Lake Co. health department officials accused in payroll scam

An investigation conducted by the health department concluded Morelli was paid $46,619 for time he did not work, Hansen said, and that Job was overpaid $39,875

Daily Herald | Lake Co. health department officials accused in payroll scam

Quartz Crystal Basics: From Raw Materials to Oscillators

The following is a history of Quartz Crystal processing by Ken Hennessy, Acting President of NDK America.  It was published in the December 2007 issue of High Frequency Electronics.

Here is an overview of the history, manufacture and
current technology of quartz crystals, one of the
most common components in high frequency, high
speed electronics

Author Information:  Ken Hennessy is Manager, Application Engineering at NDK America, Inc. in Belvidere, Illinois. (The world’s
most advanced crystal growing autoclaves are located at
this facility.) [2007]

Click on the following:  http://highfrequencyelectronics.com/Archives/Dec07/HFE1207_Tutorial.pdf

Democrats may face a new challenge: rising conservatism | Analysis & Opinion

conservatives became the biggest potential voting bloc in 2009. Forty percent of Americans called themselves ‘conservative’ last year, compared with 36 percent who said they were ‘moderate’ and 21 percent who described themselves as ‘liberal.’

The findings, which have an error margin of 1 percentage point, come from an aggregate of 21 separate Gallup and USA Today/Gallup surveys, spanning nearly 22,000 interviews.

Click on the following for more details:  Democrats may face a new challenge: rising conservatism | Analysis & Opinion | Reuters

Worst Republican National Committee cash flow in a decade

A 2009 spending spree has left the Republican National Committee (RNC) with its worst election-year cash flow this decade

Click on the following for more details:  Worst RNC cash flow in a decade - TheHill.com

Sears expects full-year profit above year ago

Some good retail news.

Sears predicted a fourth-quarter profit between $385 million and $465 million, $3.36 to $4.06 per share, for the period that will end Jan. 30  …Sears' forecast is sharply above the $2.65 per share expected by analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters

Click on the following for more details:  Daily Herald | Sears expects full-year profit above year ago

Our View: Enbridge owes county a bridge

Chronicle believes pipeline company which recently completed its run across Boone County needs to pay damages for a  DeKalb County bridge.

Enbridge – or the company Enbridge contracted with – contributed to the bridge’s collapse and, therefore, should pay to replace the bridge. In April, DeKalb County Administrator Ray Bockman said he was trying to work out a deal in which the company would pay to replace the bridge and any out-of-pocket expenses the county or township have incurred, which he estimated to be a little over $933,000. Surely, the cost to replace the bridge increases as time passes.

Click on the following for more details:  Our View: Enbridge owes county a bridge | Daily Chronicle

Stephensen County Board chairman system: ‘Why f ix it?’

Freeport area considering changing the form of their county government.

the county to pay its chairman a larger salary, possibly in the range of $80,000 to $100,000 a year.

A referendum to change to an elected chair form requires an individual petitioner to collect at least 3,500 signatures by Aug. 16 so the question can be on the Nov. 2 ballot. The county executive form only requires 500 signatures. The County Board has the authority to place a referendum on the ballot without gathering signatures.

Click on the following for more details:  County Board chairman system: ‘Why f ix it?’ - Freeport, IL - The Journal-Standard