December 2007
The
Bonneville
The Pontiac Bonneville started the
month of December with 278,290 miles on her. After only seventeen short days
on Monday, December 17th she hit the 280,000 mile mark! She runs good in the cold
weather, but didn't like all of the ice brought by the 1st winter storm of
the season.
Janie Grimes
My
very good friend, Janie Grimes, is running as an Alternate Delegate for the
GOP National Convention committed to Mitt Romney. She sent me this photo
from Salem. Janie, thanks for all the effort and be sure mike knows we
appreciate his support!
Dudek named
Naval Surface Combat Systems
East Coast
Sailor of the Year
I received an e-mail from my friends Judy
and John Dudek telling me that their son, Electronics Technician 1st Class
Petty Officer John Dudek, was named 2007 Naval Surface Combat Systems East
Coast Sailor of the Year. John was chosen over the West Coast Sailor of the
Year and will now compete against Sailors of the Year from the remaining
naval organizations. We are all very proud of John and wish him good luck
at the next level of competition.
Eileen Byrne
Many asked how my friend Eileen Byrne is doing now that
she has left WLS Radio.
As you may know, she married her sweetheart Jeff. I spoke
to her this month and she is pregnant with twins!!!!!!!!!! Congratulations
to Jeff and Eileen.
Illinois
Auditor General
The Auditor General is a constitutional officer of the State of Illinois
charged with reviewing the obligation, expenditure, receipt and use of
public funds. Please visit the link to see recently released state audits.
At the White House Christmas Party
I was fortunate to have
been invited by President Bush and the First Lady to attend
their Holiday Party at the White House. My nephew, Kaleb,
went with me. It was a great honor, memorable experience and
left plenty to share and talk about. This photo is the two
of us in front of the Blue Room in the East Wing of the
White House, with the White House Christmas tree in the
background. Please click on the link below to view more
pictures from our trip.
White House Photo Page
Blagojevich backs Blackhawks over mass transit
Gov.
Rod Blagojevich today defended his decision to fly up to Chicago for a
Blackhawks game last night while the House was trying (and failing) to pass
a mass transit solution.
Gov mocked for picking Hawks over CTA vote
'I prefer to watch a game that wasn't rigged,' he says
SPRINGFIELD --
Facing widespread ridicule at the Statehouse, Gov. Blagojevich on Thursday
defended skipping a key vote to avert a CTA meltdown so he could attend a
Chicago Blackhawks game instead.
Rutherford Statement Regarding the Passing of Congressman
Henry Hyde
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SPRINGFIELD, IL - State Senator
Dan Rutherford (R-Pontiac) was saddened to learn about the passing of former
Congressman Henry Hyde.
“I have known Congressman Hyde for nearly 30 years, dating back to my tenure
with the Ronald Reagan Presidential Campaign in 1980. Congressman Hyde was a
dedicated public servant and a traditional conservative. He embodied true
Midwestern values, which made him a great leader and advocate for Illinois
in Congress. I extend my deepest sympathies to Congressman Hyde’s family in
their time of grief.”
A Perspective on the Future of Politics in Illinois
When my brother-in-law, nephew, George and I took the
Mitt Mobile to Iowa for Josh Romney, after he left to go back home
from Illinois, we spent the night in Galena. The Mitt Mobile was in the
parking lot when I went out for my morning jog. On my way back to my room,
there was a car with 3 people getting out with cameras going towards the
motor home. It was obvious they wanted to take a picture of it.
I introduced myself to them and offered to take the
picture. When I saw one of them had a Barack Obama t shirt on, we all got
a big laugh because they were Barack supporters from Illinois on their way
to Iowa to campaign for him. They saw the Mitt Mobile, had heard of it,
and were stopping to take a picture.
On Thursday, December 13, 2007 we
held two events in Chicago. A
luncheon was held at The Chicago Mercantile Exchange from 12:00 to 1:00
P.M. and former Speaker of the House J. Dennis Hastert was the featured
speaker. Later that evening there was a reception from 5:00 to 6:30 P.M.
held at The Chicago Club.
