Friday, May 17, 2013
Passed by a 35-21 vote, the bill now goes to the desk of Gov. Pat Quinn, who has not yet said whether he intends to sign it.
By a vote of 35-21, the Illinois Senate approved legislation on Friday that would allow doctors in the state to prescribe marijuana as pain relief for severe medical conditions. The bill now goes to Gov. Pat Quinn for his signature. According to the Chicago Tribune, the bill covers 33 specific conditions—including multiple sclerosis, cancer and HIV infection—and includes several controls, with a four-year trial program, dosage limits, fingerprinting, background checks and licensed dispensing centers. “This bill is filled with walls to keep this limited,” the paper quoted sponsoring Sen. Bill Haine (D-Alton), who urged lawmakers to pass the legislation as a compassionate measure for those suffering with extreme pain. In opposition, Sen. …
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
West Line trains are running more than a half-hour behind schedule, Metra reports.
Metra trains on the Union Pacific West Line are running behind scedule Wednesday, May 15, 2013, according to the Metra website. The outbound #45 train, which is scheduled to arrive at 5:47 p.m. is 28 to 35 minutes behind schedule "due to earlier signal problems at Lake Street," Metra said. Train #41, scheduled to depart Chicago at 4:11 p.m. and arrive Elburn at 5:35 p.m., is on the move operating 36-41 minutes behind schedule due to signal problems at Lake street. "Signal problems have been corrected but trains traveling to Elburn and Chicago may still experience delays of up to 30-60 minutes. Metra apologizes for any inconvenience that this may have caused. We will continue to keep you informed as the rush hour progresses," a Metra post …
"These actions are all emblematic of the growing arrogance and disregard for the law seen by this administration,” the 14th District congressman says.
Congressman Randy Hultgren dished out some harsh words for President Barack Obama following an admission by the Internal Revenue Service that high-ranking officials targeted conservative-leaning groups during the 2012 campaign. The IRS news comes in the wake of another revelation that the Justice Department obtained telephone records of journalists working for The Associated Press who were working on a story about a failed al-Qaida plot. “When the Department of Justice is accused of illegally obtaining telephone records to pressure journalists, the EPA is being accused of giving preferential treatment for FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) requests, and the State Department is actively withholding information and suppressing whistleblowers …
Why doesn’t Metra have wireless internet on its trains yet? Mostly because it would be enormously expensive and a technological challenge, too. But should they?
Should Metra get Wi-Fi? Even if it’s expensive and hard to implement and maintain? The commuter-rail network is considering the possibility, the Chicago Tribune and other news agencies report, but price and technology continue to be two major barriers, despite that a DePaul University report shows 48 percent of Metra riders use personal electronic devices during their commutes. According to the paper, it could cost over $70 million to install wireless internet on all 11 Metra lines over five years—though some of that could perhaps be recouped by paid plans or sponsorships—and there’s a fear that the technology might quickly become obsolete or go unused by customers who prefer other connectivity, like smart-phone hotspots or air-cards. "(…
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
The 50-foot-wide electromagnet will travel 3,200 miles by boat and barge this summer to be part of a new experiment that will study particle physics.
A particle storage ring spanning 50 feet in diameter is making a 3,200-mile journey from New York to Illinois. The giant electromagnet is headed to Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, just outside Batavia, where it will be used in an experiment called Muon g-2, and will study the properties of muons, tiny subatomic particles that exist for only 2.2 millionths of a second. The ring, made of steel and aluminum, is part of a machine built at New York's Brookhaven National Laboratory in the 1990s. Although most of the machine can be disassembled and brought to Fermilab in trucks, the massive electromagnet must be transported in one piece, and cannot tilt or twist more than a few degrees without being irreparably damaged. The Muon g-2 team …
Monday, May 13, 2013
Here are some links to various projects in the area of Geneva, Batavia and St. Charles.
The Kane County Division of Transportation’s FY2011-2015 Transportation Improvement Program includes a lot of projects, including intersection improvements, bridge replacements, grade separations, realignments, and roadway extensions. Below is a list of construction and engineering highlights: Here are some maps to show you where the projects are located: Here are links to some of the projects:
Aurora Democrat Stephanie Kifowit's Montgomery Road office was the site of a protest and counter-protest on Saturday, although the representative did not make an appearance.
Over a hundred opponents of same-sex marriage gathered Saturday morning outside state Rep. Stephanie Kifowit’s Aurora office, where they also faced off with gay rights activists staging a counter protest. The Defend Marriage rally was organized by the Illinois Family Institute, a conservative non-profit that opposes Senate Bill 10—the Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act—which was passed by the Illinois Senate in February and is awaiting a vote by the House. A counter-protest was organized by local pro-LGBTQ group Fox Valley Pride with assistance from Illinois Unites and the Gay Liberation Network, said Jim Lausier, who was the primary organizer for this protest. Lausier said he wishes there was a larger group presence at the rally…
Sunday, May 12, 2013
"A couple of years from now, we will be back here with the same issues, fighting the same battles,” the state senator says.
State Sen. Jim Oberweis, R-Sugar Grove, issued a statement about Senate Bill 2404 — the Senate’s version of pension reform — that passed the Senate May 9 by a 40-16 vote. Oberweis said he voted “no” on Senate Bill 2404 because it falls short on its intended goal of cost-savings to the state. “I voted against Senate Bill 2404 because it does not do enough to solve our problem. A couple of years from now, we will be back here with the same issues, fighting the same battles,” Oberweis said. “State officials have made pension benefit promises they knew, or should have known, they couldn’t possibly keep. We are now at the point where we have to stand up and resolve these issues for our state’s long-term fiscal health. We need to do what is …
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Construction of the project would take place on the western portion of the laboratory site, close to Kirk and Giese roads in Batavia, and could begin as early as 2015.
It would be the world’s most ambitious neutrino experiment. And Fermilab wants everybody to know about it, especially its neighbors. Construction of the project would take place on the western portion of the laboratory site, close to Kirk and Giese roads in Batavia, and could begin as early as 2015. The Department of Energy and Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory are inviting the local community to an informational meeting about the proposed Long-Baseline Neutrino Experiment. The meeting, which will feature illustrative posters and short presentations, will take place from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, May 23, at Fermilab's Wilson Hall atrium in Batavia. The meeting will provide neighbors and the local community with an opportunity to…
Friday, May 10, 2013
More than a year after the death knell was sounded by a certain former Patch columnist, downtown Geneva is showing resurgence, tenacity and good health.
Geneva developer and landlord Joe Stanton says the death of downtown Geneva was greatly exaggerated. Former Geneva Patch columnist Jeff Ward started sounding the death knell of the downtown in a column that ran in October 2011 headlined, "Why I Think Our Downtown Will Disappear." As late as mid 2012, three of the four corners of Third Street and State Street were vacant—the State Bank building on the southwest corner, the Merra-Lee building on the southeast corner and the Erday building on the northwest corner, which was vacated by Kiss the Sky on June 30, 2012. Only Starbucks remained on the corner that defines Geneva's two major downtown business thoroughfares. Then came news that Grunwald Jewelers was leaving, due to retirement, and …
The Truth
10:07 pm on Saturday, May 18, 2013
Agreed. Forget about cigarettes. If they really want to rake in some cash, legalize and tax coke and crystal meth in Chicago. This, along with an additional .25/cent tax on Frito Lay products of any size, would balance the budget by Memorial Day 2014. more ›