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 

State News  

Suburban school funding threatened by failure to pass cigarette tax increase  Chicago Tribune –  Suburban school districts already strapped for cash are bracing for major state funding cuts unless lawmakers raise …

Cigarette tax unlikely to pass House, perhaps leaving schools without funds
Decatur Herald and Review – Local schools could face big cuts to the money they use for the operation of buses and special education programs unless lawmakers vote to raise cigarette taxes by $1 a pack. That move was unlikely, though. The Illinois Senate approved a cigarette tax hike more than a year ago, but since then, House lawmakers haven’t shown much interest in doing the same. 

Illinois school reform efforts get more backing from districts, unions
Chicago Tribune –  Race to the Top grants, the Illinois State Board of Education reported Wednesday. It’s unknown whether that will demonstrate enough support to win $400 million in the federal contest, at a time when Illinois schools face a backlog of unpaid bills and threatened budget cuts. “We’ve been told the expectation is not 100 percent of all districts,” said state Superintendent Christopher Koch.   

Area school districts sign up for federal funding
Effingham Daily News – A few area school districts have changed their stance and are signing up for a national race to secure federal funding for education reform, however other school districts are still leery of a program that hasn’t even been tested.     Illinois finished fifth in the first round of applications, and the Illinois State Board of Education has asked school   

Kane school districts apply for Race to the Top federal grants
Geneva Kane County Chronicle – School districts in central Kane County are seeking to share in $400 million that the state hopes to receive in the next round of Race to the Top federal grants. Batavia, Geneva and Kaneland school districts all have signed memorandums of understanding as part of the state’s effort to capture federal funds to be used   

District 118 to recall 28 teachers
Danville Commercial-News – “We’re absolutely thrilled.” That was the response of Danville Education Association President Robin Twidwell following Wednesday’s announcement 28 full-time staff would be called back for next school year.   

U-46 teachers approve one-year contract deal
Chicago Daily Herald – Elgin Area School District U-46 teachers voted to accept a one-year deal that would leave salaries flat and increase class sizes, officials announced Wednesday. Elgin teachers Association President Tim Davis said roughly 66 percent   

ETA approves contract with School District U46
Elgin Courier – is signed by the governor, it doesn’t guarantee more U46 employees will be recalled. The reason, he said, is that the state is behind on payments from this school year and it could cut education funding for next school year. The district is facing a deficit of almost $50 million next school year that includes a shortage of more than $29 million in overdue funding from the state.   

Teachers to get raises in new School District 113 contract
Highland Park News –  Park high schools can expect salaries to go up 1 percent next school year and 2.7 percent the year after that. Those are the key financial terms of a contract inked between the School Board and teachers association May 17. The two-year contract roughly ties salary increases to the consumer price index, which typically determines the rate at which districts like High School District 113   

District 120 staff inks new contract
Mundelein Review – After 18 months of negotiations, the certified staff of the Mundelein Consolidated High School District 120 have a new contract. School District 120 and the Mundelein Education Association reached a collective bargaining contract agreement on May 18. The three-year contract is retroactive to July 1, 2009 and will extend to June 30, 2012.   

Unit 5 late start proposal on some days advances
Bloomington Pantagraph – a year moved forward at Wednesday’s school board meeting. The school board directed Superintendent Gary Niehaus, administrators and two designated board members to meet with the Unit Five Education Association to discuss a professional-development plan. Among other things, the plan would set aside time at the start of those days for teachers to work together on ways to improve instruct   

Superintendents seeking right fit leads to high turnover
Crystal Lake Northwest Herald – for someone to move up and move on. … This probably is the way it’s going to be until we’re a bigger district.” The district pays Gildea $143,767 annually, including the teachers’ retirement contribution. Sharma-Lewis will make between $100,000 and $110,000, Amettis has said. Money isn’t the only variable when superintendents seek a move.   

Unit 5 lays out gloomy budget scenarios
Bloomington Pantagraph –  which was quickly dismissed by the board, to various borrowing options and spending cuts. All scenarios, however, depend on what the state decides regarding education funding as it battles a $13 billion deficit. “The uncertainty continues, unfortunately,” Smith said. While state funding isn’t settled yet, some school officials counseled

 

Political News

Ill. House OKs borrowing billions in emergency budget plan
Crains Chicago Business – which already face a huge shortfall, billions in lost revenue. Executives say they would have to sell assets to keep delivering monthly pension checks to retired state workers, downstate teachers, university employees and more. The borrowing plan initially failed, getting 70 of the 71 votes it needed. But the governor and legislative leaders leaped into action

Illinois Senate unlikely to finish by deadline Chicago Tribune (blog) – Pat Quinn broad budget powers that would allow him to dole out money to state agencies as he sees fit. Historically lawmakers were in charge of setting …  

State budget still not foregone conclusion  The Illinois Senate will take its stab at wrapping up a new state budget Thursday, but the results are anything but a foregone conclusion.

Illinois Policy Institute: Where are the cuts?  Illinois Policy Institute blog – A measly 1.5 percent reduction from last year’s spending levels is a far, far cry from the bold steps needed to balance this budget and prevent future structural deficits from piling up. 

Madigan still not committing to a tax increase for Illinois  Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan said any future tax increase for Illinois hinges on the state’s weak revenues and how effectively Gov. Pat Quinn uses his emergency budget powers to cut spending.

Ill. budget proposal raises complex questions  The Associated Press –  Democratic legislators are on the verge of passing a state budget that would patch over a $13 billion deficit. …   

Ill. House OKs borrowing billions in emergency budget plan
Crains Chicago Business – systems, which already face a huge shortfall, billions in lost revenue. Executives say they would have to sell assets to keep delivering monthly pension checks to retired state workers, downstate teachers, university employees and more. The borrowing plan initially failed, getting 70 of the 71 votes it needed. But the governor and legislative leaders leaped into action, looking for lawmakers   

Jury’s out on whether budget borrowing will hurt incumbents in fall elections
Decatur Herald and Review – This year’s piecemeal state budget plan could mean problems for incumbents running for re-election in November, some lawmakers said. The proposed spending blueprint relies on $3.7 billion in borrowing to pay down pension obligations, which Democratic lawmakers contend was the only viable option on the table. Delaying payments could increase the state’s deficit,   

Quinn will wait on pension bill; UI will wait on borrowing, too   Champaign/Urbana News-Gazette (blog) –  Pat Quinn says he will act on a bill allowing public universities to borrow money to cover a state funding shortfall after he signs a state pension … 

Area reps decry House vote to borrow $3.7 billion for state pensions
Crystal Lake Northwest Herald – Illinois House approval to borrow billions of dollars to make state pension payments left McHenry County-area lawmakers reeling – but also hopeful that the state Senate would reject the borrowing measure. State House members voted, 71-44, on Tuesday to borrow $3.7 billion to make the state’s annual contribution to troubled government pension systems. 

Back-to-school sales-tax holiday passes Illinois House
Chicago Sun Times –  Gov. Quinn’s bid to impose a sales-tax holiday passed the Illinois House today despite criticism from Republicans that the cash-strapped state government can’t afford it.  

Video poker bill goes to Quinn  Chicago Tribune – ?A controversial video poker bill that state gambling regulators fear will allow operators of illegal machines to stay in business throughout the state was …   

Senate rejects Quinn’s veto of convention bill  Chicago Tribune – ? Pat Quinn a sound defeat by rejecting his veto of legislation designed to cut costs at Chicago’s McCormick Place convention center. …   

You Wouldn’t Want to Live in the Governor’s Mansion, Either NBC Chicago (blog)  The Illinois Executive Mansion is a beautiful Italiante home. Built in the mid-19th Century, it has an iron gate, a curved driveway, a manicured lawn. Inside, it’s full of elaborate draperies, gilded wallpaper, Lincoln portraits and curving staircases.   

Blagojevich faces fight of his life
Chicago Daily Herald – were investigating patronage hiring and reports that money management firms were being squeezed to come up with payoffs and campaign cash if they wanted the lucrative business of investing state teachers pension money. Blagojevich’s relationship with Dick Mell, his father-in-law, also had soured. Mell had made an explosive claim that a Blagojevich adviser was arranging state appointments  

Blago’s team: Judge mishandled potential jurors
WLS Chicago – Lawyers for former governor Rod Blagojevich want to restart the jury selection process for his upcoming trial. They claim the judge mishandled it and they want the start of the trial to be delayed. They filed a motion in court Tuesday saying the judge made a mistake by dismissing dozens of potential jurors for hardship reasons without consulting attorneys on either side.

National News

Clock ticking on 100,000 teachers’ jobs – Washington Post
WMAQ-TV (MSNBC ) Chicago – plan relatively few layoffs but are squeezing costs, with Fairfax County scrapping most summer school, for example, and Montgomery County increasing class sizes in elementary grades. The National Education Association, the largest teachers union, said Wednesday that it is funding TV ads in markets that are home to potential swing votes among House Democrats.   

French unions strike to keep right to retire at 60
Belleville News-Democrat -Aviation authorities expected flights at Paris’ Charles de Gaulle to be reduced by 10 percent and those at Orly airport by 30 percent because of the strikes.  About 14 percent of teachers nationwide were on strike, and about 8 percent of hospital workers.  The French government, which had long danced around the retirement age issue, has been increasingly bold in recent 

TIME.com Today’s Top Stories

Who’s to Blame for the Gulf Oil Spill?

Bush’s petro-bias soiled the regulatory agency, but Obama’s lack of oversight hasn’t helped

Confidence Game: Can the Markets Learn to Live With Fear?

The markets are plunging again, but it has little to do with real-world economic conditions

Gaza Aid Convoy Showdown Poses a New Challenge for Israel

The Obama Administration has finally gotten the Israelis and Palestinians talking about peace, but they’re avoiding talking about Gaza

Idol Watch: Lee DeWyze Wins, Simon Cowell Departs

Let’s get the unimportant stuff out of the way first: Lee DeWyze won American Idol, and Crystal Bowersox lost.

A Sestak Offer? Criminally Stupid, Not Criminal

Why would the White House try to coax Joe Sestak out of the Senatorial race? Beats me

Effort to plug well ‘proceeding as we planned’
The “top kill” is underway, success uncertain. BP engineers are pumping mud at a furious rate into the damaged blowout preventer that sits on the uncapped well at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico. The hazardous-but-high-reward maneuver comes five weeks into the oil spill crisis amid an intensifyi…
(By Joel Achenbach, The Washington Post)

Black death has just begun to take its toll on animals
ON BARATARIA BAY, LA. — In the Louisiana marsh, oil-coated pelicans flap their wings in a futile attempt to dry them. A shorebird repeatedly dunks its face in a puddle, unable to wash off. Lines of dead jellyfish float in the gulf, traces of oil visible in their clear “bells.”
(By Juliet Eilperin and David A. Fahrenthold, The Washington Post)

Iraq exit will be on time, Biden says
President Obama called Iraq his predecessor’s war of choice. Now it is his war to exit — and quickly.
(By Scott Wilson, The Washington Post)

‘American Idol’ underdog Lee DeWyze steals the show in Simon’s swan song
Texting tweener chicks and perimenopausal women, having not yet slaked their thirst for Super-Safe Rocker Boys, added Lee DeWyze to the list of “American Idol” winners Wednesday night, beating early front-runner Crystal Bowersox of the dreadlocks and comb microphone-stand/bong.
(By Lisa de Moraes, The Washington Post)

Pyongyang tests U.S. ‘patience’
Obama administration officials have dubbed their policy toward North Korea “strategic patience” — a resolve that Pyongyang has to make the first move to reengage and that it won’t be granted any concessions.
(By Glenn Kessler, The Washington Post)

Word of the Day for Thursday, May 27, 2010

waxing \WAK-sing\, verb:

1. To increase in extent, quantity, intensity or power.
2. (Of the moon) to increase in the extent of its illuminated portion before the full moon.
3. To grow or become.

The Illinois House this week voted to borrow nearly $4 billion needed for the state to make its scheduled payment to the pension systems but the Senate needs to act on the House bill to make sure the systems get their money.

Borrowing was the best option since the likely alternative would be for the state to do what has been done in the past: Take a “pension holiday” and forgo the payment until next year, further weakening the pension systems and incurring billions of dollars in additional debt.

The Democrats in the House needed help from Republicans to pass the pension borrowing plan and the same is true in the senate.

Doug Finke at Gatehouse reports

“I have been told there are no votes in the Republican caucus for borrowing,” said Sen. John Sullivan, D-Rushville, one of the Democrats’ budget negotiators.

The Senate did not return to Springfield until late Wednesday afternoon and did not take up any budget issues. Both parties planned to hold private meetings with members Wednesday to talk over positions on the remaining budget issues.

Sen. Larry Bomke, R-Springfield, said Republicans have not yet taken a position on the pension borrowing bill.

“The governor called me (Tuesday). I said I will consider it. Right now, I haven’t ruled it out or decided to support it,” Bomke said.

It’s worth noting that Bomke represents Springfield and thousands of state workers who want their pensions funded.

Keep checking the IEA Website for updates.

The Chicago voucher bill, SB2494, which failed to pass earlier this month in the Illinois House, could return as soon as Wednesday evening.

Late Wednesday afternoon, House sponsor Kevin Joyce filed an amendment to the proposal that would divert nearly $100 million to private and religious schools in Chicago.

The amendment is clearly intended to gain the votes needed to pass the voucher bill, which fell 12 votes short of passage on May 5.  Though the vote was unofficial, you can see the video of how the House members voted here:  http://bit.ly/bD8ARE

ALL IEA MEMBERS ARE URGED TO CALL THEIR STATE REPRESENTATIVES IN SPRINGFIELD NOW!

1. CALL THE SWITCHBOARD – 217/782-2000
2. ASK TO BE CONNECTED WITH THE OFFICE OF YOUR STATE REPRESENTATIVE.
   
3. TELL THE REPRESENTATIVE (OR LEAVE A MESSAGE) THAT HE/SHE MUST VOTE NO ON THE CHICAGO VOUCHER BILL.

SB2494 would divert almost $100 million dollars at a time when schools are considering laying off thousands of teachers and staff and cutting programs for students because of underfunding.   This is unacceptable.  PLEASE CALL NOW.

We will keep you informed of new developments.

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.    

State News 

One sick child, two teachers and a selfless act  LINCOLN — Tuesday was Tim Chavosky’s last full day as a science teacher at Lincoln High School. In February, the ax fell on nine LHS teachers who were laid off because of budget constraints. Chavosky was one of the teachers cut. But Chavosky’s situation is different from the other eight. He volunteered to go. Why he volunteered might end up being the best lesson he ever taught the students at Lincoln High. 

Decatur School District, teachers union at odds over ‘Race to the Top’ memo
Decatur Herald – DECATUR – The second deadline for Race to the Top is fast approaching, and Decatur’s application lacks the signature of the Decatur Education Association. Bobbi Williams, director of special programs, gave a report on the federal program to address low-performing schools to the school board Tuesday.   

Dist. 205 and Teachers Join Race to the Top
WIFR (CBS) 23 Rockford – a more than four billion dollar jackpot. And representatives for both the teachers union and the administration say it’s too big a prize to miss out on. Rockford Education Association president Molly Phalen says the teacher’s union is joining the district in signing the state’s application for round two of the federal “Race to the Top” contest.   

REA puts frustrations aside for Race to the Top collaboration
WREX (NBC) 13 Rockford – The Rockford Education Association puts clashes with Superintendent Dr. LaVonne Sheffield on the back burner and pledges collaboration. Both sides signed a memorandum of understanding to work together   

Somonauk teachers agree to salary freeze, cut programs reinstated
Ottawa Daily Times – union also approved the changes to the contract, voting “overwhelmingly in favor of freezing our salaries and stipends at the exact salary paid for the 2009-2010 school year,” said Somonauk Education Association President Lois Whalen. “Teachers, and especially Somonauk teachers, are committed to our students we work with every day,” she added.   

D204 support staff OKs hourly pay freeze
Fox Valley Villages Sun –  a 2 percent “step” raise for existing employees. Currently, starting secretaries earn $13.49 per hour and other IPCA members, including deans assistants, health assistants, and teacher assistants start at $11.01 per hour. Carol Schaible, president of IPCA, said 78 percent of the union’s members are also District 204 residents, something that was kept in mind   

Teachers say union OK of U46 pact likely
Elgin Courier News – teachers would not receive a pay increase, so it “won’t dramatically increase the number of teachers we can recall.” Nor would more U46 staff necessarily be recalled, Sanders said, even if Gov. Pat Quinn signs legislation to fix the district’s funding process and give the district $22 million more general state aid for the 2010-11 school year. That’s because the state is so far behind

Unit 5 may start an hour later on up to 16 days next year
Bloomington Pantagraph – Superintendent Gary Niehaus emphasized the board won’t decide tonight whether to introduce the late starts, but it could direct him to discuss the idea further with union officials with the Unit Five Education Association. In a work session set for 5 p.m. the school board is expected to discuss how the still-uncertain state budget will affect the district’s 2010-11 budget.   

The Southern: Cut fat from state budget, not meat of public education  Editorial – Some lawmakers in Springfield apparently realize the state of Illinois is pursuing a path of financial ruin. That sounds good, but serious state budget deliberations were needed months ago, at the opening of the regular session of the State General Assembly.   

Our Opinion: Disappointing decisions by U of I board
Springfield State Journal Register –  There is no doubt a university presidency is a difficult, 24/7 job. But the fact that new U of I President Michael Hogan’s salary of $620,000 is more than the $177,412 that Gov. Pat Quinn earns and President Barack Obama’s $400,000 salary shows how university administrator salaries have gotten out of hand. THE U OF I BOARD approved Hogan’s salary   

News-Gazette: Who says how much is enough?  The (Champaign) News-Gazette – When Michael Hogan starts his new job as president of the University of Illinois in July, he’ll be earning an annual salary of $620,000 a year, and that has a lot of people upset. The anger or resentment or whatever one chooses to call it is no big surprise. Big salaries bring out the envy in many people. But the envy is accompanied by anger this time, and not without reason.   

Illinois turns away 27,000 for financial aid
Sterling Sauk Valley News – Thousands of Illinois college students who were hoping for financial aid from the state may be out of luck: The agency that distributes the payments says an increase in demand has forced it to turn down almost 27,000 students, and that figure could grow to 200,000 by fall. The Illinois Student Assistance Commission says it expects to have about $400 million to spend 

Political News

Illinois House approves budget; Senate to meet today  Chicago Public Radio – Illinois is closer to a new budget. The state Senate this afternoon is scheduled to discuss a $13 billion deficit. The House yesterday approved a spending plan that relies heavily on borrowing and putting off paying state bills. Democratic Representative Pat Verschoore says the House budget plan is not a good solution but it’s the best given the options.  

House OKs borrowing to cover state pensions  Pension borrowing — a major (and controversial) component of a state budget plan — finally won approval in the Illinois House on Tuesday after a series of rejections. The scene now shifts to the Senate, which returns to Springfield today.   

House passes pension borrowing plan on 2nd try  The Illinois House approved, on its second try on Tuesday, a bill that borrows $3.7 billion so the state can make its pension payment. The vote was 71-44, with two members voting ‘present.’ Two Republicans crossed party lines to vote in favor of the bill.  

Borrowing has huge role in proposed spending plan
Chicago Tribune –  For the second consecutive year, lawmakers are favoring taking out a loan to cover the required contribution to pensions for retired state workers, judges, elected officials and teachers outside Chicago. Democrats argued that spending $1 billion on interest payments to cover the pension borrowing plan would be less expensive to taxpayers than simply refusing to make the pens   

Illinois Lawmakers Adopt Plan to Borrow To Pay For Pensions
Chicago WFLD (Fox) 32 – One measure would borrow $3.7 billion to make the state’s annual contribution to government pension systems. Another would give Gov. Pat Quinn broad power to decide where to cut spending. Quinn would also be allowed to borrow from special government funds. A third measure cuts administrative spending by 5 percent.   

NEW: Illinois House slashes $200 million in Medicaid, rejects other cuts   Alton Telegraph – A day after a coalition of Democratic lawmakers proposed $1.3 billion in cuts in an effort to dig the state out of a $13 … 

Democrats reject Black motion on 63 Republican bills
Champaign News Gazette – A motion by state Rep. Bill Black, R-Danville, to discharge 63 separate pieces of Republican legislation aimed at cutting government costs and improving Illinois’ economy was blocked Tuesday night by House Democrats. “I think part of the frustration I feel is that we’re not allowed to participate. We’re not asked. We’re not invited. 

Curtailing use of state planes not on lawmakers’ list of cuts Chicago Tribune –  Lawmakers are proposing a wide variety of ways to cut the woefully out-of-balance budget,

Quinn won’t sign bill to let colleges borrow The Associated Press – Gov. Pat Quinn says he will not sign a bill that would allow Illinois’ public universities to borrow money to make up for millions of dollars in overdue state funding.   

White House Sending Campaign Help for Giannoulias
NBC Chicago – Alexi Giannoulias’ campaign said today that Secretary of education Arne Duncan and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Jim Messina would be coming to Chicago in June to campaign for the senate candidate. “Should be a good time,” said spokesperson Matt McGrath   

Pantagraph: A few reasons why public sees need for cuts  The (Bloomington) Pantagraph – If state lawmakers wonder why the public doesn’t believe those who say there’s no fat to trim in the budget, let us explain.   

During his first year, Quinn stayed at Executive Mansion 55 nights  Gov. Pat Quinn had been in office only a few hours last year when he vowed to do something his impeached predecessor did not – live in the Executive Mansion in Springfield. But a Tribune analysis of his official travel schedule shows that Quinn stays at the ornate, taxpayer-funded house only sporadically. He didn’t spend more than three consecutive nights in the executive mansion.  

Our Opinion: Spare state retirees dose of ‘tough love’  STATE REP. KAREN MAY, D-Highland Park, said the legislature might have to show state retirees some “tough love,” and start imposing premiums upon them for their health insurance as part of a plan to balance the state budget.  

Gubernatorial candidate Whitney pedals throughout state for his green platform
Decatur Herald and Review – SPRINGFIELD – Traveling by public transit, Green Party gubernatorial candidate Rich Whitney visited Central Illinois on Tuesday to call for the state to phase out its reliance on fossil fuels and nuclear power. The Carbondale attorney has been relying on his bike and mass transit to travel the state during a nine-day, 650-mile trip that will cover 19 cities when it’s completed in the coming   

National News

Neither side happy with jobs bill being pushed through Congress Washington Post – Some conservatives say people who are out of work shouldn’t be able to collect jobless benefits for almost two years. Liberals, meanwhile, want Congress to pay for a New Deal-style program in which the federal government would send … 

School is in session: Governor announces deal to eliminate Hawaii’s public school furloughs
CLTV-Chicago –  The governor will release $57.2 million to the state school system, out of a total of $67 million the Legislature allocated from a special state hurricane relief fund; and teachers will hold classes on six of the 11 non-instructional days their labor contract previously required. “We are gratified that the agreement we worked hard to reach with the Board 

Teacher in trouble after students don Klan robes ATLANTA (AP) — A North Georgia teacher is on administrative leave and could lose her job after she allowed four students to don mock Ku Klux Klan –  in Klan-like outfits upset some black students at the school and led at least one parent to complain. Catherine Ariemma, who teaches the advanced placement course combining U.S. history with film education, could face punishment ranging from suspension to termination, Lumpkin County School Superintendent Dewey Moye said Monday 

TIME.com Today’s Top Stories 

Politics and Gangsters: Behind the War on Jamaica’s Streets

In Jamaica, the same government trying to arrest an indicted gang leader had previously tried to shield him from extradition. Can Prime Minister Bruce Golding survive the showdown? 

BP’s Oil: Fouling the White House Along with the Gulf

One day, the gusher in the Gulf will stop. Then what?

 Is the Housing Market on the Rebound?

For the first time in years, it appears, now is actually a good time to buy a house

 In Death-Penalty Cases, Innocence Has to Matter

The case of Hank Skinner gives the Supreme Court a chance to confront the fact that the legal system does not always seem to care whether the people it executes are actually guilty

 Chinese Factory Under Scrutiny as Suicides Mount

The massive Foxconn factory in Shenzhen, China, is known for assembling electronic goods like Apple’s iPhone and iPad. But in recent months it has gained a darker image, as a place where workers regularly throw themselves to their deaths

Nations go own way on global financial reform
LONDON — The global campaign to harmonize rules for financial firms is swerving off course, threatening efforts to curb the risky bets that rocked the world economy two years ago.
(By Anthony Faiola and Brady Dennis, The Washington Post)

North Korea severs all ties with South
SEOUL — North Korea announced Tuesday that it is severing all relations with South Korea, heightening the risk of armed conflict and creating perhaps the most serious crisis on the Korean Peninsula in more than two decades.
(By Blaine Harden, The Washington Post)

BP readies mud and robots to try to plug oil well
The most critical moment in the oil spill crisis in the Gulf of Mexico is at hand, as BP engineers armed with 50,000 barrels of dense mud and a fleet of robotic submarines are poised to attempt a “top kill” maneuver to plug the gushing well a mile below the surface.
(By Joel Achenbach and Steven Mufson, The Washington Post)

BP presents: One slick horror film
For all the gunk on television, it’s hard to think of a more depressing show these days than the “spillcam,” the live, continuous underwater footage of the broken BP pipe that has been gushing away deep, deep down in the Gulf of Mexico for more than a month now.
(By Hank Stuever, The Washington Post)

Obama beefs up border security
President Obama will deploy 1,200 National Guard troops and request an extra $500 million to secure the Mexican border, his administration said Tuesday, a move dismissed by Republicans as insufficient to win their cooperation on an overhaul of the nation’s immigration system.
(By Michael D. Shear and Spencer S. Hsu, The Washington Post)

Word of the Day for Wednesday, May 26, 2010

regnant \REG-nuhnt\, adjective:

1. Prevalent; widespread.
2. Reigning; ruling (usually used following the noun it modifies): a queen regnant.
3. Exercising authority, rule, or influence.

The Illinois House on Wednesday night, with no votes to spare, voted to approve the plan to have the state borrow $3.7 billion needed to make the necessary payment to the state’s employe retirement systems.

The vote was 71-44 to borrow, meaning the rejection of proposals that the state either make the payment from current revenues or take a one-year “pension holiday.”

Read a report from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Only connected IEA members can Save Our Schools, Save Our State
Between now and May 31st, and perhaps more than once, IEA members will be asked to drop everything they’re doing, contact their legislators, and urge those officials to either pass or oppose key legislation.

It is crucial that, when the “Call to Action” is announced, as many of IEA’s 133,000 members statewide as possible receive and answer it.  Here are some suggestions to help members stay informed:

• Visit the IEA website. It will be updated regularly.
• Sign up for the IEA insider  and the IEA Capitol Report.
• Become a fan of the IEA facebook page to see news updates, event announcements and chances to win prizes.
• Follow IEA on Twitter for news updates and breaking news when we “Tweet” legislative debate or important meetings.

…and that’s not all
As many as 300,000 school employee jobs nationally could be lost next school year unless Congress steps in. The U.S. House of Representatives and Senate are considering proposals that would provide dollars to states and eliminate the need for many of the pink slips across the country.
 
Politicians do care what’s important to their constituents, especially constituents who call them. So, NEA is asking all friends of education to call 866/608-6355 on Wednesday, May 26. Read more about this initiative on the NEA Today website.
 
Plan to make the call Wednesday.  It’s important.

SLA offers a smorgasbord of training

Back by popular demand, the Summer Leadership Academy will be held July 27-30 at Illinois State University. Online registration as available at the IEA website. Choose the training you want and come for one, two or all four days!
 

Recognize your students’ achievements and receive 250,000 points free!

Make your students feel good about their accomplishments with uBoost! Recognize positive behavior by awarding students with points redeemable online for prizes they want. Backed by behavioral research, the program is designed to engage students and ultimately drive learning outcomes.
 
Learn more about uBoost and other member benefits on the NEA Member Benefits website.
 

 
Father’s Day is June 20

Looking for something different to give your dad this year? Check out the savings available when you use your membership card! You can save on electronics, sporting goods, magazines, apparel and more! Click here to save! Just enter your 10-digit member ID number on the membership card and click “go.”
 

 
Website of the Week

Passports provides educational travel tours for high school and college students, their teachers and professors, and adults. Travel trips are scheduled year-round to Europe, Scandinavia, Africa, the Caribbean, Asia and Australia at low, guaranteed prices, and are normally accompanied by local teacher-organizers, who enjoy special benefits. Find out more on our Website of the Week.

Wednesday, May 26, NEA launches its National Speak Up for Education & Kids Campaign – beginning with a National Call-in Day.

TAKE ACTION:

• On Wednesday May 26th, call 1-866-608-6355 to contact your Representative in Congress.
• You will hear talking points and will be connected to the United States Capitol Switchboard – ask for your House Member.
• Tell your Representative that public education faces a budget catastrophe and that he/she should support including funding to save education jobs in the emergency funding bill (known as the “emergency supplemental” funding bill).

With 300,000 education layoffs expected nationally (and up to 20,000 in Illinois alone), our students are the ones who will suffer – with overcrowded classrooms; shortened school days and weeks; and less individual attention and help from counselors, nurses, teachers, and support professionals. How can our students succeed with less time in the classroom, fewer instructors, and fewer supports?

Thousands of your colleagues are receiving pink slips every day. Layoffs of this many educators will also drive the national unemployment rates up even more. This would be a disaster in states that are already cash-strapped and even more of a disaster for the students we serve.

Find out more

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. 

State News

D300 to vote on 34 more layoffs
Elgin Courier News – Those cuts have been made as the school board slashes its way toward $15 million from its budget for the coming school year to make up for nearly $12 million owed the district and potential cuts to education funding by the state. The June 3 meeting had been scheduled to choose an Algonquin Township resident to replace former school board member John Ryan, who resigned from the board earlier 

Illinois gets $11.9M to track student progress
Chicago Defender – The federal education department says the system lets states examine student progress from their early childhoods through their careers. The systems also match students with teachers while protecting confidentiality. Duncan says this type of tracking helps teachers and principals and will help parents “better understand the unique educational needs of their child. 

Rochester Board of Education adds ‘sexting’ policy  The Rochester Board of Education Monday night approved adding a policy regarding “sexting” to the district’s 2010-11 student handbook.   

Local teacher is nationally recognized
Southern Illinoisan – A Southern Illinois teacher has gained national recognition for her work with students. Betsy Brown, a teacher at Lewis School in Carbondale and a volunteer history fair coordinator at Carbondale Middle School,  

Board declines teacher’s second request to join Marine husband
Elmwood Park Elm Leaves –  a second request for unpaid leave to join her husband on military duty overseas. Stephanie Henry, a tenured second-grade teacher in Elmwood Park Community Unit School District 401, thanked the school board May 19 while standing at the lectern during its regular meeting for consideration of her second request.  

Cerro Gordo music program is tops in its class
Decatur Herald and – Cerro Gordo’s school board meets in the band room at the high school, so on meeting days band director Barb Ozier has to push instruments and chairs around to make room. That’s life in a small school  

Palatine High senior sentenced for taking gun to school  A Palatine High School student was sentenced in Cook County Circuit Court Wednesday to a jail boot camp program for taking a handgun to… 

Students fight budget cuts  Bearing books and band instruments and wearing sports uniforms, more than 250 Chicago high school students on Monday afternoon protested sweeping cuts to public education by … studying. 

CNN: Can Chicago student beat the educational odds?  (Jen Christensen, News, National)  “There isn’t one urban school district in the country — Chicago, L.A., New York, D.C. — you could go right down the list — Philly, Baltimore — there’s not one urban system yet, where the dropout rate is low enough and the graduation rate is high enough,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan in a recent interview with CNN. “There’s been lots of progress, including in Chicago, but no one is satisfied. We have to get better faster.” In Chicago only 37 percent of African-American males graduate from its public schools, according to Elaine Allensworth, the co-director of the Consortium on Chicago School Research at the University of Chicago. “It’s an absolute tragedy that we’re facing right now,” Allensworth said. In Chicago “only 2.5 percent finish college by the time they turn 25 — it’s beyond inexcusable.” 

Hogan’s zeroes; $620,000 salary is way too much
Dixon Telegraph – will top $10,000 a year – also a lot of zeroes, but for people who can’t afford them. In making those decisions, the U of I trustees – most of whom were selected by Gov. Pat Quinn after last year’s admissions scandal, and all of whom serve at his pleasure – turned a blind eye to Illinois’ terrible finances.

Political News

 

Dems float budget plan with deep education cuts  The (Bloomington) Pantagraph – With lawmakers gearing up for a final push to craft a state budget, some Democrats are proposing deep spending cuts, including to state universities. A group of mostly Chicago-area Democrats rolled out plans for $100 million in cuts to public higher education and $300 million slashed from local schools. “It’ll probably take us farther down this road of looking at future budget cuts,” said Southern Illinois University spokesman David Gross. 

Dems propose insurance increases for state retirees  Calling it a “tough-love exercise,” a group of Democratic lawmakers have proposed budget reforms that include making retired state employees pay health insurance premiums. More than 90 percent of retirees pay no premiums now. 

Democrats consider backup options to get budget OK  Chicago Tribune –  Monday started exploring two backup options on the major obstacle of how to make a $3.7 billion state worker pension payment. A House committee approved a measure that would allow Gov. Pat Quinn to skip the payment next year. That has emerged as an option after Republicans balked at borrowing to cover the pension costs for the second year in a row.   

Bill to expand video gambling advances  St. Louis Post-Dispatch – An Illinois House committee on Monday passed a measure that would allow truck stops to legally host paying video gambling machines under Illinois’ controversial new video gaming law. The measure has already passed the Senate, so if the full House approves, it will go to Gov. Pat Quinn. 

Daily Herald: Don’t fall for state budget gimmicks  Daily herald – Are we that dumb? Gov. Pat Quinn and some legislators seem to think we are. They think voters in Illinois will fall for populist budgetary gimmicks that politicians can tout during this election year but that our state cannot afford.

Register Star: A busy week in Springfield  Rockford Register Star  – The Illinois General Assembly got back to work Monday in the hope that lawmakers would wrap up their work before the end of the week. The budget is the top priority, and we’d like to see a spending plan that makes serious cuts yet preserves vital programs that serve the least among us. 

Sweeny: First day’s work on state budget: House meets 1 hour  Rockford Register Star – Can anyone here drive this train? That’s what lawmakers and average residents wonder as the Illinois House and Senate return to finish the business of passing a state budget that everyone expects will be hopelessly underfunded. 

Bill Brady makes another campaign stop in Rockford
WREX (NBC) 13 –  Brady brings his campaign for governor to Rockford again. Brady toured the Woodward Governor Company facilities and met with employees on Monday morning. Brady is up against current Governor Pat Quinn and green party candidate Rich Whitney in the November election. Whitney brought his campaign to Rockford on Friday.   

Report: Brady voted for bills that benefited him  CHICAGO — Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Brady voted for legislation as an Illinois state senator in 2003 that could have benefited his business interests as a developer, according to a published report. 

Brady denies conflict of interest
Peoria Journal –  voted for legislation as an Illinois state senator in 2003 that could have benefited his business interests as a developer, according to a published report. Brady, who faces Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn in November, has worked for more than two decades in his family home construction business in central Illinois. After the state announced plans in 2002 for an Interstate 57 interchange near   

Our Opinion: Release of tax returns fosters public trust
Springfield State Journal Register – To put it mildly, Illinois’ last two governors did little to inspire public trust in the office of the state’s chief executive where money is concerned. We would expect that anyone who desires to be governor in Illinois would be aware of this, and would do everything within reason to dispel any public suspicion of his or her financial affairs 

Our View: Damage estimate from ex-guv still climbing
Peoria Journal Star –  All told, Blagojevich’s office actually picked up the check for a paltry $22,000 of the $7.2 million – less than 1 percent of the total. Gov. Pat Quinn sensibly ordered all these dubious practices to be curtailed shortly after he took over. Nonetheless, it’s both sickening and shocking each time new examples of waste and bad choices   

 National News

 

 Boston Globe: U.S. education chief Duncan says 300,000 teachers could lose jobs

(David Abel, News, National)

“US Education Secretary Arne Duncan warned yesterday that as many as 300,000 teachers nationwide, including 4,000 teachers in Massachusetts, could lose their jobs this year if Congress does not provide additional money to aid struggling states and municipalities.”

Politico: Education debate remains heated

(Mike Allen, News, Washington, D.C.)

“Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, says the No Child Left Behind law will be updated this year to allow ‘some additional flexibility at the local level for outcomes, for results. Data that has been released under No Child Left Behind [show] where we’re having success and where we’re not having the success,’ Miller told POLITICO in an interview for the video series “The Politics of America’s Youth.” ‘We’d really like now to put more emphasis on better teachers, more emphasis on better leadership and then stand back and hold them accountable for results.’ The updates are part of a reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, originally passed in 1965 as part of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty and amended under President George W. Bush as the No Child Left Behind Act.”

Telluride Daily Planet: Telluride considers a pay- for-performance system

(Matthew Beaudin, News, Colorado)

“The Telluride R-1 School District is on the cusp of implementing a pilot program that would pay teachers more based on high performance — not groundbreaking entirely as large districts already use such systems — but unheard of in small, high-achieving districts like this one. The system would judge teachers in three areas: leadership, innovation and student growth. A starting teacher earns $38,000 a year here, and if that teacher excelled by district standards then he or she could earn $41,000. The numbers jump up as experience and education do: an expert, or “master,” teacher earns up to $73,000, which could jump to $80,000.”

Sun Sentinel: Research shows teacher merit pay might improve classroom focus and productivity

(Dan Goldhaber, Op-Ed, Florida)

“A growing body of empirical research shows that the most important schooling factor influencing student achievement is teacher quality. These findings suggest that improving the quality of the teacher workforce presents policymakers with a tremendous opportunity to dramatically improve the educational achievement of America’s students. It is the weak relationship between teacher credentials and productivity that has prompted some to call for using more direct measures of performance to determine teacher pay. Had SB 6 bill not been vetoed, it would have tied teacher pay to student performance on standardized tests (and eliminated tenure). Is this the right thing to do?”

Oregon Public Broadcasting: Oregon Gets $10.5 Million To Track Student Achievement

(Rob Manning, News, Oregon)

“Oregon has its third multi-million dollar federal grant in three years to improve the tracking of student achievement.”

TIME.com Today’s Top Stories

The Gulf Oil Spill: A Crisis The White House Can’t Yet Answer

Will Sanctions on North Korea Do Any Good?

South Korean President Lee Myung Bak made big news by announcing a new slate of sanctions against North Korea, including the cessation of all trade between the two Koreas

Why Are Hindu Honor Killings Rising in India?

Though often associated with the Taliban and other extremist religious Muslims, Hindu honor killings are on the rise in India, exacerbated by the persistence of the caste system

White House Supports Repeal of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell”

On Monday, the White House fulfilled the hopes of gay rights groups by agreeing to support an effort in the House and Senate to approve a repeal of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell”

An Unlikely Outsider in Colombia’s Presidential Race

With Uribe disallowed another term, the eccentric but popular mayor of Bogotá is suddenly neck and neck with the establishment presidential candidate 

Obama backs ‘don’t ask’ compromise that could pave way for repeal
President Obama has endorsed a “don’t ask, don’t tell” compromise between lawmakers and the Defense Department, the White House announced Monday, an agreement that may sidestep a key obstacle to repealing the military’s policy banning gay men and lesbians from serving openly in the armed forces.
(By Michael D. Shear and Ed O’Keefe, The Washington Post)

Administration torn on getting tough with BP
The tenuous alliance among the Obama administration, the oil firm BP and Gulf Coast officials was visibly fraying on Monday, with exasperation on all sides mounting as oil from a deep-water gusher began lapping at the region’s environmentally fragile shoreline.
(By Karen Tumulty and Steven Mufson, The Washington Post)

Moran portfolio shows Congress’s leeway in trading
He was a stockbroker before he became a politician, and he continued playing the markets during his rise through Congress.
(By Robert O’Harrow Jr. and Dan Keating, The Washington Post)

Worried about market turmoil? You shouldn’t be if you’re investing safely.
What should you do with your investments if you hear that the Dow has suddenly dropped 1,000 points in 20 minutes? Or that euro panic has sent stocks swooning? The right answer should be “nothing.” Because if you have to worry about a thousand-point Dow drop ruining your life, your problem isn’t …
(By Allan Sloan, The Washington Post)

Man admits elderly swindle
The scheme got its start, Montgomery County prosecutors said Monday, when an 87-year-old woman pulled into a gas station 3 1/2 years ago looking for directions home.
(By Dan Morse, The Washington Post)

Word of the Day for Tuesday, May 25, 2010

shivaree \SHIV-uh-ree\, noun:

1. A mock serenade with kettles, pans, horns, and other noisemakers given for a newly married couple.
2. An elaborate, noisy celebration.

verb:
1. To serenade with a shivaree.

 Blame state for financial distress

If you pay into Social Security, your employer is required by law to contribute a matching amount into the system on your behalf.

PENSION CONCERNS: Evanston teachers grill lawmakers

Evanston teachers grilled lawmakers Monday about reports the cash-strapped state may skip a $4 billion payment to the state’s pension systems, including the teachers’ plan that provides monthly income during retirement.

STATE AFFAIRS: Throw lawmakers into ;’debtors’ prison’?

Illinois has more than $120 billion in debt and unfunded obligations, or roughly $10,000 for every man, woman and child in the state.

Illinois House to resume budget work Monday

The Democratic-dominated legislature will renew its push for a new budget next week, trying to finish ahead of a deadline that would bring Republicans into the mix.

Brady misses hundreds of votes; Quinn criticized for absence

SPRINGFIELD – GOP nominee for governor Bill Brady recently missed more than 200 votes as a state senator during the waning weeks of the legislative session, a Daily Herald review of voting records found.

District 204 pushes idea of ‘deadbeat’ state

Hoping to change state law to allow the school district to legally withhold income tax payments from Springfield, Indian Prairie District 204 will consider a resolution urging lawmakers to approve a “deadbeat amendment.”

“Lessons Learned” Part II: Dr. Sheffield’s initiatives

ROCKFORD (WREX) – The job description: reform Rockford’s school system and, in essence, alter the city’s future. Community leaders have long stressed the two are tied together. So as Dr. LaVonne Sheffield ends year one of her superintendent contract, 13 News focuses on her initiatives in part two of our series “Lessons Learned.”

U-46 announces plans to recall 200 teachers

Two hundred Elgin Area School District U-46 teachers will be getting an extra nice start to their weekends.

Career center faces $200,000 in proposed tuition cuts

Nearly 70 students would be denied spots under District 186 plan

High school juniors and seniors will be fighting for fewer slots in Capital Area Career Center programs if the Springfield School District approves $200,000 in tuition cuts that would limit the number of students it sends there next fall.

CUSD 201 avoids increasing class sizes, at least for now

Community Unit School District 201 in Westmont will not have to increase class sizes to balance its budget, but school officials left the door open for more crowded classrooms in the fall.

Music student fee to help retain teachers in Indian Prairie schools

Ten dismissed music teachers will be restored to the District 204 payroll this fall, but parents will directly pay some of the cost.

Nine years later, HBR to get state funding

HINCKLEY — When Hinckley-Big Rock School District officials won a state grant for nearly $2 million of a $5.5 million construction project, they didn’t know they would be waiting nine years for the money.

University of Illinois trustees approve tuition increase, $620,000 salary for new president

CHICAGO (AP) — University of Illinois trustees voted Thursday to raise tuition for new students by 9.5 percent and approved a contract that pays the school’s incoming president approximately $620,000 a year — about $170,000 more than the man he’ll replace 

Ed Dept: $437 million in teacher incentive grants

The U.S. Department of Education will give $437 million in competitive grants to districts that reward teachers for improving student achievement in high-need schools.

Service Above Self awards going to six people in Rockford area

ROCKFORD (WREX) – Downtown Rockford Rotary will present its Annual Service Above Self Awards to six people this afternoon.

Golden Apple names Chicago-area winners

Golden Apple has announced its recipients of the Golden Apple Awards for Excellence in Teaching in the Chicago area

Give Quinn the power to stave off meltdown

The state Legislature plans to return to work Monday to slap together a lot of half-baked schemes to paper over a $13 billion deficit.

Who Wears the Pants in Illinois? It’s Not Quinn

Pat Quinn is learning something every governor should know from the moment he takes the oath of office: he’s not the most powerful elected official in Illinois. Not even close.

Disunity is the American way

Politics lately seems about as appetizing as an old canine chew toy, one of those pockmarked rawhide bones covered with doggie drool and bits of regurgitated kibble. The baying pack fights over the bone, yanking it from one pair of slavering jaws to the next. It flips into the air, tumbles at my feet. And I’m supposed to fall to the ground and chomp down on that?

Can States Fix Their Pension Problems?

An article in The Times today details how “errors, misunderstandings and wishful thinking” have caused public pension costs in New York State to explode.

Bill requires diversity in Calif. pension funds

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California’s public pension funds would have to report the ethnicity and gender of some of the outside investment managers they hire under a bill that passed the state Assembly on Thursday.

Word of the Day for Friday, May 21, 2010

baksheesh \bak-SHEESH\, noun:

1. A gratuity, present or tip.
2. A gratuity, tip, or bribe paid to expedite service.

verb:
1. To give a tip.

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.

State News

 

Union, service leaders ask legislators to raise revenue  Rockford Register Star – ROCKFORD — An eleventh-hour coordinated lobbying effort by the Responsible Budget Coalition was launched in Rockford and seven other Illinois …   

Responsible Budget Coalition calls on lawmakers to get back to Springfield …  Herald & Review – Nance, 52, was one of about a dozen people who spoke at a news conference called Tuesday morning by the Responsible Budget Coalition to urge state …   

Group calls for `responsible budget’ in Illinois  St. Louis Post-Dispatch -… a “responsible state budget,” according to the Responsible Budget Coalition, a group of teachers, activists, health advocates and civic leaders. …  

Lawmaker and New Coalition Push for Responsible State Budget  MyStateline.com – Stout is looking to protect her employees and her children, which is why she joined 200 other organizations in the responsible budget coalition. … 

WREX.com –Coalition urges Illinois lawmakers to pass …  WREX-TV – Members of the “Responsible Budget Coalition” want lawmakers to raise taxes to balance the budget. Public service agencies say Illinois budget cuts and …   

Lawmakers Urged to Balance Budget  WIFR – ?The responsible budget coalition sponsored an event at Rockford Urban Ministries where speakers explained how state budget cuts and payment delays have … 

Group Wants Answers on Budget Problems  cbs4qc.com – That’s what members of the Responsible Budget Coalition said at a meeting on Tuesday in Moline. They say if things stay how they are, non profits, …  

Coalition urges Illinois lawmakers to get to work ConnectTriStates.com powered by KHQA – The Responsible Budget Coalition is made up of 200 organizations statewide that serve and represent millions of Illinois residents. …  

Responsible Budget Coalition Calls For “Leadership, Not Politics” (VIDEO)  Progress Illinois (blog) – ?Leaders from the Responsible Budget Coalition reminded lawmakers yesterday that citizens aren’t satisfied with the stop-gap budget proposals that are being … 

Agencies Demand Illinois Lawmakers Fix Budget  KWQC 6 – ?… and other Illinoisans who depend on state services from additional devastating cuts,” declared a spokesperson for the Responsible Budget Coalition. …   

Coalition urges Illinois lawmakers to pass responsible budget  Rockford WREX (NBC) 13 –   “We need a responsible state budget, a budget that will take into account the needs of the people in the state of Illinois,” says Rockford Education Association President Molly Phalen. She was there Tuesday fighting for all school districts in the state, feeling the effects of deep budget cuts. The coalition supports a tax increase   

Responsible Budget Coalition: Don’t Dig a Deeper Hole  Marketwire (press release) – ?So say representatives of the Responsible Budget Coalition, who renewed their call for common-sense revenue reforms at news conferences in eight Illinois …

 Teachers Want “Responsible” Budget Fix   Public News Service  –  The “Responsible Budget Coalition” will be rallying again today in Chicago and downstate for a tax increase to fix the state’s budget … 

Peaceful Revolution:  A Budget That a Mother Could Love  Huffington Post (blog) – … finding ways to generate more revenue like HB 174, a comprehensive tax reform package being championed by the broad-based Responsible Budget Coalition. …   

Illinois agencies call for budget deal
Moline WQAD (ABC) 8 – MOLINE, Illinois – The clock is ticking for Illinois lawmakers to come up with a state budget. It’s a $13 billion financial crisis, but they left Springfield without a deal. Now, service providers are speaking out for a solution.   

Map shows disparities in local property tax across Illinois
Medill News Service – This map of Illinois illustrates how the property tax rates that municipalities rely on to fund schools and local services often vary dramatically from town to town.   

Open season on teachers  So you want to be a teacher? The thought of leading a classroom full of kids is an appealing one to you?   

Elgin teacher pact vote Tuesday
Elgin Courier News – Having reached a tentative agreement with School District U46 earlier this month, the Elgin Teachers Association plans to take the proposal to the full union membership for a vote on Tuesday.  The proposed contract is for the 2010-11 school year. Details will not be released until after the vote by the 2,500-teacher union, according to Tim Davis, president of the Elgin Teachers Association.

ROWVA hires back more teachers
Galesburg Register Mail – The ROWVA District 208 Board of Education hired back four elementary teachers, a full-time P.E. teacher and a half-time music teacher at its meeting Monday. The industrial arts teacher was hired back half-time at ROWVA, but will also be working half-time at Galva.   

More parent outreach ahead for Rockford teachers
Rockford Register – Teachers will be required to take more steps next year to notify parents when a student is in danger of failing a class in the Rockford School District   

District’s insurance costs going up
Alton Telegraph –  had a student tell me that they may miss school to help take care of younger siblings to help avoid the extreme costs of ’school-aged child enrichment,’” said Brenda Powers, president of the Alton Education Association. Powers said families with two children needing before- and after-school care through the YWCA would pay $160 per week.   

Dozens of Illinois School Bus Drivers Lose Permits For Drug and Alcohol Abuse
Chicago WFLD (Fox) 32 – Chicago – It was a story that sent chills down the spines of parents: a Mount Prospect school bus driver arrested for driving drunk on the job. So we did some digging to find out just how often Illinois school bus drivers have lost their permits for abusing alcohol or drugs on the job. 54-year-old Betty Burden is the school bus driver Mt Prospect police arrested two months ago for DUI.   

Rock Falls still says no to Race to the Top: High school declines support of state bid
Dixon Telegraph –  The Rock Falls School Board has again decided against supporting the state’s bid for federal Race to the Top funds. Board members Monday agreed not to sign a memorandum of support, citing concerns about a lack of answers to questions that include how teacher evaluations would be tied to   

United resubmits for ‘Race to the Top’
Quad Cities Dispatch Argus Leader –  “Illinois will likely get funded during the second round, although it remains to be seen whether we as an individual district will see any of this money,” he said. The Race to the Top Money is to be used for a variety of efforts to improve education. In other business, the board approved amended budget figures that saw expenditures rise approximately $500,000.   

U of I expected to raise tuition by 9.5 percent  University of Illinois trustees this week will consider an almost 10 percent increase in tuition and a contract that would pay the school’s new president more than $600,000 a year.   

Poshard expects borrowing bill to be signed soon
Southern Illinoisan – Southern Illinois University President Glenn Poshard said the borrowing bill that has passed the House and Senate will be signed by Gov. Pat Quinn soon and ready for the university to utilize in case of emergency. Poshard expects the bill allowing universities to turn to commercial lending to make up for missing state support   

 5 Vying To Lead Chicago Teachers Union
Chicago WBBH (CBS) 2 – A packed field of five candidates will vie for the presidency of the Chicago teachers Union later this week amid extraordinarily tense times: a record Board of Education deficit, plans to raise class size to 35 and the prospect of salary concessions.

Political News

What lawmakers did, didn’t do this session
Chicago Daily Herald – Although lawmakers skipped town without sending a budget to Gov. Pat Quinn or addressing a $13 billion deficit, hundreds of pieces of legislation swept through – or were sunk by – the General Assembly over the last few months. Lawmakers heralded pension reform   

Gov: Lawmakers will get budget by deadline
Chicago Daily Southtown – Illinois lawmakers are going to cut it close, but Gov. Pat Quinn said he’s confident that legislators will have a budget by the month’s deadline. The Illinois General Assembly adjourned May 7, even though lawmakers have not come to terms on a state    

Quinn reaching out to lawmakers for support on budget
Decatur Herald and Review – SPRINGFIELD – As lawmakers prepare for a likely return to Springfield next week to craft a state budget, Gov. Pat Quinn has been reaching out to Democrats to find votes for the proposals he supports. Democrats have until the end of May to approve a state budget by themselves before they need Republican help.   

Lawmakers Expected to Return to Springfield Next Week
Champaign WCIA (CBS) 3 – Governor Pat Quinn says lawmakers will likely return to the capitol next week to hammer out the final details of a state budget for the next fiscal year.      

State Capitol Q&A: Gaming machines at horse tracks  Last year’s legislative session was the first time in more than a decade that Illinois saw the approval of a capital construction program.   

How can Illinois (aka Greece) climb out of its deep budget hole?
Chicago Now – Tribune columnist Eric Zorn and I debate how Illinois could–if ever–resolve its financial crisis.  To Eric from Dennis:  We have seen Greece, and it is us.  When Greek mobs were rioting over government austerity measures needed to secure sufficient international loans to keep the country afloat, the discussion on CNBC immediately turned to whether the indebtedness contagion would spread to the United States.

Kristina Rasmussen: State can balance budget without tax hike, borrowing
Springfield State Journal Register – For Illinois legislators, it’s a time for choosing. The clock on the regular legislative session is ticking down. When legislators return to Springfield later this month, they’ll be reminded that some choices will be harder than others. How we handle this year’s $4.7 billion budget deficit will continue to be one of the most difficult questions facing state leaders.

GOP candidate for lt. gov. won’t release taxes
Southern Illinoisan –  answer the real issues that voters care about,” Plummer said in a statement. His running mate, Bill Brady, briefly allowed public access to his returns, while Democratic candidates Gov. Pat Quinn and Sheila Simon have provided their returns to The Associated Press. But Plummer and Brady have rebuffed requests to see Plummer’s returns.

Audit finds Blagojevich needlessly used outside attorneys while governor, spread cost among several departments
Decatur Herald and Review – decision to hire outside attorneys was a drain on state coffers. “(T)he same work potentially could have been performed internally by the attorney general for less,” Holland noted. Gov. Pat Quinn, who replaced the ousted Blagojevich in January 2009, has attempted to limit the use of outside counsel. A memo from Quinn’s top lawyer to agencies under the governor’s control issued 

Report rips legal bills Blago ran up as governor
Chicago Sun Times – Unfortunately, Gov. Blagojevich chose to do otherwise,” attorney general spokeswoman Natalie Bauer said, adding that the current administration rarely seeks outside counsel. Gov. Quinn spokeswoman Annie Thompson said that in April 2009, Quinn released a memo to all agencies outlining that “absent exceptional circumstances, the Office of the Attorney General, 

You Paid For It: Blago’s Impeachment Defense
Champaign WCIA (CBS) 3 – all, the governor’s office only paid $21,775 of the total $7.2 million, according to the audit. The audit of the office took place over two years, and includes both Blagojevich and current Gov. Pat Quinn. The Quinn administration claims most, if not all, of the issues listed in the audit happened during the previous administration. A Quinn spokeswoman told WCIA-3 the governor sent out a memo   

Blago Petitions U.S. Supreme Court
NBC Chicago – Attorneys for Rod Blagojevich have filed two petitions with the U.S. Supreme Court, attempting to delay the start of the former governor’s corruption trial until a critical ruling is rendered by the high court within the next six weeks. The petitions, sent by overnight mail, ask the court to order a halt in the proceedings until it rules on the so-called “Honest Services” statute,  

National News  

The Teachers’ Unions’ Last Stand

New York Times – MICHAEL MULGREW is an affable former Brooklyn vocational-high-school teacher who took over last year as head of New York City’s United Federation of Teachers when his predecessor, Randi Weingarten, moved to Washington to run the national American Federation of Teachers. Over breakfast in March, we talked about a movement spreading across the country to hold public-school teachers accountable by compensating, promoting or even removing them according to the results they produce in class, as measured in part by student test scores.

Texas Prohibits Unions Taking PAC Money from Teachers’ Paychecks
Chicago Now – Because the Legislature has not expressly or impliedly authorized school districts to process payroll deductions for contributions to political committees such as TSTA-PAC and NEA-Fund, Texas laws prohibits school districts from processing such contributions. So teachers unions in the Lone Star State will no longer be allowed to forcefully remove money out of teachers’

TIME.com Today’s Top Stories

Incumbents Beware: Primary Voters Send Harsh Message to Both Parties

In quick succession Tuesday night, the jittery inhabitants of Washington’s marble halls found three more reasons to worry about their staying power

Bangkok Siege Ends, But Thailand Faces Deeper Crisis

As Thai troops disperse the protesters who have kept Bangkok in a state of siege for two months, fears grow that the political crisis gripping the country will only deepen

Scientists Escalate Warnings About Gulf Oil Spill

As the oil slick threatens to enter the loop current that curls around Florida and up the East Coast of the U.S., some scientists and federal officials predict increasing harm

Specter, Lincoln, Sestak: The Lessons Learned

Coverage of Tuesday night’s political primaries in several U.S. states. Get more details on The Page

American Idol: Judging the Final Three

In their last American Idol performance before the final, the contestants each call their own tune — and sing tunes chosen by the judges. Who will go home with the bronze medal, and who will advance to the final showdown?

SEC proposes rules to halt another ‘flash crash’
Twelve days after the stock market took a historic plunge that raised fears of another financial crisis, federal officials are still struggling to understand what went wrong even as they offer proposals for how to avoid another “flash crash.”
(By Zachary A. Goldfarb, The Washington Post)

Thai troops advance on protest camp
BANGKOK — After weeks of escalating confrontation, soldiers backed by armored vehicles deployed in force early Wednesday in the center of the Thai capital, moving toward the fortified encampment of anti-government protesters entrenched behind bamboo barricades in this modern Asian metropolis.
(By Andrew Higgins, The Washington Post)

Heavy oil reaches La. marshland
VENICE, LA. — A tide of sludgy oil has begun washing into the fringes of Louisiana’s coastal marshes, officials said Tuesday, as BP continued to siphon some of the oil gushing from a damaged well on the gulf floor but remained days away from trying to cap the leak.
(By David A. Fahrenthold and Joel Achenbach, The Washington Post)

The House Republicans’ Class(lessness) of ‘94
Souder is just one more Republican from the class of ‘94 flouting the values he once touted.
(By Dana Milbank, The Washington Post)

To deflect and serve
To be a waiter working amidst Washington’s powerbrokers means having one’s Social Security number screened weekly if not daily.
(By Robin Givhan, The Washington Post)

Word of the Day for Wednesday, May 19, 2010

habitué \huh-BICH-oo-ey\, noun:

One who frequents a particular place, especially a place offering a specific pleasurable activity.

IEA has issued a “call to action” on legislation awaiting Governor Pat Quinn’s signature.

IEA members are asked to encourage Gov. Quinn to use his amendatory veto power to make changes to HB6065, which would force a school employee to administer insulin to a student. (Download HB 6065 fact sheet)

IEA opposed the bill and worked with the Illinois School Nurses Association (a group affiliated with IEA-NEA) to try to defeat the legislation.

All IEA members are urged to:

1. Call the Statehouse at 217/782-2000 and ask to be connected to the governor’s office.
2. Once connected, please state your name and the school where you work.
3. Ask that the following message be given to the governor:

“I would like the governor to use his amendatory veto to remove the section of House Bill 6065 that requires ‘Delegated Care Aides’ to administer insulin to students.”

“Thank you.”

It is believed that calls from IEA members echoing the message IEA lobbyists and leaders have been delivering on this bill will give the organization the best chance for success.

Please contact IEA Government Relations with any questions.

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 

State News 

 Belvidere middle schoolers protest in Springfield  Seventy Belvidere Central Middle School students went to Springfield on Friday to protest the lack of state payments to Belvidere School District 100. Attending with the backing of parents and support of educators, the students discovered their 12- and 13-year-old voices could be heard, said student Jonathan Coulter.   

District 204 reaches tentative teacher contract agreement
Chicago Daily Herald – Indian Prairie Unit District 204 and its teachers union have reached a tentative agreement on a two-year contract, officials said Monday. District and Indian Prairie Education Association officials would not discuss details of the proposed pact. But sources familiar with the negotiations said the first year of the contract calls for a freeze on all salary   

D204, teachers reach tentative agreement :: Fox Valley Villages Sun :: News
Suburban Chicago News – School District 204 has reached a tentative agreement with its teachers for a new contract. In an e-news message sent to residents Monday afternoon, the Board of Education and the Indian Prairie Education Association announced they reached a tentative agreement on a new two-year contract. District and union officials would not offer specific details of the agreement until they are present  

D204 approves ‘Plan C’ for music
Suburban Chicago News – In a 5-2 vote, the board approved Plan C, which calls for each student involved in instrumental activity to pay a $108 fee to help fund the cost of bringing back some of the music staff members that previously had been laid off. Doing so increases the technique class instruction that was cut under the earlier proposals.   

Tentative U-46 teachers pact keeps salaries flat, increases class sizes
Chicago Daily Herald – The tentative one-year contract for Elgin Area School District U-46 teachers would keep salaries flat and increase both class sizes and case loads. Teachers, according to a PowerPoint presentation on the Elgin teachers’ Association website, would receive no base salary …   

Parents question district’s expenses, results
Alton Telegraph –  Parents are looking for answers as to why students’ test scores are the lowest in the region and yet the East Alton School District’s operating expenses are the highest. “I’m concerned, because teachers are going to be laid off, yet there are no plans to cut administration costs,” said Brendan McKee, a concerned parent.   

School board’s tentative budget has $4.6M deficit
Springfield State Journal Register – Meanwhile, the district has more pressing money matters to attend to. Its projected deficit for the fiscal year that begins July 1 could be worse if state government doesn’t keep education funding at least level with this year, which was propped up with millions of federal stimulus dollars that are no longer available. Although Gov. Pat Quinn has proposed an income tax   

Rockford schools out in cold on state’s vow to pay  Illinois school districts found out last week that millions of dollars promised in fiscal 2002 are finally on the way, although none of it is coming to the Rock River Valley.  The Capital Development Board promised the money as part of school construction in which the state and each district would split the cost of a project.   

State owes Kewanee schools $791,000
Kewanee Star Courier – school breakfast and lunch programs, bilingual services and so on. Sullens noted that the state legislature went home earlier this month without approving a budget. Now, it’s up to Gov. Pat Quinn to come up with a budget, and that might not happen until July. Until then, schools won’t really know where they stand financially, Sullens said.   

District 65 plan outlines 3 financial scenarios, proposed budget cuts
Evanston Daily Northwestern –  about the district’s financial situation despite a looming budget deficit of up to $5.8 million. Several board members praised the administration for its plan for proposed budget cuts at a school board meeting Monday night. “Initially I was very stressed out and worried about this budget when it first hit,” member Andrew Pigozzi said. “Where the budget stands today   

Schools prepare for worst  With the school year winding down in Southern Illinois, many district officials remain unsure of what their financial situation will be when students return in August.  Superintendents across the region are waiting for solid numbers in the state budget to materialize. 

Naperville Dist. 204 fighting to keep payroll tax  The State Journal-Register – ?The Illinois tax code has proved to be too tough for Indian Prairie Unit District 204 and its president, Curt Bradshaw, so officials are going to fight to … 

District 26 may outsource busing
Chicago Daily Herald – may be the next area to feel the effects of the district’s recurring budget deficit. In an effort to balance the district’s budget and get off the state’s financial watch list, the District 26 school board is considering outsourcing transportation. Because the bids have not come back yet, no estimate is available on how much the district could save by hiring a company to bus the district’s   

Let’s hear alternatives to voucher plan  By The Pantagraph Editorial Board  – Legislators who voted against a bill to provide vouchers for students in the worst of Chicago’s public schools cited a variety of reasons for their negative votes. In the end, the voucher plan had too much going against it. Teachers unions were against what they saw as a threat to their jobs. Downstate residents were against what they saw as a gift to Chicago that left out their children.   

High school hoops team wants out of national immigration debate  The heated debate over a decision not to allow an Illinois high school basketball team to play at a tournament in Arizona is cooling off with word that the girls are going to Florida instead.   

5 vying to lead Chicago teachers
Chicago Sun Times – A packed field of five candidates will vie for the presidency of the Chicago teachers Union later this week amid extraordinarily tense times: a record Board of Education deficit, plans to raise class size to 35 and the prospect of salary concessions. 

Salutes in order as regional education office abolished
Chicago Daily Southtown – That’s why it was with particular pride that the SouthtownStar watched as the Suburban Cook County Regional Office of Education was eliminated this week. The now-defunct office oversaw, in theory, teacher certifications, bus driver training, background checks and other services for 144 school districts in suburban Cook County.  

Cure could be worse than illness
Champaign News Gazette – Unfortunately, legislators’ proposed cure ultimately may make things worse.  Both the Senate and House passed by overwhelming margins a bill authorizing universities to borrow money to help pay operating costs.  Noting the irony, state Sen. Matt Murphy, a Republican from the suburbs, spoke out vehemently against the measure.  “Here we are with a ticking time bomb, once again. And what’s the solution? Borrow more money,” he said. 

Loans may help SIUE meet payroll
Belleville News-Democrat – A bill on Gov. Pat Quinn’s desk may solve SIUE’s problems meeting payroll, but at a cost.  Last week, the state legislature approved a bill that Southern Illinois University President Glenn Poshard lobbied for,   

Gov. Quinn at Harper graduation ceremony:  Chicago Daily Herald – ? Pat Quinn will deliver the commencement address at the Harper College graduation ceremony, at 2 pm Sunday, May 23 on the college’s main campus in Palatine. …

Political News

Quinn foresees fast budget work in Springfield
Quad Cities Dispatch Argus Leader – SPRINGFIELD – Illinois lawmakers are going to cut it close, but Gov. Pat Quinn said he’s confident they will have a budget by this month’s deadline. The Illinois General Assembly adjourned May 7 without coming to terms on a state spending plan. On Monday, Quinn said  

What’s Left To Debate In Springfield?  Progress Illinois (blog) –   Yesterday, we offered a glimpse of what’s in store for lawmakers when they reconvene next week to hash out a state budget deal. The state’s spending plan, however, isn’t the only issue left on the docket. Both chambers still have some important bills to consider and Gov. Pat Quinn has to decide whether or not to sign some of the big-ticket items that the General Assembly has already passed. Here are a few things to keep an eye on:   

A taxing debate in the Rhubarb Patch: Where does Illinois go from here?  We have seen Greece, and it is us.  When Greek mobs were rioting over government austerity measures needed to secure sufficient international loans to keep the country afloat, the discussion on CNBC immediately turned to whether the indebtedness contagion would spread to the United States.   

Quinn blames prison board for early releases
Springfield State Journal Register – Gov. Pat Quinn criticized the Prisoner Review Board over the weekend for the early release of a man now charged with murder, but he ignored a vital fact: While he says the board should have ordered   

CAPITOL FACTS: Brady TV on the air
Streator Times-Press – labor unions, which give lots of campaign cash. If he hadn’t backed House Speaker Michael Madigan’s pension reform plan and stuck to the Senate Democrats’ negotiations with the Illinois Federation of teachers instead, he almost assuredly would’ve had the money to be up on the air right now. But those unions are in no mood to give. You can almost sense the panic with the governor,   

Brady begins Chicago campaign assault
Quad Cities Dispatch Argus –  The Republican state senator from Bloomington is taking to the broadcast and cable airwaves to let Chicagoland residents know his plan for Illinois’ economy. The 30-second spot blasts Gov. Pat Quinn’s “big government policies” and takes aim at his proposed 33 percent income tax increase. “(Quinn) thinks government growth is more important than ours,” Brady says   

Giannoulias pushes to end ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’  CHICAGO — Democrat Alexi Giannoulias, who’s running for President Barack Obama’s old Senate seat, launched a petition drive Monday to repeal the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy for gays in the military.   

Blagojevich jurors will be anonymous, says judge
Crains Chicago Business –  was convicted in June 2008 of fraud, money laundering and bribery in connection with an alleged $7 million scheme to shake down a contractor and money managers seeking to do business with a state teachers pension fund. His sentencing has been postponed indefinitely.   

State audit raps Blagojevich for legal costs  A new report from the state auditor general’s office says former Gov. Rod Blagojevich spent millions to hire outside lawyers, often without seeking bids for the best price. He also charged the legal costs to other state agencies instead of the governor’s office.   

Blagojevich knew Rezko was talking, feds say  CHICAGO — Prosecutors say former Gov. Rod Blagojevich considered naming himself to President Barack Obama’s former Senate seat because he knew convicted fixer Tony Rezko was talking and believed he could find himself under indictment as a result. 

Our View: Organ donation shouldn’t be a state mandate
DeKalb Daily Chronicle – We do not support a bill filed in the state General Assembly that would require Illinoisans to prove that they do not wish to be organ donors. If the bill becomes law, the legislation would mandate that everyone in Illinois is an organ donor upon their death unless they decide to opt out. While well-intentioned, this legislation goes beyond anything that government should mandate.

National News

White House Blog: Time for Bold Action to Save Teachers‘ Jobs

?(Melody Barnes, News, National)

“As the President has said, we live in a global economy where the greatest job qualification isn’t what you can do but what you know.  Our teachers are vital to our nation’s success and if we don’t act now and act boldly, we will not only endanger the future of tens of millions of students but threaten to undermine the recovery of our economy.”

New York Times: The Teachers‘ Unions’ Last Stand

(Steven Brill, Op-Ed, National)

“Michael Mulgrew is an affable former Brooklyn vocational-high-school teacher who took over last year as head of New York City’s United Federation of Teachers when his predecessor, Randi Weingarten, moved to Washington to run the national American Federation of Teachers. Over breakfast in March, we talked about a movement spreading across the country to hold public-school teachers accountable by compensating, promoting or even removing them according to the results they produce in class, as measured in part by student test scores.”

Washington Post: Study says more students struggling with reading at end of pivotal

(Michael Alison Chandler, Ed Blog, National)

“Nearly two-thirds of students in Virginia and Maryland do not read proficiently by the time they finish third grade, a pivotal milestone when material becomes more complex and children are more likely to slip behind, according to a national report released Tuesday.”

The New York Post: Bill raps the cap

(Carl Campanile, News, New York)

“Ratcheting up the pressure on Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, former President Bill Clinton yesterday urged the state Assembly to pass legislation to lift the cap on charter schools.”

TIME.com Today’s Top Stories

Primary Tuesday: Sending the Bums the Right Message

Nothing has the potential to cleanse the body politic as fully as the sacking of incumbents and establishment favorites

Some Success in the Gulf — and Trouble in Washington

On Sunday, BP managed to thread a mile-long tube into the broken oil pipe in the Gulf of Mexico to siphon about 1,000 barrels of oil a day to a drilling ship. But criticism continues to build against the oil company — and in Washington

A Sunni Awakening: Not So Easy in Afghanistan

An attempt to use an Iraqi solution to insurgency backfires when members of a tribe receiving U.S. funding start shooting at each other

Cell Phones and Cancer: a Study’s Muddled Findings

Do cell phones cause brain cancer? A long-awaited study of cancer risk and cell-phone use poses more questions than it answers

White Dog Rising: Moonshine’s Moment

Artisanal moonshine is the liquor of the moment for the same reason absinthe was a few years ago. Because it’s delicious. Because it’s illegal. And because it’s cool 

In primaries, a bellwether for November
Tuesday’s crucial primary elections in Pennsylvania, Kentucky and Arkansas have drawn extraordinary attention from politicians and strategists in both parties who are eager to read an unsettled electorate.
(By Dan Balz, The Washington Post)

The euro may keep falling even if debt crisis subsides
LONDON — The once-mighty euro, which briefly plunged to a four-year low against the dollar on Monday, may be doomed to keep falling whether or not European leaders can contain the region’s roiling debt crisis.
(By Anthony Faiola, The Washington Post)

Increase in health tests, procedures is raising costs in frugal Utah
PROVO, UTAH — If there is any place that should have medical spending under control, this is it. Residents of Provo, many of them Mormons who don’t smoke or drink, are among the healthiest in the country. The city’s biggest hospital is run by Intermountain Healthcare, which President Obama has l…
(By Jordan Rau, The Washington Post)

Justices restrict life terms for youths
Juveniles may not be sentenced to life in prison without parole for any crime short of homicide, the Supreme Court ruled yesterday, expanding its command that young offenders must be treated differently from adults even for heinous crimes.
(By Robert Barnes, The Washington Post)

The oil rig’s forgotten few
EUNICE, LA. — Keith Jones lingered outside the imposing doors of St. Anthony’s Catholic Church debating whether to step into the memorial service inside. Earlier, back at the funeral home, Jones had introduced himself to the family of Blair Manuel, one of the 11 victims of the oil rig explosion…
(By Lonnae O’Neal Parker, The Washington Post)

 

Word of the Day for Tuesday, May 18, 2010

tipple \TIP-uhl\, verb:

1. To drink intoxicating liquor, esp. habitually or to some excess.
2. To drink (intoxicating liquor), esp. repeatedly, in small quantities.

noun:
1. Intoxicating liquor.
2. A device that tilts or overturns a freight car to dump its contents.

The Illinois General Assembly must return to Springfield this month and pass a budget that meets the needs of all Illinoisans.

That message was delivered today at events held in Chicago, Rockford, Moline, Peoria, Quincy, Decatur, East St. Louis and Vienna, by the Responsible Budget coalition (RBC), which includes education employees, state employees and agencies that provide assistance to children, senior citizens and the mentally ill.

RBC representatives met with reporters in an effort to ensure that everyone understands what is at stake if lawmakers fail to pass a responsible budget, that is, that one that includes adequate revenue for education and state services.  Lawmakers have been considering budgets that lack revenue needed to meet the needs of all Illinoisans.  RBC is urging passage of HB 174, tax reform legislation that would increase the income tax and allow the state to stop digging the $13 billion revenue hole caused by failing to increase revenue to meet expenses.

IEA Vice president Bob Blade, speaking at the RBC event in Chicago, said current budget proposals, which would cut more than $1 billion from education, would result in thousands of education employee layoffs, larger class sizes and a significant reduction in education quality.

“Schools are reducing or deleting extracurricular activities, activities which are the magnet for attracting and keeping some students in school,” Blade said.

“Pk-12 school students are not the only ones being hurt by the current economic climate; recently one community college system laid off almost 20% of their staff which will increase college class sizes this fall.  Institutions of higher learning are raising tuition, pricing some students out of the ability to attain a higher education, at a point in our economic history where higher education is more important to the state’s economic development than ever before,” he added.

RBC member organizations, including IEA, are urging their members to contact their state legislators and tell them to pass a budget that includes adequate revenue to fund education and state services.

Take action

IEA members can contact their legislators through the IEA Website.

AARP has made available a toll-free telephone number that allows people to call their state legislators directly, urging their approval of a responsible budget with adequate revenues. That number is 800-719-3020.

For more information, visit the coalition at www.abetterillinois.com.

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.  

State News  

Most District 205 teacher applicants worked there before
Rockford WREX (NBC) – Most of the people applying for District 205 used to work there. Rockford Education Association President Molly Phalen thinks about 400 people have applied for teaching positions with the district.  She says while some are from other districts, a vast majority

2 dozen Illinois school districts to get long-awaited construction funds
Chicago WGN (WB) 9 – The money was earmarked in 2002, but budget issues and political maneuvering kept it from being doled out. Gov. Pat Quinn’s administration made the decision to finally distribute the money without comment. In Du Quoin, the money will help pay for a new high school, while in Johnston City the $500,000  

District 186 struggles to divvy up funds to low-income schools  The Springfield School District expects to receive at least $5.8 million in federal Title I funds for low-income schools next year. But dividing up the ever-changing annual allocation is getting more difficult.  

Schools dealing with budgets: Responses range from layoffs to cuts to business as usual
Dixon Telegraph –  is so bad right now that Whiteside County’s top education official has asked his bank for a business loan application. The state is $425,000 behind on a promised $1.4 million in education funding to the Whiteside County Regional Office of Education. That’s 30 percent of Gary Steinert’s budget, and there’s a chance he won’t be able to make payroll   

Pay freezes OK’d by board
Lincoln-Way Sun – the 2010-11 school year in an effort to compensate for lost education funding from the state. The state owes the district $6.3 million, according to Wyllie. The administration also had asked the teachers union to accept a freeze but the union refused. The Lincoln-Way Education Association, which represents 480 teachers, signed a three-year contract in September.   

New principal for Plainfield school
Joliet Herald News – Sorg’s salary will be $85,302, including benefits. Sorg will replace Donald McKinney, who is resigning at the end of this school year. Sorg began his education career as a third grade teacher at Wesmere Elementary School, serving from 2001-2005. He then was named assistant principal at Creekside Elementary School in 2005. He was one of 10 candidates considered

Five more years and salary cut approved for Siebert
Harrisburg Daily Register –  But I think I need to set an example as superintendent since we’re in tough times with negotiations,” Siebert said. The board is in negotiations with the Eldorado Education Association and the Teamsters Union. Siebert said there are differences between the groups, but said the negotiations remain civil. 

Saluting excellence in the classroom
Chicago Daily Herald Editorial –  Few would disagree that these are tough times for education in Illinois. Thousands of teachers have been laid off in recent weeks as area school districts trim expenses amid the state’s threatened $1.3 billion cut in education funding for the coming academic year.  

Teachers are pension scapegoats
Chicago Daily Herald – Letter – other things like the state did, and the bank would accept that? Of course not. Can you imagine what your current balance would be? This is what the state has done, and now wants to blame it on the teachers, saying their pensions are exorbitant. Had the state made its legal payments into the fund, there wouldn’t be a problem today. Remember, the teachers paid 10 percent of their salary into  

Hogan very excited for opportunity as new UI president
Champaign News Gazette – the table to help restore trust and integrity? I have a lot of experience in academic administration. I also think I have, forgive me for saying so, a very strong background as an award-winning teacher, an award-winning scholar. Those are the two things universities are supposed to be all about, teaching and learning, research and discovery.  

Incoming U. of I. president gets nod from Quinn WBBM Reporting
Chicago WBBM 780 Radio –  The University of Illinois board of trustees is slated to approve a new president this week and Governor Pat Quinn is giving his approval to their pick. Quinn replaced seven of the nine trustees who have chosen Michael Hogan as U of I’s new president. The governor asked for the resignation of the board   

CPS Budget Cuts in One Small School
Chicago Now – As it stands, in the proposed budget for the next year, the state of Illinois plans cut $1.3 billion dollars in funding for education. In Chicago, that means a $368 million dollar cut to the Chicago Public School system. Statewide the jobs of 30,000 teachers will be eliminated, in Chicago 2,700 teachers will be without jobs this September. As proposed by Governor Quinn and itemized by Ron Huberman   

Gov. to abolish regional schools office
Chicago Daily Southtown – Gov. Pat Quinn is expected today to sign into law legislation that abolishes the scandal-plagued Suburban Cook County Regional Office of Education. Quinn is scheduled to sign the measure   

Money woes and SIU
Belleville News-Democrat – The good news for Southern Illinois University Edwardsville students is that tuition is not going up. The bad news is that fees are. The bottom line is that students soon will pay more for their education.  A primary reason is that the state is paying less. SIUE’s allocation is expected to be 7.8 percent less next fiscal year than this.     

A race, or a crawl?  Chicago Tribune Editorial – Second-round applications for Race to the Top, the $4.35 billion challenge grant program that is the…

Political News

Illinois lawmakers assess their session
Peoria Journal Star – Even though the Illinois General Assembly has yet to decide how to deal with a $13 billion budget deficit, area lawmakers were able to get some of their proposals approved during the legislature’s spring session. Here’s what they had to say about the measures that made it through, and those that didn’t.   

State lawmakers beginning to agree on one thing
Southern – Michael Boland told us. “I think we haven’t met our obligations. I think we’ve pushed off things into the future.” For years, Boland, an East Moline Democrat, has aligned himself with Gov. Pat Quinn, casting himself, like Quinn, as a populist fighting for the little guy. His views on Quinn, however, have changed. “I would have hoped that Gov. Quinn would have been more of a leader,”   

Statehouse Insider: Quinn’s ‘answers’ tend to meander
Springfield State Journal Register – A while ago, a reporter based in the Capitol who covers Gov. PAT Quinn observed that Quinn doesn’t answer questions so much as he filibusters. Case in point occurred last week, when Quinn was fielding questions about the state budget impasse and what 

Bill Brady Launches First TV Ad In Chicago
Chicago WBBH (CBS) 2 – his first ad of the general election campaign Friday. His campaign says it will air on broadcast and cable TV in the Chicago area. In the 30-second spot, Brady blasts Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn for wanting to raise the state income tax. He says Quinn wants to “feed big government.” Quinn maintains Illinois needs the money for education because the state faces a $13 billion deficit   

Edgar knows what it will take to fix state mess
Bloomington Pantagraph – Editorial – Gov. Jim Edgar seems to be among the few voices of reason concerning our state’s finances. During a recent appearance in the Twin Cities, Edgar said the plans offered by incumbent Gov. Pat Quinn and his Republican challenger, state Sen. Bill Brady of Bloomington, fall short. Edgar said it will probably take a combination of spending cuts and a tax increase to get the state out   

Lawmakers must return, finish the job
Chicago Daily Herald –  Stop gap measures will not provide for those who depend on state services and keep them from falling through the cracks. Stop gap measures will not give local governments and schools the funds they need to do their jobs. Stop gap measures will not address the $13 billion deficit. The borrowing and other measures the Emergency Budget Act proposes will only worsen   

Pick your pension poison
Chicago Tribune – When lawmakers return to Springfield to finish the budget later this month, they’ll be greeted by the same major holdup that caused them to head home in frustration last week — how to make a nearly $4 billion state worker pension payment.   

Police, firefighters may be next for pension changes
Arlington Heights Daily Herald –  But negotiations called for cutting that in half to match the members’ contribution at about 10 percent. Earlier this spring, state lawmakers set new limits on pensions for teachers, state and university workers, judges and lawmakers, and raised the retirement age to 67, but cops and firefighters were left out in part to avoid having 67-year-olds in such active jobs.   

Simon, Madigan like their partys chances in election
Champaign News Gazette – URBANA – This could be a tough year for Democrats, party candidates acknowledged Sunday, but there’s still time to overcome the bleak outlook. About 200 Democrats attended the local party’s spring dinner, headlined by Attorney General Lisa Madigan and lieutenant governor candidate Sheila Simon, at Kennedy’s at Stone Creek   

Brady’s ’semantics’ on ‘across the board’
Chicago Tribune –  And that you don’t know what “semantics” means. In that same interview, Brady made seven references to indicted former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, each one adjacent to the name of current Gov. Pat Quinn, Brady’s Democratic opponent in November. Brady spoke of “Blagojevich/Quinn appointees,” complained that “Quinn and Blagojevich have racked up in excess of $10 billion in unpaid bills and short

Enough with ’semantics’; give detailed plan
Bloomington Pantagraph – Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Brady should stop trying to explain away the “semantics” of when a call for a 10 percent across-the-board cut isn’t a call for a 10 percent across-the-board cut. Instead, the state senator from Bloomington should get specific — real specific — about where he thinks the 10 percent cut in state spending should be made. 

Springfield’s lost boys  Chicago Tribune Editorial – The real Illinois fiasco isn’t that legislators have failed to pass a budget. The real fiasco is…

Other Views: Stop delaying and start leading in Springfield
Rockford Register Star Editorial – a complex, cobbled-together spending blueprint in the dead of night, fully analyzed and understood by virtually nobody. It cut around $2 billion off last year’s budget, again leaving Gov. Pat Quinn the power to decide where the cuts would come. … The remaining $11 billion gap would be dealt with — certainly not solved, not by a long stretch — through massive borrowing,   

Lawmakers’ job still not done; we shouldn’t be home
Elgin Courier News – In ancient Sparta, Spartan mothers commanded their soldier sons, “Come home victorious, or come home on your shield.” This was the old version of the British Empire’s declaration, “Victory or death.” The modern Illinois version of this refrain was contained in hundreds of recent e-mails, letters and calls to my office from recently concerned Illinois constituents. Citizens and editorial boards warned, “Don’t leave Springfield until you produce a responsible balanced budget!”   

GUEST EDITORIAL: State Budget: Too Much Power At Top
Hillsboro Journal News – One of the things that became crystal clear during the Illinois Senate’s debate over a new state budget was that the Democratic legislative leaders have completely broken the budget-making process.It’s no big secret that more and more power has been concentrated into the hands of the leaders, the House Speaker and the Senate President.   

Scott Lee Cohen: Top Democrat threatened me CHICAGO (STMW)
Chicago WBBM 780 Radio – They would make something up to put me in jail. They did not want me on that ticket,” Cohen said. No, it was not party Chairman Michael Madigan or Gov. Quinn, he said. After Cohen’s victory in the Democratic primary, allegations surfaced that the pawnbroker held a knife to the throat of an ex-girlfriend, allegations he denied but that made Democrats   

Giannoulias poll shows him even with Kirk
Chicago Sun Times – A poll taken by Alexi Giannoulias’ Democratic Illinois Senate campaign last week shows Giannoulias even with GOP rival Rep. Mark Kirk, making up for ground lost after the failure of the Giannoulias family-owned Broadway Bank. Giannoulias, the state treasurer, is even with Kirk, according to his campaign pollsters, Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research.   

Legislators are pretty unhappy, too
Decatur Herald and Review – Before legislative leaders abruptly adjourned May 7, we surveyed a number of lawmakers for their thoughts on how the 2010 spring legislative session had turned out. The frustration was pretty evident. “I think it’s been really terrible, to tell you the truth,” state Rep. Michael Boland told us. “I think we haven’t met our obligations. I think we’ve pushed off things into the future.”   

Gov. Candidate Brady on Highland Park School Arizona Boycott
Chicago Now – Gubernatorial candidate Bill Brady was cornered by NBC Chicago News and asked his reaction to the shameful misuse of power by the Highland Park schools that last week announced that they were banning a girls basketball team from attending a tournament in Arizona. His first comment was a good one, one I’d like to see more often from our politicians  

Blago’s Lawyers Expected to Release List of Tapes
Chicago WFLD (Fox) 32 – Chicago – The Blagojevich corruption case is back in court Monday. The former governor’s legal team is expected to give the court a list of which tapes they want played in court. Meanwhile, Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-Chicago) is the latest person to be subpoenaed in the case. According to a criminal complaint, Blagojevich tried to shop President Obama’s senate seat to Jackson.

National News

 

School that fired all teachers to rehire them – Education
WMAQ-TV (MSNBC ) –  and it opted for the mass firings after a breakdown in talks with teachers about other reforms that would have required more work, some without extra pay. Obama, during a national address on education in March, said the firings were an example of the need for accountability over student performance. “So if a school is struggling, we have to work with the principal and the teachers

 Bad teachers a touchy subject in W.Va. education debate
Daily Mail – Charleston
The West Virginia Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers-West Virginia, have each appealed to the Legislature as the special session …

 Madison teachers agree to a salary freeze for coming school year
Madison Eagle – … the negotiations between the Board of Education and Madison Education Association (MEA), the teachers’ union, regarding the next school year’s contract. …

TIME.com Today’s Top Stories

 

Both Dems and the GOP Could Suffer a Primary Backlash

The Tea Party may be wreaking havoc with the best-laid plans of the Republican leadership, but many Democrat incumbents are also under fire from challengers angry at Obama

 

Mexico Shaken by Abduction and Feared Murder of Top Politician

Diego Fernandez de Cevallos, a leading figure in Mexico’s ruling party, disappeared last Friday, leaving the violence-battered country’s political establishment in shock

 

How Britain’s New Coalition Will Govern on Key Issues

Compromise will be the key to determining how the new Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition will answer major policy questions

 

Financial Reform Inevitable? Don’t Bank on It

In a bill this complex, with this many moving parts, the litany of potential financial-reform deal killers is virtually endless

 

Study: A Link Between Pesticides and ADHD

A new study by American and Canadian researchers associates exposure to pesticides to the rising rates of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in children

In the gulf, a gusher of lawsuits
On April 21, with the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig still in flames, John W. Degravelles and a group of other lawyers sued for damages. In the first of at least 88 suits filed since the disaster, they were seeking compensation for the widow of a Transocean worker who went missing and is presumed…
(By Steven Mufson and Juliet Eilperin, The Washington Post)

With Solar Valley, China takes bold step on energy
DEZHOU, CHINA — Uprooting the last traces of rural life on the edge of this northern Chinese city, laborers with chain saws spent a recent morning cutting down trees to make way for a hulking factory. A big red banner trumpeted the future for what used to be farmland: “The Biggest Solar Energy…
(By Andrew Higgins, The Washington Post)

‘This has the potential to work’
NARAY, AFGHANISTAN — Last November, Lt. Col. Robert B. Brown received an enticing offer from a mysterious enemy.
(By Greg Jaffe, The Washington Post)

Financial overhaul’s approval likely
The Senate this week could hand President Obama his second major legislative victory of the year, both on administration priorities that seemed in doubt not long ago.
(By Brady Dennis, The Washington Post)

Iran to ship uranium to Turkey in nuclear deal
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran has agreed to ship much of its enriched uranium to Turkey in a nuclear fuel swap deal reached with the help of mediation from Brazil and Turkey.

Word of the Day for Monday, May 17, 2010

majuscule \MAJ-uh-skyool\, adjective:

1. Of letters written either as capitals or uncials.

noun:
1. A large letter, either capital or uncial, used in writing or printing.

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.    

Entire Daily Herald Series – PENSION CRISIS  Illinois teacher pension system in debate

 Part I

• Pensions for 131 school retirees top $150,000 each annually [04/25/10]
• Pension crisis took decades to create, one day to ‘fix’ [04/25/10]
• Financial problems not unique to the teacher pension fund [04/25/10]
• Editorial: Springfield’s costly and broken pension promise [04/25/10]

Part II

• The hidden cost of inflated pensions: Schools forced to pay up [04/26/10]
• Editorial: School boards part of pension problem [04/26/10]
• Guest opinion: ‘We may soon pass the tipping point,’ civic organizer says [04/28/10]
• Guest opinion: ‘Stop looking for scapegoats,’ teachers representative says [04/28/10]

Part III

• Pension argument pits ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’ [04/27/10]
• Editorial: Now is time for resolve, reason [04/27/10]

Part IV

• Ideas on how to fix the pension crisis [04/27/10]
• Editorial: First steps to solve pension crisis [04/27/10]

Related data

• Average teacher and administrator salaries
• Highest pensions paid in Illinois for public school administrators and teachers

 

State News  

Vouchers for CPS students advances in House
Chicago Tribune (blog) – Jim Reed, spokesman for the Illinois Education Association, said today the bill violates the Illinois Constitution by giving state money to private schools, … 

LeRoy teachers approve 3-year contract
Bloomington Pantagraph – LeROY — The LeRoy Education Association has approved a three-year contract, which would go into effect on July 1 if the LeRoy school board ratifies it May 10. 

U46 one step away from $20+ million
Elgin Courier News – “Absolutely.” “We’re very upbeat; we’re very positive,” he continued. “This is relief.” Farnham echoed similar sentiments and added that it brings the state one step closer to reforming education funding. The Illinois State Board of Education, as well as many legislators, “wanted a global fix, but they see it as a step in that direction,” Farnham explained. 

Is District 300 cutting too much?
Arlington Heights Daily Herald – 300 have publicly questioned whether the district is aiming for the right target. As I’ve reported, the district is trying to trim $15 million from its 2010-11 budget. This goal is based on Gov. Pat Quinn’s budget proposal, which most see as a transparent gambit to pass a tax increase by placing a disproportionate burden of state cuts on public schools. 

Late state payments force District 200 to borrow
Chicago Daily Herald – With the state owing it more than $6 million, Wheaton Warrenville Unit District 200 must do something it hasn’t done in a long time: borrow money to pay its bills. District 200 school board members on Wednesday agreed to take out $6 million in tax-anticipation warrants, essentially using future revenue to pay for expenditures in the month of May. 

Special education payments lagging behind
Peoria Journal Star – Already struggling school districts now are being asked to foot the financial responsibilities for their special education students. Special Education Association of Peoria County, the special education cooperative that serves some 2,500 students countywide, hasn’t seen a dime from the state for mandated special education services 

Bill would cut tuition on extra college years
Chicago WBBM 780 Radio – A bill now on Gov. Pat Quinn’s desk would give a tuition break to students at public universities who spend a fifth or sixth year working on bachelor’s degrees. The Illinois House approved the bill 66-42 on Wednesday. 

Des Plaines teacher wins hero award
Chicago Tribune –  More than 9,000 people have won the Hero Award since its inception in 1904 — including, last year, Elgin High School teacher Walter “Mike” Gannon, who came to the rescue of colleague Carolyn Gilbert when she was stabbed by a student in January 2008. The Carnegie Hero Commission has distributed more than $32 million 

High school to give students laptops
Arlington Heights Daily Herald – balance, and using technology as an enhancement,” said U High Principal Jeff Hill. “It’s not technology for technology’s sake.” “We’re not taking away Homer’s ‘Odyssey’ or calculus. This just allows teachers to expand teaching,” said Dean. Kurz pointed to math teachers using plug-in writing tablets for student calculations; foreign language teachers using the technology to converse with students 

Meridian considers $40 million in school improvements
Decatur Herald and Review – school construction grant program, for which the district applied for several years ago; bonds, which could provide $1.3 million; and a referendum to cover the remaining $9 million. Decatur’s school board passed a resolution Tuesday to ask the county board to put a sales tax increase on November’s ballot. The work could be done in phases, so that selling bonds 

Unit 5 eyes earlier school starts
Bloomington Pantagraph –  “We’ve lived through the storm. We’ve not as late now as we were at the beginning,” said Wes Caldwell, transportation supervisor for the Normal-based district. school board President Meta Mickens-Baker said she still sees a problem, noting that children miss out on learning when they are regularly late to class. Board members asked for information on whether 

Saluting new group of Master Teachers
Quad Cities Dispatch Argus Leader – Added together, the 12 educators being recognized tonight as Master teachers by The Dispatch and The Rock Island Argus have taught kids for more than 226 years. It also raises the number of teachers recognized by the newspapers for educational excellence to 330. 

Sterling School Board wants Illinois to stay in Race
Dixon Telegraph – bid to win up to $400 million in funding in the second round of the federal government’s Race to the Top initiative. The Department of Education program provides money to improve schools, teacher evaluations and student assessments. The federal grant aims to improve students’ learning skills and prepare them for the workplace. 

Teacher tenure a worn out tradition?
Daily – Tenure is being pulled into question in many states as to whether it is necessary or if teachers can feel safe in their position without it. Colorado, Florida and Washington D.C. are looking to eliminate tenure for teachers. Washington, Maryland and Ohio are working to extend 

A new dorm on the horizon for NIU
DeKalb Daily – a “cluster” complex with an arrangement similar to the Northern View Community. Built in 2007, Northern View is for undergraduate students who are at least two years out of high school, graduate students, law students, or any student who has a dependent, partner or spouse. Northern View was also built by a private company but is managed by the university.

Political News  

State senate pushes for $1 per pack cigarette tax hike to pay for education
Decatur Herald and Review – the Illinois Senate are calling on their colleagues in the House to approve a $1 per pack boost in the state cigarette tax. The move, they say, would help raise money to offset Gov. Pat Quinn’s proposed cuts to local school districts. In a statement, Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago, acknowledged that a cigarette tax hike would be a short-term fix for the state’s 

House Democrats polling members on budget options
Springfield State Journal Register – extensive emergency powers for more control over how money is spent in the next budget. With adjournment looming on May 7, Democrats also are asking where cuts should be made while sparing education funding. They also want to gauge support for a series of smaller tax hikes (like a cigarette tax increase), but not the income tax increase sought by Quinn. 

Plan to let schools bypass voters on building projects clears the legislature
Chicago Tribune – a bill that will make it easier for school districts to sidestep referendums and use working cash bonds for building projects. The bill had passed the House in March and now goes to Gov. Pat Quinn for his consideration. If signed into law, the bill will permit school districts to transfer working cash bond money to any school fund. Critics have said the legislation will make it easier 

Brady: Democrats have failed Illinois  The State Journal-Register – “Do we want to continue kicking the can down the road, follow Governor Quinn’s plan to raise revenues by increasing your tax rate, building a bigger, … 

Brady blasts Quinn over state’s fiscal woes
Streator Times-Press – the legislative session looming and few substantial budget solutions in the works, GOP candidate for governor Bill Brady used the state’s problems to launch a series of political attacks on Gov. Pat Quinn. Talking to local Republican supporters, the Bloomington state senator said Quinn was out of touch with Illinois voters. “When you’re criticized by Gov. Quinn for not having the courage 

Evaluation shield bill goes to governor
Springfield State Journal Register – have a right to know about the public employees and the about the work that they do,” said Dennis DeRossett, executive director of the organization. The organization will ask Gov. Pat Quinn to veto the measure. Quinn spokeswoman Annie Thompson said the governor will review the measure, while noting he’s an advocate for open government. 

Chipping away at law that helps the public
Chicago Daily Southtown –  threaten to scuttle a bill that would bring Illinois millions of dollars in federal money for education if they don’t get what they want. So the Legislature says the performance evaluations of teachers, principals and school superintendents no longer are covered by the Freedom of Information law. Well, every other government employee now wants the same type of protection. 

Senate passes FOIA changes
Crystal Lake Northwest –  the General Assembly weeks after the new FOIA took effect, which exempted performance evaluations of teachers and school administrators so Illinois could compete for federal Race to the Top education funding. Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, with the help of public watchdog and news media groups, drafted a new FOIA last year to replace one that critics long have accused of being 

State lawmakers cloud over sunshine laws
Arlington Heights Daily Herald – Lawmakers sent Gov. Pat Quinn a sweeping change to the state’s open records law that would keep all public sector employees’ performance evaluations secret. The vote was 45-9 with one member voting “present.” Local senators 

They’re hiding key records from you
Arlington Heights Daily Herald Editorial – A strong majority of Illinois senators, including many from our suburbs, sent Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn a bill Thursday that would make it much more difficult for taxpayers to evaluate the public employees whose salaries they fund. 

Redistricting Not In The Cards For State Chicagoist –  Quinn broke party ranks on the issue, saying, “I’m not excited about that. It’s awfully complicated. I’m not sure it’s a reform or not, to be honest. … 

Democrat remap plan fails in Ill. House
Chicago Daily Southtown – the Legislature more power to draw the political map. Republicans say lawmakers shouldn’t draw their own districts. They want an independent commission to handle redistricting. Earlier, Gov. Pat Quinn threw cold water on the Democratic plan. At an appearance in Glenview on Thursday, the Democratic governor said he’s not sure the plan amounts to real reform. 

House rejects Dem redistricting plan; Fair Map petition dropped
Springfield State Journal Register –  it should be the electors choosing the legislators,” he said. House Minority Leader Tom Cross, R-Oswego, said the measure was a step backwards. Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn even said Thursday he wasn’t sure the Democratic measure was true reform. Cross said Quinn’s opposition “speaks volumes” about allowing legislators to draw their 

Governor wants retirees to share larger burden of financial problems
Decatur Herald and Review – wouldn’t be necessary for me – the state had me covered for health insurance. I believed what I was told and later retired with no Social Security or Medicare. Fast forward some 48 years. Governor Quinn now wants to renege on those long past promises. He now says the state can’t afford health insurance for its retirees. He also says those retirees not eligible for Medicare must start paying up 

Blagojevich case back in court on defense motions
Arlington Heights Daily Herald – Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s lawyers are headed back to court with just over a month before his corruption trial is due to get under way and a number of issues still undecided — including whether the judge will issue a subpoena for President Barack Obama. Federal Judge James Zagel who is to preside over the Blagojevich trial may have something to say about the request for the Obama subpoena 

National News

 

TIME.com Today’s Top Stories

 

Worst Case Scenario: Fighting the Spreading Gulf Oil Spill

The spreading oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico threatens major environmental and economic disaster as it moves toward shore

 

Arizona Law Enforcement Split on Immigration Crackdown

The controversial new law has divided the police as it has the rest of the population

 

China’s Alarming Spate of School Knifings

Violent crime is rare in the People’s Republic because of a ban on guns but that has not stopped a recent string of assaults on children

 

Behind Crist’s Exit From the GOP: The Hand of Jeb Bush?

The Florida governor is about to bolt the Republican Party in an effort to salvage his race for Senator. How big a role did his predecessor play?

 

Chrysler and Fiat: A Marriage That’s Working?

Though many challenges remain for the post bankruptcy Chrysler, the combination with Fiat is starting to show promise

Crist leaves GOP in bid for Senate
ST. PETERSBURG, FLA. — Florida Gov. Charlie Crist on Thursday declared himself a man without a party, launching a desperate bid to save his once seemingly invincible Senate campaign.
(By Karen Tumulty, The Washington Post)

Ariz. measure puts police in tight spot
TUCSON — Every day, as Sgt. Russ Charlton patrols the south side of Tucson, he encounters a wide range of this city’s residents — legal, illegal, native-born, naturalized, just passing through. To him, their immigration status is largely irrelevant. “People are just people,” Charlton said.
(By Peter Slevin, The Washington Post)

 Gulf Coast oil spill could eclipse Exxon Valdez
VENICE, La. — An oil spill that threatened to eclipse even the Exxon Valdez disaster spread out of control with a faint sheen washing ashore along the Gulf Coast Thursday night as fishermen rushed to scoop up shrimp and crews spread floating barriers around marshes.
(By CAIN BURDEAU and HOLBROOK MOHR, AP)

Gulf of Mexico oil spill reaches Louisiana coast
The worsening oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday threatened not only the shores of five states but also President Obama’s plan to open vast stretches of U.S. coastline to oil and gas drilling.
(By Steven Mufson and Michael D. Shear, The Washington Post)

Goldman case sent to Justice
The Securities and Exchange Commission has referred its investigation of Goldman Sachs to the Justice Department for possible criminal prosecution, less than two weeks after filing a civil securities fraud case against the firm, according to a source familiar with the matter.
(By Zachary A. Goldfarb, The Washington Post)

Paying respects to Miss Dorothy
In the movement, there was Thurgood. There was Martin.
(By Wil Haygood, The Washington Post)

Poll affirms a vote for judicial know-how
Some Senate Democrats and legal activists are advising President Obama to look beyond the “judicial monastery” to find a replacement for retiring Justice John Paul Stevens, but the public does not seem to share that view.
(By Robert Barnes and Jennifer Agiesta, The Washington Post)

Word of the Day for Friday, April 30, 2010

doula \DOO-luh\, noun:

A woman who assists during childbirth labor and provides support to the mother, her child and the family after childbirth.

With the scheduled May 7 adjournment of the Illinois General just days away, the Illinois Education Association is going on the air to remind lawmakers that their work isn’t done until they fund education.

A new radio spot, “No vacation,” begins airing Thursday on radio stations statewide.

Listen to the ad. Then, use this link to send an email to your legislator telling them to pass HB 174, comprehensive tax reform legislation that will provide needed funding to education and state agencies providing needed services to Illinoisans.

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  

State News

Daily Herald Pension Series

Reducing benefits, raising taxes among proposed pension fixes  Imagine borrowing money to pay your mortgage every year. That’s right, actually going deeper into hock to pay your debt. 

First steps to solve pension crisis  This could be the year Illinois legislators make their payment to the state pension systems, rein in pension excesses and demonstrate their commitment to carving away at a $78 billion debt they’ve spent decades ignoring.   

D-26 lays out new options for teachers
Crystal Lake Northwest – The outlook for District 26 teachers is more grim than once thought. For the fourth time, the school board formally has requested that the union make concessions to help alleviate the pain of recent budget cuts and layoffs.   

Some teacher jobs saved in Kaneland
Beacon News – The Kaneland School Board has authorized the hiring back of teachers previously pink-slipped under a plan that could have eliminated as many as 30 staff positions. The jobs are being saved as a result of the teachers union’s acceptance of a salary freeze, 

Illinois school bias task force tussles with time
Alton Telegraph – A task force assigned to study why black students are suspended and expelled from Illinois schools at much higher rates than whites is in danger of missing the deadline to hand in its assignment. The panel, created by an Illinois Senate resolution,   

Letter: Quinn, Madigan: Get some guts, stop the cuts
Quad Cities Dispatch Argus Leader – I marched in Springfield last Wednesday with my two sons. I am not a teacher or a state trooper or a state employee. But I am also no fool.  We cannot cut our way out of this crisis. What we need is enough revenue to pay for services our state provides! We must pass House Bill 174!   

Unit 5 to discuss another $7.1M in cuts
Bloomington Pantagraph –  $86 million for 2010-11. “We’ll have (everything) we actually have to implement set and ready,” Getty said, noting the board is trying to make “flexible, thoughtful decisions.” Gov. Pat Quinn has proposed cutting the per-student foundation grants by $450 in the state budget that will begin July 1. That would reduce that key source of school revenue to $5,769 per student.   

Parents, teachers object to multi-age classroom proposal  The majority of parents and teachers at a Tuesday meeting about implementing multi-age classrooms at the new Marquette Academy gave the concept a failing grade.   

None of your business
Chicago Tribune Editorial –  One measure would remove a provision awarding attorneys’ fees to citizens who have to sue to obtain documents that are illegally withheld. Lawmakers began this assault in January by exempting teacher evaluations, in exchange for teachers union support on a bill that was supposed to help Illinois qualify for federal Race to the Top money.   

Plainfield school board in turf war
Plainfield Sun – Plainfield School Board agreed Monday night to investigate installing artificial turf at its four high school stadiums despite budget concerns.   While board member Mike Kelly likes the idea of turf, he said it wasn’t the right time to conduct a feasibility study.  

Finances may force pay-to-play at Mercer County schools
Quad Cities Dispatch Argus – “The revenue shortfall will cause us to use our cash reserves. That, in turn, will make us vulnerable to future revenue shortfalls.” Last month, the school board cut 16 staff member and eliminated 21 positions to save the district an estimated $589,000. The board is seeking to cut $1.2 million from a roughly $14 million budget next year.   

PHOTO: Stepping out
Alton Telegraph – The Alton High School A-Town Steppers performed this past month in front of 1,500 educators for the Illinois Education Association Conference in Rosemont. The A-Town Steppers opened the conference with a performance that received a standing ovation from the educators and government officials.   

SIUE students return to Springfield to ensure MAP grants
Edwardsville Alestle – He said Gov. Pat Quinn will not cut huge amounts of funding in an election year, but something will need to be done about the money situation. Currently, the 2011 budget has a $1.3 billion cut in education funding, but a 1 percent income tax increase may take the place of the funding cut. State Senator Bill Haine said SIU has made some great improvements to its campus   

WIU asks Governor for funding schedule
Quincy KHQA (CBS) 7 – the university’s annual income…putting stress on the school to pay their own bills and payrolls. Now University leaders, including WIU’s President Al Goldfarb, have sent a letter to Governor Pat Quinn and Comptroller Dan Hynes asking them to set up a regular payment schedule to enable public universities to stay afloat. Goldfarb said, “It’s unprecedented.  We spend every month wondering   

Political News

State lawmakers plan to leave Springfield with no budget
Streator Times-Press – Illinois lawmakers expect to be home at the end of next week, even if it will take a little longer to finish the new state budget.  Legislators expect their last day in Springfield to be on or about May 7, the scheduled adjournment date — and about three weeks earlier than usual. But few if any legislators say the state will have a budget by that time.   

Illinois lawmakers send sexting bill to governor
Chicago Tribune –  post online racy pictures of their underage classmates would get juvenile court supervision that could result in mandatory counseling or community service, under legislation sent to Gov. Pat Quinn on Tuesday. The measure aims to educate teens about the dangers of “sexting” while modernizing state statutes for the Internet age. Under current Illinois law, teens caught with nude photos   

Quinn responds to Civic Federation criticism of his budget proposals
necessary this legislative session to move Illinois toward budget and fiscal stability. Budget cuts in discretionary spending made by the Quinn administration both last year and this year must continue, and new revenues are needed to restore fiscal balance. One without the other cannot do the job. Both are necessary   

Redistricting proposal advances to House floor  A Democratic-backed redistricting plan is just one step away from legislative approval. But it still lacks the crucial support from Republicans in the Illinois House to clear that final step.   

Jil Tracy throws her support behind bill to stop unfunded mandates
Quincy KHQA (CBS) 7 – State Representative Jil Tracy is co-sponsoring a bill that hopes to put an end to unfunded mandates for Illinois school districts. QUINCY, IL — Every year schools are forced to follow new guidelines about one thing or another. But many times these mandates do not come with additional funding   

NEW: Senate nixes taxpayer-funded Blagojevich portrait
Alton Telegraph –  A proposal that would keep tax money from funding a statehouse portrait of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich is headed to Gov. Pat Quinn’s desk. The bill passed Tuesday on a 52-1 vote with state Sen. Mike Jacobs, D-East Moline, casting the only dissenting vote  

Giannoulias at financial reform rally in Chicago  Illinois Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias is calling on lawmakers in Washington to pass financial reform, and he says those who don’t supp  rt it will have a fight on their hands. 

Emanuel: No Subpoena From Blagojevich’s Lawyers
Chicago Public Radio – White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel says lawyers for Rod Blagojevich have not subpoenaed him to testify in the ex-Illinois governor’s corruption trial. Blagojevich’s attorneys have asked the judge to subpoena President Barack Obama. They say Mr. Obama’s public statements contradict statements from other witnesses, and they want him to take the stand 

National News

17,000 NJ Students Use Facebook To Organize Statewide Walk-Out
Chicago Tribune –  Last week, students in Edison and Teaneck protested their failed budget. 58 percent of school budgets in the Garden State were recently defeated in a vote. The NJ Education Association, the state’s largest teachers union, say they do not endorse Tuesday’s mass student walkout. “I think the best outcome would be for the students to be in

Bill would put new ND employees into 401(k) plans
Belleville News-Democrat – Newly hired government employees and school teachers in North Dakota should have their own retirement savings plans instead of a pension that’s guaranteed by taxpayers, a state lawmaker says

 Wall Street Journal: Teacher Absences Plague Schools

(Barbara Martinez, Op-Ed, New York)

“One-fifth of New York City teachers missed work for more than two weeks last school year, with absenteeism most acute in some of the poorest districts, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis.”

Politics Daily: Utah to Consider Elimination of 12th Grade

(Elizabeth Schiffman, News, Utah)

“We don’t want to rush students’ learning experience,” Alexis Holmes, policy analyst in the National Education Association’s Department of Education Policy and Practice, said. “There is a reason for allowing students to have the time to naturally mature academically as well as emotionally. . . . To encourage students to leave school in 3 years and provide them with no support, we don’t see that as being a successful proposal.”

TIME.com Today’s Top Stories

Capping Career, Dodd Relishes Fight For Financial Reform

Some observers speculated that the Connecticut Senator might move the bill more to the right. But instead he has doubled down on Main Street

Is Netanyahu Quietly Freezing Jerusalem Settlements?

Publicly, the Israeli government remains defiant of U.S. demands to halt building on occupied land, but the bureaucratic mechanism for authorizing new construction appears to have ground to a halt

The Derby: Is Kentucky Losing Its Horse Supremacy?

Behind the undiminished pageantry of Saturday’s Run for the Roses, the state’s defining industry is in trouble

Greek Crisis: It’s Gut Check Time for Europe

So now Europe may have a real crisis on its hands. It’s been clear to financial markets for months that the debt woes in Greece could spread to the Eurozone’s other financially unsound PIIGS (Portugal, Italy, Ireland and Spain).

American Idol: A Little Bit Country

American Idol introduced megaselling mentor Shania Twain as the woman who “made country pop”

Word of the Day for Wednesday, April 28, 2010

pellucid \puh-LOO-sid\, adjective:

1. Transparent; clear; not opaque.
2. Easily understandable.

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

 State News  

Daily Herald Pension Series  

Pension argument pits ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’   The difference in financial security between those with public pensions and those without has become glaringly visible during the ongoing recession, so much so that some in the “have not” camp are wondering why their tax dollars are going toward someone else’s pension while their own retirements are insecure.  

Editorial: Now is time for resolve, reason  Outrage against excesses in public pensions is warranted and understandable. But it also needs to be kept in perspective. 

In Post-Obama Illinois, Hope and Change  A school voucher bill wins strong bipartisan support.  The vehicle is an educational voucher bill that needs only the approval of the full Illinois house to land on the governor’s desk. Introduced by the Rev. James Meeks—a powerful Democratic state senator who has also been one of Mr. Obama’s spiritual advisers—the bill provides a voucher of up to $4,000 for as many as 22,000 elementary students now languishing in the worst Chicago public schools. The voucher will give them the opportunity to attend the private school of their choice. The state Senate passed the measure last month, and last week the leadership-dominated House Executive Committee approved it by a vote of 10 to 1. 

Schools districts may get state OK to issue bonds for buildings without voter approval
Chicago Tribune – the Hinsdale board didn’t transfer the money directly. Instead it parked the cash in the district’s main education fund before moving it to building funds. “Money-laundering,” one outraged school board member called it. According to court filings, 95 school districts in Cook, DuPage and Will counties sold nearly $800 million in working cash bonds between 2000 and 2008 for building   

Charleston teachers, district reach pact
Journal&Gazette Times-Courier – A tentative agreement on a new contract for Charleston school district teachers was reached Sunday night.A joint announcement from the Charleston Education Association teachers union and the school board said the tentative contract was finalized after an 11.5-hour negotiating session. It said the contract will go to union members for ratification   

Great that band played at rally  Letter to the Editor – mid page  – As the proud parent of a member of the Springfield High School Marching Band, it was disappointing to read the front page “Exclusive” in The State Journal-Register’s Saturday edition: “Should SHS band have played at pro-tax rally?” The headline and accompanying story were inaccurate, under-researched and inappropriately placed in the SJ-R’s news section. For the record, the Illinois Education Association invited the SHS band to perform at the “Save Our State” rally. IEA agreed in advance to reimburse the district for any expenses incurred  

OUR VIEW: Tax increase won’t solve problems
Freeport Journal Standard – With all due respect to local teachers, we think Governor Quinn’s idea of raising taxes is a mistake, unless he and the leaders of our State Legislature get serious about spending cuts. Teachers traveled to Springfield   

The legislators-are-chicken premise
Chicago Tribune – read “Thousands rally at Illinois Capitol — for a tax increase.” A subhead could have read, “Millions more stay at home, fuming at the very idea.” Last week’s Springfield rally of 15,000 “teachers, students, state workers, health care providers, and concerned citizens” organized by the Responsible Budget Coalition shouted “Raise my taxes” — which was a neat public relations trick 

University lobbies for change
Chicago Flame – An estimated 300 students, faculty, alumni, and administrators from the University of Illinois traveled to Springfield last week to participate in lobby day and push for increased public higher education funding in next year’s budget — and for the university to pay the 58% of the total appropriation the state owes to the University of Illinois.   

Tennis court work among projects added to Ball-Chatham school repairs
Springfield State Journal Register – with the teachers union on a new contract should wrap up before the school year ends, School Superintendent Bob Gillum said Monday. The current four-year contract with the Ball-Chatham Education Association expires this year. Bargaining has been under way since March, and another session is scheduled for May 5. “Our intent is to complete the process   

Parents speak out for dismissed teacher during Cuba School Board meeting
Canton Daily Ledger – President Sue McCance called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. Under the recognition of the public, a large group of parents and community members were present to speak on behalf of released teacher Amanda Rath. Several parents express their surprise of the release of Rath since they feel she is a wonderful teacher and has done much for their children.   

Lincoln Magnet computer program threatened by loss of funding
Springfield State Journal Register – For the past few years, Springfield’s Lincoln Magnet School has carved out a niche as a top-performing, technology-centered middle school. But the state’s education-funding crisis   

Most Champaign schools will receive more money for building budgets
Champaign News Gazette – schools in Champaign will get a little more money next year in their building budgets. Chief Financial Officer Gene Logas talked about preliminary building budgets for next year at Monday’s school board meeting. “In a time when other districts are cutting building budgets, we feel good we didn’t have to resort to that,” Logas said.   

Unions push to exempt evaluations
Dixon Telegraph –  HB5154 is not the first rollback of the new FOIA law. Lawmakers approved a similar carve-out for teachers and principals as part of a deal with teachers unions for the federal Race to the Top education funding program. Illinois never received any Race to the Top money, but lawmakers made the FOIA change anyway. Now, Sharon Voliva with the Illinois Federation of Teachers said the union  

A cry for school funding fix in District U-46
Arlington Heights Daily Herald – a 17 percent decrease in state funding if Gov. Pat Quinn’s proposed budget passes, U-46 in mid-march announced $30 million in cuts, including 1,100 employees. Along with the Stuecks, roughly 100 teachers, parents and students turned out to the South Elgin rally. Jaszczurowski, said she was inspired to organize it after writing letters to legislators about the school crisis and getting no response   

U High students will receive ‘netbooks’ next year
Bloomington Pantagraph – Next fall, University High School will become the first Central illinois school to provide a portable computer for every student. The Illinois State University laboratory school of 610 will provide a “netbook,” a smaller version of a computer laptop.

Lonergan takes down Facebook page
Jacksonville Journal Courier – Routt baseball coach Bob Lonergan has taken down his Facebook page. “Basically I took it down because of the kids,” Lonergan said Monday night. 

CPS budget calls for big boost in class size
Chicago Tribune – would raise some class sizes by as much as 25 percent, the result of a $600 million deficit for next school year. The specter of packed classrooms has fueled widespread anxiety among parents and teachers — but the worry may be premature. The CPS figures are based on a state budget few think will pass. That proposal from Gov. Pat Quinn would trim $1.3 billion from education   

NIU Names New Dean Of Education College
Chicago WBBH (CBS) 2 – undergraduate and graduate students and a faculty of more than 120. Neal has a master’s degree and Ph.D. in special education from the University of Texas at Austin. After working a social studies teacher in Texas, she joined the faculty at Southwestern University in Texas. 

Political News

Civic Federation rips Quinn’s proposed budget
Arlington Heights Daily Herald – A business-oriented government watchdog agency based in Chicago came out in opposition today to Gov. Quinn’s proposed 2011 state budget. The Civic Federation’s Institute for Illinois’ Fiscal Sustainability released an analysis rejecting the budget “because it is unbalanced, relies too heavily on borrowing, doesn’t address $6.2 billion in unpaid bills, and would exacerbate the state’s structural   

Civic Federation: No support for Quinn budget
Quad Cities Dispatch Argus Leader – Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn’s “credit card” solution to the state’s budget is coming under fire from outside the Capitol. The Civic Federation, a Chicago-based business and tax policy organization,   

State needs leadership, budget cuts
Bloomington Pantagraph – By State Rep. Jack D. Franks – These days, Illinois is in desperate need of a multitude of things: an influx of jobs, a fully funded pension system, a winning baseball team. Yet, what Illinois needs most during this alarming period of our history is precedent-shattering leadership.   

Limiting spending is only solution
Champaign News Gazette Editorial – Illinois is trapped in a big hole, and one legislator has wisely advised his colleagues to stop digging deeper.  State Rep. Jack Franks, a Democrat from Marengo, has established himself clearly as an apostate among the Illinois political elite.  The veteran lawmaker recently wrote an op-ed for a Chicago newspaper that makes so much sense he’ll be lucky if most of his fellow legislators – Democrats or Republicans – ever speak to him again.   

No money, but Quinn signs bill to pay for guards
Decatur Herald and Review  – Although it remains unclear where the money will come from, Gov. Pat Quinn signed legislation Monday aimed at making sure the state’s prison guards get paid in June. The stopgap spending measure was needed because the budget approved last summer was based on Quinn laying off hundreds of prison guards. But, the layoffs were blocked by the union representing the workers,  

Edgar says he’ll vote for Brady
Arlington Heights Daily – Despite recent criticism of Bill Brady’s budget plans, former Gov. Jim Edgar says he will vote for the Republican nominee for governor come November. Edgar previously called Brady’s across-the-board budget cutting ideas “naive” and had recommended he rethink his fiscal policies regarding bridging a $13 billion budget deficit.   

Cohen still considering run for governor  CHICAGO – The Illinois Democrat who quit the lieutenant governor’s race after winning the primary said Tuesday that he is considering a run for governor as an independent. During an interview on WLS Radio in Chicago, Scott Lee Cohen said he will make his decision sometime this week to run against Democratic Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn and Republican state senator Bill Brady.   

Senate eyes bill to weaken FOIA
Crystal Lake Northwest Herald – rather do that comprehensively and get input from all the parties at the table, as opposed to what we’re seeing now,” Althoff said. Supporters of the bill, such as unions representing teachers and public employees, say that evaluations will become worthless if they are public, and would contribute to hostile work environments because employees can FOIA one another’s evaluations   

Our Opinion: Don’t weaken revised FOIA
Springfield State Journal Register – The Senate vote on the revised FOIA law, May 28, 2009. “The events of the last year underline the importance of openness in government in Illinois.” — Gov. Pat Quinn, Aug. 17, 2009, on the day he signed the new FOIA law. LAST YEAR in the wake of disgraced former Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s arrest and indictment, Illinois lawmakers,   

Giannoulias says no one has asked him to step down
Decatur WAND (NBC) 17 – Democratic Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias (jeh-NOO’-lee-ehs) says no one from the Democratic Party has suggested he step aside following the failure last week of his family’s bank. Giannoulias said Monday at a cafe in Urbana the failure of his family’s bank on Friday gives him a better understanding of the economic struggles   

After Broadway, Giannoulias Tries to Focus on Main St.
Harrisburg WSIL (ABC) 3 –  U.S. Senate Candidate and Illinois Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias is trying to turn the attention away from Broadway by showing up on Main Street. Broadway Bank, which was started by Giannoulias? late father three decades ago, was heavy into real estate loans and lost $75 million last year. Federal regulators shut it down, along with seven other Illinois banks, on Friday.   

Giannoulias to appear with Obama in Quincy
Decatur WAND (NBC) 17  – Democratic Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias (jeh-NOO’-lee-ehs) says he’ll appear in Quincy Wednesday with President Barack Obama. He’ll be among other statewide officials to appear with the president when his “White House to Main Street Tour” stops in the Mississippi River town. That’s especially good news for Giannoulias,   

Palin heading to Illinois
Jacksonville Journal Courier – Sarah Palin has been out raising money for Republicans around the country and now she’s headed to Illinois. The Illinois Republican Party says the former vice presidential nominee will headline a party fundraiser May 12 in a Chicago suburb. Illinois Republicans don’t hold any statewide offices and the party is trying to win in some high-profile races this November. 

National News

 

Happy Meal toys: Are they helping make kids fat as well as happy?
Belleville News-Democrat  –  The proposed ban is the latest in a growing string of efforts to change the types of foods aimed at youngsters and the way they are cooked and sold. Across the nation, cities, states and school boards have taken aim at excessive sugar, salt and certain types of fats.  Believed to be the first of its kind in the nation, the proposal would forbid the inclusion of a toy

Wall Street Journal: Unions, States Clash in Race to Top

(Neil King Jr. & Stephanie Banchero, Op-Ed, National)

“The Obama administration’s signature education initiative has incited tense showdowns in states across the country as unions and state officials feud over strategies to compete for $3.4 billion in federal funding.”

New York Times: How to Lower the Burden of Student Loans

(Jennifer Schultz, Op-Ed, National)

“President Obama recently signed legislation that changes the federal student loan program. The new law eliminates fees to private bank intermediaries, expands Pell grants and makes it easier for students who borrow money, starting in July 2014, to pay it back.”

Financial overhaul blocked by GOP
Republicans voted unanimously Monday to block an effort to overhaul financial regulations from reaching the Senate floor, pledging to hold out for significant changes to the bill even as they acknowledged the political risk of appearing to obstruct a popular cause.
(By Brady Dennis and Shailagh Murray, The Washington Post)

A neighborhood watch, with guns
ARGHANDAB DISTRICT, AFGHANISTAN — Taliban fighters used to swagger with impunity through this farming village, threatening to assassinate government collaborators. They seeded the main thoroughfare, a dirt road with moonlike craters, with land mines. They paid local men to attack U.S. and Afghan…
(By Rajiv Chandrasekaran, The Washington Post)

Suburbs trail D.C. in fighting AIDS, study says
Suburban governments lag behind the District in efforts to help slow the spread of AIDS even though they are home to nearly half of the Washington area residents infected with the disease, according to a study released Tuesday.
(By Darryl Fears, The Washington Post)

Both sides in immigration fight criticize Washington
PHOENIX — On the grounds of the Capitol, in a state that only days earlier had adopted the nation’s strictest anti-immigration law, the two sides of an angry debate are united on one thing: They blame Washington.
(By Peter Slevin, The Washington Post)

TIME.com Today’s Top Stories

Goldman Steels Itself for a Senate Grilling

The first objective for the seven current and former Goldman employees testifying will be to say nothing that could be potentially incriminating, but senators won’t pass up an opportunity to savage the firm

Jones’ Jewish Joke: No Laughing Matter, for Obama or Israel

A clumsy attempt at stereotype humor undermines the National Security Adviser’s effort to reassure those fearful of the Administration’s Mideast agenda

As Patrols Increase, Somali Pirates Widen Their Reach

Despite global efforts to reign them in, Somalia’s pirates are staging bold new attacks further from home than ever before

CNN: Can a Mainstream News Outlet Survive?

In a polarized era, it’s tough to be nonpartisan. What’s a mainstream news organization to do?

Is Obama Overselling His Russia Arms Control Deal?

There are disturbing signs that the Obama Administration is overselling its progress on the new arms control treaty with Russia, raising unrealistic hopes that Moscow would genuinely help in addressing the danger from Iran

Word of the Day for Tuesday, April 27, 2010

quash \KWOSH\, transitive verb:

1. (Law) To abate, annul, overthrow, or make void; as, “to quash an indictment.”
2. To crush; to subdue; to suppress or extinguish summarily and completely; as, “to quash a rebellion.”

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.    

State News

Daily Herald Pension Series  

Springfield’s costly and broken pension promise  Daily Herald Editorial – But here’s a central point that no one should miss: Teachers are not at fault for the crushing shortfall in the state’s pension program.  Teachers, after all, did not promise the pensions. They merely worked in good faith and along the way, contributed a sizable part of their incomes to the retirement fund. 

Pensions for 131 school retirees top $150000 each annually  Chicago Daily Herald – “Unfortunately, we heard all the horror stories of superintendents who bled districts dry with their antics,” said Melba Hanssen, retired principal of Patton Elementary School in Arlington Heights. “For every superintendent there’s a couple of hundred teachers who aren’t getting that.”  

Pension crisis took decades to create, one day to ‘fix’  Chicago Daily Herald – Pat Quinn signed the measure April 14. But the changes, which reduce benefits for new employees hired after Jan. 1, do little to address how the state will …  

Financial problems not unique to the teacher pension fund  The Teachers’ Retirement System accounts for nearly half that debt, mostly because it is the largest pension system, covering public school teachers and administrators outside of Chicago. But even carrying $44.5 billion in unfunded liabilities, the teachers’ pension system is better off financially than some others 

The hidden cost of inflated pensions: Schools forced to pay up  Local schools now scrambling for money collectively paid more than $1.8 million to the

School boards part of pension problem  On Sunday, we detailed how the state legislature failed to fulfill its obligation to fund pensions for teachers and school administrators. That represents a big chunk of a $78 billion pension shortfall that Illinois taxpayers ultimately will need to fund. 

Teachers unions, educators follow rally with more pleas SPRINGFIELD – A day after thousands of Illinois teachers marched in a massive rally in Springfield calling for a tax increase to spare school cuts, education and union leaders trotted back to the Capitol on Thursday to make sure lawmakers got the message. 

Illinois education groups underscore tax hike request
Ottawa Daily Times – “Children are going to be hurting,” Clark said. “There’s still time to fix this problem, and we need the officials with the power to vote to do it.” Ken Swanson, president of the Illinois Education Association, said the proposed cuts will short-change students in the future. “Children only get one chance at a full education through their developmental years,”   

Confront Schoenberg on school funding: Evanston teachers trek to Springfield
Evanston –  ”He is in a position of leadership. He needs to talk to people and use his influence.” Push for tax increase The agenda was to urge support for a tax increase package backed by the Illinois Education Association union and other members of the Responsible Budget Coalition, which organized the rally. “What are you going to do right now, this second, to save our schools?”   

Unit 10 superintendent takes wage freeze
Effingham Daily News – Unit 10 has made a number of cuts for the upcoming fiscal year, including some staff reductions. The cuts have sparked an outcry in the community, including some who feel the Altamont Education Association teachers union should follow Fritchtnitch’s lead and accept a pay freeze for 2010-11.   Fritchtnitch said he wasn’t optimistic the teachers would   

Carterville board OKs teachers’ contract
Marion Daily Republican – The state’s financial woes trickled down to Unit 5 teachers’ salaries with the school board’s approval of a minimal raise for members of the Carterville Education Association in a two-year contract. “The state tends to balance the budget on the backs of people who make it what it is,” CEA president Bruce Childers said.  

Belvidere School District 100 Plans for Future School Years
Rockford WIFR (CBS) 23 – Belvidere school leaders are considering more long-term options to trim money out of future budgets as leaders wait to see if Gov. Pat Quinn’s proposed cuts to education go though. “Regardless of what the state does, we’re also going to be spending time next year in our budget process 

Tax projections hurt Hillsboro schools   HILLSBORO — About three years ago, the Hillsboro School District projected the Deer Run Mine would generate about $1.5 million annually in property tax revenue. Bonds were sold based on that projection to pay for school improvements, including new technology and textbooks, instructional materials and additional personnel.   

Schools making plans for sales tax money that will arrive starting in May
Champaign News – the auditorium at Urbana High School, and improve its athletic fields. It may seem odd that school districts are building new schools when they are also slashing their budgets and laying off teachers. But the sales tax money can be used only for construction, renovation, maintenance and repairs of school buildings, for energy-efficiency work, or for paying off building bond debt.   

Vandals strike at Monmouth schools
Galesburg Register Mail – Vandals broke into Monmouth-Roseville High school and Immaculate Conception school sometime Friday night or early Saturday morning. Damage at both schools was extensive. Computer equipment was destroyed at each school   

School board might reconsider allowing bands to play at political events
The State Journal-Register – The Illinois Education Association, an umbrella organization of teachers unions — including the Springfield Education Association — called the district …   

East St. Louis schools spend $3.1 million on consultants
Belleville News-Democrat –  Consultants are hired to work with students in math, science, reading and language arts. In addition, consultants work with teachers to help them address the needs of struggling students. Plus, “we have a whole technology initiative,” Saunders said.  Mark took issue with how the district is using the money.     

CPS, Teachers Union Try to Stop the Bleeding
Chicago Chicagoist –  ”send a strong message to Springfield.” According to CBS2, numerous people stepped to the podium to detail the “painful impact” that Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn’s plan to cut $1.3 billion from education funding would have on schools and students. One estimate was that the budget cut would mean 20,000 teachers and school staff members being laid off.   

Political News

Adjourn May 7? Don’t hold your breath
Chicago Daily Southtown – The Illinois General Assembly usually tries to adjourn by the end of May. That hasn’t worked out too well the past few years as partisan bickering, the state’s huge budget problems and the bloody war between former Gov. Rod Blagojevich and House Speaker Michael Madigan forced months-long overtime sessions. The last time the Legislature truly got out early was in 1999, when then-Senate President   

Too much borrowing in Quinn budget plan: watchdog
Chicago Sun Times – Gov. Quinn’s budget plan depends too heavily on borrowing, ignores billions of dollars in unpaid bills and will worsen the state’s precarious fiscal condition next year, a top government watchdog warned. In an analysis released today of Quinn’s latest budget proposal, the Chicago-based Civic Federation expressed its opposition to the governor’s spending plan   

As budget talk continues, Quinn backs off iTunes tax
Bloomington Pantagraph – Just two days after presenting the idea to top lawmakers, Gov. Pat Quinn Thursday abandoned a plan to tax music and video downloads on the Internet. Called an “iTunes tax” by some observers, Quinn Tuesday floated the idea of applying the sales tax to downloads as a way to make as much as $10 million for the state’s struggling budget  

Quinn budget doesn’t add up, Senate Republicans say
Crystal Lake Northwest Herald – There are a lot of moving numbers in Gov. Pat Quinn’s proposed budget. So many that Republicans in the state Senate said they were having a hard time figuring out the total price tag. The Senate Republicans on Thursday released an analysis of Quinn’s proposals that lawmakers said showed $200 million in cuts, not the $2.6 billion the governor’s office  

The Bill Brady Guide to Raising More Questions Than You Answer  NBC Chicago (blog) – But not from Pat Quinn, who’s trying to close a $13 billion budget deficit. “The original Tea Party’s rallying cry was ‘no taxation without representation …   

Brady gives reporters 3 hours to view taxes
Chicago WLS (ABC) 7 – Bill Brady, the Republican nominee for Illinois governor, allowed reporters to see his income taxes Friday. Brady initially refused to release the information, but after Governor Quinn released his taxes information, Brady decided to make his public, but with certain restrictions. The Brady couple’s 2008 and 2009 returns showed they paid no federal income taxes   

Brady offers peek at his tax returns
Chicago Sun Times – it all means a lot of struggle,” Brady said. Brady initially said he would not make his tax returns public because it would hurt his business interests. However, he had a change of heart after Gov. Quinn insinuated the lack of disclosure indicated Brady had something to hide. But Brady only offered reporters a limited view of his tax returns. From 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday   

If Brady can’t win in Will County, he’s toast  Southtown Star – Kristen McQueary – ?Pat Quinn’s prisoner release program but didn’t have his facts straight. A circle of Chicago-based reporters grilled Brady at an Illinois Republican Party …   

Scott Lee Cohen Joining Race for Illinois Governor  MyStateline.com – There are currently three other candidates in the race: Democratic incumbent Pat Quinn, Republican Bill Brady and Green Party candidate Rich Whitney.   

Blago calls out Obama
Chicago Sun Times – Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s lawyers asked a federal judge Thursday to force President Obama to testify at Blagojevich’s upcoming trial, as new information surfaced — accidentally — that Obama personally called a mutual supporter to discuss his replacement in the U.S. Senate. On the day before he was elected president, then-Sen. Obama called a union official about the possibility that adviser   

Blago’s blacked out court docs made public
Chicago WLS (ABC) –  A computer glitch allowed some sealed information in court papers in Rod Blagojevich’s corruption trial to become public Thursday. The court documents contained numerous blacked out portions. But several media outlets, including ABC7, discovered it was possible to unseal that information, which first appeared on an online blog that tracks TV and newsmakers.   

Feds shuts down bank owned by Giannoulias
Bloomington Pantagraph – Regulators shut down the bank owned by Illinois Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias’ family on Friday, setting up an expected but daunting challenge in his bid to keep President Barack Obama’s old Senate seat in Democratic hands. Broadway Bank, which was heavy into real estate loans and lost $75 million last year, had been given until Monday to raise about $85 million in new capital,   

Giannoulias campaign releases ad about failed bank
Decatur WAND (NBC) 17 – Democratic Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias (jeh-NOO’-lee-ehs) is trying to recover from the political blow dealt to his campaign by the collapse of his family’s bank. In a TV ad released Monday, Giannoulias says Broadway Bank was financially healthy when he left in 2006 and was elected Illinois state treasurer.   

Troubled bank a potential stain in Senate race
DeKalb Daily Chronicle –  The bank owned by Illinois Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias’ family could fail in just days, forcing him to overcome a notable business stumble as he tries to keep President Barack Obama’s old Senate seat in Democratic hands. His Republican opponent, U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk, is sure to brand him a failed banker at a time when Americans are still fuming over taxpayer bailouts   

Plummer, Simon running for lieutenant governor’s office may be going away
Decatur Herald and Review – With Illinois’ tumultuous election season approaching, there’s one prediction that’s all but certain: The state’s next lieutenant governor is going to be a Southern Illinoisan with Metro East roots. Less certain, but very possible, is that the winner also will be the state’s last lieutenant governor, with legislation pending to eliminate the post.   

Obama trip to Quincy aimed at national audience
Springfield State Journal – Why Quincy? Being in the heartland, having a reputation for innovation and a push for green energy could all help explain President Barack Obama’s choice of the west-central Illinois city for a visit this week. Obama has scheduled a “White House to Main Street” trip including stops in Missouri and Iowa, as well as Illinois this week   

Mike Lawrence: Mental health groups need to see the money
Springfield State Journal Register –  Service providers, reeling from state budget cuts and payment delays, fully deserve to ask the same from state government — especially now. In recent weeks, the Quinn administration and lawmakers have pledged to move thousands of persons with mental illness from nursing homes to community settings. That should allow them to receive the intensive counseling   

Statehouse Insider: Maybe it’s time for more budget cut suggestions
Springfield State Journal Register – Guess we’re in for another round of budget cuts by suggestion box. Remember a few weeks ago, when the Quinn administration set up a website where people could send ideas for cutting state spending? It drew thousands and thousands of responses. Gov. PAT Quinn’s chief of staff, JERRY STERME   

What else to tax?
Elgin Courier News – House bill was floated to increase the tax on cigarettes from 98 cents to $1.98 a pack. The bill died in committee; but given the state’s financial woes, the idea is being resurrected in Gov. Pat Quinn’s $500 million proposal for new taxes. The Illinois Coalition Against Tobacco released a poll last week showing 75 percent of Illinois voters supported a $1 tax increase on cigarettes.   

Unions push to remove evaluations from open government law
Alton Telegraph – The FOIA law gained strength and teeth on Jan. 1, and has been under assault since then. State Sen. Kimberly Lightford, D-Maywood, is shepherding HB 5154 through the General Assembly. She said teachers unions and labor groups that represent state workers want to make sure only employees and supervisors can read the results of an employee evaluation. Tim Drea with the Illinois AFL-CIO said   

Putting the ill in Illinois and other things    A few things you won’t read anywhere else:

• The Democratic Illinois U.S. Senate candidate helped manage a failed family bank that loaned money to mobsters.

• The Republican running for Illinois governor didn’t pay any taxes for several years and wants to allow for mass euthanizing of dogs in gas chambers. 

In the Spotlight: State needs tax hike to pay for essentials
Peoria Journal Star – I am a Republican and have never been a supporter of Gov. Pat Quinn, but I must now give him credit for looking at the good of the state rather than his political career by supporting an income tax increase. An increase in the state income tax is the only way to overcome our dilemma. Political candidates seem to think advocating a tax increase is political suicide. They put their political career over common sense and fiscal responsibility. 

Our View: Show some guts, cut state spending
Geneva Kane County Chronicle –  Can we really ask these struggling families to find $500 more to cut from their households budgets? We say, no. The institute proposes its own cuts, $3.5 billion beyond what Quinn has called for. Of course, such cuts would result in thousands of additional layoffs of people in public sector jobs. We don’t like that, but the state has to get its spending in line 

Try vouchers for students in Chicago schools
Bloomington Pantagraph – attending the bottom 10 percent of schools — that would be about 22,000 students in 48 schools. Parents would receive a voucher for the price of tuition or the state “foundation level” for education funding — currently $6,119 — whichever is less. This is money that would otherwise go to the Chicago Public Schools system. The average tuition at private and parochial elementary schools

 

National News

 80 Afghan schoolgirls sick in week; poison feared
Quad Cities WHBF (CBS) 4 – KABUL (AP) – More than 80 schoolgirls have fallen ill in three cases of mass sickness over the past week in northern Afghanistan, raising fears that militants who oppose education for girls are using poison to scare them away from school, authorities said Sunday. The latest case occurred Sunday when 13 girls became sick at school, Kunduz provincial spoke

 Time.com’s Top Stories 

Fixing Detroit: A Laboratory for Saving America’s Cities?

Detroit is in crisis. But it is hardly alone. Here’s how the federal government could help

Ripple Effects After an Offshore Oil Rig Explosion

Oil leakage appears to have been avoided after the April 20 oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico, blunting potential environmental disaster. But it is worth asking, What if?

Should French Colleges Give Kids Wine Classes?

As binge drinking among French youth increases, a recent government report recommends teaching French kids about the art of wine appreciation — as part of the college curriculum

Death Becomes Him: HBO’s Kevorkian Biopic

You Don’t Know Jack addresses all these obvious issues, with an approach that, while obviously focusing on Kevorkian’s perspective, gives respectful airing to his opponents.

Republican Governors Pay Homage To Guy Fawkes

Now, the Fawkes mythology has come full circle. The Republican Governors Association has embraced the symbolism of Fawkes, launching a rather striking website, RememberNovember.com.

Why Shanghai is Back on Top of the World

Big and brash, what was once the Paris of the East is preparing for the expo and getting ready to welcome the world again

Should Larry King’s Marriage License be Revoked?

Why are people who are so bad at mating for life allowed to keep pairing up?

Is Rwanda’s Hero Becoming Its Oppressor?

An arrest and several quiet defections have many observers fearing that a crackdown against the opposition is in the works

The Promise And Pitfalls of Bioplastic

It’s a greener alternative, but think twice before you throw it away

Just How Dangerous Are Oil Rigs, Anyway?

By any measure, drilling for oil and gas offshore is one of America’s most dangerous professions.

Arizona Gears Up for a Protracted Immigration Fight

Ethnic polarization rises as opponents and supporters of new anti-immigrant legislation are preparing for legal and political battles

Why the GOP’s Graham Put the Kibosh on a Climate Bill

Even the industry-friendly Senate global-warming legislation decried as too weak by many environmentalists now looks unlikely to pass, because of political calculations on both sides of the aisle

Is Greece’s Tragedy In Its Final Act?

After months of market turmoil, Greece’s government succumbed to reality and asked for a $60 billion bailout from its Eurozone compatriots and the International Monetary Fund.

The Secrets of Obama’s Underappreciated Success

The critics on both the left and right will yammer on. But by Election Day, 2010, Obama will have soundly achieved many of his chief campaign promises while running a highly competent, scandal-free government.

 What the Confidential Goldman E-mails Tell Us

SEC gathered range of experts for Goldman case
Late into the night, they darted from office to office, carrying thick reams of documents, building the most prominent legal case to grow out of the financial crisis.
(By Zachary A. Goldfarb, The Washington Post)

Democrats target 2008’s new voters
President Obama will declare his stake in the November midterm elections for the first time on Monday as his Democratic Party announces an ambitious strategy to appeal to independent voters in its quest to maintain control of Congress.
(By Philip Rucker, The Washington Post)

For miners, solace and talk of return
BECKLEY, W.VA. — They sat in the second and third rows Sunday, as President Obama called coal miners the embodiment of the American work ethic. A family that has become the face of West Virginia’s grieving by simple, heartbreaking math.
(By David A. Fahrenthold and Michael D. Shear, The Washington Post)

In N.H., voters’ anger moves a centrist to right
NEWPORT, N.H. — Bounced out of Congress in the 2006 Democratic sweep, former congressman Charlie Bass is trying to win back his narrowly divided district in November.
(By Shailagh Murray, The Washington Post)

In Pakistan, CIA refines methods to reduce civilian deaths
The CIA is using new, smaller missiles and advanced surveillance techniques to minimize civilian casualties in its targeted killings of suspected insurgents in Pakistan’s tribal areas, according to current and former officials in the United States and Pakistan.
(By Joby Warrick and Peter Finn, The Washington Post)

In N.H., voters’ anger moves a centrist to right
NEWPORT, N.H. — Bounced out of Congress in the 2006 Democratic sweep, former congressman Charlie Bass is trying to win back his narrowly divided district in November.
(By Shailagh Murray, The Washington Post)

Half a year from the midterms, let the spin begin
With six months remaining before the November midterm elections, partisans in both parties are finding evidence — some of it contradictory — that things are looking up.
(By Chris Cillizza, The Washington Post)

Wanted on the court: Sensitivity to ‘ordinary Americans’
The likelihood that health-care legislation and Wall Street reform will ultimately be decided in the Supreme Court underscores the importance of a new justice, with the White House and Democrats arguing that whoever replaces retiring Justice John Stevens will be key in moving the court to uphold …
(By Robert Barnes and Anne E. Kornblut, The Washington Post)

Democrats target 2008’s new voters
President Obama will declare his stake in the November midterm elections for the first time on Monday as his Democratic Party announces an ambitious strategy to appeal to independent voters in its quest to maintain control of Congress.
(By Philip Rucker, The Washington Post)

Democrats work to salvage climate proposal in Senate
The current predicament of the Senate climate and energy proposal, which was attractive enough to lure the leaders of not only the Christian Coalition but also ConocoPhillips, Exelon and Duke Energy to a now-canceled bill launch Monday, underscores the fragility of its support.
(By Juliet Eilperin, The Washington Post) 

Word of the Day for Monday, April 26, 2010

quisling \KWIZ-ling\, noun:

Someone who collaborates with an enemy occupying his or her country; a traitor.

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.    

SOS Rally Day 2010

April 21, 2010 – Slide Show – IEA, in cooperation with the Responsible Budget Coalition (RBC), SOS Rally Day at the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield.

State News

Rally participants get fired up in downtown Springfield  The State Journal-Register – 12:15 p.m.: After several pep speeches at the Save Our State rally outside the state Capitol, ralliers are now marching around the Capitol complex. A leader of the rally says they’re being led in the march by the 125-member Springfield High School marching band. 

Rally coverage here  Chicago Daily Herald – Check back throughout the day for updates on the big rally at the Capitol being put on by teachers unions, senior groups, social service providers and others opposed to budget cuts and supporting a tax increase to balance spending.  Unions officials I spoke with last night said they were sure there’d be well over 10,000 people here just based on the bus reservations, with thousands more likely. Unionized state workers were being encouraged to take their lunch hours to attend the rally.

Protesters in Springfield rally for tax increase  Chicago Sun-Times – ? Several thousand protesters are marching in streets around the Illinois state Capitol after rallying for a tax increase to prevent …

Protests Shut Down Capitol  NBC Chicago – In what could shape up to be the biggest rally in Illinois Statehouse history, upwards of 15,000 teachers and other state employees are marching around the state capitol, blocking the entrance to the house chambers and chanting in front of lawmakers offices to protest statewide spending cuts.  

Superintendents talk finances as teachers rally  The Courier News –  As the heads of the two largest school districts in Illinois met in Elgin to discuss their financial predicaments today, thousands of teachers from across the state rallied and marched in Springfield to “save our schools.”   

Thousands of protesters at Illinois Capitol to press for tax increase  Chicago Tribune (blog) –  SPRINGFIELD — Thousands of protesters bused down by labor unions and social service advocates are rallying at the Capitol today in an attempt to pressure …   

Tax Hike Backers Rally At State Capitol, Thousands Turn Out (VIDEO)  Huffington Post (blog) – ? An estimated 15000 people gathered at the Capitol in Springfield Wednesday calling for a tax increase that could stave off major budget cuts.   

‘Show some guts!’ protesters tell Ill. lawmakers in rallying for tax increase  WQAD –  Up to 15000 people are participating in one of the biggest rallies in the history of the Illinois state Capitol. …   

Aurora teachers trek to Springfield to be heard  Fox Valley Villages Sun – West Aurora High School art teacher Brandi Martin was dressed head to toe in pink Wednesday for her trip to Springfield. Had she not balked at the last minute, she would have had pink hair, too.  The pink, she said, is to symbolize the 20,000 pink slips given teachers across the state because of the budget problems coming from Springfield. More specifically, it symbolizes the 127 pink slips West Aurora gave and, even more specifically, the one pink slip given to a co-worker, turning the high school’s five-person art staff into a four-person one.   

Metro-east teachers to join thousands at Springfield budget cut rally
Belleville News Democrat  – The Illinois Education Association said if the state makes the proposed $1.8 billion in cuts, then around 20000 people could be laid off from schools state …   

Teachers protest school funding in Springfield  WGNtv.com – ? The Chicago Public School teachers and students took a bus ride to Springfield for a rally at the state capitol building. Thousands of education employees …   

Web exclusive: Local teachers part of rally in Springfield  Kankakee Daily Journal –  Organizers of the state budget crisis rally in Springfield are expecting 12000 people at the state Capitol building today. …  

QC Labor group heads to rally at Illinois State Capitol  WQAD –  Dozens of people from the Quad Cities are among thousands in Springfield for the largest rally ever at the state’s Capitol. …