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"Our Opinion: All politics all the time with this Governor"
Springfield Journal Register- 5/13/2008 |
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NO ONE in
Illinois should have any faith whatsoever that Gov. Rod Blagojevich
and his Department of Corrections reached their decision to close
Pontiac’s prison with anything near objectivity. Our trust in this
administration to do anything that is not politically motivated is
zero.
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"Legislator's continue to evaluate state's prison situation" 5/13/2008 |
PONTIAC -- State legislators still are working
for a moratorium on prison closures and the creation of an independent
review process to assess the current state prison situation, two state
senators said Monday.
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"Rutherford-Radogno
seek prison support" WJBC- 5/12/2008 |
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State
Senators Dan Rutherford and Christine Radogno are touring the state
trying to gain support for legislation that would require a longterm
plan for the state's prison system. The lawmakers want to put a
moratorium on closing any prisons until a plan is in place.
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"Prison
Blues" Chicago Tribune- 5/9/2008 |
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Gov.
Rod Blagojevich's
administration made a compelling case for closing the maximum security
wing of Stateville Correctional Center. Temporarily relocating those
inmates, then ultimately moving them into the never-been-used maximum
security cells at Thomson Correctional Center, was a great idea. It
made sense to shutter an 83-year-old, antiquated and unsafe prison
roundhouse, use the state-of-the-art Thomson prison—and save money in
the bargain.
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"Signs
of opposition: 'Save Pontiac Prison' message popping up" Bloomington
Pantagraph- 5/9/2008 |
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PONTIAC
-- Mel Trevino said he didn’t have to think twice when he was asked if
he would put a “Save Pontiac Prison” sign in his front yard on West
Bennett Street.
“I’ve got the same feeling that a lot of people have: It will hurt,”
he said of Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s proposal to close Pontiac
Correctional Center to save money.
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"Lawmakers
propose moratorium on prison closures" Press Release- 5/8/2008 |
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Springfield, Ill. – It’s time to quit playing games
with “roving prison closures” and end the current environment of
political gamesmanship that surrounds prison site decisions, a group
of Illinois lawmakers say. In response, these legislators are
advocating for a comprehensive review of Illinois’ correctional
facilities.
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"Lawmakers push to
save Pontiac prison" WEEK TV- 5/8/2008 |
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The push to save
Pontiac Prison is on in Springfield.
Republican lawmakers
have introduced legislation calling for a study of the state prison
system. It would prevent the closing of a prison until the study is
complete in September of next year.
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"Lawmakers craft plan to examine all Illinois prisons" Galesburg
Register Mail- 5/8/2008 |
SPRINGFIELD
— In the wake of this week's announcement that the Blagojevich
administration wants to close the Pontiac Correctional Center,
lawmakers today unveiled legislation that would create a panel to
examine all of Illinois' prisons.
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"Gov.
says stopping prison closings would hurt efforts to save money"
Bloomington Pantagraph- 5/8/2008 |
SPRINGFIELD — Gov. Rod Blagojevich on Thursday panned a plan
aimed at stopping him from closing the state prison in Pontiac.
The governor, who announced earlier this week he wants to shutter the
maximum-security lockup by February, said a proposal to place a
moratorium on prison closings could hamstring his efforts to save
money.
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"Working together
will help Pontiac survive latest blow" Bloomington Pantagraph-
5/8/2008 |
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The past four months
have been difficult for Pontiac. First there was the flooding in
January that displaced hundreds of people and closed several
businesses and a school.
Then, the federal government initially denied disaster assistance.
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"Guv tries
politics of violence" Capitol Fax- 5/7/2008 |
One of the
problems with the Statehouse lately is that everything seems to be a
rerun. The Senate and the House are fighting. The governor and the
House are fighting. The governor's trying to close a prison to put
AFSCME on the defensive. Everything old is new again. All we need
now is another Committee of the Whole from House Speaker Michael
Madigan to really complete things.
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"Officials unify to keep Pontiac Correctional Center open" Kankakee
Daily Journal- 5/7/2008 |
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SPRINGFIELD -- Pontiac
Correctional Center opened in 1871, but it's misleading to
characterize the entire prison as being more than 100 years old, say
critics of an Illinois Department of Corrections proposal to scrap the
facility.
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"Process
could be savior" Pontiac Daily Leader- 5/7/2008 |
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At his Tuesday press
conference regarding the possible closing of Pontiac Correctional
Center, State Sen. Dan Rutherford, R-Chenoa (53rd District), handed
out copies of the Illinois State Statute dealing with the State
Facilities Closure Act.
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"Letter
tells of prison's situation" Pontiac Daily Leader- 5/7/2008 |
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At his Tuesday press
conference, held in Pontiac, State Sen. Dan Rutherford, R-Chenoa (53rd
District), released copies of the letter, sent on Friday, by Illinois
Department of Corrections Director Roger E. Walker Jr., to State Sen.
Arthur J. Wilhelmi, R-Crest Hill (43rd District), canceling the plan
to close a portion of Stateville Correctional Center, Joliet, and
making public for the first time a new plan to close Pontiac
Correctional Center by February 2009.
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"Plan to stop
prison closing gets backing from Jones ally" Bloomington Pantagraph-
5/7/2008 |
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SPRINGFIELD -- A plan aimed at stopping Gov. Rod Blagojevich from
closing Pontiac Correctional Center has gained the support of a top
Senate Democrat.
Senate Majority Leader Debbie Halvorson, D-Crete, has signed on as a
co-sponsor of legislation that would impose a moratorium on prison
closings.
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"Illinois:Lawmakers
to fight for prison" THOnline.com- 5/7/2008 |
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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP)
-- Lawmakers vowed Tuesday to fight for the future of the state prison
at Pontiac, with some questioning whether its threatened closure was
part of political payback by Gov. Rod Blagojevich's administration.
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"Blagojevich flip-flops on decision to close prisons" Bloomington
Pantagraph- 5/7/2008 |
SPRINGFIELD — Gov. Rod
Blagojevich’s decision to close a state prison is a reversal of what
his own prison experts said just a year ago.
In May 2007, an Illinois Department of Corrections spokesman said top
brass at the agency had no plans to close any state prisons.
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"Prison Politics"
Capitol Fax- 5/6/2008 |
The last
time that Gov. Rod Blagojevich tried to close a state prison was back
in 2004, when he wanted to shutter the Vandalia facility. That move
was successfully blocked by vigorous local organizing and by Senate
Republican Leader Frank Watson, who represents the Vandalia site and
most of its workers.
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"Pontiac
facility slated for closure" Pontiac Daily Leader- 5/6/2008 |
When a letter penned by Illinois Department of
Corrections chief Roger Walker Jr. to State Sen. A.J. Wilhelmi,
D-Joliet, became public knowledge on Monday a flood tide opened up in
Pontiac.
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"Local
officials present united front against prison closing" Bloomington
Pantagraph- 5/6/2008 |
PONTIAC -- Local
officials on Tuesday tried to present a united front against the
proposed closing of Pontiac Correctional Center, calling for a
moratorium on the shuttering of state facilities and more research
into the plan.
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"Lawmakers vow to fight for Pontiac prison" Belleville News-Democrat-
5/6/2008 |
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SPRINGFIELD, Ill.
--Lawmakers
vowed Tuesday to fight for the future of the state prison at Pontiac,
with some questioning whether its threatened closure was part of
political payback by Gov. Rod Blagojevich's administration.
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Pontiac
area leaders united on desire to keep Pontiac Correctional
Facility open |
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State Senator Dan Rutherford
(R-Pontiac), Representatives Shane Cultra (R- Onarga) and Keith
Sommer (R-Morton) were joined by Pontiac and Livingston County
area officials to express a united voice in opposition to a
Blagojevich Administration plan to close the Pontiac Correctional
Center.
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"Mayor: Unified
strategy planned for Pontiac prison" Bloomington Pantagraph- 5/6/2008 |
PONTIAC
-- Rod Blagojevich didn’t make any friends in Livingston County on
Monday.
“The only thing I have to say right now is that I am thoroughly
shocked,” Mayor Scott McCoy said after learning the governor’s latest
plan for the Department of Corrections hinges on closing the Pontiac
Correctional Center. “I have already talked with (state Sen. Dan)
Rutherford and others, and the action we will take will be unified,
swift and immediate. We will do everything we can to keep it open.”
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"Rutherford
says closing Pontiac prison makes no sense" The Daily Journal-
5/6/2008 |
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PONTIAC, Ill. (AP) — State Senator Dan Rutherford says he
supported the construction of the Thomson Correctional Facility in
northern Illinois.
The Pontiac Republican says Thomson was built to alleviate
overcrowding at state prisons -- not to prompt the closure of
existing, well-functioning facilities.
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"Targeting Pontiac prison is more hocus pocus" Bloomington Pantagraph-
5/6/2008 |
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Once
again, Rod Blagojevich the Political Magician has waved his wand and
pulled a skunk out of his hat.
The governor's latest trick is turning a plan to close a portion of
Stateville Correctional Center into a plan to close Pontiac
Correctional Center.
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"State may close
Pontiac prison" WEEK.com- 5/5/2008 |
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More devastating news today for a local town that
was devastated by floods earlier this year. The Governor has announced
plans to close the Pontiac Prison by next February.
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"Fight
vowed over proposed Pontiac prison closure" Bloomington Pantagraph-
5/5/2008 |
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SPRINGFIELD -- State and local officials vowed Monday to fight a plan
to close the state's maximum-security prison in Pontiac.
For the second time since Gov. Rod Blagojevich took office, his
administration has targeted the 137-year-old lock-up for closure as
part of a proposal officials say will save money and allow the state
to begin using a newer prison in Thomson.
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"Governor wants
to close Pontiac prison" Galesburg Register-Mail- 5/5/2008 |
Springfield— Gov. Rod
Blagojevich’s administration is canceling its plan to close part of
the Stateville prison near Joliet and now wants to shut down the
Pontiac Correctional Center instead.
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"Governor plans to
close Pontiac prison" WJBC- 5/5/2008 |
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Pontiac
Mayor Scott McCoy says he hopes to meet with state Senator Dan
Rutherford and local officials in the next 24 hours to devise a plan
to save the Pontiac Correctional Center. Governor Blagojevich has
announced plans to chose the maximum-security prison, while keeping
open a similar prison near Joliet.
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"Stateville gets new lease on life as Pontiac is
placed on chopping block" Chicago Tribune- 5/5/2008 |
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The Illinois Department of
Corrections has backed off closing a wing of Stateville prison north
of
Joliet
and now wants to shut Pontiac Correctional Center and transfer its
1,600 inmates to a facility near the
Iowa
border.
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