Here’s six minutes:
Mike Madigan talks about
A press release from State Senator Pam Althoff:
Pam Althoff
SPRINGFIELD, IL. – The Illinois budget passed on Thursday fails to impose the true and meaningful fiscal restraint needed to bring state finances in line, warns State Sen. Pamela Althoff (R-McHenry).
Instead, the new budget plan approved by the legislative majority spends $300 million more than the current budget, including funding for numerous programs that are unaffordable in the current tough fiscal climate.
“Right now, the General Assembly should be focusing on funding core state budget priorities, like classroom education and public safety.
“Unfortunately this budget includes millions of dollars for programs that have noble intentions, but aren’t very crucial to our state’s operations and infrastructure.”
Among the programs Althoff said should have been cut: “Grow Your Own Teachers,” an initiative that’s spent millions of dollars to graduate only 54 teachers since its inception, and the Neighborhood Recovery Initiative, which primarily benefits Chicago neighborhoods.
Althoff also took issue with the Senate Democratic majority’s last minute approval of a supplemental appropriation bill (Senate Bill 2365) that included $199 million in new spending above and beyond the budget passed by the Illinois House.
“This budget is full of misplaced priorities – at the same time it enacts steep Medicaid and frontline social services cuts, it continues funding to programs that aren’t very crucial to Illinois families,” Althoff said.
“Illinois taxpayers deserve better than this, and it’s unfortunate our current state leadership seems unwilling and unable to enact a budget that serves the best interest of all of our citizens.”
Ken Koehler and Dan Rutherford chat briefly after Rutherford's speech at Lakeside Center.
The guest speaker for McHenry County Board Chairman Ken Koehler’s Koehlerfest was State Treasurer Dan Rutherford.
Meeting at Lakeside Center’s dining room, Koehler introduced him as “a good friend of McHenry County.”
Some of the crowd at the 2012 Koehlerfest. At the table in the foreground is Chuck Lutzow and Judge Michael Chmiel.
The gathering of Koehler supporters was also “Chainsaw Jack” Franks’ prospective opponent Tonya Franklin’s “coming out party.”
Introduced to Koehler as the woman who was going to keep Jack Franks off his back, Franklin received nothing but encouragement.
He said he would be at the Special Meeting of the County Central Committee at 9 AM at D’Andrea’s in Crystal Lake on this Saturday morning.
Koehler noted that he is the only Republican elected official to take Franks on.
Tonya Franklin did some retail campaigning.
As Tonya worked the room, those trying to suppress turnout sufficiently so there will not be a quorum on Saturday morning were seen talking to Precinct Committeemen with whom she had talked.
Tom McDermott
While they were doing their thing, I was trying to find people to fill empty precincts.
One Koehler contributor seemed quite interested so I passed his name onto Tom McDermott, who heads the Algonquin Township Committee looking for people willing to work in the fall election.
I ran into former McHenry County Republican Party Chairman Jack Schaffer, who was State Senator in the 1970′s (and beyond), and introduced him to Tonya.
“Go get them,” he said encouragingly.
Other candidates were in attendance.
Working the room most systematically was GOP State Rep. candidate David McSweeney.
State Rep. candidate David McSweeney worked all the tables in the room.
He is still unopposed, although Dee Beaubien is circulating petitions to gain ballot access as an Independent.
To be a candidate, Beaubien has to file petition signatures in Springfield the same as Tonya Franklin.
Leslie Schermerhorn was accompanied by family members to Koehlerfest.
The woman slated to run for McHenry County Superintendent of Schools by the Central Committee, Leslie Schermerhorn, was in attendance with a number of family members.
McHenry County State’s attorney was in attendance. He greeted Tonya Franklin warmly.
Yvonne Barnes
Carolyn Schofield
I also saw County Board candidates Yvonne Barnes, from Cary and running in District 1, and District 2 candidate Carolyn Schofield, currently serving on the Crystal Lake City Council.
District 5 candidate John Jung, who lives in Bull Valley and is the Republican Precinct Committeeman in the only Jack Franks precinct containing part of Crystal Lake, was at the event with his wife and newly-appointed Dorr Township Precinct Committeeman Josie.
= = = = =
If I missed a candidate, please let me know in a comment so I can complete the story.
Here are the Republican Precinct Committeemen, newly appointed by McHenry County Republican Party Chairman Mike Tryon:
This doesn’t mean a lot to anyone but the candidates themselves, but the lottery results are in for length of terms for State Senators.
With four-year terms, the two 2012 winners in McHenry County are
Karen McConnaughay drew a two-year term. Her other terms this decade will be four year terms.
Here are the results of the Secretary of State’s length of term lottery for all districts:
Above you can find the years when State Senators get four and two year terms. Click to enlarge.
A press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office:
CHICAGO — A Chicago investment advisor was indicted on federal charges for allegedly engaging in a scheme to defraud Oak Brook-based Leaders Bank and two of his clients of more than $3.2 million and ultimately causing the bank to lose more than $2.7 million.
Patrick Fitzgerald
The defendant, Robert J. Lunn, was charged with five counts of bank fraud in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury yesterday, Patrick J. Fitzgerald, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Robert D. Grant, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, announced today.
Lunn, 62, of Chicago, who did business as Lunn Partners, LLC, an investment advisory business, will be arraigned at a later date in U.S. District Court.
According to the indictment, Lunn fraudulently obtained a $1.32 million line of credit from the bank for his business, as well as separate loans of $1.4 million and $500,000 purportedly on behalf of two clients.
Lunn allegedly made a series of misrepresentations to Leaders Bank about his own assets, the purpose of the loans, and the knowing authorization of clients purportedly seeking the financing.
Instead, Lunn used substantially all of the fraudulently obtained funds for his own benefit, including to make mortgage payments and approximately $1.4 million in payments to other investment clients, the charges allege.
Lunn initially obtained a business line of credit from Leaders Bank for $480,000 in May 2001.
He increased the credit line twice in early 2004, first to $1.2 million and later to $1.32 million, all after he allegedly submitted personal financial statements to the bank falsely stating that he owned millions of dollars of stock in Morgan Stanley and Lehman Brothers.
In September 2002, Lunn arranged for an unsecured bank loan of $1.4 million, purportedly for the benefit of Client A, after submitting a net worth report for Client A and asserting that Client A wanted short-term financing to purchase an interest in an airplane, according to the indictment.
In June 2004, Lunn allegedly arranged a bank loan for $500,000 for the benefit of Client B, without Client B’s knowledge or authorization, after submitting a net worth report for Client B and stating that Client B wanted short-term financing for a business investment.
The indictment seeks forfeiture of at least $2.7 million in alleged fraud proceeds.
The government is being represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Collins.
Each count of bank fraud carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine, and restitution is mandatory. The Court may also impose a fine totaling twice the loss to any victim or twice the gain to the defendant, whichever is greater. If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines.
An indictment contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
As the Northwest Herald publishes its first article (and a poll between Franks and Franklin on the lower right hand part of the page) on Tonya Franklin’s quest to be the only the second Republican opponent to “Chainsaw Jack” Franks in four elections, Franklin sent out an email:
Jack Franks yard signs popped up in front of Vaughan's Family Restaurant last night while Tonya Franklin was meeting and greeting.
Well, well, well: Mr. Incumbent, Jack Franks’ rapid response team IS paying attention!
While some have tried to ignore this campaign effort, apparently Jack’s team is right on top of things.
No business as usual for that well funded team!
They heard about our Victory Center on Wednesday and promptly left their welcoming calling card for us!
Now that was FUNNY!
Stay tuned, Tonya for Illinois WILL respond today.
200 Hours To Success!
Support Tonya For Illinois
The petition drive for Tonya Franklin to achieve ballot placement has only Saturday and Sunday to achieve 1500 signatures.
To achieve success, at this point, we must assume Tonya has been appointed to the ballot position.
The law requires a minimum of 500 good signatures from a maximum of 1500 total signatures. The petition filing MUST be in Springfield by 5pm on Monday June 4th, which means the petitions must leave the 63rd District for Springfield by 10am Monday morning.
Map of Vaughan's location.
Tonya’s supporters have provided a temporary Campaign Victory Center. From Wednesday through Sunday Night our Victory Center will be opened at
Vaughan’s Family Restaurant
790 S Eastwood D.(Hwy 47) Woodstock, IL
(815) 338-3391- For directions
On Thursday and Friday, we invite you to share refreshments while we meet, and call out to McHenry County Republican Committeemen for the important McHenry County Republican Party Special Meeting and vote at D’Andea’s on Saturday morning, (9:00 am June 2nd)
We will also coordinate the “200 Hours To Success” campaign!
200 Hours to Success-
The Challenge: Traditionally, in door to door campaigns, 10 signatures an hour can be collected.
Signatures collected door to door, are by far the most reliable and walking provides an opportunity to drop off literature to inform voters.
Based on the calculation of 10 signatures an hour, we need 150 walking hours to achieve 1500 signatures. Rounding that figure up to 200 walking hours provides extra cushion.
Two days… We need commitments for 200 walking hours, 100 each day.
We have just started counting and we have 15 hours committed to.
Tonya Franklin
We have a structure in place to help us keep track of the commitments and the walk sheets.
Over the weekend we will have a notary available to assure each petition is properly notarized.
We have acquired neighborhood by neighborhood walk sheets for the entire 63rd House District.
That is over 19,000 Republicans.
We will hand these out from our Victory Center beginning Friday.
We will also have literature to hand out. Join us and we will provide you updated walk sheets for your precinct!
Our temporary Victory Center call-in number is 847-304-8800.
We invite you to bring your cell phone and help us to make this campaign a success as part of our response to Mr. Incumbent’s welcome message yesterday!
Vaughan’s Family Restaurant
790 S Eastwood Dr, (Hwy 47)
Woodstock, IL
Temporary Campaign Phone Number 847-304-8800.
Thursday: 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Meet & Greet, Calling Committeemen, and Pick up Committeemen Folders
Friday: 1:00 am – 9:00 pm
Lunch or Dinner! Phone Calling – Pick Up Walk Sheets, and Committeemen Folders
Saturday: 11:00 am – 9:00 pm
Petition Signature Central – Pick Up Walk Sheets – Notary After 4pm.
Sunday: 11:00 am – 9:00 pm
Petition Signature Central – Pick Up Walk Sheets – Notary
Have a Great day!
The Tonya for Illinois Campaign Team
PS: Also at the Victory Center are packets we made for Committeeman specifically for the McHenry County Republican Party Special Meeting on June 2nd.
We mailed these to Committeemen yesterday, but if you do not have yours by Friday night, please stop by and we will give you a second one.
If you are appointed AFTER May 24th, we don’t have your name or address yet, so please let us know!
We have extras at the Victory Center.
A Lakewood man and an Algonquin man have spent a couple of years building a solar powered canoe.
They are Ray Christe and Larry Kozak, respectively.
Into Crystal Lake the vessel is backed.
On the windiest day this week, they decided to launch the canoe, which they have named the CalypSol, for the press at the Crystal Lake Park District’s Main Beach ramp.
Three of us showed up, so you can expect a couple more stories in the near future.
As Ray Christe is being interviewed, look at the little four-horse power electric motor that will take the CalypSol downs the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers this summer.
The CalypSol Group celebrated a nautical milestone with the completion of construction of their high tech solar power 22FT trimaran by completing the final stage of the assembly for the main components.
Larry Kozak explains the domed sundial that Ray Christe invented that the number of degrees the solar panels should be tilted to catch the maximum number of rays. Eisenmann is one of the sponsors of the project.
The craft is due to leave this summer from the Chicago River for a long journey down the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers, taking two adventuring boaters from Chicago to New Orleans. From “The Loop 97.9, Chicago’s Rock Station” sticker on the sides of the trimaran, I imagine that the Chicago launch might be covered live by the radio station.
The solar panels are thin, but attached to platforms, as Larry Kozak points out. HighFlex Solar in California supplied the highly efficient lightweight photovoltaic solar modules.
They will be retracing the same waterway used by Joliet and Marquette in their birch bark canoes over 300 years ago.
Ray Christe has lake duty as Larry Kozak backs the canoe into Crystal Lake.
CalypSol will be the first solar powered boat navigating this route that is still referred to today as the “French Corridor”.
The construction of the boat required more than 1000 hours of combined design engineering and fabrication.
Both Larry Kozak and Ray Christe pushed the canoe off the trailer. The 4hp Torqeedo Travel 503 outboard electric motor is in the water.
The selection of the material and components was carefully reviewed with professional boat builders.
For safety the boat has several back-up systems.
The batteries are protected from the elements. Note The Loop and Allstate sponsorship stickers.
Two sets of solar panels independently charge two batteries that alternatively run the high performance Torqeedo Travel 503 outboard electric motor. It represents the latest design in a series of highly efficient models developed by Torqeedo.
Ray Christe climbed on board first as Larry Kozak steadied the vessel in very choppy water.
One of the key features for selecting Torqeedo Travel outboard was the lithium-manganese battery which can be solar charged while running the motor.
It also includes GPS and charge-monitoring. On the digital throttle display you get distance covered, battery charge status and travel distance remaining at current speed.
Would the little Torqeedo Travel 503 outboard electric motor be able to buck the over 20 mile per hour winds?
The three-blade propeller pitch has been optimized by Torqeedo.
I had suggested turning the canoe around so there would be a sharper edge to take the waves, but the Torqeedo electric engine did just fine against the white caps. Larry Kozak points at the nearby pier into which the canoe was being pushed by the high wind.
The assembly of the electric motor and propeller shaft allows the boat to move forward, backward and make sharp turns.
The Torqeedo professional Staff in Crystal Lake, IL was very supportive throughout the stages of design and construction of the CalypSol.
The Torqeedo motor was powerful enough to back the canoe up fast enough to overcome the wind pushing it toward the pier, the edge of which can be seen in the bottom left hand corner of the photo.
HighFlex Solar in California supplied the highly efficient lightweight photovoltaic solar modules. A custom designed mechanism positions the solar panels into the sun, optimizing the charging of the batteries.
Still backing, ColypSol bucks the white caps on Crystal Lake as Larry Kozak almost loses his hat in the wind.
Ray Christe designed a special sundial that provides the best angle to position the solar panels. Melges Performance Sailboats in Zenda, WI fused the main hull core. A solar-powered convection fan maintains continuous airflow to cool the twin-battery compartment.
Finally, the trimaran runs forward.
Instrumentation includes
During their voyage, the boaters will camp overnight on the river islands or banks with an occasion night in a motel.
The canoe had to maneuver in the rough water as a fishing boat came in (northern pike and bass) and a pontoon boat was launched.
The boat is equipped with a cooler to store beverages and food purchased along the way from cities and towns.
The duration of the voyage is expected to last two months, which allows time to go sightseeing and meeting with local townspeople.
A close-up of Ray Christe and Larry Kozak.
You can learn more about the odyssey of the CalypSol Group, founded by Ray Christe of Crystal Lake and Larry Kozak of Algonquin, by visiting their website at http://www.calypsol.com/ or calling 815-861-6898 or 847-226-4899.
Paddles were needed to maintain position while a pontoon boat was being launched.
“We’ve been looking forward to this adventure for quite a long time. We’re excited and just about ready to go,” said Kozak.
The day is almost over.
“[Our trip] can’t get here fast enough to begin our adventure of a lifetime.”
Jack Franks
Tonya Franklin
Editor Dan McCaleb was aiming his April 8th comments mainly at McHenry County Democrats, pointing out the minority party locally had until June 4th to fill slots.
For some reason McCaleb didn’t mention the obvious gap on the Republican side of the ballot.
Guess there were too many more vacancies on the Democratic Party side.
State Rep. Jack Franks had and has no opponent.
The argument is the same.
Since then Tonya Franklin has stepped forward to challenge Jack Franks.
"McCaleb: Competition yields better results" is the Northwest Herald headline of this April 8, 2012, column.
She is meeting and greeting people in Woodstock. Drop on in.
And come Saturday morning, feel free to come watch the Special Meeting of the Republican Central Committee at d-Andrea’s, which is located at the southeast corner of Routes 14 and 31.
The next step in lowering electric rates 46% (not Com Ed’s delivery charge) has taken place.
Direct Energy has notified residents of the municipalities which awarded it the contract (Woodstock, Huntley, Lakewood, Ringwood and Genoa) that they have the right to ope-out of the bulk buying contract.
Here’s the letter (click to enlarge):
If you are in unincorporated McHenry County or one of the municipalities who didn’t pass electric aggregation, you can sign up individually with any number of companies.
But, you’ll have to do it on your own.
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