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Illinois

* Forby to seek another term

* Appellate judge won’t seat Congressional seat

* Lawyer for Ryan attack conduct of trial proceeding

* Ryan seeks new trial amid ‘avalanche of errors’

* Census: Illinois poverty drops, but uninsured up

* Governor OKs funding stem-cell research

Although no money is directly tied to the Illinois law, the bill’s sponsors said they would seek to secure millions in funding over the next few months.

The measure, which bans human cloning, ensures researchers could work with embryonic stem cells in Illinois, which typically come from early-stage human embryos left over from in-vitro fertilization. Groups opposed to abortion argue the research requires the destruction of human embryos and is immoral. Proponents say embryonic stem cells offer the best chance of treating or curing many debilitating diseases.

The law also establishes procedures for couples to donate their unused in-vitro fertilization treatments for research and authorizes the Illinois Department of Public Health to administer the Illinois Regenerative Medicine Institute to give grants for research.

* Governor to appeal base closing rule

* Forced moment of silence in schools vetoed

“I believe in the power of prayer,” Blagojevich wrote. “I also believe that our founding fathers wisely recognized the personal nature of faith and prayer, and that is why the separation of church and state is a centerpiece of our Constitution, our democracy and our freedoms.”

The measure’s House sponsor, Rep. Will Davis, a Homewood Democrat, had argued it was not a religious exercise, but a chance for pupils to settle down and reflect on the coming day.

He noted that both the Illinois House of Representatives and Senate begin each legislative day with prayers led by members of the clergy.

* Rep. Fritchey: Supporting governor’s ‘moment of silence’ decision

* Editorial: Veto of forced school prayer a wise move

* State loan commission makes $1 billion sale

* SAT scores down, but diversity up as Illinois bests national average

The decline isn’t significant and may be explained by the larger pool of test-takers, which numbered nearly 1.5 million high school graduates, said officials with the College Board, the private company that administers the SAT.

Illinois students did better than their counterparts across the nation. The state composite reading score was 594, up 3 points from last year; the math composite was 611, a jump of 2 points.

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