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HERALD RALD
NWHerald.com
THE ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER PUBLISHED IN McHENRY COUNTY
By STEPHEN Di BENEDETTO
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Federal regulators have approved a new form of booze that combines powder and water to create a standard mixed drink, but area state lawmakers don’t want it sold and distributed in Illinois. Many other lawmakers feel the same, as legislators in 39 states have introduced 77 bills in 2015 that either prohibit or regulate the sale and distribution of powdered alcohol products, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. The flurry of legislative activity comes after Palcohol, a company looking to sell the powdered form of alcohol, successfully gained federal approval earlier this spring to market the product. A bill that recently cleared the Illinois Senate on a 56-0 vote would ban the sale and distribution of the product throughout the state. Sen. Pam Althoff, R-McHenry, said she voted for the bill after hearing that underage kids could easily buy the product online. “Minors could, without so much more than a click on the computer, order and receive this type of powdered substance,” Althoff said. “There is no method to track it or determine
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who is buying it.” State Sen. Karen McConnaughay, R-St. Charles, also voted for the prohibition, but she didn’t respond to calls for comment. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Ira Silverstein, D-Chicago, now awaits House action. State Rep. Jack Franks, D-Marengo, said he doesn’t know enough yet about the products but said that a prohibition on powdered alcohol might be appropriate. “I can’t see any good for it, ever,” Franks said. “At first blush, it seems to make sense not to be selling this stuff, but I need to hear more about it.” If the bill becomes law, Illinois would join six other states that have so far banned the sale and distribution of powdered alcohol products. The states with prohibitions include Alaska, Louisiana, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont and Virginia, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Legislatures in Colorado, Delaware, Michigan and New Mexico have opted to regulate powdered alcohol products like other forms of booze. Palcohol founder Mark
Says meeting with Rauner violated act By CHELSEA McDOUGALL cmcdougall@shawmedia.com WOODSTOCK – A local labor union says McHenry County Board members violated the Open Meetings Act when they met privately with the governor, then later publicly supported his “Turnaround Agenda.” In a lawsuit filed late last week, the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150 is asking that the County Board’s support for Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner’s overhaul of labor laws be declared null and void. Rauner presented proposed changes to the state’s labor laws at an event in Woodstock on April 8 as part of a statewide tour asking municipalities to support the overhaul. In attendance were eight County Board members, who the next day approved a largely symbolic resolution supporting the governor’s proposal. The event also was attended by members of the media, including the Northwest Herald, and other municipal leaders. Rauner wants local governments to enact right-to-work laws by referendum and eliminate prevailing wage laws and other unfunded mandates. Critics of his “Turnaround Agenda” say it’s a union-busting measure that will hurt middle-class families. The County Board members who attended the April 8 event – Chairman Joe Gottemoller, Tina Hill, Yvonne Barnes, James Heisler, Nick Provenzano, Charles Wheeler, Michele Aavang and Larry Smith – constituted a majority of a quorum, and therefore violated the Open Meetings Act because the public wasn’t properly notified of the meeting in advance, the lawsuit states. Furthermore, union members who attended were turned away by uniformed police officers, according to the union. There are 24 members of the McHenry County Board; 13 members constitute a quorum, and seven make up a majority of a quorum. The day after Rauner’s visit, the County Board passed a nonbinding resolution in support of the “Turnaround Agenda.” It passed on 16-5 vote, over the objections of union members. Of those who attended the meeting with Rauner, all but Hill approved the resolution. “The governor strong-armed McHenry County into passing his resolution, and he did it behind closed doors, out of public sight,” president and business
See ALCOHOL, page A6
Minors could, without so much more than a click on the computer, order and receive this type of powdered substance. There is no method to track it or determine who is buying it.” State Sen. Pam Althoff R-McHenry
See SUIT, page A6
Illustration by R. Scott Helmchen – shelmchen@shawmedia.com
Rauner: Stop ‘fair share’ fees for nonunion teachers By JOHN O’CONNOR The Associated Press SPRINGFIELD – Gov. Bruce Rauner said Wednesday he wants to banish a requirement that nonunion public school teachers pay union fees – the Republican’s latest swipe at public sector unions he blames for worsening the state’s financial woes. Rauner already has sued in federal court to stop what he calls “forced union dues collection” from state government workers, an issue that sent unions to state court in their own action against the move. Speaking in downtown Springfield, the Republican said he’s had
support, even from state workers who are union members. He contended that teachers have asked him whether the executive order he signed in February to bar collection of “fair share fees” from nonunion state employees could be extended to the schoolhouse. “I believe it should apply to teachers and we’ll deal with that later,” Rauner said. Teachers unions quickly lashed out at the idea, calling it illegal and a slap at instructors who “advocate for their students.” Beginning his 101st day in office, Rauner also explained to capital-city civic and business leaders that he is trying to tackle seemingly tangen-
tial issues while also wrestling with multibillion-dollar deficits because the two go hand in hand. Long critical of public employee unions’ influence on government, Rauner’s executive order directed state agencies which answer to him to hold up the fair-share fees nonunion employees pay Gov. Bruce by law to support col- Rauner lective bargaining, grievance procedures and other costs they incur for representing all employees, not just union members. The fees paid by 6,500 nonunion workers are less than union-mem-
ber dues. Unions sued the governor in circuit court to halt the action and Rauner entered a court agreement this month to stop holding up the fees until the issue is litigated. Rauner declined to elaborate on how he would approach teachers’ union fees when asked by The Associated Press as he left the event sponsored by the Citizens Club of Springfield. Later in East Peoria, he softened his stance, saying he’s confident he’ll win the state-worker fee issue in court and that a judicial decision “could have broader implications to all government employees and taxpayer-funded entities just like schools.”
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The Illinois Federation of Teachers and the Illinois Education Association, each of which represent more than 100,000 teachers and others, quickly derided Rauner’s idea. “This is just another reckless attempt to take away teachers’ voice and ability to advocate for their students,” IFT spokeswoman Aviva Bowen said, “and it does nothing to address our state’s real challenges.” “We’re surprised that Gov. Rauner would come out against local control of public schools,” IEA president Cinda Klickna said in a statement. “ ... Teachers are the experts on what will work in our schools
See RAUNER, page A6
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