News Progress

Measures Will Head to Senate for Further Consideration

•April 28, 2021•
By Tim Kirsininkas
Capitol News Illinois
tkirsininkas @ capitolnewsillinois.com

The Illinois House advanced several bills Thursday, including one which would implement term limits on leadership positions in the General Assembly and another that would create additional protections for tenants’ sources of income.
House Bill 642, introduced by Rep. Anthony DeLuca, D-Chicago Heights, would bar any individual from serving more than 10 consecutive years in a leadership position in the General Assembly, including speaker of the House, president of the Senate, and minority leadership positions in each house.
The bill would take effect for any legislators seated on or after January 12, 2022.
“This is a big moment for reform in the state of Illinois,” DeLuca said on the house floor Thursday. Read More

25 Years Ago This Week

James E. Hart, administrator of the Illinois Masonic Home, announced his retirement. The 63-year-old Hart will reportedly be succeeded by James K. Wayne, who was recently promoted to associate administrator of the Illinois Masonic Home. When Hart became administrator of the home, it included three residence buildings with 175 beds and two nursing buildings with 125 beds. Two ten-bed dormitories for men were on the grounds as well as a number of four-bed wards in the nursing buildings. During Hart’s tenure the home was transformed from a stark, institutional looking facility to the more “home like” cheery, landscaped country estate look it sports now.
Sullivan Preschool was set to celebrate its 25th anniversary with an open house. Read More

•April 28, 2021•
Each and every day a new woman becomes a mother for the first time or all over again. Being a mother changes a person’s life in dramatic ways.
Mother’s Day is a great time of year to honor mothers and attempt to give back just a portion of the tireless love and devotion moms offer their children. Some children provide large gestures, while others feel it’s the little things that can help a mom to feel appreciated. For those needing a little inspiration on treating their mothers in special ways, consider these ideas.
· Make mom a breakfast in bed with her favorite morning treats. Read More

•April 28, 2021•
Slicing into the first tomato of the season is a much anticipated moment for gardeners. Tomatoes are among the most popular fruit or vegetable plants grown in home gardens. Much of that popularity may be credited to the fact that red, ripe tomatoes have a delicious, juicy flavor that serves as the basis for all sorts of recipes. And since tomatoes can just as easily be grown in a full backyard garden or in a container on a patio or balcony, tomatoes appeal to gardeners regardless of their living situations.
While tomatoes are relatively easy to grow, they are prone to certain problems and pests. Knowledge of what to expect when planting tomatoes and how to start off on the right footing can help produce a season’s worth of delicious bounty.
· Wait until after the last average frost date. Tomatoes can be grown from seeds outdoors in warm areas, but tomato gardeners often find success starting seeds indoors six to eight weeks before the last frost date. Gradually introduce seedlings to the elements for a few hours each day, increasing the duration of time outside. Then they can be transplanted outdoors when temperatures are consistently over 60 F. Read More

•April 28, 2021•
By Jim Baumann
NP Guest Writer

A co-worker who fancies himself a gastronome posted a photo and description of his dinner the other night on Facebook.
The heart of his meal was a “rib-eye marinaded overnight in 2tbsp olive oil, fresh garlic, oregano, salt and pepper, finished with butter on the grill.”
Sounds scrumptious, but one of our copy editors posted: “Mmmmm, marinated steak.”
I inquired whether use of “marinated” was a passive-aggressive spelling correction.
Her response: “Nope. I love marinated steak and steak with marinade equally.”
So diplomatic. She clearly won that battle of quips.
It should be noted “marinade” traditionally was a noun and “marinate” the verb form, but in the past decade or so “marinade” has been gaining acceptance as a verb. Read More