Unit 1 at Byron nuclear power plant returns to full power - WREX.com – Rockford’s News Leader

 

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• 'Chunk of ice' shuts down Unit 1 at Byron nuclear power plant

BYRON (WREX) -

Byron Generating Station Unit 1 returned to full power Tuesday evening following repairs to a main power transformer, according to Paul Dempsey from Nuclear Communications. 
The unit automatically shut down March 3 after a large chunk of ice was found underneath the unit's transformers, leading officials to believe an "ice intrusion" interrupted power. Byron Station Unit 2 continued to operate during Unit 1's shutdown. 
With both units at full power, the site produces enough electricity for 2.3 million homes, according to a news release.

Unit 1 at Byron nuclear power plant returns to full power - WREX.com – Rockford’s News Leader

VOTE April 7

Municipal election and school board election.  Based upon past experience less than 300 votes will be cast for some of the alderman races in Belvidere and less than 1500 for District 100 school board candidates.  Please vote.  Remind your neighbors and friends—if they vote it certainly will count a great deal.

For the District 100 election Bill P. is supporting Allison Reid-Niemiec and Holly Houk.

Every voter has three votes:  One for one of the three Belvidere Township candidates.  Two votes for two of the four candidates from the other townships.

The following advertising literature was handed out at the District 100 Candidates Forum on Monday, March 9, 2015.

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VOTE FOR ONE OF THESE THREE:

 

 

 

Current School Board President, Michael Rathbun had no literature.  A statement regarding his candidacy  and the other candidates’ statements are available at: http://district100watchdog.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2015-02-21T15:07:00-06:00&max-results=7

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VOTE FOR TWO OF THESE FOUR

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our View: Thanks for asking, Boone County, but answer is no to revenue sharing for Rockford casino - Opinion - Rockford Register Star - Rockford, IL

Rockford Register Star’s responses to Boone County Chairman’s request for part of the revenue from the “would-be” casino.  To see Mr. Walberg’s request go to:  http://boonecountywatchdog.blogspot.com/2015/03/boone-county-wants-in-on-rockford.html

 

Our View: Thanks for asking, Boone County, but answer is no to revenue sharing for Rockford casino - Opinion - Rockford Register Star - Rockford, IL

Boone County VAC Seeks Additional Funding

 

BOONE COUNTY (WIFR) – Boone County residents who once fought for our country are now fighting for a bigger new home.

Veterans packed tonight’s Boone County finance meeting. The county’s veteran assistance commission was established on 12-12-12 by Attorney General Lisa Madigan in order to help veterans throughout Boone County. Last year, voters approved a .03% tax levy that Board Chairman Bob Wahlberg says produced $262,000. Today, VAC Chairman Greg Kelm asked the finance committee for an additional $13,000 to cover one year’s rent for a bigger building to move into.

"All we are asking is let the VAC do their job. Let us help the veterans. It's easy to say, ‘oh sure I want to help the veterans’ but we really don't want to kind of pay for it. And that's the situation sir, I'm in now,” says Kelm.

The finance committee agreed to move the question of additional funding to the full board for a vote on March 18th. They’re also asking the Attorney General to clarify whether the county is responsible for more funding fi the tax levy doesn’t produce enough funds.

Above is from:  Boone County VAC Seeks Additional Funding

Rauner: Plans to invest 'billions and billions' on infrastructure - News - The State Journal-Register - Springfield, IL

 

By Seth A. Richardson
State Capitol Bureau

Posted Mar. 10, 2015 at 5:32 PM
Updated at 9:14 PM

Gov. Bruce Rauner on Tuesday told an interested audience he wants to invest heavily in Illinois' infrastructure through reforms to labor requirements and the contract-bidding process instead of finding new revenue.

At an Illinois Asphalt Pavement Association luncheon in downtown Springfield, the Winnetka Republican said he'd seek to invest “billions and billions” of dollars in infrastructure.

He said he wants to fund the construction via savings through municipal right-to-work legislation and moving state workers to a less-expensive pension system – something he said would save the state $2.7 billion in the first year.

He also said he wants to allow local governments to remedy what he described as a “really big issue”: prevailing-wage and public-labor requirements.

“Let me tell you something, Illinois is broken on this issue,” Rauner told the group. “We don’t allow true competitive bidding in our construction programs paid for by taxpayers. It’s wrong, it’s a conflict. It should be local voters – local governments should be able to decide how they handle their bidding process.”

Rauner described the state's bidding process as not competitive and said it's holding back the state from investing more in infrastructure spending.

“If I have to spend 25 percent more on every construction project, that’s a lot fewer construction projects we can do,” he said. “That’s a lot fewer schools we can build. That’s a lot fewer city halls and libraries. We need efficiency, transparency and true competitive bidding.”

The governor did not mention any ideas for new revenue to fund the infrastructure improvements, such as raising the gas tax or instituting a sales tax on some services.

He said he thought he could enact his agenda to fix the state's infrastructure with only six bills, although he did not specify if the legislation had been introduced or by whom.

Rauner: Plans to invest 'billions and billions' on infrastructure - News - The State Journal-Register - Springfield, IL

AP Wire Story - The Telegraph - thetelegraph.com

 

Associated Press

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U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos of East Moline

A former journalist and city council member, Bustos defeated Republican U.S. Rep. Bobby Schilling in 2012 and won a rematch against him last year in a district that stretches from Rockford west to the Mississippi River and south along the Iowa border.

Bustos noted she's the only Democratic member of Illinois' congressional delegation from outside the Chicago area, and that she won in November by 10 points in a district that, like Illinois, includes both rural and urban areas.

She told The Associated Press she is currently focused on serving her district but said, "I don't close the door to opportunities."

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U.S. Rep. Tammy Duckworth of Hoffman Estates

An Iraq war veteran who lost both legs when her Blackhawk helicopter was shot down, Duckworth served as an assistant secretary of Veterans Affairs. She unseated Congressman Joe Walsh to win her suburban Chicago district in 2012, won re-election in 2014 and recently returned from maternity leave after having her first child.

Duckworth said she will weigh the decision over "the coming weeks and months."

"It is an enormous commitment to run, but I have never run away from difficult challenges before," she said.

U.S. Rep. Bill Foster of Naperville

Foster is a physicist and businessman who was first elected to Congress in 2008 but lost his bid for re-election in 2010. Two years later he defeated longtime GOP U.S. Rep. Judy Biggert in a suburban Chicago district that had been redrawn to benefit Democrats. He won another term in November.

A spokeswoman for Foster said he declined to speak with AP about a possible 2016 Senate run.

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State Sen. Napoleon Harris of Harvey

A former professional football player who also played at Northwestern University, Harris now owns pizza restaurants in Chicago's south suburbs. He won his first term in the Illinois Senate in 2012. Months later he launched a bid for U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.'s congressional seat, but dropped out and threw his support behind the eventual victor, former state Rep. Robin Kelly.

Harris told AP he is focusing on being "a good state senator" and isn't rushing his decision.

"I'm considering it," he said. "But we have to get a few things together and we'll see."

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U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly of Matteson

Kelly won a 2013 special election to replace Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr., who left office before being indicted on federal corruption charges. She easily won re-election last fall in a district that includes part of Chicago's South Side and south suburbs.

A former Illinois state representative, she lost a 2010 bid for Illinois Treasurer — a race she noted makes her the only candidate mentioned so far who has experience running for statewide office.

Kelly said she is doing her due diligence regarding a 2016 bid and "seeing if there's a pathway to victory."

AP Wire Story - The Telegraph - thetelegraph.com

Jesse Jackson, Black Religious Leaders Endorse Garcia | Progress Illinois

 

Rev. Jesse Jackson formally announced his endorsement of Jesus 'Chuy' Garcia in the Chicago mayoral election Monday afternoon while standing in a trash-filled, empty lot in the South Side's Englewood community.

"Our agenda is a very positive one and a very focused one: we're about neighborhood reconstruction," Jackson said alongside a number of black religious leaders and elected officials.

"He has a consistent track record of service," Jackson said of Garcia. "We trust him and believe that he will assume the burden of responsibility to work with us to reconstruct where we live."

Jackson noted the city's closure of 50 Chicago Public Schools, high unemployment rates, violence and crime, as well as racial and income inequality as his reasons for supporting Garcia over incumbent Rahm Emanuel.

The black vote is seen as the demographic that will likely determine the outcome of the race, according to pollsters like Ogden & Fry.

Jesse Jackson, Black Religious Leaders Endorse Garcia | Progress Illinois