Columns

Fortunately, the storm that passed through the area on Wednesday, June 12 wasn’t as bad as predicted. In the northern part of the county, the worst of it lasted just a few minutes.

I had great hopes that many of the serious issues facing Illinois would be solved in our spring session. I was wrong.

The unofficial start of summer is behind us. And it was a busy weekend.

This column is dedicated to the details of recent firearm concealed carry legislation overwhelmingly approved (85-30) by the House of Representatives. This action was in response to a recent court ruling mandating that the state enact suitable concealed firearm regulations by June 9 or face no restrictions whatsoever.

The Energy Infrastructure Modernization Act of 2011 can proceed at full speed despite concerns by the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) and governor. Electric utility companies had slowed their modernization efforts when the ICC denied that they could recover certain costs from customers. When the General Assembly passed legislation clarifying expenses that could be recovered, the governor vetoed the bill (SB9). Both the House and Senate have overridden the veto.

It was palpable on Saturday, May 18 at Plano’s Walmart Supercenter as Superman fans anxiously awaited their turn to buy tickets for “Man of Steel.”

The 2014 senior tax levy allocations have been approved by the DeKalb County Board. The County Health and Human Services Committee spent several hours reviewing applications and interviewing agencies. The following is the final breakdown approved at the May county board meeting:

The House of Representatives has returned for the final two weeks of spring legislative action. May 31, 2013 marks the deadline for budget approval. Prior to that date, we may still see possible movement on pensions, marriage equality and concealed carry.

The Illinois Department of Employment Security has reported that the April unemployment rate in Illinois fell to 9.3 percent from 9.5 percent in March. While this is cause for cautious optimism, Illinois still lags significantly behind the national average for unemployment of 7.5 percent. Part of the reason is the fiscal condition and regulatory environment of our state.