Permanent Location for Prescription Drug Drop-Off in Belvidere

 

BOONE COUNTY (WIFR) -- Hanging onto old medication is a safety risk. Now there's a location where we can safely get rid of prescription drugs.

A MedReturn Drug Collection Unit is now in the lobby of the public safety building in Belvidere. The MedReturn Drug Collection Unit will provide residents the ability to dispose of medications 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Prescription medicine, patches, over the counter drugs, and vitamins can go in the bin. Medications should be either in original containers or in non-leaking containers, such as a sealable plastic bag. Medications are not required to be labeled.

Unaccepted items include needles, sharps, liquids (hydrogen peroxide, lotions, and ointments), inhalers, aerosol cans, IV Bags, and thermometers. Medications brought from nursing homes, clinics, doctor’s offices, or other businesses which distribute medications are also unacceptable.

"The more we medication we get out of people’s homes that aren't being used the less likely we're going to have abuse and use of our children by those same prescriptions," Michelle Courier, Boone County State’s Attorney, said.

The Boone County Drug Prevention Coalition worked with Crime Stoppers and received a grant from CVS Pharmacy's Safer Communities Program to pay for the unit.

Permanent Location for Prescription Drug Drop-Off in Belvidere

Company officials say Sonic in Belvidere closed for good - WREX.com – Rockford’s News Leader

 

BELVIDERE (WREX) -

As more fast food restaurants are coming to the Rockford area, one that quietly closed for the season will not reopen.

Sonic Drive-In on N. State Street in Belvidere had signs put up last fall saying it was closed for the winter.

It never reopened.

WREX called Sonic's headquarters in Oklahoma City, OK, where they told us the business was no longer listed as part of the Sonic chain.

Sonic still has two restaurants in Rockford.  One on S. Perryville Road and the other on E. Riverside Blvd.

Company officials say Sonic in Belvidere closed for good - WREX.com – Rockford’s News Leader

Rauner to Smiddy: No debate for you | The Rock River Times

 

SPRINGFIELD — The debate that few to none expected to happen won’t.

In a recent breakfast meeting between the governor and a group of downstate legislators, Rep. Mike Smiddy (D-Hillsdale) and Gov. Bruce Rauner got into what Smiddy calls a spirited exchange.

The governor reportedly said perhaps the two ought to get together and hash it out in public.

Said Smiddy, “I just happened to disagree with some of things he is proposing, and one thing led to another, and he thought that he and I should sit down in a public setting and debate the issues.”

Smiddy said he was a bit taken aback at first but thought little more of the exchange until he read a blurb on a capital city blog favored by state government insiders and statehouse media.

“I felt at this time I probably needed to respond formally, and that’s what I did,” he said.

Smiddy sent the governor a letter Thursday:

“Your so-called ‘Turnaround Illinois’ proposals are a blatant assault on organized labor, which you have openly disparaged,” Smiddy wrote.

“Many families in Illinois, including my own, are able to provide for our children and achieve a middle-class lifestyle because organized labor provides working people the opportunity to earn a decent living with adequate wages, benefits and protections,” he said.

Friday, the governor’s office rejected Smiddy’s offer to rhetorically rumble – but with its own flourishes.

“There will be no debate, but Gov. Rauner looks forward to continuing to have spirited interchanges with Rep. Smiddy and other legislators in small and large groups about how to make Illinois more competitive and compassionate and get the most value for taxpayers,” said a statement from the governor’s press office.

“We appreciate Rep. Smiddy’s hunt for publicity and headlines. Hopefully, he will soon begin to show as much enthusiasm for saving taxpayer’s money and getting Illinois out of the worst fiscal crisis in the country.”

Smiddy answered that the debate wasn’t his idea, but since he’d been called out, the two men might as well air it out in public.

“I didn’t go looking for this. I was invited and asked to give my views, and I did,” he said.

Smiddy said it’s not all about labor issues, adding he’s concerned about proposed cuts to human services.

A debate might have been interesting. The two men are distant on the political spectrum, especially when it comes to organized labor.

Smiddy, formerly a state correctional department employee, says he’s proud to be a union man. His father was a United Auto Workers member. Once an aide to the late Democratic U.S. Rep. Lane Evans, Smiddy has been elected to his statehouse seat with hearty union support.

Rauner is a venture capitalist and free market advocate. He frequently argues public sector unions are one of the special interests that have bloated Illinois government and made it a game rigged for insiders.

Smiddy said he can live without the debate, but he wishes it were a go.

“I don’t want this to take away from the issues our state has and what we need to do to go forward, but at the same time I think its very important that both sides have a chance to talk about where they differ,” he said.

Rauner to Smiddy: No debate for you | The Rock River Times

Rauner transparency clouded by secret meetings

 

SPRINGFIELD — During his campaign for governor, Gov. Bruce Rauner said he wanted to oversee the most transparent administration in history.

But three months into his term, Rauner's team won't reveal who is involved in a series of high-level talks about some of the governor's most prized pet issues, ranging from his controversial plan to allow local right-to-work laws to an overhaul of state spending.

"They are private meetings," Rauner spokeswoman Catherine Kelly said late last week. "They are private discussions that we're keeping confidential to protect the process."

Rauner's closed-door approach to governing began emerging last week when he told reporters about the existence of what he called "working groups."

He said the groups of lawmakers and unnamed administration officials were working on various pieces of legislation with an eye on making them public later in the spring legislative session.

"I think there are seven or eight working groups. We hope to get some bills ready to be introduced in the coming few weeks," Rauner said.

Asked  for more specifics about the groups, Kelly said, "We're not confirming what has been discussed or anything like that right now."

Kelly also wouldn't answer questions about who is involved in each group, when they are meeting and what subjects are being discussed.

"We're only saying what the governor has said. That's all I can give you right now," Kelly

Read the entire article by clicking on the following:  Rauner transparency clouded by secret meetings

Did Governor Rauner's Campaign Violate State Elections Law? | WSIU

 

By Illinois Public Radio

After spending nearly 65 million dollars... Governor Bruce Rauner's campaign has been assessed a penalty by the State Board of Elections.

Director Steve Sandvoss confirms it's because of a late report filing ... but says he can't give details.

"In light of fairness to the respondent and due fairness principles, we don't comment publicly on the nature of an ongoing proceeding. But rather, we'll let the process bear itself out."

A spokesman for the governor says there was a "snafu." He says a firm hired to file contributions paperwork prepared a report ... but failed to upload it. The mistake was corrected eight hours later.

With 20 million dollars sitting in Rauner's campaign account ... he'd have no trouble paying a potential fine.

A hearing is set for Thursday in Chicago. An official will then make a recommendation to the state elections board ... whose members have the final say on whether or not the governor's campaign was in the wrong.

Did Governor Rauner's Campaign Violate State Elections Law? | WSIU