|
Comment on this article |
Email this Article
|
|
News :: Miscellaneous |
|
UCIMC Local News Nov. 27, 2000 |
Current rating: 0 |
by Mike Lehman
(No verified email address) |
26 Nov 2000
|
Local News from the WEFT IMC News Hour
6 to 7 pm
90.1 FM
Nov. 27, 2000
listen LIVE during showtime at the WEFT web address |
Tonight the Urbana City Council will discuss changes in development regulations to encourage more green space creation during their meeting which begins at 7:30pm in the City Building. Improvements in regulations covering the location of bike racks will also be discussed. Some bike racks have been installed in recent years, but a number of public spaces, such as the Federal Courthouse, still lack this basic amenity to encourage more use of low impact transportation.
Tomorrow night, Tuesday, November 28th, the Illinois Department of Agriculture will be holding an informational hearing on the proposed Stone Ridge Mega-Dairy Factory in McClean County. The hearing will be held at the Bellflower Community Center in Bellflower, Illinois, and will begin at 6:00 PM.. The public is invited to comment on the possible negative effects of the proposed 3,600 cow farm on the area\'s quality of life and the potential problems with regard to property taxes, economic development and air & water pollution caused by factory farms.
The Illinois General Assembly is considering a proposal to study a problem that local students and teachers are already familiar with: what to do about Illinois colleges and universities which have come to rely heavily on part-time teachers who have poor pay and little in the way of benefits. Part-time instructors carry class loads almost as heavy as full-timers, have to have similar qualifications, but are often paid at a only 25% of the rate of full-time professors.
It appears 1,400 patients of two well-regarded local doctors will be able to keep seeing them after PersonalCare announced it had capitulated to demands that insurance coverage for their patients not be ended by the HMO. Patients and the Champaign County Healthcare Consumers had organized to oppose the move to end the doctor’s contracts with Christie Clinic.
Champaign County recorded its lowest unemployment rate in 25 years when those out of work dropped to 1.8% of the workforce in October. However, quality jobs still remain a problem for many local workers. About 20% of Champaign County government employees make less than a Living Wage of $8.20 an hour and it is estimated that the rate for employees of private firms in the county is similar. Local public economic development programs to aid business currently have little in the way of requirements that public money actually create jobs that pay at least a Living Wage.
Following the remodeling of its kitchen, the Catholic Worker House is again serving a daily lunch time meal from 11 am to 12:30 pm. Located at 317 S. Randolph St. in Champaign, the house serves the hungry and welcomes your donation.
There are two distinctly different standards for dealing dangerous drugs in Champaign County. Deal regular street drugs and you may get a visit from the SWAT team and a trip to prison. Push cigarettes to kids and you can count on getting at least two warnings and your employee is the only one who gets a ticket. Don’t hold your breathe on States Attorney John Piland sending any of the mostly rich, white tobacco dealers to the big house anytime soon.
Citizens are reminded that they have until Dec. 18 to submit petitions to run in the spring elections. School boards in both cities will elect members and you should contact the school superintendent’s office in the respective city for petitions. In Champaign, all the district-seat council members are up for election. In Urbana, the mayor, city clerk and all council members stand for election. Those wanting to run for city offices should contact the city clerk’s office for candidate petitions.
Looks like the Champaign Schools could use some enlightenment about the need for a diverse education. In last week’s Phil Bloomer column, the principal of Edison Middle School was quoted as being very concerned about \"discordant...elements\" who spread \"unwanted controversy\". All this over an incident regarding the divisive Chief Illiniwek issue, which the U of I Board of Trustees and much of the local media claim brings our community closer together.
Although Democratic Party apparatchik Jerry Landay has yet to acknowledge their important contribution, the 3,500 local Nader voters appear to have helped tipped the balance of power on the County Board. Champaign County was only slightly in favor of Gore over Bush, but the margin provided by Nader voters going on to punch Democratic further down the ballot seems to have allowed the Dems to take control for the first time ever from the Republicans who worked to keep county government stuck in the 19th century for the entire 20th century.
|
See also:
http://www.prairienet.org/weft/
|
