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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
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Rep. Randy Hultgren: Return to Patient-Focused Care
Illinois Congressman Randy Hultgren was first elected in the Tea Part wave of 2010 and has represented the 14th District well since that time. He’s one of the most earnest lawmakers I’ve had the pleasure of talking to and he’s always well-versed on almost any topic that comes up in the course of an interview.… Continue reading
