Should citizens of this state have a right to know whether their governor and his administration are under criminal investigation?

According to the Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, the answer is "no."

Kathleen McCarthy, in her "Donkey in Elephant's Clothing" opinion piece (see River Cities' Reader Issue 584, June 7-13, 2006), invited dues-paying members of local chambers of commerce to consider whether their interests as small-business owners were being served by the chambers' support for Governor Tom Vilsack's recent veto of House File (H.F.) 2351, and the governor's call for a special session of the legislature to modify this act. I have been a dues-paying member of the Davenport Chamber of Commerce and its corporate successor for nearly 25 years, and I am in total accord on these issues with both the governor and business leaders' support for the governor.

When last we heard from state Senator James Meeks, he had dropped out of the governor's race and endorsed Governor Rod Blagojevich's much hyped education/lottery plan. With the proposal currently under fire from almost all corners, I thought it might be a good time to check back in with him. 

On Thursday,  June 15, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued the following news release:

"Rhythm City Casino Permit

"The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rock Island District, in coordination with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region VII; the U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service; the Iowa Department of Natural Resources; the State Historical Society of Iowa; and the city of Davenport, has issued a permit to relocate the Rhythm City Casino riverboat to an area upstream of their current location on the Mississippi River in Davenport., Iowa.