RSO delivers petition with 968 signatures to Perry
Panthers flop in second half to Western
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“Tell t h e t r u t h a n d d o n ’ t b e a fr a i d . ”
JACKSON AVENUE
STATE
Ill. lawmakers float pension reform plan McClatchy Tribune
SPRINGFIELD -- As state government leaders struggle to reach agreement on pension reform, a bipartisan group of lawmakers is floating a plan that’s a mix of new and old ideas to try to break the logjam. State workers, teachers, university employees and legislators would have to kick in more money from their paychecks each year to underwrite their pensions, and some of them would have to wait longer to retire. The plan also would rein in costof-living increases that have exponentially increased the pension burden on taxpayers and would set a 30-year target date for fully funding the financially bedraggled systems. Some rank-and-file lawmakers led by Democratic Reps. Elaine Nekritz of Northbrook and Dan Biss of Evanston see the approach as a way forward and are scheduled to formally unveil it Wednesday. Union members are disappointed that workers and retirees were excluded from the discussion but hope the proposal would represent a starting point, said Anders Lindall, spokesman for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. The proposal contains a version of the politically problematic shift of the state’s costs for suburban and downstate schoolteacher pensions onto local school districts over several years. That idea is pushed by House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, but opponents have argued it would lead to property tax
increases Under the proposal, retirees would get an annual cost-of-living increase on only the first $25,000 of their pensions, $20,000 for those who also get Social Security. Retirement ages would not rise for people 46 and older, but a phase-in would increase retirement ages by as much as five years for people 34 and under. Current retirement ages vary, such as 60 for rank-and-file state workers and 55 for prison guards. Employee contributions would rise 1 percentage point the first year and another percentage point the second year. Contributions for rank-and-file state workers now are about 7 percent, according to the union. The proposal also would make it clear that a failure by public employers, such as the state or a school district, would be grounds for a lawsuit if they didn’t make proper annual payments -- a major reason that many public retirement systems are underfunded. New public school teachers and state university workers would be part of a cash-balance plan, sort of a hybrid between a plan that guarantees employees a certain benefit and also partly relies on investment returns. The plan comes as Illinois faces a pension debt of as much as $96 billion, the worst in the nation. Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn has noted that increased pension payments in the coming years could cut into how much the state has left to spend on education and other government services.
THEATER
Troupe performs skits on social issues By Seth Schroeder Opinions Editor
The first time Katie Genauldi performed as Emily, a young woman who was raped at a party, she found out Emily’s real world counterpart was in the audience. Now, Genauldi brought the performance to Eastern Wednesday with the “Erasing the Distance” non-profit troupe. Genauldi said she was glad she did not know at the time that Emily was watching her performance, but afterwards was glad to meet her and here how grateful she was. “Emily’s story is so inspiring. She’s like a rockstar,” Genauldi said. “She said it was almost as if she didn’t have to carry it anymore, which is awesome.” The group uses theater to spread awareness of mental health issues and gave two performances at Eastern.
The performances included Genauldi as Emily as well as four other actors who each portrayed a different individual who coped with a mental illness. Philip de Guzman, who portrayed Jaron, a man who coped with addiction and depression, said each story comes from interviews with real life people that come to “Erasing the Distance” to tell their story. He said the interviews can last hours and are recorded word-for-word before being sculpted into a 10-minute performance that a professional actor will perform. Maura Kidwell, who performed as Marie, a young woman who coped with depression-based eating disorders, said professionals take on the performances because it is not always emotionally safe for the actual individual to constantly revisit their pain in front of an audience. TROUPE, page 5
MARCUS SMITH | THE DAILY EASTERN NE WS
Dano Rieble, owner, talks with patrons Wednesday evening in Jackson Avenue Coffee. He was having a fund raising event to stay in business.
JAC surpasses $18,000 mark By Katie Smith | Staff Reporter
Shop to remain Charleston landmark By Katie Smith Staff Reporter
Charleston community members successfully raised $19,168 for Jackson Avenue Coffee Wednesday, earning about $1,200 more than the shop needed to pay off their state tax debt. The JAC will pay its $18,000 debt to the state and preserve what customers consider to be a sanctuary for the Charleston community at 9 a.m. Thursday in Springfield. A line of loyal customers trailed out the door of the JAC at 6 p.m. when the event started, to show their support for the coffee shop. Those who waited in the cold to make their donations included high school and college students, friends and family of the owners as well as artists and musicians who display their work in the shop. Dano Reible, owner of the JAC, said the benefit’s turnout was proof of the shop’s significance in town. “This is a direct correlation to how important that the JAC is to the community,” Reible said. “This wouldn’t be happening if there wasn’t a true heartfelt commitment to it in this community.” Donna Wieck, a Charleston community member, said the JAC is an important piece of the town, most notable as a safe-haven for its younger residents. “It’s a place where college kids can come and it’s a homey, cozy place to be,” Weick said. “It’s just a nice feeling to drive by and see people sitting out here.” Barb Hunter, a Charleston resident, agreed, stating the JAC has consistently been a safe place for young people to pass their time. “It really is a community resource for us parents who have teenagers,” Hunter said. “I had a
daughter that went to high school in this town and she and friends would meet up here and meet up when she comes home.” Reible said he was amazed how quickly the fundraiser came together. “Naturally, this puts me out there and it says, ‘I couldn’t do it’,” he said. Pride aside, Reible said he does not mind reaching out to the community for financial help. “It doesn’t bother me,” Reible said. “I don’t care. It’s all about the JAC. It’s not about me.” Reible’s wife, Vicki Reible, reminisced about her experience owning the coffee shop with her husband and the impression she believes it has made in her own life. “We wanted to give back to the community,” she said. “We always wondered what our purpose in life was, and this seemed to be it— a way to give back.” Vicki Reible said the JAC has become her second home, and the “blessing” of watching the younger community members grow up has created the illusion of a second family as well. Throughout the event, customers were encouraged to take the stage and perform music as well as give testimonies expressing their appreciation for the business. Yvonne Larson, a Charleston resident, shared that she believes her 7-year-old daughter, Gretta, is one of the JAC’s biggest advocates. “She found out by coming here that she has the blues inside of her,” Larson said. She explained that after visiting the JAC, Gretta began composing original songs such as the, “’I Don’t Want to go to Bed’ Blues” and taking a great interest in the harmonica. Upon discovering Gretta’s love for the blues, Reible voluntarily fed her curiosity by teaching her a new song each week. Gretta, who just celebrated her seventh birthday, donated all of her
MARCUS SMITH | THE DAILY EASTERN NE WS
Heather Miller, 15, of Charleston, holds up a button Wednesday evening at Jackson Avenue Coffee.
birthday money to the JAC. The Larsons are not the only family to find artistic support from the JAC, however. Ian Phillips, a poet and a Charleston resident, said he met the Reibles through friends, and they have since shown nothing but support of his poetry. “It’s kind of like a hippie network, I guess,” Phillips said. “Once I got to meet him it was just a good thing.” Phillips recently published his first collection of poems titled, “69 Poems” and offered 50 percent of the book’s profits to whatever the Reibles could not raise. Melanie Mills, a communications professor and coordinator of the event, said she was immediately willing to help the business and knew others in the community would want to take part. “We have always known that Dano and Vicki do this as community service first and business second,” she said. Mills said she believes the JAC’s service to the community was the motivation for people support the business the way they have. “The community has been very forgiving,” she said. “The community recognizes this is more than a coffee shop.” Katie Smith can be reached at 581-2812 or kesmith2@eiu.edu.