Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Find out which bridges in the Deerfield, Highland Park, Lake Bluff and Lake Forest area are labeled as "structurally deficient."
President Barack Obama proposed Tuesday night a "Fix It First" program to address the nation's crumbling infrastructure—like roads and bridges—in an effort to improve citizens' quality of life and bring jobs to the United States. There are nearly 70,000 "structurally deficient" bridges throughout the United States that require "significant maintenance, rehabilitation or replacement," according to the Transportation for America website. In Illinois, 8.5 percent of the state's bridges are "structurally deficient." The state is ranked 35th worst nationally for the overall quality of its bridges, according to the Transportation for America website. Locally, there are a handful of bridges that are highlighted as structurally deficient on the …
Mark Kirk and the president shared a moment as Obama entered the House Floor for the State of the Union address.
Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Highland Park) had a close personal encounter with President Barack Obama as the President walked down the aisle of the House of Representatives on his way to the podium deliver the State of the Union, according to a report on UPI. Kirk, who returned to the Senate in January after spending nearly a year recovering from a stroke, fist bumped the President before the two embraced as seen on the You Tube video. After the speech, Kirk endorsed the President’s call for tougher gun control legislation, as reported earlier today on Patch. “We should work as a nation to reduce gun violence and save lives,” Kirk said on Patch. “I believe we can pass a universal background check bill this year to keep guns away from criminals and …
Freshman Brad Schneider and Veteran Jan Schakowsky come away with different impressions of the same message. Sen. Mark Kirk joins the chorus on gun control.
Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Deerfield) and Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Evanston) saw President Barack Obama’s State of the Union through different eyes but came away with the same message Tuesday. Both north suburban lawmakers praised and ratified the President’s proposals to raise the minimum wage, stimulate job growth, implement gun control and more. They heard the same message but saw it differently. Earlier: Schneider, Schakowsky Give Back to Honor King Schakowsky, a seven-term veteran, was excited by the challenge the President laid at the feet of Congress while Schneider was awed by the full experience of his first State of the Union address on the floor of the House of Representatives. “It was a pretty incredible experience,” Schneider said…
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Patch asks Highland Park residents to weigh in on President Obama's State of the Union address.
President Barack Obama gave his fourth State of the Union address on Tuesday, Feb. 12. "There is much progress to report," he began. "Together we have cleared away the rubble of crisis." President Obama spoke of bi-partisan tax reform that includes lowering the tax rates on American businesses. He urged Congress to pass a budget that "replaces reckless cuts with smart savings." He also spoke of job creation, proposing a "fix-it first" program to repair our nation's infrastructure, including 70,000 "structurally deficit bridges." The President called for the minimum wage to be increased to $9 an hour because "no one who works full-time should have to live in poverty." He also encouraged Congress to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act because …
President Barack Obama will give his State of the Union address at 8 p.m. CST Tuesday, Feb. 12.
Monday, February 11, 2013
Hadiya, 15, was a Chicago honors student who was shot and killed last month. Schneider invited her mother as his guest. She will now be sitting, along with Hadiya's father, with Michelle Obama during the president's speech.
Chicago shooting victim Hadiya Pendleton's mother will be Congressman Brad Schneider's guest at Tuesday's State of the Union Address, according to his office. Hadiya, 15, an honors student at King College Prep in Chicago, was gunned down in a park last month about a mile from President Obama's Kenwood home. She had recently returned from his inauguration, where she had performed with her school band. Schneider invited her mother, Cleopatra Cowley, to attend Tuesday's State of the Union Address last week. The Chicago Tribune reported Monday that Cowley and Hadiya's father, Nathaniel A. Pendleton, will sit with First Lady Michelle Obama during the speech. Regardless of the seating arrangements, Cowley will be there as Schneider's guest, …
Friday, February 8, 2013
President Barack Obama will give his State of the Union address at 8 p.m. CST Tuesday, Feb. 12.
Obama's annual State of the Union address is the most important speech he delivers and could be the most important of his entire presidency, argues the Washington Post. The President is expected to preview the 2014 federal budget and discuss, among other issues, gun control, job creation, infrastructure repair, deficit and debt, climate change, the military and protecting the middle class, according to useconomy.about.com. Obama's State of the Union address begins at 8 p.m. CST. What agenda items are you most interested in? Are you attending or hosting a State of the Union viewing party? Post the details in the comments to share with your neighbors.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Local members of Congress like ideas on education but differ on other issues.
Local members of Congress who sit on opposite sides of the political aisle found areas of agreement in President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address Tuesday, but their initial reaction was very different. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Evanston) heard a strong vision for the country from the President, while Rep. Robert Dold (R-Kenilworth) thought Obama was offering campaign themes in his speech. “It was more of a political speech than a State of the Union,” Dold said. Schakowsky, who has been a strong supporter of the President since he first ran for the U.S. Senate in 2004, heard a leader with a plan for progress who will act by executive order if necessary. “The President laid out a vision for real progress for working with the …
Gary
7:59 pm on Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Only companies employing unions will be able to get contracts to work on these bridges. This is just another payoff to his core supporters. Nothing more than that. This is the way the stimulus was run since day one, which is one of the reasons why it didn't help the economy. more ›