"Foreign Events and Views that Impacted

the American Civil War"

Dr. Art Pitz, professor emeritus of Blackhawk College, Moline will present a review of the views and events outside the US which impacted how foreign powers analyzed the Civil War.  Topics will include, but not be limited to, the Corn Laws in England, famine in Ireland, the 1848 revolutions in Europe, reforms in Egypt in the mid 1800's, and immigration patterns from abroad.  How did they influence thought prior to the outbreak of American hostilities?

Dr. Pitz, a Moline resident, is a much requested speaker on historical topics and foreign affairs in the QC region.

Governor Adds Twitter and Flickr to State Communications Toolbox  

CHICAGO - June 29, 2011. Governor Pat Quinn today launched official Twitter and Flickr pages to provide Illinois residents with yet another way to access and communicate with state government. Governor Quinn's new social media sites will be regularly updated with the latest state news and videos, as well as the Governor's own tweets (marked as "-GOV"). The Governor will also use Twitter to seek feedback and ideas from people throughout Illinois.  

"Social media including Twitter and Flickr are the latest tools we have added to share news and information with the people of Illinois." Governor Quinn said. "We are continuing our work to make state government as open and accessible as possible, sharing updates and photos to further engage Illinois residents on the issues that impact them."  

This new use of social media is part of Governor Quinn's efforts to utilize technology as a way of making Illinois government more transparent and accountable. In 2009, Sunshine.Illinois.gov was launched to allow the public to see employee salaries, state contracts, inspection results, campaign finance disclosures and other important information.   

Last week Governor Quinn launched Apps for Metro Chicago Illinois, an application development competition. The competition, which will take place over the next six months, will allow developers to create applications using nearly 200 data sets that have been made available by the state of Illinois, Cook County and the city of Chicago. The competition features more than $50,000 in prizes and encourages developers to create innovative solutions to public policy issues and applications that can improve the lives of people everywhere. Data and information for the competition can be found at AppsforMetroChicago.com.

The public can follow Governor Quinn on Twitter at Twitter.com/GovernorQuinn and access photos from his time in public service at flickr.com/photos/GovernorPatQuinn.

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Named Biotechnology Industry Organization Governor of the Year;
Group Commits to Hold Convention in Chicago in 2013, 2016

WASHINGTON D.C. - June 29, 2011. Governor Pat Quinn today was named Governor of the Year by a leading nationwide biotechnology advocacy group in recognition of his efforts to create jobs by advancing the biotechnology industry in Illinois.

The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) presented Governor Quinn the prestigious honor due to his work increasing Illinois' economic, scientific, and technological output. The organization cited the Governor's initiatives including the Angel Investment and Small Business Job Creation Tax Credits, along with his founding of the Illinois Innovation Council. Governor Quinn received the award before addressing at the 2011 BIO International Convention in Washington D.C. The group said its decision to hold the event in Chicago in 2013 and 2016 was largely due to Governor Quinn's strong support for biotechnology.

"Governor Quinn has spearheaded an impressive array of job creating initiatives, further strengthening Illinois's foothold as one of the nation's most vibrant biotech clusters. His funding and support of biotech tax credits is a model for federal legislation that supports critical early-stage capital formation. His leadership in this field will continue to benefit his state, in terms of jobs and innovation, for years to come," said Scott Whitaker, Chief Operating Officer of BIO. "Governor Quinn's strong support for our industry and the Midwest's flourishing bioscience industry presence were major factors in our decision to bring the BIO International Convention back to the Windy City in 2013 and 2016."

"iBIO congratulates Governor Quinn on this well deserved acknowledgment. The Governor has consistently championed educational reform, entrepreneurship, intellectual property protection, and industry regulation based on rigorous science. He has made showcasing the Midwest through the BIO International Convention in Chicago a key priority, thus elevating the economic development prospects for our state and the Midwest. More than that, he has set a leadership example for public servants everywhere," said David Miller, President and CEO of iBIO.

BIO represents more than 1,100 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and related organizations across the United States and in more than 30 other nations. BIO members are involved in the research and development of innovative healthcare, agricultural, industrial and environmental biotechnology products. BIO also produces the BIO International Convention, the world's largest gathering of the biotechnology industry, along with industry-leading investor and partnering meetings held around the world.

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Many child welfare agencies are adapting services to better serve kin caregivers involved with the child welfare system. Research has suggested that relatives are more likely to receive such services as financial assistance, food stamps, or Medicaid for the child when they are involved with child welfare. However, the majority of grandchildren are being cared for by grandparents privately, without involvement of the child welfare system. Thus these families may need to seek the support of other agencies.

Finally, some local school systems offer services to help grandparents. These findings provide insights on three important aspects of service delivery that may be useful to shaping future programs and services to grandparent caregivers.

• Targeting: Grandparent caregivers need specific services. They struggle from a lack of income. Grandparents may have assets from years of working, but may now be retired and on a fixed income. Grandparent caregivers may receive a child-only grant, but their assets may limit their own eligibility for welfare. Welfare agencies may want to reconsider asset restrictions for applicants who are older relative caregivers. Significant proportions of grandparents also need food and housing assistance, as well as respite care and mental health services to assist those with poor mental health or high levels of aggravation. Many children in their care need assistance dealing with health, behavioral, and educational problems.
• Outreach: Grandparents are often not aware of the services available to them. Only 29 percent of children in grandparent care live in families receiving a child-only or foster care payment for their care. Previous research suggests that many grandparents feel there is a stigma associated with accepting services/aid and therefore avoid involvement with public agencies. Agencies might consider ways to extend information to this population as well as service delivery approaches that reduce the stigma associated with public assistance.  
• Access: Many grandparents have limited access to services. They are older and often have health problems, making traveling to agencies difficult. Moreover, having less formal education may limit their knowledge of available services. Agencies might consider strategies for reaching grandparent caregivers who are limited in their mobility or unable to find available resources. In addition, some grandparent caregivers have reported that they applied for assistance and were denied benefits. Studies have found that eligibility workers may not be aware of the services that grandparent care families can receive.

Contact:

Urban Institute
2100 M Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20037
(202) 833-7200