BRIEFLY

WELFARE TO WORK

It's tough on Illinois kids

More Illinois families have moved off welfare and public assistance. But, relative to the rest of the country, the children of Illinois' poor families were worse off last year than they were the year before.

According to the Illinois Kids Count report compiled this year by Voices for Illinois Children, the number of families receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families dropped 32.5 percent between October 1996 and October 1998. (The administration of outgoing Gov. Jim Edgar calculated that some 317,000 people have moved from welfare to work.) But in a comparison of 10 areas of child well-being for the 50 states and the District of Columbia, Illinois' ranking fell from 35th place in 1997 to 38th place in 1998. According to the report, Illinois has the worst child well-being ranking in the Midwest, and lags behind other heavily populated states such as California and New York.

The report reveals that:

• About one in every five Illinois children lives in poverty.

• Nearly 50 percent of the state's food stamp recipients are children.

• Ten percent of the state's children are in families whose income is at or below 50 percent of the poverty line. (In four Midwestern states, this figure is 5 percent or less.)

"We're seeing some families make the transition from welfare to work, and that's good news," says Jerry Stermer, president of Voices for Illinois Children. But, he adds, "Achieving economic security is not just about getting a job. ... Issues such as housing, child care, transportation, education and tax policy have a dramatic effect on families trying to move out of poverty."

For example, the average cost of day care for a child under 2 is $34 per day in Illinois. A minimum wage worker earns $206 a week before taxes, meaning child care zaps 83 percent of weekly income. Most licensed child care centers accept state-supported subsidies for families of the working poor, and those subsidies, according to Stermer, have recently been improved to the level of some of the country's best. But few child care centers are open during the odd hours that many low-income employees work.

According to Stermer, state legislators and social workers are focusing on child care and other auxiliary services to go along with welfare reform. New initiatives, such as a Healthy Families program that provides in-home visits from trained volunteers who help new mothers, are now in place. But the results of these programs have yet to be reflected in the annual national rankings of children's well-being.

Auxiliary service programs are important to making sure welfare reform succeeds, says Stermer. Currently, national statistics show that 37 percent of families that leave the welfare rolls get back on an assistance program within a year.

Rodd Whelpley

WEB SITE OF THE MONTH Web weather, whether you like it or not Last month's deep snows and frigid temperatures have already made this winter one for the record books. And whether or not Punxsutawny Phil saw his shadow this Groundhog Day, we're likely to be bundling up for another six weeks. To prepare for any oncoming deep freezes or blasts of snow, check out the pages of the National Weather Service. Its home page at//www.nws.noaa.gov/ gives a national forecast with links to regions of the country Click on the Central Region to find a Chicago and a central Illinois link to current conditions, severe weather warnings, forecasts and extensive weather information. The Chicago site includes aviation and marine conditions. One of the best commercial sites is the Weather Channel at www.weather.com/,where you can get the latest weather news in Spanish. If you want to know just how cold it feels, click on the Lincoln station from the Central Region map (or go to www.crh.noaa.gov/ilx/ilxhome.htm) and find the winter weather icon. That takes you to the wind chill chart. A winter weather preparedness link defines all the terms — do you know the difference between sleet and freezing rain? It also outlines the dangers of winter weather and gives advice on what to do if caught in a storm. Check your winter storm survival kit against the weather service's list of "must haves" for winter traveling. Before making that trip, you might visit the state of Illinois' Department of Transportation page at www.dot.state.il.usfor the latest graphic and text-based road reports. The site also links to weather information. Stay tuned and keep the Doppler at the ready. Spring will come, along with tornadoes. Beverley Scobell

10  February 1999 Illinois Issues

National landmark will shine a light through history

For more than 125 years the Grosse Point Lighthouse in Evanston has been a guide for Great Lakes sailors, preserving life and limb. Now its designation as a National Historic Landmark ensures the lighthouse itself will be preserved.

In January, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt added it to the list of 2,200 national historic landmarks, making it the first of the 250 American lighthouses on the Great Lakes and only the seventh in the nation to receive the designation.

With the listing comes federal protection and an obligation to preserve the structures at the station. Only 3 percent of the properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places are designated as National Historic Landmarks, defined by the National Park Service as places that "possess exceptional value or quality in illustrating and interpreting the heritage of the United States."

Now under the jurisdiction of the Evanston Park District, the 113-foot concrete-encased brick lighthouse, with its weather-beaten red-trimmed beige paint, was first lit with whale oil in 1873. Parabolic mirrors reflected light from a three-wick lamp and magnified it through a Fresnel lens, the largest of its kind ever used on the Great Lakes. The Grosse Point Lighthouse contains the only remaining second-order Fresnel lens on the lakes. Today, the lens is still operational but sends its shaft of light 21 miles out onto Lake Michigan from a 500-watt electric bulb.

The lighthouse's early mission was to guide cargo ships toward Chicago, 12 miles to the south. In their holds they carried materials needed to rebuild the city after the Great Fire of 1871. As Chicago and the Midwest grew, the lighthouse marked the low-lying shoals along the coast that had caused many shipwrecks, including the sinking of the Lady Elgin, which took nearly 300 lives down with her off the north suburban shore. The lighthouse also guided vessels along one of the busiest shipping lanes in the country. After advances in technology, the lighthouse was decommissioned (destaffed) and automated in 1935.

Donald Terras, who has been lighthouse park district director since 1984, spent several years working toward making the lighthouse a maritime land-

Grosse Point Lighthouse in Evanston, is now a National Historic Landmark. The lighthouse's beam guided lake freighters to Chicago as they brought materials needed to rebuild the city after the Great Fire of 1871. The keeper's residence (directly above) still serves as a home for the lighthouse caretaker.

mark. His research led to a book. The Grosse Point Lighthouse: Landmark to Maritime History and Culture, which he published in 1995. Two years later he applied for national historic landmark status with the National Parks System advisory board. Last October the committee unanimously recommended the lighthouse to Interior Secretary Babbitt. Beverley Scobell

Illinois Issues February 1999 11

BRIEFLY

REPORTS

Before he left office, Jim Edgar sent a pair of labyrinthine problems to commissions. Neither panel gave him a simple solution.

A tax swap deemed too complicated

Edgar apparently handed a Gordian knot to the group he tapped to review Illinois' tax system.

The outgoing governor wanted to find a way to shift the burden for funding schools from local property taxes to a state tax. He charged the Commission on Property Tax Reform, chaired by Tim Bramlet, president of the Taxpayers' Federation of Illinois, with producing "a simple tax swap plan that is fair and equitable to all taxpayers."

The 19-member commission's answer to Edgar as he prepared to leave office: It isn't simple.

Edgar wanted the commission to consider ways to end the spending gap between property-rich and property- poor school districts. In 1997, he proposed increasing the state income tax as one way to do that. When lawmakers turned the idea down, he appointed the commission to take another look.

But the panel's report, released last month, argues Illinois' current tax structure makes a swap unworkable, "until certain state and local tax policies are addressed." It notes that businesses pay about half the state's property taxes, while they produce just a fifth of the state's income tax revenue. In short, businesses would benefit the most from a swap — making such a shift politically difficult.

A key stumbling block, according to the group, is the property tax classification system in Cook County. Under that system — and Cook is the only county that uses it — businesses are assessed at higher property tax rates than homeowners.

Commission members agreed that other changes in the state's tax structure — such as expanding the sales tax to include services — could help end the disparity in school spending, but they did not elaborate.

Illinois women lack economic independence

Edgar asked the Governor's Commission on the Status of Women in Illinois to untangle a second knotty question:
how to remove the obstacles women still face in this state.

The 20-member group, chaired by Governors State University President Paula Wolff, determined that the major hurdle for women is money. They offered several recommendations:

• Increase women's wages.

• Ensure that medical, child and elder care is available and affordable.

• Create new jobs and educational opportunities.

The report also urges state officials to lobby for an increase in the federal minimum wage. "Without addressing the issues raised here, there cannot be economic independence for women, and without economic independence for women, there will not be equity," the report states.

The group also recommended creation of a permanent commission on the status of women.

Maureen Foertsch McKinney

QUOTABLE " Mr. Wirtz looks like a man waving his wallet for a streetwalker, and only the actions of the Senate will determine if Illinois lawmakers deserve this reputation. " Jim Howard of Common Cause, as quoted in the Springfield State Journal-Register, referring to the high-priced lobbying blitz Chicago Blackhawks owner William Wirtz mounted on behalf of his liquor distributorship. Wirtz sent some two dozen lobbyists to the Capitol during the fall veto session. The House passed the proposal to protect liquor distributors from being squeezed out by suppliers. The Senate took a pass.

12 February 1999 Illinois Issues

National writer credits Illinois' GOP trio

This state's Republicans have reason to crow. Washington Post columnist — and native son — David Broder argues it's good news three congressmen from the Land of Lincoln took leading roles in the U.S. House over the past two months. "After a truly terrible week in Washington," Broder wrote in a post-impeachment column, "one thing at least has turned out right."

Broder credits Rep. Ray LaHood of Peoria for presiding over the impeachment proceedings in the House "with evenhanded fairness." And Rep. Henry Hyde of Wood Dale, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, presented the case against President Bill Clinton "with dignity." Then, in a stunning turn of events, Rep. J. Dennis Hastert of Yorkville emerged as the consensus choice for House speaker.

Why, according to Broder, is this good news? Because, he argues, the Midwest is more representative of the national political culture than the South and Southwest, the home regions of recent national GOP leaders. Besides, he argues, it's historically right. "The Republican Party was born in the Midwest and its patron saint, Mr. Lincoln, emerged from Springfield to immortality."

Republicanism is more mature in Illinois and lacks the hard edge of ideology, notes Broder, who launched his career covering Illinois politics. As for Hastert, Broder argues he can be sharply partisan, but he fights fair. "That's the Illinois way."

Peggy Boyer Long

Illinois Issues February 1999 13

BRIEFLY

UPDATES

Tobacco money

Illinois' part in the multistate tobacco settlement was formalized by a court decree last month. But before the state sees any of its $9 billion share, more states need to sign off on the pact.

The earliest that the state could expect to allocate money from the settlement would be July of 2000 for the fiscal year 2001 budget.

The agreement, the largest civil settlement in state history, calls for Illinois to get about $360 million a year over a 25-year period. Just how that money is going to be spent is still under discussion. Attorney General Jim Ryan has urged that the money be used for programs that benefit children and public health. Smoking cessation and anti-smoking education programs are some likely uses by Public Health — if that department is awarded an allocation of the settlement. And Gov. George H.Ryan has not yet decided how he wants to see the money spent, says spokesman John Torre.

Next installment: Spending issues stand to generate big debates in the General Assembly. It's estimated that tobacco companies will cough up more than $100 million for Illinois' first payment.

Bugs

Illinois may have seen the last of its exotic but unwanted visitors: the Asian long-horned beetles (see "Dead or alive," Illinois Issues, September 1998, page 43).

The tree-killing inch-long insects, native to Asia, are believed to have come here as stowaways in wooden packing crates. In Illinois, some 400 infested trees were found last year in Chicago and were to be removed by the end of February. Another 35 beetle-plagued trees in west suburban DuPage County and five in southwest suburban Summit were expected to be removed by the end of this month.

Forcing the removal of trees is doable, and it's the only way to get rid of the tenacious pests. Keeping new infestations out is harder, but U.S. Department of Agriculture officials believe they may have found a solution.

As of December 17, shipments from China are required to bear certification that wood packing material had been treated to guarantee it will be beetle-free. Shipments that fail to comply will be quarantined and then incinerated, chipped to bits or sent back.

"So far, there has been a very good compliance from exporters from China and Hong Kong," says Joe Schafer, the federal Department of Ag's Asian long-horned beetle survey supervisor who oversees cargo checks at Chicago's O'Hare airport.

Maureen Foertsch McKinney

QUOTABLE " Sometimes federal investigations go on and on and on and they never end them. This one went on well past the need to go on, but I appreciate [that] they put an end to it. " Outgoing Gov. Jim Edgar after federal prosecutors concluded their investigation into a Public A id contract scandal that clouded much of his second term. Neither Edgar nor any of his top aides were charged, but the three-year investigation into the $12.9 million state contract with Management Services of Illinois Inc. resulted in bribery convictions for two former midlevel Public Aid workers and the two founders of MSI, consultants who were among Edgar's campaign contributors. MSI was hired to weed out Medicaid overpayments.

All about sprawl

Two new reports on urban sprawl and loss of farmland were released last month with calls for greater regional coordination and more funding to protect green space and reduce wasteful development.

The Illinois House Smart Growth Task Force focused on preserving farmland. Led by Democratic Rep. Ricca Slone of Peoria Heights, the committee of politicians, academics and activists recommended that more local governments be given the authority to pay farmers to keep land in production rather than sell it to developers. It also called for further incentives for developers to build in older urban areas.

And the study by the Chicago-based Openlands Project found that by 2028 the metropolitan area would double in size if current development trends continue. To stop sprawl, Illinois must implement a statewide land use policy, according to the group.

The two reports follow a study by the Commercial Club of Chicago that also highlighted uncontrolled urban growth.

Burney Simpson

14 February 1999 Illinois Issues

New places to play

lllinoisans have more room to stretch out, thanks to a southern Illinois coal company. Outgoing Gov. Jim Edgar stopped packing at the Mansion long enough last month to accept 4,180 acres donated to the state for recreational uses by the Sahara Coal Co. of Harrisburg. By the natural resources agency's calculations, the addition of the Saline County land brings the total acquired or protected during Edgar's eight-year administration to 85,000 acres. That total includes the Joliet Arsenal site in northeastern Illinois. This latest addition, to be called Sahara Woods, is west of Harrisburg. "Sahara wishes to thank the thousands of people who have worked here over the many decades that Sahara has mined coal in Saline and Williamson counties," says Charles Wheatley, president of Sahara Coal. " The coal has now been removed, hut the land remains and this gift guarantees that the land will remain productive as a recreational facility, both for the enjoyment of the area residents and as an attraction that continues to bring economic benefits to this region." Portions of the property will require reclamation, but ultimately the area will be available for hunting and fishing, horseback riding and hiking. The state also has an option to purchase an adjoining 852-acre tract from the coal company.

Burney Simpson

Moseley-Braun continues the fight Former U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley-Braun has joined the U.S. Department of Education as a part-time special adviser on school construction. In making the announcement, U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley cited Moseley-Braun for showing leadership on the nationwide problem. "She has long led the fight to improve school facilities in Illinois and across the country," Riley said, "and I'm very pleased that she will continue to work on this vital issue. Our nation's schools and students desperately need these resources." Moseley-Braun sought a federal General Accounting Office report detailing school construction needs nationwide. She then led the fight in the U.S. Senate to expand the school-construction effort. President Bill Clinton proposed a $22 billion plan to build and modernize 5,000 schools nationwide over two years, but that plan did not receive congressional approval. In 1997, the financial need in Illinois for new buildings and repairs, excluding Chicago, was estimated to be $7 billion over the next seven to 10 years. Meanwhile, according to some estimates, Chicago's five-year, $806 million capital improvement program falls far short of meeting that city's true need. (See "The schoolhouse is falling down," Illinois Issues, March 1997, page 24.) Burney Simpson

Illinois Issues February 1999 15