institutions."

All state public universities continue to carry a "negative outlook" from Moody's, which means that further downgrades could be likely depending on what happens with the state budget.

Moody's cited Eastern's "increasing vulnerability to the ongoing state budget impasse given its thin liquidity, declining enrollment and high reliance on state funding." The school's reserves are expected to be exhausted by the end of the fiscal year on June 30, Moody's said.

Moody's again affirmed the UI's credit ratings, with a negative outlook. The rating affects about $1.6 billion in debt held by the university, for its auxiliary facilities system (Aa3), which includes the State Farm Center and residence halls; certificates of participation (Aa3); south campus development bonds in Chicago (A1); and health services facilities system in Chicago (A2).

The affirmation reflects the UI's "very good liquidity that provides it with significant flexibility to manage the lack of direct state funding as the state budget impasse continues," Moody's said.

Other factors in the UI's favor: strong student demand, more than $5.5 billion in revenues from diverse sources, and a favorable balance sheet with a "modest" debt burden. But Moody's noted that the UI is constrained by the state's financial challenges, and a growing amount of its state appropriation is consumed by pensions and other benefits, "pressuring the university's core educational and general budget."

Analysts also expect "some weakening of operating cash flow" at the UI this fiscal year.

Moody's affirmed its previous ratings for Southern Illinois University (Baa1) and Western Illinois Univeristy (Baa3).

The ratings agency assigned an A3 to Illinois State University's upcoming $40 million revenue bond sale for its auxiliary facilities system and affirmed ISU's previous A3 ratings. Analysts cited strong reserves and debt-service coverage for the system, and noted that ISU is "one of the state's largest public universities with a strong regional reputation and fiscal stewardship."

The school has sufficient reserves and endowment funds to mitigate the state's budget impasse for now, and also has stable enrollment, Moody's said.

For Northern, the downgrade is based on the expectation of weakening cash flow and liquidity without state appropriations. Moody's said the ratings reflect actions taken by Northern to trim expenses and "carefully manage liquidity cope with the state budget impasse," and its position as one of Illinois' largest regional public universities with diverse academic offerings.

But analysts also said its cash flow will continue to narrow because of enrollment declines, and cited its "relatively modest" reserves.

Northeastern's financial liquidity puts it in a better position to weather cuts than some of its peers, Moody's said, but that's offset by a decline in its operating performance and the state funding delay. The Chicago school, which has a large Hispanic population, is hoping that opening its first residence hall in 2016 will boost its market profile but early demand has been "weak," Moody's said.

Above is from:  http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2016-02-26/universities-given-credit-downgrade.html

Boone County Health Department to offer free food safety workshop

 

Posted Feb. 23, 2016 at 3:00 PM

BELVIDERE — The Boone County Health Department will host a free food safety workshop from 6 to 8 p.m. March 1 at Belvidere Moose Lodge No. 295, 575 Beloit Road.

The workshop will cover food safety, permitting requirements, setup and inspection expectations for temporary food stands in Boone County.

Registration is limited to the first 75 respondents.

To RSVP: 815-544-2951, ext. 2; info@boonehealth.org.

Former Rock Valley College director arrested on theft charge

 

By Jeff Kolkey
Staff writer

Posted Feb. 25, 2016 at 4:09 PM
Updated at 10:50 PM

ROCKFORD — Rock Valley College police on Wednesday arrested a former director of its disbanded Small Business Development Center over an apparent dispute involving a laptop computer.

Brian McIntyre, 54, of Rockford, was charged with the Dec. 21 theft of a Rock Valley College laptop. The Class 3 felony charge covers theft of property valued between $500 and $10,000.

McIntyre is the CEO of Thames Management Ltd., a consulting firm recently hired for $19,500 by the Rockford Housing Authority to conduct a feasibility study for a west side industrial laundry that could provide jobs and possibly wealth-building capacity for low-income residents.

McIntyre did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment. He posted $500 bail and was released.

Rock Valley College spokeswoman Nancy Chamberlain said no information beyond a blotter entry was available.

It is unclear what steps, if any, were taken to recover the laptop before charges were sought.

Theft is a Class 3 felony punishable by probation or by three to seven years in prison.

Jeff Kolkey: 815-987-1374; jkolkey@rrstar.com; @jeffkolkey

Above is from:  http://www.rrstar.com/news/20160225/former-rock-valley-college-director-arrested-on-theft-charge

South Side Democrat Gonzales hopes to unseat Madigan in primary

 

 

A Democrat from the South Side is hoping to unseat one of the most powerful politicians in Illinois.

 

By Charles Thomas

Thursday, February 25, 2016 05:38PM

CHICAGO (WLS) --

In a Southwest Side shopping mall, Jason Gonzales continued his Democratic primary campaign for 22nd district state representative Thursday.
It is the seat held for the past 45 years by Mike Madigan, the long-serving Illinois House Speaker and arguably the most powerful politician in Illinois.

"It's very clear that Speaker Madigan is worried," Gonzales said. "It's time for a new representative who is going to fight for people in the district and bring their concerns to the forefront."
Gonzales says Speaker Madigan - who is in a bitter budget fight with Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner - has neglected the district, which is now predominantly Latino.
"That's what I see, Latino's are here and we gonna vote for him now," said Martin Zarate, 22nd District resident.
"I have a bachelor's degree from Duke. I have a master's degree from MIT in business and I have a master's degree in public administration from Harvard University," Gonzales said.

But Madigan's campaign has produced a cable television ad and mailed voters at least 30 pieces focused on Gonzales' credit card fraud convictions and jail time served as a teenager.
"I find it very offensive that he's actually going back over 20 years to dig up stuff and throw it back in my face. I paid the price and I turned by life around," Gonzales said.
A Madigan spokesman called Gonzales "a Rauner plant" financed by the republican governor's allies.
"It's not true. I've never met the governor. I am an independent Democrat," Gonzales said.
Alice Colon is a longtime Madigan voter who plans to do so again this year.
"Because he said he's going to help the minorities," she said.
Gonzales estimates the speaker - the state democratic chairman - has outspent his campaign by 30 to one. He compared the race to the biblical David and Goliath story.
"I'm David and certainly Speaker Madigan is Goliath. But we saw what happened to Goliath," he said.
There will be two other 22nd District candidates on the March 15 ballot. Joe Barbosa and Grasiela Rodriguez were unreachable for this story.
Gonzales has said the other candidates were planted in the race by Speaker Madigan to dilute the Latino vote.
The Madigan campaign has denied the allegation.

Above is from:  http://abc7chicago.com/politics/south-side-democrat-gonzales-hopes-to-unseat-madigan-in-primary/1219236/