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REASONS FOR HOOPLA THIS SEASON? 2014-15 HOOPS PREVIEW, SPECIAL SECTION INSIDE
Collect all the Wildcatz
EASTLAND-PEARL CITY FOOTBALL CARDS, B4
dailyGAZETTE Tuesday, November 25, 2014
SERVING ROCK FALLS, STERLING AND THE SURROUNDING AREA SINCE 1854
ILLINOIS | HIGHER EDUCATION FUNDING
Universities asked to explore cuts Presidents warned of cuts up to 30 percent over 18 months SPRINGFIELD (AP) – The head of the Illinois Board of Higher Education has issued a budget warning to the presidents of the state’s public universities after meeting with Gov.-elect Bruce Rauner’s budget transition team. Executive Director James Applegate sent an email to the presidents, obtained by the Springfield bureau of Lee Enterprises newspapers, saying the schools should be prepared for possible funding cuts of up to 30 percent over the next 18 months. He described it as “bad budget news.”
“They have asked us to prepare a budget recommendation for [fiscal year 2016] involving a 20 percent reduction. We may also be asked to create spending reserves of 5 percent or 10 percent out of our existing budget for the remainder of [fiscal year 2015],” Applegate wrote. Rauner spokesman Mike Schrimpf told The Associated Press on Monday that the Republican’s transition team was not ordering budget cuts but seeking information on how a rollback of the state’s temporary income tax would affect state agencies.
Schrimpf said the team met with officials from many agencies – not just the universities – as part of Rauner’s own budget preparing process. He said the agencies were asked to “be prepared to talk about” budgets without the extra spending “as a starting point.” “This was purely a fact-gathering process,” Schrimpf said. “This was not some kind of edict. ... They were not told that this would be their budget.” CUTS CONTINUED ON A4
AP
Supporters for fair education funding hold up signs Nov. 18 outside a House Education Committee hearing room at the state Capitol in Springfield.
TWIN CITIES | RENTAL INSPECTION PROGRAM
OREGON | BLACK HAWK STATUE RESTORATION
No shelter from the storm
Mayor’s support solidified
Weather halts work to wrap Black Hawk BY VINDE WELLS Shaw Media vwells@shawmedia.com
Sterling council still doing homework
OREGON – Monday’s snowstorm put a halt to plans to get the Black Hawk statue under wraps and protected from winter weather. After months of waiting for the state to approve a restoration for the 103-year-old statue, a crew finally began erecting a scaffold Friday, with plans to finish Monday. By 9 a.m. Monday, though, a persistent rain had turned to sleet and snow, putting a damper on the rest of the work to protect the 50-foot concrete statue, which is on a bluff overlooking the Rock River at Lowden State Park. Project conservator Andrzej Dajnowski said Friday that he had received the contract for the work from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, and planned to sign and return it for final approval. Created by sculptor Lorado Taft in 1910 as a tribute to all Native Americans, The Eternal Indian, commonly known as Black Hawk, draws thousands of visitors each year. It was unveiled and dedicated in 1911. Time and weather have caused parts of it to crumble and fall off.
BY PAM EGGEMEIER peggemeier@saukvalley.com 800-798-4085, ext. 5570
SHELTER CONTINUED ON A2
Chief fundraiser To donate to the restoration of The Eternal Indian, send checks made payable to Illinois Conservation Foundation, with “Blackhawk statue” in the memo field, to the Illinois Conservation Foundation, 1 Natural Resources Way, Springfield IL 62702.
Earleen Hinton/ehinton@shawmedia.com
Workers with Diversified Construction Services of Melrose Park put scaffolding around Black Hawk on Friday morning. The early winter storm has put a halt to plans to keep it from further deteriorating over the winter by putting scaffolding around the statue, a roof over its head to keep off snow and ice, then wrap the scaffolding in protective mesh.
STERLING – The city plans to move ahead with its rental inspections ordinance, despite Rock Falls’ decision to shelve the program for the near term. The Rock Falls council voted unanimously Nov. 18 to stop work on the program, although most aldermen said they favored revisiting the plan, which was in the works for 18 months. Mayor Skip Lee said Monday that Sterling is in a better position to implement Skip the program, Lee because it has Sterling mayor more resourc- knows he has es available council members in its building to sell on rental department. inspection program “I understand Rock Falls’ situaMore tion, and they had to focus on A4 on whether See the the program grading would pay for system itself,” Lee that would said. “I think be used in there are a lot evaluating of good reaproperties. sons to move forward with this, but the main focus for us is to improve the city’s standard of housing.” While the mayor said he was definitely on board with the ordinance, he might have some work to do in selling council members. SUPPORT CONTINUED ON A4
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TODAY’S EDITION: 20 PAGES 2 SECTIONS VOL. 160 ISSUE 248
INDEX
ABBY ................... A7 BUSINESS ......... A10 COMICS ............... A8
CROSSWORD....B10 LIFESTYLE ........... A7 LOTTERY ............. A2
OBITUARIES ........ A4 OPINION .............. A6 SPORTS ...............B1
Today’s weather High 30. Low 16. More on A3.
Riots resume Decision ignites Ferguson, A5.
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