BY MIKE CETERA
Leading up to the election, we'll post candidate questionnaires returned to us for contested Fox Valley elections. The candidates were instructed to respond to a series of questions regarding their race. .
Up now: 1st District Kendall County Board. Find their answers after the jump.
BY MIKE CETERA
Leading up to the election, we'll post candidate questionnaires returned to us for contested Fox Valley elections. The candidates were instructed to respond to a series of questions regarding their race. .
Up now: 2nd District Kendall County Board. Find their answers after the jump.
BY DAVE PARRO
According to a Beacon News sports story today, the Illinois High School Association plans to start denying entrance to news photographers at state tournaments who refuse to sign waivers regulating the use of their images.
The IHSA, a quasi-government state actor, wants to operate like the NCAA or professional sports leagues and control the coverage of state finals. But the difference is that those are private entities not funded by taxpayers. The IHSA is supported by member schools, most of which are public, and the teams do not generate revenue to support themselves. That means they rely on tax dollars to exist.
Is this a First Amendment issue? The IHSA doesn't think so and wants to grant exclusive access to public sporting events to a commercial photography company. The Beacon News plans to run an editorial Thursday blasting the IHSA for its ill-conceived and possibly unconstitutional policy.
BY MIKE CETERA
Leading up to the election, we'll post candidate questionnaires returned to us for contested Fox Valley elections. The candidates were instructed to respond to a series of questions regarding their race. Here are their answers.
Up now: 49th House District.
BY MIKE CETERA
Leading up to the election, we'll post candidate questionnaires returned to us for contested Fox Valley elections. The candidates were instructed to respond to a series of questions regarding their race.
Up now: 50th House District. Find their answers after the jump.
BY MIKE CETERA
Leading up to the election, we'll post candidate questionnaires returned to us for contested Fox Valley elections. The candidates were instructed to respond to a series of questions regarding their race.
Up now: 96th House District. Find their answers after the jump.
BY MIKE CETERA
Leading up to the election, we'll post candidate questionnaires returned to us for contested Fox Valley elections. The candidates were instructed to respond to a series of questions regarding their race. Here are their answers.
Up now: 26th District Kane County Board in western Kane County. Find their answers after the jump.
BY MIKE CETERA
Leading up to the election, we'll post candidate questionnaires returned to us for contested Fox Valley elections. The candidates were instructed to respond to a series of questions regarding their race.
Up now: 14th District Kane County. Find their answers after the jump.
BY MIKE CETERA
Leading up to the election, we'll post candidate questionnaires returned to us for contested Fox Valley elections. The candidates were instructed to respond to a series of questions regarding their race.
Up now: Kane County Board chairman. Find their answers after the jump.
BY MIKE CETERA
Leading up to the election, we'll post candidate questionnaires returned to us for contested Fox Valley elections. The candidates were instructed to respond to a series of questions regarding their race. Here are their answers.
Up now: the judicial race for the new Aurora subcircuit. Find their answers after the jump.
BY MIKE CETERA
Leading up to the election, we'll post candidate questionnaires returned to us for contested Fox Valley elections. The candidates were instructed to respond to a series of questions regarding their race.
Up now: 14th Congressional District. Find their answers after the jump.
BY DAVE PARRO
Kaneland school officials have identified at least six seniors as the vandals who deflated dozens of bus tires last week and unplugged diesel engines in subzero weather.
While there will definitely be discipline coming from the school, including making the students pay back $4,000 in damages, no criminal charges have been filed. Meanwhile, in Naperville, police are asking for information on vandalism that caused $30,000 in damages to school bus tires.
What punishment best fits the crime for what essentially amounts to a student prank?
BY MIKE CETERA
It's a classic if-you-pay-them-they-will-come argument. Businesses won't naturally relocate to "unattractive" areas unless you give them a financial incentive to do so, the argument goes.
But should the taxpayers foot the bill for entrepreneurship? It's a philosophical question that has been debated in communities throughout the country as local governments get aggressive in recruiting new economic development.
Such is the case with a restaurant and bar proposal coming before the Aurora City Council Finance Committee.
At issue is $2.26 million of your money.
BY MIKE CETERA
So, who won the Democratic debate Thursday night at Aurora University? It seems bloggers gave the edge to John Laesch. Beacon editors appeared to give Laesch the nod as well.
BY MIKE CETERA
Welcome to the 14th Congressional District Democratic debate. We're here live from Crimi Auditorium on the Campus of Aurora University.
Your candidates are Bill Foster, John Laesch, Joe Serra and Jotham Stein.
Stay tuned here or watch the Web cast over at CBS-2.
BY MIKE CETERA
The latest campaign fundraising report for Aurora Mayor Tom Weisner raises a lot of questions, none of which will be silenced by protests from his supporters.
It doesn't matter if there's no relationship between campaign contributors and the city business they receive (I have no knowledge either way), it looks like there is. But there's a way -- painful as it may be -- to fix this perception: change city government.
BY MIKE CETERA
The Illinois Civil Justice League has a nice Web site set up that gives the rundown on judicial elections throughout the state, including the two new subcircuits created in the 16th Judicial Circuit.
The site includes biographies and responses to the league's questionnaire.
The 1st subcircuit includes Aurora, North Aurora, and the east sides of Batavia and Geneva. The league published a poll of Illinois State Bar Association members, which rated the candidates. The poll, which is sometimes criticized for its limited response, resulted in high marks for three of the five Democrats as well as the lone Republican on the ballot.
The 2nd subcircuit includes the northeast corner of Kane County, including Elgin, South Elgin and Carpentersville. The bar poll was not available on the site.
BY DAVE PARRO
UPDATE (1/23): The Galloway story is posted in the comment field because the story did not make Wednesday's paper because of space limitations. I have also posted the story on The Beacon News Web site, along with a follow story on the collapse of the MetroFi network. The stories were supposed to run together.
In a story to be published in Wednesday's Beacon News, Andre Salles reports that Aurora Mayor Tom Weisner's former campaign manager who was briefly on the city payroll now works for the company that just pulled the plug on a much-hyped free citywide Wi-Fi network. The administration insists there is no relationship between the city's contract with MetroFi and the company that hired political insider Gerry Galloway.
Recently promoted Assistant Chief of Staff Carie Anne Ergo downplayed any connection, saying Weisner is allowed to have friends who have jobs. True. But Galloway had tremendous influence on the mayor well into his first term as a paid city consultant, and the contract with MetroFi was signed soon after he left City Hall.
The timing at least raises some questions about perceived conflicts of interest.
BY MIKE CETERA
We had a fun time live-blogging from the 14th Congressional District GOP debate last week, so we'll try it again this week when the Democrats square off during a 1-hour debate at Aurora University.
If you can't make the debate at AU, tune in here beginning at 7 p.m. Thursday, where we'll be keeping track of the meeting between Bill Foster, John Laesch and Jotham Stein. Join in and add your comments.
In addition, CBS-2 plans to stream the debate live from its Web site. Catch the station's video from the GOP debate here.
BY MIKE CETERA
Is there any doubt that MetroFi officials were doing some serious spinning when they claimed just four months ago that the city of Aurora was a top priority?
The company in September attempted to downplay problems it was having deploying wireless access throughout the city. A company official claimed, in a blog posting here, that "Aurora is one of MetroFi's top priorities. Our CEO has made this clear to every single MetroFi employee, and we have communicated this to the City of Aurora as well."
Yeah, not so much.
BY MIKE CETERA
When last we were in a recession (and it's unclear we are in one now), the federal government cut many of us $300 checks with the idea we put that money back into the economy. I failed.
Instead, I took my money and promptly wrote a check to the credit card company. This was not the idea the feds had in mind.
BY DAVE PARRO
After losing the Chicago Tribune endorsement last week to Jim Oberweis, Chris Lauzen gained the support of two newspapers Sunday: The Beacon News and Kane County Chronicle.
It'll be interesting to see whether Lauzen gets any sort of bump from this. The Daily Herald and Chicago Sun-Times have yet to weigh in on the 14th Congressional District race, so those editorials could also be factors.
I'm interested in hearing from voters: Do newspaper endorsements influence your decision at all? Does it make a difference whether they're coming from local publications or Chicago papers?
UPDATE (1/23): The Sun-Times has endorsed Oberweis.
UPDATE (1/24): The Daily Herald has also endorsed Oberweis.
BY MIKE CETERA
On Tuesday, the Aurora City Council approved a seemingly uncontroversial (and also non-binding) resolution calling on the federal government to restore budget cuts to Fermilab in Batavia.
These cuts have prompted the lab to announce plans to lay off 10 percent of its workforce -- roughly 200 people -- and put some of its work on mothballs. Seems fair to guess these layoffs could hurt some Aurora residents and the city's economy. Seems fair to guess these layoffs could impact the lab's ability to make scientific advancements.
Aurora Alderman Rick Lawrence is not so sure. He became the first politician that I could find to oppose efforts to pressure the federal government to reverse the cuts.
In opposing the resolution, Lawrence indicated he was uncertain of the basis for the cuts or how it affected the work done at Fermilab.
BY MIKE CETERA
It's not a scientific poll by any means, but the general consensus among people who participated in our live blog of the 14th Congressional District GOP debate on Tuesday appears to be that Chris Lauzen won.
True, it's hard to say who is being objective and who is simply a supporter determined to get their candidate elected, but the raw numbers in favor of Lauzen appear to suggest something. Beacon News editors also favored Lauzen in this debate. You can read their comments below.
On a personal note, thanks to everyone who participated in this little live-blogging experiment. The response was much larger than I had hoped for. Please come back next Thursday when we try this out again during the Democrats' debate.
BY MIKE CETERA
Welcome to the 14th Congressional District GOP debate. We're here live from Crimi Auditorium on the campus of Aurora University.
Your candidates are Chris Lauzen and Jim Oberweis.
Stay tuned here or watch the Web cast over at CBS2.
BY MIKE CETERA
The East Aurora School District has unveiled a plan to open its first magnet school next year for 150 high-achieving students. The plan still must receive school board approval, but district proponents say opening a school specializing in math, science and technology will help an underserved population -- gifted students.
Clearly, administrators want to make East Aurora more attractive to its bright students. Some suggest students likely to attend these schools predominately come from "two-parent households with employed parents who have college or graduate degrees." Could it be the district is also attempting to make East more attractive to the very parents who will be asked to approve a referendum some day?
On their face, magnet schools look attractive. Why shouldn't the district offer more opportunities for its brightest students? Magnet schools, however, do have their detractors.
BY MIKE CETERA
We'll be live-blogging from the 14th Congressional District GOP debate Tuesday night, sponsored by The Beacon News and CBS-2.
If you can't make the debate at Aurora University, tune in here beginning at 7 p.m., where we'll be keeping track of the meeting between Chris Lauzen and Jim Oberweis. Join in and add your comments. We also will blog live during the debate among Democratic candidates on Jan. 24.
In addition, CBS-2 also plans to stream the debates live from its Web site.
In the meantime, check out our videos from the 14th Congressional District endorsement sessions with The Beacon News editorial board. You can find the Republican video here; find the Democrats here.
BY DAVE PARRO
Congressional candidate Michael J. Dilger has yet to make a public appearance in the 14th District, and he has bowed out of The Beacon News/CBS-2 Republican debate at Aurora University on Tuesday. But he did return our candidate survey, marking the first time he has expressed any of his views.
For a little background on the mystery candidate from Evanston, see his personal bio. Go here for his responses to our questions.
There are some gems in there, but I'll just let Dilger speak for himself.
BY DAVE PARRO
After months of squabbling and several narrowly avoided doomsdays, the General Assembly got its act together Thursday and passed a mass-transit bill. The governor has indicated he will sign the legislation after making changes that will make it free for seniors to ride trains and buses.
The bill will increase the state sales tax a quarter percent in Chicago and half percent in the collar counties. Legislators will have to sign off on Gov. Blagojevich's changes.
The governor had pledged not to raises taxes, but when all else fails, that's where legislators inevitably turn.
BY MIKE CETERA
More than 2,700 East Aurora School District students live in poverty. Just nine other school districts in the state can claim more children living in poverty, an analysis of the latest U.S. Census Bureau data shows.
It's clear to see there are many poor families in the East Aurora School District. But it's simply shocking that nearly 18 percent of the students come from families who qualify for the federal government's definition of living in poverty. Using the government's data, a household with two adults and one child would have to make $16,227 or less annually to fit the definition.
BY MIKE CETERA
UPDATE: Jan. 11
Here's what I learned during this newspaper's editorial board endorsement session Tuesday with Democrats in the 14th Congressional District: If the Dems are looking for an Obama-like figure here, they may find themselves disappointed.
The session with Bill Foster, John Laesch and Jotham Stein was an exercise in wonk-speak, which isn't necessarily a bad thing when it comes to discussing issues of importance. Indeed, all three men were well armed with facts and figures to support their positions, a noted departure from some past Democratic candidates seeking this office.
Still, none of the candidates appears to possess the charm that is part of the appeal some voters see in Barack Obama. Laesch is the closest in framing his populist message, but he sometimes has a hard time clarifying his positions, while Foster is much more affable and even humorous in relaxed moments than during debates and interviews. Stein talks very fast and can't seem to boil his message down (he insists he has the most detailed platform of any of the candidates), and instead repeatedly refers questioners to his Web site for more details.
BY DAVE PARRO
Kane County has found a way to keep the Cougars in Geneva and fund a stadium expansion: sell the naming rights to the facility.
The entire complex will still be called the Philip B. Elfstrom Events Center, in honor of the man who brought minor-league baseball to the area 17 years ago, but the stadium itself will have a corporate sponsor. The deal will help the Cougars pay for their long-term lease and fund their portion of a $10.5 million expansion.
So what name do we want to see on the stadium in the post-Elfstrom era?
BY MIKE CETERA
Here's what I learned during this newspaper's editorial board endorsement session Monday with 14th Congressional District GOP candidates Chris Lauzen and Jim Oberweis: In broad strokes, these two share fairly similar views on the issues of the day.
They both believe the government wastes too much of your money, although neither would offer specific programs to cut (Lauzen did name the $207 million earmarked for the Prairie Parkway as wasteful spending, but said he would like to see the money redirected -- not cut -- toward local road projects).
They both want to increase border protection, although neither would favor attempting large-scale deportation of the illegal immigrants already here (Oberweis, in particular, thinks business regulations meant to discourage hiring illegal workers would result in illegal immigrants leaving on their own).
The both generally support U.S. military policy in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
With so much in common, maybe it's the duo's rhetoric over whether Oberweis is the candidate of clout or whether Lauzen is a do-nothing senator that truly separates the two. As Rich Miller at The Capitol Fax Blog pointed out, the sniping is "going way over the top."
BY DAVE PARRO
The Beacon News and CBS-2 will be co-sponsoring two 14th Congressional District debates at Aurora University in the weeks leading up to the Feb. 5 primary election. And we want our readers to generate most of the questions.
If there's an issue you want addressed, leave a comment here. We might ask some of our readers to participate in the events by asking questions live from the audience, so leave an e-mail address if interested.
The Republicans are scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 15, and the Democrats for Thursday, Jan. 24. Both debates will be held at Aurora University's Crimi Auditorium at 7 p.m. CBS-2 will moderate the event and stream coverage live on the Web.
BY MIKE CETERA
With the Iowa caucuses now over, I thought I'd take a look at which candidates are getting donor attention in the Fox Valley. Federal Election Commission records show the big winners locally are Mitt Romney and Barack Obama. None of the other candidates are getting much support, according to the available records.
It's not at all surprising that Romney is getting money here because former House Speaker Dennis Hastert has thrown his support behind the one-time Massachusetts governor. There's also a thriving Mormon population in the Valley.
What's a bit surprising is how little traction Rudy Giuliani has considering Illinois House Minority Leader Tom Cross is the former New York City mayor's Illinois campaign chairman.
See some of the notable donors below:
BY MIKE CETERA
A law is only effective if someone is out there enforcing it. I'd argue motorists speed because they know the odds are good they won't get caught. Perhaps the same will be said for the new smoking law, which went into effect this week.
The ban seemed to get a bit of a shrug from one local tavern owner, who equated the ban to laws against jaywalking.
"After a week of this, it's going to be like jaywalking," said Sean Gorman, owner of Tavern on the Fox in downtown Aurora. "You're not supposed to do it, but you still do."
