Rich Egger

Macomb aldermen agreed to increase city attorney Kristen Petrie’s salary from $72,597.50 to $80,000. The raise will go into effect for the city’s next fiscal year, which begins May 1.

Approval was granted on a vote of 5-to-2. Alderman At Large Don Wynn and Fifth Ward Alderman Dave Dorsett were opposed. Fourth Ward Alderman Thomas Koch and Seventh Ward Alderman Clay Hinderliter were absent from the meeting.

Wynn feels the timing is not right.

The April 4 court proceedings in the 50% Plus One case in Macomb did not last long because the Liberty Justice Center – which is representing city council candidate Steve Wailand – never summoned his opponent, Kay Hill.

Tom Carper of Macomb has completed his four-year term as chairman of the Amtrak Board of Directors.

Carper feels Amtrak enjoyed success during that period, though sometimes it was frustrating because the federal government has no dedicated source of funding for passenger rail service.

“So every year, we’re in the budget. So every year, people who don’t like passenger rail or whatever can take a whack at Amtrak. That’s frustrating,” Carper said.

The panelists talk about the upcoming National Summit on Plagiarism and Fabrication.

The RTDNA reports the summit will be held in St Louis on Friday, April 5, as part of the American Copy Editors Society national conference. It will include a panel discussion on the common causes of plagiarism, steps to prevent it, and how to handle incidents.

The Shop Talk panelists wonder if the practice of on-line aggregation has more people thinking it’s okay to use the work of others without giving attribution.

A legal group said it has filed a motion seeking to declare Steve Wailand the winner of the February 26 election in Macomb’s second ward.

The candidates for alderman in Macomb’s fifth ward agree changes should be made to the city’s election process. But they have differing views of what should be done.

Incumbents Tim Lobdell and Clay Hinderliter were asked during the League of Women Voters candidates forum about the disputed outcome of the second ward contest.

Lobdell said the city needs to clarify its code.

As part of the Western Illinois University Theme Speakers Series War and Peace: From Personal Conflict to Global Resolution, the school will host Dr Joseph Sebarenzi on Tuesday, April 2, 7:00 pm in the University Union Heritage Room.

Sebarenzi survived the 1994 genocide in his home country of Rwanda, but his parents, seven siblings, and other relatives were killed. Instead of seeking revenge, Sebarenzi sought peace and reconciliation.

The county boards in Fulton, Schuyler, Hancock, and McDonough Counties have all approved the merger of the Fulton-Schuyler and Hancock-McDonough Regional Offices of Education.

Hancock-McDonough Regional Superintendent John Meixner said the resolutions will be sent to the Illinois State Board of Elections, which will officially create the new region.

The state pushed for the consolidation of some regional offices to cut costs. Meixner believed the savings will be minimal, but he said this merger should work well for the region.

Rich Egger’s guests on Emphasis are Jean Harman, Food Security Team Leader for the Peace Corps, and Timothy Collins, Assistant Director, Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs at Western Illinois University.

Harman will be the keynote speaker for the 10th Annual Environmental Summit at WIU, which will take place Wednesday, April 3 on the Macomb campus.

The Shop Talk panelists discuss the New York Times’ decision to do away with its environmental reporting “pod” and its “green” blog. The pod was a group of reporters and editors who focused solely on the environment.

Readers and critics have criticized the changes and the timing of the announcements – news of the blog’s demise was released on a Friday afternoon, which is a good time to release an announcement that you don’t want many people to hear.