April  2008

Not a Landscape Specialist

I decided I will not be giving up my day job to become a landscape specialist any time soon!

My nephew Kaleb came over to help me clean up my yard and landscaping. Before starting we went to buy a new hedge trimmer with a nice sharp blade. I had been working on the bushes when I set the trimmer down and reached over to clear away the clippings. Apparently I was too quick because the blade on the hedge trimmer had not stopped. The end of my right ring finger got caught in the trimmer. I unplugged the trimmer and carried it to the garage, with my finger still caught. Kaleb used pliers and a screwdriver to move the blade and free my finger.

Kaleb drove me to the Emergency Room of the hospital where I had 8 stitches put in the side and bottom of my fingernail. Thankfully I am not in any pain, but am being careful not to bump it.

My family and staff all jumped at the opportunity to tell me that finger exercises (meaning computer work) would be the best thing for healing. That’s what I tell them when they are ill. I am healing very well and should be getting the stitches out in a few days.

Walker and Dunn-Barton Halls at ISU

I recently visited my old stomping grounds at Illinois State University. It was a bittersweet time for me. ISU is in the process of decommissioning the Walker and Dunn-Barton dormitory halls. I was asked to speak at the ceremony and got to share a few stories from my college days. After it was over I took a tour of my old dorm, Walker Hall, and even got to see one of the rooms I lived in.

Here are the bullet points of my remarks from the decommissioning ceremony:

ISU Dorm Decommissioning Speech 

-         1968- The towering Waterson

-         1973- Student Center

-         1976- Millner

-         Later the over pass

-         No arena

-     Walker was the face of ISU.

-         A few cracks

-         Not as contemporary

-         Pipes don’t work like they used to

-         Glad they do not use same standard for decommissioning humans

-         Frats and sororities were few and small

-         Walker, Dunn-Barton floors had collegiality of frat or sorority house

-         Had own teams, shirts, and groups

-         Defense mechanism when we went to the Red Lion

-         Not coed

-         2 years spent as MA (predecessor to RA)

-         Friends yet today

-         Student + Management

-         Big metal doors, penny someone in

-         Advance planning, take out phone speaker, shaving cream on ear piece (pre cell phone era)

-         Manila envelope full of shaving cream, drop business law book

-         Waste basket of water against door.

-         Flood floor and running slide

-         Story about Volkswagen doing spins on quad

-         First ISU streaker was a Walker Hall resident

-         Rearview pics in the Vidette

-         Thank goodness the walls cannot talk

-         Spouses and lifelong friends

-         Facilities will be replaced, the memories will last a lifetime

-    Thank you for the opportunity to be a part of this moment and the legacy of many.

Here are some news articles that appeared about the dorms being decommissioned:

"ISU hold send off for dorm halls"  Daily Pantagraph

"ISU dorms honored at ceremony" Peoria Journal Star

"ISU bids farewell to Dunn-Barton, Walker Halls"  Daily Vidette

Page For A Day

Left to Right: Sen. Rutherford, Ben Chesler, and Jack Chesler

Ben Chesler recently came to Springfield to page for me. Ben is a 10 year old fourth grader from Lincoln Elementary School in Chicago. Ben reported for duty at the Capitol at nine o’clock in the morning with his father, Jack, in tow. They both ended up staying for the entire day and well into the night. The Senate did not adjourn until about ten o’clock in the evening. I enjoyed having Ben help out for the day. He is a very intelligent and mature young man. Thanks Ben!

Illinois Firefighters Association

Left to right: Carrol Whitehouse, Tyler Funk, Pat Devaney, Sen. Rutherford, Chuck Sullivan, Andy Quarnstorm, and Brad Diel

The Illinois Firefighters Association recently had their lobby day in Springfield. I got the chance to visit with groups of Firefighters from several towns in my district. These brave men truly deserve our appreciation.

Bee Hives

My seventeen year old nephew Kaleb keeps bees as a hobby. He keeps one of his beehives on my property. We are not sure what caused the hive to tip over. It could have been an animal or the wind. The bees dispersed, but were still in the area. Kaleb put on his protective gear and fixed the hive and put a weight on the top of it. This is the first time a hive was tipped over in about 4 years. Hopefully we will have some of the good honey this year.

Holiday Party

We held our annual office Holiday Party earlier this month. I know what you are thinking,  “Why are you having a Holiday Party in April?” We normally have it shortly after the New Year, but this year we had to postpone it due to my broken jaw and my sister’s surgery. Sis and I are back to normal so we decided to go ahead with the party, even if it is a little late.

Happy Holidays to all!

Gubernatorial run in mix for Rutherford

Bloomington Pantagraph

Mike Riopell

SPRINGFIELD -- State Sen. Dan Rutherford said Tuesday he is considering the possibility of running for governor in 2010.

The Chenoa Republican has previously said he wants to run for a statewide office, and Tuesday said he hasn't ruled out a bid for the top spot.

''That's not an announcement for governor,'' Rutherford said. ''But it's also a statement saying that we're not excluding that as an option.''

Rutherford, 53, lost a 2006 race to be Secretary of State to Democrat Jesse White. White has already said he plans to run for the office again in 2010.

For his part, Rutherford recently has spent time traveling the state and talking to people.

He said Tuesday that it's much too early for people to begin declaring what offices they'll seek in 2010, especially with the presidential election garnering a lot of political attention.

''I'm not putting together a campaign for governor today,'' Rutherford said. ''But we are not eliminating any option of what we may do in 2010.''

Rutherford, whose district encompasses a large swath of central Illinois, stretching from the Indiana border to the Illinois River, has served in the General Assembly since 1993.

Republican state Sen. Bill Brady of Bloomington has said he's planning to run again for governor in 2010. He tried in 2006 and finished third in the Republican primary election behind former state Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka.

Democrat Gov. Rod Blagojevich went on to win, and it's unclear whether he'll run for re-election on the Democratic side.

http://www.pantagraph.com/articles/2008/04/08/news/doc47fbf45907555151540067.txt

Stamp leftovers

We have a Documatch machine in our office that, when it is working properly, is affectionately known as Oscar. Oscar is capable of printing, folding, stuffing and sealing about 4,000-5,000 pieces of mail a day. Unfortunately, Oscar doesn’t do stamps. So to get that much mail stamped, we have volunteers. Recently our 2 primary stampers, in addition to Mom, have been our friend Lisa and my brother-in-law Fred. We use rolls of bulk stamps that have 10,000 stamps on them. Lisa and Fred wanted to see if they could use an entire roll of stamps without tearing the paper the stamps are attached to. Mission accomplished! It took them 3 or 4 days, but they did it. This pile is what is leftover when you unwind and use an entire roll of bulk stamps plus part of another roll!

Fulton County GOP Dinner

On Friday, April 18th, I will be speaking at the Fulton County GOP Dinner. Judy Dudek, the County GOP Chairman sent in a great press release. I thought you might like to read what they printed: Sen. Rutherford to speak at Lincoln Day event

Thanks for sending this in Judy!

Northern Illinois Trip

As you may know from previous diary entries, I spent a good part of the two week legislative Spring Break traveling around Illinois. The first week was spent in the Southern part (to see pictures from my journey South check out the March Diary) followed by a Northern Illinois swing the second week.

My assistant George was the road warrior for this voyage, as he was for our Southern trek. The trip started by heading north from Pontiac to the Western and Northern suburbs of Chicago.  From there we headed west as far as Rockford, with a few stops along the way, then back east through DuPage County followed by a stop in Joliet and then finally home to Pontiac. I got to see some old friends and meet some new ones. Overall, the trip was a rousing success. The Bonneville racked up about 1,500 more miles from the Spring Break trips and is still running strong. Thank you to all those who came out to see me!

Check back here for more pictures. They will be posted soon.

I made a stop in Crystal Lake at Restaurant 1776 for drinks with Chuck Ruth, Ken Koehler and Sen. Pam Althoff. Check out the sign, I recycle everywhere I go!

After doing some press in Boone County I got the chance to stop in Rockford and have lunch with my good friends Amy and Dean Olson. After lunch I went over to WNTA radio and spent some time on the air with Mark Mayhew.

I spent Saturday with my good friend Dr. Tim Koritz and his family in Roscoe, Illinois. During the day Tim and I hopped in his plane and flew to Iowa where he has some land. It was great to be outside enjoying nature!

I started out Sunday at the Addison Township Brunch. Addison Township has always been very supportive of me and I like to stop in and say thank you whenever possible. I got to see my good friend Jerry Marchese (pictured) which is always a bonus! A special thanks to Addison Township Chairman Pat Durante for the invite and hospitality.

After Addison I headed over to the DuPage GOP Headquarters in Wheaton for a meet and greet. There was a great turnout. Thank you to Liz Martinez (pictured top left) Dagmar Lofgren (pictured top right with myself and her husband Carl) and Sherry Falbo for organizing the event.

On the way from Wheaton to Pontiac I had the opportunity to stop in Joliet at the Three Rivers Friends of NRA Annual Dinner. I am a staunch supporter of Second Amendment rights and was glad to accept the invitation.

Easter

The family and I decided to spend this Easter at Fairview Haven Nursing Home with my Grandmother. It was nice to spend a relaxing afternoon with my family, especially with all the travel I have been doing around Illinois. My Grandmother is doing well and is in good health. As I always say, she may not be able to play racquetball, but she still knows the rules!

The Bonneville

The Bonneville started off April with 290,070 miles on her. She is scheduled to get her regular check-up and oil change this week. The extended trips I took to the Southern and Northern ends of Illinois over Spring Break really gave her some exercise!

 Note from a supporter

Have you considered running for  Governor of Illinois?  I  believe your  qualifications  make  you an  excellent  candidate.

Bob
Des Plaines, Il.

Bob, thank you for the very kind words.....it is a bit early to finalize, but we are keeping options open. Will evaluate and decide in Summer 2009 for the election of 2010.

I will be in touch!

Dan Rutherford

Events this year

I wanted to give you advance notice so you can plan to attend one or all of our Dan Rutherford Campaign Committee events this year. Here are the events that the dates and times are finalized for.
 

June 12, 2008 - St. Patrick's in the Summer

June 17, 2008 - DuPage County Fundraiser at Carlucci's

in Downers Grove

June 20, 2008 - Arlington International for a Day at the Races

July 15, 2008 - Networking Party at Harry Caray's in Chicago

October 13, 2008-Annual Chicken Dinner at the

Pontiac Elk's Country Club