Using terms like "financial disaster" and "epic crisis," Governor Pat Quinn presented his annual Budget Address Wednesday to the Illinois General Assembly.

During the twenty minute address, Quinn noted that Illinois is facing a 13-billion dollar budget deficit that will require painful choices from all those involved in state government.  He says decades of bi-partisan spending problems and decreasing revenues due to the economic recession have led to the huge budget shortfall.

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A major piece of the Governor's spending plan calls for substantial cuts to state spending.  Quinn said the impact of any cuts must be taken into consideration, but then went on to call for drastic measures such as a 1.3-billion dollar cut to education spending that could cost 17-thousand teachers their jobs.  He says the primary reason education is taking such a hit is due to the end of the federal stimulus program.

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While he did not repeat his call for an income tax hike, the Governor used the threat of wide spread education cuts to propose a 1-percent income tax surcharge for education funding.  He explains the proposal would allow the state to raise enough revenue this year to prevent the deep cuts to education.

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Quinn also wants to see the state rely on borrowing to get through the budget issues, as well as continuing to make job creation a top priority.  His plan calls for continued development through the Illinois Jobs Now capital plan as well as a small business tax credit, which he says could provide a 25-hundred dollar credit to every small business that creates a full-time position within the next year.

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The Governor concluded his budget address by challenging lawmakers to make the painful choices needed to steer the state out of its financial crisis.  He also hoped to see cooperation at the Capitol during the budget negotiation process.  The General Assembly will have to approve a spending plan before adjourning the spring session in May.

The City of Clinton is preparing for an eventual invasion from the Emerald Ash Borer, or EAB.

The Clinton Tree Commission has put together an Emerald Ash Borer Preparedness Plan for the city, which is home to one of the largest Ash trees in all of Illinois.  At the latest City Council meeting, Commissioner Bryan Hickman briefly discussed the plan.  He explains the document outlines a strategy for Clinton to avoid the EAB as long as possible, but also introduces steps for the eventual migration of the pest to the city.  Hickman says the Commission has recommended thirteen ordinances and strategies in order to deal with the threat.

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Steve Lobb is Clinton's City Arborist.  He notes the Tree City Commission has worked on the plan for close to a year.  Lobb believes it's only a matter of time before EAB reaches the city, and says the insect causes such widespread devastation to ash trees that a plan of action is a necessary step.

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Last summer, Clinton undertook its own trapping program to determine if the bug had already made it within city limits.  Lobb doesn't believe the city will expend the resources to duplicate that effort this year.  He says greater priority is going to be focused on educating the public to not transport firewood from one area to another.

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In 2008, the Emerald Ash Borer was discovered in nearby McLean and Livingston Counties, and while the insect's range did not expand in 2009, local officials believe it's only a matter of time.  The beetle and its offspring have led to millions of dollars in devastation to ash trees in Illinois, primarily in the Chicago area.  There are 21 Illinois counties that are fully or partly quarantined due to EAB, which restricts the movement of cut firewood and some landscaping materials.  The City of Clinton's EAB Preparedness Plan will be considered by the City Council at a later time.

The mother of two Leroy boys who authorities say were killed by their father hopes legal changes could keep other families from suffering a similar tragedy.

It was one year ago this week that Amy Leichtenberg's two sons were taken by the boys' father, Michael Connolly.  Authorities say Connolly killed his sons last March before killing himself.  Leichtenberg tells the Associated Press she plans a final public memorial for the boys - 9-year-old Duncan and 7-year-old Jack - on April 10. 

Leichtenberg has spent the past year lobbying to see Amber Alerts issued immediately if an order of protection is in place and children aren't returned.  A current rule -- that the children must be determined to be in danger -- delayed issuance of an Amber Alert for more than 24 hours in the Leroy case.

The mother says she's gone inside the boys' bedrooms just once over the last year.

Police in Decatur say two young boys have been found safe after an Amber Alert was issued in their apparent abduction.

Police canceled the Amber Alert early Wednesday, saying the children were recovered and two suspects were apprehended.

The Amber Alert was issued Tuesday afternoon after 4-year-old Terry Antonio Smith and his 1-month-old brother, Amarcus Upchurch, were reportedly abducted.

Police had said the children were last seen with two adult black males who were reportedly armed with guns and driving a car with Missouri license plates.

Police have not released further details.

This Friday (3/12) marks the deadline to apply for a Dewitt County 4-H scholarship. 

Local high school seniors that are part of DeWitt County 4-H and are wishing to further their education are eligible to apply for one of three 5-hundred dollar scholarships from the DeWitt county 4-H Foundation.  Sherry Fulton, Interim County Director of the DeWitt County U of I Extension, explains how the scholarships are given to students who have at least fours of experience with 4-H. 

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Each application will be evaluated by the DeWitt County Foundation and applicants will be interviewed says Fulton.  The winners should be notified sometime in April.  Fulton says the student's progression in 4H and the interview will be a big part of determining who receives the scholarships. 

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The deadline to return applications is this Friday, March 12th at 4:30pm.  Applications for the DeWitt County 4H Foundation scholarship are available at the U of I Extension office, as well as on the local office's website. 

All eyes are on Springfield today (WED) as Governor Pat Quinn is set to make his annual Budget Address to the General Assembly.

With the state of Illinois facing a 13-billion dollar budget deficit, the Governor is expected to call for massive cuts throughout state services.  Quinn's administration has said education and human services funding stand to lose the most in the Governor's proposal. 

Even before the Governor addresses the Legislature, lawmakers are reacting to Quinn's spending plan.  State Representative Bill Mitchell held a news conference this week in Decatur rallying against the proposed cuts to education.  The Forsyth Republican says the Governor should address welfare reform before making massive cuts to education.

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It's also expected Quinn will renew his call for an increase in the state's income tax to help close the budget gap.  Most around the Capitol feel that will be an even harder sell this year than last year, which saw the Governor fail to drum up enough support for the increase amongst lawmakers.  Longtime state government reporter and Capitol insider, Ben Yount, expects a tax increase plan to go nowhere in Springfield this spring.  He says Quinn's plan isn't enough to fill the budget hole and even more importantly…it's an election year.

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Even though Governor Quinn will deliver his budget address today (WED), it'll still be up to the General Assembly to approve a budget by the end of the spring Legislative session.

You can hear the Governor's Budget address live today at noon on 1520AM/92.3FM WHOW.

(Springfield, IL)  --  Pat Quinn staffers were hesitant to say whether the Governor will ask for an income tax increase during his budget address today.  While not confirming, Budget Director David Vaught [[ VAWT ]] hinted that Quinn would again ask for the tax hike, something he believes should have been approved by lawmakers last year.  Lawmakers shot down last year's tax hike proposal from Quinn that would have bumped the state's income tax from three to four and a half percent. Without an income tax increase, Quinn staffers say the state would have to rely heavily on borrowing to balance the budget. Numbers discussed during a budget brief last night assumed a tax increase would not be passed, causing as many as 17-thousand school workers across the state to lose their jobs.  Chief of Staff Jerry Stermer said Quinn also plans to introduce a tax rebate plan for small businesses that add jobs.  Governor Quinn's budget address to lawmakers is scheduled for noon today.

(Springfield, IL)  --  Future Illinois Governor's and other state-wide office holders who are impeached, may soon lose their retirement benefits along with their jobs.  A bill stripping impeached elected officials of their pensions passed out of the House.  Republican State Representative Chapin Rose was sure to point out that the law would not affect the pension of former Governor Rod Blagojevich, who was impeached last year.  Blagojevich will lose his pension if he is convicted of fraud charges in his upcoming trial.  Former Governor George Ryan, who was convicted on racketeering charges in 2006, was stripped of his retirement benefits.  Some lawmakers asked for the bill to be more expansive, and include all members of the General Assembly.  Others pointed out potential loopholes in the law that would allow an office holder to resign before they were impeached and still collect a pension.  The legislation now moves to the Senate for further consideration.

(Springfield, IL)  --  A new piece of legislation introduced in the Illinois Senate aims to improve care in Illinois nursing homes by enacting staffing requirements, mandating more training to caregivers and imposing fines for poor care.  Senate bill sponsor Jacqueline Collins says abuse and neglect of the elderly has gone on for too long.  The bill also aims to place nursing home residents with low-care level needs into other community based living facilities.  Provisions to eliminate discrimination against minorities and poor people are also included in the bill.  The legislation is supported by the AARP and other healthcare advocacy groups.

LAWMAKERS CONTINUE TO PUSH FOR MORE SPECIALTY LICENSE PLATES.

THERE ARE ABOUT 90 SPECIALTY LICENSE PLATES IN CIRCULATING IN ILLINOIS…HONORING EVERYTHING FROM PETS TO VETS. AND LIKE MOST YEARS…LEGISLATION IS BEING PUSHED TO CREATE EVEN MORE. REPRESENTATIVE BILL BLACK OF DANVILLE SAYS WHILE IT’S HARD TO TURN A GROUP DOWN…THE PRACTICE MAY BE GETTING OUT OF CONTROL.

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BLACK SUGGESTS A TASK FORCE BE FORMED TO SEE IF THE PROLIFERATION OF SPECIALTY PLATES IS A PROBLEM. THOSE SUGGESTED THIS YEAR INCLUDE ONES HONORING THE COAST GUARD…4-H AND TRACK AND FIELD.

ATTORNEY GENERAL LISA MADIGAN AND HER COUNTERPARTS IN 34 OTHERS STATES ARE SETTLING A LAWSUIT WITH A COMPANY THAT CLAIMED TO PROTECT PEOPLE FROM IDENTITY THEFT.

Kim Howard has more from Springfield...

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It's National Consumer Protection Week, Lisa Madigan wants Illinois residents to know there are resources available to help Illinois senior citizens avoid getting ripped off during these tough economic times.  They can get help from the Illinois attorney general's office. Madigan's office has a guide seniors can use if they're facing credit problems and it can help them avoid scams like fraudulent mortgage rescue schemes.  The state agency also has launched a training program to help seniors recognize and avoid scams.  Madigan's office says seniors trained through the program can then help others in their community avoid getting ripped off.

(Peoria, IL)  --  A Peoria middle school student is charged with aggravated arson for allegedly setting a locker fire in the school earlier this week. The 13-year-old Mark Bills School student has also been expelled.  Another student has been suspended but not charged criminally.  About 250 students were evacuated from the school Monday afternoon.  No one was hurt and only minor damage was caused.  The aggravated arson charge is a class X felony.

(Streator, IL)  --  The mayor of a North-Central Illinois town died unexpectedly Tuesday.  Three-term Streator Mayor Ray Schmitt was rushed to an area hospital yesterday where he later died.  The cause of death is under investigation for the 68-year-old Schmitt.  Previously to being elected mayor in 1999, Schmitt served on the Streator City Council since 1987.  He was retired from a local glass plant. Streator is located about 80 miles Southwest of Chicago.

Seniors in Clinton will receive a discount on their garbage service.

Area Disposal announced Monday it's immediately introducing a one dollar per month discount for all Clinton seniors currently enrolled in the city's new garbage contract.  Matt Coulter, Vice President of Area Disposal, says those seniors wanting to take advantage of the savings will need to fill out a short application that can be found at Area's office or at City Hall.

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The introduction of a senior garbage rate has been in discussion since the city's new garbage contract began on February 1st.  Coulter admits the new program got off to a somewhat shaky start, but feels it's beginning to work itself out.  He says the company is progressing with the elimination of alley pickup within Clinton, which was one of the driving forces behind the new contract.

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Also included in the new contract was the introduction of curbside recycling pickup for Clinton residents.  Both city officials and Area Disposal representatives have touted the community's quick acceptance of the recycling program.  In fact, Coulter says Clinton residents are recycling at a pace far above expectations.

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Of course the introduction of Clinton's recycling program eliminated all local recycling options for residents of outlying communities.  At this time, Area Disposal has no plans to introduce a recycling dropoff for those residents. 

The city's new garbage contract has also been marred by several billing issues.  Officials remind customers to direct any billing questions to Area Disposal.

A local soldier is being welcomed home from Iraq tonight (TUE).

DeWitt County Homefront is hosting a "Welcome Home Reception" tonight (TUE) for Clinton native, Jimmy Lopresto.  Debby Douglas, President of DeWitt County Homefront, explains Lopresto is returning from a year long deployment in Iraq.  She says tonight's reception is a chance for the community to show their support for our local troops.

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DeWitt County Homefront prides itself in supporting local men and women who are serving in the armed forces overseas.  Douglas stresses the organization strives to support all local troops, and says if anyone knows of a soldier serving abroad, then be sure to submit their information so they can be included in the group's care package and other efforts.

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The "Welcome Home Reception" for Jimmy Lopresto takes places at 6:30 tonight (TUE) at the Clinton American Legion.  The public is invited to attend.  To learn more about DeWitt County Homefront, contact Debby Douglas at (217)433-6521.

Several area high schoolers are headed to Eastern Illinois University this week to compete in the WYSE competition Sectionals.

In February, Richland Community College hosted 13 local high schools with over 180 participants in the WYSE Academic Challenge.  The Academic Challenge is a competitive series of tests created and administered by Worldwide Youth in Science and Engineering (WYSE) of the College of Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. 

Those area teams that advanced to Sectionals include:
St. Teresa High School and Sangamon Valley High School in the 300 division;
Warrensburg-Latham High School and Maroa-Forsyth High School in the 700 division; and
Mt. Zion High School and Eisenhower High School in the 1500 division.

The Richland Foundation awarded in-district, tuition-free, 30-hour scholarships to the winners of each individual competition. Those local individual winners include:
From Clinton High School - Alex Keim placed first in Chemistry; Sean Newman placed third in Computer Science; Cody Carr won in Engineering Graphics; Dylan Etayo placed first in English; Michael Wise earned second in English; and Logan Karr placed third in Physics.

From Maroa-Forsyth High School - Divya Verma placed first in Biology and second in Math; Mary Tomlovich earned third in Biology; Nabeel Khan and Rachel Vandermyde tied for second in Chemistry; and Bridget Ollesch placed third in Chemistry. 

The winner of an individual competition and the winning teams advanced to this Thursday's Sectional competition at EIU.

Area families that have students getting ready for college should attend a special event tonight (TUE) in Decatur.

Richland Community College will be hosting their annual College 101 night on Tuesday night.  The informative seminar will cover a wide variety of topics for potential college students, from admission costs, to campus life to degree programs. Cathy Sebock of RCC admissions, says it will be a good time for students to learn and get acquinted with becoming a college student.

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Sebock adds RCC staff will be there to answer any questions potential students may have.  While much of the information will focus on Richland, she notes a student looking for information about college in general would do well to come out and seek information.

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Sebock notes the program is not just for high schoolers.  She says College 101 will help high school sophomores thru seniors and also adults who would are considering going back to school.

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College 101 takes place tonight (TUE) at the Schilling Center on the campus of Richland Community College. The event starts at 6 pm and is free of charge to attend. To learn more about the event, or learn more about RCC, you can contact Cathy Sebock at 875-7200 ext 558.

The University of Illinois will start selling beer and wine at some concerts at the on-campus Assembly Hall starting this month.  Assembly Hall Director Kevin Ullestad said Monday alcohol will be sold as part of a pilot program at shows aimed at adults. The first event will be Cirque du Soleil's "Alegria," at the arena March 17-21.  Ullestad says the Assembly Hall needs to sell alcohol to compete with venues in Bloomington and Peoria.  He said beer and wine will not be sold at events that draw large numbers of students. That includes Fighting Illini basketball games.  Officials say Assembly Hall staff will report to university administrators at the end of the spring. Then a decision will be made on whether to keep selling alcohol.

(Normal, IL)  -- The FDIC says bank customers can expect a seamless transition between Normal's "Bank of Illinois" and its new owner "Heartland Bank".  Federal regulators shut down two "Bank of Illinois" branches in Normal last week, making it the first McLean County bank to fail in more than a quarter century. The "Bloomington Pantagraph" reported the bank caved under a commercial lending portfolio eaten away by the recession.  Heartland acquired the troubled bank after paying about seven-million dollars to the FDIC.  "Bank of Illinois" had about 212-million dollars in assets at the end of last year.  "Heartland" currently operates in 25 cities in Illinois and Missouri.

(Springfield, IL)  --  Governor Pat Quinn will go on the record tomorrow to let lawmakers and the public know what they've suspected for quite awhile  --  that Illinois' budget is bad shape.  During his annual budget address, Quinn is expected to lay out a plan to bridge a budget gap that some estimates have as large as 13-billion-dollars. The Quinn administration laid out the framework of the budget on-line two weeks ago, allowing suggestions from the public on how to fix it.  Quinn has not backed off on an income tax increase proposal he first floated last year. That, along with potentially large cuts to education and human services across the state are expected to be the cornerstones of Quinn's proposal.

You’ll be able to hear the Governor’s Budget Address live at noon Wednesday on 1520AM/92.3FM WHOW.

(Undated)  --  Governor Quinn's office reports his exercise in "electronic democracy" has elicited more than 12-hundred responses.  Taxpayer suggestions on how to lower Illinois' nearly 13-billion-dollar deficit range from overhauling the pension system to legalizing marijuana.  Quinn launched the website Budget.Illinois.gov to consider such responses before delivering his budget proposal tomorrow.  While many said they could not handle the burden of higher taxes next year, some actually asked for hikes to support state services and, in turn, help those less fortunate.

(Champaign, IL)  --  Newly minted GOP nominee for governor Bill Brady touched down in eight cities across the state yesterday to kick off his campaign to win the Governor's mansion in November.  During a stop in Champaign, Brady said he expects the economy and balancing the state's budget to be the key issues during the campaign.  He says blanket cuts to all departments of state Government is the wrong way to go about saving money.  Brady's stops included Rockford, Chicago, The Quad-Cities, Quincy, Marion, Cahokia, Champaign and Bloomington.  He was accompanied by his running mate, Lieutenant Governor Jason Plummer.  The Bloomington State Senator secured the nod with a win over fellow State Senator Kirk Dillard by less than 200 votes.

(Peoria, IL)  --  The state's Citizens Utility Board is speaking out against a 130-million-dollar rate hike request from downstate Illinois' largest utility.  Jim Chilsen of CUB says the Ameren Corporation doubled its profit over last year and should not be asking for more.  Last month, a judge recommended the rate increase request should be cut to 56-million dollars.  A final ruling on the request will be made by the Illinois Commerce Commission in May.  CUB teamed up with AARP and State Representative Jehan Gordon in a press conference yesterday in Peoria, urging residents to fight against the request.  State Representative Bob Flider held a similarly themed press conference near Decatur.

(Chicago, IL)  --  U.S. Senate nominee Alexi Giannoulias and his family will walk away from their failing bank with as much as 15-million dollars in federal funds.  Crain's "Chicago Business" reports that Broadway Bank's 75-million-dollar loss last year generated tax refunds worth between 12-million and 15-million dollars to the Giannoulias family.  Giannoulias, who became state Treasurer in 2006, has said the family-owned bank, with more than a billion dollars in assets, will likely fail this week.  The Democratic candidate was Broadway Bank's senior lender when it expanded into real estate lending, a move that sparked its downward spiral.   

LAWMAKERS ARE TRYING TO MAKE IT EASIER FOR FOOD STAMP RECIPIENTS TO EAT HEALTHY FOODS.

Kim Howard has more from Springfield...

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(Iroquois County, IL)  --  Seven accidents involving 12 vehicles in the span of about five minutes kept Illinois State Troopers in the Eastern part of the state busy yesterday morning.  Police say heavy fog in the area played a part in the crashes that happened in rural Iroquios County along Illinois Route 1.  Six people were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment of nonlife-threatening injuries.  The series of accidents shut down roads for about two hours.