Trees by a river
May19

If a tree falls in the forest…

on May 19th, 2012 at 9:00 am

By Lynn McKeown

This is the time of year when many people will be thinking about planting trees in their yards, and local stores will have a variety for sale. Trees are a valuable part of our community.

It is said that, before the pioneers came to the Midwest, there were large patches of forest inter­spersed with the prairie. Not much of those forests remain, though there are still some old, large trees to be found in the coun­tryside, espe­cially along streams and rivers. We also have a few big, old trees in our towns and cities, perhaps a few that have been here since before most of the resi­dents were born. ↓ Read the rest of this entry…

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May19

FREE Concert on the Lawn

on May 19th, 2012 at 9:00 am

By Pearl Strickland – Knox-Galesburg Symphony

The 27th annual “Concert on the Lawn”, presented by the Concert on the Lawn Committee, Inc., will feature the award-winning Knox-Galesburg Symphony (KGS) under the direction of conductor Bruce Polay. Torin Bakke, 2012 Midwest Young Artists (MYA) Junior Concerto Compe­tition winner, will join the KGS as soloist performing Stamitz’ Clarinet Concerto No. 3 in B-flat Major. The concert will begin at 5:00 p.m. Saturday, June 2 on the South Lawn of Old Main, Knox College Campus. The local VFW Post #2257 will present the colors for the 27th consec­utive year. (If inclement weather, the concert will move to the T. Fleming Field­house). ↓ Read the rest of this entry…

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graduates
May19

College graduation: Weighing the cost … and the payoff

on May 19th, 2012 at 8:00 am

Presented by the Pew Research Center

Pew Research Center

This year’s college grad­u­ation season comes against a backdrop of rising concern over the costs of higher education, the burdens of student debt and the chal­lenges grad­uates face in a difficult job market.

The issue of costs and rising student debt have have touched off a national debate about the cost and value of a college education. Surveys by the Pew Research Center present a portrait of the views of the general public and college grad­uates. ↓ Read the rest of this entry…

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SEC
May19

The Magnetar fallout

on May 19th, 2012 at 8:00 am

Who’s been charged, has settled, or is now being investigated?

Presented by ProPublica

By Cora Currier — ProPublica

The hedge fund Magnetar helped create billions of dollars’ worth of risky deals called collat­er­alized debt oblig­a­tions, many of which failed spec­tac­u­larly in the financial crisis. Magnetar, mean­while, had taken posi­tions that allowed the firm to profit when many of those same CDOs collapsed. Since ProP­ublica reported on Magnetar’s dealings two years ago, there’s been a long line of inves­ti­ga­tions and settle­ments related to the hedge fund.

Magnetar itself has never been charged with wrong­doing, and it has always main­tained that it did not have a strategy to bet against CDOs they were involved with. But today’s Wall Street Journal reported that Magnetar is indeed under inves­ti­gation by the SEC. ↓ Read the rest of this entry…

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May19

GOP Speaker Boehner threatens default if spending not cut…

on May 19th, 2012 at 8:00 am

…Yet insists on Tax Cuts that increase the deficit

Presented by Citizens for Tax Justice

Citizens for Tax Justice

Repub­lican Speaker of the House John Boehner announced Tuesday that he will refuse to approve any increase in the federal debt ceiling without matching spending cuts — essen­tially threat­ening to cause the U.S. to default on its debt oblig­a­tions. During the same speech, he also announced that he would advance a bill to extend all the Bush tax cuts — which would increase the national debt by hundreds of billions of dollars each year. ↓ Read the rest of this entry…

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May19

Senator Lee’s budget would sharply cut Social Security, Medicare, other programs while making tax system less progressive

on May 19th, 2012 at 8:00 am

Presented by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

By Paul N. Van de Water — CBPP

Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) plans to introduce a budget reso­lution (S. Con. Res. 44) this week that would sharply cut Social Security and Medicare and most other federal programs. Based on a plan from the Heritage Foun­dation, the Lee budget would slash programs that benefit low– and middle-income Amer­icans while providing tax cuts for the wealthy. Here are some of its remarkable features: ↓ Read the rest of this entry…

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