Daily Egyptian

Page 1

Daily Egyptian WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2017

SINCE 1916

DAILYEGYPTIAN.COM

VOL. 100 ISSUE 2

Area senators weigh 'grand budget deal' MARNIE LEONARD | @marsuzleo

Two freshman southern Illinois senators could vote as early as Wednesday on a bipartisan budget proposal aimed at ending the state’s

budget impasse. The “grand bargain” budget deal is being advanced jointly by Democratic Senate President John Cullerton and Republican Minority Leader Christine Radogno. It

includes a minimum wage and personal income tax hike as well as proposals for a property tax freeze and workers’ compensation reform, two must-have pieces of legislation for Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner.

The legislation is scheduled to be voted on in the Senate the same day the governor delivers his State of the State address. If passed, the bill would need approval from the House and Rauner to end the budget

stalemate. Though the governor has praised Cullerton and Radogno for their willingness to compromise, he hasn’t explicitly endorsed the bill package. Please see BUDGET | 2

Proposed cuts to WSIU would be 'catastrophic' LUKE NOZICKA AND BILL LUKITSCH @lukenozicka and @lukitsbill

Working in the news industry is an aspiration SIU student Collin Dorsey has long held. The 20-year-old junior from Du Quoin began working in radio as a sophomore in high school, reporting and anchoring newscasts for WDQN-AM. As one of River Region Evening Edition's most senior reporters, Dorsey began at the university's studentled newscast as a producer his freshmen year and eventually transitioned to on-camera work, anchoring for news and weather. “My mother would tell people that she could sit me in front of the television for the hour newscast. She could set me there at 5:30 p.m. and she’d go off and do whatever she needed to do, and I’d just be content watching World News Tonight,” said Dorsey, who studies radio, television and digital media. “I think news has always been something I’ve loved.” River Region, which airs four nights a week, is an affiliate of WSIU Public Broadcasting, one of 15 centers or initiatives the university's non-academic prioritization committee suggested could be cut off from state funding if the university is not allocated

state appropriations by the end of the fiscal year. The committee, appointed by interim Chancellor Brad Colwell, released a report that focused on long-term efficiencies to save the university money, partially by making these units self-supporting by no later than 2022. WSIU could lose more than 25 percent of its funding if the university receives no state appropriations by June 30, potentially forcing layoffs or cutting programs. Greg Petrowich, who has worked as executive director of the broadcasting services since April 2009, said WSIU's budget is about $3.5 million, $879,645 of which came from the state through SIU in fiscal year 2017. Petrowich described a possible scenario with such cuts as "catastrophic." Petrowich, who oversees three public radio stations, including WSIU Radio in Carbondale, two PBS stations and the Southern Illinois Radio Information Service, a reading service for the blind and visually impaired, said the broadcasting service's federal grants are leveraged on non-federal money. This means for every state dollar WSIU earns, it receives an extra 10 cents in federal money. Please see WSIU | 3

Morgan Timms | @Morgan_Timms WSIU Radio Community Engagement Producer and reporter Kevin Boucher, of Murphysboro, reads headlines Monday during the daily newscast for WSIU in the radio studio of the Communications Building. "When a student graduates from SIU Carbondale with a bachelor's in radio-television, they can put on their resume the real-world experience that they have worked with a nationally-recognized NPR station," Boucher said. WSIU is at risk of losing 25 percent of its funding because of budget woes.


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