Below are links to news stories of interest from newspapers that came up during a search today. These links were active at the time of this e-mail, but should you want to save a story, printing it or cutting and pasting the entire article and saving it to your computer is recommended.
Statehouse rally for tax increase could be largest in history
Bloomington Pantagraph – SPRINGFIELD — Up to 15,000 citizen lobbyists are expected to descend on the Capitol on Wednesday to rally for a tax increase to help fix the state’s crippled budget.
City prepares for massive Statehouse rally
Springfield State Journal Register – the casualty count in terms of people and organizations and institutions and needs unmet,” Bouman said. Representatives of about 100 organizations will attend, he said, including the Illinois Education Association, the Illinois Federation of Teachers, the Service Employees International Union and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees
Lawmakers preview Wednesday’s teachers rally
Streator Times-Press – public education supporters and members of the Service Employees International Union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the Illinois Federation of Teachers and the Illinois Education Association will arrive early at the Capitol, where they are scheduled to stay all day to reach out to lawmakers and make their statement. Gov. Pat Quinn, who has been pushing a on
More dollars sought for education
Alton – part in the rally will include members of the Service Employees International Union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the Illinois Federation of Teachers and the Illinois Education Association. School districts throughout Illinois are reducing staff and making severe budget cuts as the state is months late – and millions of dollars behind – in reimbursement
New money-making idea for state: iTax
Chicago Sun Times – An army of union-backed protestors is expected to converge on the state Capitol Wednesday to push for the Quinn income-tax increase. As many as 15,000 members of AFSCME Council 31, SEIU, the Illinois Education Association and Illinois Federation of Teachers are expected for the massive event, which will shut down streets around the Statehouse in order to accommodate 300 buses.
Thousands expected at Capitol rally today
Arlington Heights Daily Herald – That’s resulted in a $4.5 billion payment backlog, including $1.3 billion owed to schools. “The bottom line is, it hurts the kids,” said St. Charles Education Association President Pam Turriff. “We just want to make the legislators aware that we all feel they need to step up to the plate and fund education for all kids.”
Forum, rallies focus on state budget
Marion Daily Republican – Melody Sexton, the local Illinois Educators Association chair, expressed her frustration at more than 100 education staff riffed in the past few months due to budget concerns. “As a teacher, I’m upset about the whole deal,” she said. “Already some schools were working on a shoestring budget. If you don’t step up, we’re going to lose totally and next year
Lawmakers preview Wednesday’s teachers rally
Streator Times-Press – Federation of Teachers and the Illinois Education Association will arrive early at the Capitol, where they are scheduled to stay all day to reach out to lawmakers and make their statement. Gov. Pat Quinn, who has been pushing a one percentage point income tax increase, said lawmakers should vote for the 33 percent tax hike because it would help education, which otherwise is slated
More dollars sought for education
Alton Telegraph – Web site (www.illinoiseducationassociation.org) explains its position: “We support a balanced approach to fixing the state budget. That means budget cuts and a revenue increase. IEA supports Gov. Quinn’s proposed 1 percent income tax increase for education. Our schools and communities would be devastated by the layoffs and budget cuts that have been proposed.
Our View: State budget requires answers, not evasions or excuses
Peoria Journal Star – up to 15,000 is expected to descend on the Illinois Statehouse today to demand that lawmakers get serious about fixing a $13 billion budget hole by raising taxes and avoiding dramatic cuts to education funding. Should the anticipated number materialize, it would rank as the largest such rally in state history. That doesn’t mean they’ll get what they want:
State News
Four-day school week hits a roadblock in Senate committee
Journal&Gazette Times-Courier – SPRINGFIELD—An Illinois Senate panel Tuesday shot down a proposal that would allow Illinois school districts to hold classes four days a weekJust two of 11 members of the Senate Education Committee supported a plan to allow local districts to give students a full school year of three-day weekends.Although the measure received widespread backing in the House
State shirking responsibility for education
Bloomington Pantagraph – have watched equalized assessed valuation fall or not kept pace with the demands of a growing student body. As a result, districts across the state have sent out layoff notices to about 30,000 teachers. Unit 5 has sent layoff notices to 120 first-year teachers. In District 87, 26 teachers have been given layoff notices. These “reduction in force” notices are a rite of spring
Athletic activity fee implemented in ROWVA
Galesburg Register Mail – Galva will field co-op junior and senior high teams of football, football cheerleading and senior high golf and cross country teams in the fall. A memorandum of understanding with the ROWVA Education Association was approved by the board Monday that will “allow the board or superintendent to talk to individual REA members regarding opportunities for individual members to negotiate
Class sizes, teacher salaries headline District 201 public forum
Westmont – Parent Melissa Kemp said class sizes are already at capacity and said larger classes would not help students academically. Instead, several parents suggested pay freezes for teachers and staff, which has yet to be discussed by the board. The board is expected to begin negotiating a new teacher contract within the next couple of months, officials said.
Du Quoin school board cuts 26 jobs; pay freeze invoked
Carmi Times – wore pink Friday, not only in support of their fellow educators but in protest of the Illinois General Assembly’s failure to deal with the state’s fiscal crisis. In addition, both the Du Quoin Education Association and the board have voted to invoke a one-year salary and wage freeze, which affects both the educational staff and the administration.
State shirking responsibility for education
Bloomington Pantagraph – have watched equalized assessed valuation fall or not kept pace with the demands of a growing student body. As a result, districts across the state have sent out layoff notices to about 30,000 teachers. Unit 5 has sent layoff notices to 120 first-year teachers. In District 87, 26 teachers have been given layoff notices. These “reduction in force” notices are a rite of spring
Wheaton Warrenville teachers approve 2-year contract
Chicago Tribune – “This agreement represents a strong commitment from the teachers of District 200 to be part of the solution,” Bryce Cann, the president of the Wheaton Warrenville Education Association, which is the district’s teachers union, said in a statement. “As education funding from Springfield becomes increasingly less dependable,
Alton schools switch bus provider
Alton Telegraph – trying to react to a state fiscal crisis,” Elson said. He said the state is $1.7 million behind in reimbursing the district for transportation costs so far this school year. Also, he said Gov. Pat Quinn is proposing a 25 percent cut for state reimbursements for transporting students in his next budget, which would cost the district $795,000. Three parents spoke against pushing back start time
Political News
Governor Quinn Calls for More Budget Cuts MyStateline.com – Quinn met with lawmakers to propose an additional 400 million dollars in cuts to the spending plan. His also wants an extension to the state’s time frame …
Lawsuits over Illinois budget mess could be coming
Bloomington Pantagraph – Thousands of state vendors could face the prospect of having to go to court to collect money they are owed by the state. In a memo to legislative leaders Tuesday, Gov. Pat Quinn acknowledged the possibility that the state’s budget mess could force angry vendors to file lawsuits with the Illinois Court of Claims this fall.
Our View: State budget requires answers, not evasions or excuses
Peoria Journal Star – For a change, it would be appropriate if they did not just place blame to score political points or make excuses while pledging action … someday. Gov. Pat Quinn took a tiny step in that direction Tuesday in announcing an additional $400 million in cuts. Now it’s time for another step.
Quinn to Cohen: Bring it on
Arlington Heights Daily Herald – Gov. Pat Quinn said he’s ready to take on Scott Lee Cohen in the general election if the embattled Chicago pawnbroker publicly announces he’s making an independent run for the state’s highest office.
Brady says he’ll release tax returns
WLS Chicago – Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Brady will release his income tax returns after all, announcing the change of heart Tuesday just hours after his Democratic opponent, Gov. Pat Quinn, took him to task over the issue.
Gov. Pat Quinn pressures rival Bill Brady into releasing tax returns
Chicago Tribune – After coming under sharp criticism by Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn for declining to release his tax returns, Republican challenger Bill Brady switched course Tuesday and said he will disclose them this week. Brady, a state senator from Bloomington,
Fair Map Amendment backers falling short on signatures
Quad Cities Dispatch Argus Leader – SPRINGFIELD — The Fair Map Amendment proposal touted by supporters as an anti-corruption tool is falling way short in a quest to get it on the November ballot, with a deadline fast approaching. More than 120,000 people have signed petitions to get the proposed citizen initiative on the ballot, but that’s less than 50 percent of the 288,000 needed.
Kirk to return Goldman Sachs donations
Chicago Daily Herald – Congressman Mark Kirk said he plans to return campaign contributions from employees of Goldman Sachs Group Inc. to his campaign for a U.S. Senate seat once held by President Barack Obama in Illinois. “I will err on the side of caution,” Kirk said at a news conference in Chicago. Kirk said his campaign is still determining how much Goldman employees donated to him
Blagojevich Fundraiser’s Suicide at Issue for Prosecution
Chicago WFLD (Fox) 32 – Prosecutors asked a federal judge on Monday to bar former Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s lawyers from telling the jury at his racketeering and fraud trial about his chief fundraiser’s suicide. Prosecutors said Christopher G. Kelly’s suicide in September has no bearing on anything at issue in the Blagojevich trial, which is due to get under way June 3 before federal Judge James B. Zagel.
Blago calls feds ‘cowards and liars’
Crystal Lake Northwest Herald – Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich described the federal prosecutors who have brought racketeering and fraud charges against him as “cowards and liars” Tuesday and challenged Chicago’s U.S. attorney to meet him face to face in court if he is “man enough.” In an extraordinary outburst timed to go live on evening news shows,
Blago due in court after blasting feds
Chicago WLS (ABC) 7 – Former governor Rod Blagojevich is scheduled to head to court for a status hearing in his corruption case Wednesday, where he will face the prosecutors he called cowards and liars. On Tuesday at his lawyer’s office, Blagojevich again said he was innocent and that the government was out to get him. That is nothing new, but in his two-minute speech
Why did he say that? Rahm says it was a slip
Chicago Sun Times – Chicago political tea readers were pondering on Tuesday what was behind the timing of White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel’s admission to PBS’ Charlie Rose that he wants to run for mayor of Chicago when Mayor Daley quits. After all, Emanuel tried mightily in January to douse chatter about his mayoral ambitions when such talk first surfaced.
Word of the Day for Wednesday, April 21, 2010
empyrean \em-py-REE-uhn; -PEER-ee-\, noun:
1. The highest heaven, in ancient belief usually thought to be a realm of pure fire or light.
2. Heaven; paradise.
3. The heavens; the sky.
adjective:
1. Of or pertaining to the empyrean of ancient belief.