Medical premiums could be ‘heavy lift’

Some real numbers to the Congressional proposals.

Pollitz said the subsidies disappear rapidly for households with solid middle-class incomes. That could be tricky for a self-employed individual who has a particularly good year financially.

Another problem is that people won’t be able to get the insurance tax credits immediately after the bill passes. To hold down costs, the assistance won’t come until 2013, after the next presidential election.

Read more by clicking on the following:  Northwest Herald | Medical premiums could be ‘heavy lift’

Genoa, Belvidere bury the hatchet over Amtrak

News we have not heard in Boone-Winnebago Counties.

officials from Belvidere and Rockford appear to have buried the hatchet with their pro-Genoa-route counterparts from DeKalb County. City officials, state legislators, county officials, business leaders and IDOT bigwigs met Monday in an unannounced, closed-door summit meeting in a Rockford restaurant

IDOT railroads chief George Weber said the restaurant meeting "resulted in a consensus that we would go forward with that route. We know that everyone's not happy about that, but we agreed this is the best opportunity to get federal funding."

Trains following the Genoa route would reach the same stations in Rockford and follow the same route between Rockford and Dubuque

To avoid competing against Metra commuter trains, Amtrak would not be allowed to carry passengers from Chicago to South Elgin or from South Elgin to Chicago.

In another development, IDOT announced that a public information meeting about the project will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Northern Illinois University Outreach Center, at 8500 E. State St. in Rockford

Click on the following to read the rest of the story:  Genoa, Belvidere bury the hatchet over Amtrak :: The Courier News :: Local News

What Egypt's swine slaughter hath wrought

Swine “fever” destroys the hogs of Cairo.

It was alleged by the regime of President Hosni Mubarak, on the basis of no evidence whatever, that the swine themselves were the carriers of the so-called "swine flu."

As a consequence of the pig massacre, the streets of Cairo have become almost unlivable, and the Christian garbage collectors, locally called the zabaleen, have been robbed of their livelihood.

"They killed the pigs, let them clean the city," as one former garbage collector and pig man, Moussa Rateb, was quoted as saying of the Egyptian authorities.

Click on the following for more details:  What Egypt's swine slaughter hath wrought :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Other Views

Praise for Nickels as 1,000th city signs his climate pact

American cities overrule President Bush’s decision.

Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels on Friday announced the 1,000th city had signed his climate-protection agreement, a pledge to significantly reduce greenhouse-gas emissions in line with Kyoto Protocol standards.

"We need to lead, city by city." The 1,000th city was Mesa, Ariz

Click on the following:  Politics | Praise for Nickels as 1,000th city signs his climate pact | Seattle Times Newspaper

Gate splits border community, unites it in disdain

For decades, the towns of Derby Line, Vt., and Stanstead, Quebec, have functioned as one community.

they share a sewer system, emergency services, snowplowing duties and the border-straddling Haskel

Work began Thursday, though, to erect of a pair of 5-foot-tall steel gates across two previously unguarded residential streets -- a project that is dividing the towns physically but uniting them in displeasure.

Read the rest of the story:  Daily Herald | Gate splits border community, unites it in disdain

'Continental Congress 2009' to be in St. Charles

One of the leading groups behind the search for definitive proof of President Barack Obama's place of birth arrived in St. Charles Thursday to announce a national gathering centered on their quest and issues of constitutional law.

Daily Herald | 'Continental Congress 2009' to be in St. Charles

Despite moratoriums, wind energy has future in Lake County

Major concerns about wind machines include noise and shadow flicker caused when the blade sweeps in front of the sun. Turbines have also been known to kill bats and birds

The village of Libertyville has already seen how divisive the issue can be. After Aldridge Electric Co. began operating a wind turbine on Rockland Road, approved by the village, homeowners living nearby complained about the noise. The protests prompted the village to limit the turbine’s usage from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays only. The issue is now in court.

The Libertyville situation was enough for the village of Gurnee and others to pass a moratorium, giving them time to research the technology and consider passing local ordinances.

Placement is key to minimize shadow effect, said Borgia, and the Illinois Pollution Control Board regulates noise pollution.

The bats are not dying from hitting the turbine blades,” she said, but from the pressure within the turbine that bursts their lungs.

 

Click on the following for the rest of the story:  http://www.triblocal.com/Gurnee/view.html?