text:
They both saw each other at exactly the same moment. Twenty or so yards across the almost empty new Brocklehust Shopping Centre. Anthony wasn't sure at first. The man was a little heavier than last they met. His jowls were flabbier too. There was a little less hair and it was greyer, but there was no mistaking it. It was Mr. Durrant, his housemaster at his old school.
"Brewer. It is you, isn't it? Brewer. No?" Mr. Durrant spoke first.
"Yes, Sir," Anthony replied shyly, his eyes cast down at the cold grey tiles beneath his feet.
Mr. Durrant beamed and strode across to him. "I would never have recognised you with that moustache."
Instinctively, Anthony brushed the back of his hand across his top lip. He was very proud of that tache. It had taken ages to grow.
"How long has it been, Brewer?" Mr. Durrant's smile broadened. "It must be four or five years. You went away to university. Yes?" Mr. Durrant rocked a little on his heels with excitement. "Well, lad, tell me. Did you get your degree?"
"Yes, Sir. And my Masters too. I'm doing a doctorate, now," Anthony barked, a little more petulantly than he had intended.
"Good lad. Good lad," Mr. Durrant's jowls wobbled with delight. "So, it seems all those thrashings I had to give you paid off," he said with no rancour.
Anthony's heart beat faster. He knew his face was flushing bright red. He really ought to say something to his former master. But what?
Mr. Durrant quickly filled the silence. "They put you on the straight-and-narrow, what? You were an irritating boy. Needed a whacking now and again. It kept you focussed. I'm glad it all worked out well for you."
Anthony gulped in a lungful of air. His temples throbbed. In his mind's eye he saw his own fingers stretching to touch the toes of his scuffed black shoes. The ugly, red, worn rug in Mr. Durrant's study was once more beneath his feet. He felt the heavy whippy rattan school cane being tapped against his tight-fitting pale-grey trousers.
"Hey," Mr. Durrant spread his arms wide. "I'm late for an appointment." He crooked his elbow and looked at his watch as if to prove the point. "We should meet up. Come to my house. Twenty-two The Avenue. Six o'clock tonight. We can have a drink and what-not. Don't be late, you know I can't abide tardiness." With that, he strode on his way, leaving a bemused Anthony to stare at Mr. Durrant's wobbly buttocks as they and he receded into the distance.
Anthony wiped his sweaty palms against his jeans and set off to Weatherspoons in search of the cheapest pint of beer they had on offer.
Three pints and two hours later, Anthony was back in his old bedroom at his parents' home. He spent as little time as possible 'at home', but it was the middle of the long summer vacation and money was tight, so needs must.
It had been years since he had thought about St. Francis Independent Grammar School. It was an old-fashioned school. They liked to think it was 'traditional.' Traditional curriculum, traditional sports, traditional school uniform. And, traditional discipline: the crook-handled cane. Mr. Durrant had been right, Anthony was no stranger to the sting of the cane across his backside. Even in the last months of school, well after his eighteenth birthday, he was a regular visitor to Mr. Durrant's study.
"Jeez," he wheezed to himself, "fancy meeting Old Durrant after all these years. He was old enough to be dead." Anthony lifted himself from his bed, sat up and opened and closed drawers on his night stand. Yes, it was still here. He pulled out a green-and-gold-hooped school cap. It was a bit greasy. It was all that Brylcreem the sixth-formers used to wear in their hair. He smiled. They all thought it made them look grown-up. Yuck. He used Vitalis hair oil, these days. The natural grooming.
He plonked the cap on his head. It still fitted remarkably well. He doubted if the blazer would. He still had it tucked away in a corner of the wardrobe. He opened the door and caught sight of himself in the full-length mirror. He grinned. A full-grown man with a moustache wearing a school cap. What a laugh.
The green-and-gold blazer was still on a coat hanger. He tugged it off and held it in both hands up to the light, as if admiring a jacket he might like to purchase in one of the trendy boutiques in town. The wool felt soft to touch. He rubbed it against his left cheek. It smelt musty as indeed it should since it hadn't been off the hanger for five years at least.
He undid the three buttons and slipped first one arm and then the other into the sleeves. It fitted very well, even though Anthony had put on muscle since the days when he was a scrawny schoolkid. "Thanks Mum," he grinned at his reflection in the mirror, "You always bought school uniforms so I would grow into them."
Grey trousers. He needed grey trousers, then the outfit would be complete. His school trousers had long ago worn out, but he had a pair of dark-grey trousers for smart. Sunday best, his Mum called them. He hardly wore them and they had a mark along the knees where they had been hanging undisturbed for so long.
He stepped into the trousers, pulled them up tightly and zipped up. The transformation was complete. He turned his back to the mirror and peered at himself over his shoulder. Yep, he thought, Anthony Brewer, twenty-four-year-old Master of Arts, was back in the sixth-form at St. Francis.
He wiped his sweaty palms against the woollen blazer. His armpits were sticky. A line of moisture dampened his moustache.
"Well, lad." Anthony startled. It was a voice inside his head. "Let's get on with this. I haven't got all day." It was Mr. Durrant speaking. "Bend over. Touch your toes. You know the drill."
Anthony did indeed; he bent forward, knees straight, feet a little apart. The green-and-gold blazer tightened across his shoulders. It felt odd to be touching his stockinged feet, instead of his black leather shoes.
"Let's make it six, shall we?" the voice in his head intoned clearly. "Six of the very best."
Through his parted legs, Anthony had a perfect view of his own backside. The grey trousers clung to his meaty buttocks. He raised one hand to rub across the seat of his trousers, tracing the line of the sharp creases. Yes, he reckoned: beefy, but not fat. His bum would make a terrific target for Mr. Durrant's cane.
It was nearly time to set off. He didn't want to be late. Mr. Durrant did not tolerate tardiness, Anthony recalled from his schooldays. Being late for class once meant detention. Twice, would get you a sore arse.
He pulled on the grey trousers, they were snug and didn't need a belt. He did up the buttons on the white shirt and admired his reflection in the mirror. A clean-shaven face smiled back at him. Intuitively, he knew Mr. Durrant would not approve of the tache.
He sat down on the bed and pulled on grey socks and black shoes. The green-and-gold blazer hung on the back of a chair. The school cap was in one pocket. A green-and-gold-striped tie in another. He fished out a C&A plastic bag from a drawer and neatly folded the blazer into it. It was a fine summer evening and too warm to wear a coat. Anyway, Anthony reckoned, a twenty-four-year-old in school uniform might get funny looks from passers-by; he would change into them just before he knocked on Mr. Durrant's door.
It was ten after six when Anthony pressed the doorbell. Mr. Durrant's eyes sparkled at the sight of the young adult dressed for school.
"You're late," he scowled.
"I'm sorry, Sir," Anthony croaked.
"You will be," Mr. Durrant replied under his breath.
Aloud, he said, "You'd better come in."
Across the street, a lace curtain flickered. Mr. Albertstein ran the tip of his tongue across his cracked lips and watched the door close behind his neighbour and his young visitor.
It was a large house, far too big for one man to live on his own, Anthony thought. His parents' house was cramped, with his Mum and Dad, his two sisters and himself, he mused irritably.
"Let me get you a drink. Is beer all right?" Mr. Durrant spoke over his shoulder as he led the way to the kitchen. "Or do you want something a little stronger?"
Anthony's throat was parched. His heart beat fast and he was finding breathing difficult. "Beer," he gasped. Mr. Durrant shot him a disgruntled glare. "Eh, please, Sir," the young man added hastily.
"That's better," Mr. Durrant reached into the fridge and pulled out two tins of Double Diamond. "There's a can-opener in that drawer," he nodded across the room. "Please fetch it for me."
Anthony sucked on his can, too aware that he was in school uniform drinking beer. Back in the day, Mr. Durrant had given him and three pals a particularly severe Six for drinking shandy in the sixth-form common room.
"Cigarette?" Mr. Durrant reached into his jacket pocket.
"No thanks, Sir. I don't," Anthony shuddered.
"Ha!" a broad grin split Mr. Durrant's jowls. "You were a twenty-a-day man when you were fifteen."
Anthony shifted uncomfortably in his chair, as if he could still feel the stripes across his backside. He knew he was blushing profusely.
"Well …" he stuttered. How could he explain himself to his housemaster?
They started with small talk. What Anthony was researching for his doctorate, whether he still kept in touch with friends from school.
Mr. Durrant listened intensely, watching Anthony's lips dampened by the beer opening and closing. The young man's hazel eyes shone; the housemaster suspected that might be the alcohol.
He drained his tin of beer. "I'm retired now, of course, but I still see one or two of the old boys," he crushed the can in his hand and leaned forward towards Anthony, "They often come to this house," he waved his arms expansively. Anthony looked around the room, thinking that Mr. Durrant was trying to show him something.
"So, tell me, lad," Mr. Durrant was beginning to sound like the housemaster he had been for so many years, "Are you behaving yourself?"
Anthony's ears pinkened. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Eh, well," he stuttered. "Yes of course I am, Mr. Durrant," then quickly he added the obligatory, "Sir."
Mr. Durrant's florid face darkened. "Pah! Well that would make a welcome change, for you, lad." He stood from his chair and paced the kitchen. "I have genuinely lost count of the number of times you visited my study for …" His sentence trailed off and he stared blankly at the refrigerator. "You know what I mean?"
Anthony did. He knew very well what the old man was talking about.
"So," Mr. Durrant seemed to have regained his thought. "You haven't been a naughty little boy."
Anthony clasped his hands together to stop them shaking. His mind raced. Had he been misbehaving? Was there some misdeed he could confess to his master?
"I've been rude to my mother." It felt lame the moment the words passed his lips, but it was the best he could do without notice.
"Well," Mr. Durrant's lips pursed. "That's for your father to deal with." They fell silent. Anthony squeezed his eyes shut, imagining his father pulling him across his knee to apply a bedroom slipper with some vigour across the seat of his pyjama bottoms. He shook the thought clear of his head. It had been some time since he had last had that vision.
"I stole a copy of Football Monthly from Mr. Jenkinson's shop," he blurted. "He was serving another customer and I took it from a shelf and ran off."
Mr. Durrant's eyes narrowed perceptively. "Did you indeed? Did you?"
"Yes, Sir honestly, Sir," Anthony insisted.
"Well, now. Theft. That is a beating offence. You know that Brewer. Always has been. Always will be."
"Yes, Sir. Sorry, Sir." Anthony rubbed his hands together but he couldn't get rid of the sweat.
"I have a room upstairs, Brewer," Mr. Durrant straightened himself and stood with his hands clasped firmly behind his back. "A special room. A very special room, do you understand, Brewer."
Anthony swallowed hard. "Yes, Sir."
"I think you and I need to repair to that room, don't you Brewer?"
The young man nodded, silently.
"Follow me, Brewer."
With slow deliberate steps, Mr. Durrant led the way from the kitchen, through the hallway and up the carpeted staircase. There were four doors on the landing. One was slightly ajar and Anthony could see it was a bathroom.
"This room here," Mr. Durrant turned a brass knob and eased the door open. "Step this way."
Anthony stood in the doorway transfixed. The room had bare floorboards, except for an old ugly worn red rug. It was dominated by an imperious wooden desk. In one corner was a hat stand, in another a tall thin cupboard.
The young man's jaw actually dropped.
"Yes," Mr. Durrant beamed. "It's my old study from St. Francis, brought here lock, stock and barrel."
Anthony's eyes were like saucers. That rug. The same one he had stared down at so many times. It was as if he had been transported back in time.
"Stand there, lad." Mr. Durrant snapped his fingers. Obediently, Anthony shuffled the few feet so that he stood on the rug.
Mr. Durrant shuffled across the room towards the cupboard. Anthony turned his shoulders to watch him go.
"Face the front, lad," Mr. Durrant growled. "You'll find out what's going on here soon enough."
Anthony heard a door creaking, followed by the distinct rattling of long, whippy rattan canes swirling around a confined space. Anthony couldn't stop blinking. Time was playing tricks. It was only yesterday that he last presented his backside to Mr. Durrant for a sound thrashing.
The floorboards behind Anthony squeaked and Mr. Durrant was once more in view. He was dressed in a traditional black academic gown and on his head he wore a mortar board cap at a rakish angle. Between his hands he flexed a curve-handled punishment cane. It was darkish-yellow and as thick as a pencil. Mr. Durrant swished it through empty air. It looked to Anthony a mightily efficient rod. It looked to him a little warped; the result of constant use, he supposed.
All saliva drained from Anthony's mouth. The room felt as hot as a sauna. The young man's temples throbbed. He watched as Mr. Durrant once more flexed the cane in his hands, it bent easily into an arc.
Mr. Durrant tapped the tip of the cane gently against the rug. "Bend over, lad. Touch your toes." It was a simple command, spoken quietly. There was no need to do otherwise. Mr. Durrant was the master, he expected to be obeyed.
And, he was. Anthony was an old hand at this; he knew the drill. He parted his feet slightly and arched his back so that the tips of his fingers touched the toes of his shoes. As had happened in his bedroom earlier, his blazer tightened cross his back. He had forgotten he had a cap on his head. It tumbled to the ground.
"Leave it, lad. Leave it," Mr. Durrant growled. He stood away from the submissive young man. He saw Anthony was beefier than when he had last punished him. But, so were all his boys. Nonetheless, the twenty-four-year-old presented a wonderful target. The dark grey trousers were taut across the burly buttocks; he could see the outline of Anthony's underpants.
The cane tap-tap-tapped across his bum, then Anthony felt the housemaster "saw" the rod across the very underside of his buttocks. He gulped in air and shut his teeth. Whoosh! He heard the cane fly through the air and then a resounding thwack! echoed around the study. It seemed an eternity before the agony bit. It was as if Mr. Durrant had pressed a red-hot wire into the most sensitive part of his bottom.
"Owwww!" he howled and his body shot forward. The rug slipped beneath his feet and he almost toppled over. It took an almighty effort to remain in the touch-toes position.
Twenty seconds later (exactly, since Mr. Durrant was counting the time in his head) he let fly with the second swipe. It struck home about a quarter inch above the first. Anthony felt a welt rise. The throbbing was intense; he wouldn't be surprised later to find it weeping blood.
Eighteen, nineteen, twenty. Number three landed parallel to the first two. Anthony now had a raw band about an inch-and-a-half wide across his bum. Mr. Durrant was an expert caner. He ought to be, he had practiced enough over the years. It helped, Mr. Durrant would agree, to have a subject as submissive as Anthony. The young man hissed and yelped a little as each successive whack cut his bum to ribbons, but he remained stoically in position; back bent, knees straight, fingers touching toes waiting for the next swipe to fall.
Oh, my God, Anthony had never been thrashed like this in all his life. He thought he had been under the lash at school, he had even withstood some of the worst beatings Dr. Henderson-Smith, the one-time headmaster, had ever delivered. But, Mr. Durrant was awesome. It was as if the master was trying to lash the cane into the beefy bottom so hard that it sank into flesh, traversed muscle and exited through the front of the young man
Number six was special. Anthony knew it would be. Mr. Durrant shifted his position slightly and instead of aiming for another parallel stroke, he laid the cane so that it ran from the bottom left to the top right of the buttocks. The agony was intense, as the rod cut diagonally across the previous five strokes reigniting the pain of each of them. Blood seeped.
"You may stand." Mr. Durrant tucked the cane under his arm and watched with ill-conceived joy as Anthony rose and hopped from foot to foot in the traditional caning dance. He heartily rubbed at the seat of his trousers in a fruitless effort to relieve the pain.
In time, Anthony settled. His eyes were damp and his body soaked in perspiration. His face and neck glowed a deep pink.
Mr. Durrant slipped the cane back into his hand. "Trousers down. Bend back over."
The pink face blanched to a ghostly white. Anthony couldn't catch his breath. "Bu .. bu …" he blabbered, before at last forming coherent words. "But, please, Sir. No," he wailed.
Mr. Durrant set his face. "Yes, lad," he swished the cane though the air.
"No, no, no, I can't," Anthony pleaded. Swish, the cane flew again. The housemaster was in no mood to show clemency.
"Trousers down."
Tears were flowing freely.
"Damn it, lad. If you won't take down your trousers I shall do it for you."
"Nooooooo!" Anthony's shriek could probably be heard by Mr. Albertstein across the street.
Mr. Durrant stepped forward, hands outstretched ready to grip Anthony's waistband. The young man twisted his body trying to put his back between himself and his tormentor. Too late. Mr. Durrant undid the fastener and the zipper fell easily.
Anthony was as white as a sheet. His tormentor tugged the young man's trousers to his knees.
"Oh my!" Mr. Durrant licked his lips. His face cracked into a beautiful smile. Anthony's cock was so stiff and his underpants so brief, it poked its glistening head over the elasticated waist.
Mr. Durrant sank to his knees, took hold of the pants at the hips and in a frenzy ripped them down so hard the cotton tore.
Anthony gasped, took hold of his cock and thrust it in Mr. Durrant's face.
"Suck me off!" he huffed.
The housemaster's mouth devoured first one and then the other testicles. He licked the balls like they were an ice cream cone.
Anthony moaned as Mr. Durrant took a mouthful of hot cock and he shuffled his knees further apart so that the old man could get to more of his hard dick. Anthony gripped Mr. Durrant's ears and pulled his florid face onto his raging cock. The man's flabby jowls wobbled back and forth as he made his way up and down the shaft. As cocks went it wasn't particularly long, but it was surely one of the fattest the housemaster had ever gorged.
"I'm cumming," Anthony squealed warning his master, but knowing he had left it too late. But, the old man did not heed the warning and his head rhythmically slid in and out of the back of his throat. Spurt after spurt of hot sticky cum pumped up the shaft and was immediately swallowed by Mr. Durrant's hungry mouth.
Anthony writhed on the floor as his orgasm went on and on. Mr. Durrant continued to suck. Then, suddenly his own body convulsed. Anthony slipped his cock out of the master's mouth and watched in fascination as Mr. Durrant twisted and turned on the bare floorboards as a flood of cum drenched the front of his trousers.
Picture credit: Charles Hamilton II
Other stories you might like
Caned at college
Home early
When Dad got home
More stories from Charles Hamilton II are on the MMSA website
Charles Hamilton the Second


text:
Plushbeds Coupon & Promo Codes 2020
What Makes PlushBeds Different?
When you think about the fact that you will spend 3 of your next 10 years on a mattress, it makes sense to invest in the best sleep environment possible.
You want to make sure you spend that time on a mattress that is safe for your body and comfortable to sleep on.
At PlushBeds, that's exactly what we specialize in. We manufacture and sell luxury mattresses that promote good health and facilitate quality sleep. We achieve this by focusing on three things:
1. High Quality, Non-Toxic Materials
PlushBeds mattresses are made with toxin-free materials and are certified with GreenGuard Gold status to ensure every mattress is safe for your health and comfortable to sleep on.
All PlushBeds Mattresses Contain Zero:
- PBDE Flame Retardants
- Prohibited Phthalates
- Mercury
- Lead
- Heavy Metals
- Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
- 2-Methoxyethanol
- Formaldehyde
- Chloroform
- Methylene Chloride
- And 10,000 other harmful chemicals.
- Luxurious Comfort
We believe that everyone deserves the life-enhancing benefits of rejuvenating sleep. Our high quality, non-toxic materials allow us to design extremely comfortable beds that promote deeper sleep and better health. As a result, you have more energy throughout the day and less ache from chronic pain. When you purchase a PlushBeds luxury mattress, you're not just buying a mattress, you're making an investment in your health and wellbeing.
3. Relentless Innovation
Our commitment to excellence in craftsmanship and superior quality materials has driven us to become the industry's leading innovator. We created the world's first GreenGuard Gold Certified memory foam mattress collection and continue to create new standards for sleep products that are safe for your health.
Our engineers are constantly looking for ground-breaking, non-toxic materials and products that will help you drift into a deep sleep every night.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Análise da sustentabilidade dos agroecossistemas de Altinópolis/SP
Fonseca, Augusto Cesar Prado Fernandes
MetadataShow full item record
The municipality of Altinópolis is historically recognized by coffee farms and tourist attractions, and currently local agriculture has diversified and is under agribusiness pressure. To analyze and compare the sustainability indexes of production systems in the municipality of Altinópolis, according to the size of the farms, were established social, economic and environmental indicators. These indicators were measured by applying semi-structured interviews in the production units. After analysis and discussion of the data collected, the sustainability indices were determined and represented by biogram. It was observed that family farms have higher levels of sustainability. Positive highlights of family systems are: diversity of commercial crops, adoption of soil conservation practices, interactions of agricultural activities, rural family background and family work. In contrast, medium to large production systems (> 4 fiscal modules) achieved positive highlights of: receiving frequent technical guidance, conducts periodic correction of the soil, have good infrastructure (machinery, implements and improvements), and create salaried jobs in the batch.


text:
The process of installing Exchange 2013 using the guided GUI is pretty straightforward, provided you've taken care of the prerequisites, prepared for gotchas (about which, more later) and planned your deployment carefully.
For the purpose of capturing the process, I created an Amazon Web Services based test environment (similar to the one described here) consisting of a domain controller, an Exchange 2010 server and the server on which Exchange 2013 was installed.
All servers are Windows 2012 R2 and the domain functional level is Windows 2012.
So, the scenario is that you're installing Exchange 2013 into an existing Exchange 2010 SP3 organization and all roles have been selected.
Before running Setup.exe on your target host you should make sure the following is true:
1.) Microsoft Office Filter Pack Ver 2.0 is installed
2.) The service pack for the Office Filter Pack is installed
3.) Media Foundation is installed (to support the Unified Communications API) – to install, from a Powershell session run the following as admin: Install-WindowsFeature Server-Media-Foundation (note: a server reboot is required).
4.) Microsoft Unified Communications Managed API 4.0 is installed
5.) Windows 2012's firewall has been configured to allow all inbound traffic from domain members as described in this blog post (this is done to prevent a known issue in which, after installing Exchange 2013, Remote Desktop connections are denied because of a modification to the firewall rules ).
Once all of the prerequisites have been satisfied, you can run Setup.exe.
The first screen provides an overview of your installation options:
By clicking Next, you'll be taken to the License Agreement page:
You can choose to either use – or forego – Microsoft's recommended settings
Next, you'll choose what server roles to install. In our scenario, all components are selected. Note that in Exchange 2013, server roles have been simplified quite a bit as explained in detail in this Technet article.
As with previous versions of Exchange, you choose the target folder for the application binaries.
One of the new elements of the setup process is choosing whether or not to deploy Exchange 2013's anti-malware features. In our scenario, we're choosing to disable this feature (because another product is in-place).
Next, the setup process will verify that the installation prerequisites have been satisfied.
In my installation, I neglected to install the Unified Communications API and received this error message:
Once that was taken care of, clicking "Retry" moved the process along.
Now the setup process begins to make actual progress.
There are 15 steps (details dependent upon the roles selected earlier in the install process).
Note that, as explained in this Technet article, the two building blocks of Exchange 2013 – Mailbox and Client Access – have assumed responsibility for all of the platform's operational components. The installation process reveals parts of this design.
1.) Organization Prep
2. – 3.) Copying files
4.) Installing language files
5.) Restoring services (stopped during step one)
6.) Language file installation
7.) Installing Management Tools
8.) Mailbox Role: Transport Service
10.) Mailbox Role: Unified Messaging
11.) Mailbox Role: Mailbox Service
12.) CAS Role: Front End Transport Service
13.) CAS Role: Client Access Front End Service
14.) Finalizing Setup
15.) Completion
Once setup is complete and your server has reset, you can begin managing Exchange 2013.
Exchange 2013 introduces admins to the Exchange Admin Center which replaces Exchange 2010's Exchange Management Console.
The default URL is https://your-exchange2013-server-name/ecp
The first time you logon, you may be redirected to OWA. To work around this, try the following URL from the console of the Exchange 2013 server:
In a future post, we'll review navigating the EAC and performing basic administrative tasks, such as migrating users between databases.


text:
So when her fifth-grade daughter, Julia, came to her one night, emphatic that the family had to "do something" for a local family facing hardships, Brenda first considered it a ploy to put off bedtime.
"At first I said, 'Julia, go to bed,'" Brenda Creed recalled. "But she was so passionate and the longer it went on, I finally said 'OK, I'm listening.'"
Julia, a student at Holy Cross Grade School, had read a September article in The Hutchinson News about Carlos and Marcos Tharp - two boys about her age who are dying from an extremely painful disease.
Moved by the boys' story and the tough financial situation their mother, Melissa Tharp, faced, Julia wanted to help.
Her idea to use birthday money to put on a small spaghetti dinner fundraiser for the boys has now grown to include several community groups and is expected to draw more than 250 people.
The dinner is set for Sunday at Our Lady of Guadalupe's Madonna Hall in South Hutchinson.
"I thought we could do something more than pray," Julia said. "Praying works, but I thought we could do something else, too."
A child's faith
Julia is a normal fifth-grader in many respects. She likes sports, including volleyball, softball, swimming and skating. And she likes to hang out with her friends and have sleepovers.
She's excited that her friends might read about her in the newspaper or see her on television if news stations come to the dinner - but she tries to hide it. She doesn't want people to think that she's doing this for herself.
She's doing it for Carlos, 10, and Marcos, 9 - whom she met for the first time on Wednesday.
The brothers suffer from a form of dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa, a rare genetic disorder in which the microscopic collagen fibers holding the dermal and epidermal layers of skin together don't work properly.
Their skin is so fragile the slightest touch or movement causes open sores and blisters. They have no immune system, cannot move on their own, and because the disease is progressive, things only get worse with each year that goes by.
"I've watched Julia struggle with the fact the boys are about her age and knowing that they don't have very long to live," Brenda Creed said.
"If there was a miracle, they could live for a long time," Julia interjected.
"Part of the kindness and concern in Julia's heart comes from growing up with her older sister, who also has special needs," Brenda continued. "We are so proud of all of our kids. We're just amazed at this."
Brenda, a Hospice worker, and Kelly, an engineer at the Kansas State Fairgrounds, adopted Julia and her siblings in 2001.
They've worked to instill a faith in God in their children, and Brenda said through Julia's passion to help the Tharp family, she's seen that it has taken root.
"When people ask why you're doing this, what have you told them?" Brenda asked Julia.
"That we do it because we're Christian," Julia said.
"We're Christian!" younger brother Matthew, echoed in support, smiling.
"It's a great thing to watch, because people are so surprised that she's doing this - that she's driving the effort," Brenda Creed said. "And when they ask her why, she's surprised that they are surprised. To her, it seems obvious."
'Remarkable' effort
When Julia first came up with the idea for a spaghetti dinner fundraiser, she expected to feed maybe 20 people.
"I told a few people and they spread the news and then a lot of people wanted to help," Julia said.
She asked the priest at her church - Father Brian Nelson - if she could use the church hall for the dinner, and he not only gave permission but he also gave his blessing.
"From there it just ballooned," Brenda Creed said. "The outpouring of people who wanted to help was amazing."
Julia's Girl Scout Troop No. 94 is serving drinks and some of her school teachers have volunteered to clean up after the dinner. A retired school cook, Norma Blick, is baking homemade bread.
The Altar Society at Our Lady is baking items for a bake sale, and women from the Tharp's church - Riverside Baptist - are helping.
Individual church members are also helping - one couple is donating the meat for the dinner, and a local business, which has asked to remain anonymous, is donating all of the paper products needed.
"It has gotten so big now," Brenda Creed said. "Her dad and I are thinking it will draw around 250 people, but Julia and Father Brian are saying we should expect more."
Nelson called Julia's efforts and the action she has spurred others to "remarkable."
"When Julia first asked if she could use the hall, I thought it was a great thing for a child to be so interested in helping other children," Nelson said. "The momentum that I've seen since then has been remarkable. It's been an outpouring of support.
"I really think that this is exactly the kind of thing we want to teach our children."
Spaghetti dinner
The benefit dinner and bake sale will be 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday at Our Lady of Guadalupe's Madonna Hall, Avenue F and Maple Street in South Hutchinson.
The menu includes spaghetti, green beans, garlic bread and cake or brownies for dessert. Lemonade, tea and coffee will be available as well.
Free will donations will go toward medical expenses for Carlos and Marcos Tharp.
Those unable to attend the dinner who want to donate may contact Riverside Baptist Church, 114 E. Eighth Ave., at (620) 662-4126.


text:
Ever been interested in what a human egg looks like when it pops out of an ovary? What YOU looked like – well, half of you anyway – way back when you were only a bunch of chromosomal material and some gelatinous gooey protein?
Okay, I'm speaking to a very narrow group of fellow dorky mega-nerds, but wow, these pictures totally blew me away. Captured accidentally during surgery for a hysterectomy, the surgeon managed to get pictures over about a fifteen minute period while the egg erupted. Well, given that the process took 15 minutes, perhaps "erupted" is a bit too explosive a word. Let's say the egg was expelled gradually. How fortuitous that somebody was there with a camera to capture the blessed event.
This is you! This is your brother, mother, dad, sister, kids, if you have any. Along came a sperm and a few months later, here comes baby. Or, if you're female like, oh, half our readers, and you're not suppressing ovulation in some way (with oral contraceptives or Depo-Provera) this is what happens every month, about halfway through your menstrual cycle, give or take a few days. Weird but cool.
Read more about it at:
Human Egg Makes Accidental Debut on Camera
Victoria Rentel MD
Photo: newscientist.com


text:
Dates are an important part of any course, and must be updated to reflect the timing and schedule of a new semester. Due dates affect when students are allowed to submit work, and content Availability dates allow instructors fine control of student access to content.
Canvas at Butte College includes Adjust-All, a third-party tool that adds the ability to manage and adjust dates throughout a Canvas course from a single page.
With Adjust-All you can:
- edit Due dates
- edit Availability dates
- edit Module lock dates
- change dates for Assignments, Discussions, Quizzes and Announcements
- bulk Publish or Unpublish modules and content items
Adjust-All is available in all courses, and can be accessed from the Course Menu.
NOTE: The Adjust-All menu item is NOT visible to students.
2 Responses to "Preparing For A New Semester – Adjust Dates"
was able to update the events from 2017 to 2018 however at the bottom of my syllabus, it still includes the activities of 2017 along with the 2018 updates


text:
If you're a big Cath Kidston fan like me, then you will absolutely love their pretty products, but not like the price tag quite as much! I find that Cath Kidston stuff can be a little pricey, but if you're not too far away from their Factory Shop in St Neots (Cambridgeshire), then you can pick up some bargains!
I believe there's also outlet stores at Bicester Village, Ashford, Cheshire Oaks, Gloucester Quays, and Gunwharf Quays, although I'm not sure if they just sell end of line and clearance stock. Whereas the Factory Shop in St Neots (attached to their warehouse) also sells damaged and faulty goods too (which often are hardly damaged at all).
Take a look at my Cath Kidston Factory Shop haul I picked up on a recent visit!
First of all, I don't usually make a habit of posting photos of my undies on the internet! But these pretty jersey knickers are so soft and comfy and are some of my favourite 'comfy pants to wear. I have a few pairs in different patterns as I tend to pick them up in the sale. They usually retail for £7 each but in the Factory Shop they are £4 or £5 each. It's nice to treat yourself to new undies every so often!
I found this set of 4 napkins reduced from £15 to only £6! I love the floral pattern and I can't wait to get them out at my next afternoon tea party!
I also picked up some crockery pieces with the gorgeous bird print half price! The bowl and the dinner plate were reduced from £7 to £3.50 each, and the small side plate was reduced from £5 to only £2.50.
As there wasn't an exact matching mug available I picked up this very similar duck egg blue bird pattern mug half price, reduced to only £4 from £8.
I also picked up this pretty floral tea towel which was only £3 reduced from £7.
My best friend has recently had a baby girl so I couldn't resist picking her up a few bits too! This pretty floral hat came in an organza bag and was only £3 as a pair of the matching socks were missing.
I also got her this gorgeous cotton summer dress set! Reduced from £22 to only £8.
I also couldn't resist picking up another one of these big biscuit tins! They often have these as they can easily get a bit dented so they end up being seconded as 'damaged stock' and sold in the outlet stores. It was reduced from £14 to £4, and it's hardly even damaged! It sits on my kitchen windowsill alongside the tins I picked up on my last visit!
I also absolutely love this pretty floral vase that I bought. It's only tiny but I thought it would look cute in my living room, and it was reduced from £10 to only £4.50.
Here's a few photos I snapped in the store on my visit…
If you've visited the Cath Kidston outlet shops then let me know what bargains you've found!
Twitter | Facebook | Bloglovin' | Instagram


text:
You can't manage what you can't measure, as the saying goes, and this applies just as much to your team's performance.
Here are ten top tips on measuring performance – from weekly catch ups to appraisal processes.
1. Know your business vision, your values and your strategic goals
Where do you see your business in the future, what values matter to you and are they being displayed within your team? What are your goals for the business?
2. Communicate your vision
Let your team know how their contribution adds value to the business. If your team currently don't have position descriptions, get the team involved in creating these – they can tell you what they are doing at operational, hands on level. You as the business owner and/or manager can then determine if what they are doing is appropriate for realising the business vision. When teams have been asked to prepare their own position descriptions, business owners are often astounded by what their employees are actually doing day-to-day.
3. Review your position descriptions and focus on your business objectives
Each job function should have an accountability and there should be key performance indicators in each position description (around three to five), all of which should be focused on helping you achieve your business objectives.
4. Induction plans and follow ups
All new employees should have a full induction/on-boarding process and follow up with their line manager at the end of the first day, first week, first month, second month and third month. Review the new employee's performance in line with their position description, targets and expectations. Give feedback to the employee and address poor performance immediately.
5. Have weekly catch ups
Meet with your direct reports and make sure that others with direct reports are doing the same. These meetings should be focused on what the employee is working on, barriers/challenges, assistance they may need, any issues that they have encountered since the previous catch up.
6. Quarterly reviews
These are a good opportunity to set goals with your team, helping them to work on new challenges and helping you to get to know them better professionally and on a more personal level – set challenges that are professionally focused i.e. learning a new system, mentoring a more junior team member; and personally focused i.e. training for a half marathon etc.
7. Annual appraisal and performance development plans
These could take place at a specific time each year or on the anniversary of an employee's employment with the business; either way, they should give feedback on position competencies and key performance areas. These reviews also provide an opportunity to learn how employees want to develop and even let you know how things could be improved. Details from the quarterly reviews will support the completion of these documents. It is often at the time of the annual review that negotiations will occur on pay rises and performance bonuses. If you will have been keeping an accurate record of performance throughout the year, it should be easy to identify who has performed exceptionally, average or poorly and who, therefore, should be getting rewarded (or not).
8. Poor performance
Monitor it and don't ignore it. If an employee is performing poorly it may be for a number of reasons, they may have personal issues which are impacting on them in the work place; they may be struggling to do a particular task and need further training; or they may not have the capability to actually do the required job function; whatever the reason, poor performance should be addressed, thus enabling you to support the employee and find the best solution to resolve the issue, depending on the circumstances.
9. Review your business objectives
Do this on a quarterly basis and ask yourself how you are performing as a business in relation to these, and if something needs tweaking with your team to help you better achieve these goals, make the necessary changes – be guided by your goals and results relating to performance, productivity and profitability.
10. Remember 'what gets measured gets done'
Knowing what is measured gives you and your employee's direction. Give yourself and your team accountabilities, then continue to measure and review these.
Measuring Performance is one of our most popular workshop topics – check out POD's upcoming live workshops here.


text:
Content Count13
Last visited
Everything posted by Ankit
@sbobrowicz thanks for your response ! can u share any example of usb as composite device. tell me how i can use 245 FIFO mode of FTDI using this USB in device mode
@JColvin i already checked that link there is no nothing that uses usb in host mode or device mode they provided only gpio example and one more example is there but i didn't find any thing on usb http://www.wiki.xilinx.com/Zynq-7000+AP+SoC+USB+CDC+Device+Class+Design+Example+Techtip i also tried this example, after doing some changes it worked but it uses usb for serial transmission and i don't want that. i m trying to decode this code but, i need proper usb protocol means as composite device or input or output device anything will work. please send me any example if you can. thank you !!
@JColvin ok then send me that link i'll go through that. thanks for your feedback
@JColvin do you have any example that makes use of usb port (j9) on zybo board as composite device , please let me know. i m using windows 7 ,vivado and sdk .
How to configure micro usb ( J9 ) as composite device on zybo ap socis someone there who can help me with this ??
How to configure micro usb ( J9 ) as composite device on zybo ap soci managed to configure this J9 port as mass storage device by using the exmple given in drivers file. but now i want to configure this J9 port as compsite device. can anyone give me some tips for that ?
@jpeyron thanks for response jon , can you give me step wise procedure to do so(cleaning flash using h/w manager)
USB OTG on Zybo does not work@Bianca @Rainer Urian can you help me ? i am also working on zybo board and suffering from same problem. my usb port ( j10 and j9 ) are not getting detected . can you tell me how to resolve this issue ?
thank you @JColvin i got how to program flash but, can you tell me how to clean this flash memory without using ISE impact
How To Program The Quad-spi Flash On The Basys3.@cristian.ignat may i know how to clean this flash memory ? thank you!
thank you for your response @jpeyron , i did looked into schematic but , i am not getting how should i enable the IC12 , can you send me any example that uses vivado and sdk to use usb OTG and i m having windows system.
thank you for your response @jpeyron , but my problem is not working with usb otg actually the problem is that when i connect otg cable at J9 of zybo it is not getting detected by device manager. i mean to say , at-least it should be available on some COM port on my pc but that is not happening. can you tell me what is the actual problem.
usb otg port is not getting detected in my pc (win 7)hiii, i just started working with zybo , i m getting problem when i connect my usb cable to usb otg port of zybo . it is not showing any thing in my device manager. but when i use J11 [prog uart] it is getting detected , i tried lots of things like installed FTDI drivers , then also tried all those which some of you refered . please someone help me to solve this problem ...


text:
South African Economic Development in the Light of the New Institutional Economics
By Henry Kenney
This article appeared in the Fall 1997 issue of The Independent Review.
A poor Dutch outpost in the 17th and 18th centuries, South Africa did not take off economically until the 19th century, when British rule brought greater evenhandedness in the administration of justice, the abolition of slavery, and laws encouraging extraction of the regions abundant mineral deposits. From colonial days to the post-apartheid present, South Africas unique history illustrates-for better or worse-the important role of customs, traditions and codes of conduct in economic development.
Economic History and DevelopmentEconomic PolicyEconomyFree Market EconomicsInternational Economics and DevelopmentSub-Saharan Africa


text:
I think by now that most in God's church realize that we are in the Laodicean ERA of the church regardless of our individual spiritual motivation. Sure we can have a Philadelphian mindset even though we are going through the Laodicean time phase of the Church, and it's important that we hold on to that mindset.
But what I am thinking about today is why the church leadership today views what Christ is doing today differently than it viewed what He was doing in Philadelphia?
In Philadelphia, we came to see that Christ Himself was doing a work during that physical time frame(ERA) of the church. He was opening a door that no man could shut;
(Rev 3:8) I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.
The ministry aka Mr. Armstrong saw that Christ wanted them to be doing something. They discovered that there was a witness to the world that was to be done through that open door.
(Mat 24:14) And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
Part of the Olivet Prophecy in Matthew 24 was a work that required the "TRUE" Gospel be preached around the world for a "Witness" not to convert but rather to announce the Good News of the Kingdom, the Gospel of Christ, to the world.
And the Church and Mr. Armstrong did a very good job of doing just that. Using the work that Christ said He was personally doing in Philadelphia to accomplish that work of going through the open door.
So how does that compare to what the ministry is doing in Laodicea compared to what Christ is doing in Laodicea? And shouldn't we be following Christ and supporting His work NOW just like we did in the Philadelphian ERA?
What is the work that CHRIST is doing now and how can we help Him accomplish that work. Also why aren't we helping HIM?
(Rev 3:14) And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;
(Rev 3:15) I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
(Rev 3:16) So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
Notice that Christ is upset with the works of Laodicea. So much so that He is going to spew them out of His mouth(most likely referring to having them go through the Great Tribulation).
(Rev 3:17) Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
Here you see why the church is in this condition. They think because that have all these spiritual goods(truths if you will) that they have no need of anything else(self-satisfied). But even so He sees them as wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked.
(Rev 3:18) I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
He is counseling the people and the ministry to LEARN from the trials that He sends them so that they can truly be clothed in righteousness. So that they are no longer naked in His eyes. Also that they open their eyes to be able to see. Having your eyes opened can only come as a result of sincere prayer to God for that vision. His Holy Spirit is the eyesalve that we need because only through the indwelling of the Spirit can we truly see how wretched and miserable we are so that we can be about correcting that in our lives. But we have to be asking for that vision it doesn't come automatically. You have to anoint your eyes by praying that god open them to allow you to see your true condition.
(Rev 3:19) As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
The end result of all this is a Zealous Repentant attitude.
(Rev 3:20) Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
Here is the work Christ is doing in this ERA of the Church, He is working with each member of the body of Christ to get them to open up the door of their minds and hearts to HIM so He can come in and feed them what they need for what is coming. This is the Last ERA of God's church before He returns to take over the reins of the government from satan. Some of them will be seen as worthy to escape what is coming and this is Christs last ditch effort to protect as many as possible from the ravages of the Great Tribulation.
So why then is the ministry of our church groups still trying to do what Christ stopped doing? They are still trying to witness to the world as if that is the work that Christ is doing but it is not. Teaching the Gospel of Christ to the world and making Disciples in all nations is still very much a part of the job of the Church BUT the emphasis has been changed by Christ from reaching the world to preparing the bride. So why is reaching the world still seem to be the most important aspect of the ministry in this ERA of the Church.
Why aren't they focused on preparing us for what is coming, teaching us to be Kings and Priests in the Kingdom, showing us how we might be accounted worthy to escape what is coming(remember fully half of those who go through the Tribulation are not going to make it into the Kingdom).
I am not saying that we should stop preaching the Gospel to the world, but that work described in Matthew 24:14 and Rev 10:11 was accomplished during the Philadelphian ERA of the church by Mr. Armstrong. He said that when he died it would be over.
(Rev 3:21) To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
(Rev 3:22) He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
There is so much more that can be done by the leaders in our church groups for each of us as individuals.
- Teach us how to lead as well as how to speak.
- Teach us how to really USE God's Holy Spirit to grow and overcome.
- Teach us how to ask for and use the Gifts of God's Holy Spirit.
- Teach how to recognize the gifts and talents that the Holy Spirit has imparted to EACH of us and how to use them properly.
- Teach us the bible so deeply that it is part of us
- Teach us how to think and react as Christ did so that even if we are surprised by some tactic of satan we will always act appropriately
- Teach us how to live a proper Christian life so we are Lights to our communities and not embarrasments
- Teach us how to overcome our shortcomings and GROW in Grace and the Knowledge of Christ.
- Teach us where we really are in Prophecy, that we are at the very end not still witnessing to the world but getting ready for Christ.
- Teach us to watch for the 1335 not the return of Christ at the Resurrection. We should be watching for the time when Christ will gather those who have truly opened the door to Him to a place of safety. Because not only might you be saved out of what is coming but also will realize that once that gathering happens you will have a literal countdown to the return of Christ.
So why aren't the leaders focused on these things instead of the witness work? It makes you wonder. Maybe they couldn't justify how they are spending God's tithes. Maybe they should be spending them in a different way, a way that would actually save many spiritual lives in the times that are just ahead. Maybe they want to look like the old church so they can attract more members to their flavor of the Body of Christ. Only God truly knows.
We have many many very talented and skilled leaders in the various congregations of God. And with the advent of the Internet the ability to train and teach is enhanced in ways that Mr. Armstrong could not even imagine. If we truly focused on the membership of the body of Christ regardless of their group affiliations and made various training programs and teaching programs available to all of us that focused on preparing the bride and preparing us for our jobs as Kings and Priests in the Kingdom no doubt it would be seen by Christ as our efforts to Help Him with what He is doing(Knocking on our doors so that we can open and be fed by Him)
All you larger groups out there, think about this. If you would provide this kind of service to ALL the peoples of God with no overt need to JOIN your particular group, we are all after all part of the body of Christ if we have His spirit and if we do not have his spirit we would not be interested most likely anyway, you would likely gain many tithe paying members who might otherwise not be interested in joining up with your group.
FREE YOU WERE GIVEN, FREELY GIVE! Just as Mr. Armstrong gave to the world the Gospel of Christ in Booklets and Magazines(without monetary cost) you should now be focused on the BODY of Christ, give to them without payment(membership in your particular brand of God's called out ones)and those that are truly part of the body will naturally move toward where they are being fed.
Just saying this might be a way that God will use to call us back together. Or not but it is something that the leadership should be doing in any case, if they truly want to assist Christ with the work that He is doing NOW!.


text:
[ferro-alloys.com]PT Aneka Tambang Tbk (ANTAM; IDX: ANTM; ASX: ATM) is pleased to announce the significant production and sales target jump of the Company's main commodities of ferronickel, gold, nickel ore and bauxite ore in 2019.
On ferronickel commodity, in 2019 ANTAM targets ferronickel production volume at 30,280 tonnes of nickel within in ferronickel (TNi), a 21% increase compared to unaudited production volume in 2018 of 24,868 TNi. Higher ferronickel production target inline with ANTAM's strategies to increase the utilization of Pomalaa ferronickel plant as well as the commencing of the East Halmahera ferronickel plant production in the second half of 2019. ANTAM also targets ferronickel sales at 30,280 TNi, a 25% increase compared to unaudited sales figure in 2018 of 24,135 TNi.
On gold commodity, ANTAM targets gold production in 2019 of 2,036 kg (65,458 troy oz (t.oz)) from the Pongkor and Cibaliung mines. Meanwhile the Company gold sales targets in 2019 stated at 32,036 kg (1,029,981 t.oz), a 14% increase compared to the unaudited gold sales volume in 2018 of 27,894 kg (896,812 t.oz). The higher target of gold sales is inline with Company's expectation of domestic and export market growth for ANTAM's LM gold products.
ANTAM's President Director, Arie Prabowo Ariotedjo said:
"In 2019, we expects to elevate our operational performance through the increasing of production and sales target of our main commodities on nickel, gold and bauxite. We are also concern to maintain our operating cash cost remains on competitive level as a part of our commitment to deliver positive value to our shareholders and stakeholders. We believe that ANTAM will continue on growing and improving its performance in coming years."
In line with the increasing of ferronickel production target, in 2019, ANTAM targeted the nickel ore production which will be used as ore feed for ANTAM's ferronickel plant as well as being sold to domestic third party smelter and export market will be produced up to 10.50 million wet metric ton (wmt), a 12% increase compared to the unaudited production volume in 2018 of 9.32 million wmt. Meanwhile, the nickel ore sales target amounted to 8 million wmt to meet domestic and export market demand. The 2019 sales target number will be higher by 26% compared to unaudited nickel sales figure in 2018 of 6.33 million wmt.
On bauxite commodity, in 2019 ANTAM targets bauxite ore production at 3.17 million wmt, rose by 188% compared to the unaudited production level in 2018 of 1.10 million wmt. Meanwhile, the 2019 bauxite ore sales target is 3.22 million wmt, a 250% increase compared to the unaudited sales figure in 2018 of 920 thousand wmt. The increasing of production and sales bauxite ore figure in 2019 was counting to fulfill the market demand from both domestic and export customer.
ㄗANTAM officialㄘ
- [Editor:卼褫]


text:
Fatemeh Taheri
Taheri, Fatemeh (born 1939, Tehran – died 2012)
The late Iranian actress Fatemeh Taheri started stage debut in 1957 and later made her film debut in 'The Gifts' (1987).
During her career, she appeared in several movies including, 'Hamoon' (1989), 'Narges' (1991), 'Joke' (1999), 'Bibi's Dowry' (1999) and 'Mom's Guest' (2003).
She was also a popular face on TV, appearing in series such as 'Primrose Flower' (1991), 'Khazra High School' (1996) and several other films.
Fatemeh Taheri passed away of heart failure at her home in Tehran in 2012.


text:
Illinois Corruption Watch, October 2014
In October, we found 52 different stories of potential public corruption in Illinois, including a trio of stories related to the election. An Illinois Policy investigation into emails from a group of Kankakee County superintendents revealed potentially illegal activities to pass a countywide sales-tax hike for school facilities. Documents obtained suggest illegal actions by superintendents...
In October, we found 52 different stories of potential public corruption in Illinois, including a trio of stories related to the election.
An Illinois Policy investigation into emails from a group of Kankakee County superintendents revealed potentially illegal activities to pass a countywide sales-tax hike for school facilities. Documents obtained suggest illegal actions by superintendents including fundraising, canvassing and advertising campaigning in favor of the sales-tax referendum.
While Illinois state law prohibits public officials from campaigning for or against any referendum during public time, documents revealed Kankakee County superintendents were meeting on school property during regular school hours and coordinating on a campaign plan for the sales-tax hike referendum. A complaint has been filed with local, state and federal authorities.
Separately, Chicago 5th Ward Alderman Leslie Hairston was accused of violating the Illinois Election Code by offering campaign supporters entries into a raffle for prizes and gift certificates to local stores if they brought a voting receipt to her office.
Voters should be extra careful if they choose to use touchscreen voting at polling places this year. There have been multiple reports in Illinois of malfunctioning touch screen voting machines switching votes from one party to the other.
Imagine the surprise of state representative candidate Jim Moynihan when trying to vote at the Schaumburg Public Library reported, "I tried to cast a vote for myself and instead it cast a vote for my opponent." He also reported vote switches happened in a handful of other races too.
The machine was eventually taken out of service. Cook County Clerk's Office Deputy Communications Director Jim Scalzitti informed Illinois Watchdog, "This was a calibration error of the touch-screen, it improperly assigned his votes due to improper calibration."
Be sure to alert election judges if you experience similar problems at the ballot box.
Will "calibration error" soon replace "hanging chad" in election lore? Hopefully not, but we will keep watching and reporting on election issues and public corruption in Illinois.
52. Oct. 30, 2014
Illinois Policy: Kankakee County superintendents behaving badly
A Freedom of Information Act investigation conducted by the Illinois Policy Institute has revealed potentially illegal activities being conducted by a group of school district superintendents from Kankakee County, along with the regional superintendent, in conjunction with private firms such as financial conglomerate Stifel, Nicolaus & Co. and campaign consultant Unicom-ARC.
Documents obtained through these FOIA requests suggest school officials are using school resources on school time to conduct a sophisticated campaign designed by Unicom-ARC to raise sales taxes on Kankakee County shoppers. Activities include campaign fundraising, canvassing and advertising strategy for an explicit "say yes" campaign to hike sales taxes.
51. Oct. 30, 2014
The Daily Journal: St. Anne principal fired over alleged theft
St. Anne Grade School Principal Mike Kelly was fired by the school board this week for what the district said, in a note sent home with students, was a "misappropriation of funds."
School board president Tom Hoekstra confirmed the action but said he could not comment whether further action would be taken. "There are still some undecided matters," he said
50. Oct. 30, 2014
U.S. Attorney's Office: Former Northwestern Physician to Pay the United States $475,000 to Settle Cancer Research Grant Fraud Claims
A former cancer research physician at Northwestern University's Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Center for Cancer in Chicago will pay the United States $475,000 to settle claims of federal research grant fraud. Dr. Charles L. Bennett agreed to the settlement in a federal False Claims Act lawsuit that was first made public last year after the government investigated the claims made by a former employee and whistleblower who will receive a portion of the settlement.
In July 2013, Northwestern University agreed to pay the United States $2.93 million to settle identical claims against the university. Northwestern, which fully cooperated during the investigation, did not admit liability as part of the settlement.
In a settlement agreement filed today in U.S. District Court, Dr. Bennett, of Columbia, S. Car., also did not admit liability, nor did the government concede that its claims were not well-founded.
49. Oct. 29, 2014
Tribune: Quinn's IDOT scandal will cost taxpayers
Chicago attorney Noelle Brennan, who spent nine years shepherding the city of Chicago into compliance with a federal consent decree banning patronage hires, will soon hang her shingle at the Illinois Department of Transportation.
Brennan was assigned in 2005 to oversee hiring in Chicago, after a federal investigation proved City Hall had been violating an earlier decree banning patronage in city government. Under her supervision, the city overhauled its hiring process to guard against political meddling.
The cost to taxpayers: $22.8 million for settlements, legal fees and consultants.
48. Oct. 29, 2014
Sun-Times: OPINION – Refund those unfair yellow-light tickets
Chicago is on solid legal ground in hanging onto $7.7 million raked in by ticketing people who drove through shorter-than-advertised yellow lights. We can't really disagree.
But here's the point City Hall is ignoring completely as it happily pulls in those millions of dollars in fine: Huge numbers of Chicagoans don't trust the fairness of the city's entire red-light camera program, even if it helps make our streets safer. They believe City Hall's real agenda is to raise money. And the city doesn't do much to dispel such notions when it refuses to refund money from tickets issued this year when a yellow changed to red in less than three seconds, the city's own announced standard. Even if we're talking a tenth of a second.
47. Oct. 29, 2014
Tribune: Chicago alderman probed in raffle-for-vote offer
Cook County prosecutors are investigating a longtime South Side alderman who offered raffle tickets to people who vote in next week's election, a move the alderman on Wednesday conceded was wrong.
In a Facebook posting that has since been removed, 5th Ward Ald. Leslie Hairston offered a raffle ticket — with the chance to win multiple prizes of gift certificates from local stores — to anyone who brought a voting receipt to her office.
46. Oct. 29, 2014
WBEZ: Aldermen skip chance to ask about city's handling of police commander
The Chicago City Council on Wednesday heard testimony from the head of the city agency that investigates police-brutality complaints. But the aldermen skipped the chance to ask him about the city's handling of a police commander who faces felony charges in a case that began with one of those complaints.
The occasion was the annual Independent Police Review Authority budget hearing. IPRA Chief Administrator Scott Ando (see photo) testified about a reduction in a backlog of open investigations and about new community outreach.
Alderman did not ask about Glenn Evans, the embattled commander, who allegedly rammed his service pistol down an arrested man's throat last year
45. Oct. 28, 2014
Daily Herald: Griffin: Carpentersville is 'violating' state law, attorney general says
By refusing to release the arrest report and accompanying video of a traffic stop involving a man who died less than 24 hours later at an Elgin hospital, Carpentersville is "violating" state law, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan's spokeswoman said.
While it's rare for government bodies like Carpentersville to defy the attorney general's public records rulings, "it happens," said Sarah Pratt, head of the attorney general's Public Access Counselor office.
44. Oct. 28, 2014
Crain's: One more Quinn patronage tale before the election
Today, I have one final story about incumbent Gov. Pat Quinn and his weak point: alleged patronage abuses in the Illinois Department of Transportation. But this story of how someone appeared to get a job with political pull and then ended up on the payroll of the state's Executive Ethics Commission does have a certain only-in-Illinois quality to it.
The story involves a woman named Gretchen Tucka. She was referenced several times as "Employee 218" in a report by Illinois Executive Inspector General Ricardo Meza that absolutely excoriated IDOT, charging that hundreds of people had been improperly hired by the department under Govs. Rod Blagojevich and Pat Quinn.
Even though Ms. Tucka is paid by the commission as a purchasing officer, she actually handles purchasing duties for IDOT and was appointed by Bill Grunloh, chief procurement officer of that department.
43. Oct. 28, 2014
Tribune: Chicago will keep $7.7M from quiet change in yellow light standard
Mayor Rahm Emanuel's administration will not refund $7.7 million in red light camera tickets it collected after quietly lowering the yellow light standard, the city's transportation chief said Tuesday.
The mayor told the Tribune earlier this month that he would consider refunds, but Chicago Department of Transportation chief Rebekah Scheinfeld made it clear that would not be happening — even though the city made a determination in September to restore the longer yellow light standard.
42. Oct. 28, 2014
Tribune: Troubled Harvey police will be scrutinized by sheriff
In a suburb the Tribune found was arguably the area's most lawless, Harvey's City Council has defied the mayor and invited the sheriff to assess a Police Department long plagued by scandals and sloppy casework.
The move caps a yearlong push by Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart to take a deeper look at the troubled town — only to be rebuffed by Harvey's longtime mayor and then the County Board.
41. Oct. 27, 2014
Sun-Times: Clout hires, consultants at Chicago's tourism trough
The mayor eliminated City Hall's tourism office, transferring many of its duties to the private, not-for-profit convention bureau, whose board was chaired at the time by Bruce Rauner, now the Republican candidate for governor. The combined tourism operation, renamed Choose Chicago, gets about $8 million a year from the city under the arrangement — part of $28.4 million in city and state tax money in its 2013-14 budget.
But Choose Chicago also has become a home for six-figure-salaried employees, lobbying firms with ties to House Speaker Michael J. Madigan and former Mayor Richard M. Daley, and a consultant who's a friend of Emanuel, according to a Chicago Sun-Times examination of government contracts, IRS filings and other documents.
40. Oct. 24, 2014
U.S. Attorney's Office: Four Men Indicted in $1.6 Million Fraud
Stephen R. Wigginton, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today that Qais Hussein, 43, and Majdi Odeh, 45, both of Swansea, Illinois, were charged on Oct. 22, 2014, with Conspiracy to Unlawfully Acquire Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Benefits (formerly known as Food Stamp benefits), Aiding and Assisting in the Preparation and Presentation of False Tax Returns, and Trafficking in Counterfeit Goods in an Indictment returned by a Federal Grand Jury sitting in East Saint Louis, Illinois. The Indictment also charges Hossam Ahmed, 24, of Saint Louis, Missouri, and Elsayed Hassan, 24, of Belleville, in the offense of Conspiracy to Unlawfully Acquire SNAP Benefits.
For the SNAP benefit conspiracy charge, all four men face up to 5 years in federal prison, up to a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release. For the two tax fraud counts, Hussein and Odeh face up to 3 years in federal prison, up to a $100,000 fine, and one year of supervised release as to each of the two counts. For the trafficking in counterfeit goods charge, Hussein and Odeh face up to 10 years in federal prison, up to a $2,000,000 fine, and three years of supervised release. Each man also faces $100 special assessment for each count.
39. Oct. 24, 2014
Kane County Chronicle: Batavia aldermen to review request for Prairie State investigation
Batavia – The language regarding a request to the Attorney General's Office for an investigation of Prairie State Energy Campus has been drafted.
The resolution requests Attorney General Lisa Madigan to "conduct an investigation and audit of the Prairie State Project agreements and communities to determine whether the city of Batavia was given full and accurate information about the Prairie State Project before the time it entered into the agreements and whether any affirmative, material misrepresentations or material omissions were made in the presentation of information to the city of Batavia with respect to the Prairie State Project."
38. Oct. 23, 2014
Sun-Times: Suit: Alsip treasurer fired by mayor after rejecting sexual advances
Alsip Mayor Patrick Kitching fired village Treasurer Elizabeth Gonzalez last year because she had rejected his sexual advances over several years, according to a federal lawsuit filed Wednesday in Chicago.
Kitching's improper conduct included often leaving on Gonzalez's desk personal cards that contained "suggestive messages," the suit claims.
37. Oct. 23, 2014
Sun-Times: Republican senators question Quinn's IDOT scandal response
A day after a federal judge was appointed to monitor hiring at the Illinois Department of Transportation, two state Republican senators raised questions about whether those fired are working in other state positions, and insinuated there may be "corruption" in other state departments.
Radogno joined state Sen. Karen McConnaughay, GOP spokeswoman of the Senate Transportation Committee, on Thursday in questioning hiring at other state departments.
36. Oct. 23, 2014
Sun-Times: Key player in red light camera scandal plans to plead guilty
Martin O'Malley — a key player in Chicago's red light camera scandal involving Redflex Traffic Systems — plans to plead guilty in December, according to court records filed Wednesday.
O'Malley, 73, of Worth, was employed as a "consultant" for Redflex when its deal to provide red light cameras to the city began in 2003. But his main role was allegedly to funnel cash and perks to his pal, city worker John Bills, who is accused of helping rig the contract for Redflex in return for kickbacks.
35. Oct. 22, 2014
Illinois Watchdog: Cook County ballot box tries to cast GOP votes for Democrats
Early voting in Illinois got off to its typical start Monday, as votes being cast for Republican candidates were transformed into votes for Democrats.
Republican state representative candidate Jim Moynihan went to vote Monday at the Schaumburg Public Library.
"I tried to cast a vote for myself and instead it cast the vote for my opponent," Moynihan said. "You could imagine my surprise as the same thing happened with a number of races when I tried to vote for a Republican and the machine registered a vote for a Democrat."
34. Oct. 22, 2014
State Journal-Register: Sun-Times political reporter resigns following Rauner complaint
An Illinois political reporter says he's resigned after being put on temporary leave when Republican governor candidate Bruce Rauner's campaign accused him of having a conflict of interest.
Dave McKinney was the Chicago Sun-Times' Springfield bureau chief.
He wrote a letter Wednesday to the CEO of Sun-Times' parent company, Wrapports LLC. It says he resigned because he believes the owners improperly influenced newsroom decisions.
33. Oct. 22, 2014
State Journal-Register: Federal judge orders court-appointed monitor for IDOT hiring
A federal judge on Wednesday ordered a court-appointed monitor to review hiring problems at Gov. Pat Quinn's Department of Transportation, a setback for the Democrat running for re-election largely on how he navigated Illinois away from ethical problems.
The ruling — less than two weeks before the election — followed a motion filed in April by anti-patronage campaigner Michael Shakman, who alleged that a long span of improper hiring based on clout and connections necessitated an outside monitor and further investigation at IDOT. Quinn administration attorneys had argued that neither was necessary because a state inspector general had investigated and the issues already were being addressed.
32. Oct. 22, 2014
Daily Herald: Griffin: Some residents taxed twice for sheriff patrols
Taxpayers living in the unincorporated parts of Bloomingdale, Wayne and York townships in DuPage County are on the hook for an extra $108,000 per township next year to pay for special patrols by DuPage County sheriff's deputies.
That's a 60 percent spike from the roughly $66,000 per deputy — one deputy each for Bloomingdale, Wayne and York townships, and three for Milton — it was costing just two years ago, according to county finance records. By 2018, the cost is expected to be almost $125,000 a year for each deputy.
31. Oct. 21, 2014
Sun-Times: OPINION – Back to the past with mayor's move
City Treasurer Stephanie Neely announced Monday that she's quitting, just four months short of the February municipal elections. This sets it up for Mayor Rahm Emanuel to appoint her replacement, which he is wasting no time in doing, effectively icing out anybody else who might want to run for the office in an actual open election. Incumbents backed by mayors are awfully tough to beat.
Our beef is with the complete disregard for an open, democratic process.
30. Oct. 21, 2014
Tribune: City Council watchdog sues Emanuel, aldermen
The Chicago City Council's watchdog sued Mayor Rahm Emanuel and key aldermen Tuesday, accusing them of hindering his investigative abilities by not properly funding the office.
Legislative Inspector General Faisal Khan's lawsuit is the latest salvo in an increasingly bitter feud between aldermen and the watchdog who has the power to investigate them. Khan long has complained that a lack of funding has hamstrung his office's ability to look into possible wrongdoing in the City Council, and his lawsuit takes those complaints a step further, into Cook County court.
29. Oct. 20, 2014
U.S. Attorney's Office: Suburban Dermatologist Convicted of Cheating Medicare and Private Insurers of $2.6 Million in Health Care Fraud Scheme
A dermatologist in west suburban Lombard was convicted today of defrauding Medicare and private health insurers by submitting false claims for more than 800 patients resulting in losses totaling more than $2.6 million. The defendant, DR. ROBERT KOLBUSZ, falsely diagnosed patients with actinic keratosis, or sun-induced skin lesions that have potential to become cancerous, and then billed public and private health insurers for treatments that were ineffective and falsely documented.
Kolbusz, 57, of Oak Brook, owns and operates the Center for Dermatology and Skin Cancer, Ltd., in Lombard and formerly located in Downers Grove. He was found guilty of three counts of wire fraud and three counts of mail fraud by a jury that began deliberating on Friday after a four-week trial in U.S. District Court.
28. Oct. 20, 2014
Sun-Times: Fioretti tries to put heat on Emanuel over short yellow lights
Mayoral challenger Bob Fioretti is urging his supporters to sign petitions demanding that Mayor Rahm Emanuel "restore the public trust by refunding" $7.7 million in fines generated by red-light cameras after the timing of yellow lights was reduced from 3 seconds to 2.9 seconds.
Earlier this month, Inspector General Joe Ferguson faulted the Chicago Department of Transportation for exercising "benign neglect" in its oversight of a red-light camera contractor at the center of a bribery scandal, allowing both suspicious ticketing spikes and equipment failures that may have cost the city millions to go unnoticed.
27. Oct. 20, 2014
Sun-Times: Election coverage fearless and fair
At the Sun-Times, we like to report the news, not be the news. Unfortunately, this weekend we were the political story in Illinois.
Our journalistic ethics were questioned by the campaign of Bruce Rauner, the Republican candidate for governor, in regard to a story we published along with our partners at NBC5 this month. The story looked into a court case involving the tactics Rauner used in confronting a former CEO of one of the companies he and his former company, GTCR, backed several years ago ("Hardball tactics alleged in lawsuit against Bruce Rauner," Oct. 7).
26. Oct. 19, 2014
Sun-Times: 3 Daley scandals cost taxpayers $6 million in legal fees
Chicago taxpayers have paid more than $6 million to private lawyers hired to fight three City Hall scandals that benefited family and friends of former Mayor Richard M. Daley.
And the legal bills keep mounting, as the court battles, being waged in state and federal courthouses from Chicago to Delaware, go on.
25. Oct. 17, 2014
Crain's: Did Rauner camp interfere with this Sun-Times reporter's job?
A Chicago Sun-Times reporter hired former federal prosecutor Patrick Collins to investigate whether the campaign of Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner tried to interfere with his employment after the newspaper ran a story unfavorable to the politician.
Mr. McKinney's attorney, Mr. Collins, contends the Rauner campaign attempted to have the Sun-Times take action against Mr. McKinney because of what it alleged were conflicts of interest stemming from Mr. McKinney's marriage to Democratic media consultant Ann Liston.
24. Oct. 16, 2014
U.S. Attorney's Office: Collinsville Man Pleads Guilty to Theft of Medicaid Funds
Stephen R. Wigginton, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today that on Oct. 15, 2014, Lawrence Thigpen, 53, of Collinsville, Illinois, pled guilty to submitting false and fraudulent bills in relation to personal assistant services in the Home Services Program, a Medicaid Waiver Program designed to allow individuals to stay in their homes instead of entering a nursing home.
Facts brought out in Court showed that Thigpen was falsifying time sheets in order for his girlfriend, who was also his personal assistant, to receive payments for time periods when she was actually locked up in jail. Sentencing has been set for February 13, 2015, in United States District Court in East St. Louis, Illinois. Thigpen will face up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to 3 years of supervised release.
23. Oct. 16, 2014
Department of Justice: Cahokia Man Pleads Guilty To Health Care Fraud
Stephen R. Wigginton, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today that on Oct. 15, 2014, Quincy O. Gamble, 39, of Cahokia, Illinois, pled guilty to an indictment charging that he engaged in a scheme to commit healthcare fraud. Sentencing has been set for February 15, 2015, in United States District Court in East St. Louis, Illinois. Gamble will face up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to 3 years of supervised release.
During his plea hearing, Gamble admitted that he had submitted false and fraudulent bills in relation to his alleged performance of personal assistant services in the Home Services Program, a Medicaid Waiver Program designed to allow individuals to stay in their homes instead of entering a nursing home.
22. Oct. 16, 2014
Department of Justice: Man Pleads Guilty To Theft Of Medicaid Funds
Stephen R. Wigginton, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced that Maurice Burks, 43, of East St Louis, Illinois, pled guilty today in federal district court to submitting false and fraudulent bills in relation to personal assistant services in the Home Services Program, a Medicaid Waiver Program designed to allow individuals to stay in their homes instead of entering a nursing home.
The investigation determined that Burks, who was the personal assistant in this case, was falsifying time sheets with his brother in order to receive payments for time periods when his brother (who was the customer) was in the hospital and when Burks was working another job.
21. Oct. 16, 2014
Crain's: Teachers union paid part of cost of charter school study
Here's a P.S. to my item earlier in the week about a report from University of Minnesota researcher Myron Orfield dinging charter schools in Chicago.
The report concluded that, adjusted for parental involvement and other factors, charters aren't much better than regular Chicago public schools and in some ways perform worse. But it's been brought to my attention that Mr. Orfield conceded in a later interview with WTTW that the Chicago Teachers Union, a vehement foe of charters, picked up part of the tab.
20. Oct. 15, 2014
Sun-Times: Emanuel campaign gets over $125K from United, American employees
Mayor Rahm Emanuel has gotten more than $125,000 in campaign contributions from 51 employees of United Airlines and American Airlines in recent months as he prepares to make pivotal decisions affecting O'Hare Airport's two largest carriers.
The number of United and American contributors to Emanuel has soared fivefold since his first mayoral race, a Chicago Sun-Times analysis of campaign records found.
19. Oct. 15, 2014
Sun-Times: Emanuel opens door to reparations fund for Burge victims
One week after ruling it out, Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Wednesday cracked the door open to compensating 94 victims — allegedly tortured by a crew of police officers led by Area 2 Commander Jon Burge — who couldn't sue because the statute of limitations has run out.
Plaintiffs attorneys are demanding a $20 million "reparations" fund. Emanuel said he's not certain that's the appropriate figure nor has he pinpointed where he would find the money in a city budget that already includes $54.5 million in targeted tax hikes and loophole closings that amount to the same.
18. Oct. 15, 2014
Bloomington Pantagraph: Defense: BPD 'quotas' at issue in records request
Bloomington police officers faced consequences for failure to meet performance standards, including an assignment change from traffic enforcement to squad car cleaning, according to a lawyer for a former officer facing criminal charges.
In a hearing Tuesday in the forgery and official misconduct case against Brent Van Hoveln, defense attorney Stephanie Wong said she wants city police records that could back up VanHoveln's claims that he was required to write a minimum number of tickets.
17. Oct. 13, 2014
Tribune: Ice arena operator who donated $165K to Bolingbrook mayor gets break on rent
At a Bolingbrook Village Board meeting in May, longtime Mayor Roger Claar lamented the high cost of hockey, not only for those who play it but for those who run ice arenas.
The Village Board, a group that has supported Claar virtually without dissent for years, promptly cut a break for Edward Schroeder, a businessman who runs an ice arena out of a village-owned property. Under a past deal, the rent paid by Schroeder was supposed to triple.
Twenty days earlier, Schroeder had made one of his annual contributions to the mayor's campaign fund. The ice arena owner, his wife and his firms have given Claar $164,500 since 1999, a Tribune investigation has found.
16. Oct. 12, 2014
Tribune: How Chicago's red light ticketing turned yellow lights into cash
Confronted with questions about a flurry of red light camera tickets stamped with yellow times below the 3-second minimum, Mayor Rahm Emanuel's administration said the fluctuation of hundredths of a second was normal — imperceptible to anyone behind the wheel of a car.
The Emanuel administration on Friday acknowledged that it had changed the rules on what qualifies for a $100 ticket, quietly directing its new red light camera vendor to tag drivers even when the duration of a yellow light slips just below the 3-second standard set by the city.
The policy generated 77,000 more tickets and nearly $8 million in revenue for the city over the last six months.
15. Oct. 9, 2014
U.S. Attorney's Office: Missouri Woman Sentenced for Health Care Fraud
Stephen R. Wigginton, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced that today, Tisa V. Vaughn, 49, of Florissant, Missouri, was sentenced on a one-count indictment charging that she engaged in a scheme to commit health care fraud. On March 19, 2014, a jury found Vaughn guilty after a three-day trial in federal court. Today, the district court sentenced Vaughn to fifteen months in federal prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Vaughn was also ordered to pay $14,873.56 in restitution back to the State of Illinois and a $100 special assessment.
Evidence showed that Vaughn was the personal assistant for her sister, a Medicaid recipient, who resides in East St. Louis. It was shown at trial that Vaughn billed for hours of care when she was either not caring for her sister or when her sister was actually in the hospital. Furthermore, testimony indicated that the sisters split the payments that Vaughn billed and received from the Home Services Program for the State of Illinois. In today's sentencing, the district court commented that the sentence was higher than usual because Vaughn had obstructed justice by having her sister lie about the fraud scheme to authorities.
14. Oct. 9, 2014
U.S. Attorney's Office: St. Clair Woman Sentenced for Theft of Government Social Security Benefits
Stephen R, Wigginton, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today that Tara Star Johndrow, 30, of Belleville, Illinois, was sentenced on one count of Theft of Government Funds in the United States District Court in East St. Louis, Illinois. The district court sentenced Johndrow to five years' probation with the first six months in home detention. The court also ordered her to pay restitution to the Social Security Administration in the amount of $14,560.48 and pay a special assessment of $100.
On June 16, 2014, Johndrow pled guilty to the charge. During the plea, Johndrow admitted that between August of 2010 and August of 2012, she received approximately $14,500 in Supplemental Social Security Payments from the Social Security Administration, when she falsely claimed to the government agency that she did not work, when she, in fact, was working.
13. Oct. 9, 2014
State Journal-Register: Ex-Quinn aide testifies before lawmaker panel
The boundaries between state government and political campaigns came into question Thursday as state lawmakers grilled Gov. Pat Quinn's ex-chief of staff during a hearing about a troubled anti-violence program that has since ended.
Republican lawmakers focused on former aide Jack Lavin's email exchanges from 2010 to suggest Quinn used the $55 million Neighborhood Recovery Initiative for political gain that election year, a line of questioning one Democratic commission member deemed "a witch hunt."
12. Oct. 9, 2014
Tribune: Shorter yellow times are now the ticket
A Tribune examination of overturned red light tickets revealed evidence that the city of Chicago has quietly cast a wider net to snare drivers since switching camera vendors earlier this year amid a bribery scandal.
A before-and-after analysis of photographic evidence and interviews with experts suggests the transition to a new vendor last spring was accompanied by a subtle but significant lowering of the threshold for yellow light times.
11. Oct. 8, 2014
State Journal-Star: Director: Quinn anti-violence program mostly sound
The former agency head overseeing Gov. Pat Quinn's troubled anti-violence program gave state lawmakers a contrasting picture Wednesday, saying the 2010 initiative largely worked, creating jobs and opportunities during a violent time for the Chicago area.
Shaw was among seven former officials subpoenaed before the Legislative Audit Commission, which is reviewing a state audit outlining "pervasive" management and spending problems. Cook County and federal authorities are also investigating.
10. Oct. 6, 2014
Tribune: Quinn job training groups returning money
Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn spent nearly $5 million on special job training grants as part of a sweeping anti-violence program he quickly launched during his 2010 campaign, but about a third of the community groups that received money had to give some of it back.
In all, eight of 25 community groups getting Quinn's Training for Tomorrow grants fell short of the program's goals and have returned money or plan to reimburse the state about $220,000. Most of the repayments came in after the Tribune inquired about the grants in early August.
9. Oct. 6, 2014
Crain's: New questions about clout in Quinn's anti-violence program
A church closely connected to former top gubernatorial aide Billy Ocasio was awarded a contract for up to $100,000 from Gov. Pat Quinn's embattled Neighborhood Recovery Initiative — even though Mr. Ocasio had helped supervise NRI grant-making as Mr. Quinn's senior adviser.
New Life Covenant Church, where Mr. Ocasio's wife, Veronica Ocasio, works as chief of staff, received the contract and ultimately was paid just under $43,000 for developing a youth employment program, according to records compiled by the Illinois Auditor General's office and information obtained from state records by Crain's.
8. Oct. 3, 2014
U.S. Attorney's Office: Mount Vernon Woman Pleads Guilty to Health Care Fraud
Stephen R. Wigginton, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today, that Margaret R. Teriet, 32, of Mount Vernon, Illinois, pled guilty to a one-count indictment charging that she engaged in a scheme to commit health care fraud. Sentencing has been set for January 15, 2015, in United States District Court in Benton, Illinois. Teriet will face up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to 3 years of supervised release.
During her plea hearing, Teriet admitted that she had submitted false and fraudulent bills in relation to her alleged performance of personal assistant services in the Home Services Program, a Medicaid Waiver Program designed to allow individuals to stay in their homes instead of entering a nursing home. Teriet admitted to falsely billing the program between April 30, 2012 and December 31, 2012, when she purportedly rendered personal assistant services to an individual when she, in fact, did not. As a result, Teriet improperly received payments for services not performed.
7. Oct. 3, 2014
Department of Justice: Cahokia Woman Sentenced For Stealing Funds From Department Of Veterans Affairs
The United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Stephen R. Wigginton, announced today that Mary Lee Owens, 54, of Cahokia, was sentenced today in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois in East Saint Louis on charges that she stole pension benefits from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. Owens admitted that from November 2004 through April 2013, she fraudulently obtained $70,260 from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
6. Oct. 3, 2014
Washington Times: How a college hid $95 million in expense like booze, shooting clubs
The second-largest college in Illinois has been rocked by a financial scandal caused by shady bookkeeping and a litany of questionable purchases, including a pricey shooting club membership for the school's president, and hundreds of thousands of dollars in alcohol purchases accounted for in the books as an "instructional supply."
The College of DuPage managed to hide more than $95 million in expenditures on more than 82,600 transactions since 2009 thanks to a peculiar type of accounting that allowed for thousands of purchases to be lumped together into one line item, according to data uncovered by American Transparency's OpenTheBooks.com, an online portal aggregating 1.3 billion lines of federal, state and local spending.
5. Oct. 2, 2014
Tribune: State Sen. Trotter denies approving letters to top Zimbabwe officials
State Sen. Donne Trotter testified in federal court Thursday that he never authorized a South Side man to sign letters on his behalf promising top Zimbabwe officials that he would lobby President Barack Obama to end U.S. sanctions against the African nation's oppressive regime.
Trotter, a South Side Democrat, is a key prosecution witness against C. Gregory Turner, who is charged with illegally lobbying to push for the lifting of economic sanctions imposed in 2003 on Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe's government.
4. Oct. 2, 2014
Sun-Times: GOP attacks 'rebranded' NRI program, Quinn ridicules claim
The ranking Republican on a legislative panel probing the failed Neighborhood Recovery Initiative accused Gov. Pat Quinn Thursday of launching a "rebranded" multimillion-dollar anti-violence program designed to boost his re-election chances ahead of next month's election.
A Quinn spokesman branded state Sen. Jason Barickman's claim as "false and ridiculous," and said the state dollars in question that were expended since July 1 went to pay for programming authorized in the previous state budget cycle.
Barickman, R-Bloomington, was joined by state Sen. Dale Righter, R-Mattoon, and Sen. Darin LaHood, R-Peoria, in alleging that Quinn was siphoning off millions of dollars to some of the same social-service providers who took a drubbing in a February audit of the 2010 NRI program.
3. Oct. 2, 2014
Tribune: Few red light camera refunds, spikes unexplained
City Hall has promised 126 refunds to drivers tagged for $100 fines during suspicious spikes in red light camera tickets discovered by a Tribune investigation but upheld thousands of other tickets issued at the same times — all without explaining what caused the sudden surges.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel's administration offered to review nearly 16,000 tickets issued during spikes exposed by the Tribune in July, and about 3,300 responses came back. A Tribune review of who got those letters and the way the appeals are being conducted raises new questions about the city's effort to restore confidence in Chicago's beleaguered camera program.
2. Oct. 1, 2014
Sun-Times: Bribe allegations against state Sen. Donne Trotter withdrawn
Defense attorneys in the illegal lobbying trial of C. Greg Turner have withdrawn allegations that state Sen. Donne Trotter accepted a $2,000 cash bribe as part of an FBI sting.
Turner's attorneys Michael Leonard and James Tunick last week had alleged that Trotter accepted the cash from Turner's co-defendant, Prince Asiel Ben Israel, then failed to declare it as either a political contribution or as income on his taxes.
1. Oct. 1, 2014
Sun-Times: Lawyer: Key witness will answer questions from panel probing NRI
The former head of the state agency Gov. Pat Quinn put in charge of his failed Neighborhood Recovery Initiative anti-violence grant program will answer questions from a legislative panel next week, her lawyer said Tuesday.
Barbara Shaw, the one-time director of the Illinois Violence Prevention Authority is regarded as a pivotal witness with firsthand knowledge of the preparation and roll-out of the $54.5 million grant program that is now under criminal investigation by federal prosecutors in Springfield and Chicago.
Prepared by the Illinois Policy Institute