House Speaker Michael Madigan hoto BY PATRICK YEAGLE UPDATE: On Thursday afternoon, Madigan announced a plan to tax personal income over $1 million at an extra 3 percent, bringing the effective rate for people earning more than $1 million to 8 percent. Individuals with income under $1 million would continue to pay the current […]
Illinois
Posted inOpinion
Shaking up Springfield
Illinois Governor Daniel Walker shakes hands at the Bud Billiken Parade, Chicago, 1973. PHOTO BY JOHN H. WHITE “To those who have grown rich on the public dollar, to those who have won secret grants and contracts, to those in government who put themselves first and the taxpayers second – to you I bring my […]
Posted inNews
What’s making us sick?
In 1984, an engineer named Stanley Watras set off a radiation detector at the nuclear power plant he was helping to build in Pottstown, Pa. The power plant hadn’t started producing power yet, so plant officials were perplexed at how Watras could have become so radioactive. What they found revealed a potential danger in homes […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Giving and gifting
Local artist Stan Squires offers limited edition prints of three Springfield landmarks through March 31 as a fundraiser for the Salvation Army. Half of the proceeds go to the nonprofit. The illustrations include Lincoln Park’s stone bridge (pictured), Illinois Watch Company and Pillsbury Mills Flour Plant. Only 100 of the 11-inch by 14-inch prints on […]
Posted inNews
Group pushing for school funding vote
A group of parents, teachers and volunteers is pushing the Springfield Public Schools board to place a school funding referendum on the Nov. 4 ballot. The group, Invest in 186, has proposed a plan that would raise between $8 million and $10 million. The money would begin to replace millions of dollars which were cut […]
Posted inOpinion
Trial by jury
The United States ended military conscription in 1973, but draft-dodgers still roam the land – ordinary citizens drafted involuntarily into service as trial jurors by the courts. Many objections can be made to the policy of hauling untrained laypeople off the street under threat of fines or prison to decide complex matters of fact and […]
Posted inNews
Drug dogs fail the sniff test
Flip a coin and pick a side. Repeat 50 times. Chances are, you’ll guess the coin toss more often than drug-sniffing police dogs in Springfield found contraband during traffic stops in 2012. Traffic stop data reported by the Springfield Police Department shows the police found contraband in 25 percent of searches prompted by a drug […]
Posted inOpinion
Your money’s no good here
Hemant Mehta What in the name of Joe McCarthy is going on up north? In case you didn’t read about it, here’s what’s happened so far. In October, American Legion Post 134 in the Cook County town of Morton Grove withdrew its annual $2,600 donation to the local park district because one of its commissioners […]
Posted inNews
School district seeks to rebound from years of cuts
Outgoing interim superintendent Bob Leming received a gift from the Springfield school board at his final meeting on Jan. 7. Dr. Robert Hill has now replaced Leming as interim superintendent while the board negotiates with Jennifer Gill to take over the post full time. Springfield Public Schools could ask taxpayers for a boost soon, but […]
Posted inOpinion
Promises, promises
Michael Carrigan, president of the Illinois AFL-CIO The headlines all say that the General Assembly has reformed Illinois’ public employee pension system. The headlines lie. Legislators didn’t reform what has become an unworkable system, although they did change it – or try to. Their ingenious fix is likely to prove futile; the courts will have […]
Posted inNews
Power plant giveaway wins pollution pass
Coffeen Power Station in Montgomery County, south of Springfield, is one of the five power plants obtained by Dynegy subsidiary Illinois Power Holdings earlier this month. Photo courtesy of Dynegy One of Illinois’ largest energy companies has given away five power plants, following a decision by state regulators to give the new owners a temporary […]
Posted inNews
More jail time for gun crime?
Illinois lawmakers are considering an increase in minimum prison time for carrying a weapon under certain circumstances, but opponents say that won’t reduce crime. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is pushing the bill, which may be voted on when lawmakers return to Springfield in January. Rep. Mike Zalewski, D-Chicago, sponsors Senate Bill 1342, which would increase […]
