Courier seeing results even before gang case conclusion

 

civil trial in her lawsuit against accused gang bangers set to resume March 22, Boone County State’s Attorney Michelle Courier won’t make predictions on an outcome, but she contends some results have already taken shape.

majority of defendants in the lawsuit either signed off on agreements with prosecutors or received default judgments against them for failing to respond to the lawsuit, eight suspected gang members continue to fight.

members voluntarily agreed to the no-contact orders, giving them an out from gang life not often available.

Click on the following for more details:  The Belvidere Daily Republican. - Courier seeing results even before gang case conclusion

Board member disclosed ties to supplier - Rockford, IL - Rockford Register Star

The real change from an earlier story is the headline. 

Editor’s note: On rrstar.com Thursday, under the headline “Board member did not disclose ties to supplier,” both the headline and the story’s premise were incorrect. Board member Karl Johnson told the board about his job with a subcontractor to a firm that won a county contract.

Click on the following for more details:  Board member disclosed ties to supplier - Rockford, IL - Rockford Register Star

NDK Update from Channel 23

State officials are still investigating whether december's deadly explosion at the n-d-k plant, could have been prevented.

NDK's top management agreed in court today they'd be back this summer to provide an update on the U.S. Chemical Safety Board's investigation. That includes a root cause analysis, a corrective action plan, and if neccessary, a hazard and operability study. These reports are expected to give the attorney general's office better understanding as to whether the blast could have been prevented and if any damage was done to the environment. NDK officials are cooperating with the law, but said they're not sure if they'll rebuild the plant.

"No decision has been made as to the future of NDK Crystal simply because the investigation is nowhere near over as the U.S. Chemical Safety Board indicated back in December, it anticipates to conclude its investigation in about a year's time." said Gary Vist, NDK Representative.

The next status hearing is set for June 18th.

Click on the following for more details:  NDK Update

Unemployment rate increase in Rockford the nation’s highest - - BusinessRockford.com

 

highest year-over-year increase in the nation.

Metro areas with
the highest unemployment

1. El Centro, Calif.: 27.3 percent

2. Merced, Calif.: 21.7 percent

3. Yuba City, Calif: 20.8 percent

4. Yuma, Ariz.: 20.1 percent

5. Rockford: 19.7 percent

19. Flint, Mich.: 16.4 percent

21. Kankakee: 16 percent

24 (tie). Elkhart-Goshen and Detroit, 15.6 percent

33. Danville, 15 percent

38. Decatur, 14.4 percent

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

The metro area’s unemployment rate was 19.7 percent, a 5.8 percentage point increase, higher than all 372 metro areas in the country,

Unemployment rate increase in Rockford the nation’s highest - - BusinessRockford.com

Boone County robotics team earns ticket to Atlanta - - BusinessRockford.com

Boone County’s rookie robotics team, The Flaming Monkeys, was part of a three-team alliance that won the FIRST Robotics Competition’s Midwest regional today, earning a trip to the championship in Atlanta next month.
Not bad for a team of only six high school students that was just happy to make a competition-ready robot.

Boone County robotics team earns ticket to Atlanta - - BusinessRockford.com

Pope Offers Apology, Not Penalty, for Sex Abuse Scandal - NYTimes.com

But the pope did not require that Roman Catholic leaders be disciplined for past mistakes as some victims were hoping, nor did he clarify what critics see as contradictory Vatican rules they fear allow abuse to continue unpunished.

In the letter, Benedict also directly addressed bishops. “It cannot be denied that some of you and your predecessors failed, at times grievously, to apply the long-established norms of canon law to the crime of child abuse,” he wrote.

He added that bishops should also “continue to cooperate with the civil authorities in their area of competence.”

Pope Offers Apology, Not Penalty, for Sex Abuse Scandal - NYTimes.com

PASTORAL LETTER
OF THE HOLY FATHER
POPE BENEDICT XVI
TO THE CATHOLICS OF IRELAND

This pastoral letter is available at:  http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/letters/2010/documents/hf_ben-xvi_let_20100319_church-ireland_en.html