TexasTowelie
TexasTowelie's JournalGov. Rauner lays out terms for temporary budget: Property tax freeze, term limits
Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and legislative leaders are set to resume budget talks again Thursday morning as a stopgap spending plan is set to expire at year's end, and the governor is laying out his terms before the meeting even begins.
Facing continued resistance from Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan over a push for a comprehensive budget agreement that also includes economic reforms, Rauner released a video on Facebook overnight saying he's open to another temporary spending plan but with two conditions.
Rauner wants Democrats to agree to put a term limit constitutional amendment before voters on the 2018 ballot and to a permanent property tax freeze, ideas he's long pushed as part of a larger deal with little success. The effort represents an about-face from last month, when Rauner said he would no longer go along with stopgap budgets, but the strategy also allows Rauner to appear flexible in the face of the state's grave financial challenges.
"These reforms would let job creators know it is a new day in Illinois, and that long term we'll be a better place to invest," Rauner said. "We are at a key turning point in Illinois' history."
Read more: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-rauner-lays-out-terms-for-temporary-budget-property-tax-freeze-term-limits-20161130-story.html
Former Indiana University Ethics Director To Plead Guilty To Possession Of Child Pornography
(BLOOMINGTON) - A Bloomington man will plead guilty in a negotiated plea agreement to a charge of possession of child pornography.
Former IU Ethics Director Jon Riveire was arrested after police found photos of a sex act between an adult man and a girl, between the ages of 3 and 5, in Riveire's email. After obtaining a search warrant, they reported finding 30 additional images of child pornography on Riveire's IU-issued computer.
He had worked at IU since 2007, first as a residence hall director and was the assistant director for student conduct at IU's Office of Student Ethics when he was terminated by the university after his arrest in May 2015 when he was charged with six felony counts of possession of child pornography.
According to court records, Riveire has agreed to plead guilty to one of the charges, with the others being dismissed. Monroe Circuit Court Judge Marc Kellams has taken the agreement under advisement.
Read more: http://www.wbiw.com/local/archive/2016/12/former-iu-ethics-director-to-plead-guilty-to-possession-of-child-pornography.php
Family: Avon man killed by deputy was schizophrenic
Bradley King called police before he died.
The 29-year-old Brownsburg native was schizophrenic and was having a mental episode, said Sheila Robertson, King's aunt. He was scared for his life, she said.
He was fatally shot by a Hendricks County reserve deputy in his backyard just before 3 p.m. Tuesday.
"All he wanted was peace in his mind," Robertson said. "That’s all he wanted."
Read more: http://www.indystar.com/story/news/crime/2016/11/30/family-avon-man-killed-deputy-schizophrenic/94689464/
Indiana State places fraternity on probation after death
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (AP) — Indiana State University has placed a fraternity chapter on probation following the accidental drowning of an 18-year-old freshman during a fraternity event in Illinois.
The (Terre Haute) Tribune-Star reports (http://bit.ly/2gCsNs3 ) "conduct probation" for Sigma Chi runs through May 11, 2018 and removes the organization from good conduct standing with the university. Also, the chapter will not be allowed to have any social events until the fall 2017 term.
The Associated Press sent an email seeking comment Thursday from the fraternity chapter.
The Clark County, Illinois, sheriff's department and the school investigated the Oct. 23 death of Yiorgo Karnezis of Munster, Indiana. The school has said that Karnezis apparently fell from a boat into a small pond during a Sigma Chi fraternity social event in the rural community of Dennison, Illinois.
Read more: http://www.heraldtimesonline.com/wire/indiana-state-places-fraternity-on-probation-after-death/article_5ff2239a-a2e8-5a74-b871-f34b344c06ee.html
Indiana Supreme Court clarifies traffic stop rules
INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Supreme Court issued two rulings Tuesday clarifying when police can stop or enter a vehicle after receiving a third-party report of a motorist in danger.
Around 1 a.m. on Dec. 14, 2014, Fishers police were called by a gas station attendant and told that a woman, later identified as Mary Osborne, was "stuck underneath her vehicle in the parking lot."
Officer Jason Arnold was dispatched to the gas station but arrived just as Osborne was driving away, according to court records.
He followed Osborne, and even though she did not commit any traffic infractions or criminal conduct, Arnold pulled her over based on his concern for her well-being.
Read more: http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/indiana-supreme-court-clarifies-traffic-stop-rules/article_06dfae53-22a1-5bab-bc6e-d6d34bc3f5f6.html
Mexico disappointed by Carrier agreement
MEXICO CITY - Officials in the Mexican state of Nuevo Leon expressed disappointment Wednesday at Carrier Corp.’s announcement it will keep hundreds of jobs in the United States rather than send them south of the border.
Carrier said it had made a deal with President-elect Donald Trump to keep the jobs at its plant in Indiana.
Carrier currently operates one plant in Nuevo Leon and has built but not yet occupied another one there as part of a planned $200 million expansion.
“The implications are very serious, not only for Nuevo Leon, but for Carrier,” Sen. Marcela Guerra said.
Read more: http://www.indystar.com/story/money/2016/12/01/mexico-disappointed-carrier-agreement/94720716/
Purdue members demand condemnation of white supremacy fliers
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — A group of angered faculty, staff and students are calling on Purdue University leaders to condemn posters promoting white supremacy that were plastered across campus.
The posters found Wednesday morning read, "We have a right to exist," with a drawing of a white man and woman on it. Another said, "Defending your people is a social duty, not an anti-social crime," accompanied by a drawing of a white woman with a baby. The lower left corner of the posters were marked with a fascist symbol.
The signs bear the name of American Vanguard. Its website, reactionamerica.com, says it "fights for a White America." The site provides several printable posters, including the ones that were found at Purdue. The group, via a direct message on Twitter, said it takes responsibility for the signs at the university.
The group said it has allies at Purdue and expects that pool to grow, although the "patriots" involved in the poster campaign have declined to reveal their identities.
Read more: http://www.indystar.com/story/news/college/2016/11/30/white-supremacy-posters-placed-around-purdue/94667550/
Former Herman Miller worker accused in $1.8M scheme defrauding company
GRAND RAPIDS, MI - A former Herman Miller Inc. manager is accused of stealing $1.8 million from the company.
Jerry Lee Akers is named in felony information alleging conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud.
He and a co-conspirator, who is not identified in court documents, obtained the money over a five-year period by billing Herman Miller for services that were not provided, Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher O'Connor said in court documents.
The government knows the identity of the co-conspirator.
The filing of felony information, rather than an indictment, signals that Akers has cooperated with investigators.
Read more: http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2016/12/former_herman_miller_worker_ac.html#incart_river_home
Michigan farmers want to bring back driver's licenses for migrant workers
GRAND RAPIDS, MI - Michigan farmers who employ migrant workers say too many of them aren't able to get a Michigan driver's license, forcing them to drive without a license or insurance.
Delegates to the Michigan Farm Bureau's Annual Meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 30, voted to encourage passage of a new law that would allow guest workers to have "limited purpose operator's licenses."
The licenses would allow guest workers to legally drive and get insurance while living in Michigan, without having to prove their citizenship. The licenses could not be used for voter registration, employment benefits or other non-driving activities.
Driver's licenses for undocumented workers have been unavailable since 2008 in Michigan, when the law was changed so drivers had to prove their citizenship or show legal residency before they could get a license.
Read more: http://www.mlive.com/business/west-michigan/index.ssf/2016/12/michigan_farmers_seek_looser_r.html
Michigan Senate panel votes to close school pensions to new members
LANSING — The Republican-controlled Senate Appropriations Committee voted 9-8 Wednesday to close the school retirement system to new members, despite expert testimony from the administration of Gov. Rick Snyder and others that the move will cost billions.
The bills moved to the full Senate, where they were expected to be taken up as early as Wednesday night, but the close committee vote slowed the fast-track legislation, making a Thursday Senate vote most likely.
Debate raged over the Michigan Public School Employees Retirement System at the Capitol, as a new Senate Fiscal Agency report pegged the cost of the legislation at $1.6 billion to $3.8 billion over five years.
The main reasons for the increased costs are that employer contributions to the 401(k)-style plan will be close to three percentage points higher than they are to the existing "hybrid" school retirement system — which mixes a smaller defined-benefit pension with a defined contribution plan — and that with no new money coming into MPSERS, more conservative investment strategies will be called for and expected returns will be significantly lower.
Read more: http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/news/local/michigan/2016/11/30/senate-tackle-school-employee-pensions-today/94656622/
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