Monday, July 13, 2009
Proviso East Graduate Shannon Brown Honored for NBA Championship...
Proviso East Graduate Shannon Brown of Maywood will be honored on Saturday, July 18, 2009 with a parade in his honor. The parade will kick off at 9am at Lexington School in Maywood. Brown, a 2001 graduate of Proviso East High School and 2005 graduate from Michigan State University, was a part of the Los Angeles Lakers this past season. Brown and the Lakers defeated the Orlando Magic to win the NBA World Championship. Brown is the third Proviso East graduate in a row to win an NBA ring. Michael Finley of the San Antonio Spurs won in 2007. Glen "Doc" Rivers, head coach of the Boston Celtics won last year, and Brown this year. Kudos to these student-athletes aka champs!
State Senator Kimberly Lightford Honored...
Loretto Hospital, on the Westside of Chicago, will be honoring State Senator Kimberly Lightford (of Maywood) by naming its new Emergency Room after her on Saturday, July 18, 2009. The event begins at 10am at Loretto Hospital. Kudos to Senator Lightford!!!
Cook County Suing ROE Charles Flowers For Unpaid Loan...
According to reports in the Daily Southtown, the Cook County state's attorney's office is expected to file a civil lawsuit today against the Suburban Cook County Regional Office of Education and its superintendent Charles Flowers.
The suit alleges Flowers "engaged in a scheme to defraud Cook County" when his office took out a $190,000 loan last year, state's attorney spokeswoman Sally Daly said.
The loan was due June 30. The suit will be seeking full repayment of the loan, as well as interest and punitive damages, she added.
The SouthtownStar first reported the alleged financial and ethical misconduct at the office. Flowers is currently the target of a state's attorney's office criminal investigation, which Daly said was "moving forward." Sources also told the SouthtownStar that subpoenas have been sent out and a Cook County grand jury has convened in connection with the case.
Everything from plane tickets for family members to a trip to a hair salon showed up on Flowers' regional office credit card. He approved a salary advance for his sister, who is employed as his executive assistant, and a friend, who also works in the office, according to documents obtained by the SouthtownStar. A damaging state audit shows deputies were paid thousands of dollars for consulting work they did during working hours while collecting their taxpayer-funded paycheck.
After he defaulted on a June 2008 $190,000 loan from Cook County that he said he needed for operations, the board unanimously supported a resolution calling to abolish the office. Commissioners also issued a no-confidence vote against Flowers and called for his immediate resignation.
Flowers refuses to return calls for comment.
Duaa Eldeib can be reached at deldeib@southtownstar.com or (708) 633-5960.
The suit alleges Flowers "engaged in a scheme to defraud Cook County" when his office took out a $190,000 loan last year, state's attorney spokeswoman Sally Daly said.
The loan was due June 30. The suit will be seeking full repayment of the loan, as well as interest and punitive damages, she added.
The SouthtownStar first reported the alleged financial and ethical misconduct at the office. Flowers is currently the target of a state's attorney's office criminal investigation, which Daly said was "moving forward." Sources also told the SouthtownStar that subpoenas have been sent out and a Cook County grand jury has convened in connection with the case.
Everything from plane tickets for family members to a trip to a hair salon showed up on Flowers' regional office credit card. He approved a salary advance for his sister, who is employed as his executive assistant, and a friend, who also works in the office, according to documents obtained by the SouthtownStar. A damaging state audit shows deputies were paid thousands of dollars for consulting work they did during working hours while collecting their taxpayer-funded paycheck.
After he defaulted on a June 2008 $190,000 loan from Cook County that he said he needed for operations, the board unanimously supported a resolution calling to abolish the office. Commissioners also issued a no-confidence vote against Flowers and called for his immediate resignation.
Flowers refuses to return calls for comment.
Duaa Eldeib can be reached at deldeib@southtownstar.com or (708) 633-5960.
Friday, July 03, 2009
State Budget Stalemate Causing Problems in Proviso!!!
The State Budget crisis in Springfield has already caused some major problems in Proviso Township. The Proviso Insider has learned that the Proviso Leyden Council for Community Action, Inc. (PLCCA), a non for profit organization that serves low income families in the Proviso area, recently laid off at least 20 employees due to funding sources drying up. Specifically, the Teen Reach program, a very successful program run out of Proviso High Schools, was forced to shut down because funding from the Illinois Department of Human Services was recently cut. If State officials don't get their acts together, further social service organizations will suffer.
Proviso School Board President Being Courted for U.S. Congress
With 7th District U.S. Congressman Danny K. Davis exploring a run for Cook County Board President, party leaders are looking for a possible placement of Davis in Congress. One name being bantered about is Proviso School Board President Emanuel "Chris" Welch. Other names being strongly considered are State Representative Karen A. Yarbrough and Broadview Mayor Sherman A. Jones. Party officials like Welch because he's young, and his future is bright in the Democratic Party.
Danny K. Davis Exploring Run For Cook County Board President...
U.S. Rep. Danny Davis is looking into a run for Cook County Board president.
The congressman has conducted a poll regarding his chances and will announce the formation of an exploratory committee "within a few weeks," according to spokeswoman Tumia Romero.
The poll results, which will also be announced within a few weeks, were called "very favorable," according to a release this afternoon.
Davis will seek the input of Cook County residents for the purposes of considering a run for board president, the release said. To that end, he has set up a Web site, davisforcountyboardpresident.com.
The 67-year-old Davis has been in Congress since 1997. Prior to his election to Congress, he served on the Cook County Board, having been elected in 1990 and 1994. He also served for 11 years as a member of the Chicago City Council representing the 29th Ward.
The congressman has conducted a poll regarding his chances and will announce the formation of an exploratory committee "within a few weeks," according to spokeswoman Tumia Romero.
The poll results, which will also be announced within a few weeks, were called "very favorable," according to a release this afternoon.
Davis will seek the input of Cook County residents for the purposes of considering a run for board president, the release said. To that end, he has set up a Web site, davisforcountyboardpresident.com.
The 67-year-old Davis has been in Congress since 1997. Prior to his election to Congress, he served on the Cook County Board, having been elected in 1990 and 1994. He also served for 11 years as a member of the Chicago City Council representing the 29th Ward.
Subpoenas Issued In Charles Flowers Investigation!!!
According to the Daily Southtown, a Cook County grand jury convened Thursday in connection with allegations that a top schools chief misused public money, a source close to the investigation told the SouthtownStar.
Because grand juries - empowered to indict people for crimes - meet in secret, it was unclear Thursday who had been subpoenaed to give evidence in the Flowers investigation. But numerous people in the Proviso political arena are likely on the list.
Because grand juries - empowered to indict people for crimes - meet in secret, it was unclear Thursday who had been subpoenaed to give evidence in the Flowers investigation. But numerous people in the Proviso political arena are likely on the list.
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
Charles Flowers' Home and Office Raided by Authorities!!!
According to published reports in the Chicago Tribune and Daily Southtown, the home and office of Charles Flowers has been raided by the authorities. Cook County state's attorney's investigators raided the home and office of the Cook County regional schools superintendent, a spokesman for the prosecutors' office said.
Investigators executed search warrants on the home of county Regional Supt. Charles Flowers, as well as the Westchester offices of the county superintendent, said state's attorney's office spokesman Andy Conklin.
There is an active criminal investigation into Flowers' office, Conklin said.
The raids came in the wake of a "no-confidence" vote by the County Board last month that called for criminal investigations in the wake of a highly critical audit that alleges misuse of public funds by Flowers' office.
The no-confidence vote itself came after the state auditor general forwarded to prosecutors an audit showing debt in Flowers' office last year soared to nearly $1 million as he made personal charges on his office credit card and gave a $6,000 cash advance to a relative who worked for him.
In a reply to the auditor general, Flowers said he personally covered more than $9,000 in credit-card charges unrelated to his job.
In addition to asking the Illinois attorney general and the state's attorney to launch criminal investigations, the no-confidence resolution also asked the state's attorney to seek recovery of $190,000 in county funds the board lent to the superintendent's office last year. The loan is due June 30.
Investigators executed search warrants on the home of county Regional Supt. Charles Flowers, as well as the Westchester offices of the county superintendent, said state's attorney's office spokesman Andy Conklin.
There is an active criminal investigation into Flowers' office, Conklin said.
The raids came in the wake of a "no-confidence" vote by the County Board last month that called for criminal investigations in the wake of a highly critical audit that alleges misuse of public funds by Flowers' office.
The no-confidence vote itself came after the state auditor general forwarded to prosecutors an audit showing debt in Flowers' office last year soared to nearly $1 million as he made personal charges on his office credit card and gave a $6,000 cash advance to a relative who worked for him.
In a reply to the auditor general, Flowers said he personally covered more than $9,000 in credit-card charges unrelated to his job.
In addition to asking the Illinois attorney general and the state's attorney to launch criminal investigations, the no-confidence resolution also asked the state's attorney to seek recovery of $190,000 in county funds the board lent to the superintendent's office last year. The loan is due June 30.
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