Gov. Quinn: 'Shame On' Fenwick for Firing His Brother as Coach

Fenwick High School in Oak Park fired 28-year coach John Quinn, the brother of the Illinois governor.

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn lashed out at Fenwick High School for firing his brother as the boys basketball coach, according to The Chicago Tribune.  His brother, John Quinn, is a Hall of Fame coach with 469 wins in his 28-year career. He will remain on the faculty at Fenwick but no longer coach. “He’s a kind and gentle man who understands the importance of sportsmanship, and I feel that my high school has lost its soul,” Quinn said at a speech in front of the Capitol, according to the Tribune. “It’s a devastating blow to my brother, John, and I think the administration there has let down the students, the alumni and shame on them.” Pat Quinn is an alumnus of Fenwick.  According to the Tribune, Fenwick "decided to make a change in its …

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Patch on Politics

Guns in Public Places: Where Do You Stand?

On Feb. 19 and Feb. 22, the state will stage public hearings to discuss a new concealed carry handgun law for Illinois.

Gun control hearings will convene before an Illinois House committee later this month, says Speaker Mike Madigan, and there will be much talk about a new concealed carry law. One hearing will take place in Chicago on Feb. 22, at the Michael A. Bilandic Building in Chicago. The other will be in Springfield on Feb. 19 at the Capitol. “In light of events in recent months in Illinois and in other parts of the country, it’s appropriate and necessary that we give a full vetting to proposed state legislation on this matter," reads a statement from Madigan. "These hearings will provide an opportunity for gun-safety advocates, gun-rights supporters and members of the law enforcement community to offer their views and argue their cases to …

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Patch on Politics

One Republican Thinks You're Getting a 'Free Ride' on Your Income Taxes

Jim Edgar tells Reboot Illinois that tax hikes, program cuts and leadership are desperately needed in Springfield. And Pat Quinn brings you Squeezy the Python.

With Democrats now holding a supermajority in the Illinois House and Senate as well as the governor's office, one might suppose a Democratic agenda would be a slam dunk in Springfield. As recent years have shown, however, single-party control doesn't guarantee the wheels of government grind smoothly. And former Gov. Jim Edgar, who served from 1991 to 1999, suggests that probably won't change anytime soon. In a wide-ranging interview with the new website Reboot Illinois, Edgar says Springfield is less dysfunctional when the two parties share power. "More times than not I think split government works pretty well. The reason is to make the tough decisions you need both parties. It’s hard to get one party to put up all the votes and take all …

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Fed Up

2:45 pm on Friday, December 7, 2012

What REAL world are your talking about? Like time of welfare? We all chose our professions and planed accordingly. Now we should change the rules? Here's a start NO FOOD STAMPS aka:LINK cards, NO UNEMPLOYMENT, NO WELFARE, NO SUBSIDIZED HOUSING, you the picture. No my pension in not controlled by the state, but to say get rid of all pensions now. I would agree to that if I had not been investing …   more ›

Quinn Vetoes Gambling Plan

After morning chat with Oak Park fourth graders, Gov. Pat Quinn vetoes controversial casino expansion plan.

Appearing at Oak Park's Longfellow School on Tuesday, Gov. Pat Quinn vetoed a gambling expansion plan that would've added five new casinos in the state and allowed slot machines at horse racing tracks. Full text of Senate Bill 1849. Quinn, flanked by reporters in the school's playground, said his main concerns were about integrity and ethics in regulatory oversight process. A copy of Quinn's letter to the Illinois General Assembly announcing his veto is attached as a PDF.  "I think I did the right thing. We're not going to have loopholes for mobsters in Illinois, and the bill that was on my desk was woefully deficient when it came to protecting integrity and honesty in the regulation of gambling in our state," he said. Quinn's veto, …

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Quinn Visits Julian, Talks Financial Reform

Julian students participate in discussion of "epic journey" toward pension and Medicaid reform.

Gov. Pat Quinn brought his controversial push for pension and Medicaid reform to an unlikely venue on Tuesday — the library at Oak Park's Percy Julian Middle School.  But instead of addressing teachers and administrators, his audience consisted of about 30 eighth graders, who asked the Oak Park native a series of questions about the state's budget issues. A spokeswoman for Quinn said the students created the questions on their own.  During his hour long talk, Quinn told students that with little more than a week to before the spring Legislative session is scheduled to adjourn, it was time for lawmakers to get cranking.  "They're like you, they've got to get their homework done," he said.  Quinn has outlined his reform plans, a so-called "…

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Poll: Are Cigarette Smokers Treated Unfairly?

Gov. Pat Quinn has propose to more than double the tax on a pack of cigarettes.

  Gov. Pat Quinn has proposed increasing the tax on a pack of cigarettes by $1 in an effort to reduce a $2.7 billion deficit in the Medicaid program, the State Journal Register reported. The cigarette tax would generate about $675 million in revenue. The state's current cigarette tax is 96 cents; Quinn's proposal would more than double it. Aside from raising revenue for a health care program, the thinking goes that such sin taxes are more acceptable because people shouldn't be smoking anyway. Smoking causes about 443,000 deaths a year in the United States, or about one in five of the nation's deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control. And smoking contributes to yearly health care costs to tune of about $96 billion. But not …

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Oak Park Senator A Key Figure in "ComEd Bill"

State Sen. Don Harmon will help craft bill to garner support for an override of Gov. Quinn's veto.

Oak Park state Sen. Don Harmon is gearing up to play a key role in Springfield as some state lawmakers attempt to override a veto by Gov. Pat Quinn of controversial utility proposal. ComEd officials have said SB1652, which passed the General Assembly in May, would help pay for improvements to its power grid and implement its smart grid, a package of programs aimed at improving reliability for power customers. A legislative voting record on SB1652 accompanies this story as PDF documents. But critics of the bill, including some of the state's top elected officials and consumer watchdog groups, say it would essentially guarantee automatic customer rate hikes by stripping away certain oversight duties from the Illinois Commerce Commission, the…

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Quinn Approves Universal Fare Card for RTA, Metra and Pace

Chicagoland commuters promised a more seamless way to get around by 2015.

A universal fare card system for Regional Transporation Authority, Metra and PACE transportation systems was signed into legislation by Gov. Pat Quinn Thursday, according to the Daily Herald. The bill will "allow riders to use credit or debit cards or prepaid cards on all transit systems effective Jan. 1, 2015." "This is 21st century transit reform," Quinn said during the signing ceremony, according to The Chicago Tribune. “Now it's the law and everyone will work toward that date,” RTA deputy executive director of communications Diane Palmer told the Herald. “This is obviously a key priority for the RTA.” Additionally, the law calls for Metra to create a train tracking system that is similar to the Chicago Transit Authorities' Bus and …

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