The local government distributive fund and rising public safety pension costs are among the topics.
Representatives from several Kane County municipalities traveled to Springfield Tuesday, May 14, to advocate their position on several issues, including the instability of the local government distributive fund and rising public safety pension costs. Village President Patsy Smith and Trustee Mike Millette of Campton Hills, Batavia Aldermen Dan Chanzit and Kyle Hohmann, East Dundee Village President Lael Miller, Montgomery Village President Matt Brolley and Montgomery Trustee Steve Jungermann were in Springfield as part of the Metro West Council of Government's annual Drive Down event. Administrators from Gilberts, St. Charles, Montgomery, East Dundee and Geneva also attended the event. Metro West Council of Government, a regional group of…
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…
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"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 …
State Rep. Kay Hatcher is pushing a bill that would lessen the impact of state construction projects on small business owners.
The toll a major road construction project can take on local small businesses can be huge. It’s no secret many mom and pops have had to close up shop as the latest multi-million dollar project rolls through town. With that in mind, state Rep. Kay Hatcher, R-Yorkville, has advanced House Bill 2382 that requires the Illinois Department of Transportation to work with local business owners to lessen a project's impact before the first shovel hits the ground. “The disruption to local businesses created by the recent improvement work at Routes 47 and 64 really highlighted the need for some new guidelines." Representative Hatcher said. “... There’s no question that road repair and improvements are necessary especially in a growing area like ours…
What do you think about Jim Oberweis' efforts to get rid of Pat Brady as party chair?
A couple of big-name, hyper-local politicians in the state's Grand Old Party are going toe-to-toe over the direction of party leadership and the issue of same-sex marriage. A bunch of Republicans, led by state Sen. Jim Oberweis of Sugar Grove, cancelled a Saturday (March 9) meeting to decide whether to oust state GOP Chairman Pat Brady of St. Charles over Brady's personal position on gay marriage. The meeting was cancelled because the Republican group couldn't get enough votes to remove Brady, according to reports in the Chicago Tribune and other sources. Sixty percent of the party vote is required to make that happen. But it doesn't sound like the issue is going away any time soon. Brady has said on a number of occasions that he supports …
10:42 am on Saturday, March 16, 2013
Actually I really don't care what the reason is but I certainly support sending Brady out to pasture. He's been a disaster as Chairman and has done more for Illinois Democrats than Republicans. more ›
Republicans Jim Oberweis and Karen McConnaughay, as you might expect, say this week's budget address is too heavy on spending and short on leadership. What do you think?
State Sens. Jim Oberweis (R-Sugar Grove) and Karen McConnaughay (R-St. Charles) each reacted separately to Gov. Pat Quinn's March 6 budget address, but the theme is pretty much the same: too much spending and not enough leadership. Oberweis pointed out "the extreme problems caused by years of offering too many pension sweeteners without meeting state funding obligations." “He knows the importance of reforming that system; however, he has not demonstrated the leadership needed to solve this problem,” Oberweis said. The 25th District senator said he is willing to work in a bipartisan manner to address Illinois’ budget crisis, but Quinn and Democrat legislative leaders first need to start working together. “Not only do the Democrats have …
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8:22 pm on Sunday, March 10, 2013
It is time WE back the need for and DEMAND our legislators pass TERM LIMITS legislation!! more ›
The Illinois House of Human Services Committee approved a measure to legalize the use of medical marijuana on Wednesday. The bill's sponsor, Lou Lang (D-Skokie), tells Patch the measure would be the strictest in the nation.
The Illinois House of Human Services Committee approved a measure to legalize the use of medical marijuana on Wednesday, the Huffington Post reports. The final vote came in at 11-4. The measure now moves to the Illinois House for deliberation. House member Lou Lang (D-Skokie) has been pushing the legalization of medical marijuana for years. Whenever asked about the possibility of Illinois becoming the nineteenth state to legalize the green leafy substance, Lang is always optimistic. "Nobody should fear the bill," Lang told Skokie Patch. "This is about quality of life for people." While the House of Human Services approved the measure, nothing is set in stone. “As the State Journal-Register notes, similar legislation failed in the General …
12:11 am on Monday, March 18, 2013
Having progressive relapsing Ms for 13 yrs and relapsing on all Ms drugs and having issues with pain meds, I have used marijuana and not very often can I get, but it really helps please legalize. more ›
Do you think the state of Illinois should require students to receive the Tdap booster shot in order to remain in school?
The Illinois State Board of Health has approved new recommendations from the Illinois Department of Public Health and The Illinois Department of Education to require all students in sixth grade through senior year of high school to have an additional vaccination. The students will now need to show proof of receiving the Tdap booster shot. The vaccine immunizes against tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis. “We’ve seen an increase in pertussis, or whooping cough, in Illinois during the last six years. Medical experts have found whooping cough has been on the rise in pre-teens and teens, indicating a waning immunity from infant and childhood immunizations,” said Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. LaMar Hasbrouck in a press release…
8:34 pm on Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Lisa i take it you have not had the recent outbreak of whooping cough affect you... You may change your tune more ›
State senators Jim Oberweis and Karen McConnaughay react to the governor's address. “In your household you would not plan a vacation with a hole in your roof," McConnaughay says.
Two state senators from our area say Gov. Pat Quinn's Feb. 6 State of the State speech failed to address Illinois' two most-serious problems: financial insolvency and pension reform. “His support of Senate Bill 1, the public pension reform bill, doesn’t go nearly far enough," said state Sen. Jim Oberweis, R-Sugar Grove. "Senate Bill 1 only solves a small part of our problem—if that is all we do, we’ll be back here facing the problem again in another year or two. We ought to do the right things now to fix this problem on a long-term basis." State Sen. Karen McConnaughay, R-South Elgin, said she would be looking forward to Quinn's budget address next month, "to see specifically how he intends to accomplish" new programs he's put on his wish …
9:03 am on Friday, February 8, 2013
In your household you would not plan a vacation with a hole in your roof; similarly we in the legislature cannot speak of costly endeavors when there are more pressing concerns," she said Didn't the ExChairman, now Senator, choose to take a 'vacation' in her last six weeks of county service? County board office computers all collected and material deleted with empty files in an empty office in … more ›
Geneva's Eric Luminais takes seventh place in the Senior Division.
Kane County Fair talent show winner Nicole DiSandro, 14, of Elburn has won first place in the Junior Competition at the Illinois Association of Agricultural Fair (IAAF) talent contest. The event was held Saturday, Jan. 19, 2013, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Springfield. DiSandro performed her theatrical vocal solo, Gimme Gimme from Thoroughly Modern Millie, which she also performed at the Kane County Fair Talent Contest in July for her award-winning performance. DiSandro competed against 36 other acts to win the first place prize, a trophy and monetary award. Because she won first place, DiSandro will perform at the Illinois State Fair, which runs Aug. 8-19, 2013, in Springfield. Eric Luminais, 19, of Geneva earned a strong seventh place …
JR
3:18 pm on Monday, May 13, 2013
The unions and the pols worked side by side for year fleecing the taxpayers of IL in return for bigger and bigger payoffs. The pols kept promising more and more money in return for the union's support. The union wasn't sharp enough (or didn't care) that the promises got so big that the pols couldn't even begin to honor them. If the union had forced the state to make annual payments, the pols … more ›