Former Treasurer to Advance Higher Education in Illinois

CHICAGO - August 10, 2011. Governor Pat Quinn today appointed Alexi Giannoulias to serve as chairman of the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) as it works to increase graduation rates at the state's community colleges and advance Illinois' competitive edge in the global economy. Giannoulias will lead the non-paid, voluntary 11-member board, which governs the state's 48 community colleges - the third-largest system in the country.

"For Illinois to continue to grow jobs and advance our economic competitiveness, we must prepare our students for the jobs available in a 21st century economy," Governor Quinn said. "As a former State Treasurer with a longtime passion for education reform, Alexi is the right leader to shepherd our community college system towards higher graduation rates and better job placement in Illinois."

Under Governor Quinn's leadership, Giannoulias will focus on increasing graduation rates to achieve the state's "60 by 25" goal, which calls for 60 percent of Illinois' adult population to hold a college degree or career certificate by 2025, up from about 40 percent today. Giannoulias will also develop success standards in terms of degrees awarded and job placement; seek to better prepare high school students who enroll in community colleges for college-level work; increase access to community colleges for low-income and rural residents; and boost the number of credits that can transfer from community college to public universities.

"Community colleges play a vital role in creating the workforce of the 21st century by providing economical, flexible and effective training degrees," Giannoulias said. "Since putting Americans back to work is the single greatest challenge facing our country, a well-trained, well-educated workforce is absolutely crucial to America's future. To ensure that every young adult has the tools for gainful employment, our community college system must help students graduate with a meaningful degree that will enable them to find a job."

Giannoulias' appointment was met with praise from U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan and the Governor's point person on education, Lt. Governor Sheila Simon.

"I want to commend Governor Quinn for choosing Alexi Giannoulias for this critically important job," Duncan said. "Alexi is a passionate believer in public education and I'm confident that his leadership will help the community colleges of Illinois do a better job of preparing young people to compete in the global economy."

"I look forward to working with Chairman Giannoulias to help more students complete college and find good-paying jobs in Illinois," Lt. Governor Simon said.

Giannoulias served as Illinois Treasurer from 2007 to 2011. He focused on job creation by promoting programs that help small business owners have access to capital, and by working with citizens to promote investments in communities. Giannoulias graduated cum laude from Boston University with a degree in economics and earned a law degree from Tulane University's School of Law. Beginning this September, he will teach a political science course at Northwestern University in Evanston as an adjunct professor.

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Legislation Modernizes Illinois' Recycling Laws

CHICAGO - August 10, 2011. Governor Pat Quinn today signed legislation that will take a major step to increase e-recycling in Illinois. The new law overhauls the state's Electronic Products Recycling and Reuse Act by requiring more electronic products to be recycled, increasing recycling goals for Illinois' manufacturers and strengthening penalties for those who do not follow the law.

"This law will keep reusable materials from filling our landfills, and it will help us put people to work giving those materials new uses," said Governor Quinn. "Today's action reinforces our commitment to a green Illinois that continues to be a leader in protecting the environment."

Senate Bill 2106, sponsored by Sen. Susan Garrett (D-Lake Forest) and Rep. Daniel Biss (D-Evanston), expands the types of electronic products that will be subject to the state's landfill ban. Current law requires computer monitors, televisions and printers to be diverted from landfills. Under the new law, the list of items required to be recycled is expanded to include keyboards, portable music devices, scanners, videocassette recorders, video game consoles and more.

"Governor Quinn has made the recycling of e-waste a top environmental priority for the state, which is why Illinois is a leader on removing electronics from our waste stream," said Sen. Garrett.

"This bill not only prevents toxic substances from entering into the ground," said Rep. Biss. "But it also encourages the continued rapid growth of the e-recycling industry, supporting small businesses around the state that have created thousands of new jobs in recent years."

The new law also increases recycling goals for Illinois manufacturers. For example, in 2012 manufacturers will be required to recycle 40 percent of the products they sold in 2010. According to the Environmental Law & Policy Center, the new goals mean that statewide e-recycling will increase from 28 million pounds in 2011 to over 50 million pounds in 2012. The dramatic increase in recycling efforts is expected to create jobs for Illinois residents.

"This legislation will keep toxins out of our air and water while conserving valuable resources and creating jobs," said Melville Nickerson, Policy Advocate for the Environmental Law & Policy Center. "The Environmental Law & Policy Center looks forward to working together with manufacturers to implement this recycling bill and create a cleaner environment in Illinois."

The fine for violations of the new law will increase $1,000 to $7,000. It also gives the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency greater regulatory authority for violations of the act. Additionally, the bill requires manufacturers to maintain consumer education programs designed to inform customers of proper disposal policies for electronic products. The new law takes effect immediately.

Governor Quinn also signed House Bill 2001, sponsored by Rep. Ann Williams (D-Chicago) and Sen. John Millner (R-Carol Stream), which strengthens penalties for criminal disposal of waste. The law, which takes effect immediately, reclassifies the initial and all subsequent violations as felonies, lowers the violation threshold and increases fines to $25,000, up from $5,000.

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Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Sen. Rick Santorum, U.S. Rep. Thaddeus McCotter, U.S. Rep. Steve King, IA Lt. Gov Kim Reynolds to Join State-wide Bus Tour

Washington, D.C. ? On Wednesday, August 10, 2011 the Susan B. Anthony List (SBA), along with FRC Action's Faith Family Freedom Fund and the National Organization for Marriage (NOM), will stop in Cedar Rapids, Dubuque, Waterloo, Mason City and Dickinson County as part of the "Values Voter Bus Tour" that will cover 1,305 miles in four days with events in 22 cities.

President Obama is the most pro-abortion President in United States history and has threatened individual states for exercising their right to de-fund Planned Parenthood.  SBA List will get the word out to straw poll and caucus goers on which candidates have taken its Pro-Life Presidential Leadership Pledge and can be counted on as a strong leader in defending human life.

Wednesday, August 10  

8:30 - 9:00 AM: Cedar Rapids
Cedar Rapids Marriott, 1200 Collins Road NE  

Confirmed speakers: Sen. Rick Santorum, Former Congresswoman Marilyn Musgrave (SBA), Connie Mackey (FRC), Brian Brown (NOM), Jenifer Bowen (Iowa Right to Life)

10:30 AM - 11:00 AM: Dubuque
Washington Park, 351 W 6th Street  

Confirmed speakers: Marilyn Musgrave (SBA), Connie Mackey (FRC), Jenifer Bowen (Iowa Right to Life), Steven N. Brody (Dubuque County Right to Life)  

12:45 PM - 1:15 PM: Waterloo

Lincoln Park, 451 E 4th Street  

Confirmed speakers: Marilyn Musgrave (SBA), Connie Mackey (FRC), Jenifer Bowen (Iowa Right to Life)  

3:00 PM - 3:30 PM: Mason City
Central Park, 75 1st Street NW  

Confirmed speakers: Marilyn Musgrave (SBA), Connie Mackey (FRC), Jenifer Bowen (Iowa Right to Life)  

6:00 PM - 6:30 PM: Dickinson County
Barefoot Bar, 24457 178^th Street, Okoboji  

Confirmed speakers: Rep. Thaddeus McCotter, Marilyn Musgrave (SBA), Connie Mackey (FRC), Jenifer Bowen (Iowa Right to Life)  

The Susan B. Anthony List is a nationwide network of more than 330,000 Americans dedicated to mobilizing, advancing, and representing pro-life women in politics.  Its connected Candidate Fund increases the percentage of pro-life women in the political process.

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AMES, Iowa - As consumers check their refrigerators and freezers for recalled fresh and frozen ground turkey products, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach encourages following food safety best practices all the time.

"Food recalls and salmonella outbreaks certainly get people thinking more about food safety," said Catherine Strohbehn, an ISU Extension specialist and professor in hotel, restaurant and institution management. "However, Iowans should always be mindful about food safety when purchasing, storing, preparing and serving food. That's why Iowa State provides consumers, foodservice operators, students and educators with 24/7 access to research-based, unbiased information on food safety and quality at www.iowafoodsafety.org."

On Aug. 3, Cargill initiated a voluntary recall of approximately 36 million pounds of ground turkey products produced at its Springdale, Ark., plant, as reported on the Cargill News Center website. As of Aug. 4, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that 78 people in 26 states had been confirmed with SalmonellaHeidelberg infections and that eating ground turkey was the likely source of this outbreak. One person from Iowa has been affected. CDC provides a summary of the situation at http://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/heidelberg/index.html.

"Symptoms of most salmonella infections are the usual of any foodborne illness ? diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps manifesting eight to 72 hours after ingesting the contaminated food. Affected individuals also may experience chills, headaches and sustained vomiting. Many of these symptoms are similar to those experienced with the flu, so often people don't realize they have a foodborne illness," Strohbehn said. If symptoms persist, see a doctor.

Cargill has posted a list of recalled ground turkey products at http://www.cargill.com/news-center/news-releases/2011/NA3047807.jsp, Strohbehn noted. Consumers should return opened or unopened packages to the store where purchased for a full refund.

Strohbehn recommends the following general food safety best practices:

Cook foods thoroughly to recommended end point temperatures. For poultry, this is a minimum of 165 F. Use a meat thermometer rather than relying only on cooking times listed on the package, because oven temperature sensors will vary. Looking and touching are not good indicators of doneness ? only a calibrated thermometer can tell for sure.

Keep cold foods cold either by refrigeration (below 41 F) or by freezing. Put cold foods away after shopping first, rather than after canned goods. Don't leave potentially hazardous foods out at room temperature for more than two hours. In summer, don't leave these foods out for more than one hour.

Separate raw from cooked or ready-to-eat foods, and separate clean from soiled ? chefs use the term mise en place, or everything in its place. Be mindful of this concept when working in the kitchen.

Keep it clean. Keep hands clean and keep materials that contact food clean. Clean means washing and rinsing using cleaning cloths and brushes designated for food surfaces only. Consumers may wish to sanitize certain surfaces after cleaning, such as the cutting board. Use a ratio of 1 tablespoon of unscented bleach with 1 gallon of water and allow contact for at least 7 seconds. Let the product air dry.

More information is available from the ISU Extension Food Safety Project website, www.iowafoodsafety.org.

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