Thursday, March 7, 2013
The Des Plaines representative said the best way to solve the state's budget problems is to eliminate wasteful spending.
- GOVERNMENT
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Thursday, March 7
State Rep. Marty Moylan (D-Des Plaines) issued the following statement Wednesday in response to Governor Pat Quinn’s Budget Address: “Today, Governor Quinn laid out his budget proposal to both chambers and offered taxpayers an aggressive strategy mixed with spending cuts and revenue enhancements. While I applaud his efforts and appreciate the plan he laid out, I believe the best way to solve our budget crisis is by eliminating wasteful spending. “Since taking office, I have worked tirelessly to find ways to rein in spending while preserving crucial services. Progress has been made, but there is much work to do. I’m looking forward to getting my hands dirty and working with both sides of the aisle to right this state’s fiscal ship. …
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Rivers Casino has led Illinois casinos in adjusted gross receipts during every full month of operation since it opened at the end of the summer in 2011.
Rivers Casino reported the least number of admissions during a full month of operation in January since opening in 2011. The Des Plaines casino was visited by 286,077 people during the first month of the new year, according to a monthly report posted on the Illinois Gaming Board’s website. In all but two other months since opening, the state’s 10th casino reported more than 300,000 people going through its turnstiles. In January 2012, 291,527 people visited the casino, according to a report from the Illinois Gaming Board. While admissions were lower, revenue was higher compared with the same time last year. In January 2013, $32,358,000 in adjusted gross receipts was reported, compared with January 2012, when $30,307,000 in adjusted gross …
Friday, February 8, 2013
What are the top issues affecting Illinois today? What would you like to see fixed in the coming year? Do you think Quinn chose the right priorities to highlight during his State of the State speech? Do you think he should be re-elected in 2014?
Following Governor Pat Quinn's State of the State address, Patch asked readers what they think the top issues affecting Illinois are. What needs to be fixed? Do you agree with the governor's priorities? Here are some of the responses we received. Some comments have been edited for length, grammar and clarity: "TERM LIMITS. Enough said." "[In light of Quinn's proposal to raise minimum wage to $10/hour] Yep, the politicians are certainly expert enough to tell private business how to run their operations since we all know how well the state runs it's business." "We already have term limits - 2 terms only. One in office, one in the Federal Lockup. What we need is a governor who has a higher IQ than his shoe size. Quinn is a Space Cadet, not…
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Gov. Pat Quinn gave his fifth State of the State address on Wednesday afternoon. What do you think should be his top priorities over the next year? Tell us in the comments section.
Gov. Pat Quinn voiced his support for gay marriage in Illinois, a minimum wage hike and tougher gun laws during his State of the State speech Wednesday afternoon, according to the Chicago Tribune. The Associated Press has posted the full text from Quinn's State of the State speech. Here are some of the highlights: Quinn also spent much of his speech touting his accomplishments during his term as governor, such as cuts to Medicaid and ethics laws that have been passed, according to Crain's Chicago. Quinn has said he will run for re-election in 2014. If he does, he is expected to have an opponent in the March 2014 Democratic primary. Quinn has gotten low approval ratings in recent months. A Democratic-leaning Public Policy Polling …
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
ShakeOut is a nine-state emergency readiness drill on Feb. 7.
- GOVERNMENT
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Tuesday, February 5
Governor Pat Quinn today called on every Illinois resident, school and business to particpate in what's being called the "largest earthquake drill in the history of the Midwest" on Thursday, Feb. 7, at 10:15 a.m. The third annual Great Central U.S. ShakeOut is a nine-state emergency preparedness drill designed to encourage residents to think about what to do before, during and after an earthquake. Participants can register for the drill online at www.shakeout.org/centralus and will receive valuable tips and information about earthquke preparedness. More than 410,000 Illinois residents are already registered for the drill, which will highlight Earthquake Preparedness Month in illinois. "It only takes a minute to register online in the …
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Rivers Casino staves off new competition, at least until the legislature reconvenes in the fall.
The state’s top-grossing casino won’t face competition from new gaming venues — at least for now. Gov. Pat Quinn vetoed the gaming expansion bill that included five new casinos, including one in Chicago, and slot machines at six racetracks including Arlington Park in Arlington Heights, at Longfellow Elementary School, 715 S. Highland Ave. in Oak Park, on Tuesday. Rivers Casino, 3000 S. River Road in Des Plaines, has generated more revenue than any other Illinois casino every full month since opening in July 2011. In a statement, Gov. Quinn cited his concerns with the bill: substandard ethics, a lack of adequate oversight of the proposed Chicago casino and insufficient funding for education. The legislation does not prevent gaming licensees…
Monday, August 20, 2012
A special legislative session in Springfield last week made no progress. Here, Patch rounds up reactions from local politicians and residents.
No one ever said getting the pension issues inline with Illinois’ budget would be easy. The Illinois General Assembly failed to act at the special session Friday on the matter of the pension debt that is estimated to be anywhere from $80 to $90 billion. The issue is not likely to be acted on again until after the general election. The cost to taxpayers for the session was $40,000. The only vote taken was in the House on Legislators curbing their own pensions. That measure received 54 yes votes, 53 votes opposed, and six votes short of passage. Gov. Pat Quinn, who called for the special session in July, blamed Republican leadership. “Each day we wait to enact comprehensive pension reform, the problem gets worse,” Quinn said in a statement…
Monday, August 13, 2012
Des Plaines’ revenue sharing with state, other communities would change under gaming expansion bill.
In less than three weeks the agreement that requires Des Plaines to pay portions of gaming tax revenue from Rivers Casino to the state and 10 disadvantaged communities could change. Gov. Pat Quinn is reviewing, and is expected to take action on, a gaming expansion bill by the end of August. If passed, five new casinos will open, including one in Chicago, and slot machines will be added at six racetracks. These so-called “racinos” pose a problem for Des Plaines, Mayor Martin Moylan said. “We have problems with the slots,” Moylan said. “They’re going to affect us and affect our bottom line, at Maywood and also at Arlington [racetracks].” Earlier: Mitt Romney chooses Paul Ryan for running mate. In the only agreement of its kind in Illinois, …
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
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If you drove by the city hall over the weekend you may have noticed the U.S. and City of Des Plaines flags at half-staff. The flags were lowered in accordance with an order by Gov. Pat Quinn to fly U.S. and state flags at half-staff on the funeral day of every fallen Illinois soldier, and on the two days preceding that day, according to the state’s website. Flags were flown at half-staff on behalf of Lance Cpl. Joshua E. Witsman, U.S. Marine Corps, from June 8 to June 10, a press release from the governor’s office stated. Witsman, of Covington, IN, was supporting combat operations in Afghanistan when he died on May 30, The Orange County Register reported. A public affairs officer at Camp Pendleton Marine base said the death of the 23-year-…
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Gov. Pat Quinn has propose to more than double the tax on a pack of cigarettes.
Gov. Pat Quinn has proposed increasing the tax on a pack of cigarettes by $1 in an effort to reduce a $2.7 billion deficit in the Medicaid program, the State Journal Register reported. The cigarette tax would generate about $675 million in revenue. The state's current cigarette tax is 96 cents; Quinn's proposal would more than double it. Aside from raising revenue for a health care program, the thinking goes that such sin taxes are more acceptable because people shouldn't be smoking anyway. Smoking causes about 443,000 deaths a year in the United States, or about one in five of the nation's deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control. And smoking contributes to yearly health care costs to tune of about $96 billion. But not …
Wire Points
10:45 am on Thursday, March 7, 2013
Here's what Quinn really "meant to say" in that budget address: http://wp.me/p2Oseh-ZC more ›