Illinois Alliance for Retired Americans

Illinois Alliance for Retired Americans..............

To mark the anniversary of Medicare, the Senior Truth Squad is traveling the Illinois 17th Congressional District
to separate fact from fiction in the national debate on Social Security, Medicare and the Affordable Care Act.

Republican Congressman Bobby Schilling has voted to privatize Medicare and repeal health care reform.
Join us for a rally outside of the Republican headquarters to set the record straight on how these programs benefit
seniors and to call on Congressman Schilling to support retirement security for current and future generations.

Monday, July 30
2:30 – 3:30ppm
Outside of Social Security Administration office
502 E. Jefferson St
Rockford, IL

Press Releases

Illinois Retiree Leader Blasts U.S. Rep. Bobby Schilling for Taking Away Medicare Benefits for Seniors

Illinois Retiree Leader Blasts U.S. Rep. Bobby Schilling for Taking Away Medicare Benefits for Seniors
The following statement was issued today by Barbara Franklin, President of the Illinois Alliance for Retired Americans, in response to the U.S. House voting to repeal the Affordable Care Act:
“Rep. Schilling shamefully voted to take away new Medicare benefits that are helping seniors here in Illinois better afford to see a doctor and fill a prescription. In voting to repeal the Affordable Care Act, Rep. Schilling chose ideology and partisan politics over seniors’ basic needs.
Example: In our state, over 144,000 Medicare beneficiaries have already saved a total of $96,216,548 on their prescriptions. 1,353,031 Illinois seniors have received free, life-saving tests for chronic diseases.
“Retirees worry about their children and grandchildren, and are happy that the law allows young adults under age 26 stay on their parents’ health insurance. Seniors are glad to see working families finally protected from the greed and outrageous business practices of the insurance companies.
“This was the 33rd vote in Congress to repeal this law, a law that in the past two years has been approved by both houses of Congress, signed by the President, and upheld by the Supreme Court. It is time to move on. Political gamesmanship will not help a single retiree, worker, or student live a better, healthier life.”

Posted 14:52PM on July 12 2012 by Emily Stuart

Community concerned over Boone County mulch fire effects - Rockford, IL - Rockford Register Star

The Boone County Board was asked by a resident Wednesday to contact the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency ….

Resident Karen Ciesielczyk said she was concerned about the odor and potentially toxic haze ….She said she contacted the Boone County Department of Health and Boone County Planning and Zoning Department, which directed her to the IEPA.

“The IEPA … suggested that I obtain the support of state legislators in order to generate support for an investigation at the state level,” she said.

Outside Ciesielczyk’s concerns, Boone County State’s Attorney Michelle Courier wrote in a letter obtained by the Rockford Register Star that the mulch piles must be removed within 10 days from July 13 or the office will be forced to file a lawsuit.

Click on the following to read all of the story:  Community concerned over Boone County mulch fire effects - Rockford, IL - Rockford Register Star

Boone County voters to see more Democratic nominees on ballot - Rockford, IL - Rockford Register Star

All Boone County Board seats will be contested this November.

With three Democratic candidates running for three separate districts, every seat on the Boone County Board is up for grabs. The Boone County Board consists of three districts with four board members representing each district. Read below to see how each race stacks up.

District 1: Democrat Bill Pysson announced that he will be challenging Republican incumbents Bob Walberg, Brad Fidder and Kenneth Grzybowski II and newcomer Dennis Ellingson.

District 2: After a hotly contested primary, voters selected former state Rep. Ron Wait, Cathy Ward, Paul Larson and Karl Johnson for the Republican ticket. Democrat Francis Egan will also be running for the seat.

District 3: Former Belvidere City Council alderman and Democrat Craig Schultz has decided to run for the Boone County Board. He will be challenging Republican incumbents Mike Schultz, Kenneth Freeman, Patrick Mattison and newcomer Marion Thornberry.

The Boone County coroner position is also being challenged. Republican Rebecca Wigget will face Democrat Kevin Wes Swezey in the election.

Above story is from:  Boone County voters to see more Democratic nominees on ballot - Rockford, IL - Rockford Register Star

Belvidere School Board backs a higher sales tax -

By Jennifer Wheeler

The board gave its approval tonight the “county school facility tax," which would provide another source of revenue to pay off an anticipated $179 million in bond and interest payments owed after fixing and constructing new schools.

The county school facility tax would increase the 6.75 percent sales tax to 7.75 percent. Vehicles, medicine and groceries are exempt.

Tax revenue generated would be used to pay off these bonds by 2025. Without it, the school district must rely on property taxes to pay the debt.

….Without the sales tax, residents who own homes valued at $100,000 are expected to see a property tax increase to $358 in 2013 to $697 in 2019

Of the $2.7 million generated, $2.2 million would go to Belvidere School District

 

Click on the following to read the entire story: http://www.rrstar.com/updates/x736424446/Belvidere-School-Board-backs-a-higher-sales-tax

Sullivan’s closing brings disappointment for customers

Written by Bob Balgemann

Store manager John Bevan said the decision was made July 6 and that the last day of operation had not yet been set. He said the company was unable to obtain land for a new store and decided to close the one on State Street in downtown Belvidere.

Read the entire story by clicking on the following:  Sullivan’s closing brings disappointment for customers | Belvidere Daily Republican

First step taken toward finishing Irene Road interchange | Belvidere Daily Republican

Written by Bob Balgemann

One step is for preliminary engineering at an initial cost of $81,000. The other step, costing $33,800, is for services of a right of way consultant. The city and county will be splitting that expense, with the county dollars coming out of its highway fund.

Once that portion of the engineering is done the city and county could find themselves with a much larger expense: buying land needed to finish the remaining three lanes of the project. A high-ranking Illinois Department of Transportation official told the committee that if the city and county provided the land, the state would finish the interchange…..

Irene Road interchange “is a gamble. I can’t tell you it will bring development. But I can tell you it won’t come without it.”

….

Stuart M. Kemp, offered a “worst-case scenario” to the committee, in which the city and county spend a lot of up-front money and then find out they are unable to successfully negotiate the purchase of the needed property.

 

Read the entire story by clicking on the following:  First step taken toward finishing Irene Road interchange | Belvidere Daily Republican

Romney Faces Mounting Attacks on Bain and Taxes - NYTimes.com

 

Mr. Emanuel suggested that the undisclosed returns could hold only bad news about Mr. Romney’s finances, and might even have played a role in Senator John McCain’s decision to reject Mr. Romney as a running mate in 2008 and turn instead to Sarah Palin. Mr. Romney gave Mr. McCain’s team 23 years of returns.

“The Romney campaign isn’t stupid,” Mr. Emanuel said. “They have decided that it’s better to get attacked on a lack of transparency, lack of accountability to the American people, versus telling you what’s in those taxes.”

Click on the following for more details;  Romney Faces Mounting Attacks on Bain and Taxes - NYTimes.com