In dealing with the travails of serving as a spokesman and strategist for myriad Illinois Republican candidates, John McGovern stayed true to his beliefs in policy and civility even as public moods about ideology and partisanship shifted.

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

Bruce, Diana Rauner kick off celebratory weekend

marking end of two-year, privately funded renovation

SPRINGFIELD — Gov. Bruce Rauner and First Lady Diana Rauner welcomed guests and visitors today at the grand reopening of the Illinois Governor’s Mansion on East Jackson Street in Springfield.

Joining Mansion Curator Justin Blandford to unlock the front door at a celebratory ceremony this morning, the Rauners cheered the results of the two-years long, privately funded project and encouraged Illinoisans to plan a visit soon to “the People’s House.”

“This is a great day for the state of Illinois,” Gov. Rauner said. “Diana and I have been eager to reopen the doors of the mansion and we are so excited to invite the people of Illinois back to this historic facility.”

In addition to workers and project benefactors, the governor thanked U.S. Reps. Darin LaHood, R-Peoria, and Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville, who shared an American flag that had flown over the U.S. Capitol to grace the Governor’s Mansion property.

“Of course, the biggest thanks of all goes to my wife, my First Lady Diana, who serves as chair of the Illinois Governor’s Mansion Association and is really the heart and soul of this renovation project,” the governor said.

Diana Rauner praised the association members, partners, donors and supporters who made the project possible — taking the 1800s-era mansion that had last undergone extensive renovation in the 1970s from a virtually uninhabitable, dilapidated state to an ADA-compliant, energy efficient, elegant space with a new visitors’ center, dedicated art space and more.

“As the third oldest governor’s mansion in use, the residence was in desperate need of attention,” she said. “The exterior needed repair, the furnishings were worn out and the facilities were showing their age … today, we can’t wait to welcome you all inside to see the tremendous strides we’ve made.”

In addition to welcoming visitors and guests and applauding project supporters, Diana Rauner introduced Loyola University Chicago graphic design student Chrystal Ragasa, who created the new logo for the Mansion Association. Ragasa’s design was selected from among entries submitted by college-level students from throughout the state.

Public tours followed the reopening ceremony; the Illinois Governor’s Mansion is now open for daily public tours from 1 to 4 p.m. Tours last roughly one hour and may vary depending on age and size of group. For more information on group tours and to learn more about the Illinois Governor’s Mansion, visit illinoismansion.org. 

“We consider the Governor’s Mansion the People’s House,” Gov. Rauner said. “Today and for generations to come, we invite the citizens of Illinois and visitors from around the world to visit this remarkable structure and to glimpse the history of our state, see the creations of its people and experience the hospitality that is endemic to Illinois.”

CARBONDALE — Embattled Southern Illinois University President Randy Dunn is expected to step down early this week.

Here’s a link to the story in the Southern Illinoisan.

Gov. Bruce Rauner officiated a gay wedding last month. And while some LGBTQ advocacy organizations were toasting the Republican leader’s appearance, some of the more conservative in his party raised objections.

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

SPRINGFIELD — Gov. Bruce Rauner today announced the 2019 recipients of the Order of Lincoln, which is the state’s highest honor for professional achievement and public service.

“These distinguished individuals make us proud to be Illinoisans,” Rauner said. “They have honored us with their achievements in medicine, business, the arts, the law and sports, so it is only fitting and proper to bestow upon them the state’s highest honor.”

On Saturday, May 18, 2019, The Lincoln Academy of Illinois will host its 55^th Annual Convocation at the new University of Illinois at Springfield Student Union. Susan Koch, chancellor, University of Illinois Springfield, and Arthur ‘Hy’ Bunn, CEO, Bunn-O-Matic, are the co-chairs of the 2019 Convocation Civic Committee.

At the convocation, members of the Academy will honor six outstanding Illinoisans with the Order of Lincoln at a formal ceremony and gala reception. These Laureates will join a cohort of 348 distinguished Illinois citizens so honored over the past 55 years.

“While the recipients’ work spans many fields, all have the traits of Abraham Lincoln in common,” Rauner said. “They possess tremendous talent. They are great leaders, great community servants and great lovers of Illinois.”

This year’s Lincoln Laureates are Jerry Colangelo, Edgar J. Curtis, Sheila Crump Johnson, Benjamin K. Miller, Olufunmilayo Olopade, and George F. Will.

 

Jerry Colangelo is a Chicago Heights native who had a stellar basketball career at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, played professional basketball for the Chicago Bulls, and in 1968 at age 29 became the first general manager of the Phoenix Suns, the youngest general manager in professional sports. Colangelo was a driving force in bringing professional sports to Arizona and is the former owner of the Arizona Diamondbacks baseball team, the Phoenix Mercury women’s NBA team, Arizona Rattlers indoor football, and Arizona Sandsharks indoor soccer. Colangelo was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the University of Illinois Sports Hall of Fame.

Edgar J. Curtis, FACHE, is the president and chief executive officer of Memorial Health System (MHS) in Springfield. Having started his career at MHS in 1975, he has served in a variety of administrative positions devoting his career to serving others.

His devotion to the medical field is reflected in the numerous leadership positions he has occupied within professional associations. He is the immediate past chairman of the Illinois Health and Hospital Association’s Board of Directors. He currently serves as a founding board member for the BJC Collaborative, the Midwest Healthcare Quality Alliance and the Lincoln Land Health Information Exchange. He also is a delegate on the AHA’s Regional Policy Board, as well as the Sangamon County Economic Development Commission. In addition, he served the Springfield community in a variety of roles including chairman of the board for the Central Illinois Foodbank (CIFB), the Springfield Urban League (SUL) and the United Way of Central Illinois. He has received several civic awards including the Good Samaritan Award by the CIFB, SUL’s Community Leadership Award, the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce President’s Award and recently was named the Illinois recipient of the Grassroots Champions Award from the American Hospital Association.

His commitment to professional excellence has been recognized by his alma maters (Springfield Lanphier High School and the School of Nursing at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville), where he was inducted into their respective Halls of Fame. After receiving his bachelor of science in nursing from SIU-E, he obtained his MBA from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In addition, he received an honorary doctorate of humane letters from UIUC for his outstanding and innovative leadership in health care administration as well as his exceptional community service.

Sheila Crump Johnson is a film producer and the co-founder of Black Entertainment Television (BET), the CEO of Salamander Hotels and Resorts, and the first African American woman to attain a net worth of at least $1 billion. Johnson is the first African American woman to be an owner or partner in three professional sports franchises: the Washington Capitals (NHL), the Washington Wizards (NBA), and the Washington Mystics (WNBA). An accomplished violinist, Johnson actively supports numerous music, arts and education organizations. She graduated from Proviso East High School in Maywood and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she serves on the university’s foundation board.

 

Benjamin K. Miller was an Illinois Supreme Court Justice from 1984 through 2001, serving as Chief Justice from 1991 to 1994. While leading the state’s highest court, Miller initiated programs that helped combat domestic violence, expand judicial performance evaluations, clarify restrictions on political activity for judges, and improve the state’s juvenile justice system. Before joining the Supreme Court, Miller was a judge on both the 7^th Judicial Circuit and 4th District Appellate Court. Miller has been an adjunct professor at the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, teaching the medical-legal curriculum, and has taken an active leadership role in organizations focused on historic preservation and the study of Abraham Lincoln.

 

Olufunmilayo Olopade, M.D., is an expert in cancer risk assessment and individualized treatment for the most aggressive forms of breast cancer. Olopade has excelled at integrating research into patient care at the University of Chicago Medicine since 1987, with a focus on risk reduction, early detection and prevention in high-risk populations. She helped develop treatments for young women including women of African ancestry that are significantly more effective with less side effects. A recipient early in her career of a MacArthur Fellowship, she has been honored by the National Academy of Medicine, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society. She served on the board of directors for the American Board of Internal Medicine, the National Cancer Advisory Board, and Susan G. Komen for the Cure. She currently serves on the boards of Lyric Opera, the MacArthur Foundation, and two Chicago-based companies in health care, CancerIQ and Tempus.

 

George F. Will is a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for the Washington Post who also is a regular contributor to NBC News and MSNBC. Will is also a prolific writer of books about national and international relations, politics, government, and the sport of baseball. Titles include “The Pursuit of Happiness and Other Sobering Thoughts,” “Statecraft as Soulcraft,” and “One Man’s America: The Pleasures and Provocations of Our Singular Nation.” Will was named Best Writer by the Washington Journalism Review in 1985 and one of the 25 most influential Washington journalists by the National Journal in 1997. He grew up in Champaign.

“The Lincoln Academy is honored to award the Order of Lincoln to these six remarkable individuals whose achievements and contributions have helped shape the vibrancy of Illinois,” said Stephanie Pace Marshall, Ph.D., chancellor of the Academy. “Their inspiring leadership, in the ‘spirt of Abraham Lincoln,’ will enable us to continue to chart a dynamic and innovative course for our state’s future.”

A nonprofit legal foundation that helped in the Supreme Court case against forced public union dues is threatening comptrollers and public payroll departments across the nation with lawsuits if they continue to take union dues from the paychecks of non-union members.

Here’s a link to the story at Illinois News Network.

One year ago last Friday, lawmakers overrode Gov. Bruce Rauner’s veto, passing a $36.5 billion budget that took an additional $5 billion from taxpayers and ended a more than two-year standoff between the freshman governor demanding pro-business reforms and Democrats in the General Assembly, who passed a budget with the help of a handful of defecting Republicans.

Here’s a link to the story at Illinois News Network.

Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner said that while there needs to be improvement to trading agreements, he told the visiting Japanese ambassador he’s taken concerns of a trade war directly to the White House.

Here’s a link to the story at Illinois News Network.

Franklin County law enforcement officials are seeking information and the whereabouts of three juveniles who escaped from the Franklin County Juvenile Detention Center, according to a Nixle report from Franklin County.

Here’s a link to the story in the Southern Illinoisan.

CARBONDALE — The Southern Illinois University Carbondale Faculty Senate has taken a vote of no confidence in SIU President Randy Dunn and is urging the Board of Trustees to remove him as soon as possible.

Here’s a link to the story at the Southern Illinoisan.