Arlington Heights Daily Herald - June 2, 2015 | Original article

By Bob Susnjara

AKHAN Semiconductor plans to move its executive team into a Gurnee office by week's end, according to an update from the company's founder.

Gurnee trustees and Mayor Kristina Kovarik received the word at a meeting Monday night that featured AKHAN Semiconductor's Adam Khan. The announcement was latest move from the company that was lured to the village through a combination of tax incentives.

Democratic state Sen. Melinda Bush was among those present for the announcement about AKHAN planning to open its doors at a yet-to-be-secured Gurnee building this month.

"I have to tell you, this is what happens when people work together," Bush said. "I truly mean that. Look at how all of this has come together. And these are the kinds of things we need to be doing more in Illinois, more in the United States."

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May 30, 2015 - Daily Herald | Original article

By Erin Hegarty

It's now up to Gov. Bruce Rauner to decide whether to sign off on a proposal that supporters say could diminish the suburban heroin abuse epidemic but that would cost the state millions of dollars.

The plan draws from experiences in DuPage County, and in part calls for a wider use of Narcan, a heroin overdose reversal drug. Better use of specialized drug courts that focus on rehabilitation instead of the criminal process when it comes to heroin addicts is another main component of the bill.

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SPRINGFIELD — Federal funding from the Violence Against Women Act is a critical part of combating domestic violence and rape at the local level, says Pat Davenport, executive director of A Safe Place, a Lake County-based domestic violence relief agency.

“Eighty percent of the clients we work with have been sexually assaulted,” Davenport said. “We like to say domestic violence is separate from sexual assault, but they go hand in hand.”

Under current Illinois law, survivors of rape may need to pay fees for their own rape investigations, something disallowed under the VAWA, and a fact Davenport called unethical. To remove financial responsibility for their own rape investigations and ensure federal funding for sexual assault investigations is not jeopardized, State Sen. Melinda Bush cooperated with Attorney General Lisa Madigan to pass legislation out of the Illinois Senate today.

“With this proposal, we’re simply saying that victims of sexual assault should not be the ones to pay for things like testing rape kits, or other administrative fees,” Bush said. “This legislation ensures we remain compliant with the federal Violence Against Women Act and I’m proud to work with Attorney General Madigan to sponsor it in the Senate.

The legislation is House Bill 3848. Having passed the Senate without opposition, the amended version returns to the House for concurrence.