Political Rewind: Pensions, Health Care Take Center Stage in Illinois
Editor’s Note: This article was created by aggregating news articles from Illinois Statehouse News that were written by various Illinois Statehouse News reporters.
Week in Review: Pensions, Health Care Take Center Stage in Illinois
In a week foreshadowing drama to come in this legislative session’s final weeks, Illinois lawmakers passed a bill requiring retired government workers to pay for their health insurance.
Meanwhile, Chicago’s mayor weighed in on the state’s pension crisis, a state representative accused of bribery proclaimed his innocence and a College Illinois! employee was accused of insider investing.
House, Senate pass retiree health care payment bill
Illinois pays more than $800 million annually for the health care of state retirees, 90 percent of whom pay nothing toward their health-insurance premiums.
To address what some see as part of a larger crisis — ballooning state retiree health care and pension costs — the House and Senate passed Senate Bill 1313, requiring state retirees to pay their health-care premiums.
“Illinois is by far an outlier state. We are one of only two states that offers (largely subsidized insurance for state retirees), and we simply cannot afford it,” state Senate Republican leader Christine Radogno, R-Lemont, said.
The legislation allows the Illinois Department of Central Management Services to negotiate the premium rates annually with the state workers’ union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31.
The bill passed the House, 74-43, and the Senate, 31-20. Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn said he would sign it.
Chicago mayor offers two cents on pensions
Former White House chief of staff and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel told lawmakers here that the state’s pension liabilities had to be addressed.
“The day of reckoning has arrived,” Emanuel said.
As lawmakers consider ways to address what some see as an increasingly dire problem in the state’s government retirees’ pension fund — which faces a $2.7 billion deficit next fiscal year alone — Emanuel said he wants Chicago’s system to be overhauled in tandem with the state’s.
Absent new changes, Emanuel said, Chicago will owe $1.2 billion annually for city workers.
The powerful and outspoken Democrat proposed his own solutions:
- Freezing cost-of-living increases for 10 years;
- Increasing contributions of 1 percent yearly for five years;
- Giving employees a choice of retirement plans.
College Illinois! audit claims employee benefited personally from investments
At least one former employee of Illinois’ prepaid college tuition program personally benefited from the investment firms the program contracted with in 2010 and 2011, according to an audit from the Illinois auditor general.
George Egan, former director of portfolio management for College Illinois!, was a partner in a company — not identified in the audit — that invested $500,000 in the investment firm Balestra Capital, which at the same time was bidding on a contract with College Illinois!, according to the audit.
College Illinois! also gave Egan a $24,166 bonus when he resigned several months after the investment in Balestra Capital in 2010 — around the same time that College Illinois! lawyers noticed the apparent conflicts of interest.
The Illinois Student Assistance Commission, the parent organization for College Illinois!, went on to invest $55 million in Balestra Capital.
Egan, most of the other executive staff and the board that oversees College Illinois! have been replaced since the General Assembly first requested the audit last year.
The auditor general is forwarding the findings of the audit to the Illinois attorney general, which is investigating the management of College Illinois!, as well as the Illinois Office of Executive General.
Indicted representative uses Blago defense strategy
Charged with bribery, state Rep. Derek Smith, D-Chicago, recycled a strategy used by former Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
Henderson ducked direct answers to questions posed by the House Special Investigative Committee and instead resorted to a defense his law firm, Henderson Adam LLC, used when it represented Blagojevich.
“We want all of the facts out,” Henderson said. “We want everything to see the light of day.”
While the process plays out in the U.S. District Court in the Northern District of Illinois, the committee is deciding whether Smith should be impeached by the General Assembly. Smith entered a plea of not guilty in federal court.
— Anthony Brino
Illinois Drivers Soon Can Leave Scenes of Minor Accidents
A measure that would allow Illinois drivers to leave the scene of minor crashes and move to a safer location is headed to Gov. Pat Quinn’s desk.
Senate Bill 3409 cleared the House on Friday.
Bill sponsor state Rep. Sidney Mathias, R-Buffalo Grove, said the proposal is just another step to keep roads safer.
“I’m sure one of the things that irritates many of us (is) a little fender bender and traffic is tied up for miles and everybody passes the accident and says why don’t they just pull over,” Mathias added.
The legislation applies to crashes involving only property damage — not personal injury.
The proposal passed the House with a 106-0 vote. The Senate passed it in March.
—Stephanie Fryer
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Movie Review: Avenging Adventure
Usually I wait until later in the review to mention the overall time at the movies, but this week extenuating circumstances and a huge crowd of fans did affect our experience (I went with my three kids). But don’t worry, we still enjoyed it.
Heading out to the Louis Joliet Cinemark was an adventure. A carnival in the mall parking lot snarled traffic and the opening night of this spring’s blockbuster The Avengers meant a longer line than usual to get into the theater.
Even though I ordered tickets online a day in advance, we still had to queue up behind four generations of moviegoers, which was cool. The last time I saw this many people at the theater was for Chronicle, but far and away the crowd at that one was around age 16 (despite its R rating). So kudos to the filmmakers for attracting people from age 6 (my sons) to 60.
I also experienced a taste of reverse mortality this week: The high school kids going to see The Avengers sported more facial hair than I could ever grow.
The crowd also meant that it was a challenge to find four consecutive seats, so we plopped down in the front row. The kids didn’t mind: “It felt like I was in the movie,” Axel said afterward.
Overall, The Avengers was mostly enjoyable, but at two hours and 22 odd minutes, it’s far too long to receive the critical kudos it has thus far. Filmmakers, this is a comic book movie, not a World War II documentary. Pay an editor to shave an hour off here. The picture’s length seriously detracted from its enjoyability, and judging by the comings and goings of my fellow moviegoers, their bladders conked out at about the hour and a half mark.
Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson, playing the same, tired role he always does: the preachy, unsmiling and overly serious authority figure wearing a long leather coat, this time with an eye patch, too) assembles The Avengers (a coalition of comic book heroes, including The Incredible Hulk, Captain America, Iron Man, the Black Widow, Thor and Hawkeye) to combat a team of malevolent aliens that has made off with a Holy Grail-type object that they nabbed from the free world.
An epic battle ensues, one with unnecessarily jingoistic overtones in this age of one superpower. The filmmakers here shamelessly exploit the 9/11 terrorist attacks on New York City as well. Why not set this one somewhere else, with the ensuing fire-and-explosions finale? It would work just as well in Washington, D.C., or even Omaha.
There’s no need to conjure up unpleasant terrorism flashbacks. As we’ve seen with the backlash over the promos for Mad Men, a raw nerve still throbs on the Hudson, so why go there (as an aside, where’s the sensibility backlash over this one?)?
Likewise, haven’t we had our fun with Russian bad guys? The Cold War’s been over for 25 years, we don’t need heavies with thick Moscow accents channeling Leonid Brezhnev.
There are fun moments here. Robert Downey Jr. (a great, great talent in whichever movie he appears) as Iron Man sports a Black Sabbath T-shirt throughout the entire picture, which is a great nod for rock snobs everywhere.
However, where’s the killer soundtrack here? No music is played over the action here to speak of, except for an AC/DC song halfway through (which had my kids briefly headbanging).
Likewise, director Joss Whedon spins a Kubrickian ending here — you’ll get snippets of 2001 and Dr. Strangelove in the last 10 minutes.
Overall, I don’t think The Avengers is as good a movie as The Cabin in the Woods or The Raven. You won’t have to fight the crowds to see these other flicks, currently still in theaters.
I’m going to let my 9-year-old daughter Klara do some reviewing here as well:
“The Avengers was about some Avengers trying to save the world. The people they were battling struck a city. They did lots of damage and killed quite a few people.”
More from the kids:
“I think it’s related to the movie Captain America.” — Klara’s observation (she watched this one earlier in the week)
“Awesome!” — Axel’s observation (he’s 6).
“It’s so funny!” — Tait’s observation (he’s 6).
Klara’s favorite superhero: Captain America
Tait’s favorite superhero: The Hulk
Axel’s favorite superhero: The Hulk
Klara’s quotable moments:
“Please tell me no one kissed me.” — Iron Man
“Hulk Smash!” — The Hulk
Dave’s quotable moments:
“Freedom is life’s great lie.” — Loki (the villain, played by Tom Hiddleston)
“War is won by soldiers.” — Nick Fury
“The world has gotten stranger than you already know.” — Nick Fury
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Attorney Asks for Delay in Keller Murder Trial
William Curl’s defense attorney is asking that his trial on charges that he killed Plainfield resident Antinette “Toni” Keller be pushed back because his psychiatric evaluations won’t be complete by June 11.
Public Defender Regina Harris announced her intention during a status hearing on the case on Thursday, according to a story in the DeKalb Daily Chronicle.
Curl, 35, is accused of sexually assaulting, killing and then setting Keller’s remains on fire in October 2010. Keller, 18, was attending school at Northern Illinois University.
To read the entire Daily Chronicle story, click here.
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Chicago Fire Partners with Plainfield Soccer
The Chicago Fire issued this press release on Friday:
The Chicago Fire Soccer Club announced Friday that the travel component of the Plainfield Soccer Association Legends will become an affiliate of the Chicago Fire Soccer Club and will be known as the Chicago Fire Juniors West. The new Chicago Fire Juniors West is one of nine clubs in the Chicago Fire Juniors family, the fourth in the Chicagoland area and the third in the state of Illinois. Since 2008, the Fire’s youth development program has grown from 400 participants to more than 10,000 across seven states.
“The creation of Chicago Fire Juniors West provides local youth soccer players the opportunity to grow and develop under the banner of their hometown club,” said Chicago Fire Vice President of Soccer Operations Guillermo Petrei. “A partnership with a community-oriented club such as PSA gives more young players in the Chicagoland area access to a professional environment while providing opportunities to join our Academy and first team similar to the Juniors programs across the nation.”
Tracing its roots back to 1982, the PSA Legends are dedicated to providing a family-oriented, community feel to the club along with an overall great soccer experience. Members are encouraged to attend both recreation and competitive games. In addition to organized trips to Chicago Fire games, the PSA Legends participate in community outreach events in conjunction with all four of the Plainfield high schools, including volunteering at the local food pantries.
“As we take our next step in the growth of soccer in-and-around our community, we are incredibly excited to have the opportunity to partner with the Chicago Fire,” said PSA board president Rob Ayers. “Over the past two years, the organization has worked tirelessly to find the perfect fit to continue our momentum. The Fire is dedicated to creating and maintaining fans and soccer players of all ages and we are fortunate to be working closely with the Fire as we move forward to provide a well-rounded soccer experience for all members of our community.”
In addition to their recreational program that has more than 3,000 participants, the PSA Legends currently have 37 travel teams, including 19 girls teams and 18 boys travel teams. With over 90 percent of the teams made up of Plainfield residents, the PSA Legends are truly the community’s club.
“This partnership and our alignment with the Fire, a leader in player development, further signifies our desire to provide all players in our club, regardless of gender or ability, with the inspiration and structure to continue to advance in the game,” said PSA Director of Coaching Steve Morris. “We now have continuous steps in the development pyramid so that our players can aspire to reach the Fire first team or take part in the new Elite Girls Program initiative.”
In conjunction with the announcement of the new partnership, PSA will be hosting a Public Town Hall Meeting on Friday, May 11 from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Eagle Point Elementary School in Plainfield, Ill. This event will be attended by representatives from the Chicago Fire Player Development department who will present an outline of programming for the upcoming season and be available to answer any questions about the partnership.
Tryouts for the U-8 through U-18 age groups, boys and girls, will take place in May and June at Van Horn Woods in Plainfield, Ill. For more information, visit http://www.chicagofirejuniorswest.com.
The Chicago Fire Juniors program was formed to train area youth in a professionally run environment and has since expanded to include branches in Chicago, Florida, Indiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Louisiana and Kentucky. Through the Juniors program, players ages eight-years-old to 18-years-old receive professionally developed curriculum to help build skill and knowledge of the game. The Juniors program has seen direct results, including the signing of Mississippi Fire Juniors product Kellen Gulley to the first team.
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Column: New Pastures, but Same Mission
From a journalistic perspective, I hate goodbye columns. It makes everything seem so final.
But this is, indeed, a goodbye column. As of Monday, I take on new duties helping oversee the launch of the new Joliet Patch. It marks the end of a two-year journey with Plainfield Patch that’s been one of the highlights of a long, interesting career.
Plainfield was one of the first towns in Illinois to get a Patch, and I remember writing in my first column that the whole process of getting it off the ground was a little like giving birth. When the baby arrives, you think the hard part is over only to realize the real job — keeping baby alive — had just begun.
Thanks to you, our readers, baby’s not only alive, but thriving. Your support from day one of this untried hyperlocal Web site concept has been nothing short of humbling. Your willingness to respond to what I’ve posted, to give me ideas and to interact in conversations with each other shows me that this is just the start of what could be.
So, I continue this journey in the hope that what I’ve learned here can now be translated to a much larger, much more diverse town that is in dire need of a local news source and an online site where issues and topics can be discussed and debated.
I welcome the challenge, but I cannot lie: I will miss Plainfield and I leave with bittersweet emotions. So many of you have become friends, people I look forward to seeing and hearing from. And even if you were not a fan, you didn’t quit reading. You can’t ask for more than that.
Starting Monday, Shannon McCarthy Antinori takes on the role of editor of Plainfield Patch. She has been the Patch editor in Romeoville, and many of you know her from her long tenure with The Enterprise. She’s going to hit the ground running, and I have complete faith that my baby is in good hands.
So, until we meet again, thank you, best wishes and keep reading Patch!
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Looking for a Home: Clyde
Clyde is a 1-year-old male wirehair terrier mix available for adoption through Help Save Pets. He was was rescued from a pound in Tennessee. You can learn more about Clyde from the Help Save Pets video that accompanies this article. And you can meet him and other great pets at the Animal Care Center, 14411 Route 59, Plainfield, 815-436-8387.
Available pets can also be viewed at www.helpsavepets.org. Adoption donations range from $29 to $399 for cats and dogs and include spay or neuter surgery, rabies vaccine, first distemper vaccine, fecal test, first de-worming, heartworm test (if applicable), canine bordetella, feline leukemia test (if applicable), and a microchip identification implant.
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