Above is from: http://www.rrstar.com/news/20180314/march-20-primary-boone-county-board-has-only-one-contested-race
Friday, March 16, 2018
Wednesday, March 14, 2018
CIA Director Haspel may soon have a warrant for her arrest in Europe
Germany: CIA deputy Gina Haspel must face arrest on travelling to Europe
ECCHR’s legal intervention filed with the German Federal Public Prosecutor (Generalbundesanwalt – GBA) is aimed at securing an arrest warrant for CIA Deputy Director Gina Haspel. Haspel was appointed to the post by President Donald Trump in February 2017. The information submitted to the GBA by ECCHR on 6 June 2017 documents Haspel’s role in the torture of detainees in 2002 at a secret CIA prison in Thailand. In the dossier, ECCHR argues that Haspel oversaw the daily torture of detainees at the black site in 2002 and failed to do anything to stop it.
“Those who commit, order or allow torture should be brought before a court – this is especially true for senior officials from powerful nations,” said ECCHR’s General Secretary Wolfgang Kaleck. “The prosecutor must, under the principle of universal jurisdiction, open investigations, secure evidence and seek an arrest warrant. If the deputy director travels to Germany or Europe, she must be arrested.”
CIA Torture: Submission on Gina Haspel to German Federal Prosecutor (June 2017)
Germany_Submission_Gina Haspel_CIA_Torture_2017066.pdf (416.7 KiB)US torture program: ECCHR’s legal interventions filed with the German Federal Public Prosecutor since 2014
This submission is a follow-up to a criminal complaint on the US torture program filed by ECCHR with the German prosecutors on 17 December 2014. ECCHR is calling for an investigation into the US torture program as a whole and all the members of the government, CIA and military who bear responsibility for the program.
Directly after the publication, in December 2014, of the US Senate Intelligence Committee report on CIA torture, ECCHR submitted a criminal complaint to the GBA – based on the principle of universal jurisdiction – regarding former CIA director George Tenet, former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and other members of the US government under George Bush (for download see below).
In July 2015, further information was filed regarding the CIA torture program and in particular senior CIA agent Frances B. This was followed in summer 2016 by submissions offering witness testimony from former detainees.
ECCHR accuses Tenet, Rumsfeld and the other named suspects of the war crime of torture under Article 8 Paragraph 1(3) of the German Code of Crimes under International Law. That acts of torture occurred as part of the US program was confirmed in the US Senate Intelligence Committee Report.
No impunity for torture in Guantánamo, Abu Ghraib and CIA secret prisons
“Those responsible for designing and implementing the torture system – politicians, officials, intelligence agents, lawyers and high-ranking army officials – should be brought before a court,” said ECCHR General Secretary Wolfgang Kaleck. “With investigations into Deputy Director Gina Haspel, Germany can help ensure that rendition, abuse and unlawful detention do not go unpunished.”
One section of the December 2014 US Senate report addresses the case of the German
Khaled El Masri, who was abducted by CIA agents in 2004 in a case of mistaken identity and tortured in a secret detention camp in Afghanistan.
In July 2015, ECCHR filed a follow-up submission to the December 2014 criminal complaint containing information on the El Masri case and including allegations against senior CIA agent Frances B. She is said to have been involved in the decisions on the rendition and prolonged detention of El Masri and may thus be criminally liable for war crimes as well as unlawful detention and dangerous bodily injury. In the submission ECCHR also named witnesses who could give evidence on the overall US torture program.
Germany must issue arrest warrants against the "architects of the US torture program"
In a further submission to the prosecutor in June 2016, ECCHR provided details of witnesses currently living in Germany who survived torture in Guantánamo and Abu Ghraib and who are prepared to give statements and to assist investigations. ECCHR also detailed the links between the CIA torture program and torture by the US military.
ECCHR is calling on the German Federal Public Prosecutor to investigate Haspel, Frances B., Tenet, Rumsfeld and the other accused, to secure evidence and to work towards issuing arrest warrants. This would allow German authorities to react swiftly should any of the suspects travel to Europe, instead of waiting until such a time to begin complex investigations and legal assessments.
ECCHR General Secretary Kaleck, together with the US Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), submitted criminal complaints against Tenet and Rumsfeld in Germany in 2004 and 2006 and against George Bush in Switzerland in 2011. ECCHR is also involved in proceedings in Belgium, France and Spain concerning detention at Guantánamo.
DOCUMENTS
Criminal Complaint against Tenet, Rumsfeld and others (December 2014)
Criminal Complaint_Tenet_Rumsfeld_et al_20141217.pdf (372.0 KiB)
Above is from: https://www.ecchr.eu/en/home.html
Tuesday, March 13, 2018
Sunday, March 11, 2018
Another District 2 Fire Board position is open
Boone County government announces board vacancy
Most Popular
Our Picks
Posted Mar 9, 2018 at 6:16 PM Updated Mar 9, 2018 at 6:16 PM
BELVIDERE — The Boone County government recently announced a vacancy on the volunteer board of Fire Protection District No. 2.
The term expires May 4, 2020.
Interested parties are asked to send a letter and/or resume expressing their interest and qualifications along with their contact information by April 6 to Boone County Board Chairman Karl Johnson, Administration Campus, 1212 Logan Ave., Suite 102, Belvidere, IL 61008.
Above is from: http://www.rrstar.com/news/20180309/boone-county-government-announces-board-vacancy
SEE the following for the first Fire District 2 board position: http://boonecountywatchdog.blogspot.com/2018/03/boone-county-government-announces.html
Friday, March 9, 2018
Conflict of Interest Permitted in EPA
Politics
National Politics
EPA Chief Pruitt’s aide given permission to work for private clients on the side – but their identities will be kept secret
Similar outside employment was approved for another Trump political appointee working as a senior adviser for public engagement in the EPA’s regional office in Denver
By Michael Biesecker | The Associated Press
March 6, 2018 at 9:28 am
- “I have to see you again”: How Trump’s alleged affair with a porn star spilled into public view
- Gunnison woman shot son, buried him in deep hole with sheep heads to settle family feud over $3 million ranch, according to court records
- The huge music festival coming to Denver’s Overland Park has a name and date
- Denver’s new Mile High 420 Festival announces all-star lineup
- Colorado State intends to interview Becky Hammon for coaching job but knows hiring her won’t be easy
- Stokes: Why a second assault-weapons ban won’t work
WASHINGTON — A key aide to Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt has been granted permission to make extra money moonlighting for private clients whose identities are being kept secret.
A letter approving outside employment contracts for John Konkus — signed by an EPA ethics lawyer in August — was released Monday by Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
The ethics official noted that Konkus’ outside contracts presented a “financial conflict of interest” and barred him from participating in matters at EPA that would have a “direct and predictable” financial benefit for his clients.
Pruitt named Konkus, a Republican political consultant, to serve as the EPA’s deputy associate administrator for public affairs. His duties have included signing off on hundreds of millions in federal grants.
The letter gave Konkus approval to work for at least two clients. Those names were blacked out by the agency before a copy was provided to Congress, citing a privacy exemption more typically used to protect personnel records and medical files. The letter said Konkus was also expected to take on additional private clients, advising them about “strategy, mail and media production.”
Konkus didn’t respond to requests for comment Monday. His boss said he followed proper procedure.
Liz Bowman, EPA’s associate administrator for public affairs, said, “As the letter states, EPA career ethics approvals have reviewed and approved these opportunities.”
Federal regulations would still limit Konkus from receiving more than $27,765 from outside clients in 2017, according to the letter. His taxpayer-funded salary for his full-time position at the EPA is about $145,000 annually.
Prior to joining the Trump administration, Konkus worked as an executive vice president for Jamestown Associates, a political consulting firm. According to the firm’s website last year, Konkus “worked on the ground tirelessly to help President Trump win Florida.”
Konkus also served two years as chief of staff to former Florida Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll. A Republican, Carroll was forced to resign in 2013 over consulting work she had previously done for a scam veteran’s charity that state and federal prosecutors said laundered more than $300 million in proceeds from illegal gambling parlors.
Since Konkus arrived in Washington in early 2017, his responsibilities have included reviewing and approving all EPA grants prior to being awarded to help ensure they “adhere to the policies and principles of the current administration,” according to his online resume.
The Washington Post reported in September that Konkus had been scrutinizing grant applications for mentions of climate change, which he reportedly referred to as “the double C-word.”
That’s in line with statements by Pruitt, who as the administration’s top environmental official has embraced a pro-fossil-fuel agenda while questioning climate science showing that global warming is primarily caused by man-made carbon emissions.
House Democrats decried what they called the politicization of the EPA’s grants-making process in a letter sent to Pruitt on Monday.
“A political appointee cutting millions of dollars in funding to EPA grant recipients on what appears to be a politically motivated basis, while at the same time being authorized to serve as a paid media consultant to unnamed outside clients, raises serious concerns of potential conflicts of interest,” said the letter. Signatories included Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. of New Jersey, the top Democrat on the Energy and Commerce Committee.
The Democrats also demanded a list of all other EPA political appointees receiving outside compensation, as well as unredacted copies of the letters approving the outside work.
The AP filed a public records request with EPA in August under the Freedom of Information Act, seeking copies of all ethics letters, agreements or waivers for Pruitt’s team. So far, the agency has yet to release a single document.
Along with the information about Konkus’ side jobs, the House Democrats also got a copy of letter approving similar outside employment for Patrick Davis, another Trump political appointee working as a senior adviser for public engagement in the EPA’s regional office in Denver.
Related Articles
- Two EPA officials, including one in Denver, are doing outside political work — House Democrats want to know why
- Analysis: Shortly before Trump announced tariffs, his former adviser dumped millions in steel-related stocks
- Colorado won’t join 18 states opposing Trump EPA push to kill Clean Power Plan to fight climate change
- Two scientists have left the Interior Department after Zinke demanded confidential energy data
- Under fire for travel expenses, EPA’s Scott Pruitt cancels trip to Israel
Like Konkus, Davis is a Republican political consultant who led Trump’s presidential campaign in Colorado. According to a 2015 report by ProPublica, Davis was accused two years earlier of defrauding a conservative super PAC called Vote2ReduceDebt, which was funded by an elderly oil tycoon. The group collapsed after Davis allegedly paid nearly $3 million of the PAC’s funds to organizations run by him or his close associates, according to the news report.
Davis told the AP on Monday that the dispute involving Vote2Reduce Debt “was mitigated to a mutually agreed-upon, private, amicable conclusion.”
An EPA ethics lawyer in February 2017 approved of Davis receiving outside compensation for work as sales director for a company called Telephone Town Hall Meeting, which provides services such as robocalls to political campaigns and advocacy groups. The agency redacted how much Davis is to be paid for the agreement, but his outside compensation would also be capped at less than $28,000.
Bowman said Davis’ work for Telephone Town Hall Meeting is conducted on his own time and does not intersect with work for EPA.
Environmentalists said Monday that the agency’s lack of transparency about the private payments to EPA staff on the public’s payroll raises concerns about whom they are really working for.
“The American people already know that Scott Pruitt is working for corporate polluters and not for them, but the revelation that his staff is moonlighting for private clients while working at the EPA full-time brings suspicions of pay-to-play to a whole new level,” said Melinda Pierce, the legislative director of the Sierra Club. “And if Konkus is not working for polluters directly, the public is forced to ask whether he is running a partisan political operation from within the agency instead.”
___
Follow Associated Press environmental writer Michael Biesecker at http://www.twitter.com/mbieseck
Above is from: https://www.denverpost.com/2018/03/06/epa-scott-pruitt-aid-private-clients/
Thursday, March 8, 2018
Solar Panel Farm Proposed to Replace Landfill in Boone County
Solar Panel plans discussed to send recommendation to county board
Posted: Mar 07, 2018 11:16 PM CST
Updated: Mar 07, 2018 11:16 PM CST
AddThis Sharing Buttons
Share to Facebook<?XML:NAMESPACE PREFIX = "[default] http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" NS = "http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" />Share to Google BookmarkShare to TwitterShare to PrintShare to More38
BELVIDERE - Boone County Board Members are trying to turn an abandoned field, into an energy source. They met Wednesday night to discuss installing solar panels on a landfill near Squaw Prairie and Fairgrounds Roads. This is a new idea that has a lot of people excited, some county board members say it's a promising project. But some at the meeting had worries about the property surrounding the landfill.
The landfill closed about 25 years ago. It's located just East of Route 76 and Spring Creek Road in Belvidere, but soon, it could be the home of a new solar panel farm.
Jeff Carlisle, Boone County Board Member - Dist 2
"The goal is revenue," said Boone County Board Member Jeff Carlisle. "The goal is to functionally work with some type of revenue to bring to the county. Solar farms are a valuable part of so we're looking at it."
As of right now, Boone County is in negotiations with a handful of companies that could build the solar farm. Until the board picks one, It's unclear how much the project will cost, but Carlisle says the panels will provide power for the City of Belvidere and Boone County buildings, which could help them to save on energy costs.
"If we take down some of the costs in our city, [and] county buildings together that's also going to those budgets there ultimately it helps everybody in the long run."
County Administrator Ken Terrinoni says Boon County would earn money through whichever company ultimately ends up building the solar farm.
"It would bring in some lease payment money for county, for the taxpayers, and the company would pay the cost of getting the permits from the Illinois EPA to have a solar farm," said Terrinoni.
"We're getting zero money from the mound and and now were getting small amount of money for the farmland behind it," said Carlisle. "We're looking at earning 62% on the farmland more, if we put a [solar] panel on it."
Utility providers must adhere to State of Illinois environmental mandates by creating 'green space' like solar farms
"They create these tax incentives that are causing private industries to step forward and say 'hey maybe I can do something with this property, turn it into some value for the landowner as opposed to just being an environmental site that's closed," said Terrinoni.
Terrinioni adds that the approval for the project is on a tight schedule. Therefore, when the joint City and County Committee meet next week they hope to bring a recommendation to the Boone County Board meeting on the 21st.
Above is from: http://www.mystateline.com/news/solar-panel-farm-proposed-to-replace-landfill-in-boone-county/1019802629
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)