You really have to hand it to Governor Rod Blagojevich. By simply proposing to transfer the powers of the Illinois State Board of Education to his own office, Blagojevich did several huge favors for the teachers unions, forestalled any budget-busting funding increases for education this year, and all but killed the income-for-property-tax-swap idea for the rest of his first term - while politically positioning himself as a feisty fiscal conservative, a gutsy hands-on reformer, and a concerned pro-education leader.
Female problems. According to this musical by Nicole Hollander and Cheri Coons, we (as in women) have lots of them. Whether it's ridding our closets of shoes, trying new hairstyles every month, loving our insufficient-but-tolerable husbands, or fretting over the weight gain from (gasp!) a piece of German chocolate cake, we have lots of important issues on our minds that require a lifetime of worry, tummy-tucks, and doctor visits.
Despite winning two consecutive statewide elections by overwhelming margins, Illinois Comptroller Dan Hynes has just 14 percent in the U.S. Senate race, according to the latest Chicago Tribune poll. Even worse, Hynes is tied with two of his opponents, Maria Pappas and Barack Obama.
The cover story this issue is an important one because it highlights one of the ongoing struggles between the private and public sectors with regard to property ownership. John Lewis Community Services is developing 10 single-family units of affordable housing within a single neighborhood in Davenport, at the corner of 12th and Myrtle streets, known as Taylor Heights.
Mr. Aeschliman states the obvious in his "Business Insighter" column (see "Globalization Trend Means Change in Job Types," River Cities' Reader Issue 458, January 7-13, 2004). He summarizes the symptoms and partial effects of the current runaway globalization.
Douglas Brinkley can trace his interest in the Vietnam war back to a crayon drawing of a combat scene he made as a six-year-old in 1967. It's just taken him a while to get around to writing a book about the conflict.
By day, George Weiss Vando is a researcher working on HIV-prevention projects with youth in the Los Angeles area. He used to be a professional drag queen in Seattle. In his free time he's an actor. And he's also a writer, having scripted and performed a one-man show called ManLady in California.
Starting next month, all police agencies in Illinois must begin tracking the race of drivers in traffic stops, but the four-year state study might not provide much information on whether racial profiling is a problem in the state.
Without a doubt, it was way past time that a giant corporation was rebuffed in Springfield. Every year, at least one of the big boys hires every available contract lobbyist, signs up a PR firm, cuts a deal with some pliable and influential third parties, and descends on the Illinois statehouse with a clever proposal in hand.
With bright, rainbow wardrobes and electric intensity, the 12-person Opera @ Augustana ensemble of Godspell resembled a contemporary (and Christian) version of Hair. The vibrant student actors last weekend filled Wallenberg Hall at Augustana College with the spirit of music and tromped about the stage praising God and engaging hundreds of audience members with optimistic songs.

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