Lefkow roundup
Saturday, Mar 5, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller The man in the photo above who looks similar to the artist’s rendering of someone wanted in connection with the Lefkow slayings is identified here as “Rev.” Scott Gulbranson of Creve Cour, Illinois. Gulbranson was a member of Matt Hale’s “White Beret” body guards. The photo was taken during the formal arrest of Matt Hale in 2003 for contempt of court. Another person of interest may be John Schlissman, formerly of Deerfield High School and a Hale follower. However, Sneed reports that Schlissman has given the police an alibi.
Remember how the authorities kept saying that Hale wasn’t allowed to communicate with the outside world? Well, maybe, and maybe not. From Saturday’s Seattle Post-Intelligencer:
Go here and here for much more, including late breaking news. And for a couple of very good background pieces on Hale and his “church,” go here and here. The Daily Herald published an essay by Robertazzo, which can be found here. And Robertazzo’s interview of Hale is here.
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Why, oh why, are we ruled by these goofs?
Saturday, Mar 5, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller Does anyone at the governor’s office ever read a statute book or the constitution before they come up with a new idea? State Comptroller Dan Hynes has told the Blagojevich administration its plan to ask for upfront cash from vendors bidding on a three-year, multimillion-dollar office supply contract is illegal, and he will block payments if the deal goes through. […] I guess the answer to my question and to Bedore’s question is the same. “No.” (Apologies to Brad DeLong for the headline.)
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Google weather
Saturday, Mar 5, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller From BoingBoing: Google has added a 4-day weather forecast to its search engine. Simply type in: weather, city, state.
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Eerie
Friday, Mar 4, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller Is this the guy the cops are looking for? Weird. UPDATE: I didn’t notice this in Sneed’s column today (and, as I said in comments, Michael gets a bad rap sometimes for the goofy celeb gossip, but I have loads of respect for her unbelievably strong federal and local law enforcement sources): Sneed has been told part of the police investigation’s focus is on a New York Times photograph of Matthew Hale being accompanied by several followers, one of whom seems “strikingly similar” to one of the two police sketches released of possible murder suspects.
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Friday Topinka blogging
Friday, Mar 4, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller Montage. Say it. It sounds so sexy and French. Montage. Created using Montage-a-google. Link via OneMan. This is the last of the Friday Topinka bloggings for a while. Still working on a replacement.
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Tollway probed
Friday, Mar 4, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller Another day, another investigation. Prosecutors in DuPage County opened a probe Thursday in response to criticism that two of Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s top advisers are linked to vendors who gleaned profitable restaurant contracts for the state’s tollway oases.
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Pick a handle and post away
Friday, Mar 4, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller Blogger has a new feature that allows commenters to post anonymously but still choose an online “handle” (name). I strongly encourage you to do so if you post here. If people choose their own distinct handles, it will make it a lot easier to follow discussion threads. Also, several of you (including numerous legislators) have said to me lately, “I really wanted to post something, but I wasn’t sure if I could remain completely anonymous.” Don’t worry about that. I don’t attempt to track down the identities of comment posters, and the way I have my account set up, it would be almost impossible to do so anyway. Your secret is safe. You have my word. Comment to your heart’s content. But, if you do comment, please remember to hit the “publish” button only once. Sometimes, it takes a few minutes for your comments to appear.
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Question of the day
Friday, Mar 4, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller Let’s say, for the sake of argument, that Judy Baar Topinka runs for governor. Who runs for treasurer? Republicans and Democrats.
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My favorite ballplayer
Friday, Mar 4, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller Nicholas George Miller is my nephew, a star athlete, an honors student and just about the nicest teenager on the planet Earth. I can’t believe I’m related to this kid. Check out the concentration. Bearing down. Zoom!
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Reality check
Friday, Mar 4, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller The Herald & Review editorial page runs a reality check today on the House’s statewide budget hearings. The effort that is going into a series of statewide budget hearings, sponsored by House Speaker Michael Madigan, is noteworthy.
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Remember this one?
Friday, Mar 4, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller I had completely forgotten about this proposal. Good catch by the Northern Star. Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s proposal to require community service for high school graduation has not materialized as proposed because of the state’s current fiscal crisis, officials said.
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Question of the day
Thursday, Mar 3, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller Yesterday’s question of the day devolved into a raging debate over Joe Birkett. Today’s question: Do you think a primary candidate will emerge against Governor Blagojevich? If so, who? (Paul Vallas, by the way, appears to be disqualified from contention because of residency requirements.)
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Payday stuff
Thursday, Mar 3, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller The House Republicans may be siding with the payday loan operators who want to kill off a proposed reform of their industry, but the Daily Herald editorialized this week in favor of change. The industry calls the proposals too stringent; there may be room for lenders to haggle with legislators over the details. But the proposals laid out in Springfield certainly represent the right direction in tighter regulation. Consumers clearly deserve greater protection than they now have. The editorial was published a day after the paper ran a long piece about consumers caught up in payday loan nightmares.
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Zing
Thursday, Mar 3, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller Archpundit is not happy with the Southern Illinoisan’s editorial yesterday about the president’s “Clear Skies” initiative. The editorial demanded that Sen. Barack Obama vote for the legislation. Not mentioned, though, was that the bill clearly favors Western coal over Illinois coal. This is probably the dumbest editorial I’ve read in years. I’m not exaggerating either. The Southern’s editorial board doesn’t seem to grasp even the most basic issues present in the proposal. Read the whole thing.
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Unhappy people
Wednesday, Mar 2, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller The Civil Justice League is freaking out about a particularly pesky commenter. Yesterday, our newest “reader” spent 16 hours, 16 minutes, and 21 seconds on our Blog. Definitely a committed visitor!!! Here we go again. Meanwhile, the Justice League claims that former Missouri insurance regulator Jay Angoff may not be what he seems. Angoff testified to a House committee last week about the inherent conflict of interest with the same lobbyists representing the Medical Society and the group’s medical malpractice insurance company. They dug up this story from Forbes, back when Agoff worked for Ralph Nader. When American Tort Reform Association former president James Coyne asked Nader about his plaintiff attorney funding at a press conference in Washington, he stormed from the podium and his supporter, Jay Angoff, rushed over and punched Coyne in the eye.†And, while we’re on this topic, the Belleville News-Democrat writes about yesterday’s tort reform hearing. Robert Uhe, House Speaker Michael Madigan’s chief legal counsel, specifically inquired about more than $1 million in outstanding loans ISMIE Mutual Insurance Co. gave its executives according to federal documents the company filed in February 2000. There’s more to this, but it will have to wait until tonight.
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Schakowsky wants map redo
Wednesday, Mar 2, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller Cong. Schakowsky may be calling in some chits with her old friend the governor soon. Two of the three announced candidates for Democratic Caucus vice chairman are making a strong pitch to their fellow lawmakers that Democrats need to swipe a page from the Republican playbook and initiate some pro-Democratic redistricting in Illinois, New Mexico and New York. The governor’s office has reportedly not looked at the issue yet, and I get the feeling from talking to people over there that they’d rather not deal with it now. Either way, at last check, Speaker Madigan is still against it.
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Go there
Wednesday, Mar 2, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller If you want some good background on fascist supremacist Matt Hale and his band of central Illinois thugs and their possible connection to the murder of Judge Lefkow’s husband and mother, Peoria Pundit is definitely the place to be. He’s always good, but he’s never been better than he has on this story.
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Question of the day
Wednesday, Mar 2, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller Now that Bill Brady has announced and Obermilk is on the verge of jumping in, I have a question. Which candidate, announced yet or not, will be the first to drop out of the governor’s race?
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Metallica
Wednesday, Mar 2, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller This is somewhat weird. Illinois State Historical Society members are concerned and angry over the continued theft of historic markers from sites important to Illinois history. […] Half? What the heck is going on down there? Musgrave theorized it might be the perceived value of the signs’ metal that has prompted the theft. To fight against the lure of thieves salvaging the metal from plaques for cash, the historical society will install the first non-metallic composite marker in Springfield later this week. It is hoped thieves will find the new markers less attractive. LOL You gotta be kidding me. Stealing signs for the metal? I guess we’ll find out when they put up the new ones.
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