Author finds inspiration in Brookens' oral history collection

Melinda McDonald, of Springfield, is the author of Water and Fire, a work of historical fiction set during the city's 1908 race riot.

When she was researching the book, one of McDonald's principal sources was the oral history collection housed in the archives at Brookens Library at UIS. "Those were very, very helpful," she noted.

An article about McDonald and her book appeared in the June 9, 2008, Mattoon Journal Gazette/Charleston Times-Courier.

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20080609-JGTC-AuthorUsesOralHistoryCollection.pdf

Wheeler quoted in article on "unconstitutional" budget

Illinois' new budget increases state spending without increasing revenue and is therefore unconstitutional, according to Gov. Rod Blagojevich. While the Governor has not vetoed the budget, he has announced his intention to call legislative leaders together to resume work on it.

In an article in the June 3, 2008, Harrisburg Daily Register, UIS Director of Public Affairs Reporting Charles Wheeler said he could not recall another such instance in which legislators had so"deliberately and publicly approved an unbalanced budget."

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20080603-HDR-UnbalancedBudget.pdf

Redfield says ethics bill is a "historic opportunity"

Gov. Blagojevich has indicated that he may not sign the new ethics bill recently passed by the General Assembly because it doesn't go far enough. However, many observers are questioning his motives for refusing to sign the bill, which passed both the Senate and the House by large majorities.

An article published in the June 8, 2008, Chicago Tribune quotes Kent Redfield, UIS professor emeritus of Political Science, who notes that the bill presents "a historic opportunity to eliminate one of the major sources of corruption in Illinois politics."

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20080608-CT-EthicsBillLoomsLarge.pdf