CHICAGO, IL - United States Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) today released the following statement regarding Senator Kirk:

“I brought all the love and best wishes of the Senate to Mark and his family, including cards with good wishes from his colleagues. I also brought him some work to get done, some proposals to look at and some of the political magazines that have all the news in Washington. I spent the morning with his family, and I’m so encouraged with his prognosis and progress. He’s getting more irritated at being in the hospital, which means he’s definitely getting better. I look forward to coming to visit my friend again soon.”

The Kirk family released the following statement in appreciation of Sen. Manchin’s support:

“We want to express our deep appreciation and gratitude to Senator Joe Manchin for all he has done and continues to do to be a source of comfort and strength for our family. We know how much his friendship means to Mark. Joe is truly a class act.

We continue to grow more encouraged and impressed by Mark’s progress each day. He is talking, making jokes and asking about work. We thank the people of Illinois for their unwavering support.”

Continues to crackdown on fraudulent practices that led to financial crisis

WASHINGTON, IL – Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan joined U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan, Securities and Exchange Commission Director of Enforcement Robert Khuzami and New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman to announce the formation of the Residential Mortgage-Backed Securities Working Group under President Obama’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force.

“We are working on all fronts to hold accountable the many actors whose misconduct directly contributed to the financial crisis,” Attorney General Madigan said. “My office has cracked down on the nation’s largest lenders for defrauding homeowners and discriminating against minority borrowers. We’ve filed more lawsuits than any state against so-called mortgage ‘rescue’ consultants, and just this week, we filed suit against Standard & Poor’s for fraudulently claiming its independence and objectivity while giving out superior ratings to risky mortgage-backed security investments. I will continue to lead this fight as we collectively work to ensure that a disaster of this magnitude never happens again.”

The Working Group brings together the Department of Justice (DOJ), state attorneys general and federal enforcement agencies to investigate misconduct in the residential mortgage-backed securities market, a major contributor to the financial crisis.   

Throughout the home foreclosure crisis, Attorney General Madigan has fought to hold lenders accountable for their unlawful financial misconduct, and to provide relief and assistance to Illinois families struggling to save their homes. Attorney General Madigan has been a national leader in taking legal action against wrongdoers. Most recently, Madigan filed a lawsuit against credit ratings agency Standard & Poor’s, alleging that the company compromised its independence as a ratings agency by doling out high ratings to unworthy, risky investments as a corporate strategy to increase its revenue and market share.

In December 2011, Madigan and DOJ reached a $335 million settlement over allegations that Countrywide, once the nation’s largest mortgage lender, discriminated against thousands of African American and Latino borrowers during the height of the subprime mortgage lending spree. The settlement will provide restitution to harmed Illinois borrowers and is the largest settlement of a fair lending lawsuit ever obtained by a state attorney general.

In July 2009, Attorney General Madigan filed a similar fair lending lawsuit against Wells Fargo for illegally targeting African American and Latino borrowers for sales of the lender’s poorest quality and most expensive mortgages. With this action, Attorney General Madigan became the first attorney general in the nation to sue a national bank for its role in causing the foreclosure crisis. The Attorney General’s office continues to aggressively fight this case in court.

Madigan also reached an earlier landmark $8.7 billion national settlement in 2008 against Countrywide for deceptively placing thousands of Illinois homeowners into ultra-risky and unaffordable subprime mortgages. The settlement with Countrywide’s new owner, Bank of America, established the nation’s first mandatory loan modification program.

Half-million dollars projected in revenue

CHICAGO, IL – The nation’s “seconds-in-command” will convene in Chicago this summer at a conference expected to generate more than a half-million dollars in revenue for the state.

Lt. Governor Sheila Simon announced that she will host the National Lieutenant Governors Association (NLGA) annual meeting July 18-20 at the Drake Hotel in Chicago. The NLGA estimates the meeting will generate $612,000 in hotel, food, entertainment, transportation and other expenditures in Illinois.

“More than 200 people are expected to attend the conference, including many of the nation’s lieutenant governors,” said NLGA Director Julia Hurst. “The meeting will focus on issues impacting the economy, and the people of the states and territories, from education to energy, health care and more.”

Lt. Governor Simon is seeking Illinois businesses to sponsor conference sessions to “showcase the best that Illinois has to offer.” Chicago was selected to commemorate the NLGA’s 50th anniversary as it was the site of the inaugural annual meeting in 1962 when Samuel Shapiro was the Illinois Lieutenant Governor.

“The association is delighted to celebrate its 50th anniversary in the very city in which it was founded – Chicago,” said NLGA Chair and Nebraska Lt. Governor Rick Sheehy. “We thank Illinois Lt. Governor Sheila Simon for hosting this bi-partisan group, and we look forward to the energy that she and the Windy City will add to our gathering.”

The NLGA is a nonprofit, professional organization for elected officials who are first in line of succession to the governors in the United States and five territorial jurisdictions. Since 2000, at least 20 lieutenant governors have succeeded governors, including former Lt. Governor and current Governor Pat Quinn.

“We welcome the opportunity to host these influential policymakers and generate tourism dollars for our state,” said Simon, the NLGA Midwest Regional Chair.

For more information on NLGA, see www.nlga.us or contact 859-283-1400. To inquire about sponsorship, contact 312-814-5240.

Baltimore, MD (BlackNews.com) — In a ceremony in Monrovia, Liberia, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity gave Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf its Alpha Award of Honor. The award is the highest accolade presented to a nonmember of the fraternity. Ms. Johnson Sirleaf also was given the first ever Martin Luther King, Jr. Peace Medal by the fraternity.

The awards were bestowed Jan. 19, at Paynesville Town Hall, during a rechartering ceremony of the Eta Epsilon Lambda Chapter. Johnson Sirleaf is the third Liberian president to receive the Alpha Award of Honor.

“This is a very special evening. I am proud to see the brothers of Alpha Phi Alpha return to Liberia,” said Johnson Sirleaf. “We believe that this is just another example of the Alpha culture, the Alpha spirit.”

An economist, Ms. Johnson Sirleaf, 73, is a graduate of the University of Colorado and Harvard University. A member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, she is credited with breaking down many gender barriers in her country and has been lauded all over the world as a powerful and stabilizing force for Liberia.

In 2005, Johnson Sirleaf made history when she became Africa’s first elected woman head of state. In 2011, she shared the Nobel Peace Prize with two other women “for their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights to full participation in peace-building work.”

Last year, voters returned her to office. Her second inauguration was held Jan. 16, making her the first Liberian president to have a second term in the first successive, peaceful democratic transition in 20 years.

“What an honor to be in Liberia to witness President Johnson Sirleaf’s second inauguration,” said Herman “Skip” Mason, Jr., Alpha general president. “And, to present her with an honor named for our most iconic member and an international humanitarian for peace worldwide, Brother Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.”

“Her work, ensuring the rebuilding of Liberia, supporting the Liberian Educational Trust and her leadership in stopping violence against women, are very much in line with the tenets of Alpha Phi Alpha. We salute President Johnson Sirleaf and are honored to present her with these well earned awards and recognition,” Mason said.

The first Alpha chapter in Africa was established in Monrovia on Oct 6, 1958. David N. Howell, former CEO of the Liberia YMCA and 17 Alpha brothers were designated by the international leadership to establish Eta Epsilon Lambda Chapter there. A second chapter, Kappa Phi Chapter, was established at the University of Liberia and Cuttington University in 1976.

Charter members of the Eta Epsilon Lambda Chapter include: John T. Woods, Alexander Brewer, Sebastian Muah, T. Nelson Williams II, Olu Menjay, W. Emmett Walker, Henrique Tokpa, Gerald Sherman, Tony Hubbard, Henry Benson, and Emmanuel Bowier.

Among those attending the ceremony were Liberian Vice President Joseph N. Boakai Sr.; President Pro-Tempore of the Senate Gbehzongar Findley; government officials; members of Alpha Phi Alpha; members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority’s Eta Beta Omega Chapter; community sponsors and special guests.

To view more photos of this event and it’s highlights, visit http://smu.gs/wM8G5b
 

About Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.

Founded on December 4, 1906, at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., has continued to supply voice and vision to the struggle of African Americans and people of color around the world. The fraternity has long stood at the forefront of the African-American community’s fight for civil rights through Alpha men such as Martin Luther King Jr., Adam Clayton Powell, Thurgood Marshall, Andrew Young, Edward Brooke, Cornel West, Lionel Richie, John H. Johnson, Paul Robeson and Jesse Owens among many others. The fraternity, through its college and alumni chapters, serves the community through more than 600 chapters in the United States, Europe and the Caribbean. Visit www.apa1906.net and follow on Twitter @apa1906network.

Photo Caption: Brother T. Nelson (l), president of rechartered Eta Epsilon Lambda stands with Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Herman “Skip” Mason, general president of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. as she accepts the Alpha Award of Honor and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Peace Medal.

Prayer will be held Saturday, January 28, 2012, at Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church in Chicago

Members of Interfaith Illinois are holding a prayer for Senator Mark Kirk  (R-IL) who suffered a stroke earlier this week, at their bi-monthly meeting service, Saturday, January 28, 2012, 10 a.m., at the Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church, 4543 S. Princeton, Chicago, IL.

While Northwestern Hospital physicians say Senator Kirk, 52, is recuperating from brain surgery, is getting better, the ministers are praying for a full and speedy recovery.

“We feel that Sen. Kirk was a man of great integrity who is concerned with people not just from his party but for people across party lines,” said Bishop Claude Porter who heads the Proviso-Leyden Council for Community Action, Inc. and is Pastor of the Proviso Baptist Church (PLCCA).

For more information, contact Bishop Claude Porter at 708-236-5036

$265.2 million increase from FY 2012 still below previous state funding levels for education; State funding has been reduced by about $650 million since FY2009

SPRINGFIELD, IL — The Illinois State Board of Education approved a Fiscal Year 2013 State General Funds budget recommendation that provides a nearly $265.2 million, or 3.9 percent increase over the current year. The Board’s Fiscal Year 2013 proposal is still about $426 million less than the funding received in Fiscal Year 2009, the year with the highest level of education funding.

“We are taking a responsible approach to championing education in the state of Illinois,” said State Board of Education Chairman Gery J. Chico. “This budget reflects our efforts to balance the current economic situation with our role to advocate for education and fight vigorously against any more cuts in this area so critical to our future. Investing in education is an investment not only in the individual lives of more than 2 million students and their families, but also the economy and welfare of our state and nation.”

The Board’s recommendation provides increased funding in some specific line items such as early childhood education, bilingual education and several reform initiatives already under way in Illinois. Board members are recommending an increase of $201 million in General State Aid (GSA) during FY 13. Last year, insufficient funding was appropriated to pay GSA at the statutory Foundation Level of $6,119, which resulted in a statewide proration of 95 percent or an effective GSA Foundation Level of $5,953.  However, attempting to increase transparency in budgeting, the Board’s FY 13 recommendation shows a decrease in the per-pupil GSA Foundation Level, despite the increase of $201 million in this line, from the FY 2012 level of $6,119 to $5,972.

“On behalf of the Board, I urge legislators to seriously consider increasing education funding for the first time in more than three years,” said State Superintendent of Education Christopher A. Koch. “Our proposed budget reflects a very modest increase that would support local schools and ongoing reform efforts. We are implementing some of the more meaningful education reform measures in the history of our state, and nation, but we need lawmaker support to turn many of these initiatives into reality.”

The progress Illinois is making with its reform efforts was recently recognized by Education Week in their just released “Quality Counts 2012-The Global Challenge,” the publication’s annual edition grading states on their education systems. While the Board recognizes much work still needs to be done, Illinois’ standing improved 11 spots, from 40^th to 29^th. Illinois’ highest score was an A- in Standards, Assessments and Accountability, in recognition of work to adopt and implement the new Illinois Learning Standards based on the internationally benchmarked Common Core and our work with the Partnership for the Assessment of College and Careers. The ongoing implementation of recent education reforms means Illinois’ overall ranking will continue to improve.

The Board’s recommendation includes new line items to support comprehensive reform initiates under way in Illinois. Continued work on these reform initiatives will ensure the state meets criteria outlined for the federal waiver to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA, more commonly known as the No Child Left Behind).  Some of proposed FY 2013 increases or expenses include:

        * $201.3 million increase for General State Aid (GSA)

• $19.9 million increase for early childhood education, providing a 6.1 percent increase over FY12 levels but still falling short of the FY09 levels.

• $7 million increase in the bilingual education line item to help districts meet the needs of the growing bilingual population across the state and meet new mandates to provide bilingual preschool programs.

• $5.8 million increase for State Assessments which were cut by nearly 9 percent in FY11, to be used to assess the academic growth of additional students consistent with the parameters of the waiver application. This increase would also cover the cost of restoring the 11^th grade PSAE, which was eliminated this year due to budget cuts.

• $4.1 million in additional funding to support new principal and teacher mentoring as outlined under comprehensive reform legislation, referred to as Senate Bill 7, signed into law last spring.

• $3 million appropriation for improvement strategies and interventions in the state’s lowest performing schools.

• $2.8 million increase in the amount of funding to pay incentives for recently-consolidated districts, and for feasibility studies as districts consider consolidation or another form of reorganization to increase efficiency. 

·         $2 million toward training educators on Common Core Standards implementation.

·         $1 million appropriation toward support and resources for the growing population of homeless students in Illinois schools.

As part of the budget making process the Board conducted a series of five public budget hearings around the state last fall where citizens, local and state politicians and candidates were invited to voice their priorities. More than 80 people signed in at those hearings to advocate for increased funding and another 1,300 sent written comments, also calling on the Board to restore, maintain or expand funding for General State Aid and specific programs.

The Board based its decisions regarding programs and funding on several key principles, including support for the largest number of students and greatest flexibility for districts, minimizing the introduction of new programs and mandates in order to conserve resources and the alignment to ISBE’s strategic plan goals:

·         Every student will demonstrate academic achievement and be prepared for success after high school.

·         Every student will be supported by highly prepared and effective teachers and school leaders.

·         Every school will offer a safe and healthy learning environment for all students.

The Illinois State Board of Education will provide its budget recommendation to the Governor and General Assembly for consideration as part of the overall State FY2013 state budget. The Board’s budget proposal is posted on www.isbe.net/budget.

                        Faith leaders will “speak up for the dead and demand answers”

A group of pastors will converge on the Cook County Morgue at the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office, 2121 West Harrison Street, Chicago on Friday, January 27 at 9 a.m. to examine conditions, pray for souls of the deceased, and demand a thorough response to the tragic pile up of human remains.

“Every human being deserves dignity in death. County officials must be held accountable to the citizens and to God for this sacred trust. Given the level of disorganization and neglect at the morgue: any one of these bodies could have been any one of us”, stated Rev. Marshall Hatch of the Leader’s Network.

Rev. Ira Acree continued: “This is a national embarrassment. We should not have a pile up of bodies in downtown shadow of a world class city.”

“This is immoral and it is disrespectful of the families of the dead. As pastors we are moved with compassion to offer pastoral care for these unnamed souls”, concluded Rev. Cy Fields, Leader’s Network president.

The pastors will also demand that morgue overhaul plans be made public, and that an oversight board made of community and clergy leaders be put in place to monitor conditions and advocate for dignified resolution of the indigent and voiceless deceased

 For More Information Contact:  Rev. Marshall Hatch at 773-909-5051 or

Rev. Cy Fields at 708-774-9818

CHICAGO, IL -  Each New Year millions of people crowd into gyms armed with willpower and personal goals toward healthier, more active lifestyles. While it’s exciting to gear up towards a goal, it’s also important to treat this decision like any other major purchase. If you’re pledging to lose some pounds this year by joining a gym, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) provides ten questions to ask before signing on the dotted line.

In the past twelve months, the BBB serving Chicago and northern Illinois has received 296 complaints against Health Clubs and Fitness Centers. The complaints range from billing and collection issues to overall contract issues.

“Joining a health club can be a major investment, so first check out www.bbb.org to see how your club ranks,” said Steve J. Bernas, President & CEO of the Better Business Bureau serving Chicago and northern Illinois. “Take time to ask the gym and yourself some important questions before rushing to sign up for a membership.”
 
Five questions to ask the gym:

• What are the terms of any introductory offers? Gyms often use special introductory offers to lure in new members. Make sure you understand the terms and what the price will be once the introductory period is over.
• Will my membership renew automatically? Many times people who joined a gym didn’t realize that their contract would renew automatically and that they would have to take specific steps to cancel their contract. 
• How can I get out of my contract? Getting out of a gym contract isn’t always as easy as getting into one, so make sure you understand what steps you would need to take to cancel your membership.
• What happens if I move? Gyms have any number of different policies when it comes to how moving will affect your membership. It might depend on how far away you’re moving and if they have other locations nearby.
• What happens if the gym goes out of business? Ask the gym to explain what will happen to your money if they suddenly close down.

Five questions to ask yourself when looking at potential gyms/health clubs:

• What are my fitness goals? Determining your fitness goals in advance will help you select a facility that is most appropriate for you. If you have a serious health condition, consult with a medical professional when setting your fitness goals.
• Is this location convenient? If the gym is across town, you’ll be less likely to work out. Choose a fitness club that is convenient to work or home so the location is not a deterrent to getting exercise.
• Can I really afford this every month? Monthly gym fees add up and, after any introductory periods are over, the price could jump higher than your budget can handle. Do the math before you join and make sure you can afford a gym membership.
• Am I feeling pressured to join? Do not give in to high-pressure sales tactics to join right away. A reputable gym will give you enough time to read the contract thoroughly, tour the facilities, and make an informed decision.
• Did I get everything in writing? Read the contract carefully and make sure that all verbal promises made by the salesperson are in writing.  What matters is the document you sign, so don’t just take a salesperson’s word for it.

For more advice from BBB on how to be a savvy consumer all year long, visit www.bbb.org