McHenry County Blog

The "Making Schools Better" thread that has been allowed to drop down the page.

I have added this cover from the Chicago Tribune Magazine in honor of frequent commentator 4Piggybanks2.

I thought by now all the teachers' contracts would be agreed upon, but the big one--District 300--is still outstanding. The school board has broken off negotiations. (See story Oct. 24th). So, I'm keeping this on top for a while longer.

Here are some Huntley School District 158 numbers passed out before the Huntley school board vote.

I didn’t have a pre-planned message for Halloween.

Then, I took my son to a McHenry Marlins practice at McHenry’s West High School.

What did I find?

A sweat shirt with an evil looking cat and a jack-o-lantern with

Got Candy?

underneath

As I was leaving the pool, I saw a swimmer with what could be considered a Halloween theme. It says,

MY SISTER
IS A WITCH

Thought you might be interested on what 8th congresional candidate Bill Scheurer has to say on abortion:

Scheurer “Moderates” Abortion Extremes

It is Sunday morning, and Bill Scheurer, independent Moderate Party candidate for the IL-8th Congressional District, is in church. We will not say what church, but it is one known for taking a strong stand against abortion.

The speaker announces that a “nonpartisan voters guide” is available in the lobby. After the service, Scheurer picks up a copy of this “nonpartisan” guide.

It is actually not from the church at all but from Illinois Citizens for Life (ICL), an active lobbying group that also does electioneering and endorses candidates. The guide includes the following: “THIS SHEET MAY BE TAKEN INTO THE VOTING BOOTH.”

Out in the parking lot, all the windshields including Scheurer’s have a pro-McSweeney (Republican candidate), anti-Bean (Democratic candidate) flyer from the National Right to Life PAC (NRLPAC), with a Biblical quote: “I set before you life and death ... Choose Life then, that you and your descendants may live.”

Elsewhere, this NRLPAC flyer says, “Vote like life depends on it ... it does.” It also shows a baby photo with a large caption next to him: “This little guy wants you to help elect a Pro-Life Congress!”

Back to the ICL guide -- its ratings include, among others, the following: 1 - Fully Pro-Life; 4 = Totally opposed to Pro-Life issues; and U = Unknown (Did not answer or complete survey. The text claims these ratings were arrived at “through surveys, public statements, and/or voting records.”

Scheurer, who is widely known and on public record as opposing abortion as a method of birth control, receives a “U” rating. McSweeney has a “1” and Bean has a “4” rating.

Scheurer had in fact declined repeated solicitations to fill out ICL’s candidate questionnaire. “Like so many of these groups on either side of these polarized issues, the questions were all framed in the most extreme positions,” he explains. He also declined to fill out questionnaires from abortion-on-demand groups that endorse Democrat Bean.

His campaign had contacted ICL several times asking if they would accept a letter statement on his abortion stand instead of the survey. ICL never answered.

One can only guess that this experience -- both the ICL “guide” and NRLPAC flyer -- was repeated in many churches throughout the district and the land.

“How can people ever come together to find common ground,” Scheurer asks. “when our churches allow themselves to be used by these groups for such partisan extremes?”

“The noise volume from extremist groups like ICL and NRLPAC on the one side, and NARAL and EMILY’s List on the other, drown out the moderate voices like mine,” he adds, “which is what the mainstream majority really wants to hear.”

Imagine my surprise to find an email from the Daily Herald’s Algonquin reporter, Patrick Garmoe, yesterday.

“Cal, we noticed this nugget on your blog about the Crystal Lake Mayor,
and expanded on it,” he wrote.

The title of the article:

Algonquin Commons: Boon or bust?
Randall Road retailers struggling — or not

What caught this reporter’s interest?

Crystal Lake Mayor Aaron Shepley has been saying in speeches around town that the Algonquin Commons and the Algonquin Galleria shopping centers aren’t making nearly as much cash as projected.

And where did he say that on McHenry County Blog?

At a Crystal Lake Kiwanis Club meeting.

Kiwanis meets at noon Wednesday at the Colonial Cafe on Route 14. Come join us.

8th congressional district anti-war candidate Bill Scheurer has been churning out press releases. McHenry County Blog is probably the only place they get published.

In yesterday's release about anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan's endorsement ("Make One Democrat Pay") was a paragraph about a forthcoming negative mailing from the Democratic Party's Congressional Campaign Committee--run by Chicago Congressman Rahm Emanuel. It must have just arrived because here is what the campaign has to say about what it calls "Slime."

Democrat Mailer Slimes Scheurer

It's official. The Democrats are running scared. Despite their successful efforts to spin the media with false polls that under-report the growing momentum of his campaign, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) has now unleashed a desperate attack piece against independent Moderate Party candidate Bill Scheurer.

Among its notable lies, the piece says that Republicans have "propped up" the Scheurer campaign "with hundreds of thousands of dollars." Federal Election Commission reports plainly show that Scheurer has not received a single penny from Republicans.

In fact, over half his money came from major unions that backed incumbent Democrat Melissa Bean in 2004. Scheurer has raised less than $50,000.

"I wish it was true," says Scheurer. "If we had that kind of money to reach voters, we would be winning this thing by a landslide!"

The mailer also oddly attempts to connect Scheurer with George Bush. Bean is widely regarded as a "Bush Democrat" for voting with the Bush Administration and the Republican Congress on nearly every major issue, while Scheurer is a consistent outspoken critic of Bush and agrees with him on almost nothing.

In the height of irony, the DCCC direct mail piece also accuses Republicans of "playing dirty tricks" and trying to win "by backhanded, slimy tricks." The Republicans have no connection with the Scheurer campaign.

However, it was the Democrats who carried out a series of dirty tricks and outright fraud in its efforts to try to keep Scheurer off the November ballot. His Moderate Party had to file a lawsuit in federal court against the DCCC, its chairman Rahm Emanuel, and other leading Democrats for criminal fraud to make them back off.

Asked about the sleazy ad, Scheurer could only laugh. "Abraham Lincoln once said, after being ridden out of town on a rail: 'But for the honor of it, I would have rather walked.' That about sums it up for me."

Welcome, Mr. Scheurer, to the strange and twisted world of big-time politics.

For more McHenry County Blog, click here.

When Governor Jim Thompson was in office, Jayne, an attorney, would not take any case in state court.

Any legal business she did was in federal court.

Now comes the first Democrat since Thompson and what does wife Patti do?

She does business with now indicted Governor Rod Blagojevich’s fundraiser Tony Rezko and “a woman who holds a longstanding no-bid state contract,” Chicago Tribune reporter Ray Long writes.

Governor Rod “Not Me” says such critics are “Neanderthal and sexist.”

For more McHenry County Blog, click here.

Sunday about 800 of 1,200 certified teachers and other employees gathered to reject Carpentersville School District 300’s contract offer.

17.2% salary increase over 4 years wasn’t good enough.

Seeking 3 more sick days for every decade of employment, the union wants them because unused ones can be cashed in.

“We’re trying to save [the district] money, and they don’t seem the least bit interested,” the Northwest Herald quotes union spokesman Steve “I am District 300” Pittner.

Pittman said the teachers did not want to strike.

What happens when a gubernatorial candidate has more money than he knows what to do with?

In Governor Rod Blagojevich’s case, he sends mailing to consistently voting Republicans.

Early last week, we received a direct mail piece which ties into Blagojevich’s

It’s easy to criticize; I’m working to make progress

television ad

My wife mentioned that she thought that was his best ad.

Inside under a

Governor Blagojevich is getting things done for people

headline, the piece repeats the false mantra that he inherited a $5 billion deficit, stating that he has streamlined state government.

Wasn’t that $5 billion over a two-year period? And hasn’t he increased the state budget by about $1 billion a year since taking office?

Am I the only one who smells a disconnect or something worse?

It then goes on to point out that he raised the minimum wage and “worked to create over 150,000 new jobs—a jobs record that’s’ #1 in the Midwest. "

Of course, he doesn’t point out that we are the largest state in the Midwest.

I'm pretty amazed that he doesn't say that he plans to try to get the General Assembly to raise the minimum wages again in the veto session after the election and index it to inflations.

And, he brags about increasing money spent on education by $3.8 billion and says “he raised high school math, reading, and science graduation standards for the first time in 21 years.”

Nothing about raising test scores, though.

And, finally, he claims to have made health care and prescription drugs more affordable.

No mention that his prescription drug program was a flop and the All Kids health care program benefits primarily illegal aliens.

Well, it is trick or treat time.

= = = = =
For all four panels, click here.

For more McHenry County Blog, click here.

It's Halloween, so I thought I'd show your some ghostly photos I took this year.

The first was taken from the banks of the Fox River north of Algonquin. This was a time exposure without a tripod. I held the camera pretty still, didn't I?

We can see the wake.

But where's the speedboat?

This next was taken on Paul Capiro's Family PAC cruise. When I took the photo, all I could see was black on the digital screen.

What you see below is what happens when a bit of light is added:
  

Now, here is the tall ship sailing off into the night with a lot of light added.
  I don't remember seeing a tall sailing ship with this many masts before and am glad that I found a way to see on this screen what we saw in person as it sailed off into the night on Lake Michigan.

If you were 16th congressional congressman Donald Manzullo, with write-in challenger John Borling nipping at your hells, what would you think of seeing yard signs for your Democratic Party challenger in what you consider one of your bases—McHenry County’s Crystal Lake area?

Pretty spooky, right?

I found this sign for Richard Auman in Algonquin Township Precinct 19, but there are plenty of others in the area.

There are plenty of Manzullo signs in the Crystal Lake area, as well.

The following press release and statement from Cindy Sheehan was received from 8th congressional district congressional candidate Bill Scheurer. Note that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is making a mailing aganist Scheurer.

“Peace Mom” Cindy Sheehan, who became a leading antiwar voice after her son Casey was killed in Iraq, released a strong statement endorsing Bill Scheurer for Congress in the hotly contested IL-8th Congressional District. (Full statement appears below.)

“This is really great,” says campaign volunteer Jean Paskilades. “Many of us first met Bill at some of the peace vigils for Cindy Sheehan and Camp Casey last year.”

Scheurer, whose own son also served in Iraq, is the pro-peace, pro-labor, independent Moderate Party candidate running against Democratic incumbent Melissa Bean and Republican challenger David McSweeney. Both these candidates have supported the Iraq war from the start and expressly reject any timetable or other conditions for its end.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which carried out a nine-month operation to try to keep Scheurer off the ballot, is worried by Scheurer’s campaign. Last week, they filed an expenditure report with the Federal Elections Commission for a mail piece opposing him, rather than Republican McSweeney as is their usual practice. (If anyone gets this mailing, please get it to me.)

Also, a new poll shows Scheurer’s percentage of support has doubled with voters in less than a week. Scheurer claims he is doing even much better than these polls suggest.

“We keep telling people these are not real polls,” says Scheurer. “They are more like focus group surveys. They do not ask the ballot question.”

Members of Scheurer’s own campaign committee have received calls from pollsters that do not even ask about his candidacy. This omission will likely come to an end soon.

The campaign is set to release its first voter outreach calling program this week.

“We have done no advertising,” says Scheurer. “Unless you count our dozens of ‘Honk for Peace’ roadside flash parties and hundreds of ‘Vote for Peace’ yard signs.”

What follows is Sheehan's endorsement:

Cindy Sheehan: Make One Democrat Pay!

Having failed to stand up in opposition to the Iraq war in the first place, and failing to offer a strong peace platform now, the Democratic Party nevertheless is about to reap big gains from the blood of my son Casey and others like him.

We have an opportunity to make at least one pro-war Democrat pay the price for selling out on the war. We must send a message to pro-war politicians of both parties.

Our friend Bill Scheurer, editor of The PeaceMajority Report, co-founder of VotersForPeace, and longtime member of Military Families Speak Out, is running an explosive grassroots campaign in the IL-8th Congressional District against first-term incumbent Melissa Bean, a pro-war Bush Democrat.

People throughout this suburban, mainstream America district are blasting their horns, and flashing thumbs up and peace signs at Scheurer campaign “Honk for Peace!” roadside flash parties. The local news has given great coverage, and “Vote for Peace” Scheurer yard signs are popping up everywhere like dandelions in spring.

Because of Bean's clear support for big money and the wealthy, Scheurer also has strong support from organized labor, which compliments Bill's support of peace.

I urge all citizens is all districts to vote for peace candidates, no matter what party they are, but in Bill Scheurer, there is a clear choice for peace.

We in the nationwide peace community can help. Vote for Peace!

For more McHenry County Blog, click here.

Here’s the guts of an ABC Channel 7-Daily Herald poll on the 8th congressional district race among incumbent Democrat Melissa Bean, Republican challenger David McSweeney and anti-war Moderate Party challenger Bill Scheurer:

First ABC:

Bean, like (Tammy) Duckworth, is also benefiting from the strong support of voters who don't like the direction the county's heading in.

But she's only leading Republican David McSweeney by 3 points in our poll. 42-to-39. Another dead heat with a 4 percent margin of error.

In part because Bill Scheurer, a liberal who's running as an anti-war third party candidate, has 8 percent and he may be attracting voters who would otherwise support Bean.

The Daily Herald has similar information.

So, what's to be made of the Chicago Tribune poll a while ago that had Bean leading McSweeney by 19 percentage points?

Daily Herald editorial writer Chris Bailey points out that the Daily Herald warned that the Carpentersville School District 300 referendum was not “all about the kids,” which Sunday she labels as a “lie.”

In a column entitled,

Divide Between Public Servants, Those Paying Bill Only Grows Deeper

Bailey writes,

Right about now, a lot of Community School District 300 voters are probably feeling pretty angry. Having fallen for the self-righteous and guilt-inducing “it’s all about the children” spiel during the successful tax hike vote last spring, they now know it really was about more cash for educators….

Aggrieved teachers descended en masse last week on the school board, no doubt as a reminder of how much the tax hike was really “all about the kids.”

Referendums are never about the kids

In July three nine year olds “torched” $35,000 of colorful plastic and metal playground equipment at Knaack Park on Buckingham Drive.

“It’s pretty sad,” Park Director Kirk Reimer told me in July.

"It happened Friday.

"The fire started about 1:30 in the afternoon,” Reimer continued.

I noticed this past weekend that the Crystal Lake Park District has pretty much finished installing replacement equipment.

When I called Reimer back, here is what he had to say:

We got the cost of replacement through our insurance carrier. I think the value of it was $29-30,000 installed.

They gave us replacement cost, minus out $1,000 deductible.

Asked about the $1,000, Reimer replied,

We’re not going to go after it.
I don’t know if it’s going to be worth it. All indication is that PDRMA will be going after it.

Our risk management pool is looking into it. It’s up to them to find out if they want to go and seek compensation through the parents. By law they can, but I don’t think the case has gone before a judge yet.

They are also allegedly involved in burning stuff on city property…right behind Knaack Park where the old city sewage treatment plant and maintenance garage was.

Labels: Arson, Knaack Park, Poster. Crystal Lake Park District

Imagine my surprise when I went hunting for information about the Rockford School District election and found my idea for a local option income tax appear:

(State Reps. Dave) Winters and (Ron) Wait referenced a local option income tax, which would let voters decide through a referendum to impose a local income tax to alleviate property taxes.

Back in the mid-1970’s Jim Edgar, as a state representative, introduced the local income tax idea.

It would give half the new money raised to schools and half to property tax relief.

The idea delivered a mixed message, just as today’s Senate Bill 750 does.

It co-mingles the ideas of giving more money to schools with giving some real estate property tax relief.

I cogitated on Edgar’s idea for a while and finally worked out an idea that met the widely expressed desired to switch income taxes for property taxes.

It would consist of a local option income tax. It could be done school district by school district. Later, I conceived of a county-by-county version.

The way I remember it, a petition would be passed establishing an income tax rate. It would have to be approved by local referendum.

Because people were the ones complaining about property taxes, my bill would have limited the real estate tax relief to residential property.

Statewide, almost half of property taxes are paid by businesses. If you even wonder why businessmen can support a statewide income for property tax swap, keep in mind that business pays maybe 12% of the income tax collected (down from well over 20% during the early 1970’s).

So, a tax swap is a big tax cut for business as a whole.

Whatever money was raised through the local income tax in year one would be subtracted from the real estate taxes on residential property in year two.

Of course, there would be double taxation in the first year. But, I couldn’t figure out how to cut real estate taxes without having money in the bank to replace the taxes being abated.

The referendum debate would be vibrant. I know two local school administrators who live in modest homes. Their tax burden would increase. With no new money for schools, which way would they vote?

One could predict that senior citizens would vote for it, but how would working couples vote?

My guess is that they would do a comparison of both tax schemes and vote accordingly.

And, there would be educators who figured out that the income tax brings in different amounts of cash each year. It depends on the economy. Would they want to chance property taxes fluctuating significantly?

Any referendum increases in tax rates or for bonds would still be based on the old laws.

All of the money would stay local. For most of suburbia, the so-call tax swap being pushed by the Rev. and State Senator James Meeks would take money out of suburbia.

I can’t figure out a way to force landlords to push the savings through to renters. The best answer I have is to trust market forces. Certainly, when real estate taxes go up, rents increase.

Would the reverse happen? Can’t tell you, but theory says competition should play a significant role.

The Hononegah High School event was sponsored by "Fairer Funding for Illinois Schools," a group I have not heard of before.

I’m reminded of my daughter Alexandra’s reaction to seeing her two older cousins, Lissa and Heather hanging upside down on the swing set during the 1984 Olympics.

“Just like in the Olympics!” the 2-year old exclaimed.

“Just like in a rock concert,” was my reaction to the Bebo Norman at the First United Methodist Church of Crystal Lake.

Now, understand, I have never been to a rock concert.

Frankly, I’d rather listen to the music than a crowd.

And, I can’t stand smoke, whether it’s tobacco or marijuana.

But the production—with emphasis on the lights—was quite impressive.

I couldn’t use my flash, so most of the pictures I got were of light beams.

Oh, you can see there is someone singing and playing a guitar and maybe some of the back-up men, but the good close-ups, even from 4th row right were mighty few.

I’ve been to a good number of Cheri Keaggy concerts at our church, so I thought I knew what to expect.

Church members man tables where CD’s, tee shirts and other stuff are sold.

But this concert had something I have not seen before.

There were two tables of volunteers for Compassion International.

Upstairs there were exhibits for three Christian radio stations, showing the flag, I guess.

Kai Elmer represented WMBI.

Danielle Derks was behind the table for WYLL.

K-LOVE had Denise Glover, Susan Bauer and Kevin Dudley.

All were handing out stuff.

And Downstairs next to the kitchen were William Dean and Jaimee Bartha representing Judson College.

It was a mini-Christian trade show.

The most impressive part of the concert wasn’t the music.

There were certainly moving songs by Aaron Shust. He's from the Pittsburgh area and now is worship leader at Perimeter Church in Atlanta, Georga.

He still must have a real soft spot for Pennsylvania because one of the tee shirts he is selling has an outline of the state.

And Brandon Heath.

He's a Young Life camp convert who now lives in Nashville. He has recently gone from writing songs for others to sing to performing them himself. (Advice for song writers: Leave places to breathe.)

The one about forgiveness by Heath I was particularly interested in and bought the CD.

It was headliner Bebo Norman’s pitch for those attending to sign up to sponsor a Compassion International child, however, that was the highlight of the concert for me.

It’s not that I don’t know about Compassion International. We sponsor 9-year old Clifford Fernando Sotelo Brandan from Peru.

But Norman’s testimony was compelling. (I guess since everyone refers to him as “Bebo,” I shall, too.)

Bebo told of going to Tanzania to see the child he sponsors. He is a child of the Massai tribe.

He was having “a great struggle in life questioning death…spiraling down.

“Those kinds of places can trip you up.”

He referred to himself as “a clumsy believer. There are some things that are hard to look at.”

Bebo talked to being “tripped up, confused, clumsy, on the verge of being angry at God, asking, ‘Where are you?’

“By the end of that trip, He had given me an answer.”

“This kid lives with the Massai people a 2-3 hour bus ride (from where Bebo started)…literally we were passing giraffes. He belongs to a Compassion church.

“This little boy had given his life to Christ.

“I went to his house. Every single member of his household had given their lives to Christ.

“He lives in a circular hut made of cow manure and sticks. The roof is made out of straw.

“(With a translator) I talked to this little boy’s father. I asked, ‘If you could wish for one thing from God, what would you wish for?'

“He sat with his head down for a long time.

“(Finally), he pointed to this tree in the distance,” Bebo continued and (here the quotes are not exact—it was dark and I didn’t have much paper) “told me it provides food. A stream in the other direction provided water and his son had a goat from Compassion International that provided mild for his younger siblings.”

The father’s answer to the question:

My family knows who Jesus is and we have nothing else to ask for."

Clearly, this affected Bebo (not to mention me) pretty deeply.

Bebo observed, “The gift that makes a man a believer in a house made of cow manure is Jesus Christ."

He talked movingly of Gary Haugenan, an acquaintance who runs an organization that tries to use politics and the legal system to fight injustice like selling young girls into prostitution. The United Nations charged him with counting bodies in Rwanda after the massacre.

Bebo concluded that he didn’t think he had “the heart or stomach” for that.

“I’ve stopped asking, ‘Where is God?’

“Now I ask, ‘Where are God’s people?’

He related two of Jesus’ commandments:

"One, love God."

"Two, love your neighbor."

“It isn’t the job of the governments of this world to fee and clothe the poor. It is the job of the body of Christ. It is our job.”

Bebo also told of visiting another boy he sponsored in Brazil. His name is Wallef. Visiting his home, Wallef ran to a box in the corner of the small house and pulled letters from under a box.

Sponsor! sponsor!

the boy yelled.

“There is more in my heart than I know how to communicate,” Bebo said before he asked those listening to hold their hands up if they wanted to think about sponsoring a child.

He cautioned that the packets handed out were the only ones for that child, so if one decided not to sponsor the child, the packet should be returned to the volunteers.

As the artists were signing tee shirts, programs and CD’s, I asked one of the volunteers how many people had signed up.

‘’44 through the intermission,” he said. “We’ll hit 50.”

At $32 per month, I figure the audience pledged over $18,000 for the first year.

And, everyone who made a pledge got a free 2006 Bebo CD. Its cover says,

BETWEEN THE DREAMING

AND THE COMING TRUE

It features his songs, “I Will Lift My Eyes” and “Into the Day.”

Bebo said that he didn’t want people having to choose between buying his CD and sponsoring a Compassion International child.

After the concert the artists hawked their goods and signed autographs.

I can’t say I’m familiar with the songs or Bebo, but my wife’s not being able to attend the concert because her small group met Thursday night brought another almost 9-year old into our life. His name is Jeff Leonard and he lives in Haiti.

= = = = =

Lights probing the darkness, Aaron Shust starts the concert entertainment on top. Below is Brandon Heath playing in the spotlight.

Three Christian radio stations--WYLL, WMBI and K LOVE--had promotional tables, as explained above, as did Elgin's Judson College.

The first close-up of a performer is Aaron Shust again. Below him is Brandon Heath.

The map is of Zambia, from soon-to-be Methodist missionary Tshala Mwengo, who will soon return to his agricultural extension station in northwestern part of the country.

Bebo Norman is in the next four photos. In the first, he is explaining his trip to Zambia to meet one of his Compassion International children. He raises one finger when he says, "One, love God." His second finger goes up when he adds, "Two, love your neighbor." In the fourth picture, Bebo holds up the packet of an African girl seeking a Compassion International sponsor.

The man in front of the Compassionate International poster is in line to sign up for a sponsorship.

Pastor Heath's daughter Tamara poses with Bebo after he signs one of his tee shirts. The signed tee shirt is to the left. She is also seen at the WYLL booth.

Labels: Aaron Shust, Bebo, Bebo Norman, Branon Heath, Clifford Fernando Sotelo Brandan, Compassion International, Gary Haugenan, Haiti, Jeff Leonard, Peru, Tamara Heath

Today’s message is a bigger version of the big beanie baby donkey and elephant sewed together to form McBeaney. The Bill Scheurer for Congress campaign called it a donkeyphant.

The original McBeaney made its debue at the Lake County Fair.

To this date, I think McHenry County Blog is about the only place you can find a picture on the internet.

So, why not make it a 2-fer, I thought.

Here’s a picture of a full-sized McBeaney posing with someone wearing what I guess is a George Bush mask.

I still think McBeaney is the best gimmick of the Illinois campaign season and take this opportunity to scold the establishment media—all of which are endorsing Melissa Bean for re-election—for ignoring a great visual.

This is good political theater, even if the big guys don't think so.

In Wednesday night’s Chicago Tribune story on Cary-Grove High School student Justin Glassmyer’s being killed in a bicycle-train crash at the same intersection 7 other high school students died 11 years ago there was a mistake.

This is not the way Metra train speeds were cut from 70 to 50 MPH:

After the accident, the Illinois Commerce Commission ordered the speed limit of express trains through the town reduced from 70 to 50 m.p.h.

But not at its own volition. That’s for sure.

What happened is that the parents implored the Commerce Commission to do so and were rebuked.

They finally convinced me to sponsor a bill to mandate the reduction in speed.

To the best of my knowledge, a speed limit had never been legislated before.

The day of the vote, Mayor Bill Yocius led a delegation of parents and concerned residents to Springfield, where they lobbied House members. I remember that Fox River Grove Police Chief Robert Polston was there, too.

I was told when the vote would be held, so I had time to work the floor, which I did.

Naturally the railroad lobbyists had been working hard to kill the bill. Bad precedent and all that.

Not until later was I told that Metra Chairman Jeff Ladd had told his law firm employee (maybe, junior partner would be a better way to put it) Republican Leader Lee Daniels had told his leaders to kill the bill.

Well, guess what?

Legislative colleagues are pretty good at voting for bills that don’t hurt their districts and have a big emotional impact in a member’s district.

Nevertheless, it was a hard sell.

But we were successful.

And, the joy in the pain-filled eyes of several parents of those killed in the crash up in the back hall behind the chamber after the vote made it all worthwhile.

I wonder if there will be a correction on the Tribune’s misstatement.

Naah. It’s close enough.

This McSweeney button came in the gift bag passed out at a Barrington Hills rally for the candidate.

I got it last weekend.

I’ll let other reporters try to figure out who unnamed Individuals A through L are in Stuart Levine’s guilty plea agreement.

But, since I ran against Jim Ryan in the 2002 gubernatorial contest (getting all of 2% of the vote), let me ask a question:

If Jim Ryan had been elected, what would his good buddy the Stuart Levine law school study partner crook have been able to get from his administration?

Levine had to use two intermediaries in dealing with Governor Rod Blagojevich. One was mega fundraiser Tony Rezko. The other remains unnamed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

If Jim Ryan had been elected, Levine would have been able to get him on the phone any time of day or night.

Before you think I am picking on Republicans, remember than I am the only one who has written an article pointing out all of the Federal money that Levine has given to Democrats. The article is about Federal contributions to Illinois congressional and senatorial candidates. If click on the link within that article you can find plenty of radical Democrats who got Levine money.

Just to make sure that my sick 9-year old, who missed four days of school and an entire weekend, didn’t have a bacterial infection, we were off to one of his pediatricians Monday.

He didn’t have strep throat and is now back in school, but I did pick up something of interest at the doctors’ office.

It was this notice.


Billed as an “All Kids Update,” the notice, "Effective October 1, 2006," basically says if patients have private insurance, All Kids will not be accepted for payment.

“If your child is covered by a commercial insurance carrier AND All Kids (previously Kid Care and Medicaid), Pediatric Specialists of the Northwest will no longer submit claims to All Kids.

“Any balance not covered by your commercial carrier will be your responsibility to pay.

“Please direct you questions to the Billing Department” and the phone number is given.

This was seen in the office north of Barrington, but I assume it is also in the group's Crystal Lake office.

Whomp! Whomp! Whomp!

The sounds come from the Northwest Herald’s editorial Thursday.

Kind of reminds me of the cave women beating on the snake in the cartoon strip "B.C."

The blows are being delivered to District 300 board and teachers’ union members.

The paper sharply criticizes the 17.4 percent 4-year pay hike the school board and the union have agreed upon.

The bottom line is this: Raises for teachers in this district should not be higher than 3 percent a year. Period,

the NW Herald says, adding that approval of that high a pay raise would not make the board members “good stewards” of the 55-cent real estate tax hike that passed this spring.

Speculating on the employee benefits side of the contract, the NW Herald points out the present contact has the taxpayers picking up 80% of employee health insurance costs and 60% of family cost.

Here’s here the editorial ends,

It is time for local school boards to develop a backbone. School officials should stand their ground. If teachers threaten to strike, let them threaten, let them strike, let the walk the picket line until their shoes wear out.

The era of entitlement must come to an end. And it starts with District 300.

= = = = =
School board members from left to right are Mary Warren, Karen Roeckner, Joe Stevens, Susie Kopacz, Dave Alessio, Anne Miller and Mary Fiorretti. Fioretti is pictured alone.

The woman speaking to the school board before the applause of her members is Kolleen Hanetho, presdient of the District 300 teachers union, LEAD 300. She is a school social worker.

Well, a neighborhood sign war.

These are the front yards of activist Democrat and Republican neighbors.

I have driven through various parts of this Algonquin Township Precinct 25 and my observation is that the Democrats have worked it and the Republicans have not.

There are more Democratic Party candidate signs than I ever seen before. They are on the main streets.

They are across from the polling place (Lundahl Junior High School).

They are on the side streets.

The only concentration of Republican signs I could find is in this picture.

Remember how the "reform" President of Mexico wouldn't extradite Marco Morales, convicted felon who failed to report to prison?

Well, the U.S. Attorney's Office appears to be ready to try again. Here is a press release from U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald:

U.S. INDICTS MARCO MORALES, SILVER SHOVEL FUGITIVE

CHICAGO – A former Chicago contractor who became a fugitive after he was sentenced in 1997 to nearly five years in prison for his role in the Operation Silver Shovel investigation of public corruption in Chicago was indicted today for allegedly selling approximately a kilogram of cocaine. The defendant, Marco Morales, who is believed to be living in Mexico, was charged in a superseding indictment returned by a federal grand jury, announced Patrick J. Fitzgerald, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Robert D. Grant, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Morales, 61, was the first person charged in the Silver Shovel investigation, which became public in 1996 and revolved around bribes paid by an undercover cooperating defendant, John Christopher, to local government politicians.

In 1997, Morales pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate with the Government in its investigation of local political corruption, but he became a fugitive when he failed to report to the Bureau of Prisons to serve a 59-month sentence for mail fraud and bribery. (United States v. Morales, 95 CR 742 N.D. Ill.)

Morales was arrested as a fugitive in 2004 by Mexican authorities at the request of the United States, but efforts to extradite him to Chicago were unsuccessful. The Government intends to ask Mexican authorities to extradite him to face today’s cocaine distribution charge.

The government is being represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Terra Brown.

If convicted the drug charges carries a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum of 40 years and a $1 million fine. The Court, however, would determine the appropriate sentence to be imposed.

The public is reminded that an indictment contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the Government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

McHenry County Blog received this press release from the write-in campaign for John Borling for Congress.

He apparently is getting good press in Freeport. He has gotten none in McHenry County, as far as I can see. McHenry County has 25% of the 16th congressional district's votes.

BORLING HEADLINED IN FREEPORT

John Borling, the Independent and Write In candidate for the Congress in the 16th District (Northern Illinois) is front page news in the Freeport Journal Standard. His moderate and well articulated views were widely covered this week despite being excluded from a League of Woman’s Voter’s candidate forum on Tuesday.

Borling contends that both parties have let us down in the Congress and that Northern Illinois and America require a ‘political middle’ to get the work of the nation accomplished. “We are fed up with career politicians and constant partisan wrangling and down the line voting according to party extremists who have captured the agenda, “ says Borling. “ It’s Halloween—we should send robots in clown costumes to Congress if all we want is more of the same---and that’s no joke,” he adds.

Meanwhile, the need and opportunity for fair and full discourse and candidate evaluation is being denied to the voters. Borling will be excluded from a formatted and controlled League candidate’s forum at Rock Valley College on Thursday night the 24th. He will be present and available for questions and interview before and after the event as the public and the press may require.

Borling and the Democratic challenger continue to press Mr. Manzullo to ‘come out’ and have wide ranging public discussion but Manzullo continues to plead schedule conflicts. Borling calls it “BS” (Baffling Scheduling). “ It’s part of the job” Borling contends, “Federally elected officials (or wannabes) must have the confidence and competence to engage in open debate in the interests of Northern Illinois and the Nation.”

Borling is a combat tested fighter pilot, former Major General USAF and Accredited Diplomat, Business Executive, Civic Leader, Motivational Speaker, White House Fellow and POW in Vietnam for 6 ½ years. From Chicago, he and his wife of 43 years, Myrna, have lived in Rockford for over 5 years and have two adult daughters

That was what my bride said when I finally figured out yesterday was the 11th anniversary of the school bus-train crash in Fox River Grove.

And another Cary-Grove High School student was killed when his bicycle hit a train at that very same Algonquin Road grade crossing.

The pain in Fox River Grove was so raw

for so long

and

now the scab is ripped off again.

And, another generation of Fox River Grove residents must suffer through a tragedy.

= = = = =
Girl gets off her bicycle to look at the rock and brass memorial for the seven teens killed 11 years ago, with mother watching. Taken from a train's upper deck in mid-July.

Labels: Crystal Lake High School District 155, Fox River Grove, Good Shepherd Hospital, Joe Giangrasso, School Bus, Train Crash

Wisconsin Republican Governor Tommy Thompson’s gift to Illinois politics, Nicholas Hurtgen, just keeps on giving.

Hurtgen was indicted in connection with the Crystal Lake Mercy Hospital kick-back scheme for which co-conspirator Stuart Levine is scheduled to plead guilty on Friday.

This time Hurtgen figures in an ethics complaint against Wisconsin’s incumbent Democratic Party Governor Jim Doyle’s attendance at the Sept. 29, 2003, Bears-Green Bay game at Soldier Field.

According to the Chippewa Herald,

State law prohibits a state government official from accepting items or services that primarily benefit the state and bars them from obtaining items or services for personal benefit.

The Ethics Board said in its release that while Doyle received some personal benefit by attending the game, "the uncontradicted testimony of witnesses was that the governor attended the event at the invitation of an owner of the Bears to meet Illinois government officials and business leaders.

The article goes on to point reveal a “close ties” between Doyle and Hurtgen.

The investment banker, according to the paper,

introduced Doyle to (Patrick) Ryan (CEO of Aon, owner of the skybox) and set up two campaign events for Doyle in Chicago earlier in the day, the report said. He also may have helped secure Doyle's tickets from Ryan,

the ethics report said.

And, next, the Tony Rezko connection:

The events arranged by Hurtgen included a dinner with Antoin Rezko, a top fundraiser for Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich who was charged in two federal indictments this month.

Looks like John Kass' bi-partisan combine has infiltrated Illinois.

It didn't happen at a Huntley School Board meeting.

But the same lawyer, Anthony Ficarelli, gave that message to the Naperville Unit School District 203, another client.

Here's what the Daily Herald article said Wednesday:

Anthony Ficarelli, legal counsel for the district, said Tuesday it is
legal to share some of the information from a closed-session negotiation.

It's something that is not customarily done, but it isn't necessarily
something that can't be done.

Remember the “such a deal” pension program that the General Assembly passed at the behest of the Illinois Education Association (really a union)?

Well, the extraordinary raises given to teachers and administrators during the last four years of their employment, upon which their retirement pensions were based, led to reform of a sort.

That made the late 40 and 50-something leaders of teachers unions throughout the state none too happy.

One I talked to was really angry.

It was one of those entitlement things.

If teachers my age (64) had been able to retire with a really good monthly check from the Downstate Teachers Retirement Fund at age 52, why shouldn’t they still be able to do so?

So, now I see confirmation that the Carpentersville District 300 teachers are not dissatisfied with their 4-year, 17.4% salary increase. (Who could be upset with that?)

Chicago Tribune reporter Tim Kane got local union president Kolleen Hanetho to admit that the sticking point is early retirement. Here’s the details:

"She said teachers who retire before age 60, or at 55 if they have 35 years’ service, are penalized under a new state law.

"Hanetho said that the union wants a way to keep early retirement free of financial penalties to teachers or the school district."

As I suggested above, entitlements die hard.

The previous law allowed local school districts to dump the enormous pension burden on all the state’s taxpayers.

Here’s what the District 300 press release revealed about the issue:

The national context includes a society increasingly intolerant of the disparities between public and private sector pay and benefits. The board is asking LEAD members to keep an open mind about its shift away from a traditional, and some would say outdated, compensation package to one that is both competitive and innovative.

I wonder what the teachers have in mind that this teacher union-dominated school board can’t swallow.

= = = = =
Top left is LEAD 300 union president Kolleen Hanetho.

Bottom is District 300 Superintendent Ken Arndt, the contact person for the Saturday press release.

If one did a survey of yard signs in the Crystal Lake area, the Congregational Church Rummage Sale would be winning.

The sign says,

Oct. 25 and 26
RUMMAGE SALE
1st Congregational
Church

Running second would be the District 47 status quo signs.

Democrats would be coming in third and Republicans bringing up the rear.

My prediction that the Sun-Times would endorse Melissa Bean for re-election over Republican David McSweeney and anti-war candidate Bill Scheurer was a real toughie.

My August prediction stands that Pioneer Press will complete her clean sweep Thursday.

Liberal Woman - Good

Conservative Man - Bad

All the papers endorsed McSweeney in the primary.

The big news in Rockford is the referendum.

The school board is seeking voter approval for 58-cents which it incorrectly believes is lapsing, but which was approved 5 years ago with a 5-year life.

In the meantime, the law was changed and no referendum has to be held, except to keep the school board’s word with the people.

The board is promising to cut $14 million from its budget if the referendum fails.

But, now a “miracle” has occurred.

$21.2 million has been found by the financial gurus at the Rockford School District. The deficit is gone.

As reporter Jeff Kolkey writes,

That’s great news for the district’s bottom line but could cost it votes during a Nov. 7 referendum.

Larry Snow, the man who uncovered the shenanigans at Huntley School District 158 is a bit more than skeptical.

In fact, he wrote the following to the comment section connected to the article:

I am on the Finance committee of the "Huntley" District 158 school board as a school board member.

If anyone wants you to believe that the official(s) in the Fiscal Office didn't notice an extra $14 Milllion sitting in their checking accounts in August, don't believe them.

Are you telling me that the Superintendent, Board President and Finance committee members did not notice an extra $14 Million on the District's monthly financial statements?

When you see that $9.5 Million of it was in benefits that weren't being paid month after month throughout all of last year, are you tellling me that no one in the fiscal office, the Superintendent, Board President and Finance committee noticed this large surplus accumulating last April, May and June?

It would have stuck out like a lawyer in heaven.

This year's budget numbers need immediate serious review.
How this was not disclosed to the public before this year's budget was approved by the Board of Education is a serious issue.

Being highly knowledgeable in school district finance, I can tell you that you can not responsibly prepare a budget for this year without noticing this $14 Million ($9.5 Million in overbudgeted benefits.)

The question is who knew what and when did they know it.

If no one knew, then people deserve to be told that their employment contract with the District for next year is not going to be renewed.

If you see no one exit for next year, then in my opinion it is either likely a whole group of individuals knew and they are not going to dismiss willing accomplices or the standards for competent on the job performance are exceptionally low in the Rockford school district.

The Chicago Tribune put a small article up about Huntley School District 158’s deciding to hire auditors to investigate itself.

Here’s a paragraph:

"Supt. John Burkey, who started July 1, said he wanted auditors to look at the payroll because some administrators are making more money than their contracts stipulate. He added that a former district supervisor is under investigation for allegedly stealing $10,000."

And, there’s the unaccounted for $10 million of construction spending, which is not specifically mentioned in the article.

No word on the district’s having asked the Justice Department to do the same.

I was surprised to read that Rockford blogger “Dump Dick Durbin” is, no, has voted for Rich Whitney, the Green Party candidate for governor.

Here is his logic:

(1) I wouldn't vote for Blago if someone put a gun to my head;

(2) JBT isn't much better than Blago;

(3) Whitney has virtually no chance of actually winning the race; but

(4) if Whitney gets more than 5% of the vote, the Green Weenies will qualify for the ballot in future races without having to jump through the procedural hoops that they have to jump through now; and

(5) ultimately, having the Green Weenies on the ballot will help the GOP by drawing votes away from the Donkeys.

He identifies himself as a Rockford attorney.

Got this press release from Green Party candidate Rich Whitney:

WHITNEY SUPPORT DOUBLES, BEATING BLAGO AMONG INDEPENDENTS

Despite refusing all corporate campaign contributions, and facing widespread media bias, Rich Whitney, the Green Party's candidate for Illinois Governor, is now polling at 14% support, according to the most recent independent SurveyUSA poll, conducted on October 20-22.

This figure is double Whitney's results in the last SurveyUSA poll, released on September 20th. Whitney is the only candidate to have gained support--his opponents' numbers have both decreased.

The poll showed Rich Whitney's strongest support coming from Independent voters, with 29% supporting Whitney, compared to 27% for Blagojevich.

A civil rights attorney from Carbondale, Whitney is also polling as high as 20% in the Chicago collar counties and 23% amongst those age 18-34.

"This is an encouraging sign that a people driven campaign can be successful in this day and age without the necessity of raising and spending millions of dollars. People in Illinois, as elsewhere, are tired of politics dominated by big money and this is a sign of popular rebellion against it," said Whitney.

At Carpentersville District 300’s overcrowded board meeting Monday night, I saw these ribbons and this message on a table in front of one of the stairways to the auditorium.

One ribbon said,

Save Our CUSD 300

on one side and on the other,

Bus rivers

Other ribbons had the same message on the left:

Save Our CUSD 300

And on the right either

Assistants

or

Mechanics

The placard underneath said,

SAVE OUT
CUSD 300
Bus Drivers
Bus Assistants
Bus Mechanic

Crystal Lake, Illinois, domestic violence agency P.E.A.C.E. 4 ALL is holding a fund raising auction for tickets to the Bears November 12th game against the New York Giants in New York.

In addition to the tickets, the package includes $200 airline gift certificate, plus 2 nights at a New York hotel.

Fax your bid to 815-455-8250 or mail a sealed bid to PEACE4ALL, 44 N. Virginia St., Suite 1A2, Crystal Lake, IL 60014. Email bids to CSSPEACE@Yahoo.com.

Deadline for bids is Friday, November 3rd at 3PM. It should be noted that there could be other live bids at the 6 PM fund raising dinner at the Boulder Ridge Country Club in Lake in the Hills. The dinner, complete with dancing, costs $100 per person.

The agency was recently featured in a