11 Jun 2014

Following in father's footsteps, Jacksonville Soldier retires as sergeant major

By Sgt. 1st Class Kassidy L. Snyder, Illinois National Guard Public Affairs

SPRINGFIELD, IL (06/11/2014)(readMedia)-- "Who I am and what I've become is due to the military," said Sgt. Maj. Eric L. Walls, a native of Jacksonville, Illinois, with Joint Force Headquarters in Springfield, Illinois, who will retire in June after 32 years of military service. "This has been my whole life. This is all I've ever done since I was 17 years old."

After heavy encouragement from his father, a retired sergeant major from the Illinois Army National Guard, Walls enlisted in June 1982 as a fire control computer specialist and a small wheel vehicle mechanic with the 3637th Maintenance Company in Springfield, Illinois.

In 1984, Walls became a temporary full-time technician that resulted in a permanent full-time position as a supply specialist at Camp Lincoln in Springfield, Illinois.

"He has always been very focused and driven," said Master Sgt. David E. Purdy of Rochester, Illinois, with Joint Force Headquarters, who has worked at Camp Lincoln with Walls since 1988. "He wanted to learn everything we could teach him."

Walls held many positions during his military career, with his last position as the support services branch supervisor for the director of information management at Camp Lincoln.

The most rewarding position was his last, he said.

"I have a great team that knows what they have to do every day and they do a great job at it," said Walls. "They make my life easy."

Walls made his way up the ranks, serving as squad leader, platoon sergeant, and first sergeant of Joint Force Headquarters and as the task force sergeant major during his deployment to Afghanistan in 2010.

He and his team co-deployed with its Polish counterparts and worked together cohesively in Afghanistan, he said. Walls considered Poland one of the best countries visited during his military service.

"Poland stands out the most," said Walls. "We had a good mission, training with the Polish Army Brigade to go to Afghanistan and got to see a lot of the country."

Looking back, Walls said he was very grateful for his father setting him in this direction.

"I got three degrees, a lot of experience, great friends, and opportunities to do many things and learn a lot," said Walls. "It has been great."

He spent a lot of time educating himself and ended up following in his father's footsteps retiring as a sergeant major, said Purdy

After his military retirement, Walls intends to pursue other career options and see where the road leads. For future Soldiers he leaves advice to be as diverse as possible and get as much experience in different positions.

11 Jun 2014

AHF lauds Iowa Governor, Legislature on 'Historic' HIV Transmission Law

By Rick Martin

DES MOINES (June 11, 2014) - Marking the first change in state health code regarding HIV transmission in nearly a decade, Iowa Governor Terry E. Branstad signed a landmark bill on May 30 that will curb rampant convictions of people living with HIV for transmitting the virus by redefining the law to ensure only those who intend to spread HIV or behave with "reckless disregard" are penalized. The new HIV transmission bill should also ease an unspoken but clearly present discrimination toward HIV-positive Iowans in the state's legal justice system.

The bill, Senate File 2297, changes the Iowa Health Code so that proof of conduct with "reckless disregard" or intent to transmit HIV, or other communicable diseases like meningococcal disease and hepatitis of any form, is required before the infected person being accused can be charged. For years, the bill's passage has been pushed by more than 30 individuals and groups - including such influential entities as the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa, the Iowa Department of Public Health, the Iowa Attorney General's Office, the HIV Community Coalition, AIDS Healthcare Foundation and the University of Iowa - and ultimately resulted in the law passing unanimously through the state's House and Senate on April 30.

"We've seen people sentenced to 20 years in prison without even transmitting the virus," said Joseph Terrill, Director of Community Mobilization for AHF. "The passage of this bill will change how laws in Iowa are skewed against those living with infectious diseases, and it is a testament to the collaborative advocacy work being done by citizens and groups in the state with whom we were proud to partner on this years-long effort under the leadership of Iowan Tami Haught of CHAIN. This work is a template that advocates from other states can follow to end codified discrimination against individuals who are HIV-positive."

The bill's signing took place just ahead of Iowa's first "HIV Is Not A Crime" Conference, taking place all this week in the town of Grinnell. The conference, scheduled from June 2nd through the 5th at Grinnell College in Iowa, is itself a historic gathering that is looking at strategies for replicating Iowa's success in other states. Organized by and for HIV-positive individuals and their advocates, the conference is poised be a game changer for HIV decriminalization advocacy.

Major health code adjustments that arise from the bill include the changing of the definition of "exposure" to mean "engaging in conduct that poses a substantial risk of transmission" and protecting indicted individuals living with a virus if they are on a treatment regimen and employing "practical means to prevent transmission." It narrows the scope of criminalization to those infected individuals who knowingly expose an uninfected person with intent to transmit the virus or those who expose an uninfected person with "reckless disregard" as to whether or not the personal contracts the virus. If intent or disregard is proven, the accused faces felony penalties of varying gravities whether the exposed individual contracts the virus or not.

Evidenced knowledge of one's HIV-positive status and proof of engagement in conduct that carries potential for exposure are on their own insufficient for proving intent or disregard, according to the bill. The infected individual is also protected if they informed their partner of their status and the uninfected partner consented to exposure with that knowledge. Scientifically evaluated HIV tests are to be conducted and reviewed by medical practitioners to prove anyone accused of criminal transmission was in fact positive at the time of the alleged assault.

The bill is also significant in the ways it intrinsically updates Iowa state laws to meet the needs and circumstances of today's Iowans. It repeals an archaic law that outlawed certain sexual conduct between unmarried individuals, and also strikes down a health code provision that would allow a county attorney to simply use a positive HIV test result as enough evidence to file charges of criminal transmission.

# # #

About AHF

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) is the largest non-profit HIV/AIDS healthcare provider in the USA. AHF currently provides medical care and/or services to over 312,000 individuals in 34 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, Eastern Europe, and Asia. For more information, visit www.aidshealth.org, find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/aidshealth and follow us on Twitter: @AIDSHealthcare

11 Jun 2014

Braley Pushes for Veterans Access to Care Act in Search for Solutions at VA

By Kirsten Hartman

Congressman: It's not enough to complain, we have to offer solutions

Washington, D.C. - Rep. Bruce Braley (IA-01) today is calling on Congressional leadership to pass his Veterans Access to Care Act in an attempt to make it easier to hire health care providers at VA hospitals and clinics around the country.

"Complaining about the problems at the VA on the sidelines isn't enough?we've got to get in there and offer solutions," Braley said. "We've seen recent reports from VA facilities in many parts of the country that it can be difficult to recruit medical providers?this bill is a commonsense solution that would help solve that problem and ensure our veterans are getting the care that they deserve."

 

In a letter to the Chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, Braley urges the committee to take up legislation that would make veterans' care facilities eligible to hire National Health Service Corps fellows, helping attract health care providers to careers helping veterans. 

The National Health Service Corps is a national scholarship and loan repayment program operated by the US Department of Health and Human Services that pays medical school expenses for future doctors, nurses, mental health professionals, and health practitioners who agree to work in medically underserved areas. Braley's bill would simply add Veterans Administration facilities and state veterans' homes as eligible "underserved areas" in which the Corps fellows would be eligible to serve.

"Given what we've discovered in recent months, it's nonsense that some of these VA hospitals and clinics don't qualify as 'underserved areas'," Braley said.

Recent reporting by the Des Moines Register indicated that initial wait times for appointments at the Iowa City VA facility were longer than the national average. Braley believes that the passage of this legislation could help facilities like Iowa City more easily recruit medical providers and reduce wait times.

"Iowa's veterans and all American veterans shouldn't have to fight when they come home to receive the care that was promised to them," Braley's letter reads.

Braley has consistently been a strong advocate for veterans. In 2011, Braley wrote the Combat Veterans Back to Work Act to provide employers with a payroll tax break if they hired recently returned veterans, including members of the Iowa National Guard. The bill was incorporated into new tax credits signed into law in November 2011.

A link to the letter can be found HERE.

# # #

11 Jun 2014

Iowa Court Of Appeals Opinions June 11, 2014

By Iowa Judicial Branch
NOTICE! Posting an opinion on this site DOES NOT constitute publication of the opinion. The opinions posted on this site are subject to modification or correction by the court. Opinions on this site are not to be considered final until the time for rehearing or further review has passed. The court of appeals publishes only a limited number of final opinions. An unpublished opinion of the Iowa appellate courts may be cited in a brief; however, unpublished opinions shall not constitute controlling legal authority. The official published opinions of the Iowa Court of Appeals are those published in the North Western Reporter published by West Group.

Opinions released before April 2006 and available in the archives are posted in Word format. Opinions released after April 2006 are posted to the website in PDF (Portable Document Format).   Note: To open a PDF you must have the free Acrobat Reader installed. PDF format preserves the original appearance of a document without requiring you to possess the software that created that document. For more information about PDF read: Using the Adobe Reader.

For your convenience, the Judicial Branch offers a free e-mail notification service for Supreme Court opinions, Court of Appeals opinions, press releases and orders. To subscribe, click here.

NOTE: Copies of these opinions may be obtained from the Clerk of the Supreme Court, Judicial Branch Building, 1111 East Court Avenue, Des Moines, IA 50319, for a fee of fifty cents per page.

Summaries of most recent opinions.

No. 3-1006 / 13-0062

IN THE MATTER OF PROPERTY SEIZED FOR FORFEITURE FROM CHARLES CLARK d/b/a DAY DREAMS CHARLES CLARK, Defendant-Appellant.

No. 4-012 / 12-2222

STATE OF IOWA, Plaintiff-Appellee, vs. STEWART O. NEWMAN, Defendant-Appellant.

No. 12-2216

LOUIS JOHNSON, Applicant-Appellant, vs. STATE OF IOWA, Respondent-Appellee.

No. 12-2273

STATE OF IOWA, Plaintiff-Appellee, vs. DUANE LUVERNE YATES, Defendant-Appellant.

No. 13-0052

STATE OF IOWA, Plaintiff-Appellee, vs. JEROME POWER, Defendant-Appellant.

No. 13-0067

BENJAMIN GADDEH, Applicant-Appellant, vs. STATE OF IOWA, Respondent-Appellee.

No. 13-0335

ROBERT JORDAN, Applicant-Appellant, vs. STATE OF IOWA, Respondent-Appellee.

No. 13-0456

STATE OF IOWA, Plaintiff-Appellee, vs. CARDNEL BROWN JR., Defendant-Appellant.

No. 13-0516

STATE OF IOWA, Plaintiff-Appellee, vs. CODY DEAN RADKE, Defendant-Appellant.

No. 13-0562

STATE OF IOWA, Plaintiff-Appellee, vs. CHARLES LEE WEDDINGTON, Defendant-Appellant.

No. 13-0588

STATE OF IOWA, Plaintiff-Appellee, vs. HILLARY TYLER, Defendant-Appellant.

No. 13-0623

STATE OF IOWA, Plaintiff-Appellee, vs. ROSCOE LEE WALLACE, Defendant-Appellant.

No. 13-0705

STATE OF IOWA, Plaintiff-Appellee, vs. KALANDIS RASHIRD MCNEIL, Defendant-Appellant.

No. 13-0763

BEAU JACKSON MORRIS, Applicant-Appellant, vs. STATE OF IOWA, Respondent-Appellee.

No. 13-0799

STATE OF IOWA, Plaintiff-Appellee, vs. JUSTEN ALAN FAGAN, Defendant-Appellant.

No. 13-0801

STATE OF IOWA, Plaintiff-Appellee, vs. TROY ANDREW WILLIAMS, Defendant-Appellant.

No. 13-0873

DEREK O. DEAN, Applicant-Appellant, vs. STATE OF IOWA, Respondent-Appellee.

No. 13-0985

STATE OF IOWA, Plaintiff-Appellee, vs. JEREMY L. RUTTER, Defendant-Appellant.

No. 13-1053

STATE OF IOWA, Plaintiff-Appellee, vs. PATRICK MORENO, Defendant-Appellant.

No. 13-1071

STATE OF IOWA, Plaintiff-Appellee, vs. AMANDA MARIE TAYLOR, Defendant-Appellant.

No. 13-1119

ROBERT MCFADDEN, Plaintiff-Appellant, vs. CENTRAL IOWA TRUCK AND TRAILER, INC., Defendant-Appellee.

No. 13-1168

LELAND B. ROUDYBUSH, Plaintiff-Appellee, vs. VALLI A. LEWIS and TIMOTHY LEWIS, Defendants-Appellants.

No. 13-1187

IN THE INTEREST OF K.R., K.R., K.R, K.R., K.R., and K.R, Minor Children, C.R., Father, Appellant.

No. 13-1203

STATE OF IOWA, Plaintiff-Appellee, vs. PABLO ELIAS-LOPEZ, Defendant-Appellant.

No. 13-1220

STATE OF IOWA, Plaintiff-Appellee, vs. THOMAS PATRICK OLOFSON, Defendant-Appellant.

No. 13-1268

STATE OF IOWA, Plaintiff-Appellee, vs. JAKE CHRISTIAN SMITH, Defendant-Appellant.

No. 13-1442

IN RE THE MARRIAGE OF MICHAEL GIRRES AND JESSICA GIRRES Upon the Petition of MICHAEL GIRRES, Petitioner-Appellant, And Concerning JESSICA GIRRES, Respondent-Appellee.

No. 13-1460

MEGAN E. SMITH, Petitioner-Appellant, vs. DANIEL R. BRYAN, Respondent-Appellee.

No. 13-1621

ANDREA B. HEMESATH, Petitioner-Appellee, vs. IOWA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, MOTOR VEHICLE DIVISION, Respondent-Appellant.

No. 13-1726

STEVEN KLEMAS, Plaintiff-Appellant, vs. CINDY HOLLAND, Defendant-Appellee.

No. 13-1817

STATE OF IOWA, Plaintiff-Appellee, vs. JAMES WILLIE JENNINGS JR., Defendant-Appellant.

No. 14-0102

DEREK M. ROLLING, Plaintiff-Appellee, vs. ANGELIA J. HOFFMAN, Defendant-Appellant.

No. 14-0146

IN THE INTEREST OF W.E., Minor Child, O.M., Father, Appellant.

No. 14-0315

IN THE INTEREST OF V.B., Minor Child, B.B., Mother, Appellant.

No. 14-0444

IN THE INTEREST OF L.H.B. and L.H.B., Minor Children F.B., Father, Appellant.

No. 14-0514

IN THE INTEREST OF H.B., Minor Child, D.B., Father, Appellant.

No. 14-0545

IN THE INTEREST OF D.W., Minor Child, J.W., Father, Appellant.

No. 14-0562

IN THE INTEREST OF M.B., Minor Child, C.B., Father, Appellant.

No. 14-0593

IN THE INTEREST OF S.B. and T.B., Minor Children, N.B., Father, Appellant, S.B., Mother, Appellant.

No. 14-0596

IN THE INTEREST OF A.L., Minor Child, K.L., Mother, Appellant.
11 Jun 2014

Volunteers Needed for Blues Festival

By MVBS

The 30th anniversary Mississippi Valley Blues Festival couldn't succeed without over 200 volunteers to make it happen.  Volunteers receive free admission and a souvenir t-shirt, as well as the undying gratitude of the Mississippi Valley Blues Society.

These volunteer shifts are still available:

  • Thursday July 3, 4:30?8:30 Tokens and Gate
  • Thursday July 3, 8:30?11:30 Beer Tent, Tokens and Gate.
  • Friday July 4 and Saturday July 5, Help needed everywhere from 6:00?9:30 and 9:30?11:30

To volunteer, register online at www.mvbs.org.  Click on Fest, then Volunteer.

11 Jun 2014

PHILLIPS, BANDITS CRUNCH KERNELS

By Scott Kornberg

Outfielder notches career-highs with four hits and three runs scored as Quad Cities moves into tie with Burlington for Wild Card

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (June 10, 2014) - Jandel Gustave and Michael Feliz each worked four innings, striking out a combined nine hitters, and Brett Phillips recorded career-highs with four hits and three runs scored in Quad Cities' 6-2 victory Tuesday over the Cedar Rapids Kernels at Perfect Game Field at Veterans Memorial Stadium. The win pushed the River Bandits into a tie with Burlington for the Western Division Wild Card with five games to play in the first half of the season.

River Bandits pitchers did not walk a batter, while their offense lumped enough hits together to score in four different innings, despite being sent down in order in four other frames. Quad Cities starter Jandel Gustave worked the first four innings, allowing two runs, one earned, on five hits with five strikeouts. Michael Feliz (2-1) earned the win in relief, firing four frames with four punchouts while scattering two hits. Chris Cotton worked a perfect ninth for Quad Cities.

Quad Cities struck first, with Phillips leading off the game with a base hit. Chan-Jong Moon then hit a slow groundball to the right side of the mound that Cedar Rapids starting pitcher Aaron Slegers fielded and threw away, allowing Phillips to score from first and Moon to reach third. After Brian Holberton flew out to center field, Chase McDonald, who went 2-for-4 with two RBIs, singled home Moon to make it 2-0 River Bandits.

With Quad Cities leading 2-1, Tyler White and Jon Kemmer each singled to put runners on first and second with two outs in the fourth. Brett Booth then hit a line drive to center that Jason Kanzler misjudged, overrunning the ball and having it roll all the way to the wall. Both White and Kemmer scored and Booth ended up at third with his first triple of the year to increase the River Bandits lead to 4-1.

After Cedar Rapids scored to make it 4-2 Bandits, Brett Phillips lined a triple of his own into right-center field to lead off the fifth, his 10th three-bagger of the year. Slegers got Moon to ground out to first, but walked Holberton to put runners on the corners. McDonald then laced a single to right to plate Phillips and give the Bandits a 5-2 lead.

Phillips again helped create a run in the seventh. He singled to right and then moved to second on Moon's infield single. On a pitch to Holberton, the River Bandits tried a double steal. Cedar Rapids catcher Michael Quesada fired the ball into left field, allowing Phillips to score from third and put Quad Cities ahead 6-2.

Slegers (5-3) took the loss, surrendering five runs, three earned, on seven hits. He walked one and struck out three. The defeat sent Cedar Rapids to 28-37, while the River Bandits improved to 34-30. Quad Cities will send Evan Grills (2-1, 3.23 ERA) to the mound against Cedar Rapids' Fernando Romero (0-0, 3.60).

UP NEXT: The annual Father's Day Cookout at Modern Woodmen Park is open for reservations until Wednesday, June 11. The package includes a game ticket and all-you-can-eat menu in the Budweiser Champions Club Sunday, June 15. To order any of the River Bandits 2014 ticket plans - with new lower prices - call the River Bandits box office at 563-324-3000. Season ticket and mini-plan packages start at just seven games and begin at less than $40. Call a River Bandits account representative today to choose your seats and get the details of our various mini-plan packages.
11 Jun 2014

Mississippi Valley Blues Festival Tickets

By MVBS

Free BluesFest Tickets for Veterans, Active Military

To honor those who have served and are serving our country, the Mississippi Valley Blues Society is offering a limited supply of free tickets for the Blues Festival to veterans and active military.  Thanks to an American Legion grant, MVBS has 150 tickets to give away for the Independence Day weekend.

The tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis, one ticket per proper credentials.  The tickets are good for either July 4 or July 5 at the BluesFest. (Gate admission is $25 per day.)

See Anna Winters, Special Events Office, on the Rock Island Arsenal, Building 60, 1st Floor, between the hours of 9:00 and 3:00, Monday through Friday through June 30.  309-782-5890.

Blues Festival Advance Tickets Available Now!

July 3-5 marks the 30th anniversary of the Mississippi Valley Blues Festival.  Earlier this year, the international Blues Foundation of Memphis TN recognized the Mississippi Valley Blues Festival with its Keeping the Blues Alive award for U.S. Festival?the equivalent of a lifetime honor?for, in their words, "one of the longest running, most prestigious blues festivals in the world."  The Festival is the only major blues event in the nation entirely produced by an all-volunteer organization.

Advance tickets are now available for this world-class event.

  • Friday July 4 and Saturday July 5?each day $20 in advance;  $25 at the gate

Advance Tickets Available through June 30 at

  • Hy-Vee stores in the Quad-Cities, Clinton, and Muscatine
  • The Muddy Waters (1708 State St., Bettendorf)
  • Ragged Records (418 E. 2nd St., Davenport)
  • Co-Op Records (3727 Avenue of the Cities, Moline)
  • The Blues Society Office (102 S. Harrison Street, Davenport.  Call first: 563-32-BLUES)
  • Online through PayPal at www.mvbs.org

The Mississippi Valley Blues Festival is joining forces with the Red White & Boom event to present the Quad-Cities' best fireworks display over the Mississippi River on Thursday July 3. For that date only, admission to the Tent Stage at Harrison Street is FREE. (Admission to the Bandshell Stage at Ripley Street is $10, gate only.)

Children 14 and under are admitted FREE when accompanied by a paying adult.

11 Jun 2014

Northern Illinois University announces Spring 2014 graduates

By Constance Ervins

DEKALB, IL (06/10/2014)(readMedia)-- Northern Illinois University announces the awarding of graduate and undergraduate degrees at the conclusion of its Spring 2014 session.

Estefany Anderson of Coal Valley, Ill. is a recent graduate of Northern Illinois University (NIU). Anderson graduated with a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from the College of Health and Human Sciences.

Jacob Buckrop of Rock Island, Ill. is a recent graduate of Northern Illinois University (NIU). Buckrop graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Kristina Cox of Rock Island, Ill. is a recent graduate of Northern Illinois University (NIU). Cox graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from the College of Business.

Dustin Flesch of Port Byron, Ill. is a recent graduate of Northern Illinois University (NIU). Flesch graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from the College of Engineering and Engineering Technology.

Ashley Ginn of Rock Island, Ill. is a recent graduate of Northern Illinois University (NIU). Ginn graduated with a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from the College of Health and Human Sciences.

James Green of Rock Island, Ill. is a recent graduate of Northern Illinois University (NIU). Green graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Allison Hansen of Moline, Ill. is a recent graduate of Northern Illinois University (NIU). Hansen graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Taylor Hartman of East Moline, Ill. is a recent graduate of Northern Illinois University (NIU). Hartman graduated with a Master of Arts degree from the College of Health and Human Sciences.

Casey Jones of Coal Valley, Ill. is a recent graduate of Northern Illinois University (NIU). Jones graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Harold Lopez of Moline, Ill. is a recent graduate of Northern Illinois University (NIU). Lopez graduated with a Master of Science in Education degree from the College of Education.

Sara McLaughlin of Moline, Ill. is a recent graduate of Northern Illinois University (NIU). McLaughlin graduated with a Master of Science degree from the College of Education.

Ashley McMahon of East Moline, Ill. is a recent graduate of Northern Illinois University (NIU). McMahon graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Jamie Peterson of Rock Island, Ill. is a recent graduate of Northern Illinois University (NIU). Peterson graduated with a Master of Science in Education degree from the College of Education.

Nancy Solbrig of Rock Island, Ill. is a recent graduate of Northern Illinois University (NIU). Solbrig graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the College of Visual and Performing Arts.

Megan Wilson of Milan, Ill. is a recent graduate of Northern Illinois University (NIU). Wilson graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Education degree from the College of Education.

NIU announced the awarding of graduate degrees on Friday May 9, 2014 and undergraduate degrees on Saturday May 10 and Sunday May 11, 2014.

We appreciate your assistance in acknowledging their accomplishment.

Chartered in 1895, NIU is a comprehensive teaching and research institution with a diverse and international student body of about 21,000. Located near a vibrant research and development corridor, NIU's main DeKalb campus is 65 miles west of Chicago and 45 miles southeast of Rockford. NIU provides more than 60 undergraduate majors and 100 graduate- and doctoral- level programs in seven colleges (Business, Education, Engineering and Engineering Technology, Health and Human Sciences, Law, Liberal Arts and Sciences, and Visual and Performing Arts). The university also operates education centers in Chicago, Hoffman Estates, Naperville, Oregon and Rockford, where working professionals can access NIU programs at convenient times and locations. The 16 NIU Huskies athletic teams compete in the Mid-American Conference at the highest NCAA Division I level.

11 Jun 2014

Trinity Christian College Announces Spring 2014 Dean's List

By Samuel Mahtani
Palos Heights, Ill. (June 10, 2014) - In recognition of outstanding academic achievement, Trinity Christian College, Palos Heights, Illinois, released the college's Dean's List for Spring 2014. Included in these honors is Ryan Tubbs of Davenport. Trinity students must be enrolled full time and earn a minimum 3.5 grade point average.

-30-
11 Jun 2014

Governor Quinn Joined by 12-Year-Old Chloe Stirling to Sign "Cupcake Bill"

By Rick Martin
Bill Signing Ceremony Takes Place in Chloe's Kitchen; New Law Loosens Regulations for Home Kitchen Operations in Illinois

TROY - Governor Pat Quinn today was joined by 12-year-old Chloe Stirling and her parents at their Troy home to sign legislation that supports home kitchen businesses in Illinois. The "cupcake bill" was drafted after county health officials shut down Chloe's home-based cupcake baking business. Today's action is part of Governor Quinn's agenda to make business opportunities available to everyone in Illinois and drive the state's economy forward.

"Democracy is for everyone and I salute Chloe Stirling for getting involved and making a difference for a cause she believes in," Governor Quinn said. "Thanks to her leadership, Chloe and other small-scale, home-based entrepreneurs are experiencing the sweet smell of success today. This new law ensures others like Chloe can continue their homemade operations without worry."

Chloe used her small, home-based baking business, "Hey Cupcake!", to provide treats for friends, relatives and fundraisers, including for the family of fallen Troy servicemember Senior Airman Bradley Smith. She achieved fame after her home cupcake-sale operation was shut down, making news headlines around the state. Chloe and her mother, Heather, then traveled to Springfield to lobby for a proposal that would pave the way for home kitchen businesses making less than $1,000 per month. The bill passed the Illinois House of Representatives but was initially defeated in the Senate after several amendments were added. Governor Quinn convinced Senators to put the bill "back into the oven," remove the amendments and reconsider it, after which it passed unanimously.

"When all of this started, we didn't know what to do," Chloe Stirling said. "In the end, we made it work so lots of home cooks can do what they love just like me. I am really happy that a bunch of people worked together to find a solution and I can't wait to get back to baking!"

House Bill 5354, sponsored by State Representative Charles Meier (R-Okawville) and State Senator Donne Trotter (D-Chicago), defines a "home kitchen operation" and authorizes the state or county health department to inspect a home kitchen operation in the event of a complaint or disease outbreak. The legislation is effective immediately.

The bill creates a new category of "home kitchen operators" for those who make less than $1,000 from producing food in their own homes to sell either by themselves or for a religious, charitable or nonprofit organization. Home kitchen operators cannot be regulated or shut down by local governments or health departments unless there is a complaint or health safety issue.

"I am pleased that we reached an agreement on a common-sense law that benefits everyone, from the home-based producers to the consumers," Senator Trotter said. "I commend Chloe Stirling for showing all of us what some ingenuity, desire and a never-say-die attitude can accomplish."

"After months of hard work crafting a common-sense piece of legislation that allows Chloe and other home-based kitchen operators to continue baking and selling their goods, I am happy that Governor Quinn is here today to sign the 'Cupcake Bill' into law," Representative Meier said. "Now, these small business owners will not have to fear getting shut down by the local health department and will have the freedom to grow and prosper."

"I'm pleased common sense prevailed and 12-year-old Chloe Stirling and kids like her, who are inspired to start their first business, to earn a little money for spending or saving, can realize their dreams," State Senator Kyle McCarter (R-Lebanon) said.

Governor Quinn has supported and developed programs and signed legislation to support small business development, including the launch of Illinois' first Women Owned Business Symposium to support the growth of women-owned businesses as a driving force in the Illinois economy. The Governor also created the Illinois Innovation Council in 2011 to identify and advance strategies that accelerate innovation, economic growth and job creation.

Governor Quinn has also been a strong supporter of locally produced goods and has signed legislation to designate the first Saturday of each month as "Eat Local, Buy Illinois Products Day," as well as legislation that creates a uniform standard for cottage food operations to prepare and sell their products at farmer's markets in Illinois. Also, in 2009, the Governor signed legislation to increase demand for locally-grown food by building a reliable market for it at state agencies and facilities that receive significant state support. The bill also created the Illinois Local Food, Farms and Jobs Council.

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