Regional budget for 10/20/07 and after
GateHouse News Service Regional Budget (10/20/07)
Here are the top Illinois stories coming today from GateHouse News Service. Stories are available at http://ghns.ghnewsroom.com
*Please check this Web site in the evening for changes to story lineup, including breaking news.
Contacts:
Regional Editor Jonie Larson, (217) 816-3343, jlarson@gatehousemedia.com
National Editor Jean Hodges, (630) 348-3350, jhodges@gatehousemedia.com
STARTING SUNDAY: PEACHES IN ROCKFORD
The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, made famous in the movie "A League of Their Own," will hold its annual reunion in Rockford for the first time on Oct. 24-27. It marks the 53rd year since the league disbanded. See bottom of the budget for full budget/coverage of reunion. Stories may not be published prior to Sunday.
ALSO FARM SUBSIDY PIECE for Sunday, see offering near bottom of budget.
News
PRISONER REUNITED WITH FAMILY: Ban Phan has been in prison in Vietnam since 1985. We did an article about him and his son April 30, 2005. The US government has been trying to get him out of prison this whole time. He is finally out and will be reunited with his family today. His son, Vinh Phan is going to O'Hare to pick him up Friday afternoon. We'll be there for the reunion.
SEAN DRISCOLL/ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR, words 900, late
PHOTOS: Assigned for 3:45pm flight arrival at O'Hare; MORGAN
Categories: Illinois, Midwest, GHNS-News
BON-TON WAREHOUSE: Bon-Ton Stores expanding its Web sales capabilities, and will ship products from the Rockford distribution center. This means more business for Rockford, but they already hired people as part of a previously reported ramp-up. But if e-commerce does well for them, it could mean even more hires down the road. It also means a greater commitment by Bon-Ton for the 27-year-old distribution center. THOMAS
GRAPHICS: locator map, done, attached/Illinois News and GHNS - Business/posted.
IT'S THE LATE DALEY: (with pic) Neil Giuntoli must be doing something right - or nothing terribly wrong - as he resumes his acclaimed portrayal of the late Mayor Richard J. Daley on a Northwest Side stage. RAMSEY/CHICAGO/ posted Thursday evening /Illinois News, Midwest and GHNS-Entertainment
5 THINGS TO KNOW OUT OF CHICAGO - Reporter Mike Ramsey gives readers a glimpse of the week from the Windy City. RAMSEY/CHICAGO/posting this evening/Illinois and Illinois News
LOAN PROGRAM: A new pilot program administered by the Illinois Student Assistance Program offers loans to eligible students at seven Illinois schools, including Millikin University in Decatur, Western Illinois University in Macomb and Midstate College in Peoria. COLINDRES/CAPITOL BUREAU/this evening/Illinois News
HOTEL LOAN. (tentative, depending on merits) Checking on status of Springfield hotel whose former owners did not pay off a state loan. The state took title yesterday to a hotel in a similar situation in Collinsville. FINKE/CAPITOL BUREAU/this evening/Illinois News
RECALLS/RESALES/CHARITIES: Kitty Boyce has two binders full of toy recalls from the past five years, including six added this week. Wes Barr (Toys for Tots) has 1,500 toys to sort through by early November. With the holiday shopping season closing in, resale and consignment shops, as well as charitable organizations, are keeping busy this fall trying to make sure waves of recalled toys don't find their way to shelves and donation bins. LANDIS/SPRINGFIELD./Illinois News/moving this evening.
ART: w/photo
BREAKOUT: Where to find recall lists.
CAPITOL REPORT: 20 PERCENT OF STATE WORKFORCE BELONGS TO MINORITIES - A study by the Illinois Association of Minorities in Government shows that although minorities make up 35 percent of the state's population, they comprise only 20 percent of state government's workforce. The figures also show that most minority state employees are concentrated in several agencies, such as the Department of Human Services, Corrections and the Department of Children and Family Services.
--accompanying chart. HEUPEL/CAPITOL BUREAU/this evening/Illinois and Illinois News
DEER AND CARS: (w/graphic) The state released information ranking Peoria as the sixth highest county in the state for deer/car accidents, with 565 in 2006. We will remind motorists that deer are more active during the fall, and as cooler weather approaches, the likelihood of vehicle crashes involving deer increases. RADOSEVICH/PEORIA/Illinois News and GHNS-Outdoors/this evening
BAD INFECTION: (w/factbox) Will see if there have been any cases of staph infection in the area in recent years, and whether the health department is getting calls of concern. Will also see what schools, day cares, etc. are doing to prevent this disease. KOCH/PEORIA/Illinois News and GHNS-Health/this evening
DREDGING NEWS CONF: (w/mug) Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn and other state and Tazewell County notables will hold a news conference late this morning to hail the latest Mud to Parks silt-dredging efforts, in this case to use 10,000 tons of the stuff to help cap the Pekin Landfill as we've advanced. We'll get some fresh angles on the story. SMOTHERS/PEORIA/Illinois News/this evening
WIU PLATE: Jesse White will be in Macomb today to unveil WIU's specialty license plate in vanity and personalized formats. POSPESCHIL/PEORIA/Illinois and Illinois News/this evening
Sports
MOTORSPORTS BY PILGER - Kasey Kahne hadn't planned on using words like frustrating, disappointing and close so often this season. But, there he was Wednesday, using them again during his rain-interrupted Car of Tomorrow testing session at Gateway International Raceway just outside St. Louis. HAL PILGER/SPRINGFIELD/posted/Illinois Sports and Motor Sports
GRIESE MOVING UP: This quarterback has the most completions (nine) of 25 yards or longer in back-to-back games at any time this season. He also has the highest average per game (3.3) of 25-yard completions. Peyton Manning? Tom Brady? Brett Favre? Jon Kitna? Try Brian Griese, Chicago Bears. SCHRECK/ROCKFORD/posted/Illinois Sports and Bears
DESPERATION GAMES: "Desperate Housewives" airs at 8 tonight. Two Desperate Football Teams can be seen at 3:15 p.m. That's not the official name of the NFL program, but that describes the Chicago Bears and Philadelphia Eagles. SCHRECK/ROCKFORD/posted/Illinois Sports and Bears
PRACTICE SQUAD BEARS: LAKE FOREST, Ill. - Donald Driver. Roy Williams. Terrell Owens. Mike Hass has played all those roles. The star of training camp is now the Chicago Bears' scout team receiver deluxe. Each week he imitates the upcoming opponent's top wideout. SHRECK/ROCKFORD/posted/Illinois Sports and Bears
LINE THEM UP: The nation's eighth-ranked rushing offense works behind an Illinois offensive line that learned to play aggressively under first-year line coach Eric Wolford. The Illini will need to handle the line of scrimmage in a showdown against No. 24 Michigan Saturday. Illinois vs. Michigan preview. With preview capsule. SUPINIE. Illinois sports and Big Ten. Moving this evening.
Opinions
CAPITOL NOTEBOOK - The week at the Capitol in 5 quick hits. CAPITOL BUREAUS/posting this evening/Illinois Opinions
STATEHOUSE INSIDER - Capitol reporter Doug Finke gives readers an inside line on capitol news. With mug. FINKE/Illinois Opinions/posting this evening
BRITT: Toon making fun of the meeting between the Dali Lama and President Bush. CHRIS BRITT/SPRINGFIELD/Categories: Illinois Opinions and GHNS-Opinions
ETHICS VOTE: Senate President Emil Jones should let lawmakers vote on House Bill 1, which would curb pay-to-play practices. EDITORIAL/PEORIA/this evening
ETHICAL AILMENT: With all the allegations of improper hiring and contracting practices, this state is suffering an acute case of "Illinois-itis" - an involuntary spasm of suspicion that officials are peddling their influence to help their buddies. EDITORIAL/PEORIA/this evening
BERNIE SCHOENBURG: Political column out of Springfield. With mug. Illinois Opinions/moving this evening.
Sunday and after publication SUNDAY, OCT. 21: (stories may not be published until Sunday editions)
PEACHES DOC: Sue Stephens of Northern Public Radio's WNIJ and Doug Connell of Engine Studios in Rockford are making a documentary of Rockford Peaches baseball history. They'll especially hit up the ladies for their stories at Oct. 24-27's All-American Girls Professional Baseball League reunion, the first in Rockford. They have about 20 players' stories of playing in Rockford, life on the road and personal anecdotes never before shared, totaling about 60 hours. Part of the project will be on display this month at Midway Village, which is hosting one of the reunion events. 500 words. by 6 pm Friday. ROBERTS/Rockford Register Star/Categories: Illinois, Midwest and GHNS - News
--Boxes: "If you go" for upcoming events
--Photos/online: A photo gallery of 15 photos from Rockford Register Star archives of the Peaches, both shots from the '40s and '50s, as well as a couple of shots of players from 1993. Some photos have no identification, but cutlines invite readers and users to help I.D. the players.
ALSO FOR THOSE FOLLOWING FARM SUBSIDIES:
KING CORN: The National Corn Growers Association is upset by a new documentary film called "King Corn." The film, which opened Friday to mixed reviews, tells the story of two college friends who grow one acre of corn in Iowa. Without subsidies, they would have lost $19.92, but thanks to $28 in government subsidies, they made money. The New York Times says it's not a searing attack a la Michael Moore, but corn growers fear it could influence Congress. RUSHTON/SPRINGFIELD/Categories: Illinois, Midwest, GHNS - News and GHNS - Agriculture/posted Friday morning for Sunday and after publication.
(with art)
AND IN SPORTS
GAME COVERAGE: Illinois vs. Michigan. Coverage of the game, 7 p.m. kickoff. First story moving at 10:30 p.m. Writethru moving by 11:45. SUPINIE/Illinois Sports and Big Ten
Report card. Moving by 11:45.
Notebook. Moving by 11:45.
Blog. Available at www.sj-r.com <http://www.sj-r.com> and www.pjstar.com.
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For Monday, Oct. 22:
ILLINOIS FOLLOW: A look back at the Michigan game and a look ahead at Ball State. SUPINIE/Big Ten
MIKE NADEL: Column on Bears at Eagles. Categories: Mike Nadel, Illinois Sports and Bears
For Tuesday, Oct. 23 ... Back to the Peaches:
ONE PEACH: Emily Tropp will have a sit down conversation with a former Rockford Peach. Story hopes to highlight player's time in the league, how she got started and what happened to her after her baseball days. By 8 pm Monday. TROPP/Rockford Register Star
Boxes: if you go; rules and regulations for the players handed down by the league
Photos/online: portrait of the interviewed Peach. And photo gallery.
For Wednesday, Oct. 24 ... More Peaches
PEACHES THEN AND NOW: Jay Taft will talk to Kristen Zaleski, the star player for the Rockford Thunder women's pro fastpitch team that debuted this past summer. Story to focus on her knowledge of history of the the pioneering work the AAGPBL did for women and girls in sports, including Title IX and the current pro league. 500 words. by 8 pm Tuesday. TAFT/Rockford Register Star
Boxes: if you go; look at the Peaches of 1950 vs. the Thunder of 2007, including comparing teams in their leagues, number of games played, uniforms, salaries, stats, etc.; comparison of life in 1950 to 2007, including prices of common items (gas, milk, break, new car, etc.).
Photos: Portraits/file of Zaleski; gallery of old photos again
Thursday, Oct. 25-Sunday, Oct. 28:
Live coverage as warranted.