Daily Herald | Report: BP ponders $12 bil. asset sale to Apache

 

BP PLC declined to comment Sunday on a report that it is in talks about possibly selling $12 billion worth of assets, including a stake in Alaska's Prudhoe Bay oil field, to U.S. oil company Apache Corp.

Sunday Times separately said that ExxonMobil is considering a bid for BP. Citing oil industry sources, the paper said ExxonMobil had approached the Obama administration for clearance to make a takeover offer.

Click on the following for more details:  Daily Herald | Report: BP ponders $12 bil. asset sale to Apache

Overtime cuts key in Illinois prison budget plan

 

Illinois Department of Corrections …that the agency is hiring about 838 new prison guards this fiscal year in order to reduce skyrocketing overtime costs at the agency.

hiring new guards at lower salaries, the agency hopes to reduce overall overtime costs and produce a savings to the cash-strapped state.

Overtime cuts key in prison budget plan

State hopes to hit jackpot Lottery sales and profits

the state is embarking on a new approach for running the lottery. Illinois is going ahead with plans to hire a private management firm to run the lottery for the next decade. It will be the first state in the country to turn its lottery over to a private operator.

billions in ticket sales generating more than $600 million a year for use by state schools.….Some lawmakers have estimated that a private manager could produce an extra $150 million a year in profits

Click on the following for more details:  State hopes to hit jackpot Lottery sales and profits - Peoria, IL - pjstar.com

Ex-Pagano aide is Metra's other million-dollar man :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES r

Many Metra employees are very well paid.

The Sun-Times/BGA examination also found that:

••Despite the down economy, 151 unionized and nonunion Metra employees each made more than $100,000 in 2009 not including retirement contributions and health-benefit costs. Factoring those in, 524 employees -- 18.4 percent of the rail agency's 2,848-member work force –make more than $100,000

••Metra paid nearly $20 million for overtime last year -- amounting to about 11 percent of its nearly $180 million payroll.

••Eleven percent of its employees -- a total of 310 -- made more than $20,000 apiece in overtime pay in 2009. Nearly a quarter of Metra workers -- 685 -- were each paid more than $10,000 for overtime

 

Click on the following for more details:  Ex-Pagano aide is Metra's other million-dollar man :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: The Watchdogs#Comments_Container#Comments_Container#Comments_Container

Lifesaving drugs may be killing health workers | Seattle Times Newspaper

Crump, who died of pancreatic cancer in September at age 55, was one of thousands of health-care workers who on the job was chronically exposed to chemotherapy agents for years before there were even voluntary safety guidelines in place.

Occupational Safety and Health Association (OSHA) does not regulate exposure to these toxins in the workplace, despite multiple studies documenting ongoing contamination and exposures.

Studies as far back as the 1970s have linked increased rates of certain cancers to nurses and physicians.

NIOSH, a division of the CDC, were so concerned, they issued an extensive alert about handling high-risk drugs.

The guidelines, published in 2004, urge strict precautions, including use of impervious chemo gowns, double-gloving, use of sophisticated "closed-system" devices and specialized ventilation hoods, face shields and respirators, "clean rooms" and other precautions.

But the NIOSH guidelines outlined in the alert are voluntary.

Generally speaking, it's the larger academic institutions who have been adopters of CSTDs[closed-system technology devices]

Click on the following for more details:  Local News | Lifesaving drugs may be killing health workers | Seattle Times Newspaper

To the Editor: No respect for constituents | The Rock River Times

 

To the Editor: No respect for constituents

Editor’s note: The following is a letter that was sent to U.S. Rep. Donald Manzullo (R-16), which the writer chose to share with us.

Dear Congressman Manzullo,

On March 22nd, 2010, a day after my 23rd birthday, I participated in three meetings with the staff of my elected representatives. I was in Washington, D.C., for Ecumenical Advocacy Days and there to learn about the undocumented illegal immigrants in this country. Little did I know, I would end up feeling like I had no voice, much like them.

I was treated with class and dignity by my first two appointments (Durbin and Gutierrez), not so much with the third. I am sorry to tell you, but my third meeting was with your staffers. Michele was very nice and seemed open to different opinions. Your other staffer, on the other hand, was not. He frequently checked his phone and texted even as others in my group were talking to him. When we mentioned that immigration reform would create jobs, he rolled his eyes at us. I felt absolutely terrible about myself.

He said you were working on immigration reform, so we asked him how. He said that when we do business with a foreign country such as Japan, you need to get a visa to travel over there or vice versa, and that takes many days. Your assistant said you are working to change that. Well, I believe that is just business as usual. I would like to see you work for the everyday man and woman.

Big business got us into this financial crisis we are suffering through, and is now responsible for the environmental crisis in the Gulf of Mexico. I had to finance part of the trip from my own pocket because I firmly believe in the cause. I felt very disrespected that your staffer could not treat your own constituents with the dignity and respect that they deserve. I felt marginalized like the people I had come to represent. Some of my friends have been here close to 20 years, and they are still not able to gain citizenship because they came here illegally. To me, they are more important than speeding up visas so business can continue as usual. Thank you for your time.

Chris Benson

Loves Park, Ill.

Click on following for the Rock River Times:  To the Editor: No respect for constituents | The Rock River Times

New law grants more review of denied health claims

New Illinois law effective 7-1-2010 

Consumers can request an external review within four months of getting notice that their insurer has denied a claim or treatment request. …. The external review must be paid for by the insurer and must be completed within 20 business days.

Click on the following for more details:  Pantagraph.com | News from Associated Press