In the News ~ Jan. 5
January 6, 2010 by IEA Communications
Below are links to news stories of interest from newspapers that came up during a search today. These links were active at the time of this e-mail, but should you want to save a story, printing it or cutting and pasting the entire article and saving it to your computer is recommended.
State News 
U. of I. announces staff furloughs University of Illinois administrators and professors will be asked to take unpaid furlough days this winter because of a “grim and worsening” state budget picture, Interim President Stanley Ikenberry told staff in an e-mail today. Ikenberry also froze hiring and interim wage increases.
West Aurora student driver fees could hit $500
Beacon News – resources on necessary student programs and prevent the significant loss of available funding caused by the unrealistically low present statutory fee of $50″ recommended by the state. Between teacher salaries, overtime and benefits, car rental, insurance and student materials, the current charges simply do not pull their own weight in the funding formula.
Collin Hitt: 186 should consider more charter school options
Springfield State Journal Register – elementary school. This begs the question: Why not ask Ball Charter School to expand? It’s a question that the charter school’s staff is beginning to consider and one that the Springfield school board will have to approve. Some skeptics of Ball’s results — who are often cynical of charter schools in general — have been dismissive of the school’s success
U-46 to swap high school courses
Chicago Daily Herald – Mandarin Chinese, and a class in manufacturing may be swapped into Elgin Area School District U-46′s high school curriculum as nearly two dozen other less popular or defunct courses are removed. The school board is considering adding Mandarin to the course offerings at Streamwood High School’s World Languages and International Studies Academy; advanced placement psychology to the offerings
Presentations set for Danville schools’ long-term plan
Champaign News Gazette – DANVILLE – Danville school board members on Wednesday will hear presentations from five architectural firms still in the running to help develop a long-term facilities plan for the Danville school district.
OTHS approves $18.2 million levy; does not anticipate raise in tax rate
Belleville News-Democrat – will be less than those requested based on the limiting factors. In presenting the levy, Benway also said, “We do not anticipate any increase in our tax rate.” In fact, she noted, “The school board over the past two years actually dropped the tax rate by 4.1 percent (a savings of 8 cents per $100 of assessed valuation for taxpayers) and it is anticipated the tax rate for next year
ASK THE TIMES: OTHS contract
Streator Times-Press – Q. When will the final version of the recent collective bargaining between the Ottawa Township High School Board of Education and the OTHS education association be placed on the OTHS Web site per state law? A. Administrators at OTHS said the administration and the union are still reviewing the final draft to make sure all the language
Schools resist healthier lunches Parents find the rules stacked against them as they try to remove entrees such as pancakes.
Flowers’ office open again
Chicago Daily Southtown – Nearly two months after the abrupt closure of Charles Flowers’ regional office of education, the intended hub for 143 school districts reopened Monday. The 25,000 educators who should rely on the Broadview office for services such as teacher certification and fingerprinting have
Chicago revamps career programs for students will consolidate the programs into fewer schools in a bid to make them better. The district currently offers 250 career and technical programs at 250 schools. But those will be consolidated into 80 programs at 35 locations in coming years
Political News
Hynes: Budget gap is the top priority
Chicago Daily Southtown – Illinois Comptroller Dan Hynes calls himself the “lone voice of fiscal responsibility” and proposes to overhaul the state’s tax code, combine two executive offices and fire some 800 Blagojevich-era appointees in his quest for the Democratic nomination for governor. In recent polls, Hynes, 41, trails Gov. Pat Quinn, who assumed the state’s top job in January 2009 when then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich
IL-GOV: New Ads From Hynes And Quinn Progress Illinois (blog) - Pat Quinn and Democratic challenger Dan Hynes continues to heat up and the early release controversy is serving as the spark. After blasting Quinn in a …
Quinn: All of state government must economize Belleville News Democrat - ?Pat Quinn says all parts of state government must economize as the University of Illinois announces plans to trim $82 million from its operating budget. …
Brady criticizing Quinn prison chief
Decatur WAND (NBC) 17 – Republican candidate for governor Bill Brady is keeping up the pressure on Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn over a prison early-release program. The state senator from Bloomington wants Quinn to fire his Department of Corrections chief. Brady has scheduled a Tuesday press conference to talk about it. Quinn and prison chief Michael Randle have been under fire over a secret policy
Brady: Somebody’s Lying, Quinn or Prisons Director NBC Chicago - Pat Quinn should fire his state prisons director over an inmate early release program, according to the Chicago Tribune. When initially confronted with the …
Quinn must own up to prison mistake
Chicago Daily Herald – “The buck stops here.” Debt-ridden Illinois is short on bucks these days, but Gov. Patrick Quinn still could learn a lot from President Truman’s famous motto. Like how to shoulder responsibility for his administration’s unconscionable decision to release violent convicts, some of whom served only days of their prison sentences and then went out and committed crimes again. At a news conference l
Quinn rejects rival’s call for early prison release info
Springfield State Journal Register – Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn has rejected a call from his Democratic primary opponent that more information be released about the 1,700 inmates secretly released early from state prison. Comptroller Dan Hynes says Quinn owes the public “a full accounting,” including the reason they were serving time in the first place. Some of the inmates have already been sent back for new
POLITICAL ASYLUM: Releases and resolutions Chicago Defender - Pat Quinn pointed the finger elsewhere on an early prisoner release controversy, while his opponents pointed it right back at him. …
Candidate files for injunction against Thomson prisoner transfer
Chicago Daily Herald – Republican state comptroller candidate William Kelly Monday filed an injunction in Cook County Circuit Court to halt the sale of Illinois’ Thomson Correctional Center to the federal government and the transfer of Guantanamo Bay prisoners there. “This plan presents an unacceptable risk for Illinois,” Kelly said. “We’ve been fighting a war to keep al-Qaida off our soil. Let’s keep it that way.”
House 56 rivals say jobs, lower taxes the goal of state budget fix
Chicago Daily Herald – and businesses as the ultimate goal of such efforts. Ryan Higgins, 28, of Schaumburg, is a health care attorney making his first run for elected office this year. Anita Forte-Scott, 40, is an early education administrator serving on the Schaumburg Township District Library board and making her second attempt for state representative.
Our Opinion: New ethics law has the look of real reform
Springfield State Journal Register – IN OCTOBER 2006, citizens of Illinois found out that the Illinois Office of the Executive Inspector General had recommended that a state mental health employee be fired for conducting political activity on state time. An investigation by the inspector general had found that Khalil Shalabi, an administrator at the state’s Tinley Park Mental Health Center, had used his work time to organize
Is Rahm Mulling A Run For Mayor? Chicagoist - It’s an interesting question being asked this morning thanks to Sally Quinn’s column in today’s Washington Post. …
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel? ChicagoNow (blog) - ?Washington Post columnist Sally Quinn brought up the possibility that Emanuel might run for Chicago mayor. Emanuel, the most political animal in …
Simpson On The Impending “Meltdown” Progress Illinois (blog) - Pat Quinn is hoping to shore up temporarily by issuing another $3.5 billion in municipal bonds. At the tail-end of the clip above, Simpson says that the …
Brothers in bad hair Boston Globe (blog) - The cast of the next NBC “Celebrity Apprentice 3,” which begins in March, was made official just in time for my return from vacation. …
Donald Trump predicts former gov Rod Blagojevich will be ‘Celebrity Apprentice … New York Daily News - Giovanna Drpic will host the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s annual “Muscle Team Gala” and former Illinois Gov. …
Blagojevich to compete on ‘Celebrity Apprentice’ for charity Chicago Sun-Times - Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Rock-star wife/TV personality Sharon Osbourne. Pro wrestler/actor Goldberg. Comic Sinbad. …
Blagojevich to Appear on TV’s “Celebrity Apprentice” ABC News - LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich will be among stars taking on real estate mogul Donald Trump in the boardroom for the …
National News
Obama to honor teachers from across the country
USA Today — President Obama is recognizing teachers from across the country for excellence in math and science. The White House says Obama more than 80 teachers are expected to attend Wednesday’s event, where the president will announce new partnerships to help achieve his goal of moving U.S. students to the top of the pack in science and math achievement over the next decade.
Race to the Top principles should guide Congress in rewriting education law Dallas Morning News – Race to the Top is based on several important principles: creating high standards, turning around failing schools, rewarding states for providing better …
California set to pass education overhaul plan San Francisco Chronicle - The California Legislature is poised to pass an education plan today that makes far-reaching changes to how public schools are governed, giving parents the …
Local educators wary of changes for Race to the Top Monroe Evening News - A new federal education reform law that could bring more than $1.5 million in added cash to regional …
What Race to the Top Tells Us About the Future of the ESEA New America Foundation (blog) On Monday Ed Week published an article positing that the priorities outlined in Race to the Top, a $4.35 billion competitive grant program created by the …
Race to the Top presents school districts with thorny issues Adrian Daily Telegram - Michigan could receive $400 million in federal funds to implement educational reforms through a $4.35 billion program the Obama administration …
Editorial: A necessary education Niles Daily Star - Now more than ever, it seems as though special attention must be paid to the future of our educational system. Michigan sits waist deep in special …
TIME.com
Will New Airport Body Scanners Stop Future Terror Attacks? By LEO CENDROWICZ Britain and the Netherlands are pushing ahead with plans to install full-body scanners at airports to thwart terrorist attacks. But critics say the machines may not be effective and are a violation of privacy
The Gay-Marriage Lawsuit That Dares to Make Its Case By MICHAEL LINDENBERGER Many gay-rights advocates did not want to see this pro-marriage case argued by a top-notch legal team get to trial. But now, that very procedure is about to begin
Why Overcoming Phobias Can Be So Daunting By LEV GROSSMAN Amid new data on erasing fear, one man’s quest to quash his (odd) source of dread
Eat, Pray, Love Author Elizabeth Gilbert By KRISTI OLOFFSON After nearly swearing off marriage, the best-selling author of ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ took three years to explore the real meaning of an evolving institution before committing to it
Why Obama Has Defaulted to Bush Foreign Policy Positions By TONY KARON After a year in office, President Obama has failed to shift the arc of U.S. foreign policies and the responses of allies and adversaries
Most Viewed Articles on washingtonpost.com
1) Brit Hume’s off message: Have faith, Tiger, just not your own In “North by Northwest,” cold and heartless bureaucrats in Washington realize they may have inadvertently sent a frivolous but innocent advertising man to his death, and one of them says, “It’s so horribly sad — why do I feel like laughing?” The dichotomy pops up all the time among observers of …
2) Open for criticism Redskins speak openly about a star system that helped to erode Jim Zorn’s authority.
3) Third uninvited guest to state dinner came with Indian delegation Another uninvited guest made it into the White House state dinner made famous by gate-crashers Tareq and Michaele Salahi, the Secret Service announced Monday — exposing more holes in the security perimeter around President Obama.
4) Time for accountability at the White House The discovery of another state-dinner gate crasher has to force some accountability.
5) GOP retirements may affect party’s gains in NovemberWhile the recent political chatter in Washington has focused on Democrats retiring from Congress, Republicans are leaving the House in greater numbers, a trend that could blunt the party’s momentum heading into the November midterm elections.
6) Bomber of CIA post was trusted informant The suicide bomber who killed seven CIA operatives in Afghanistan last week was a Jordanian informant who lured intelligence officers into a trap by promising new information about al-Qaeda’s top leadership, former U.S. government officials said Monday.
7) Redskins fire Zorn, court Shanahan as new coach In a day that signaled a dramatic change of direction for the Washington Redskins, two football coaches flew into Dulles International Airport on Monday. Returning from the final game of the season, Jim Zorn landed before dawn and was almost immediately fired. Within hours, the private jet of Red…
8.) Leader without a cause Barack Obama, a lean man of ideological clay, is letting his foes mold his image.
9) How did a disgraced Indonesian tycoon, barred from the U.S., make it back? JAKARTA, INDONESIA — In March 2004, James Riady, an Indonesian tycoon and devout Christian, received an honorary doctorate from Ouachita Baptist University in Arkansas. The university — which has a scholarship program funded by the Indonesian — didn’t announce the honor. Nor did Riady pick up …
10) Google Nexus One Product Page Briefly Live, Featuring An Android 2.0 Video According to TmoNews , the page where the information about the Google phone aka the Nexus One will be put live today around the time of the official announcement at Google’s offices in Silicon Valley, was briefly up earlier this morning only to be taken down moments after
Word of the Day for Tuesday, January 5, 2010
atelier \at-l-YAY\, noun:
A workshop; a studio.
