Rousing applause erupted in the Illinois House on Tuesday as gay-rights activists celebrated passage of legislation that bans housing and employment discrimination against homosexuals. Gov. Rod Blagojevich said he will sign the controversial bill into law, ending more than a decade of failed attempts to make a person’s sexual orientation a basic human right. “This […]
Todd Spivak
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Critical piece
Illinois ranks among the toughest states for poor people to find decent housing, and state lawmakers can do something to change that. The lame-duck General Assembly, which wraps up business on Jan. 11, must act on bills to create a critical rent-subsidy program — similar to the federal government’s Section 8 program — or see […]
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Taking aim
A coalition of influential left-wing political organizations has initiated a campaign to hit Sinclair Broadcast Group where it hurts — in the pocketbook. The group, led by Media Matters for America, has launched a national letter-writing campaign to Sinclair’s advertisers that charges the company with misusing the public airwaves. “[Sinclair is] unfairly using its assets […]
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In the pink
Dave Piper kept a knapsack packed with pajamas, toiletries, and a rosary by his bedside. He lived each day on edge, anxious, ready to flee at a moment’s notice. When the phone rang, his hopes would inevitably soar, then plummet — until Piper finally received the call that would save his life. A recovering alcoholic […]
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A second chance
Somehow, Aremelder Anderson survived. An alcoholic and crack-cocaine user for nearly two decades, Anderson tramped across the country, hopping from one abusive relationship to the next — “bumming and slumming,” she calls it. She’s been shot, gang-raped, and beaten. Her husband was sentenced to prison, her older sister — a mother of six — murdered. […]
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Labor pains
Veteran state worker Peter Wagner says he never had reason to join a union — until now. An economic analyst with the Illinois Commerce Commission since 1994, Wagner became accustomed to decent benefits and yearly pay increases. But, like many state employees, he’s about to enter his third straight year without a raise. Wagner, who […]
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Overdue
The initial dedication of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, back in 2002, set off a few bombshells, as critics questioned why $300,000 of taxpayers’ money was spent on a celebration, complete with fireworks, for an unfinished building. But Linda Kopecky remembers the dedication differently than most who simply cried hubris. She saw big […]
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After Roe
Illinois’ leading abortion-rights advocates are gearing up for a fight, despite the state’s recent trend to the political left. Sure, they say, pro-choice Democrats currently operate almost every lever of state government, and polls show that a majority of Illinois voters support a woman’s right to choose. And, yes, voters just elected a progressive Democrat […]
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Seeing stars
At 21, Marissa Cerar moved from Athens, the sleepy, one-stoplight town 15 miles north of Springfield, into a duplex in Burbank, Calif., five miles north of Hollywood. She remembers the day she left: “I said to my family: ‘See ya — I’m gonna be famous in five years.’” Now 24, Marissa’s feeling anxious. She came […]
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The axman
“Blago the Ax” is the name some state employees now use to refer to Gov. Rod Blagojevich. In an attempt to raise revenue, his cash-strapped administration has slashed the state-employee headcount by as much as 20 percent from just two years ago, according to statistics compiled by the state’s largest labor union. Census Bureau data […]
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Logan’s run
When Willis Logan became executive director of the Springfield Housing Authority in 1997, some called him a glutton for punishment. After all, from 1991-97, SHA was ranked among the worst public-housing authorities in the nation. Just a year earlier, the federal government had seized control of the beleaguered agency, forcing Logan’s predecessor, as well as […]
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Ms. Hatchett’s job
Wanda Hatchett joined the Illinois Department of Transportation as a file clerk just three months after graduating from Lanphier High School. Some 34 years later, after working in a variety of jobs at the state agency, the lifelong Springfield resident now plans to retire. Though just 52 years old, Hatchett has grown weary of toiling […]
