Race and Ethics In Chicago Politics

The Chicago Headline Club and Positive Vision Communications are co-sponsoring a panel discussion on race and ethics in Chicago politics on Monday, February 2 from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. at Columbia College.

The panel will discuss such questions as “Do misperceptions and assumptions about race distort media coverage of public officials, political preferences, and the importance of some issues? Is the media’s spotlight on public officials of color too harsh, or sometimes not harsh enough? Was Todd Stroger, for example, treated differently than Richard M. Daley? Is the Black vote or the Hispanic vote treated as a monolith?” 

The panel is free and open to the public.

Panelists include Mark Brown, Sun-Times columnist; Delmarie Cobb, media and political consultant; Hermene Hartman, CEO of Hartman Publishing Group; Esther Cepeda, columnist; and Charles Thomas, ABC 7 News political reporter. Chicago Reader reporter Mick Dumke will moderate.

Legislative Term Limits Revived

Representative Barbara Wheeler (R-Crystal Lake) is sponsoring House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendments 1 and 2 (HJRCA 1 and HJRCA 2) to revive efforts to implement term-limits and reform redistricting of elected offices. HJRCA 1 seeks to limit the number of terms in office for Illinois State Senators and Representatives, while HJRCA 2 seeks to reform the redistricting process by taking the process of drawing legislative districts out of the hands of the officials holding those respective offices.

“These initiatives are no-brainers and things the people of Illinois have been demanding for far too long,” said Wheeler. “Last year, opponents of term-limits and fair redistricting maps used technicalities and gimmicks to keep two similar efforts from getting on the ballot and deliberately prevent the voters of Illinois from having a fair say. Now that Gov. Rauner has been inaugurated, we have an historic opportunity to finally make this a reality and I look forward to working with him and my legislative colleagues to bring these much needed reforms to our state.”

House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 1 seeks to prohibit members of the Illinois General Assembly from serving more than ten years in office. This Amendment to the Illinois Constitution would essentially limit Illinois State Senators to three terms (one term of two years and two terms of four years) and Illinois State Representatives to five terms in office. It also stipulates that no person can use a combination of the offices of Senator or Representative to serve more than ten years. Currently, neither of these offices have any limit on the number of terms or years served, or limitations on an elected official holding a leadership role in their respective body of the legislature.

House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 2 calls for the State Board of Elections to develop a specialized computer program to create unbiased districts for Illinois State Senators and Representatives. The computer program designated by the Board of Elections must disregard specified data and must consider certain prioritized factors to help ensure that districts are otherwise produced in a random manner and not correlated to a political party affiliation and gerrymandering. At present, Illinois State Senators and Representatives draw the maps for redistricting themselves, often leading to a basis in favor of one party.

Full text and further details for each of these Amendment Resolutions can be found at: http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/grplist.asp?num1=1&num2=17&DocTypeID=HJRCA&GA=99&SessionID=88. 

Sexual Assault Of Child Nets 24 Year Sentence

Louis  A. Bianchi,  McHenry  County  State’s  Attorney,  announces  that  Jose  Ruiz,  age 48

of McHenry, was sentenced to 24 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections for the offense of Predatory Criminal Sexual Assault of a Child.

Ruiz pled guilty as charged to the sexual penetration of a child under the age of 13 years old. The child disclosed the abuse to her mother by writing a note which stated “dear mommy, daddy had sex with me.” The defendant was not the biological father to the victim, but they did live in the same home. The child was taken to a physician and medical evidence corroborated the victim’s disclosure.  Ruiz willfully failed to appear at the sentencing hearing, and as a result was sentenced in his absence. This case was investigated by the Woodstock Police Department.  This case was prosecuted by Robert Zalud and David Johnston of the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office.

The defendant will be required to serve 85 % of the sentencing term pursuant to truth in sentencing provisions.

Free Concert At MCC February 8

The McHenry County College Second Sunday concert series will host jazz/pop artists Maureen Christine and Michael Bazan at 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 8 for “That’s Amore,” a valentine concert featuring American standards and popular favorites that span from the 1940’s through the 1980’s. The concert takes place in the Luecht Conference Center at the college, 8900 U.S. Hwy. 14 in Crystal Lake.

The concert will feature vocalist Maureen Christine, a national recording artist and award-winning singer with her “crystal clear" voice and Michael Bazan, a music educator and professional woodwind player, who will perform on saxophone, flute and clarinet. Pianist and accordion player, Don Stille, will complete the trio.

The concert is free and open to the public. For information, call Michael Hillstrom at (815) 479-7814. For information about upcoming concerts, visit www.mchenry.edu/artevents. For more artist information and sound clips, visit their website at: www.maureenchristine.com.

Province Of The Court

“The province of the Court is solely to decide on the rights of individuals. … Questions, in their nature political or which are, by the Constitution and laws, submitted to the Executive, can never be made in this court.” –John Marshall, Marbury v. Madison, 1803

12th Annual People In Need Forum -- Saturday

The McHenry County community is coming together again to sponsor and support the 12th annual People in Need Forum from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 31 at McHenry County College. The People in Need Forum is ideal for service providers of all types and community volunteers to learn about the many resources that are available county-wide and at the state and federal level. Also invited are those seeking information on their own behalf to learn how to be their own best advocate. Prior registration is requested and may be done online now at www.mchenry.edu/peopleinneed.

The People in Need Forum features people and resources available in the area to help individuals in need through breakout sessions, panel discussions and workshops. The forum’s expo offers resources from more than 60 area service organizations. 

Professionals and experts will present informative sessions on a variety of topics, including food stamps and Medicaid, health care for uninsured, behavioral health services, veterans’ issues, housing and energy assistance, mortgages, foreclosures/short sales and money management; senior and elder issues, domestic violence, transitional services for youth, homelessness, townships and general emergency assistance, transportation, and employment/unemployment issues.

“We’re excited to have the opportunity to provide vital information that is needed by so many in the McHenry County area,” said Bev Thomas, People in Need chairperson. “It’s often difficult to find the right place to refer someone in need, but we are happy to bring together the many social service providers in our area for a one-stop resource,” she said.

The event is free and open to the public. Registration and continental breakfast will begin at 8 a.m. in the Luecht Conference Center in Building B at the college. Each attendee will receive the 2015 Forum Resource Directory and a flash drive containing the directory, speaker presentations and additional agency information.

For more information, visit www.mchenry.edu/peopleinneed or call Bev Thomas at 
(815) 479-7792.

State Senate And Representative Term Limits Proposed

Representative Barbara Wheeler (R-Crystal Lake) is sponsoring House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendments 1 and 2 (HJRCA 1 and HJRCA 2) to revive efforts to implement term-limits and reform redistricting of elected offices. HJRCA 1 seeks to limit the number of terms in office for Illinois State Senators and Representatives, while HJRCA 2 seeks to reform the redistricting process by taking the process of drawing legislative districts out of the hands of the officials holding those respective offices.

“These initiatives are no-brainers and things the people of Illinois have been demanding for far too long,” said Wheeler. “Last year, opponents of term-limits and fair redistricting maps used technicalities and gimmicks to keep two similar efforts from getting on the ballot and deliberately prevent the voters of Illinois from having a fair say. Now that Gov. Rauner has been inaugurated, we have an historic opportunity to finally make this a reality and I look forward to working with him and my legislative colleagues to bring these much needed reforms to our state.”

House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 1 seeks to prohibit members of the Illinois General Assembly from serving more than ten years in office. This Amendment to the Illinois Constitution would essentially limit Illinois State Senators to three terms (one term of two years and two terms of four years) and Illinois State Representatives to five terms in office. It also stipulates that no person can use a combination of the offices of Senator or Representative to serve more than ten years. Currently, neither of these offices have any limit on the number of terms or years served, or limitations on an elected official holding a leadership role in their respective body of the legislature.

House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 2 calls for the State Board of Elections to develop a specialized computer program to create unbiased districts for Illinois State Senators and Representatives. The computer program designated by the Board of Elections must disregard specified data and must consider certain prioritized factors to help ensure that districts are otherwise produced in a random manner and not correlated to a political party affiliation and gerrymandering. At present, Illinois State Senators and Representatives draw the maps for redistricting themselves, often leading to a basis in favor of one party.

Full text and further details for each of these Amendment Resolutions can be found at: http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/grplist.asp?num1=1&num2=17&DocTypeID=HJRCA&GA=99&SessionID=88.

Hands On History Programs

Hands on History is a new FREE program offered by the Colonel Palmer House for the winter/spring program season. Hands on History programs will present a brief historical topic with a craft for children. Children age 5-10 are welcome to attend with an adult. All programs are held at the Colonel Palmer House located at 660 E. Terra Cotta Ave in Crystal Lake. Advance registration is not required for these programs, just drop-in.

Saturday, February 7, Noon-2 pm, Victorian Valentine

Make a Victorian card for your Valentine

Saturday, March 7, Noon-2 pm, Luck of the Irish

Shamrock craft in time for St. Patrick’s Day

Saturday, May 2, Noon-2 pm, Silhouetted in the Past

Create a Victorian-style silhouette for a Mother’s Day surprise

For more information contact Mary Ott at palmerhouse@crystallakeparks.org or 815-477-5873.

MCC Workforce, Community and Business Programs

McHenry County College Workforce, Community and Business Programs is dedicated to making a difference in employees' lives by giving them the tools they need to become compassionate leaders and valuable professionals. The right employee training, development and education at the right time provides big payoffs for the employer in increased productivity, knowledge, loyalty, and contribution.

Registrations are being accepted for the following business solution courses:

Accountability That Works: With accountability, you get better results, improved teamwork and clarity. Without it, you get blame, finger pointing, missed deadlines and low morale. This program reveals an approach to accountability that improves individual and organizational performance. Benefits include: building an accountability culture, improving results and morale, and teaching the importance of keeping agreements. Course is scheduled from 1 to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 10. Cost is $109, which includes all materials. Participants can register using course ID: NTL S04 002.

Ongoing commitment to review actions and improve them day-by-day. This program inspires people to turn time wasters into opportunities for increased productivity. This program is designed to help Effective Presentations: Learn how to create effective presentations. Participants will learn how to: determine realistic presentation objectives, analyze the audience, use supporting materials effectively, organize a presentation clearly, and successfully incorporate visual aids. Activities to aid in reducing the fear of speaking to improve the delivery of the presentation will also be included.  Course takes place from 1-5 p.m. Wednesdays, Mar. 11 and 18. Cost is $225, which includes all materials. Participants can register using course ID: NTL S63 003.

Time Challenged: Effective time management involves making an people reduce wasted time, improve productivity overall, and strake a work/life balance. This course takes place from 1-5 p.m. Thursday, Mar. 19. Cost is $109, which includes all materials. Participants can register using course ID NTL S09 003.

The Workforce, Community and Business Programs courses may also be taken to a company's facility and customized for their needs. This program will take place at McHenry County College Shah Center, 4100 W. Shamrock Lane in McHenry.

To register, call the MCC Registration Office at (815) 455-8588 or register online at www.mchenry.edu/myMCC and select “Register for Workforce and Community Development Classes.” For more information, contact the Shah Center at (815) 455-8593 or shahcenter@mchenry.edu.

People In Need Forum -- Saturday

The 12th annual People in Need Forum will be held from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, January 31 at McHenry County College’s Luecht Conference Center, located at 8900 U.S. Highway 14, Crystal Lake. This half-day event is open to organizations who serve the residents of McHenry County.  Began in 2003, the Forum provides staff and volunteers from human service, civic and faith-based organizations the opportunity to learn about community resources and important information to better serve their clients. Admission is free but pre-registration is requested. To register, visit http://www.mchenry.edu/peopleinneed/.

Workshops will provide practical information on issues such as mental health services, bullying, addiction education, community support for returning veterans, accessing healthcare, senior independence, navigating the insurance Marketplace, consumer credit counseling and transportation options in McHenry County. Vendors from 56 organizations will also be in attendance to share informational handouts on various topics like housing and energy assistance, transitional services for youth, food stamps, homelessness, domestic violence, legal matters and unemployment. 

Elected officials, school counselors, caregivers, law enforcement, city and municipal employees and healthcare providers are encouraged to attend.  All participants will receive a People in Need Community Resource Directory and a complimentary flash drive with all materials presented at the forum.  Sponsors include First Midwest Bank, McHenry County College and the McHenry County Community Foundation.  For more information, contact Meg LaMonica 847-682-0080 or visit http://www.mchenry.edu/peopleinneed/.