CARBONDALE - Lt. Governor Sheila Simon will visit two Southern Illinois community colleges Tuesday to launch an anti-texting while driving campaign and honor fallen service members.

Teaming up with AT&T and community colleges across the state, Simon will kick off the "It Can Wait" campaign at John A. Logan College and pledge to never text while driving. Community college students, a large proportion of whom drive to school, will be encouraged to join Simon in the pledge and learn about the dangers of texting while driving. Nationwide, drivers who text while driving are 23 times more likely to be in an accident, according to the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute.

Simon will pay tribute to Illinois' fallen military service members at Kaskaskia College at the opening of the "Portrait of a Soldier" exhibit, and remember those who have been killed since Sept. 11, 2001 in the Global War on Terror. The college is constructing a "Veterans Tribute" to recognize past, present and future veterans with private funds.

Tuesday, September 11

EVENT: "It Can Wait" campaign launch

TIME: 2 p.m.

PLACE: Atrium, John A. Logan College, 700 Logan College Drive, Carterville

EVENT: Portrait of a Soldier ceremony

TIME: 6 p.m.

PLACE: Lifelong Building, Kaskaskia College, 27210 College Road, Centralia

CHICAGO - August 18, 2012. Lt. Governor Sheila Simon today issued the following statement regarding Governor Pat Quinn's signing of House Bill 1645, which will help fund rape crisis centers through fees based on strip club profits or admissions.

Simon said: "I thank Governor Quinn for standing up for rape victims and crisis centers across the state. This new revenue stream will help offset cuts that threatened critical services. When a sexual assault victim goes to a police station or a survivor calls a hotline, we need trained staff ready to respond. This bill helps to keep lights on and doors open, jobs filled and responders trained."

Under the law, strip club owners can choose to pay the state on an annual basis a $3 per patron fee or opt to pay a flat fee based on the taxable receipts they report to the Illinois Department of Revenue each year. Clubs that report taxable receipts of $2 million or more would pay $25,000 a year; clubs that report taxable receipts of $500,000 to $2 million would pay $15,000; and clubs that report taxable receipts of less than $500,000 would pay $5,000, according to the new law.

The law goes into effect January 2013 and applies only to strip clubs that serve or permit alcohol consumption. It is projected to raise up to $1 million per year, or roughly one-sixth of what the state spends on sexual assault prevention and response annually. In fiscal year 2011, rape crisis centers in Illinois served more than 18,000 clients and reached nearly 475,000 people with prevention education.

The $3 per patron surcharge and fee structure was a compromise reached by rape crisis advocates, club owners and sponsors Sen. Toi Hutchinson (D-Chicago Heights) and Rep. Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago). The bill originally called for a $5 per patron entry fee.

"I would like to thank the Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault as well as Lt. Governor Sheila Simon for their constant and unwavering support for this new law," Hutchinson said. "Victims of sexual assault must be able to access emergency services to fully recover from their traumatic experiences. I am hopeful the extra funding for sexual assault centers across Illinois will ensure no victim is turned away for care when they need it the most."

The new revenue will go into the new Sexual Assault Services and Prevention Fund and be distributed by the Department of Human Services for community-based assistance to victims of sexual assault and sexual assault prevention.  There are at least 32 rape crisis centers serving Illinois residents - 10 in the Chicago-metro region and 22 in the non-metro area. State funding for the centers has decreased about 28 percent in the past five years, forcing many centers to cut counselors and/or create waiting lists for counseling services while demand for services increased. One center closed its doors.

Last year, the Texas Supreme Court upheld legislation that funded crisis centers through a $5 entrance fee at strip clubs that permit alcohol based on the correlation among alcohol, live nude dancing and negative secondary effects, such as sexual assault. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge of that decision, effectively opening the door for other cities and states to pursue similar measures.

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Digital media company calls sweet home Chicago

CHICAGO - July 30, 2012. Crediting The Onion for uniting all of its business and editorial operations in Chicago, Lt. Governor Sheila Simon will declare it "The Onion Day" on Tuesday to celebrate the digital media company's consolidation of its headquarters in Illinois.

Formerly based in Madison, Wis., with its editorial staff headquartered in New York City, The Onion consolidated its media operations in Chicago this month, which will include a new studio for digital video production. The Onion, along with its sister publication The A.V. Club, will house approximately 100 employees in its new offices and studio in River North in October.

"No matter how you slice it, The Onion brings tears to my eyes," Simon said. "From its spot-on satire of our politics, to its use of our web video tax credit, The Onion shows that Illinois is a great place to do business and that Chicago is a great comedy town. We encourage other digital media companies to make us their first choice for their international headquarters."

Among other factors, The Onion management attributes its relocation to the Illinois tax credit for web video, TV and film production, the city's vibrant comedy scene and proximity to Hot Doug's Encased Meat Emporium and Hotdog Superstore.

Meanwhile, "Chicago" loosely translates from the Native American Potowatami language to "wild onion" or "native garlic," which was surely a selling point, Simon said.

"The Onion is very happy to return to its Midwestern roots," said Steve Hannah, President and CEO of Onion, Inc. "and especially happy to land in Chicago. Our brand of journalism has a peculiarly Midwestern sensibility and, combined with the state's generous tax credit for video production, we feel that we have landed in the right place."

The declaration will come during a fundraiser for the Better Government Association emceed by WGN TV's Larry Potash and Robin Baumgarten. Simon will dedicate a country music parody to The Onion and the BGA for their work in exposing political corruption and promoting government transparency.

"Corruption isn't funny, but sometimes you have to laugh to keep from crying," said BGA president Andy Shaw, "so we'll laugh at The Onion's unique brand of journalism and the lieutenant governor's unique way of welcoming them to Illinois, and then we'll go back to our unique anti-corruption watchdog mission of shining a light on government and holding public officials accountable."

The Onion is the self-proclaimed "biggest, most powerful, most terrifying and most influential media company in the civilized world." Figures provided by company say it has an audience of approximately 3 billion people worldwide across its various media platforms, including The Onion newspaper syndicate, The Onion News Network in web video and on television, The Onion Radio Network, the pop-culture A.V. Club, Zweibel Worldwide Productions and Onion Digital Studios.

Chicago politicians, media outlets and sports teams frequently have been targets of The Onion's writers. Past headlines in The Onion include : "City of Chicago to Modernize Outdated Graft Programs"; "Chicago Cubs Sell Naming Rights to Chewing Gum Company"; and "Struggling 'Chicago Tribune' Cuts Asia Bureau, Expands Sudoku Staff". It was the only news outlet to report on the deadly 2003 "meatwave" in Chicago.

Supposedly founded by two University of Wisconsin-Madison students in 1988, The Onion is published and/or broadcast in 87 different languages in 159 countries. At any given moment approximately 80 percent of the world's population is being watched by one of The Onion News Network's cameras, its sources say.

Among other awards, The Onion has won the Thurber Prize for American Humor, numerous Webbys for the best journalism in multiple creative categories on the Internet, and the prestigious Peabody Award for excellence in broadcasting. In recent months, The Onion produced four original shows for its premium YouTube channel and, along with its staff, hired numerous members of Chicago's television community to assist in production.

Lt. Governor Simon's declaration in honor of The Onion can be found here.

CHICAGO - Lt. Governor Sheila Simon will celebrate the 40th anniversary of Title IX today with Chicago Sky Coach Pokey Chatman, Sky players Swin Cash and Ruth Riley, and some members of the Sky's honorary Title IX team. Enacted on June 23, 1972, Title IX banned sex discrimination in schools, and led to expanded opportunities for female athletes.

Simon, a record-holding high jumper at Wittenberg University in Ohio, will declare Wednesday "Title IX Day" in Illinois, and Coach Chatman will announce the Sky's honorary Title IX team. The team members are: Margaret Stender, chairwoman, former president and CEO of the Chicago Sky; Sarah Spain, ESPN/ESPNW contributor and reporter; Amy Skeen, president and CEO of Girls in the Game; Lisa Cole, founder of the Chicago Force; Julie Foudy, member of USA Women's Soccer Team; Peg Kopec, volleyball coach at St. Francis High School in Wheaton; Ramelia Williams, former Chicago director of Go Girl Go!; and Maria Wynne, CEO for Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana; and Lt. Governor Simon.

DATE: Wednesday, June 20

TIME: 2:30 p.m.

PLACE: James R. Thompson Center Plaza, 100 W. Randolph St., Chicago

ADDITIONAL: The Sky will host festivities on the plaza from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., including a performance by its acrobatic team and drum line. The declaration ceremony will follow.