Local Papers Oppose Rep Sosnowski’s legislation on public notices

 

 

 

 

Meet John Doe: Keep public notices in print | The Rock River Times

By Paul Gorski
Columnist

According to “Sosnowski calls for public notices to be pulled from papers” by Shane Nicholson, State Representative Joe Sosnowski (R-Rockford/Belvidere) wants to “end the publication of public and government notices in newspapers.”

I strongly oppose that ill-advised plan. Public, especially government, notices of meetings, hearings and other important events should be posted in local newspapers as it is in the public interest to do so. We cannot have a free, open, deliberative government unless we know when our public bodies are meeting to discuss important issues.

As Nicholson’s article points out, many governments do not properly post public notices online, and the public does not appear to go to the sites that have these notices. One sure way of hiding or burying a public notice is to publish it only online.

One benefit of having notices posted in newspapers is that each newspaper prints public notices in a consistent manner; readers do not have to learn how to navigate the newspaper to find the notices, like they might have to do with a variety of different government websites.

Sosnowski states his plan is “Just trying to move us into the 20th century. Internet has been around for a while. Maybe next year we can work on the 21st.” I do not buy that argument at all. By that reasoning, people should stop buying printed Bibles and read the good book on their Kindles. While some people may prefer an e-reading device for this use, I’m pretty sure printed Bible sales are still strong. I am also fairly certain that most churches prefer printed Bibles. Get important information out in as many ways as you can.

People are divided on how they consume news and information. Many people still read print newspapers and books; other read the same content on websites. Others only frequent social media outlets like Twitter and Facebook. More and more people are using their smartphones and tablets as their primary Internet-access device, and many government websites are not mobile friendly. You might save money on printing costs, but then pay big bucks for updating your website, and then be forced to pay staff to monitor, post, and reply to posts on social media outlets.

Sosnowski’s plan to stop printing public notices in newspapers is shortsighted. Newspapers provide a standard, portable format for sharing government information. If budgets allow, post the same information on websites and social media. Sharing public information on more, rather than fewer, media outlets is in the public interest and critical to encouraging the public to engage government.

Paul Gorski (paul@paulgorski.com) is a Cherry Valley Township resident who also authors the Tech-Friendly column seen in this newspaper.

The above is from:  Meet John Doe: Keep public notices in print | The Rock River Times

Editorial:

News Coverage:

 

Lino’s to be honored by Illinois Office of Tourism | The Rock River Times

Online Staff Report

Lino’s Restaurant, 5611 E. State St., Rockford, will be honored by the Illinois Office of Tourism and the Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Bureau for its more than 40 years of serving fine Italian cuisine.

An award presentation will be made at 2 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 15, at the restaurant.

Learn more about the restaurant and view its menu online at linosrockford.com. Lino’s can be reached at (815) 397-2077.

Posted Jan. 14, 2015

Lino’s to be honored by Illinois Office of Tourism | The Rock River Times

Rockford’s Lifescape gets $45,000 for new blast freezer | The Rock River Times

 

Lifescape Executive Director Carol Green said: “We are grateful to the State of Illinois, especially Sen. Stadelman. The savings we will realize with this blast freezer will allow us to better serve our clients.”

Lifescape offers frozen meals to clients who need additional nutrition on the weekends or holidays. On average, Lifescape delivers about 20,000 frozen meals a year.

“Currently, we must buy these meals at a high cost,” Green said. “The new freezer allows us to freeze our own meals, which will save us a significant amount of money.”

The blast freezer will be unveiled at a press event at noon, Tuesday, Dec. 9, at Lifescape’s Administrative Offices, 705 Kilburn Ave., Rockford.

Lifescape Community Services, Inc., is the largest agency in northwestern Illinois serving older adults, families and caregivers. Best known for its Home Delivered Meals program (Meals on Wheels), Lifescape operates in Winnebago, Boone, Lee and Ogle counties

Click on the following to read the entire article:  Rockford’s Lifescape gets $45,000 for new blast freezer | The Rock River Times

Ban antibiotics for healthy farm animals | The Rock River Times

Ban antibiotics for healthy farm animals

November 12, 2014

Strep throat and pneumonia have become routine infections for doctors to treat with antibiotics. Yet, the more we use these miracle drugs, the bacteria become more resistant to the drugs.

Although doctors are taking precautions while prescribing antibiotics, more than 70 percent of antibiotics sold in the U.S. are for livestock. Animals consuming these antibiotics may or may not even be sick, yet they receive a dose as a preventive measure to fight against unsanitary conditions and for growth promotion.

While canvassing restaurants with Illinois PIRG (Public Interest Research Group), it was clear that doctors and environmental groups are not alone in their interest for limiting antibiotic-ridden livestock. I was excited to see restaurant owners eagerly sign on to our letter to President Barack Obama asking him to ban the practice of giving antibiotics to healthy farm animals. As someone who believes food is medicine, eating meat riddled with antibiotics was not quite what I had in mind. While the medical community is on the front lines of the problem, it’s also important to show President Obama that the food industry is also behind the campaign to ban the overuse of antibiotics on factory farms to keep our antibiotics effective.

Steph Wynn
Wilmette, Illinois

From the Nov. 12-18, 2014, issue

Ban antibiotics for healthy farm animals | The Rock River Times