Senator Rezin Tours Chicago Charter School
State Senator Sue Rezin (R-Peru) toured Chicago’s Horizon Science Academy-Belmont Charter School.
“I am amazed by the science and math curriculum these students are enrolled in,” said Senator Rezin. “Early, advanced education like this is so important to give our children a bright future in an ever changing and more competitive workforce.”
Horizon Science Academy-Belmont is a government funded charter school that specifically focuses on math, science and technology education for all of its students.
As a member of both the Senate Education Committee and the Education Funding Advisory Committee, Senator Rezin regularly tours schools throughout the 38th district and the entire state. Her goal is to find programs and curricula that can be expanded throughout Illinois to promote a stronger school system.
“This particular charter school provides an excellent education for its students,” said Senator Rezin. “I continue to advocate for true choice in education. Every family deserves the best options possible for their children.”
Senate Week in Review
More clouds gathered over the Quinn administration as a result of a controversial home weatherization program, while a new report from a major bond rating agency offered a grim forecast of the state’s job creation prospects.
Meanwhile, a bipartisan legislative committee put the state’s hydraulic fracturing rules on hold for another month and the state’s Hospital Association has issued a fact sheet about the deadly Ebola virus.
Weatherization Program Scandal
Another Quinn administration jobs initiative is drawing headlines for wasting taxpayer dollars and failing to provide marketable job training skills.
This time, it’s the Urban Weatherization Initiative, started in 2009 with the intent to train workers in predominantly African-American neighborhoods in weatherization and other energy efficiency trades.
Coming just days after a bipartisan legislative commission took two days of testimony on Governor Pat Quinn’s failed Neighborhood Recovery Initiative, a Chicago-based reform group is highlighting the failures of the massive weatherization training program that was supposed to create skilled workers and provide low-cost services to homeowners across the state.
A Better Government Association (BGA) investigation has found that five years into the program, more than $16 million has been spent, with just 183 homes upgraded and only a handful of persons actually working. The program is also the subject of a Chicago Sun-Times report, and the newspaper editorialized that the program is a “boondoggle.”
The investigation found $13 million of the $16 million spent went toward administrative costs and training. The program claims to have trained 1,900 persons, but the state agency charged with overseeing the program says it does not have figures on how many trainees found jobs or are currently working. The BGA investigation found few former trainees who had obtained permanent work.
Hydraulic Fracturing Rules on Hold
Proposed rules for hydraulic fracturing, often known as “fracking,” have been put on hold until Nov. 6 by the bipartisan legislative committee that reviews state regulations.
The Joint Committee on Administrative Rules had placed the regulations on their Oct. 14 meeting agenda, but elected to push back any vote on the rules so that discussions can continue. The committee is charged with assuring that the rules adopted will reflect the language of Senate Bill 1715, which authorized hydraulic fracturing when it passed in 2013.
The legislation was painstakingly negotiated between energy companies and environmentalists and lawmakers want to make sure the rules that state regulators will operate under accurately reflect the language and intent of the original measure.
The Administrative Rules committee is facing a Nov. 15 deadline to adopt rules or force the process to start over again. With no rules in place, some have raised concerns that a court could order that hydraulic fracturing can begin in a virtually unregulated environment.
At their December meeting, JCAR is also expected to take up a proposal to expand the statewide smoking ban to outdoor patios and beer gardens.
S&P: Illinois last in Job Creation
A new forecast of state and local government credit conditions ranks Illinois last in the region for job growth.
The report, from rating agency Standard & Poor’s looks at economic growth by region. Illinois is included in the East North Central area, along with Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin.
Region-wide, the report predicts a slight improvement in unemployment rates, but warns that the projected 6.61% average for 2014 is likely to remain above the national average and that the area is likely to experience slower growth than other regions.
The analysis predicts manufacturing job growth through 2014 of 1.63% for the region, but then declares, “Illinois, despite being the least manufacturing-reliant state in the region, ranks last in job creation.”
Hospital Association Issues Ebola Fact Sheet
Although no cases of the deadly Ebola virus have been reported in the state, the Illinois Hospital Association has compiled a fact sheet on the disease and the risks associated with it.
While the disease has ravaged countries in West Africa, as of Mid-October just eight cases of the disease have been reported in the United States, most involving persons who contracted the disease in West Africa and returned to the United States for treatment. One person died, four are in treatment and three have recovered.
In addition to the Hospital Association Fact Sheet, information on Ebola is available from the Centers for Disease Control and the Illinois Department of Public Health.
Fire Truck Loan Program Accepting Applications
Loan applications are now being accepted for fire department and fire protection districts wishing to purchase fire and brush trucks.
Thanks to bipartisan legislation approved this year (SB 2690), loans will be available for up to $350,000 – an increase of $100,000.
The Fire Truck Revolving Loan Program application period began Oct. 15 and will run until Dec. 12. The program offers zero percent and low-interest loans for up to 20 years. More information on the loan program and an application form can be found on the State Fire Marshall website.
Chicago No. 1 – in rats
Pest control company Orkin has released its list of the 20 “rattiest” cities in the nation and Chicago beat out all others for the dubious title.
Or, maybe not.
The ranking is based on the number of rodent control treatments performed by the company during the previous year. While it stands to reason that the cities where the most businesses and individuals sought rat control are the cities with the most rats, it’s also possible that it just means Chicagoans are more vigilant in rooting out the rodents.
That’s our story and we’re sticking to it.
At any rate, the top five cities after Chicago were Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., New York and San Francisco. While Illinois often loses out to Indiana in job-related rankings, Indianapolis came it at 19 on the list. Take that Hoosiers!
Seriously, the rankings serve as a reminder to home and business owners that fall is a prime season for rodents to move indoors.
Orkin warns that a rat can slip inside using a hole the size of a quarter, while a mouse needs only a dime-sized hole to get inside. They also warn that rodents are known to chew around smaller holes to make them large enough to get indoors.