Judges Reject Interrogation Evidence in Gitmo Cases - ProPublica

The government has lost eight of 15 cases [3] in which Guantánamo inmates have said they or witnesses against them were forcibly interrogated, according to ProPublica's review of 31 published decisions that resolve lawsuits filed by 52 captives who said they've been wrongfully detained [4]. Because some of the judges' opinions are heavily redacted, it's impossible to be sure there aren't more cases in which the government offered interrogation evidence collected under questionable

Obama administration has already said that at least 48 of the remaining 176 prisoners at Guantánamo will be held indefinitely because they're too dangerous to release but can't be prosecuted successfully in military or civilian court. They've said that coercion-tainted evidence is one obstacle.

Click on the following for more details:  Judges Reject Interrogation Evidence in Gitmo Cases - ProPublica

News Analysis - Rates Fall as Market Fears Economic Weakness

for now, the financial markets seem to fear recession and deflation much more than they fear deficit spending.

Click on the following for more details:  News Analysis - Rates Fall as Market Fears Economic Weakness - NYTimes.com

Winnebago County Board: Tax break approved for company that won’t reveal identity

Will there be even more “mystery companies” across the Winnebago/Boone County Area.  Do citizens have any rights in the process when their representatives refuse to demand details such as the name of the applicant?

Winnebago County Board voted unanimously to approve a 10-year property tax abatement to a confidential company known only to officials as “Project Eagle.”…$6.25 million, 125,000-square-foot manufacturing and distribution facilities

the county has tentatively agreed to a similar abatement for another undisclosed company known only as “Project Phoenix,” which is to reveal its identity prior to a final vote, Bob Hastings (D-13) noted this was the first time board members were being asked to formalize an abatement before a firm’s identity was made known. Chairman Scott Christiansen (R) granted Democrats a 10-minute caucus to discuss the pending vote.

With the possibility of a layover for more information now exhausted, and after more than 30 minutes of discussion on the floor, board members voted unanimously to approve the resolution. Aurand said his “yes” vote was based on trust in Ekberg, while Gorski indicated his “yes” was cast so he’d be on the prevailing side, thus giving him the ability to move for reconsideration at a later date.

Click on the following for more details:  County Board: Tax break approved for company that won’t reveal identity | The Rock River Times

McHenry Dentist shutters office

The McHenry office [of orthodontist Daryl Ashbeck] was closed early Friday afternoon, with the lights out and the shades half-drawn.

Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation show that Ashbeck’s dental license was suspended March 9, because Ashbeck failed an alcohol test he agreed to take as a condition of getting his license back in November 2008.

Ashbeck also is facing a felony forgery charge in McHenry County for allegedly forging a prescription for Tussionex, which includes an antihistamine and hydrocodone. He allegedly presented the fake prescription on a Rockford dentist’s pad at a Crystal Lake drug store in February, local court records show.

A failure to notify patients could be viewed as patient abandonment and could cause a new case to be brought against a dentist, Hofer said. That new case ultimately could lead to a fine or losing the license altogether.

Click on the following for more details:  Northwest Herald | Dentist shutters office

Social Security heats up as an issue for midterm elections

Democrats have been taking the offensive, apparently hoping to use Social Security to their advantage as they fight to maintain control of Congress.

They’re emphasizing the program’s popularity among Americans, their commitment to protecting it, and their contention that Republicans want to change Social Security to its detriment.

coalition of 60 liberal groups and advocates for the elderly…will “buttonhole” lawmakers who are campaigning for reelection this fall, calling for them to sign a pledge that commits them to opposing cuts to Social Security entitlements.

Social Security heats up as an issue for midterm elections - CSMonitor.com

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Foreclosure filings keep piling up

 

Filings in McHenry County grew 11.5 percent in the first quarter of 2010 over the same period a year ago. The two months with the most foreclosure filings in the past 10 years were March (366) and July (316) of this year, and 3,600 new filings are expected locally through 2010.

Click on the following for more details:  Northwest Herald | Foreclosure filings keep piling up

More immigrants getting licenses - Yahoo! News

 

Washington, New Mexico and Utah — allow illegal immigrants to get licenses because their laws do not require proof of citizenship or legal residency.

supporters say make financial sense because unlicensed drivers typically do not carry car insurance. Opponents insist the laws attract illegal immigrants and criminals.

Click on the following for more details:  AP Enterprise: More immigrants getting licenses - Yahoo! News

Our View: Keep pension spin out of election

How things are worded does matter. 

The ability to spin facts and figures long has been part of the campaign process, and that’s not likely to change any time soon. But while it’s one thing to use spin to try and influence an election, it’s quite another to use an election to plant, grow and harvest spin.
That is what’s being done in DeKalb, where a referendum question is being placed on the ballot for the sole purpose of creating bullet points for a lobbyist group’s literature.

Click on following for more of the  Daily Chronicle’s opinion of the advisory referendum:  Our View: Keep pension spin out of election | Daily Chronicle

Plan would phase out use of Boone safety tax for jail

This should be an issue for this November’s election—will it actually happen? 

The proposal would gradually phase out the county’s use of public safety tax dollars by 2018, with jail bonds paid off and money no longer being used for jail expenses.

[County Budget…]  Departments have an Aug. 27 deadline to submit spending plans for the budget, with hearings beginning Aug. 30.

Click on the following for more details:  Plan would phase out use of Boone safety tax for jail - Rockford, IL - Rockford Register Star

Helicopter agency ‘valuable’ for police, expensive for Winnebago county

Jan Noble, Chief of Police, Belvidere (IL) Police Dept. is First Vice-President, the second highest executive for this non-profit. See:http://airsupport.org/.  Overall, this RR Star article appears critical of LEAC’s especially regarding its openness and transparency. Does anyone remember what happened to the surplus U.S.Defense Department helicopter which Boone County obtained through a grant?

Tax returns show that LEAC’s expenses outweighed its revenues in 2007 and 2009. It ended last year in the red by more than $46,000. In 2009 alone, the nonprofit spent $17,752.43 for fuel, $28,473 for insurance and $113,082.34 for repairs. LEAC officials declined to give the Register Star a complete list of its public and private donors and an accounting of all the law enforcement agencies it serves.

Winnebago County is one of the largest contributors to a nonprofit agency that provides helicopters on demand to law enforcement agencies in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin.
But the Law Enforcement Aviation Coalition has lost money two of the past three years, and Winnebago County officials say they don’t require the agency to document — nor do they know — how it has spent $370,000 in taxpayer dollars directed to it since October 2007

Click on the following for more details on this story: Helicopter agency ‘valuable’ for police, expensive for county - Rockford, IL - Rockford Register Star