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Pat Quinn
Quick Hit
by Progress Illinois
3:04pm
Fri Sep 28, 2012

Op-Ed: AFSCME Responds To 'Quinn Spin'

The following was written by Anders Lindall, spokesman for AFSCME Council 31, in response to the op-ed posted on Progress Illinois yesterday from Gov. Pat Quinn's office.

Sadly, there they go again. Governor Pat Quinn and his staff routinely twist reality, mislead the public and insult the men and women who do the real work of state government in their communities every day.

Endlessly repeating lies does not make them true. Yet the 1200 words of empty political talking points issued yesterday by a Quinn spokeswoman are riddled with repeated falsehoods and glaring omissions.

Read more »

Quick Hit
by Matthew Blake
7:54pm
Thu Sep 27, 2012

Poll: Illinois Voters Support Gay Marriage, Skeptical Of Politicians And Business

A poll released yesterday by the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University shows that voters in the Land of Lincoln differ with state leaders in not so obvious ways.

Perhaps the most striking finding is that statewide acceptance of gay marriage is on a sharp rise. Read more »

Quick Hit
by Progress Illinois
9:17am
Thu Sep 27, 2012
2 comments

Op-Ed: Gov. Quinn's Office Sets The Record Straight On Policies, Relationship With Unions

The following op-ed is by Brooke Anderson, Press Secretary to Governor Pat Quinn.

Nobody is more committed to improving life for working families than Governor Quinn. Some of your readers will recall that back in 1993, Governor Quinn was among the few elected officials to stand with organized labor in opposing NAFTA. For three decades, he advocated for a humane minimum wage and workers’ rights. He has joined union brothers and sisters on more picket lines than any Illinois Governor in memory, dating back to his meeting César Chávez in the 1970s. Governor Quinn organized the Citizens Utility Board – along with groups like the Labor Coalition for Public Utilities – which has saved Illinois consumers $10 billion in utility rate reductions and refunds since 1985.

Since he became governor, jobs have been Governor Quinn’s number one priority. And his efforts have produced solid results for the working people of Illinois.

Read more »

Quick Hit
by Matthew Blake
6:55pm
Wed Sep 26, 2012

Lawmakers, Advocates Make Human Rights Case To Close Tamms

With the fate of Tamms supermax prison at an impasse, those who support its closure made the case today that the facility must shut down on human rights grounds.

Advocates with the Tamms Year Ten coalition spoke grimly of the 23-hour daily solitary confinement experienced by inmates who are fed through slots in cell doors and often deal with sensory deprivation. Speakers noted that both Amnesty International and the ACLU condemn the prison for violating international human rights agreements.

“This is a moral issue,” declared U.S. Rep. Danny Davis (D-Chicago). Read more »

Quick Hit
by Matthew Blake
3:56pm
Tue Sep 25, 2012

ACA Aiding In Decline As Number Of Uninsured Goes Down In Illinois, Nationally

The U.S. Census Bureau’s 2011 American Community Survey released last week carried a few grim data points, such as a climb in the number of people in Illinois who live in poverty.

However, there is one critical piece of good news for Illinois and the country – the number of people without health care is slightly down due to an initial step in implementing the landmark 2010 Affordable Care Act.

Read more »

PI Original
by Matthew Blake
12:24pm
Tue Sep 25, 2012

Pat Quinn's Roadmap Toward A Gambling Bill - And Lou Lang's Skepticism

Springfield

Gov. Pat Quinn vetoed legislation to expand Illinois gambling at the end of August, but he also may have laid the framework for compromise in the fall veto session. Quinn dropped his objection to slot machines at horse racing tracks and set in motion a plan to link gaming revenue with replenishing the state education budget.

Quick Hit
by Matthew Blake
5:30pm
Mon Sep 24, 2012

Environmentalists Disquieted By Ameren Pollution Reprieve

In 2006, former Gov. Rod Blagojevich heralded a major environmental compromise with Ameren for which the St. Louis energy company would spend $1.6 billion to reduce mercury, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide in their Illinois coal-fired power plants.

Today, environmentalists fear that deal is in jeopardy after the Illinois Pollution Control Board granted Ameren a five-year extension Thursday for meeting new sulfur dioxide pollution standards. The company now has until 2020, instead of 2015, to meet the standards through installing pollution control equipment at their 1,186-megawatt plant in Newton.

Ameren contended that the double whammy of the economic downturn and lower electricity rates caused by the rise in natural gas competitors forced a delay in compliance. Read more »

PI Original
by Matthew Blake
10:15am
Mon Sep 24, 2012

The New Face Of Chicago Gang Violence

Crime

Like overall city violence, gang violence is on a long-term decline despite the uptick this year. Moreover, there are changes in what constitutes a gang and how gangs use violence. Gangs are not just more splintered, their leadership is increasingly younger and more fluid.