Wednesday, February 13, 2013
In his 2013 State of the Union Address Tuesday, President Barack Obama touched on immigration policy, gun control and the economy, among other national issues. In terms of infrastructure, he proposed a "Fix it First" plan that may affect the South Side.
President Barack Obama proposed Tuesday night what he called 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. "I propose a 'Fix-It-First' program to put people to work as soon as possible on our most urgent repairs, like the nearly 70,000 structurally deficient bridges across the country," he said during the State of the Union Address. "And to make sure taxpayers don’t shoulder the whole burden, I’m also proposing a Partnership to Rebuild America that attracts private capital to upgrade what our businesses need most—modern ports to move goods; modern pipelines to withstand a storm; modern schools worthy of …
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
The decision whether to allow gays in the scouts may soon be a local one depending on Wednesday's vote.
One year after reaffirming its stance against gay membership, the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) will vote this week on whether to lift the ban, the Chicago Tribune reports. The BSA board is convening at the organization’s headquarters in Texas to discuss the controversial decision, reports say. The board has said it will consider lifting the national restriction against gay membership, instead leaving the call up to local troop leaders. A Wednesday vote will determine how the group proceeds, but there’s already plenty of influence on both sides of the fence. On Sunday, President Barack Obama strongly voiced his support for equal access to the organization, regardless of sexual orientation. However, other notable figures such as Texas …
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Thanksgiving Week puts another scandal on the president's plate.
Sunday, November 11, 2012
A columnist who's covered Jackson since his first days in public office suggests Obama's rise sent Jackson to his downfall.
U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.— who came into Congress bearing the heavy weight of his family name and lofty ambitions — counted Chicago's third airport as a signature issue for the better part of his time in office. And there's been no stauncher advocate for that project than Southtown columnist Phil Kadner. Construction of such an airport would bring much-needed jobs to an area plagued by chronic unemployment, and the airport itself, once realized, would serve as an economic engine for decades to come. So went the mantra. Targeted for a rural area outside the 2nd District until the latest congressional remap put the land into his district, Jackson's pursuit of the airport irritated Democrats and Republicans alike, from Chicago to Will …
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
What will 2012 ballots in northern Illinois show about President Obama's support at home?
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Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Updated at 3 a.m., Chicago time By Dennis Robaugh After NBC and CNN projected President Obama's re-election, the president sent a message shortly thereafter on Twitter at 10:14 saying simply, "This happened because of you. Thank you." Illinois, of course, was never in play. Our state's 20 electoral votes were stuck in the president's back pocket as far back as his inauguration in 2008. But in 2008's historic election, President Obama carried every collar county in northern Illinois. In 2012, the president narrowly lost out to Mitt Romney in Kane County, Kendall County and McHenry County, with 99 percent of precincts reporting. Voter turnout again was very strong. Local polling places even reported lines at 6 a.m. with voters waiting to get…
Obama supporters from around the suburbs and the city of Chicago waited to see the president during an election night rally in McCormick Place.
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Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Waiting for the president to arrive at McCormick Place on election night, supporter Ignacio Ayala of Plainfield said he hoped the night would bring some of the same excitement as the rally in Grant Park in 2008. "I hope it's the same," said Ayala. "That was big." More than 10,000 people are expected to rally around President Barack Obama as he and his campaign members await election results tonight. Like Ayala, other Obama supporters said they, too, were hopeful that the election results would bring cause for celebration. Elvin and Nicole Knox, from Homewood, said they had been checking predictions on CNN and Politico all day. Nicole said she had voted for Bush in 2004, and her husband said he had voted for Bush or had not voted at all. …
About 15 minutes after the polls closed, news media sources put Illinois in the Obama column, giving the president 20 electoral votes.
President Barack Obama won Illinois’ 20 electoral votes on Tuesday, defeating Republican Mitt Romney. Illinois, of course, was never in play. The only visit the president made to his home state late in the campaign came Oct. 25, when he returned to the South Side to cast an early ballot at the Martin Luther King Community Center. Obama is the first president to ever vote early in a presidential election. The Wall St. Journal and the Associated Press called the state about 15 minutes after the polls closed. The president's handling of the economy is a major factor in many voters' decision this year. "This election bears serious significance for our future," said Sheila Brady of Orland Park, outside her Fernway Elementary School polling …
Monday, November 5, 2012
As Evergreen Park voters prepare to head to the polls, Patch pulled together a guide on everything you need to know for Election Day.
Full Patch Election Day Coverage: After what has seemed like years of campaigning, Election Day 2012 has finally arrived. As you prepare to cast your vote for the main event, you should remember there are a number of local races that are likely to have a big impact. Let Patch save you time. Subscribe to Patch via email and get news to your inbox or smartphone for free. Fast signup here. In Evergreen Park, the presidential race isn't the only one making news. Local State Rep. Kelly Burke is going for a second term, longtime U.S. Congressman Bobby Rush faces an energetic challenger in a remapped district and a referendum about supposed state pension reform will appear on the ballot. Everything you need to know to make a decision about how…
Could history repeat itself in 2012? Oak Lawn and Evergreen Park Patch readers say it's Romney all the way.
With just about every political pollster and pundit predicting the outcome of Tuesday’s dead-heat presidential race, we decided to conduct our own friendly neighborhood poll on the Oak Lawn and Evergreen Park Facebook pages. The results revealed some interesting anecdotal information that may or may not be considered “trend worthy” of today’s political landscape. Veteran GOP strategist Mary Matalin predicted a Reagan-style victory for Romney by 7-percentage points during a talk at Saint Xavier University last week—the same spread that catapulted Republican Ronald Reagan into the presidency over one-termer, Democrat President Jimmy Carter in 1980. Not only did Reagan win the presidency that year, he carried Illinois thanks to droves of blue…
Saturday, November 3, 2012
The veteran GOP strategist visits Chicago and touts Romney • Will Illinois Democrats make income tax hike permanent in lame-duck session? • Teachers Retirement System may "bleed out".
Republican political strategist Mary Matalin predicts a 1980 redux on Election Day, with Mitt Romney emerging victorious by 7 percentage points in the popular vote. Matalin, 59, spoke Thursday evening at St. Xavier University in the Mount Greenwood community of Chicago alongside Democratic strategist Donna Brazile, who believes the race will be much, much closer. "Just 2 to 3 points, favoring the president," Brazile said. Matalin and Brazile — who are close friends — went back and forth in a discussion of presidential politics and campaign war stories in SXU's Shannon Center before a crowd of 1,000 people. Matalin, a Calumet City native who says she may never have left Chicago had the steel mills survived, allowed that she might be …
OakLawnGuy
1:01 pm on Thursday, February 14, 2013
It would! Go for it. more ›