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Keeping up with Dan
The New Format of
Dan's Diary
New Diary format
starting July
Starting in July my Diary
has a new format. It is entirely on the Home page and will be
called "Keeping Up with Dan." There will be political,
personal and governmental postings. I will still archive by
month, so do go back to previous months to catch up anything
you may have missed. I hope you enjoy the new format.
300,000 miles on the Pontiac
Bonneville
Bonnie has officially reached the
300,000 mile mark! She reached the milestone on July 15th at
9:45 am. I was in Chicago for some legislative meetings
followed by my annual
Harry Caray's networking party. As you know, we have been
running a contest in which people guess the location of Bonnie
when she hit 300,000. We will post the name of the winner and
other details in the next few days.
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Not yet...
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Almost there...
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300,000!!!
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The winner of the contest and the
recipient of two tickets to the Pontiac Chicken Dinner and
Sponsors' Reception is:
Daniel from
Princeton
"I would have to guess that Senator Rutherford's Pontiac
will turn 300,000 on July 15, 2008, on the way to Harry
Caray's Networking party. I would have to estimate the
more precise area that it will turn 300,000 miles will be
on I-55 Northbound past the I-80 interchange, but no
further than the exit to Cicero."
We will be getting a hold of Daniel
soon. Thanks to everyone who played!
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Here is what others around the state had to say about where
the Bonneville would hit 300,000 miles.
Gwen
I think Chenoa (rural) on Dan's way home or in to the
office.
Judy
I think Dan will reach 300,000 miles on his way home from
the Reception in Normal on July 16th.
Kim
I-55 @ Wilmington
Ken
Bonnie will hit 300,000 on the way to Harry Caray’s
Todd
Let him know I think the 17th of July she’ll roll 300,000.
Tell him Bonnie’s little brother Avalanche (my truck) born
in Oct 2001 has 181,000 miles today. Say hello to Dan for
me!
John
My guess - on the way to the special session in
Springfield.
Mike
Unless you have a lot of errands to run in Chicago or get
lost,,,
You are scheduled to hit 300,000 in Pontiac Illinois at or
around the
i-55 and Pontiac exit interchange. Good luck.
Dan
The big 300,000 mile event will take place on I-55 at mile
marker 182.
David
33 West Kinzie Street Chicago, IL
Lisa
Dan: I am guessing my birthday 7/11
Cindy
I think Bonny will hit 300 on Montgomery St. in Chicago!!
Gordon
In the parking lot of Dan's HQ in Pontiac, at Dan's
residence rural Chenoa, or
(most probably) at Biaggis Italian in Bloomington.
Debbie
My Guess is the State Complex
Wm. Stacey
Howdy Kaleb, Ok, I'll offer my guess . . .
I think it will turn over 300,000 miles on I-55 southbound
between Chicago and Normal.
Lisa
I think the Bonneville will hit 300,00 on July 17th, on
I-55! If Dan decides to do some joy riding on the
11th-13th, I may move my date up a day or two!! I am
assuming that he will stay in Chicago from the legislative
session on the 14th to the Harry Caray fundraiser on the
15th.?, and in Springfield the 9th to 10th for the special
session. Take care.
Jean
I think it will hit 300,000 on I-55 close to mile marker
188, northbound.
Shirley
I think the Bonneville will hit the 300,000 mark on Sept.
27th
Cindy
My guess for the 300,000 miles is 3200 Singer Avenue -
Springfield, IL (Red Roof Inn's address)
Kathleen
My best guess is that Bonnie will hit 300,000 miles on the
way to Harry Carry's in Gardner, IL
Warren
On Route 55 at North side of Dwight
Mark
In Springfield Illinois, probably still working on the
budget.
Sharon & Ron
Dan: We think it will hit the mile marker on the car in
Pontiac, IL. Also we wanted to let you know my seniors
citizens wanted to know if i could email you with a
message. They want you to run for govern they think you
will make a good one. Also i would like to say hello again
we seen you in Chenoa at the parade. I would of liked to
grab you and talk to you for a minute. But I knew that was
impossible. I had some questions for you. Thanks For your
time.
Jeni
July 14th - Downtown Chicago
Bill and Pat
I think the car will be in Chicago while Dan goes there
for a legislative hearing.
Kathy
I guess Chicago Harry Caray's!!
Kathy
Here's my guess ~ Bonnie will hit 300,000 miles in Normal
on July 16 because Normal is one of the best towns in
Illinois, and the residents here know how to celebrate! I
have about 38,000 miles on my 1999 Chrysler LHS. I guess I
know how to save money with these high gas prices.
Nancy
Our guess::: July 14th
James
My guess is mile marker 247 on Interstate 55 July 14th on
the way to Chicago.
Nick & Jean
I think the odometer will turn over somewhere around Coal
City on I-55 on July 15th or 16th.
Travis
I call: 33 W. Kinzie Street Chicago, IL 60610 for the 300k
mile mark.
Robert and Kathy
I believe the Bonneville will hit 300,000 miles on I-55
north of Dwight 3 miles on July 15.
Margaret
Dan, I think you will hit your 300 thousand on the way
home from the trip on July 14 To Chicago for Legislative
Hearing. I hope Pontiac will give you a new vehicle when
this one expires. WOW.
Mike
Hey everyone! I 55, Dwight IL is where it will hit.
Mike
I predict right in front of Petersen Chevrolet in
Fairbury. We would make a good retirement home for Bonnie.
Kenton
SEPTEMBER 12TH
Sharon
Dan we think the car will have the mileage on it in
normal, IL
Leon
I believe the magic mile will be on I 55 passing the Ill
State facility just north of Lexington.
Sharon
We believe at the July 14 to Chicago for a legislative
hearing that's when she will meet her miles.
Loren
Your car will hit 300,000 on July 15th at 10:25am.
Jeremy and Michelle
Our guess is July 15th around 1:00 P.M.
Theresa
I predict that the Bonneville will turn 300,000 on the
trip back from Chicago. Probably on July 17th when headed
to Normal.
Derick
The 300 thousand mark will be met on July 14 at Harry
Carry's in Chicago.
Roy
Somewhere around Pontiac.
Marilyn
Just for the fun of it I will project a turnover point....
I say around Lincoln or Atlanta going or coming from
Springfield.
Patricia
July 16th....Normal reception
Laura
Here is my bonnie guess: 300,000 at route 66 and route 24
intersection on July 12, 2008.
Dean
Dan will hit it on the way to Normal somewhere on I55.
Derick
I think you will reach 300thousand miles on July14 in
Chicago.
Kathy
I predict the Senator's car will reach the 300,000 mark on
Weds. July 16, 2008 on Interstate 55 near Morris by exit
248 around 2 p.m.
Daniel
I would have to guess that Senator Rutherford's Pontiac
will turn 300,000 on July 15, 2008, on the way to Harry
Caray's Networking party. I would have to estimate the
more precise area that it will turn 300,000 miles will be
on I-55 Northbound past the I-80 interchange, but no
further than the exit to Cicero.
Derick
Dan, I think you will hit the 300mark on July 15 at Harry
Carays fundraiser in Chicago.
Margaret
Your great Pontiac will reach the 300mark on July 15 on
the way home from the Harry Carary fundraiser in Chicago.
Art
It will happen while you are on the road.
Laura
Chenoa is where it will be.
Dean
Thanks Dan! It
looks good , You will hit 300 on the way to Normal unless
your cruising today!! Hope and pray all is well with you!!
Gary
Had to chuckle at this one. I
bought a Catalina Pontiac new in 1971. In 1975 I went on
staff with the State Cooperative Extension Service in
Florida. As such I did a ton of driving. Finally traded it
when it got to 270,000+ miles. it never had a wrench on
the engine. I got tears in my eyes when I walked away from
it - given the nature of the driving miles - and some of
the areas I had to be in - I owe my life to that piece of
machinery. I'll say the 300,000 date will be August 29.
Sue & Chip
Where - let's say Normal, IL! Good
luck to the Pontiac achievement.
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Pat Brickhouse
I recently had dinner with Pat
Brickhouse. Pat is the wife of the late Jack Brickhouse. Jack
was a great announcer for the Chicago Cubs and a very good
friend of mine. We sat down at the
Supper Club in the Seneca Hotel of Chicago and had a
wonderful meal. We tried the Brickhouse Chicken, one of their
signature recipes, and it was outstanding! Overall, a very
enjoyable evening.
Moving On
My assistant, George Daglas, is
moving on to bigger and better things. George will be
transitioning out of my office over the next few weeks. He has
been with us since March, 2007. George is moving back to the
Chicago area where he is originally from. The other day I went
over to his apartment after work and helped him load some of
the larger items into his truck. George has been an invaluable
member of the team and he will be hard to replace. Good luck
George!
The 300,000 mile mark
Where will she be when she
turns 300?
As you may know,
my 2002 Pontiac Bonneville will be hitting the 300,000 mile
mark some time soon.
We have come up
with a contest to see who can guess where she will be when she
hits that 300. The winner will receive two tickets to the
Annual Chicken Dinner and Private Sponsors' Reception ($150
Value) on the night of October 13, 2008 at the Pontiac Elk's
Country Club.
Send an email with your full
name and U.S. Postal address along with the city name
and street address where you think the Bonneville will hit this
memorable mile mark. E-mail your guess to:
Kaleb@danrutherford.org.
Guess as many
times as you like, but your most current email will be the one
that counts. We will give you mileage status reports and clues
on what the Bonneville's schedule might be.
When and where the
Bonneville hits 300,000 miles nobody knows, but as soon as it
happens it will be posted along with the winner's name. The
winner will be contacted by email.
Batman Kelley
My good friend Eric
Kelley stopped by the office one evening with his new
motorcycle. When I came outside to see it, it was really odd
to see a three-wheeled motorcycle. It turns out that he won it
in a raffle! It is one of the nine limited edition Piaggio
motorcycle's actually used in the new Batman movie. I told him
he should get a Batman mask and cape so he would fit the part
when he was riding around.
2010 governor race is already heating up
Bloomington Pantagraph
Kurt
Erickson
It's
2008. There's a presidential election under way. One of the
candidates is from Illinois.
You'd
think that'd be enough fodder to keep us busy.
But
what have we been hearing about lately?
The
2010 governor's race.
Already, people are prognosticating on who will run.
The
latest name to surface is state Sen. Christine Radogno of
Lemont, who has attempted to carve out a niche among the
Senate GOP as a budget expert.
Lately,
Radogno has been traveling around the state with state Sen.
Dan Rutherford of Chenoa in a push to bring some sanity to the
process the state uses to open and close prisons.
Speaking of Rutherford, he also has signaled that he's up for
another statewide run after having lost a bid for secretary of
state in 2006.
Perhaps
the two of them are working out a deal as they travel from
prison town to prison town.
Independence Day
One of my favorite parts
about the Independence Day is always the parades. I walked in
four of them this year. On the 3rd I was in Emington's final
parade. I am sad to see it discontinued. On the 4th I did
three separate parades. I started off in Towanda, then went to
Downs, and finished off the day in Chenoa. Four parades, four
different shirts!
Luckily it was not too
hot this year. I have walked in some that were so warm I got
tar all over my shoes and pants from the road. Definitely glad
that was not the case this year.
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Emington - July 3rd |
Towanda - July 4th
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Downs - July 4th |
Chenoa - July 4th |
Morning Jog
As you may know I go for a jog
every morning. It gets the blood flowing and helps me get
focused on the day. I was recently in Springfield for Special
Session. I woke up for my morning jog and found it to be
incredibly humid out. After much inner debate about how much
an extra half hour of sleep would help get me ready for the
day, I sucked it up and went for my jog. I couldn’t
believe how much the heat and humidity made me sweat. It was
like running with a wet blanket wrapped around me!
 When
I got back to the Red Roof I knocked on my assistant George’s
door so he could take a picture. After a minute or so he
finally answered. Needless to say, it does not appear that he
was up early exercising!
No Status Change
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| Courtesy of Pontiac Daily
Leader |
Pontiac Daily Leader
Erich Murphy
CHENOA — While people celebrated
the Fourth of July, nothing has really changed in the status of
Pontiac Correctional Center.
Still, Sen. Dan Rutherford said it was good to be able to voice an
opinion on matters such as the potential closing of PCC.
"This is the birthday of the freedoms of America," said
Rutherford, R-Chenoa (53rd District). "This is what the celebration of freedom is all
about.
Up, Up and Away
As you
may know, Sen. Radogno and I have embarked on a statewide tour
of communities that host correctional facilities. We recently
traveled to facilities in south central Illinois.
For this particular trip we had the use of one of the state
planes. It really helped expedite the journey, and allowed
myself and Sen. Radogno to continue working while we traveled.
The
purpose of this tour is to bring light to the idea of establishing
a moratorium on prison closures and long range planning for
the Illinois Department of Corrections. To learn more about
this important issue visit my legislative website:
www.DanRutherford.com
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Reviewing the days schedule. |
The view out the window of the
plane |
Grandma's Convertible Ride
On
Sunday I stopped by the nursing home to see Grandma. She will
be 97 on August 31st. Since it
was such a nice day we went for a ride in my 1962 Chevrolet Corvair Convertible. We drove around Fairbury and stopped by
my Uncle Ken and Aunt Linda's house. Here are a couple of the
pictures from that day.
What a View
I went
out for my daily jog so I could enjoy the great summer
morning. Coming down the lane back toward my house I had a
great view of my property. When I got home I grabbed my camera
and went back out so I could take this picture. Right in
the middle of the picture you can see my house with a wheat
field in the foreground. To the left is the ravine, and to the
right is my timber
Critter Condo
It was a beautiful,
sunny afternoon so I took the opportunity to get out 'Big
Blue; my Ford Tractor and move an old rabbit hutch that my
sister and I had as kids. I moved it into the timber and put
straw inside so wildlife can have shelter. I will report any
new occupants to you later this fall.
Northfield Township GOP Wine and Cheese Party
My friends from
Northfield Township invited me to attend their GOP Wine and
Cheese Party. Here are some of the GOP Chairs that were in
attendance.
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(From left to right) Myself, Wheeling Township GOP
Chairwoman Ruth O'Connell, Evanston Township GOP
Chairwoman Linda LaFianza, Northfield Township GOP
Chairwoman June O'Donohue, and New Trier Township GOP
Chairman Tolbert Chisum. |
Planting Trees
Over
10 years ago I started a reforestation project at my home.
Since then I have planted over 13,000 trees and shrubs on my
property. Earlier this month my nephew Kaleb and my
brother-in-law Fred came out and helped me plant 1,900 more,
bringing the total to just less then 15,000 trees and shrubs
in all. Here are a couple of picture from that day.
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Goose Crossing |
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While I was driving home
one evening I saw these adult geese with their teenagers
crossing the road. They were only in the open for a minute or
two, then as quickly as they came they disappeared in the tall
grass again. They were heading down to the creek to cool off
and to find some supper.
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The final Diary of the trip will be up soon. In the meantime here are the pictures: 
