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Rutherford warns Illinoisans about new
service taxes
PONTIAC, IL - The State Senate recently voted in favor
of the largest income tax increase in Illinois history, but
that pales in comparison to what else was in the
legislation, according to State Senator Dan Rutherford
(R-Pontiac). The bill, HB 174 Senate Amendment 2, also
created, for the first time in Illinois, a tax on services.
“The new tax on services would be on such services as cable
TV, dry cleaning, bowling, pet grooming, Internet service,
gym memberships, sports tickets and diaper service. It would
take billions of dollars out of the wallets and purses of
Illinoisans and cause thousands of businesses to start
collecting and remitting this new tax to the state,” noted
the Senator who voted against the legislation.
Rutherford added, “Most people comprehend when something is
going to go up 67 percent, especially their income taxes.
They may not like it, but they know what it is. The Service
Tax is much more of a ‘stealth tax.’ It would be similar to
a sales tax on products and would definitely increase the
price of those services.”
“With the current financial situation our economy is in, now
is not the time for government to ask taxpayers for more
money through an increased price in their services,”
Rutherford explained. “Once a new tax on services is
established, it will be easy to add even more services to
the list of hundreds. It could easily soon include barbers,
beauticians and auto repair.
The Illinois Senate has passed the Service Tax Legislation
with all Democrat votes. It has not yet been voted on in the
House of Representatives, but could be acted upon this
summer.
“The debate on raising the income tax has received much of
the media attention, but a new tax on services would
permanently change the landscape of taxing opportunities in
our state. The public needs to be aware,” emphasized the
Senator.
Senator Rutherford has posted the list of hundreds of
services that would be impacted, on his Web site
www.DanRutherford.com
State Senate approves
massive expansion of gambling
SPRINGFIELD -- A week
after rejecting a similar plan, the Illinois Senate narrowly
approved a massive expansion of gambling late Saturday.
The plan, approved on a 30-28 vote, would add four
additional casinos to the state’s current fleet of nine and
allow horse racetracks to install slot machines.
State Sens. Mike Jacobs of East Moline and Gary Forby of
Benton were among Democrats voting for the measure.
Most Republicans, including state Sens. Bill Brady of
Bloomington, Dale Righter of Mattoon, Dan Rutherford of
Chenoa, Kyle McCarter of Lebanon and Dave Luechtefeld of
Okawville, voted “no.“
Senate OKs tax hike on income,
many services

Senate
Democrats late Saturday night approved a plan to raise
personal income taxes by 67 percent and broaden the Illinois
sales tax to include services such as cable TV, but the
measure faces an uncertain future in the House with a late
Sunday deadline to fix the state budget.
The 31-27 vote shifted Statehouse dynamics after Democrats
spent much of the day struggling to find support for a tax
increase. With lawmakers on the brink of blowing their
deadline, the focus now turns to the House, where Speaker
Michael Madigan of Chicago repeatedly has insisted he
lacks the votes among his Democratic majority to approve a
tax hike. The uncertainty for the major Senate tax plan also
was illustrated by Democratic Senate President John
Cullerton's acknowledgment that Republican votes are needed
to get the plan through the House.
But
House Republicans have said they won't support a higher
income tax.
Beyond that, House Democrats have been reluctant to vote for
a temporary 50 percent income tax rate increase for two
years. The Senate plan they are being asked to approve is a
67 percent increase that would be permanent. And it's one
that would tax individuals at the same rate as corporations.
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Getting back into U.S. about
to get tougher
U.S. citizens planning a summer
camping trip to Canada, a beach vacation in Mexico or a
Caribbean cruise had better pay attention to new, tougher
requirements for identification at the border.
For years, Americans who visited
Mexico, Canada, Bermuda and the Caribbean were exempt from
presenting identity papers at U.S. borders and seaports.
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Rutherford helping connect constituents with unclaimed
property

PONTIAC, IL – In an ongoing
effort to help the constituents of the 53rd District, State
Senator Dan Rutherford has obtained the latest unclaimed
property list and it is
available here.
“The Illinois State Treasurer’s Office provides a listing of
unclaimed property to legislators twice a year and I make the
listing available on my legislative website,” Rutherford said.
“Citizens should periodically take a look at my website to
view the latest listing for any property they may be missing.”
The Senator explained that these unclaimed assets generally
consist of checking or savings accounts, dividends, un-cashed
payroll checks and safe deposit box contents, although they
could consist of nearly any unclaimed financial asset. Most
claims will be assets of at least one hundred dollars.
After assets have been abandoned or inactive for five years,
the holder of the property must attempt to locate the owner.
If the effort fails, the assets are turned over to the
Illinois State Treasurer's Office. The Treasurer then holds
the assets indefinitely until they are claimed.
Out of concern for the privacy interests of the owners of
unclaimed property the Treasurer will not release information
about your assets over the telephone, so please do not call
with your inquiry.
The address is: The Office of the Illinois State Treasurer,
Unclaimed Property Division, PO Box 19495, Springfield, IL
62794-9495. Inquiries must be in writing and include the name,
address and county of residence of the claimant.
Residents of the 53rd district can view the
complete listing here.
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More
specialty plates possibly to hit the roads

FOR
IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
May 26, 2009/rd
SPRINGFIELD, IL
– The Illinois Senate approved several bills which would
create specialty license plates and State Senator Dan
Rutherford (R-Pontiac) is drawing attention to the myriad of
specialty plates and the confusion they create for law
enforcement officers.
“Another
collection of plates were moved out of the Senate, in
addition to the more than 160 plate styles that are
currently available to Illinois motorists,” Rutherford said.
“Every time a plate is up for consideration I always vote
against it. Our law enforcement officers should not have to
deal with the confusion that is created with every new
plate.”
Law
enforcement officers often face confusion when dealing with
specialty plates that have the same numbering system as
other plates. The Senate advanced Distinguished Flying
Cross, County Officials, Retired Municipal Officials, United
Auto Workers, Teamsters, EMS Memorial Scholarship, and “In
God We Trust” plates. University, park district youth, pet
friendly and goose hunting plates are only a fraction of the
plating options available to Illinois motorists
To
address the safety situation caused by specialty plates,
Senator Rutherford has had legislation in place since 1997
that created the Universal Charitable License Plate to
standardize the format and numbering for specialty plates.
Charitable organizations would apply to participate, and if
approved, an organization could affix their logo to the
universal specialty plate.
However,
after 12 years, the Secretary of State’s office has failed
to promulgate the rules to put the Universal Charitable
License Plate program into place.
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Quinn chooses Ohio man as
prison chief
SPRINGFIELD – A 19-year veteran of the
Ohio prison system will head the Illinois Department of
Corrections.
Michael P. Randle, assistant director
of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction,
replaces Roger Walker, who served in the post for six years.
Gov. Pat Quinn unveiled his
out-of-state pick for the $150,000 per year post at a news
conference in the Capitol.
He said Randle, 42, was chosen after a
nationwide search that started soon after Quinn took office
in January.
“We looked all over the country,”
Quinn said, calling Randle the “best of the best.”
Chicago wants more
downstate money for road work
SPRINGFIELD -- Chicago and its suburbs have
fewer roads and bridges than the rest of the state.
But, in a move that is already sparking a classic downstate
vs. Chicago legislative battle, some Chicago-area lawmakers
want more money for road construction than the area has
traditionally received.
Armed with a study by the legislature's research office,
state Sen. Martin Sandoval, D-Cicero, said that between 1999
and 2007, road fund expenditures in the Chicago area ranged
from about 32 percent of the statewide total to 44 percent.
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Senator
Rutherford on Illinois Lawmakers

Senator Rutherford recently
appeared on Illinois Lawmakers to discuss the final weeks of
the legislative session and the ongoing budget negotiations.
The Senator's appearance
can be viewed on his' YouTube site at
www.youtube.com/SenDanRutherford.
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RUTHERFORD ANNOUNCES
SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS

State Senator Dan
Rutherford (R-Pontiac) today announced the recipients of the
Illinois General Assembly Scholarships for the 2009-2010
academic year.
“I wish to thank our
selection committee for doing another fantastic job in
evaluating the applications,” Rutherford stated. “We had a
number of very competitive applicants, and the committee had
some very difficult decisions to make in selecting the eight
recipients,” he added.
Those awarded a
scholarship are selected by an independent panel of
educators on the basis of academic excellence and civic
participation. There were eight one-year scholarships made
available to students attending public universities in
Illinois.
“I congratulate each
of the eight recipients. I am certain they will all make us
very proud of their future accomplishments. I also strongly
encourage those who were not selected to apply again. After
looking at the results of our panel, I know we had a number
of applicants who were strong competitors,” Rutherford
concluded.
Those receiving
General Assembly Scholarships for the 2009-2010 academic
year are:
NAME
TOWN UNIVERSITY
ATTENDING
John Braun
Washington University of Illinois
Dylan Ferguson Colfax
Illinois State University
Tyler Guenette
Watseka University of Illinois
James Hathaway Rossville
University of Illinois
Peter Kinate
Fairbury Illinois State University
Sara Pieper
Bloomington Illinois State University
Jaleese Sipe
Chenoa Illinois State University
Matthew Stier Normal
University of Illinois
Illinois General
Assembly Scholarship applications for the 2010-2011 academic
year will be available in November of 2009. Anyone who has
already received the scholarship from Senator Rutherford is
not eligible to apply again. Those who have applied with
Senator Rutherford and not received a scholarship are
eligible to apply again.
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Time capsules recovered
Dunn-Barton, Walker Halls
from Spring 2009 Issue of ISU Alumni
Magazine

Campus life during the 1950s was
remembered in February with the opening of time capsules
found during the demolition of Dunn-Barton and Walker
residence halls. President Al Bowman and University
Archivist Jo Rayfield opened both copper boxes, which will
be kept in the permanent historical collection within the
University Archives.
The time capsules were placed in the
cornerstones when the buildings were completed in 1951 and
1955. Documents recovered revealed that it cost between
$800 and $1,000 to attend the University at that time.
Campus photos, newspapers, student and
faculty directories, university publications, and official
documents were in the boxes as well. A financial report
showed the University’s operating budget was $2.4 million,
with $2.3 million of the total coming from state funding.
That compares to today’s $360 million budget, of which only
$82 million is derived from the state.
Details of the construction project were
also included. Dunn-Barton opened to students in 1951. The
halls were named for Richard Dunn, a long-time legal counsel
for the State Teachers College Board; and Olive Lillian
Barton, dean of women from 1911 to 1940. Students moved
into Walker Hall in 1955. It was named for Lewis Walker, a
1913 ISNU alumnus and president of the Teachers College
Board from 1946 to 1960.
The halls were demolished last fall to
make way for construction of the Student Fitness and
Kinesiology and Recreation Building. The $43.9 million
building will open in 2010.
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A Guest Column by
State
Senator Dan Rutherford

Opening Thomson Prison Is
Important
Last year Governor Rod Blagojevich
announced he was going to close the Pontiac Correctional
Center. This would have exacerbated an already
overcrowded state-wide correctional system and been
absolutely devastating to all of the Central Illinois
economy. Residents and local leaders came together and
rolled up their sleeves to aggressively present the
objective rational as to why this move by Blagojevich
must not happen. Sound public policy won out and
Governor Pat Quinn announced that Pontiac would stay
open.
During the effort to keep Pontiac open, I repeatedly
said that I supported the original building of Thomson
to help relieve the overcrowding, not for the purpose of
closing another perfectly good facility. Thomson was
built, but has sat idle for years. I am fully committed
to helping Thomson be funded in the state budget.
For public safety and economic reasons, it makes good
sense to open Thomson. Approximately $10 million is in
next year's proposed budget for Thomson. The Department
of Corrections (DOC) spent approximately $40 million,
system-wide, on staff overtime last year. DOC projects
overtime costs for Fiscal Year 2009 to be $61 million.
The cost to open Thomson is approximately $50 million.
Logic dictates that we find a way to address these
matters while relieving the mandated double shifts and
stress for the employees and their families.
In addition, jobs are desperately needed in Illinois.
Using precious tax dollars for needed public safety
purposes will stimulate the economy in northwest
Illinois and benefit the entire state.
I call on my legislative colleagues to work in a
cooperative manner. Pitting one region of the state
against the other has proven not to work. It's time for
the politicians to sit down and the statesmen to stand
up.
I will be working with Governor Quinn to help craft a
state budget that funds opening Thomson. I will do this
in a spirit of working together. The confrontation
approach does not lead to results.
I encourage those who care about public safety in
Illinois to advocate for the opening of Thomson
Correctional Center. It needs to happen, and for all the
right reasons.
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Rutherford: ‘Thomson Prison needs to be opened’

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PONTIAC, IL – In a
show of full support to the opening of the Thomson
Correctional Center in Carroll County, State Senator Dan
Rutherford (R-Pontiac) personally visited the site in
Northwest Illinois. Rutherford stressed the need for
cooperation amongst legislators, the Department of
Corrections and Governor Pat Quinn.
“Illinois has a correctional system that is at 135
percent of capacity and 179 percent in maximum security.
We now have a Governor who understands that correctional
centers are overburdened. I believe that a fully funded
Thomson Correctional Center will not only help the
economy of Northwest Illinois but also be a major asset
to public safety for our state. It is important that
Thomson Correctional Center be fully funded and staffed
in order to ease some of the burden on the entire
correctional system,” Rutherford said.
Rutherford’s appearance at Thomson comes during the
legislative spring break and prior to the state’s fiscal
year 2010 budget being finalized. The Thomson
Correctional Center was completed in 2001 and has been
sitting idle since then.
Governor Quinn recently announced that the Pontiac
Correctional Center was to be spared from a closure
decision made by former Governor Rod Blagojevich. “The
people of Central Illinois worked long and hard to keep
PCC open for the benefit of the local economy and to not
exacerbate an already overcrowded prison system. Those
interested in a good public safety network for the
Department of Corrections must now turn their efforts to
opening Thomson. Sound public policy would dictate that
we have all of our correctional assets open and fully
utilized,” Rutherford said. “I am lending my support to
help Northwest Illinois and the statewide correctional
system. Simply put, Thomson needs to be opened.”
Senator Rutherford on Thomson Prison Audio File
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Rutherford announces 2nd Veterans’ Legislative
Day

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 22, 2009/rd
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SPRINGFIELD, IL – Veterans from the
53rd Senate District are encouraged to attend the
2nd Veterans’ Legislative Day in Springfield on May
6, according to State Senator Dan Rutherford
(R-Pontiac).
Veterans and their guests are invited to take part
in meetings, briefings and a reception to honor the
contributions of Illinois veterans. Briefings will
be held by the federal and state Veterans’
Administration officials. Members of the Senate
Veterans Affairs Committee will also hold a
listening session and legislative briefing to
discuss pressing veteran issues. The day will
conclude with a free lunch and a special reception
to honor Illinois veterans.
Interested veterans are asked to please RSVP by
April 29th by registering online at
www.vets.senategop.net or by calling 217-782-0797.
The event is free and open to any Illinois veteran
and their guests, but registration is required for
the lunch.
WHAT: Veterans’ Legislative Day
WHEN: Wednesday, May 6th 8:30-9:30 check in and
11:00 am opening remarks
WHERE: Artisans Building on the Illinois State
Fairgrounds in Springfield
RSVP: Call 217-782-0797 or visit
www.vets.senategop.net by April 29th. |
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"New Illinois State Police director visits Pontiac" Daily Leader -
4/8/2009 |
Pontiac,
Ill. -
The newly named director of the Illinois State Police on Tuesday
morning explained how he came to have the position.
Director Jonathan Monken, in an interview Tuesday morning in
Pontiac, said it was not a job for which he expected to be tapped.
“My first connection with Pat Quinn was back in 2005 (when Quinn was
lieutenant governor) and I was named the recipient of the 2005
American Red Cross Hometown Hero Award,” said Monken. “My parents
attended the presentation and I was able to appear on video from
Iraq during the ceremony. I then did not see Mr. Quinn until 2007. |
Rutherford
statement on Blagojevich indictment

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Rutherford honored by Illinois Bankers
Association

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State Sen. Dan Rutherford
(R-Pontiac) was recently honored by the Illinois Bankers
Association, with their annual 'Outstanding Legislator
of the Year' Award.
Senator Rutherford is shown with Joyce Nardulli,
Illinois Bankers Association.
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The Committee for
Legislative Action is asking you
to register your opinion on
Tax Increases!
Finding ways to get more money out of the wallets and purses of
Illinois' taxpayers has been proposed in Springfield. Tax
increases have been called for by the Democrat majorities in the
Illinois House and Senate. Income tax increase, gas tax
increase, sales tax increase, a tax on services and a cigarette
tax increase are all on the table.
The Committee for Legislative Action is inviting you
to weigh in on the proposed tax increases.
Register your opinion on Tax Increases!
An email notice will be sent to those who submitted the survey to
tell them the results are posted.
CLA will continue to frequently post news stories, from around
Illinois, regarding the tax increase proposals.
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Young Poets
Iroquois West Elementary School second graders did an
extensive study of Abraham Lincoln this year. As a
culminating activity, the students wrote poems using the
information they learned. Two of the students, Josiah
and Jessica, did an exceptional job
Jessica's poem
Lincoln was born in Kentucky.
Invited a new mom into his family.
Nothing could stop him from reading.
Civil War was going on while Lincoln was President.
Oath of office he had to take.
Lincoln is 200 years old.
Nobody could be a better President than him.
Josiah's poem
Learned a lot from books.
Illinois is called the Land of Lincoln.
Never lied, Honest Abe.
Civil War President
Orator gave speeches and good ones.
Lived in a log cabin in Kentucky when he was young.
Number 16th President of the United States.
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Rutherford: ‘It's about jobs, jobs, jobs!

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SPRINGFIELD, IL
– Unemployment is at its highest rate in over 20 years
in Illinois and the situation could only be made worse
by Gov. Quinn’s corporate tax increases, according to
State Sen. Dan Rutherford (R-Pontiac).
“Our primary focus in the legislature must be jobs,
jobs, jobs. I’ve been saying that for quite some time.
The budget proposal, as introduced, seeks to remove many
tax incentives for businesses in addition to the overall
corporate income tax rate hike,” Rutherford said.
The Democratic majority’s budget proposals would
eliminate Research & Development, Computer Software, and
Manufacturers’ Tax Credits, as well as decouple federal
tax incentives. The overall corporate tax rate would
increase from 4.8 percent to 7.3 percent.
“Illinois’ economy is already extremely volatile and any
increase in tax burden for our businesses and
individuals could actually increase the unemployment
level. The General Assembly does not need to be in the
business of forcing even more jobs out of Illinois,”
Rutherford said.
Quotes and audio are available to be taken from the
YouTube Posting.
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Senator Rutherford is totally
opposed!
Despite crisis, state
budget has raises for lawmakers, Quinn - Pantagraph
March 24, 2009
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SPRINGFIELD --
At the same time Gov. Pat Quinn is calling on most
Illinoisans to pay higher income taxes, his budget
proposal calls for he and other top state officials to
get cost-of-living raises.
The governor's spending blueprint would raise Quinn's
salary to $182,400, up from $177,000, while boosting
base pay for lawmakers by about 2.7 percent to $69,735
annually, up from $67,836.
The estimated $1.1 million total increase in salaries
represents barely a ripple in the overall $53
billion-plus state budget.
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Lawmakers Speak Out In Opposition of Quinn's Recovery
Plan

News Story from WSIL Channel 3 - Carterville
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Illinois'
mountain of debt only seems to be growing.
Governor Pat Quinn says the citizens of Illinois will
have to make sacrifices to shrink the debt but some
lawmakers argue his budget proposal is full of problems.
11 and a half billion dollars is how much the state of
Illinois owes in bills.
It's an amount that's been growing for some time.
"Illinois has lived off the credit card racking up
deficits under democratic and republican
administrations" says Governor Pat Quinn.
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Business
leaders: Cuts, reform should come before tax hikes -
State Journal Register March 19, 2009

Photo
Courtesy Springfield SJ-R
State business leaders gave Gov. Pat Quinn credit
for tackling a tough job Wednesday, but they said
deeper spending cuts, health-care reform and changes
in state pensions should come before tax increases.
One even acknowledged some type of tax hike appears
inevitable.
“Ultimately, there’ll be some change in the income
tax structure, though I don’t think it’ll be the way
presented (by Quinn),” said Greg Baise, president
and CEO of the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association.
The State of Illinois now has a Web site dedicated
to allow you to calculate your new tax burden with
Governor Quinn's proposed tax increases.
Illinois Income Tax Calculator
Hook, line & sinker: Quinn budget proposal
would hike user fees - Pantagraph March 18, 2009
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Rutherford statement on Gov. Quinn Budget Address

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SPRINGFIELD, IL – State Senator
Dan Rutherford (R-Pontiac) offered the following
comments about Governor Quinn’s proposed Fiscal Year
2010 budget.
“I want to give credit to Gov. Quinn on his efforts on
agency consolidation and discussions on pension reform.
I have major concerns with his proposal to increase the
personal income tax by 50 percent and his proposed
increase in corporate taxes,” Rutherford said. “The
proposal to skip several hundred million dollars in
pension payments is also disturbing and will cause
severe problems for future generations and retirees.”
“The three most important issues facing the citizens of
Illinois are jobs, jobs, jobs! This budget is not a
jobs-friendly budget,” emphasized the Senator.
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State Tax Hike on Table - Tribune
March 5, 2009
SPRINGFIELD - Gov. Pat Quinn says
"divine intervention would help" deal with a budget gap
as big as $9 billion and pay for a massive public-works
construction plan, but state lawmakers increasingly say
a state income tax increase is the only realistic way to
meet the demands.
The new governor may agree, though he's trying not to
say. Since being sworn in about a month ago, Quinn has
repeatedly dodged questions about details while saying a
combination of belt-tightening and increasing state
revenue will be part of the "rescue plan" he unveils in
his March 18 budget speech.
One House Democrat said privately that Quinn has
indicated he was thinking of raising the state's flat 3
percent personal income-tax rate to 4 percent, with a
corresponding hike in the 4.8 percent corporate income
tax. The current rates have been in place since 1989.
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Senator
Rutherford Reflects on Life with
The Chief

In 1973, a young PTHS
student named Dan Rutherford assumed the mantle of
editor of The Chief along with Carol Sanken.
On February 17, 2009, thirty-six years later,
current student editor Jake Long met up with the
now-Senator to discuss his memories of working with the
school newspaper and how it helped shape his career.
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Lawmakers PBS T.V.

I
recently did an interview with Public Broadcasting
System on ethics reform and state budget. Follow
this link to check it out.
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Cartoon about impeachment of Gov. Blagojevich

Chris Britt
- Springfield State Journal-Register |

Media Kit (The
Media Kit contains information and high resolution photos for media and
event use) 
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