Pope under fire for priest transfer, letter on sex abuse - USATODAY.com

Good summary of the Pope’s connections to sex abuse cases across the world.  Will he do something or let the fire continue.

The revelations have put the spotlight on Benedict's handling of abuse claims both when he was archbishop of Munich from 1977-1982 and then the prefect of the Vatican office that deals with such crimes — a position he held until his 2005 election as pope.

We find it extraordinarily hard to believe that Ratzinger didn't reassign the predator, or know about the reassignment," said Barbara Blaine, president and founder of SNAP, Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests.

Already, the scandal was inching closer to Benedict after allegations of abuse surfaced at the prestigious choir that was led by his brother, Georg Ratzinger, from 1964 until 1994.

Click on the following for more details:  Pope under fire for priest transfer, letter on sex abuse - USATODAY.com

German Diocese Ignored Abuse Warnings, Doctor Says - NYTimes.com

This is a new story regarding the pope’s role in the German scandals. 

In 1980, after abuse complaints from parents in Essen that the priest did not deny, Archbishop Ratzinger approved a decision to move the priest to Munich for therapy.

psychiatrist said in an interview that he did not have any direct communications with Archbishop Ratzinger and did not know whether or not the archbishop knew about his warnings. Though he said he had spoken with several senior church officials, Dr. Huth’s main contact at the time was a bishop, Heinrich Graf von Soden-Fraunhofen, who died in 2000.

Click on the following for more details:  German Diocese Ignored Abuse Warnings, Doctor Says - NYTimes.com

The Map says it all—where are the jobs?

Illinois Department of Employment Security report released Tuesday--

these unemployment figures  are not seasonally adjusted.

Rock Island Arsenal could gain from Thomson prison deal

 

If the Obama administration is successful at moving a limited number of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, detainees to Thomson, Ill., the operation will be run, at least temporarily, out of the Rock Island Arsenal, congressional aides and an administration official said Thursday.

Rich Carter, a spokesman for Manzullo, said Thursday that administration officials briefed congressional staff earlier this week. And, Carter said, they were told the administrative offices overseeing the detainees at Thomson would be based at the Arsenal.

Arsenal could gain from Thomson prison deal

Feds to buy Illinois prison even without detainees | Seattle Times Newspaper

Obama administration still wants to buy a prison in northwestern Illinois even if it's not used to hold Guantanamo Bay detainees.

A Thursday letter from the Justice Department to Republican Congressman Don Manzullo says the department would seek to purchase the facility in Thomson even if detainees weren't being considered for transfer.

But the letter also gives no indication the administration is backing away from its plan to bring detainees

Click on the following for more details:  Nation & World | Feds to buy Illinois prison even without detainees | Seattle Times Newspaper

The WorkForce Connection for Boone-Winnebago Counties

Here is website which might help some of our unemployed. 

The Workforce Connection is a partnership of state and federally funded employment and training programs, economic development agencies and educational entities committed to providing a workforce that meets the needs of our business community; now and in the future.
Providing one contact for employers to find workers and for job-seekers to receive training, education and employment services.

Click on the following for more details:  The WorkForce Connection

EPA Launches National Study of Hydraulic Fracturing

will revisit research the agency published in 2004 [4], which concluded that the process of hydraulic fracturing [5] did not pose a threat to drinking water. The 2004 report has been widely criticized, in part because the agency didn't conduct any water tests in reaching that conclusion.

The American Petroleum Institute released a statement saying it expects the study "to confirm what 60 years of experience and investigation have already demonstrated: that hydraulic fracturing is a safe and well understood technology for producing oil and natural gas."

the agency said it will spend nearly $2 million on the research this year and is asking for more money for next year. It promised a transparent, peer-reviewed process that includes stakeholder input. The EPA is seeking input from its Science Advisory Board on exactly how the study should proceed.

Click on the following for more details:  EPA Launches National Study of Hydraulic Fracturing - ProPublica