Friday, May 10, 2013
Gov. Pat Quinn is pushing for 11 Illinois counties to be named major disaster areas.
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Friday, May 10
Governor Pat Quinn today asked President Barack Obama to declare 11 Illinois counties major disaster areas following the storms and heavy rainfall that moved through the state in mid-April. If the governor’s request is approved, residents in those counties will be eligible to apply for grants and low-interest federal loans to help recover from the historic flooding. Counties included in the request are Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Fulton, Grundy, Kane, Kendall, Lake, LaSalle, McHenry and Will. “We must do everything possible to help families impacted by this historic flooding as they rebuild their lives,” Governor Quinn said. “Today we are making a strong case to President Obama to help expedite the review and approval process so the people of …
Thursday, April 4, 2013
President Barack Obama mentioned a slain Evanston teen during a speech in Denver Wednesday.
President Barack Obama referenced a slain Evanston teen during a gun control speech in Denver Wednesday, the Daily Northwestern reported. "I had another conversation just a couple of months ago with a mom from Chicago -- actually, Evanston, Illinois -- whose son had been killed in a random shooting," the president said, according to a transcript of his speech published by the White House. "And she said, you know, I hate it when people tell me that my son was shot because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was in the right place. He was on his way to school. He wasn't in the wrong place. He was exactly where he was supposed to be." Related Coverage Editor's Note: We have updated this article to reflect the lack of …
Monday, February 25, 2013
A series of automatic spending cuts called a sequester could be imposed by the federal government on March 1 unless Congress accepts new revenues stemming from higher taxes on the wealthy.
In a matter of days, $85 billion worth of across-the-board government spending cuts called a sequester could affect all 50 states. If imposed, the cuts would impact everything from education spending and national defense to public health and the economy, Huffington Post reported. President Obama is pushing Congress to accept his deficit reduction plan, which includes new revenues and spending cuts. The plan would achieve $1.8 trillion in budget reductions stemming from about $1.1 trillion in spending cuts and $680 billion in new revenues from limiting deductions and closing tax loopholes for the wealtiest Americans, Huffington Post reported. State Impact The White House has released reports detailing how each state would be impacted by a …
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Find out which bridges in the Evanston area and along the North Shore are labeled as "structurally deficit."
President Barack Obama proposed Tuesday night a "Fix It First" program to address the nation's crumbling infrastructure—like roads and bridges—in an effort to improve citizens' quality of life and bring jobs to the United States. There are nearly 70,000 "structurally deficit" bridges throughout the United States that require "significant maintenance, rehabilitation or replacement," according to the Transportation for America website. In Illinois, 8.5 percent of the state's bridges are "structurally deficit." The state is ranked 35th worst nationally for the overall quality of its bridges, according to the Transportation for America website. Locally, there are a handful of bridges that are highlighted as structurally deficit on the …
Patch asks Evanston residents to weigh in on President Obama's State of the Union address. Tell us in the comment section below.
President Barack Obama gave his fourth State of the Union address on Tuesday, Feb. 12. "There is much progress to report," he began. "Together we have cleared away the rubble of crisis." President Obama spoke of bi-partisan tax reform that includes lowering the tax rates on American businesses. He urged Congress to pass a budget that "replaces reckless cuts with smart savings." He also spoke of job creation, proposing a "fix-it first" program to repair our nation's infrastructure, including 70,000 "structurally deficit bridges." The President called for the minimum wage to be increased to $9 an hour because "no one who works full-time should have to live in poverty." He also encouraged Congress to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act because …
Monday, February 4, 2013
Some Patch readers say concealed carry laws work to stop crimes. Other readers disagree.
Following the Atlanta school shooting on Jan. 31, where a student opened fire at Price Middle School, shooting a 14-year-old in the neck before armed officer at the school stopped the shooter, Patch asked readers Do you believe Obama’s gun proposal will help prevent school shootings? Patch received more than 10 comments; here are some of the responses, which have been edited for length, grammar and clarity. “Hard to say guns are the issue, seems who is in possession of the gun is the issue,” Patch reader b garrett wrote. Some readers say a strong defense is vital to stopping shooting sprees. “If all civilians were licensed to carry guns, it would make for a very polite society,” Patch reader Harry Gio wrote. “These ‘shooting spree’ …
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Patch put together a searchable database that breaks down votes from the presidential election by precinct and by township in suburban Cook County.
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Patch put together a searchable database that breaks down votes from the presidential election by precinct and by township in suburban Cook County.
The Cook County Clerk's Office has tallied the votes in the Nov. 6 presidential election by township and precinct in suburban Cook County. Patch used that data to put together a searchable database so you can see how many of your neighbors voted for Barack Obama versus Mitt Romney, or for third party candidates. According to the clerk's office, there were a total of 1,416,811 registered voters in Suburban Cook County as of Nov. 6. Of those, 1,000,800 cast ballots for president. Barack Obama won 634,935 of those votes, and Mitt Romney took 347,007. Use the pull-down menu to find your township or precinct. If you're not sure what precinct you live in, go to this page and type in your address.
Monday, November 12, 2012
Following an election that divided the country, Patch columnist Christine Wolf wonders whether we have insulated ourselves too much in Evanston when it comes to politics?
It's got to be hard to be a Republican in Evanston right now, and not just because Barack Obama was re-elected last week. Yard signs, grocery store conversations, and bumper stickers suggest Evanston’s a solidly Democratic town, and these numbers prove the point: nearly 85% of the November 6th votes cast in Evanston went to Barack Obama and Joe Biden. In a city like Evanston -- where we pride ourselves on our diversity -- what does it feel like to be in the political minority? I can’t imagine it’s been easy. Evanston Township High School's newspaper, The Evanstonian, recently ran a column by Opinion Editor Daniel Schoenfeld titled, “Democratic Bias Creates Ignorance”. Schoenfeld writes: “Evanston is a small bubble, and leaving it can come …
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Results include the 9th Congressional District, the 9th State Senate District and the 17th and 18th State House races.
Democrats Jan Schakowsky, Daniel Biss, Robyn Gabel and Laura Fine carried the day in the local races that affect Evanston. Click on the links below for complete coverage. VIDEOS: Obama Supporters Celebrate Win McCormick Place is filled with celebration as the race is called before thousands of Obama supporters gathered from around the suburbs and the city of Chicago. Schakowsky Wins 9th Congressional Over Wolfe Longtime Democratic Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky appeared to have won the race against Republican challenger as of 9:13 p.m., with a 30,000 vote lead with 306 of 336 precincts reporting. Want to stay up to date on the latest local political coverage from Patch? Sign up for our free newsletter. Biss Wins 9th State Senate District …
Jman146
10:35 am on Saturday, May 11, 2013
Dan it's dangerous to have a expansion plug as I've witnessed myself from this previous flood 3 weeks ago. The pressure was so high that it forced the sewage back up to come out of our basement toilet and tub. If you don't have one in basement...the water pressure can bring up the backup to main floor bathroom toilet. Fortunately that didn't happen to me. While cleaning up the flood though...the … more ›