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Quick Hit
by Progress Illinois
9:17am
Thu Sep 27, 2012
2 comments

Op-Ed: Gov. Quinn's Office Sets The Record Straight On Policies, Relationship With Unions

The following op-ed is by Brooke Anderson, Press Secretary to Governor Pat Quinn.

Nobody is more committed to improving life for working families than Governor Quinn. Some of your readers will recall that back in 1993, Governor Quinn was among the few elected officials to stand with organized labor in opposing NAFTA. For three decades, he advocated for a humane minimum wage and workers’ rights. He has joined union brothers and sisters on more picket lines than any Illinois Governor in memory, dating back to his meeting César Chávez in the 1970s. Governor Quinn organized the Citizens Utility Board – along with groups like the Labor Coalition for Public Utilities – which has saved Illinois consumers $10 billion in utility rate reductions and refunds since 1985.

Since he became governor, jobs have been Governor Quinn’s number one priority. And his efforts have produced solid results for the working people of Illinois.

Read more »

Quick Hit
by Matthew Blake
6:55pm
Wed Sep 26, 2012

Lawmakers, Advocates Make Human Rights Case To Close Tamms

With the fate of Tamms supermax prison at an impasse, those who support its closure made the case today that the facility must shut down on human rights grounds.

Advocates with the Tamms Year Ten coalition spoke grimly of the 23-hour daily solitary confinement experienced by inmates who are fed through slots in cell doors and often deal with sensory deprivation. Speakers noted that both Amnesty International and the ACLU condemn the prison for violating international human rights agreements.

“This is a moral issue,” declared U.S. Rep. Danny Davis (D-Chicago). Read more »

PI Original
by Matthew Blake
10:15am
Mon Sep 24, 2012

The New Face Of Chicago Gang Violence

Crime

Like overall city violence, gang violence is on a long-term decline despite the uptick this year. Moreover, there are changes in what constitutes a gang and how gangs use violence. Gangs are not just more splintered, their leadership is increasingly younger and more fluid.

Quick Hit
by Matthew Blake
1:14pm
Wed Sep 19, 2012

As Prison Population Goes Up, Facility Closure Plan Stalls

Illinois prison reform advocates received news sparking two causes for concern in the last few days.

On Friday, a state appellate court denied Gov. Pat Quinn’s appeal to undo a restraining order that has postponed state facility closings, including the shut down of Tamms Supermax Prison. And yesterday the Associated Press reported that the state’s prison population hit a record-high of 49,154 inmates over the weekend. The Illinois Department of Corrections system is designed to hold 33,700 prisoners. Read more »

PI Original
by Matthew Blake
1:51pm
Mon Sep 17, 2012
1 comment

Why Pat Quinn's Relationship With Labor Is On The Rocks

Labor

On August 10, Gov. Pat Quinn visited Caterpillar machinists on a picket line in Joliet, donating $10,000 to a union strike fund. But Quinn offered no position on the walkout, except bromides such as “believe in yourselves” to machinists who had been on strike for more than three months.