GHNS Illinois Budget (3/21/08)
Here are the top Illinois stories coming today from GateHouse News Service. Stories are available at www.gatehousenewsservice.com. Please check www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/midwest/illinois/news in the evening for changes to story lineup, including breaking news.
If your paper has a story, digest item, opinion piece or standalone photo to share, please e-mail it to Illinois@gatehousemedia.com.
Contacts:
- Casey Laughman: 217-816-3343, claughman@gatehousemedia.com
- Michael Toeset: (630) 835-8870, mtoeset@gatehousemedia.com
FAMILY TAB: The first issue of Family, a 24-page tab from GateHouse Media is available for download as a Quark, InDesign or PDF file. http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/homepage/x1775728987
SUNSHINE WEEK: A number of stories for Sunshine Week have been posted to GateHouse News Service. If you have stories planned that would be of interest in Illinois, please contact Illinois Regional Editor Casey Laughman at claughman@gatehousemedia.com.
National Sunshine Week stories: http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/news/special_reports/x1092586089
Illinois Sunshine Week stories links package:
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/midwest/illinois/x39090536
TODAY'S SPOTLIGHT:
MISSING FUNDS: Soil and water conservation districts around Illinois may have to shut down because the state is not sending them the money it has budgeted. This is one of the key elements of saving the Illinois River -- but it also means Illinois may be sending millions of dollars in cost-sharing money back to the federal government for some other state to use. By Terry Bibo of the Peoria Journal Star. Will be posted this evening.
ILLINOIS NEWS
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/midwest/illinois/news
STATE BRIEFS: News from around the state. Will be posted this evening.
From the State Capitol bureau: Capitol Notebook. By the State Capitol bureau. Will be posted this evening.
--Statehouse Insider: Doug Finke is off this week. There will be no Statehouse Insider for this weekend.
Heavy snows lead to flurry of tickets
ROCKFORD -- Brad Redington went to bed at 8 p.m. one evening in December, shortly before Christmas. He woke up hours later to go to his first-shift job at Woodward Governor and was surprised to see 3 inches of snow on the ground. When he cleared off his car's windshield, he got another surprise: a parking ticket under his windshield wiper. By Sean F. Driscoll of the Rockford Register Star.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/midwest/illinois/x1564565199
Landscapes that last: Firm specializes in combining science with beauty
PEORIA - Jack Pizzo graduated from the University of Illinois with conventional eyes. He landed a job at a Chicago-area firm where he designed beautiful, conventional landscapes. Then a simple assignment changed his vision, and he became passionate about natural, sustainable landscapes. By Clare Howard of the Peoria Journal Star.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/midwest/illinois/x325164228
Peoria Marines coming home
PEORIA - If all goes according to plan, some 40 Peoria County-based Marine Corps reservists could be home in about two weeks, officials said Thursday. By Andy Kravetz of the Peoria Journal Star.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/midwest/illinois/x1564564915
Sheriff's departments may be violating law by not preparing reports
PEORIA - Departments that use merit commissions must annually prepare efficiency reports on deputies but few, if any, do, lawyer says. By Kevin Sampier of the Peoria Journal Star.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/midwest/illinois/x325164266
Survey says: Illinois school districts are in better fiscal shape
SPRINGFIELD - Illinois school districts are getting into better fiscal shape, State Board of Education officials said Thursday as they released the latest "financial profile." By Adriana Colindres of the State Capitol bureau.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/midwest/illinois/x1564564898
Hearing may provide answers about bankrupt mausoleum
PEORIA - Carol Klicker, like many who have loved ones entombed at American Mausoleum wants to know one thing: Can she still see her son? Unfortunately, right now, answers are few when it comes to what will happen with American. The facility's parent company, Wilton Services LLC, filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy Monday. By Andy Kravetz of the Peoria Journal Star.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/midwest/illinois/x1670184041
Humana buys OSF HealthPlans
PEORIA - OSF HealthPlans, a managed care company with 78,000 members and a subsidiary of OSF Saint Francis Inc., has been sold for $90.5 million. The buyer is Louisville, Ky.-based Humana Inc., one of the nation's largest health insurance companies with approximately 11.5 million medical members. By Steve Tarter of the Peoria Journal Star.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/midwest/illinois/x79611579
ILLINOIS OPINIONS
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/midwest/illinois/opinions
BRITT: Toon on presidential candidate passport info breaches. Will be posted this afternoon.
Editorial: Whether war was right or not no longer most important question
Thursday marked Day 2 of Year 6 of the Iraq war. We concede that's a pessimistic way of viewing the fifth anniversary of the war, yet we believe it reflects our need to look forward in Iraq, not back to March 19, 2003. An editorial from the State Journal-Register.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/midwest/illinois/x1056534669
Editorial: Obama's speech carries far beyond 2008
For a nation that owes so many of its troubles to racial issues, the United States has adopted a curious set of political semantics for discussing race. An editorial from the State Journal-Register.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/midwest/illinois/x1565503485
Elizabeth Davies: Help kids fend off spending bug
Admit it: You've already got that rebate check spent. The minute you heard George W. would send a few extra greenbacks your way, the fantasies began.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/midwest/illinois/opinions/x899756774
Bernard Schoenburg: Governor's allies may be eyeing county charimen's post
Could it be that Gov. Rod Blagojevich and his allies are trying to have a say in the leadership of the Democratic County Chairmen's Association? Some think that's what's happening. And some don't like it.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/midwest/illinois/x1056535105
ILLINOIS SPORTS
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/midwest/illinois/sports
Cheer up, Illini fans: Football season's coming
CHAMPAIGN - This time of year is normally reserved for the NCAA tournament, but Illinois sits on the sidelines for the first time since 1999. Thankfully for Illini fans, they're rooting for a football school all of a sudden. By John Supinie. EMBARGOED until Sunday editions.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/midwest/illinois/sports/x1564564832
Wild Things: One big fish tale
Angler Jim Saksa of Whiting, Ind., caught a 22.83-pound northern pike while ice fishing at Wolf Lake near Chicago on March 2. Dale Bowman of the Chicago Sun-Times reports the 42-inch fish hit a golden roach on a tip-up. But the fish is smaller than the state record -- Walter Klenzak's 26.15-pounder caught Nov. 9, 1989 in a Kankakee County strip pit. By Jeff Lampe of the Peoria Journal Star.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/midwest/illinois/sports/x1012430431
Kirk Wessler: Too many Coach Davises? Just call the boss Keno
When there's plenty of Davises around, Keno works as ID.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/midwest/illinois/sports/x1670184062
Jeff Lampe: Pen-raised pheasants in danger?
PEORIA - Watching pen-raised pheasants lumber into the air is not my favorite form of upland game hunting. Give me wild roosters any day over their fat, dumb domesticated cousins.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/midwest/illinois/sports/x125176525