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Cook County Braces For Beverage Tax
A penny-per-ounce tax on a wide variety of drinks is set to take effect in Cook County on Saturday. Retailers, looking at a similar failing measure in Philly, are fearful of consequences. I write about it for Illinois News Network. Continue reading
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NIU President Severance Package Eyed By Lawmakers
A severance package handed out to the exiting president of Northern Illinois University is drawing attention from state lawmakers. Doug Baker is leaving the school following a report by the state’s Inspector General that alleged improper spending and hiring. Under an agreement approved by the trustees, Baker will receive around $600,000 plus benefits when he Continue reading
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State Sen. Tim Bivins To Retire
There aren’t very many Republicans in the Illinois State Senate. Democrats maintain a supermajority in the chamber, though the GOP has increased its numbers slightly from the time when I joked the entire caucus could be shuttled around in a Ford Econoline van. Republican State Senator Tim Bivins has announced he will not run for Continue reading
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Public Notices & Eclipses
I have a couple of stories up this week at ilnews.org. Check out this piece on Illinois possibly moving prevailing wage notices from newspapers to the web. It could be a first step toward digitizing a whole bunch of public notices that local governments are mandated to publish. Then read here, especially if you’re heading Continue reading
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Rick Hess: Letters To a Young Education Reformer [AUDIO]
With my recent move from Illinois to Michigan, I’ve experienced a significant change in the education environment. Michigan is a “Schools of Choice” state, providing parents options as to what school children may attend: Schools of Choice programs provide students with additional enrollment opportunities, which range from allowing students to determine which school within the Continue reading
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Performing Elephant Ban In Illinois Close
Budget, schmudget. Are you curious as to what Illinois lawmakers are doing about performing elephants in the state? I’m your man. I wrote about it here. Continue reading
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Will IL-17 Be a Battleground in 2018?
Despite a strong showing by Donald Trump in Illinois’ 17thCongressional District, local Republicans still see defeating Congresswoman Cheri Bustos, D-Moline, as a tough task. I wrote about it for Illinois Radio Network/Illinois News Network. Check out the story here. Continue reading
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Frontier League Looks For Help From State Lawmakers
Independent minor league baseball in Illinois could be threatened without help from lawmakers in Springfield, the attorney for a league with six Illinois teams said. I wrote about it for Illinois Radio Network/Illinois News Network. Check out the story here. Continue reading
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A Duct Tape Double Standard
A joke about placing duct tape over the mouth of a politician is unacceptable speech and the language of a rape culture. Actually placing duct tape over the mouth of a politician in a web ad is a sharp way to get your point across. These divergent points of view are brought you by Illinois Democrats, Continue reading
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Life Lessons From The Twilight Zone
This was a blast. Virtually anyone who knows me knows how much I love “The Twilight Zone”. I’m the guy who watches the twice-yearly marathons on SyFy, even if I’ve seen the episode 15 times. So, talking to a guy who literally wrote a book on the topic? Yes, please. Mark Dawidziak is the author of Continue reading
Scot Bertram 