House Bill 4232, sponsored by Rep. Dave Severin (R-Marion), which sought to eliminate the publication of the school statement of affairs in newspapers was soundly defeated today by the Illinois House of Representatives. Severin’s bill received only 29 votes in favor of passage, less than half of the 60 votes the measure required to advance to the Senate.  This is a huge win for Illinois’ newspapers and demonstrates that most legislators still believe in public notice &ndash...

By Sam Fisher, IPA president & chief executive officerWhen it comes to informing local people about local issues, nobody does it better than newspapers. Admittedly, I’m biased, having spent my career in the industry and now serving as the head of the Illinois Press Association.  Throughout my career, I’ve seen the unique bond that exists between a newspaper and the community it serves at so many levels. Every legislative session there is an attempt by legislators to tak...

The John Jay College of Criminal Justice at the City University of New York are recruiting rural journalists for an all-expenses-paid, two-day workshop in NYC in July on the problems of rural jails, with follow-up to help them do stories. This is funded by the Ford Foundation, it will pay all expenses of the participants. It will be a selectively recruited workshop; they’re looking for journalists with potential to cover the subject in areas where they think the problem are greatest.