Illinois lawmakers have passed and Gov. Rod Blagojevich has signed a law that recognizes matricula cards as valid IDs in the state.

Oberweis, an Aurora businessman, said Sunday at a Greater Rockford Airport news conference that if he's elected governor, he will strictly enforce the new federal REAL ID Act, which would render the matricula cards useless.

Under the terms of the REAL ID Act, the state of Illinois has until May 8, 2008, to become fully compliant with the law's provisions, Oberweis said.

"Some governments have complained. Others have stated they will disobey the new law. Let me assure you this: In an Oberweis administration, the state of Illinois will move as quickly as possible to adopt the mandates of the REAL ID Act. The safety of our people demands that we do this," he said.

The law requires states to comply with certain security guidelines for issuing driver's licenses and other state ID cards, said Peter Gadiel, director of 9/11 Families For A Secure America, who appeared with Oberweis on the fourth anniversary of the al-Qaida attack on New York's World Trade Center and the Pentagon in Arlington, Va.

Gadiel, a Connecticut man whose 23-year-old son was among the 3,000 killed in the collapse of the twin towers, said the open borders policy of the U.S. makes the country a sitting duck for terrorists. He condemned matricula cards as being easy to fake and showed one to a reporter. It had a picture of a popular U.S. senator from Connecticut and the name Joseph Lieberman.

Oberweis said the U.S. must act quickly to tighten its borders. He said the FBI is concerned about street gangs like M-13, which, he said, is "interested in funding its criminal activities through large payments from terrorists interested in M-13’s ability to smuggle human assets across our broken borders."

Oberweis is one of a growing number of Republicans who want to be governor. Other candidates are cosmetics heir Ron Gidwitz, businessman and state Sen. Bill Brady, R-Bloomington, and state Sen. Steve Rauschenberger, R-Elgin. The "thinking about running" list includes State Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka, DuPage County State's Attorney Joe Birkett and former Gov. Jim Edgar.

Blagojevich, a Democrat, is expected to seek a second term in 2006, although he has not announced his candidacy.

DAILY SOUTHTOWN

Radogno on Edgar's short list - Kristen McQueary

http://www.dailysouthtown.com/southtown/columns/Acurrent/mcqueary.htm

She fits the profile: suburban woman, fiscally conservative, socially moderate and brainy.

State Sen. Christine Radogno (R-Lemont) has discussed openly her interest in the 2006 statewide Republican ticket and been mentioned as a potential lieutenant governor candidate.

It would be hard to find a better running mate for Jim Edgar, should he get in the race.

While Edgar sews up the downstate vote, Radogno courts swing voters and moderate Republicans in the suburbs.

She has been a leading critic of Gov. Rod Blagojevich's handling of the state budget, which makes her a sturdy complement to Edgar's interest in all-things-policy.

Radogno was elected in 1996 and served two years under Edgar before his retirement.

Though they don't know each other well, running with him "would certainly be something I would consider," she said last week from Springfield where she attended a state chamber event. Radogno has been making the rounds lately, including attending a farm show in Decatur with top GOP leaders.

Last week, she hosted a news conference with state Sen. Peter Roskam (R-Wheaton) — who is running for U.S. Rep. Henry Hyde's 6th District congressional seat. They called on Blagojevich to embrace GOP-led reforms to the state's contract-letting process, which they say has been abused under his administration.

When asked if she had been contacted about a possible pairing-up with Edgar, Radogno said, "I have not talked to Edgar."

But it was clear through her hedging that she has been contacted by top Edgar people.

"If I can be helpful to the ticket, and I'm the right profile, then it's something I would consider," she said.

She's also in mid-term in her Senate seat. She's got nothing to lose.

Naturally, state Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka is a top choice as well, but she carries more baggage in the "old way" of doing business, merely due to the amount of time she has spent in state government. Still, either ticket would pack a powerful punch.

Meanwhile, Radogno's House-mate, state Rep. Eileen Lyons (R-Western Springs), continues to interview candidates interested in her seat. Lyons is retiring and hoped to find a female replacement.

No such luck.

So far, the leading contenders are Indian Head Park Mayor Richard Pellegrino, who recently won the backing of former Attorney General Jim Ryan, and former state Rep. Jim Durkin of Westchester who could make a comeback to the General Assembly.

Durkin gave up his House seat to run against U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin in 2002.

Gary Skoien: No letting up - Kristen McQueary 

http://www.dailysouthtown.com/southtown/columns/Acurrent/mcqueary.htm

Gary Skoien, Cook County GOP chairman, got blistered by some members of his own party for offering reward money for information leading to Mayor Richard Daley's indictment.

But the criticism seems only to have invigorated him. He filed complaints with the Illinois State Board of Elections against one-third of the Chicago City Council whose aldermanic offices also serve as political headquarters. Then he called on Daley to pay a $33,000 fine from the Federal Aviation Administration for tearing up Meigs Field. The money, Skoien said, should come from Daley's campaign fund, of course, not city tax dollars.

He also tossed his resume into the mix for a seat on Metra's board of directors.

What's next? Stay tuned.

SPRINGFIELD STATE JOURNAL-REGISTER

GOP ethics rules, Rutherford announcement, Libri names Long - Bernard Schoenburg

http://www.sj-r.com/sections/opinion/stories/65924.asp 

The Republican State Central Committee now has a code of ethics for its members and some other people, including top staffers.

The committee met on Republican Day at the state fair, but didn’t give final approval to the plan because some members wanted more time to look over its provisions.

The draft was made public and was open to comments, and a revised version was passed last week in a closed conference-call meeting.

The draft version covered only members of the state central committee. But the final version specifies that it applies to all elected and appointed members (which includes one person from each congressional district), the deputy members from each of those 19 districts, the state chairman, vice chairman and co-chairmen (if any), the executive director and the Republican national committeeman (also known as Springfield’s BOB KJELLANDER) and the Republican national committeewoman (MARY JO ARNDT).

Kjellander and Arndt had both said they would voluntarily comply with the rules, even before they were formally included.

Each of the covered people will have to submit an annual statement listing sources of income over $1,200 per year. There’s also a whole section on “avoidance of actual or apparent conflicts of interest, including disclosure in writing in advance if a member or immediate family members have an interest in property to be acquired with public funds.”

Oh, and for anybody who’s been around state government for a while, this is pertinent: “A member employed by federal, state or local government shall scrupulously adhere to the legal prohibitions against engaging in political activity during compensated time, other than time off.”

The disclosure statements would not be public documents, but if the board’s ethics committee reaches a point of voting to ask a member to resign, that action would become public.

“Since I became chairman, there has been nothing more important than earning back the trust of Illinois voters,” said state party Chairman ANDY McKENNA, who has pushed for the policy. “This code of ethics is an area where Republicans will take the lead. … Transparency and disclosure will be a benefit to the party.”

Rutherford announcement

State Sen. DAN RUTHERFORD, R-Chenoa, makes his run for secretary of state official Monday in announcements in Chicago, Springfield and Pontiac, and Tuesday in Rockford.

The Springfield event Monday is at 2:30 p.m. at Saputo’s restaurant downtown. The reason?

“If it’s not the state Capitol, I prefer to be where I’m comfortable, and that’s Saputo’s.”

When he’s in Springfield, Rutherford said, he eats at the Italian restaurant once or twice a week.

Libri names Long

Sangamon County Republican Chairman TONY LIBRI last week named Sangamon County Board member ROSEMARIE LONG as county Republican chairwoman.

He made the announcement at a meeting of the North End Republican Club, which is led by Long.

Libri said he considers Long’s new post a serious job. It is designed “to get more women involved in our local Republican Party,” he said.

Long is among local party members considering a run for the 99th House District seat in the legislature. The incumbent, state Rep. RAYMOND POE, R-Springfield, is seeking his party’s nomination for lieutenant governor.

Long, who represents District 10 on the County Board, is also the board’s vice chair.

Statewide offices

State Senator Dan Rutherford (R-Pontiac) will become the first Republican candidate to announce for a statewide office other than Governor when he launches his campaign for Secretary of State Monday, September 12, at the W Chicago Lake Shore hotel in the morning and at Saputo’s restaurant in Springfield later in the day.

Barring GOP primary competition, Rutherford will face popular two-term Democrat incumbent Secretary of State Jesse White who won all 102 Illinois counties in winning re-election against GOP challenger Kris Kohn in 2002.

Rutherford, 50, was first elected to the General Assembly in 1992. He served for 10 years in the state House before successfully winning election to the Senate in 2002.

Rutherford has long been mulling a statewide run before deciding to take on the Secretary of State’s race. Rutherford is in the middle of his term as a state senator so he will no have to relinquish his legislative seat to seek statewide office.

Rutherford will hit the Rockford area on Tuesday, September 13, and is making plans for a forthcoming statewide tour in the next two weeks.

8th Congressional District

The race for the GOP nomination in what is widely viewed as the number one Congressional race in the country adds a second participant on Tuesday, September 13, when pro-family activist Kathy Salvi launches her campaign against freshman incumbent Rep. Melissa Bean (D-8).

Salvi’s announcement will take place at the Lake County Discovery Museum (Lakewood Forest Preserve) in Wauconda at 11:30am on Tuesday.

Salvi is the wife of 1996 GOP Senate nominee and 1998 GOP Secretary of State nominee Al Salvi. She and her husband Al are the parents of six children and live in Mundelein. This will be Kathy Salvi’s first run for elective office.

Kathy Salvi, 46, is an attorney and former public defender who says she has the “fire in the belly” to do this. She appeared on Thursday on the “Scott Thomas Show” on WYLL-AM 1160 on Thursday to discuss her imminent candidacy as did investment banker David McSweeney of Barrington Hills, the only other announced GOP candidate in the race.

Both McSweeney and Salvi have said they would put at least $1 million of their own money into their respective campaigns.

The race is a top target of Republicans who hope to regain a seat they held for 35 years with Rep. Phil Crane who Bean defeated in an upset victory in 2004.

Other candidates considering a run for GOP nomination include Mundelein businesswoman Teresa Bartels, State Rep. Bob Churchill (R-Lake Villa), and Lake County conservative activist Ken Arnold.

The district includes portions of northwest suburban Cook County, Lake County and McHenry County.

Local races

Cook

On Thursday evening, September 15, the Cook County Republican Party will be interviewing candidates for the following countywide offices: County Board President, Clerk, Sheriff, Treasurer, and Assessor. They will also interview candidates interested in running for the Cook County Board of Tax Review, Water Reclamation districts, and the Regional Office of Education-Superintendent.

Republicans have not won a countywide race in Cook since Jack O’Malley was re-elected Cook County States Attorney in 1992. O’Malley lost his re-election bid in 1996 to Dick Devine, who currently serves as the county’s state’s attorney.

Republicans have not won the race for the county board presidency since 1966 when future Governor Richard Ogilvie was elected. Seeking to break the drought is first-term Cook County Commissioner Tony Peraica (R-Riverside) who announced his candidacy for Board President in April.

DuPage

The big GOP primary in DuPage, the state’s second largest county, and its most GOP-dominated, was expected to be over Henry Hyde’s congressional seat. However, with State Senator Peter Roskam (R-Wheaton) appearing to have cleared the GOP field in the 6th Congressional of all serious competition, focus has turned to local and legislative races.

On Tuesday, two-term incumbent County Sheriff John Zaruba will officially have a primary challenge from longtime Deputy Sheriff Tim Connell. Connell will be announcing his candidacy at his mother’s home in Lisle Tuesday morning.

In addition to the county sheriff’s race, there are three serious GOP legislative primaries already in the offing.

There is the race to replace Roskam in the State Senate between State Rep. Randy Hultgren (R-Wheaton) and Naperville Village Trustee Dick Fursteneau. Add to that the stiff challenge freshman State Rep. Roger Jenisch (R-Bloomingdale) looks to be facing from Bloomingdale attorney Franco Coladipietro. Coladipietro is being supported by several local GOP leaders including Bloomingdale Township GOP Chairman Hank Gianvecchio.

Finally, perhaps the most raucous primary will be the race to replace State Rep. John Millner (R-Elmhurst) who was appointed to retiring State Senator Kay Wojcik’s seat this summer. Candidates to replace Millner include Wayne Township GOP Chairman Randy Ramey, the nephew of former Senate President and DuPage County Chairman James “Pate” Philip, and Carol Stream Village Trustee Pam Fenner among others considering the race.

Campaigns may begin circulating nominating petitions on September 20. The primary election is March 21, 2006.

BEACON NEWS

Beacon News wants more low income housing in suburbs

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/beaconnews/top/AU12_DEVELOP_S1.htm

Regional study decries housing 'disconnect'  Growing changes: Affordable housing is counter to larger homes being built by developers - Steve Lord

When Adam and Sarah Mock wanted to move up, they didn't have to move far.

With the addition of two children since they moved from Oak Park to Aurora's Hometown subdivision in 2002, they needed a bigger house. They found it just a few blocks away.

"We just bought a second house here," Adam Mock said. "You don't see a lot of this."

What you don't see is the ability to move up and buy a bigger house in the same place. Home Town is an example of a development that has a mix of smaller, more affordable single-family houses, townhomes and condos, with larger single-family houses.

It is seen by regional officials as an example of the kind of development needed throughout the Chicago region in the future, but it is unusual today. The norm throughout the region is just the opposite — developers are building more and more large-lot, single-family houses.

And a study released today by Metropolis 2020 and the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus shows that the gap between different housing styles and costs will only get wider by 2030.

The study forecasts what Metropolis officials call "a serious mismatch" between the single-family homes on large lots being planned by developers, and the growing need for smaller, more affordable houses for the growing population.

"Projections indicate that there is likely to be a serious future mismatch between housing supply and demand in the six-county Chicago metropolitan region," the report concludes. "Current market financing programs are not likely to make up for it, and government subsidy programs are too small to solve it."

The report says the housing mismatch is more likely to affect Kane, Will, Lake and McHenry counties more than Cook and DuPage counties because the four counties currently have a higher percentage of households residing in detached single-family housing, and they are expecting the largest percentage of population growth.

"Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will counties are each forecasted to significantly oversupply large-lot, single-family housing and to significantly undersupply moderately priced apartments or condos as well as townhouses and duplexes and small-lot detached housing," the report says.

The problem lies in a combination of market conditions, public perceptions about affordable housing and municipal policies that encourage, through zoning and building codes, larger-lot houses, the report says.

It starts with Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission figures that show the Chicago region will grow by 24 percent, from 8.1 million people to 10 million people, in the next 30 years. The growth will come from 4.3 million births combined with 2.1 million deaths, as well as the emigration of 300,000 people.

The most significant growth will be in the suburbs. Will County's population is expected to double, and Kane and McHenry are expected to grow by more than 70 percent.

The ethnic and age composition of the growth will be different in 2030 than in 2000. The largest ethnic growth is expected to be Latinos, Asian Americans and African Americans. The increased growth will be older, too. The number of people over age 65 is expected to almost double, the report says.

All of these groups have had traditionally different housing demands than single-family, large-lot development, the study says.

"In general, the pattern will shift toward denser housing with higher demand for rental units, entry-level, single-family housing and apartments and condos in large complexes," the report says.

The Mayor Caucus and Metropolis 2020 included a number of recommendations in the report, including: forming multi-year housing plans that provide for a broad range of housing sizes and prices; reviewing zoning and building codes to permit construction of a variety of housing; including residents in housing and development decisions, possibly through local housing commissions; creating sub-regional housing plans that would involve groups of municipalities; creating new revenue streams to support the preservation and construction of affordable housing.

Regional officials know some of these steps are controversial within municipalities. But Nancy Firfer, Metropolis 2020 senior adviser and former mayor of Glenview, said it is encouraging the recommendations come from the mayor's caucus, which includes mayors of all 272 municipalities in the Chicago region.

"At least this report will get the mayors thinking about what's coming," she said. "This will start a discussion."

Firfer said Metropolis officials are encouraged in particular by the "forward thinking" in Kane County, both at the county level and among some municipal leaders, toward smart growth initiatives and the need for a variety of housing.

Mayors Jeff Schielke of Batavia, Jim Willey of Elburn and Ed Shock of Elgin all have positions in Metropolis 2020. County Board Chairman Karen McConnaughay, R-St. Charles, was just sworn in as a member of Metropolis' Executive Committee.

"We have met with a number of mayors of Kane County, and they are all beginning to see the issues in their own communities," Firfer said.

One of those communities is St. Charles. Earlier this month, a St. Charles City Council committee considered a number of possible housing ideas for the future, and proposed establishing a housing commission to look at them.

"We thought maybe a commission or a committee was needed just to look at the issue of affordable housing," said Shubhra Govind, senior planner for St. Charles. "This is an issue that needs a lot of discussion."

The Metropolis report points out that many people in recent years in the region have bought housing that might be beyond their means. They did this because of the lack of quality affordable housing available. Homeowners were able to do this because of low interest rates, and a subsequent higher flexibility in lending habits.

But if rates go up, this could cause an economic problem, when people have gone beyond the traditional 30 percent of income spent on housing.

"The thing we are trying to say is this is not just low-income housing," Govind said. "This is affordable to everybody. You should not be spending more than 30 percent."

That is what made Hometown so attractive to the Mocks. Adam Mock said with the range of housing available in Home Town, his family was able to buy a house similar to those in nearby Oswego, but much more affordable.

"We know our neighbors here; we can walk down the street and people just say hi," he said. "From a family standpoint, it's friendly, and there is a range of housing available."

CRAIN'S CHICAGO BUSINESS

Which Chicago area municipality will be the first pass a resolution banning millionaires?

http://chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/mag/article.pl?article_id=24343

Merc millionaires are spreading the wealth  Flush with IPO cash, they indulge in toys, downtime - Mark Scheffler

When Chicago Mercantile Exchange Holdings Inc. went public in December 2002, what followed was a jaw-dropping stock run-up that gave many seat owners a Vegas-style payday: Shares priced at $35 for the initial public offering soared to a high of $308.39 on Aug. 2, 2005. They closed Friday at $304.20.

Now those Merc millionaires are turning some of their shares into cash and spreading it around. Their spending is fueling the teardown trend in tony suburbs, revving up the area's luxury auto dealers and lifting local boat merchants.

"In the last year, since the launch of the Continental GT coupe, we've definitely had a lot of traders as clients," says Susan Campbell, sales associate at Bentley Northbrook. Most of her trading customers are 35 to 55 years old, and prefer the interior and exterior stylings to be "black on black" because it's "masculine — it says 'I'm successful.' " It ought to, considering the GT's priced around $175,000.

At Brush Hill Realtors in Hinsdale, broker Sharon McCauley says flush traders are "buying new construction. The big wave here is teardowns. They want everything new." Their typical price range, Ms. McCauley says, starts at $1 million.

Attendants in the Merc garage have noticed more new Cadillac Escalades and "young guys with lots of money." There are condos in Naples, Fla., and newly purchased pads in top-dollar neighborhoods. "I just sold a single-family home in Lincoln Park to a trader," says sales associate Natasha Motev in the Lincoln Park office of Koenig & Strey GMAC Real Estate. Ms. Motev and her husband, who owns two seats at the Merc, are also building a house on a North Side teardown site.

"We're certainly seeing activity from traders in the Gold Coast and Lincoln Park," says Michael Pierson, general manager of Koenig & Strey's Gold Coast office. "They go for the high-end, 5,000-to-6,000-square-foot single-family houses with limestone facades and beautiful amenities." They're also buying up new condos "with great views," he says.

Traders have also been tapping their new money to bankroll the high life on the lake. Bob Godek, a broker at yacht dealer Skipper Bud's on State Street, says he's seen an uptick in traders buying boats since 2002. "And they're cash buyers, that's the nice part," he says. "When they see something they like, they go for it. They've got the money, and they'll strike while it's hot. They just enjoy tangible items." Mr. Godek says they tend to want the "biggest, fastest, shiniest and glitziest" models, favoring those priced between $150,000 and $350,000.

Not surprisingly, the Merc stock has created a leisure class of people who don't quite know what to do with themselves.

"I made millions off my stock," says Mark Carriere, 34, who sold a chunk of his 5,999 shares through the run-up. Now, though, he's reached an impasse. "I take vacations," he says. "But I've sometimes wondered what I'm going to do with all this money. Once you buy your house, what the (expletive) do you do?"

He still occasionally trades from home, and will once in a while "go on the floor and hang," yet he finds himself in the mode of "The Big Lebowski," whose title character epitomized the slacker lifestyle. "I don't have any ambition," he says. "If you've got money, what's the motivation?"

'WINDFALL THEY NEVER EXPECTED'

It's a nice problem to have, and he's not alone: Many at the Merc have multiple seats; many others are thanking their stars for the seat they had.

"The success of the stock bailed people out. It provided a windfall they never expected and made some marginal people whole again," says floor trader Steve Gersten. "It created wealth for them that they didn't have. They had struggled for years making a living, then they get this windfall that allows them to move into retirement."

How flush people are, of course, depends on how much stock they had, when they sold it and how scarred they are by years on a turbulent trading floor.

To the high-net-worth types, the shares meant some pocket change, simply an extra few million to add to an already brimming personal bottom line. Others who were eking out a living on the trading floor now have a new cash cushion and new lease on life.

'ICING ON THE CAKE'

And some traders, bolstered by the influx, are simply shopping for new hobbies if not careers, especially as their old way of life — open outcry trading — continues to go the way of the dinosaur.

For Andrew Katznelson, a Merc member since 1979 who still trades actively in the pits, "the shares have added to my wealth considerably." Instead of buying toys, though, he's freeing himself from debt.

Mr. Katznelson, 55, who lives in the north suburbs, says he's "pretty much divested," and has seen friends who've sold off their shares to purchase "the occasional Bentley." But he's still pretty happy with the "junk" he's driving. "If you buy a Bentley, then you have to buy your wife one," he says, half-joking. "You think she'll want to buy (something lesser) after that?"

Dan O'Neil Sr., 70, could have bought a Bentley dealership. A retired ex-floor broker and multiple seat holder, he got almost 100,000 shares. "It's been a bonanza," he says. He's since sold two-thirds of his shares. For Mr. O'Neil, who was already wealthy, the payout was the "icing on the cake." He says he's put his money in stocks and Treasury bills.

SEVERANCE OF SORTS

His friend, Francis Wolfe, whom he compelled to buy an International Monetary Market membership back in the early 1970s for $100, has also hit the jackpot with his shares.

"I sold some off for $169-per last year. I just sold some more for a million and a half," says Mr. Wolfe, 73, who spent only two years on the floor actually trading and who now works as an assistant Cook County public defender. "I just wrote a check to the IRS for $250,000 for the taxes on some of the stock I sold." No new cars were added to Mr. Wolfe's garage, but he did take 15 family members on a vacation to Colorado.

But the great Merc stock sell-off has another side to it. The shares were seen as a severance package of sorts for some pit traders, a financial farewell for those who are losing their way of life on the floor. The move to electronic trading will mean that many traders who excelled at open outcry trading are either having to learn how to trade from a computer screen or finding another way to spend their time.

"I know some people who are building homes in places like Hinsdale and Burr Ridge," says Andrew Burns, a 20-year trading vet who started in currencies and migrated to S&Ps in the early '80s before finally buying a seat in 1987. "Some have gone into real estate. Some people owned four or five seats and have $15 million. And now they're waiting for something to do."

Mr. Burns, a west suburban resident, started seeing his income dwindle several years in a row by 25%, and finally left the floor three months ago to trade electronically. An Index and Option Market member, he says that as shares climbed over $100 he got more aggressive about selling them off. He says his stock bounty is the equivalent of having a "rich daddy," and he's working hard at getting back to the time when he can start "spending stupidly" once again.

NAPERVILLE SUN

Radio link puts agencies in closer touch  DuPage system to clear up communications during crises - Katie Foutz

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/sunpub/naper/news/n11link.htm

WHEATON - A radio system introduced Friday allows one city's police to directly call another city's police for backup without wasting time going through two dispatchers.

The DuPage Interoperable Radio System links radio frequencies from the three bands used countywide by police, firefighters, sheriff's deputies and other emergency workers. It will save time at emergencies.

"Every single day, the sheriff's office can't talk to Downers," DuPage County Sheriff John Zaruba said. "Downers can't talk to Lombard. Naperville is basically an island unto themselves."

The presentation's backdrop served as a reminder of why the county unveiled the system.

Behind public safety officials from around the county stood a new mural in tribute to those who responded to the attacks on the World Trade Center, which a Wheaton boy had painted on a hallway wall in the sheriff's office as his Eagle Scout project.

One of the 9/11 Commission's top priorities was to set up interoperable radio systems nationwide. Because agencies responding to the attacks communicated on different radio frequencies, hundreds of police, firefighters and port authority workers didn't hear orders to evacuate the towers as they were about to collapse.

Similar communication problems have happened in DuPage County. A recent car chase from Downers Grove ended in Lombard, when the Downers Grove police officer called for help in arresting the suspect. That call went to the Downers Grove dispatcher to the Lombard dispatcher to the Lombard police officer, "who was standing 20 feet away from him but couldn't hear his cries because of traffic," Zaruba said.

Tom Janaes, DuPage Emergency Telephone System Board secretary and retired sheriff's office bureau chief, said $700,000 from surcharges on 911 customers' phone bills paid for the radio system. With that money, new transmitters and receivers were installed in 14 towers throughout DuPage County so emergency agencies can communicate on existing radios.

It would have cost $25 million to replace every agency's mobile radios, Janaes said.

KWQC

George Ryan's old-school approach took him to governor's office and courtroom

http://www.kwqc.com/Global/story.asp?S=3834189

SPRINGFIELD - Despite having his name linked to government corruption, former Governor George Ryan remains a popular figure at the state Capitol.