RiverCitiesReader.com Recent cover stories, news, features and commentaries. http://www.rcreader.com Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:23:16 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.3 http://www.rcreader.com/images/M_images/rss.png RiverCitiesReader.com http://www.rcreader.com Recent cover stories, news, features and commentaries. Criticism of Quinn’s State of the State Speech Misguided http://www.rcreader.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=21298&Itemid=438 After more than a decade of extreme scandal and gross government mismanagement, far too many Illinoisans seem to be wallowing or even perversely reveling in our state’s embarrassing failures. Just... Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:26:26 +0100 Iowa Will Attempt to Follow Nevada and D.C. with Online Poker http://www.rcreader.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=21261&Itemid=442 Jody Miller played online poker for three to four years before the government cracked down on the practice a couple of years ago. Before that, Miller said, online poker was technically... Sat, 04 Feb 2012 11:59:23 +0100 Bill Calls for University Presidents to Feel the Pain of Tuition Hikes http://www.rcreader.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=21260&Itemid=442 If students enrolled at Iowa’s state universities have to pay higher tuition, university presidents should share the pain, some House Republicans said. “This is about making accountable a person that is... Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:33:20 +0100 How Public-Safety Pensions Are Increasing Your Taxes http://www.rcreader.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=21248&Itemid=93 State public-employee pension systems are grossly underfunded in general and are financial time bombs for most states. According to the 2010 paper “Are State Public Pensions Sustainable?”, 31 state pension... Thu, 02 Feb 2012 12:25:27 +0100 Bill Could Be Coming Due for Teacher Pensions http://www.rcreader.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=21198&Itemid=438 Last week, powerful Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan appeared to all but endorse an idea to force Downstate and suburban school districts to pay a significant share of their state... Sun, 29 Jan 2012 12:04:31 +0100 City and County Officials: Help Us Fix Our Roads http://www.rcreader.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=21194&Itemid=442 City and county officials expressed frustration and a sense of helplessness January 24 over the lack of money to repair crumbling roads and bridges. The local-government leaders argued strenuously at a... Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:15:46 +0100 Stopping the Rush to War Against Iran http://www.rcreader.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=21128&Itemid=414 A growing group of individuals and organizations has designated Saturday, February 4, as a “National Day of Action” aimed at preventing a war against Iran. The manifesto is simple: “No... Wed, 25 Jan 2012 11:57:40 +0100 Taxpayer Group Vows It Won’t Be Alone in Opposing a Gas-Tax Hike http://www.rcreader.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=21127&Itemid=442 As momentum builds for a measure to increase Iowa’s gas tax to pay for the state’s roads and bridges, a taxpayer-advocate group is one of the lone voices opposing the... Tue, 24 Jan 2012 17:51:03 +0100 U.S. V. Jones: The Battle for the Fourth Amendment Continues http://www.rcreader.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=21126&Itemid=414 In a unanimous 9-0 ruling in United States V. Jones, the U.S. Supreme Court has declared that police must get a search warrant before using GPS technology to track criminal... Tue, 24 Jan 2012 17:30:13 +0100 How to Get Around Illinois’ Campaign-Contribution Caps http://www.rcreader.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=21051&Itemid=438 Back when the reformers demanded that state campaign contributions be capped, they said it would limit the dollars flowing into Illinois political funds. But, overall, contributions have only barely decreased from... Sun, 22 Jan 2012 12:41:08 +0100