Search query: Illinois

Credit: naoha.org Initial foreclosure filings were 6 percent higher last month than in July 2011, according to RealtyTrac. Year-over-year, initial foreclosure notice filings to distressed homeowners has increased for three months in a row. Experts expect a continued uptick in defaults as the nation's largest banks enjoy more freedom from litigation following a nationwide settlement over industry-wide loan fraud. Even as foreclosure proceedings increase, home repossessions are on the decline, s

While the War on Women and Chick-fil-A might be getting all the juicy headlines lately, there's another issue quietly smoldering in the background noise of this election season. It's buried under all the campaign rhetoric and doom-and-gloom forecasts about the economy.Our public libraries are not just threatened this election season. They're fighting for their lives -- and with them, the livelihoods and well-being of hard-hit communities all over the country. Library districts in California, Il

Credit: GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy Plutonium is the nuclear nightmare of nuclear power. A by-product of conventional power-station reactors, it is the key ingredient in nuclear weapons. And even when not made into bombs, it is a million-year radioactive waste legacy that is already costing the world billions of dollars a year to contain. And yet, some scientists say, we have the technology to burn plutonium in a new generation of "fast" reactors. That could dispose of the waste problem, reducin

(Photo: fitsnews.com) According to various reports, Rand Paul is going to speak at this month's Republican National Convention. The news somewhat answers a question bandied in the media: what role will Ron or Rand Paul play at the convention? It is likely that this is just the pay-off for Rand Paul's June endorsement of Mitt Romney. Although a prime-time speaking slot at a major party convention isn't what it used to be, like Illinois state senator Barack Obama in 2004, this may be the younge

Angus King, former independent governor of Maine in 1994 and 1998 is running for senate as an independent in November. King has gotten a lot of media atention so far, what other independent governors are we overlooking? Illinois Maine Minnesota Oregon Rhode Island and Texas have all had formally elected independent governors. In 1974, Illinois elected its first two governors, Shadrach Bond and Edward Coles, both independents. Besides Angus King, Maine elected independent James B Longley in 19

Credit: occupyboston.org Harvard Law Professor Lawrence Lessig knows about the money that flows through the election cycle. Just this Tuesday, Lessig testified before Congress at a hearing regarding the Citizens United decision. The hearing examined the effects of the decision and possible responses, like the Disclose Act and Fair Elections Now Act. What's important is that Lessig authored a 17 page testimony backed by daunting statistics in campaign finance. Professor Lessig is careful not st

Credit: usnews.com The drought that has been plaguing vast areas of the nation this summer, has intensified dramatically over the past week according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. The unrelenting heat and dryness of the regions most severely affected has caused the increased drought conditions stretching across 29 states. Drought Monitor author, Brian Fuchs, stated that the recent jump is the highest ever recorded since the inception of the nation’s drought monitor. The states in which drought

This weekend, the National Governors Association (NGA) will be meeting in Williamsburg, Virginia. The NGA is an annual meeting of current governors from all fifty U.S. states and five U.S. Territories. In honor of this year's meeting, here's the five memorable moments from governors past and present. Governor Chris Christie – New Jersey Governor Christie responds to a reporter questioning his tone of voice. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQQdZFtHJD8 Governor Angus King – Maine Governor King

Governor Rick Perry of Texas joins a list of growing states who say they will refuse to implement Medicaid expansion in their states. The one-time presidential hopeful stated yesterday, “If anyone was in doubt, we in Texas have no intention to implement so-called state exchanges or to expand Medicaid under Obamacare.” Gov. Rick Perry’s decision makes Texas the sixth state to opt out of Medicaid expansion so far. Texas joins Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Wisconsin in using

[Last week], the California Senate passed the TRUST Act.  Known by some as the “anti-Arizona immigration law,” it would limit California law enforcement’s cooperation with the federal Secure Communities program.  The TRUST Act is positive news for California budgets, residents of the state, and police departments that practice community-policing strategies. The TRUST Act is an improvement for three main reasons: community policingJames Makowski Beyond the TRUST Act, Secure Communities should