Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Chamber of Commerce hears how things work, or don’t, in Springfield and Washington.
Rep. Robert Dold (R-Kenilworth) and state Rep. Daniel Biss (D-Evanston) demonstrated to more than 50 members of the Glenview Chamber of Commerce the similarity to legislating at the state and federal level Monday in Northbrook. Though the issues are very different, both are dealing with controlling mushrooming debt. They also realize partisan politics will keep enlarging the fiscal hole unless both sides start to do things differently. Biss proposes concentration on long term solutions while Dold wants to focus on areas of agreement between Democrats and Republicans to make progress. He recognizes in an election year this is harder to do. “Everything will be put through a political lens and that is unfortunate,” Dold said. “What are our …
Monday, January 9, 2012
Moody’s devalues Illinois debt rating to lowest among all 50 states. Biss and Nekritz also voice concerns.
Local elected officials reacted with criticism and others with potential solutions when Moody’s downgraded Illinois’ debt to A2 from A1 Friday, making an investment in the state’s bonds potentially the riskiest of all 50 states’ securities. Illinois had been tied with California at the bottom of the list, according to the Bloomberg News Service, until Friday’s action put it alone at the bottom. State Sen. Susan Garrett (D-Lake Forest), who is retiring at the end of her term in a year, called for the entire Illinois General Assembly to work together to do something about getting the rating higher again. “This is somber news and a very great challenge for Illinois,’ Garrett said. “We’ve come to a crossroads and must find a solution in a …
Monday, January 2, 2012
As of Jan. 1, no electronics can be thrown into landfills.
If you got a new television or computer for Christmas or Hanukkah and want to get rid of the old one, you can’t throw it in the trash. As of Jan. 1 landfills will not take electronic equipment of any kind. The ban is a result of a new law authored and guided through the Illinois General Assembly by state Sen. Susan Garrett (D-Lake Forest). In all, more than 30 items including televisions, monitors, computers, fax machines, VCRs, scanners and printers can no longer be deposited with regular trash. Homes, multi-unit buildings, condos, schools, libraries, houses of worship and park districts will not have to pay for this new service. "The idea is to have original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) pick up some of the recycling costs," said Mary…
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Seventeen of 23 election contests will have primaries.
Campaigns for the March 20 Illinois primary and Nov. 6 general elections started to come into clear view today after the deadline passed Monday to land a space in the ballot for all races except United States Congress. Of the 23 campaigns in the North Suburban Patch reading area, candidates will square off in primaries in 17 of those races for either the Democratic or Republican nomination. In three cases, primaries will take place between members of both parties. In the contests for six offices, either the Republican or Democrat has no opponent however party leaders can still choose a nominee. “We have a lot of outstanding candidates,” 10th Congressional District Committeewoman and Moraine Township Democratic Chair Lauren Beth Gash of …
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Candidates for General Assembly, Lake County State’s Attorney and other offices will battle for party nominations.
At least seven primary races are taking shape as candidates began filing petitions Monday for the March 20 Illinois primary election to earn spots on the ballot to qualify for the Nov. 6 general election. Candidates for all offices except the United States House of Representatives began turning in their paperwork. The deadline is 5 p.m. Monday. The filing period for Congress begins Dec. 23 and ends Dec. 27. While a number of nominations are uncontested, contests are emerging for the Illinois General Assembly, Lake County State’s Attorney, Lake County Recorder, Lake County Coroner and the Lake County Board. With the retirement of state Sen. Jeff Schoenberg (D-Evanston), state Rep. Daniel Biss (D-Evanston) filed his petitions Monday in …
Candidates for 9th and 10th Districts must wait until Dec. 23 to file petitions. All other Illinois office seekers begin today and must finish by Dec. 5.
Candidates for Illinois’s 18 seats in the United States House of Representatives can do nothing but continue to gather signatures on their petitions today as all other office seekers in the state are ready to file their petitions to get on the March 20 primary ballot. Related: Congressional Candidates Rush to Claim Front Runner Status After Gov. Patrick Quinn signed legislation enacting the new Congressional map last summer Republican members of Congress including Rep. Robert Dold (R-Kenilworth) of the 10th Congressional District challenged the new boundaries in federal court. As it considers the case, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois postponed the filing period for people running for Congress …
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Economic recovery funds pay for $4.9 million project in downtown Winnetka.
A $4.9 million renovation courtesy of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 arrived at Winnetka’s historic Elm Street train station Monday with a restoration of much of the original woodwork and modern elevators from the station to the platform. Village President Jessica Tucker joined the festivities alongside Rep. Robert Dold (R-Kenilworth), state Rep. Daniel Biss (D-Evanston), state Rep. Robyn Gable (D-Evanston), Metra board member and Arlington Heights Mayor Arlene Mulder and other dignitaries amont the crowd of more than 40 people. Heated Platforms, Elevators Originally built in the 1940s, the station not only got a facelift but three heated platform warming shelters, two new elevators and a new pedestrian bridge to …
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Governor's veto spurs Garrett, May, Nekritz and Biss to pursue tighter screws on ComEd.
When ComEd appeared Monday before the Highland Park City Council for the third time since June 27 to address reliability issues, its advocacy for the smart grid legislation--previously prevalent--was missing. One reason the ComEd’s “smart grid” legislation may not have come up is because Gov. Pat Quinn vetoed the bill, which had an estimated cost to ratepayers of $2.6 billion, hours earlier. Lawmakers could override Quinn's veto when they return in late October. Highland Park officials took up the issue later that day during their council meeting. Mayor Nancy Rotering wrote last month in Patch that the hearing, which featured ComEd executives, would be much anticipated in light of the utility's push for Illinois Senate Bill 1652 and its …
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
After a summer of big power outages, state reps look for answers.
Dissatisfaction with answers from ComEd at a hearing of the Illinois House Public Utilities Committee Tuesday in Highland Park is causing members of the General Assembly to rethink their support for legislation favored by ComEd. Earlier: ComEd's Legislative Support Evaporates State Rep. Karen May (D-Highland Park) arranged the meeting in the northern suburbs after more than 1.2 million ComEd customers were left without power in the aftermath of storms June 21 and July 11. Twelve members or substitute members of the committee heard ComEd President and Chief Operating Officer Ann Pramaggiore tell a gathering of more than 200 people at the Highland Park Country Club the company was prepared to make changes. Watch the video above.
Friday, August 12, 2011
Karen May, Daniel Biss and others to question ComEd, Illinois Commerce Commission.
Are you one of the more than 1 million people in Chicagoland who have lost power due to the summer storms? Do you want to let your representatives in Springfield know your story? Do you want to hear what ComEd and the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC)—the agency that regulates ComEd—have to say? All of those things and more are possible when the Illinois House of Representatives Public Utilities Committee holds a hearing at 10 a.m. Tuesday at the Highland Park Country Club. The meeting was organized by state Rep. Karen May (D-Highland Park) after thunderstorms and high winds knocked out power to more than 1 million ComEd customers. Many were without electricity for days. In Winnetka, which provides electric power to residents, no one…
The Q
8:52 am on Thursday, January 12, 2012
Vote them all out......anyone that supports Madigan and his Clan must go! more ›