Quad City Times: Deere lays off 100 workers in Iowa
Deere & Co. announced Friday that it will lay off about 100 manufacturing workers at its construction and forestry plants in Davenport and Dubuque in response to weaker demand for its equipment.
According to Deere spokesman Ken Golden, workers at John Deere Davenport Works and Dubuque Works were informed in meetings Friday that they will be placed on indefinite layoff, effective April 1. About 80 of the layoffs will take place at Davenport Works while the remaining 20 affect the Dubuque facility.
Deere said the layoffs reflect the company’s ongoing efforts to balance its manufacturing workforce with market demand for products at individual factories. However, Golden would not specify which equipment lines are cutting back on production.
Belleville News Democrat: Criminal-justice reform needed for those seeking to start a new life
Haunted by her past, an Illinois mom fights for her family’s future. Should an offender’s loved ones be punished for a crime long forgotten?
This is the question facing those seeking to reform Illinois’ criminal-justice system, where some laws have trapped families in a cycle of poverty and dependency long after a parent commits a crime.
Just take the story of Lisa Creason, a mother of three from Decatur, who is fighting for a better life. A teenage crime of desperation and a one-size-fits-all system stand in her way.
Chicago Sun Times: Pension funds lost millions on deals with Daley nephew, Obama pal
A real estate venture created by President Barack Obama’s onetime boss and a nephew of former Mayor Richard M. Daley squandered $68 million it was given to invest on behalf of pension plans for Chicago teachers, cops, city employees and transit workers, a Chicago Sun-Times investigation has found.
The five public pension funds haven’t made a dime on the investments they made nearly a decade ago with DV Urban Realty Partners, a company created by Obama’s ex-boss Allison S. Davis and Daley nephew Robert G. Vanecko, records show.
In fact, the financially troubled pension plans have lost most of the money they gave DV Urban, which used the money to invest in risky real estate deals, primarily in neglected neighborhoods.
Chicago Tribune: Heroin amnesty program set to begin in Naperville
The concept first made news last June in Gloucester, Massachusetts.
Then, eight months ago, the town of Dixon jumped on board, becoming the first police department in Illinois to offer a heroin amnesty program.
Rolling Meadows is offering something similar. And other smaller communities, including Dwight, Princeton and Pontiac, will soon follow.
Chicago Tribune: Emanuel creates Chicago Veteran Affairs Office to expand services
Mayor Rahm Emanuel has set up a new Chicago Veteran Affairs Office to expand services for military veterans and their families.
Emanuel’s office announced Saturday that he has appointed Victor LaGroon to serve as director of the new department. LaGroon served with the U.S. Army 10th Mountain Division and has advocated for veterans’ health needs for the past decade.
Emanuel’s office says it’s the first time the city will have a fulltime staffer specializing in veterans policy and programming.