News and Features from Illinois Public Radio - WILL-AM-FM-TV-Online, University of Illinois http://will.illinois.edu/news/rss/ http://will.illinois.edu/themes/site_themes/images/IPM_i.png http://will.illinois.edu/news/rss/ http://will.illinois.edu/news/story/illinois-house-approves-guns-plan-opposed-by-governor The Illinois House Friday approved legislation that would let gun owners carry concealed firearms in public. Although the N-R-A is officially neutral on this proposal, opponents of concealed carry say the legislation was written to please gun-rights supporters. The measure not only creates a system for concealed-carry -- it would wipe away all local gun laws in counties, cities, and towns across Illinois, even those that have nothing to do with concealed carry. The legislation passed by a wide margin, 85-30, but it's opposed by Gov. Pat Quinn and Senate President John Cullerton. Gov. Quinn said he will work to "stop it in its tracks." Cullerton said the elimination of local control is "offensive," and so broad it could block towns even from enforcing zoning laws against gun shops. The measure brokered by House Speaker Michael Madigan also would allow qualified gun owners to carry their weapons in public, with some restrictions. Cullerton says another problem with Madigan's bill is that it would allow people to bring guns into some places that serve alcohol. Cullerton said his Democratic caucus will meet Monday to decide whether to vote on the House's bill. He said his chamber also is revising a Senate gun bill that would adopt some of the House's suggested restrictions. A federal court said Illinois has until June 9 to pass some sort of law allowing people to carry guns in public. http://will.illinois.edu/news/story/illinois-house-approves-guns-plan-opposed-by-governor Fri, 24 May 2013 16:30:12 -0500 guns, gun violence, gun rights, concealed carry, government, law, illinois News Criminal JusticeGovernmentPolitics http://will.illinois.edu/news/story/online-appeal-unearths-historic-web-page A search to recover the very first web page has unearthed a relic from 1991. The page turned up after Cern launched a public appeal for files, hardware and software from the web's earliest days. The original page is missing because the web's creators did not preserve the early work they did on what has become a historic document. Unfortunately, other potential finds from the same era on that old computer remain hidden because the password for it has been forgotten. Demo mode Cern, where web creators Tim Berners-Lee and Robert Cailliau carried out their early work, launched its project to recover artefacts and documents from those earliest days in late April. The information it discovers will be used to create an online exhibit that lets people experience what the web used to be like. The files and data for those first pages have been lost because of the way the men worked as they were developing the technology. "When they updated they just replaced and over-wrote the file," said Dan Noyes, web manager at Cern's communications group. In addition, he said, the pair had no idea that what they were doing would be so influential and saw no need to keep copies. Work on the web began in 1989 and the first webpage was put together in 1990 but, said Mr Noyes, there is no copy of that page at Cern. The oldest copies it has date from 1992. The public appeal to recover it has borne fruit, he said, as it has unearthed a copy of the webpage demonstrated by Sir Tim in 1991 as he was trying to drum up support for the idea of the world wide web. In those days, said Mr Noyes, Sir Tim carried round a disk on which he had built a demonstration of how the web would work. He had to do it that way because back then net connections were not as ubiquitous as they are now. Thankfully one of the people he showed it to while in the US for the Hypertext 91 conference kept a copy. This was largely because, said Mr Noyes, he had one of the same types of machine, a Next computer, that Sir Tim used for the demo. One of the words in the opening lines of the demo page is scrambled because Sir Tim demonstrated the live editing capabilities of the web to Paul Jones - owner of the Next computer on which the page was preserved. There might well be more relics from the web's earliest days on Mr Jones' machine, he said, but for the moment they remain hidden because the password for the computer's hard drive has been forgotten. However, he said, work was underway to recover the password and get at the files on the drive. In addition, said Mr Noyes, Cern staff are now going through the huge mass of material and offers gathered from the public appeal. "It's a little bit overwhelming," he said. "We have so much stuff to look at." http://will.illinois.edu/news/story/online-appeal-unearths-historic-web-page Fri, 24 May 2013 15:47:06 -0500 cern, tim berners-lee, robert cailliau, internet, history, communication News HistoryTechnology http://will.illinois.edu/news/story/dems-budget-deal-would-keep-school-funding-level House and Senate Democrats have agreed on a proposed Illinois budget that would keep education funding at the same level and increase human services spending. Sen. Heather Steans is one of the Legislature's budget negotiators. She says Democrats will present their 2014 spending plan early next week, after which Republicans will get a chance to weigh in on it. Gov. Pat Quinn proposed cutting education funding by about $400 million, a cut he said was difficult but necessary.   But Steans says unanticipated revenue increases helped restore that money.  Democrats also want to reduce the amount of money that goes to local governments. Rep. Greg Harris says new revenue also will be used to pay overdue bills to organizations that help the mentally ill, the developmentally disabled, the homeless and others. http://will.illinois.edu/news/story/dems-budget-deal-would-keep-school-funding-level Fri, 24 May 2013 15:20:48 -0500 illinois democrats, education funding, governor pat quinn, heather steans News EducationGovernment http://will.illinois.edu/news/story/heart-failure-treatment-improves-but-death-rate-remains-high This is one of those "good news, but" medical stories. New treatments for heart failure have made it much less likely that people with this chronic condition will die suddenly. But an analysis by researchers at UCLA finds that the death rate for people with advanced heart failure remains stubbornly high, with 30 percent of people dying within three years. "They're not dying suddenly, but their disease is still progressing," says Dr. Tamara Horwich, an assistant professor of medicine at UCLA and a co-author of the study, which was published in Circulation Heart Failure. Still, that's a lot better than 50 years ago, when heart failure patients were pretty much sent home to die. Heart failure has many causes, including heart attack, diabetes, high blood pressure and viral infections. But the effect is the same: a heart that doesn't move blood effectively. About 6 million people in the United States have heart failure, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and is the primary cause of 55,000 deaths a year. In the past 20 years, medical care for heart failure has changed radically, with new medications and devices. Horwich and her colleagues wanted to see if these advances were helping patients in the real world. The people in this study were referred the UCLA center in their early 50s, on average; this is not a disease just for the old. The study looked at 2,500 patients who had been treated at UCLA from 1993 to 2010. They found that three drugs — ACE inhibitors, beta blockers, and aldosterone antagonists — had been widely adopted for treatment of heart failure between 1993 and 2010. At the same time, the number of people with implanted automatic heart defibrillators went from 11 percent to 68 percent. The implanted defibrillators correct abnormal heart rhythms, a big cause of sudden death. Death rates were 42 percent lower for patients in the most recent treatment group, between 2005 and 2010, than for the patients in the 1990s. That was largely due to a drop in sudden cardiac deaths. But deaths from progressive heart failure remained high, with 31 percent of patients dying in the latter part of the study, compared to 36 percent in the 1990s. People could be coming to UCLA sicker than in years past, Horvich speculates, having survived heart attacks and other problems that would have killed them in the past. But it could also be because those people are ending up on implantable ventricular assist pumps or getting heart transplants, very expensive treatments that are difficult for many people to tolerate. "We're not curing the disease," Horvich tells Shots. "We're delaying the inevitable." And that means, she says, that "we still have a lot of hard work ahead of us" in finding ways to prevent and treat heart failure. http://will.illinois.edu/news/story/heart-failure-treatment-improves-but-death-rate-remains-high Fri, 24 May 2013 13:49:02 -0500 heart, health, medical News Health http://will.illinois.edu/news/story/waiting-hardest-part-for-those-watching-illinois-same-sex-marriage-vote For months, members of the Illinois State House have been waiting to call same-sex marriage for a vote. Sponsors say they don’t quite have the votes needed to pass the bill yet. But all that waiting has consequences. Imagine what Chicago’s Boystown neighborhood would be like if same-sex marriage is approved in Illinois. Imagining is Chuck Hyde’s job. “We’ve been kind of on-the-ready,” Hyde said. Hyde manages the bar Sidetrack in the heart of Boystown on Halsted Street. “We decorate big. Our events are big. It’s a fun bar. And it can hold a lot of people,” he said. "More than 1,200 people, actually." I caught up with Hyde just as construction crews were wrapping up a renovation of the interior of the bar. It has several rooms, a few bars and an outdoor patio; the kind of place Hyde is hoping people will come to to celebrate bachelor or bachelorette parties. Or wedding receptions. Hyde was hoping construction would be done in time so he could host a celebration in case the state legislature voted in favor of same-sex marriage. Instead – he’s been waiting. “There were a number of weeks back that we thought it might be very close and we were kind of waiting by the phone. Literally, the vote’s going up, the vote’s not going up,” Hyde said. “And if it was going to happen, we were ready. We had ordered champagne, we had glassware ready. We were ready for the balloons. We had posters. We had all kinds of things. We had some signs and we were going to let the world know that we were thrilled and throwing a party. And ready to celebrate.” Hyde said the champagne is still in a cooler, waiting. He said he was underprepared when same-sex civil unions passed in Illinois two years ago. The demand for a party when that passed was bigger than he anticipated. So he’s trying not to leave anything to chance this time around. That means, though, he’s been on edge for more than three months. The Illinois State Senate approved same-sex marriage in February. Since then, it’s lingered in the House of Representatives. Supporters say they’ve been waiting to call it for a vote because they don’t have the necessary 60 yes votes. As wedding season arrives, those in the wedding business have had a lot of uncertainty about what their summer will look like. “All of the wedding industry is following it very, very closely,” said Beth Bernstein, a Chicago wedding planner who operates SQN Events. Bernstein said she helped plan a midnight civil union ceremony for six couples who wanted to file as soon as possible two years ago. But since civil unions passed, things have plateaued. “I don’t think it provided the lasting effect of the business that we thought we may see,” Bernstein said. She’s seeing many couples waiting for word from Springfield before planning their wedding. But for Amanda Marquez and Maggie Moran, waiting is not appealing. Their Logan Square apartment has neatly organized shelves lined with books and tv show dvds. Close by is a small pile of purple, green and blue origami paper stars. “So this is going to make us look really bad, really tacky,” joked Moran. “We’re actually using the rainbow (as the colors of the wedding). But we’re not going for the whole rainbow effect. So we’re doing like half of the tables are warm colors and then the other half of the tables are cool colors.” Moran and Marquez are having a civil union ceremony on June 22nd. If the proposed bill passes, they could apply to have that civil union turned into a marriage. Marquez said she doesn’t want to wait on the government for other things, like buying a house or having kids, so why wait for the legislature. “Not knowing exactly when, you know, how things will go in Springfield, when it will happen, we just moved forward,” Marquez said. Moran said it will be heart-wrenching if same-sex marriage fails in Springfield. But she said it would be more heart-wrenching not committing to Marquez. She said that’s too much to put on one vote. http://will.illinois.edu/news/story/waiting-hardest-part-for-those-watching-illinois-same-sex-marriage-vote Fri, 24 May 2013 13:46:43 -0500 same-sex marriage, illinois, government, politics, gay and lesbian issues -- Gay and Lesbian IssuesGovernmentPolitics http://will.illinois.edu/news/story/cities-including-champaign-urbana-launch-drug-disposal Residents of Champaign and Urbana and many other cities now have permanent locations to dispose of unwanted drugs. Friday's kickoff included the setup of collection boxes at both city police departments, and the University of Illinois’ Police Department. The intent of the take-back program is to properly dispose of unused prescription and non-prescription medications.  But the University of Illinois Extension’s Laura Kammin said some cities simply don’t have the police staff or resources to manage the program.  For example, Macon County has just one drop-off site – the Maroa Police Station. But Kammin said there are funds available to expand what she calls a grassroots effort. “We currently have a grant from the US EPA that we can use to provide some resources to communities to help them set these up," she said.  "But we also help them figure out who are our partners within the local community that could partner to help fund initiatives.” Collection boxes are also open at Walgreen’s pharmacies at the Old Farm Shops on West Kirby Avenue in Champaign, and at Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana - but they’re not allowed to take controlled substances, such as painkillers. None of the collection boxes will accept illicit drugs, syringes, needles, or thermometers. http://will.illinois.edu/news/story/cities-including-champaign-urbana-launch-drug-disposal Fri, 24 May 2013 11:55:08 -0500 prescription drugs, champaign police, urbana police, C-U Area Medicine Take-Back Program News EnvironmentHealth http://will.illinois.edu/news/story/chicago-bears-to-retire-ditkas-number Hall of Famer Mike Ditka will have his No. 89 retired by the Chicago Bears next season. The Bears say the number will be retired at halftime of their Monday night game against the Dallas Cowboys at Soldier Field on Dec. 9, a fitting tribute for a player who revolutionized the tight end position with his pass-catching ability and later coached the 1985 team to the Super Bowl championship. In a statement, he calls it "a tremendous honor'' and says he's "very humbled by it.'' Chairman George McCaskey says Ditka "embodies the spirit of everything the Bears are about.'' http://will.illinois.edu/news/story/chicago-bears-to-retire-ditkas-number Fri, 24 May 2013 11:14:33 -0500 Mike Ditka, Chicago Bears Sports HistorySports http://will.illinois.edu/news/story/no-pension-cuts-for-illinois-judges Two major pension packages in the Illinois legislature are designed to rein in retirement costs by cutting current and retired government workers’ benefits, but one group being left out of both deals is judges. There is a lot of angst, uproar and fussing at the capitol over what’s happening with the state’s pension systems. What legislators do about it will have ramifications for the Illinois budget, as well as for state employees’ and teachers’ pocketbooks – not to mention politicians’ own political and financial futures. But it won’t affect judges’ wallets. Their retirement benefits would be left untouched.  State Rep. Dan Brady (R-Bloomington) said it is unfair, and he will not go along with it. “A teachers’ just as important as a judge, and that should be across the board," Brady said. "I cannot believe that we’re aren’t going to make some changes to over 2,039 judges across the state of Illinois, over 1,059 who are retirees, and not ask them to ante up anything?” That may well be what happens.But even if lawmakers finally come to an agreement and pass a pension overhaul, there is a chance that in a year or two, lawmakers could be sent back to square one.  The state constitution guarantees public pension benefits “shall not be impaired.” So, it is widely expected that any change to the pension plans would end up in court. “Judges were excluded as a practical decision,” said Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan. “The absence of the judicial pension system in the bill, will, let’s say, relieve them of the burden of dealing with a conflict of interest.” Madigan sounds confident it will work. “I think that there will be at least four members of the Illinois Supreme Court that will approve the bill,” he said. Those were remarks he quickly retreated from when pressed by a reporter if he had been in contact with the justices. "I’ve had no conversations with any member of the court concerning anything,” he said. After all – it wouldn’t be proper for a key lawmaker to try to exert influence over the judiciary, but critics argue that is something Madigan already has done . He is not only Speaker of the House, but also also head of the Democratic Party of Illinois. In 2010, the Party was the top contributor in Supreme Court’s Chief Justice Thomas Kilbride’s heated campaign to keep his seat. The Democratic Party gave Kilbride nearly $1.5 million. “Clearly the Speaker would not be involved in such races unless he felt there were consequences from the court (on matters such as partisan redistricting of the legislature and congressional districts, for example,” said Jim Nowlan, a former legislator, a retired University of Illinois political professor, and a member of Illinois’ executive ethics commission. “I think that the court has been perceived throughout history as a political court," Nowlan said. "The judges are elected on partisan ballots." That is a common perception, according to Dennis Rendleman, who is a member of the Illinois Judicial Ethics Committee . As judicial campaigns have gotten more intense and attracted more money, Rendleman said people have become skeptical of judges’ ability to stay impartial. “I don’t think I’m totally naive about the political of Illinois, but the dynamic is different,” Rendleman said. Supreme Court justices in Illinois only run for election once.  After that they stay on the bench, unless voters take a once in a decade chance to kick them off.  Rendleman said that means judges do not carry the same sense of indebtedness to their donors as do legislators — who are constantly running for re-election. “It’s not like the General Assembly where you can say that, you owe me on this issue, or you owe me on everything,” Rendleman said. Rendleman added that it is not as if there’s any way to get around the deeper, intrinsic conflict-of-interest issue that would arise if the Judicial Retirement System were to be included in a pension overhaul that judges, themselves, receive state pensions. “There is a doctrine in judicial ethics called the Rule of Necessity,” he said. This rule, Rendleman said, is invoked when there’s no other court that could resolve the issue. “You can’t take a question of the Illinois law, and then send it to Indiana to be resolved, just because the Illinois justices might have an interest in that law," he explained. It came into play during a case decided by the Illinois Supreme Court ruled in 2004. That was when Illinois’ budget troubles were beginning.  In that case, Illinois judges were the plaintiffs, suing the state for trying to strip them of their automatic cost-of-living pay increases.  Justices on the state Supreme Court ruled in their own favor, and they got to keep their pay hikes. They cited another clause in the state Constitution — a clause that could also come into play if there were an attempt to reduce judicial pensions.  The constitution specifically said a judge’s compensation cannot be diminished during his or her term. It is meant to keep the third branch of government independent, so lawmakers can’t punish judges for unpopular rulings. That is what Gov. Pat Quinn seems to be alluding to when he justifies leaving judges out what he has otherwise demanded be “comprehensive pension reform.” “There are some constitutional principles that are in the Illinois constitution, that, uh, make that, uh more difficult," Quinn said. "The judges have a little different status. There’s been a supreme court case that already addressed that matter.” Retirement benefits, after all, could be considered compensation. Bear in mind, there are far fewer judges in Illinois than there are, say, teachers. So Illinois will get far greater savings by cutting teachers’ pensions than by cutting judges’. Still, critics are quick to point out that Illinois judges are among the highest paid in the nation, and their pension benefits are particularly generous. The association representing Illinois’ current and retired judges declined comment. But Judge Ed Petka was willing to offer his perspective. Petka was on the Will County Circuit Court for a few years before he got cancer and suffered heart problems, forcing him to step down. So now, he’s drawing a pension. “I haven’t calculated to the penny, but it’s somewhere around $190,000,” Petka said. Petka does not apologize for it.  He said he would love to still be working as a judge. He did not do anything nefarious to get his pension — it is the law.  Even though he was only on the bench for a relatively short time, Illinois law lets judges combine their years of service with those spent in other government jobs. In Petka’s case, he was a state legislator. He was in that job when Gov. Rod Blagojevich and the General Assembly voted to – as he puts it – repeatedly raid the state’s pension funds. “The numbers that were given were way off base, I said so at the time, and many of us who voted ‘no’ on the raids turned out to be correct," Petka said. Illinois’ pension funds are in trouble for a lot of reasons, but that is a big one. Petka is no longer in a position to decide what Illinois should do about the pension mess it’s gotten itself into. "Thank God I no longer have to worry about those types of things," he said. "No matter what they do it is going to be a very, very difficult sell.” A sell Senate President John Cullerton and House Speaker Mike Madigan – who are both attorneys, by the way – are trying to make easier for the court to buy by leaving judges out of it. But there is still one more legal argument to consider.  “From my perspective and very candidly, I haven’t given this an enormous amount of thought," Petka said. "But I would think that having four out of the five pension systems in the state being included and one being excluded, from the operation of a pension bill, may lead to a problem that has not been discussed that I’m aware of and that’s the equal protection of the laws.” In other words – all people similarly situated – whether they are a retired teacher, state worker, university employee, legislator, or if they’re a retired judge – are to be treated the same way in the eyes of the law. http://will.illinois.edu/news/story/no-pension-cuts-for-illinois-judges Fri, 24 May 2013 09:42:32 -0500 illinois supreme court, judges, pensions, illinois, government, politics, economics News EconomicsGovernmentPolitics http://will.illinois.edu/news/story/obama-to-limit-drone-strikes-renew-effort-to-close-guantanamo President Obama on Thursday unveiled a major pivot in White House counter-terrorism policy, calling for a limiting of CIA drones strikes and a shift toward capturing rather than killing terrorist suspects. Speaking at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C., the president said the death of Osama bin Laden and most of his top lieutenants meant and the fact that there had been no large-scale terrorist attacks on the U.S. homeland, meant that a new policy was in order. "America is at a crossroads," he said. "We must define the nature and scope of this struggle, or else it will define us, mindful of James Madison's warning that 'No nation could preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare.'" "Today, the core of al-Qaida in Afghanistan and Pakistan is on a path to defeat," the president said. "Their remaining operatives spend more time thinking about their own safety than plotting against us. They did not direct the attacks in Benghazi or Boston. They have not carried out a successful attack on our homeland since 9/11." "We must define our effort not as a boundless 'global war on terror' – but rather as a series of persistent, targeted efforts to dismantle specific networks of violent extremists that threaten America," the president said. Obama said that the U.S. operation in Pakistan against bin Laden "cannot be the norm." "The risks in that case were immense; the likelihood of capture, although our preference, was remote given the certainty of resistance; the fact that we did not find ourselves confronted with civilian casualties, or embroiled in an extended firefight, was a testament to the meticulous planning and professionalism of our Special Forces – but also depended on some luck," he said. Referring to the administration's decision to acknowledge for the first time that U.S. citizens, including senior al-Qaida leader Anwar al-Awlaki and three others, had been killed in drone strikes, he said he authorized the declassification of the information "to facilitate transparency and debate on this issue, and to dismiss some of the more outlandish claims." "For the record, I do not believe it would be constitutional for the government to target and kill any U.S. citizen – with a drone, or a shotgun – without due process. Nor should any President deploy armed drones over U.S. soil," he said. The president said that he was "implementing every recommendation of the Accountability Review Board which found unacceptable failures in Benghazi" and had asked Congress to full fund efforts to "bolster security, harden facilities, improve intelligence" at U.S. diplomatic facilities abroad. Referring to the Justice Department's subpoena of journalists' phone records as part of a leak investigation, he said he was "troubled" that it could result in a chilling of investigative journalism. "Journalists should not be at legal risk for doing their jobs," he said. "Our focus must be on those who break the law. That is why I have called on Congress to pass a media shield law to guard against government over-reach." Obama said maintaining the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay was both expensive and problematic. "During a time of budget cuts, we spend $150 million each year to imprison 166 people –- almost $1 million per prisoner." He said that as president, he had transferred 67 detainees from Guantanamo to other countries before Congress imposed restrictions to prevent it. "These restrictions make no sense," he said. "No person has ever escaped from one of our super-max or military prisons here in the United States — ever. Our courts have convicted hundreds of people for terrorism-related offenses, including some who are more dangerous than most [Guantanamo] detainees." Given his administration's "relentless pursuit" of al-Qaida's leadership, "there is no justification beyond politics for Congress to prevent us from closing a facility that should never have been opened," he said to applause. The applause was quickly followed by a protester, repeating "Close Guantanamo!" "Ma'am, let me finish," the president said after the unidentified woman interrupted his speech for the second time. "Part of free speech is you being able to speak, but let me speak, too." Update at 4:20 p.m. ET. ACLU: 'Encouraging And Noteworthy Actions' The American Civil Liberties Union praised the president for "encouraging and noteworthy actions" regarding drone strikes and the transfer of Guantanamo detainees. "Yet the president still claims broad authority to carry out target killings far from any battlefield, and there is still insufficient transparency," the statement said. "We are particularly gratified that President Obama embraced our recommendations to use his authority to allow prompt transfer and release of Guantánamo detainees who pose no national security threat and have been cleared by the military and intelligence agencies," it said. "But there are other problems that must still be addressed. The unconstitutional military commissions must be shuttered, not brought to the United States." Update at 3:20 p.m. ET. Female Protester Identified The Associated Press identifies the woman who interrupted the president three times during his speech as Medea Benjamin from the anti-war group Code Pink. As the AP writes: "Obama said at one point he was willing to 'cut the young lady some slack' because the issues he was addressing are worth being passionate about. "Benjamin shouted, quote, '86 were cleared already. Release them today!' "That appears to be a reference to detainees who remain in Cuba despite being cleared for transfer from the facility." http://will.illinois.edu/news/story/obama-to-limit-drone-strikes-renew-effort-to-close-guantanamo Thu, 23 May 2013 17:30:22 -0500 military, drones, technology, barack obama News GovernmentMilitaryPoliticsTechnology http://will.illinois.edu/news/story/boy-scouts-approve-plan-to-accept-openly-gay-boys The Boy Scouts of America's National Council has voted to ease a long-standing ban and allow openly gay boys to be accepted as Scouts. Of the local Scout leaders voting at their annual meeting in Texas, more than 60 percent supported the proposal. Under the proposal drafted by the Scouts' governing board, gay adults will remain barred from serving as Scout leaders. The outcome is unlikely to end a bitter debate over the Scouts' membership policy. Some conservative churches that sponsor Scout units wanted to continue excluding gay youths, in some cases threatening to defect if the ban were lifted. More liberal Scout leaders, while supporting the proposal to accept gay youth, have made clear they want the ban on gay adults lifted as well. http://will.illinois.edu/news/story/boy-scouts-approve-plan-to-accept-openly-gay-boys Thu, 23 May 2013 16:43:35 -0500 boy scouts of america, gay and lesbian issues News Gay and Lesbian Issues http://will.illinois.edu/news/story/pritzker-faces-few-tough-questions-at-senate-hearing Chicago businesswoman and current Commerce secretary nominee Penny Pritzker faced few tough questions at her Senate hearing Thursday. Pritzker, a long-time friend of and fundraiser for President Barack Obama, was nominated to the post earlier this month. Pritzker seemed prepared for the two-hour hearing, answering a questions on topics including cyber security, job creation, manufacturing, travel and the fishing industry. "The calls you’ll get will be about fish," Alaska Senator Mark Begich (D) told Pritzker. "You will think they’re about trade and agreements and tourism  - it’s gonna be about fish." Pritzker was expected to face tough questioning on a few issues. Her family owned 50 percent of the Superior Bank of Chicago, which failed after losing millions of dollars on risky mortgage loans to borrowers with bad credit. Republican Sen. John Thune (R-SD), the ranking member on the committee, was the only senator to inquire about Pritzker’s role in the bank’s collapse. "Unfortunately, when problems arose, my uncle had recently passed away," Pritzker responded, saying she was never an officer of the bank or involved in management. "I stepped in on behalf of the 50 percent ownership of my family to try and salvage the situation." Pritzker said after the bank failed, she went to the FDIC herself, and her family voluntarily agreed to pay $450 million. When Thune asked Pritzker what she’d say to the depositors affected by the bank’s failure, she responded that she regretted the outcome of the bank. "I feel very badly about that," she added. Pritzker was also questioned about her family’s offshore trusts, an issue that was expected to be a point of conflict at the hearing. "I am the beneficiary of off-shore family trusts that were set up when I was a little girl," Pritzker said. "I didn’t create them. I don’t direct them. I don’t control them. I have asked the trustee to remove themselves and appoint a US trustee." Rocky relations between labor unions and the Hyatt Hotels Corporation, where Pritzker is a board member, barely entered the questioning. Union members of Unite Here in Chicago have protested Pritzker’s nomination over low wages. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) mentioned the back and forth between the union and hotel management in her questioning, but didn’t directly ask Pritzker about her role. Pritzker was introduced at the hearing by both Illinois U.S. Senators Mark Kirk and Dick Durbin. Kirk was reportedly on the fence at first about Pritzker’s nomination, but came out with his endorsement earlier this week. "I see her as a voice for business that the president will have to heed," Kirk told the committee Thursday. Pritzker’s nomination still has to face the full Senate. http://will.illinois.edu/news/story/pritzker-faces-few-tough-questions-at-senate-hearing Thu, 23 May 2013 14:18:22 -0500 penny pritzker, u.s. commerce secretary, government, politics News GovernmentPolitics http://will.illinois.edu/news/story/former-federal-prosecutor-named-to-u.s.-attorneys-office The Obama administration has named a private attorney and former federal prosecutor to head the U.S. attorney's office in Chicago. U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin announced the nomination of Zachary Fardon on Thursday.  He would replace Patrick Fitzgerald, who stepped down last summer to enter private practice. Fitzgerald rose to national prominence during more than a decade in the office and successfully convicted two Illinois governors. The U.S. Senate must confirm the nomination.  The post is widely regarded as Chicago's second-most powerful job, after the mayor.  The chief prosecutor and around 170 assistant attorneys also have an impact beyond Illinois, including by handling major terrorism cases.    Fardon is partner at the Chicago law office of a major law firm. His job experience includes working as an assistant U.S. attorney in Chicago.  Fardom served on the trial team for the prosecution of former Illinois Governor George Ryan. http://will.illinois.edu/news/story/former-federal-prosecutor-named-to-u.s.-attorneys-office Thu, 23 May 2013 13:47:28 -0500 u.s attorney, zachary fardon News GovernmentLaw http://will.illinois.edu/news/story/illinois-senate-approves-health-coverage-exchange-plan The Illinois Senate has approved a measure that would create a state-governed "insurance exchange'' so individuals and small businesses can shop for health care coverage as required by President Obama's health law. Lawmakers voted Thursday 37-19 to send the House a bill establishing the Illinois Health Insurance Marketplace. The exchange will guide people through the purchase of health and dental plans. It will also help qualified businesses enroll employees in health insurance plans. The Affordable Care Act requires that nearly all Americans have health insurance beginning in 2014 or pay a penalty. New marketplaces are scheduled to be operating by October. Illinois will begin an exchange this year through a federal partnership. Gov. Pat Quinn hopes to establish a state-run marketplace for 2015. In east central Illinois, the vote was along party lines with 'no' votes from Sens. Jason Barickman (R-Bloomington), Bill Brady (R-Bloomington), Dale Righter (R-Mattoon), and Chapin Rose (R-Mahomet). 'Yes' votes came from Sens. Mike Frerichs (D-Champaign) and Andy Manar (D-Bunker Hill). http://will.illinois.edu/news/story/illinois-senate-approves-health-coverage-exchange-plan Thu, 23 May 2013 13:01:27 -0500 health care, affordable care act, politics, government, law News GovernmentHealthPolitics http://will.illinois.edu/news/story/ill.-senate-approves-ban-on-cell-phones-while-driving The Illinois Senate has approved a plan that would ban the use of cell phones while driving. Senators voted 34-20 Thursday, but the matter must go back to the House for consideration of an amendment that deals with ticketing. Gov. Pat Quinn's spokeswoman says the Chicago Democrat will review the bill once it reaches his desk.The House first approved the plan in March. The proposal says drivers must use hands-free devices or speakerphone features. Police would be able to ticket drivers holding a cell phone except during emergencies. Roughly 75 Illinois communities, including Chicago, already ban talking on cell phones while driving.  Sponsor Sen. John Mulroe says the bill makes roads safer. Opponents say it's unfair for those who can't afford high-tech phones. The only senator from East Central Illinois to approve the measure was Bill Brady (R-Bloomington.)  Mike Frerichs (D-Champaign) did not vote. http://will.illinois.edu/news/story/ill.-senate-approves-ban-on-cell-phones-while-driving Thu, 23 May 2013 13:00:22 -0500 cell phone ban, illinois senate News GovernmentTransportation http://will.illinois.edu/news/story/losers-in-chicago-school-closings-target-elected-officials A day after school officials approved shutting down 50 schools, the Chicago Teachers Union and community activists say they'll hold a voter registration and education campaign. The union is agitated that Mayor Rahm Emanuel, school board members and some lawmakers failed to listen to parents, teachers and others who called for the schools to remain open. Before they voted yes on the sweeping school closure plan, school board members faced a torrent of criticism Wednesday. Protesters tried to conduct a sit-in at the front of the boardroom, but security officers escorted them out. Sonya Williams, a parent who had come to testify in defense of her school, said she understood the passion and the outbursts. "It's just like going to a long funeral and no one will close the casket yet," she said. "The fate of your position, the fate of your job, the fate of your children are up in the air, and they're based on a few people making a decision." This was the last time before the vote that people could make their pitch to keep schools open. Chicago Alderman Bob Fioretti was among them. "Substantial research shows that closing schools and moving students increases the dropout rate and the incidence of street violence," he said. Chicago's 'School Utilization Crisis' The arguments did not deter Chicago Public Schools CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett, who, along with Mayor Emanuel, has argued that Chicago has to "right-size" its school district. They have said demographic shifts in mostly black neighborhoods left schools underutilized — plus, the district faces a budget deficit of a billion dollars. Byrd-Bennett said the district had held marathon hearings, and it was time to do what's right. "Like it or not, this system does have to change. By addressing our school utilization crisis, we have an opportunity to redirect limited resources to make investments in what matters," Byrd-Bennett said — investments that she said would let the schools students shift to have computer labs, libraries, art classes and air conditioning. In a nearly unanimous vote, the board approved shutting 49 elementary schools and one high school program. Okema Lewis, a parent who has kept track of the school board for a decade, called it a sad day. "Underutilized — what does that mean? You had the option to put other things in the building if you wanted to utilize the building, not even children. You got communities. You got people need GED classes. All kind of services could have been used in the building. Half the building would have been a school, half would have been used for the community," Lewis said. First District To Close So Many Schools At Once Hearing officers had recommended that the school board take more than a dozen schools off the chopping block. In the end, the board voted to save four. Outside school board headquarters, Jesse Sharkey with the Chicago Teachers Union said that wasn't progress. "There's an old expression, which is, 'Don't put a knife into my back 6 inches, pull it out a couple and say you're doing a favor,' " he said. "This move is irreversible, deeply harmful for the people in the schools, and they have no evidence to say that it's going to work." Chicago becomes the first district in the nation to close so many schools at once. Timothy Knowles, head of the Urban Education Institute at the University of Chicago, says this effort will be closely watched. "The true test is really going to be whether children perform better over time and whether the city makes good on its promise of safe passage," he says. That is, putting enough adults on the streets to help children get to and from school safely. Zeroing In On School Governance The fight over school closings is part of a political showdown that began earlier in the school year when teachers went on strike for the first time in 25 years. This week, Mayor Emanuel said he was standing firm on the school closings: "I will absorb the political consequence so our children have a better future." The Chicago Teachers Union backs lawsuits filed by parents to block the closings, arguing that they disproportionately affect African-American students and harm special education students. The school board in Chicago is appointed by the mayor, and teachers union President Karen Lewis said the fight must eventually move to the ballot box. "Our next plan is to have to change the governance of CPS [Chicago Public Schools]," she said. "Clearly this kind of cowboy-mentality, mayoral control is out of control. We're starting our deputy registration, and we will be registering voters across the city." Their goal is to push the mayor and others who backed the school closings out of office, and to gather support for an elected school board. http://will.illinois.edu/news/story/losers-in-chicago-school-closings-target-elected-officials Thu, 23 May 2013 10:56:42 -0500 education, chicago, economy, rahm emanuel, teachers, labor, Chicago Teachers Union News EconomicsEducationGovernmentPolitics http://will.illinois.edu/news/story/house-guns-bill-passes-committee A measure that would allow Illinois residents to carry concealed firearms is heading to the House floor after lawmakers approved it in committee on Thursday.  But Gov. Pat Quinn opposes the plan. The legislation prohibits concealed-carry in many public places, like public transit, sports arenas, schools, and street festivals. Some of these have been sticking points for gun-rights advocates, who would prefer universal carry. State Rep. Brandon Phelps (D-Harrisburg) said legislation would also eliminate differing local gun laws in favor of a uniformed state law. “If Rep. Bost and I are going to go to Wisconsin goose hunting, we’re traveling in our car, we’re not going to know from one town to another what’s expected of them," Phelps said. "And they get pulled over or get a flat tire, and they find out their gun is transported illegally; they go to jail. We just don’t think that’s right.” However, the elimination of local rules would also strike down bans on assault weapons, like the one in Cook County. Concealed carry applicants would pay $150 for a permit. Applicants who are denied permits because local law enforcement says they're dangerous would be able to appeal to a seven-member review board. The measure was endorsed 13-3 by the House Judiciary Committee. It comes two weeks before a June 9 deadline set by a federal appeals court for Illinois to abandon its prohibition on the public possession of weapons. Gov. Quinn spokeswoman Brooke Anderson calls the legislation is "a massive overreach'' because it would overturn all existing local gun laws on the books.  Anderson says a Chicago ban on assualt-style weapons would endanger the public. The plan for Friday's vote was brokered by House Speaker Michael Madigan, who like Quinn is a Chicago Democrat. Madigan spokesman Steve Brown says the speaker thought it was best to have "one law for one state'' to minimize confusion. The federal appeals court ruled that the Illinois ban on concealed carry was unconstitutional. http://will.illinois.edu/news/story/house-guns-bill-passes-committee Thu, 23 May 2013 09:55:58 -0500 concealed carry, house speaker michael madigan News Government http://will.illinois.edu/news/story/gay-rights-groups-bristle-at-being-excluded-from-immigration-bill Some Illinois gay rights advocates say they feel betrayed by Democratic allies because same-sex couples aren’t legally recognized in an immigration bill that’s headed to the U.S. Senate. The provision to recognize so-called bi-national same-sex couples was dropped from the bill at the last minute on Tuesday, just before it was approved, 13 to 5, by the Senate Judiciary Committee. Some Senate Republicans had warned the amendment would sink the larger immigration bill. That apparently prompted some Democrats who traditionally back gay rights issues, including Illinois U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, to urge his colleagues to leave the language relating to gay couples out of the bill. "I believe in my heart of hearts that what you're doing is the right and just thing," Durbin said at Tuesday’s hearing. "But I believe this is the wrong moment, that this is the wrong bill." Recognition of a same-sex relationship in federal immigration law would mean that marriage or civil unions could be grounds to grant legal status to an immigrant spouse, or to prevent their deportation. Federal law currently defines marriage as being between a man and a woman, although the U.S. Supreme Court is reviewing the issue. Its exclusion from the Senate bill, after months of lobbying lawmakers, prompted a backlash from Illinois gay rights advocates. “My initial reaction is anger. Anger that, again, we get scapegoated,” said Julio Rodriguez, chair of the LGBTQ Immigrant Rights Coalition of Chicago. “That’s not only a tragedy, but I think it’s a sad statement on the part of our allies, and the relationships that I think we believed that we had,” Rodriguez said. Despite the setback, activists will continue to lobby lawmakers to include recognition for gay couples in a later amendment to the bill in the Democrat-led U.S. Senate, said Bernard Cherkasov, CEO of Equality Illinois, the state’s largest gay rights advocacy group. “This is the right bill and this is the right time,” Cherkasov said Wednesday. “You know, this is a comprehensive immigration reform. This could be the only chance we have in a decade, if not in a generation, to fix all the problems of our broken immigration system.” The pressure from gay rights groups puts Illinois’ two senators in a difficult political position. Durbin is a liberal Democrat who has traditionally enjoyed support from the gay rights community, and Republican U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk recently bucked his own party to announce his support for same-sex marriage. But Durbin didn’t immediately respond to Illinois Public Radio’s interview request Wednesday. And Kirk’s office declined to comment on whether he supports recognition of same-sex couples, saying that he’s still reviewing the bill. The news comes as a blow to the estimated 267,000 gay, lesbian, transgender and bisexual immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally, according to one recent study. The lack of legal recognition puts that group in limbo, said Phillip Knoll, a 31-year-old Chicagoan who has been dating his boyfriend, who came to the United States from Singapore on a student visa, for the last five years. The legal uncertainty makes it hard to plan for their future together, Knoll said. “It’s weird to have to consider whether or not you’re able to make the sort of decision that’s really personal, and that something political has to happen first,” Knoll said. “I think that’s an odd way to think of yourself.” Still, Knoll said he and his partner remain optimistic that they’ll stay together geographically. But down the road, Knoll said his boyfriend’s immigration status could affect their decision to marry – or even to leave the U.S. “And it would feel like getting pushed out, right?” Knoll said.” I think it would feel like we were not welcome in the country [where] I was born, and in a country that he’s been welcome as a student. Why can’t he stay and contribute?” http://will.illinois.edu/news/story/gay-rights-groups-bristle-at-being-excluded-from-immigration-bill Thu, 23 May 2013 09:44:42 -0500 immigration reform, immigration, gay and lesbian issues News Gay and Lesbian IssuesGovernmentImmigrationLawPolitics http://will.illinois.edu/news/story/indiana-lawmakers-returning-to-consider-veto-override Indiana lawmakers are returning to the Statehouse for one day next month to possibly override Republican Gov. Mike Pence's veto of a local tax measure. The General Assembly plans to return June 12 to consider Pence's veto of legislation authorizing Jackson and Pulaski counties to retroactively collect local option income taxes. Republican Senate President Pro Tem David Long announced the date Thursday during a meeting of legislative leaders. Pence vetoed two other measures dealing with regulations, but Republican House Speaker Brian Bosma says the local tax issue needed an immediate answer because it could affect tax refunds. Lawmakers need only muster a simple majority to override a governor's veto. http://will.illinois.edu/news/story/indiana-lawmakers-returning-to-consider-veto-override Thu, 23 May 2013 09:05:50 -0500 indiana, mike pence, politics, government, income tax News GovernmentPolitics http://will.illinois.edu/news/story/house-rejects-study-with-ties-to-scientology The Illinois House on Wednesday rejected an attempt to take a closer look at the field of psychiatry and its role in shaping Illinois law. The sticking point for some lawmakers was a group backing the proposal. As the field of psychiatry publishes its first new diagnostic manual in more than a decade, it has been attracting a lot of discussion. The House resolution would have created a task force to comb through thousands of pages of Illinois laws and regulations, looking for the influence of psychiatry that “may have been recently discredited.” Rep. Mary Flowers (D-Chicago) said she just wanted to start a conversation about psychology. “We’ve seen the headlines in the newspaper about doctors over-medicating adults, as well as children, because there’s money involved,” Flowers said. But Rep. Ed Sullivan (R-Mundelein) told fellow lawmakers one of the groups supporting the effort is backed by the Church of Scientology. “I bring this up because my family has some issues — has had some exposure — with the church of Scientology,” Sullivan says. “And without getting into details, it hasn’t been very good.” The final vote was 22 yes — with the majority, 92, voting no. http://will.illinois.edu/news/story/house-rejects-study-with-ties-to-scientology Thu, 23 May 2013 08:50:13 -0500 scientology, religion, faith, government, politics, illinois, church of scientology, physcology News GovernmentMental HealthReligion http://will.illinois.edu/news/story/where-was-roger-ebert-at-25 When we started brainstorming for the Year 25 series, Roger Ebert was one of the first names that came to mind. What was the life of a to-be Pulitzer prize-winning film critic like during the intense twenty-something years? We had to find out. I reached out to Roger Ebert via email in January, before the series even started, asking if he’d pen an essay for our website. He responded immediately, saying thanks for thinking of him but, “Only time to write for myself.” This was right around the time, as we’ve recently learned, that Ebert was in and out of the hospital for radiation treatments to tackle the return of his cancer. He wrote Wednesday in his online blog that he’d be taking a “leave of presence” — essentially cutting back on writing reviews, working on a bigger and better website, and possibly writing about his illness. Sadly, Roger Ebert lost his battle with cancer in April at the age of 70. In his email to me in January, he graciously allowed WBEZ to excerpt from his memoir, Life Itself and gave us insight into his life at 25. “My 25th year was the beginning of my 1967 term as film critic here,” he wrote in the email. How about that. A little context: Before he turned 25 in June of 1967, Ebert was accepted as a Ph.D. candidate in English at the University of Chicago and needed a job. He ended up getting an interview with the city editor of the Chicago Sun-Times. Ebert’s description of the Sun-Times in those days is epic. “I arrived in Chicago one morning on the Panama and walked up Wabash Avenue to the Sun-Times/Daily News Building, which looked like a snub-nosed ship on the banks of the Chicago River. A boat was moored at its dock, and a crane was offloading huge rolls of newsprint.” He got a job on the spot - he’d start working under the Sunday magazine editor. Ebert writes of the newsroom camaraderie and the ways he tried to work his 25-year-old-cub reporter self into the fabric of the newsroom. “I knew I lacked authenticity in this company. I was young and unseasoned, but I discovered there’s nothing like drinking with the crowd to make you a member. I copied the idealism and cynicism of the reporters I met at Riccardo’s and around the corner at the downscale but equally famous Billy Goat’s.” Now remember: The year was 1967. That Sun-Times/Daily News building was full of experienced journalists, including Mike Royko. Ebert writes of one memorable moment where he and Royko shared a drink on New Year’s Day in an “eye-opener” bar by the L tracks. “I sipped the brandy, and a warm glow filled my stomach. It may have been the first straight shot of anything I’d ever tasted. I’d been in Chicago four months and I was sitting under the L tracks with Mike Royko in the eye-opener place. I was a newspaperman.” Then in March of 1967, the feature editor at the time told Ebert he’d be Sun-Times' film critic. Ebert writes that this “came without warning,” though he’d written a few pieces on the movies here and there. He decided to drop his classes at the University of Chicago and focus solely on writing. Interesting fact about 20-something Roger Ebert: Being a movie critic was not his career goal at the time. “If I had one at all, it was to become a columnist like Royko,” he writes. “Now I had a title, my photo in the paper, and a twenty-five dollar a week raise.” And that’s where it all began. Ebert says he got a lot of attention from the start for being such a young film critic. You can read some of the reviews he wrote here - Ebert keeps an archive of his writings on his website RogerEbert.com. In his memoir, Ebert writes at length about the movie scene in Chicago at the time: How it was centered in the Loop, how new movies opened on Fridays... Here’s my favorite detail: “The Clark [Theatre] offered a $2.95 special: a double feature, a three-course meal at the Chinese restaurant next door, and free parking.” Not a bad deal. He also mentions the movie stars who would come through town, and what it was like to be interviewing them. “I was by then twenty-five years old, naive for my age, inexperienced, but representing an important newspaper, so the stars and directors were kind to me. It was so new to me that I took it very seriously indeed—not just my job, but their fame and glamour.” There’s all sorts of great anecdotes in Life Itself from Roger Ebert’s 25th year and beyond, but I’ll leave you with this excerpt, which seems to sum up his 25th year pretty well. “It was a honey of a job to have at that age. I had no office hours; it was understood that I would see the movies and meet the deadlines. I loved getting up from my desk and announcing, “I’m going to the movies.” http://will.illinois.edu/news/story/where-was-roger-ebert-at-25 Thu, 23 May 2013 08:01:18 -0500 roger ebert, remembrances, history, urbana, cinema, media and journalism News CinemaHistoryMedia and journalism