CORDOVA—Last week, Illinois heard a tale with a locally familiar ring. Governor Pat Quinn has given out more raises to members of his staff than he has staff members. He did this while the chasm in Illinois’ budget gaped to $13 billion, our unfunded pension liability ballooned past the $60 billion mark, and our worst-in-the-nation bond rating slid into a slot between Iceland and Iraq.
QUAD CITIES—Did you know, according to the Alzheimer’s Association, if you add up the number of unpaid hours of care provided by every friend or family member to a senior loved one in the state of Illinois, the cost equals $5,057,840,312 per year?
ORION—A teacher from C.R. Hanna Elementary School asks school board members to check in with reassigned teachers and find out how things are going this fall.
CAMBRIDGE—In the Henry County primary election, three candidates ran to be the Republican party candidate for sheriff. It was a very hotly contested race with all candidates campaigning hard to win the election.
ORION—I had known Dick Stiles for over 38 years and he had been a very special friend of mine for over 36 of them. We started playing on an adult soccer league when we were both just in middle school.
ANDOVER—A big contrats to the many people who brought to fruition the wonderful 175th Andover celebration. The mayor, the village board members, the Tourism Committee and the many, many invested citizens did a wonderful job of planning and then working to make the weekend the great event it was in our small village.
ANDOVER—Thank you, Andover! I enjoyed the play, food, parade, the bands, the apron collection on display, and the family telling about the aprons, and everything else that went on with your weekend.
ORION—We are submitting this letter to the Orion school district community to ask that you support at important program at C.R. Hanna Elementary School. This letter concerns the impact of the cuts made to the physical education department at C.R. Hanna.
ORION—I know when cuts are coming everyone is going to stand up for what they believe is the best sport/activity/club. No one wants to see the cuts made to anything, and we all want to hold onto all of our favorite activities. But journalism—the printing of the school paper and yearbook
—cannot be lost.
ORION—This past Sunday, many deserving students celebrated the culmination of years of hard work by participating in Orion High School's commencement ceremony. One young lady, however, was not permitted to participate because of an oversight on the part of the school system. The young lady I refer to is Lauren Shook of Osco.
ORION—Participation in band and choir provide a basis for lifelong learning and enjoyment. Many of our students have gone on to participate in music in college and beyond. We have a number of OHS graduates who have professional music careers or have gone on to teach music at different levels.
CAMBRIDGE—This year’s election for sheriff is one of the most important races on the ballot. We the voters have the opportunity to vote and change the failed policies and management within the Sheriff’s Office. Three months have passed since the primary election, narrowing our choices for Henry County Sheriff.
ORION—As if the budget woes weren’t enough for Orion schools, the district is also faced with a superintendent who shows no respect for or comprehension of the profession. David Deets is paraphrased in the Orion Gazette (16 April 2010, p.1) as saying “he was not sure he would recommend young people go into education.”
ORION—Students learn cooperation, respect for others, and the value of hard work and practice while participating in band and choir. Band and choir are also an important component of building school spirit and pride in our school.
ORION—While we realize that district budget cuts and program changes are necessary at this time, we urge the school board and administration to carefully consider the impact of significant reductions in the fine arts programs.
