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* IllinoisSierraClub: Clean energy bill now

* Blagojevich’s panel eyes CA car emissions rules

* Green Party’s convention coming to Chicago

* Kadner: Another Lipinski challenger

Mark Pera, the school board president for Lyons Township High School and resident of Western Springs, has filed his paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to run in the 2008 Democratic primary against U.S Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-3rd).

Palos Hills Mayor Jerry Bennett also has filed a declaration of candidacy with the FEC.

Because it always benefits an incumbent to face two or more challengers (they split the vote of dissatisfied constituents), it won’t be long before people begin to speculate if one of the candidates is a stalking horse for Lipinski.

* Grawley won’t run for congressional seat

* Intensive ‘Camp Obama’ churns out activists

* Bills could redefine community colleges

* ASPCA commends Illinois Lawmakers for animal protection laws

* At 2-year anniversary, Illinois malpractice law nears court’s final challenge

There’s no question that the landscape today has changed. The tally of medical malpractice lawsuits around the state has declined. The political rhetoric has subsided. Doctors are not fleeing the area. Some hospitals report finding new physicians is easier. More insurers are doing business in the state.

Perhaps most importantly, malpractice insurance premiums have stabilized or even fallen for many doctors, anywhere from 5 to more than 30 percent.

* A new push to regulate power

* Will rate hikes leave ComEd asking ‘who turned out the lights?’

* Parents who allow drinking face tougher penalties

* Governor signs ‘Jeff’s Law’

* New law helps to convict drivers in fatal crashes

* Governor signs law aimed at gun sale

* Feeling the effects of non-smoking

* State of the union remains strong in Southern IL

* Editorial: Going green can save the public’s ‘green’ as well

* Sun-Times Editorial: Get bad teachers out of school

* New incentives for teachers

* IDOT won’t release specifics on bridges

* Illinois bridges are in good shape

* Updated lawyer ethics rules in the works

posted by Paul Richardson
Tuesday, Sep 4, 07 @ 7:23 am

Comments

Hooray, “Jeff’s Law” has been signed by the governor. SB 1397 “Jessica’s Law” has been sitting on his desk unsigned for a month or more.

Comment by Patriot Tuesday, Sep 4, 07 @ 7:38 am
Hey, you missed the Sun-Times story about how JBT trashed her office with doggy accidents and cigarette burns.

Comment by Not So Fast Tuesday, Sep 4, 07 @ 10:41 am
I would like to see Community Colleges offer 4 year degrees at a reasonable price. Universities have become too expensive for many people to afford without having to mortgage the first 10 years of their career to student loans. If they can offer a stripped down college degree (e.g. taught by MS & MAs not PhDs) in a few subjects of need to the economy that would be a good thing.

Comment by cermak_rd Tuesday, Sep 4, 07 @ 11:25 am
Cermak has a good idea.

Using property tax revenue to fund students seeking 4 year degrees has been so far untapped. Why should a student have to incur all that debt when I can help assume it for him?

What are we waiting for? We all benefit from an educated population.

Comment by Johnny USA Tuesday, Sep 4, 07 @ 12:18 pm
Yes, some of it would be tax payer funded, however, it would be stripped down and presumably cheaper to deliver than a 4 year institution. Also, 4 year students would be expected to pay a bit more in their 3rd and 4rth years of their degree. Also, the 4 year degrees offered would have to be in areas in need to the economy (i.e. public administration, information management, homeland security stuff, not English or History.) If people have 4 year degrees in useful fields, they should earn more in their lifetime and therefore pay higher taxes. Heck maybe the state could even require a period of residency after graduation or the student has to repay the subsidized part of his education.

Comment by cermak_rd Tuesday, Sep 4, 07 @ 1:07 pm
Harper’s bill HB1434 would not use property tax revenue for bachelor degree programs. The pilot program would be paid for by tuition and corporate donations. After the pilot phase ends in four years, it’s hoped that bachelor degree programs at Harper would be funded by tuition and the state, similar to other public, four-year universities. That’s why state universities so vehemently oppose Harper’s bill. They fear it would cut into their share of the state funding pie, even though the percentage would be very small and the program would serve thousands of students who are place-bound or who can’t afford to attend a traditional university. In any event, no property tax money would be used and there would be no cost to the state for the four-year pilot program.

Comment by Hawk Tuesday, Sep 4, 07 @ 1:18 pm
The Sun-Times story about Judy was in very poor taste. Like her or not, she’s devoted years of her life to public service and the story was just plain unnecessary.

If her successor and his staff were the drivers behind the story, heaven help us all because you can only wonder about their motivation.

Comment by Anon Tuesday, Sep 4, 07 @ 8:27 pm
I don’t think it was in poor taste at all. How you treat someone else’s property (here, the taxpayers’) says a lot about your character. She promised to live in the governor’s mansion if elected; I shudder to think what the smokers and dogs would have done there.

Comment by Not So Fast Wednesday, Sep 5, 07 @ 1:02 pm