SPRINGFIELD — Gov. Bruce Rauner today signed legislation that expands the Illinois Veterans’ Home at Quincy and cuts the red tape on future construction projects, allowing the administration to move quickly to build a new state-of-the-art facility at the campus.

“We’re building a brand new facility and making sure our veterans have a safe place to call home,” Rauner said. “Building this new facility should not be caught up in the bureaucratic process. Our veterans deserve the best. They have fought to secure our freedom and we’re fighting to make sure they have the care they need for generations to come.”

Rauner signed Senate Bill 3128, allowing the state to use the design-build delivery method to renovate, rehabilitate and rebuild the Illinois Veterans’ Home at Quincy. This method will eliminate redundant steps in the traditional state construction process, shave months off the overall project time and save taxpayer dollars.

GRANITE CITY — Gov. Bruce Rauner today vetoed Senate Bill 2368, saying it was a politically motivated attempt to undercut the good work of the Metro East Sanitary District (MESD) Board of  Commissioners.

The sanitary district provides flood protection and sewer services within numerous communities near the Mississippi River in Madison and St. Clair counties. The bill, passed by both Houses in May, would in effect replace a current Madison County-based commissioner with the mayor of Granite City and oust the sanitary district’s executive director.

Rauner called the measure a state intrusion on local government business with no evidence that the change would benefit MESD taxpayers.

“As currently comprised, the district is being effectively managed and has made great strides toward financial stability that will allow it to better address the needs of those it serves going forward,” Rauner wrote in his veto message. “This change to state law is both unnecessary and inappropriate as a politically motivated maneuver that will undercut the good work of the Board of Commissioners.”

In fact, the district cut two dozen jobs and ran a surplus budget in 2017 for the first time since 2007.

The bill would shift one seat on the five-member MESD board from being an appointee of the county with the highest equalized assessed valuation to the mayor of the city with the highest equalized assessed valuation, presently Granite City. It also would require that the executive director reside within the district. The current executive director, Stephen Adler, resides north of the district in Godfrey.

“This piece of state legislation appears to be geared toward manipulating the balance of power on a local government board, and would grant undue influence to a single municipality over decisions that affect a much broader population,” Rauner said. “I’m vetoing it in full, and I urge members of the General Assembly to uphold my veto.”

Rep. Charlie Meier, R-Okawville, applauded the governor’s action.

“This bill would be detrimental to Metro East taxpayers, which is why I voted against it in the House,” Meier said. “Today, MESD is operating at a surplus and now can afford to make repairs due to the fact that new leadership took over in 2017.”

“This veto is a prime example of the work we need to continue to do to break down the cycle of patronage hiring practices in Illinois,” said Sen. Paul Schimpf, R-Waterloo. “I commend Gov. Rauner for putting our taxpayers first.”

Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner on Tuesday vetoed legislation that would have withdrawn Illinois from a controversial multistate voter registration system, dismissing Democrats’ concerns that it’s vulnerable to hacking as “politically motivated.”

Here’s a link to the story at the Chicago Tribune.

The Franklin County Farm Bureau along with Franklin County COUNTRY Financial Representatives Mike Brachear, Krista Menckowski, Gavin Suver and Adrienne Mason sponsored the Customer Appreciation Picnic for Farm Bureau members and COUNTRY Financial clients at the 4-H Fairgrounds adjacent to Rend Lake College on Tuesday, July 10th at 5:00 p.m.

This was the eleventh year that the Franklin County Farm Bureau and the Franklin County COUNTRY Financial Representatives have been at the fairgrounds to cook and serve the meal. We served 200 people this year and in addition to drinks and chips they grilled butterfly pork chop sandwiches and hotdogs, had pasta salad and baked beans and thanks to a partial donation from Prairie Farms we served a new milk product – Milk Snacks – Chocolate Covered Cake Bar that does not need to be kept in the freezer, just the refrigerator.

The Franklin County Farm Bureau Young Leaders sold squares for Cow Chip Bingo for a 50/50 drawing and made $46 toward scholarships for 2019. They also helped out with other activities in conjunction with Family Fun Night.

Arthur Dobrzynski, a longtime law enforcement officer in Franklin County, passed away Friday morning after suffering a heart attack the previous week. Below is the obituary and funeral arrangements.

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Arthur Carl (Dobb) Dobrzynski died on July 13, 2018, at St Mary’s Good Samaritan Hospital, of cardiac complications.

Arthur was born November 24, 1943, in Detroit Michigan and moved to Benton at the age of four. He graduated from BCHS. After serving in the US Army for two years, he returned to Benton and joined the Benton Police Department.

On April 18, 1970, he married Patricia J, Laraway: the couple had recently celebrated their 48th wedding anniversary. In 1997, Arthur retired from the Benton Police Department after 28 plus years of service. After his retirement, Arthur went to work for eight years at Rend Lake Community College in law enforcement.

In July 2016, he joined the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department working in court security. Arthur was very proud of his 43 years in the law enforcement field.

Arthur is survived by his loving wife Patricia, of Benton, Il, and his uncle, Van Blaszczynski and family in California and first cousins Vera and Ray also in California. He is preceded in death by his mother, Francis Yezerski; his step-father, Leon Yezerski; his father, Arthur R. Dobrzynski; his grandmother and grandfather, Helen and Vincent Blaszczynski and his aunts and uncles. His sister-in-law, Susan Laraway, and his parents-in-law also preceded him in death.

He will be sadly missed by his family, the Laraway family and friends.

In accordance with Arthur’s wishes he has been cremated.
A memorial service to celebrate Arthur’s life is scheduled for Thursday, July 19 at 10 a.m. at Morton and Johnston Funeral Home on South Main in Benton, Il. In lieu of flowers, it is requested that donations be sent to the Fraternal Order of Police or to a Charity of your choice.

Pat would like to thank the hospital staff for their care and dedication.

For more information or to sign the online guest register please visit www.mortonjohnstonfuneralhome.com

CHICAGO — Gov. Bruce Rauner today signed two bills into law that could help prevent people who are a threat to themselves or others from possessing or purchasing guns. The bills, which have bipartisan and bicameral support, are part of the comprehensive public safety plan that the governor unveiled earlier this year.

Rauner’s signature on HB 2354 enacts “red flag” legislation giving courts authority to use emergency civil restraining orders to disarm dangerous individuals; and with the signing of SB 3256, the 72-hour waiting period for handguns delivery is extended to all guns purchased in Illinois.

At the press conference announcing the bill actions, Rauner urged legislators to get to work on other public safety legislation, including proposals that give schools the ability to hire more resource officers and mental health workers, a point he will make at an event in Dixon later today where he will meet with local law enforcement officials and School Resource Officer Mark Dallas, the Dixon officer who was hailed a hero after he stopped a school shooting there in May.

He also used the press conference to make it clear that he will veto dealer licensing legislation (SB 337) if and when it is sent to his desk.

Bipartisan support for emergency restraining orders

 “Everyone agrees that we need to keep firearms out of the hands of those who would use them to commit acts of violence against themselves or others,” said Rauner. “These two laws are a commonsense approach that gives us tools to limit access to guns and perhaps save lives while we continue to respect Constitutional rights.”

The new “red flag” law means the courts can prevent possession or purchase of firearms in emergency situations where there is imminent danger of gun violence.

“In the wake of gun violence tragedies, we hear again and again from friends and family members who saw warning signs but felt helpless because they couldn’t keep guns away. With this law, families and law enforcement can seek emergency restraining orders if a person’s gun possession would pose a significant danger to themselves or others. Signing this bill will save lives,” said Rep. Kathleen Willis, D-Northlake, co-sponsor of HB 2354.

“Acts of senseless violence in schools, churches or other public places are all too often committed by individuals who have shown signs that they are mentally unstable and interested in causing harm to themselves or others,” said State Rep. Peter Breen, R-Lombard. “This tightly worded legislation puts critical protections in place to help curb mass shootings by disturbed individuals who should not have access to guns. It’s an excellent example of how we can produce good legislation when politics is set aside, and Republicans and Democrats work together.”

“The legislation signed into law today addresses the growing problem of unstable people using guns to cause harm, while also protecting gun owners’ rights,” said Rep. Steve Reick, R-Woodstock, also a chief co-sponsor. “The firearms restraining order bill that was sent to us by the Senate represented an extreme overreach into the civil liberties and Constitutional rights of law-abiding gun owners. It also lacked adequate due process for the individuals from whom firearms would be removed.”

“Domestic violence, suicides, and poor mental health continues to destroy Illinois families and communities across Illinois. This new law gives families a tool to help prevent or lessen violence in Illinois,” said Rep. La Shawn Ford, D-Chicago.

One of our goals on the Legislative Public Safety Working Group was to recommend policies that would help to stop future tragedies before they start. That’s exactly what this legislation intends to do,” said Sen. Karen McConnaughay, R-St. Charles. “As we’ve learned from previous mass shooting situations, family members and others had noticed unstable, reckless or suspicious behavior. It is my hope that by providing a legal avenue for family members, acquaintances or law enforcement to identify and potentially stop a seemingly dangerous individual from harming themselves or committing a deadly act of violence, we can prevent a tragedy from occurring.”

“With help from the public in identifying dangerous individuals, this initiative allows for law enforcement to temporarily remove the individual’s FOID card and firearms until the court determines they are no longer a present danger to others,” said Sen. Chris Nybo, R-Elmhurst. “It’s a preventative measure that could save lives in Illinois, and I appreciate the governor’s support and swift enactment.”

Waiting period for all gun purchases

The 72-hour waiting period in SB 3256 is a bipartisan measure extending the wait to all guns purchased in the state. It, too, has the potential to prevent tragedies. In suicide cases, for example, health professionals say if the impulse to commit suicide is not acted upon immediately, it often does not arise again. The short delay prior to possession could be the difference between life and death.

“No such need with respect to firearm possession is answered by the amended dealer licensing bill passed by the General Assembly (SB 337),” the governor said. “I intend to veto it again because it has no appreciable potential to reduce criminal access to guns.”

According to Loyola University studies on gun violence in Chicago, criminals rarely buy their guns directly from federally licensed and regulated gun dealers. Criminals obtain their guns further down the supply chain, usually from street sources and most often from sources out of state. No amount of duplicative state regulation of gun dealers, who are already federally licensed, will change that reality.

In addition, Rauner said that SB 337 creates another unnecessary regulatory burden for 2,700 small businesses whose livelihoods would be threatened.

The governor’s comprehensive public safety plan calls for an amendment to the County School Facilities Sales Tax statute to let school authorities use the revenue to hire school resource officers or mental health workers based on local determinations of need. The plan also included the emergency restraining order and 72-hour laws as well as truth-in-sentencing and fiscal reforms to spur economic development and create jobs.

The governor believes bipartisan public safety discretion is what voters ought to have. Use of revenue from this sales tax revenue, provided it is approved by referendum, is a sensible step toward providing adequate security for our schools and giving more local control to our communities, Rauner said.

The governor introduced a comprehensive public safety plan in May. The plan included the 72-hour waiting period for all guns, an emergency restraining order,  school resource officer plan, as well as a bump stock ban, truth in sentencing, and a death penalty provision for mass murderers and those who kill police officers.

On July 15, 2018 Benton Police were dispatched to the 400 block of South DuQuoin Street in reference to a domestic disturbance.

Upon investigating, police arrested Vanessa D. Swanson, age 29, of Benton for domestic battery.

Swanson was charged and transported to the Franklin County Jail for further processing.

The recreation facilities on the west side of Rend Lake are under a boil water order. This includes Dam West, Visitors Center, South Sandusky day use and campground, and the North Sandusky day use and campground.