Patch Flash: Deal Paves Way for Lake Michigan Offshore Wind Farms

The Obama administration and five states, including Illinois, have reached an agreement to speed up approval of offshore wind farms in the Great Lakes, which have been delayed by cost concerns and public opposition. Under the deal, state and federal agencies will craft a blueprint for speeding regulatory review of proposed wind farms without sacrificing environmental and safety standards. Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, New York and Pennsylvania signed the agreement. llinois Gov. Pat Quinn said developing offshore wind energy would "promote economic development and create jobs, while reducing our dependence on foreign energy sources."

A bill that would strengthen current anti-bullying protections in Illinois has passed out the Illinois General Assembly. Bill HB 5290, introduced by lesbian state Rep. Kelly Cassidy, is headed to the Illinois Senate. The bill is not directly related to LGBT issues. Rather, it adds to the current code to create a model bullying prevention policies for schools for 2013. The current school code does contain LGBT anti-bullying protections.

 In Illinois, legislators can personally award scholarships to state universities – sometimes to friends, donors and political allies. For a century, each Illinois legislator has had the power to hand out a few scholarships every year without regard to students' needs or qualifications. In recent years, a state lawmaker helped a political backer's four children with $94,000 worth of tuition waivers. Another gave a scholarship to the son of a Chicago alderman. Now, after the failure of repeated efforts to end the $13.5 million-a-year program, opponents are making a new push to eliminate the waivers as Illinois officials try again to clean up the state's image after two consecutive governors wound up in prison.

At issue is the clash between the Catholic Church’s stance on contraception and one of the guidelines of the act championed by President Obama: a provision that would require health insurance providers to cover contraception and sterilization procedures at no cost to the patient. The provision does not exempt employers with a religious affiliation who hire people with diverse religious backgrounds — like the hundreds of schools and hospitals run by the Catholic Church nationwide.

, according to Metra spokesperson Tom Miller. Miller had few details and did not know the victim's identity, but Commander Paul Yaras of the Morton Grove Police Department said the victim was a male, and was walking on the tracks south of the station. 

In addition to its 30th year anniversary in February, The Book Stall at Chestnut Court has another reason to celebrate. According to Publishers Weekly, The Book Stall is also experiencing high sales this year due to changes in the bookstore market.