“GOP calls on Reynolds to withdraw for ‘gross stereotypes of minorities’,” News-Gazette, October 21
The chairman of the Champaign County Republican Party has called upon Illinois Senate candidate Al Reynolds of Danville to withdraw his candidacy in the Nov. 2 election.
. . .
“I call upon Mr. Reynolds to immediately withdraw his candidacy for state Senate in the 52nd District,” said party Chairman Jason Barickman. “His negative comments are unwarranted, gross stereotypes of minorities and specifically, African-American men.
“Committee says professor was fired without due process,” Daily Illini, October 19
A University of Illinois faculty committee says an instructor fired over his explanation of Catholic doctrine on homosexuality wasn’t provided due process.
It was reported that the committee believes Ken Howell should have been given the chance to explain his position before a decision was made.
“Difanis cites efforts to diversify juries as report shows mostly white jurors,” News-Gazette, October 21
Champaign County’s presiding judge said significant efforts are under way to add color to the county’s mostly white jury pools.
Judge Tom Difanis took issue with the conclusion of an annual report on jury diversity that their is a “major problem” with jury composition.
“Clean diesel grant awarded to UI, CUMTD,” Daily Illini, October 21
The University and the Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District were recently awarded a clean diesel grant by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, or IEPA, the largest clean diesel grant ever awarded by the IEPA.
The $445,000 grant, issued by the IEPA through its Illinois Clean Diesel Program – part of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, more commonly known as President Barack Obama’s stimulus package – will be used to install diesel particulate filters on most, if not all, the CUMTD fleet of buses.
“U.S. Senate candidates spar over character, issues,” Springfield Journal-Register, October 19
Democrat Alexi Giannoulias portrayed Republican Mark Kirk as an untrustworthy friend of Karl Rove during a debate Tuesday night, while Kirk wondered how Giannoulias could continue to question his military record when he has never served a day in uniform.
While there were no major fireworks in the televised debate between the two major party candidates for President Barack Obama’s old Senate seat, they did lay out their policy differences on some issues, including gay marriage and immigration.
But the hourlong debate always circled back to the issues of character that have dominated the campaign and filled the airwaves with negative commercials from both sides.