Patch Flash: Walsh Pushes for Voter ID Law

Illinois was named among four states with the largest pension fund gaps. Recession-plagued states diverted scarce money away from pensions to pay for more immediate concerns, leaving a $757 billion hole in the retirement funds covering millions of public employees, according to a study released Monday.

The Pew Center on the States found 34 states failed to maintain safe levels of money in the pension funds, which most experts agree is about 80 percent of long-term obligations. Four states – Connecticut, Illinois, Kentucky and Rhode Island – didn't even have 55 percent of the money they'll need in the long run.

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle announced Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Nancy Jones' retirement Tuesday, along with a host of other changes within the department in response to a series of scandals stemming from alleged mismanagement within the morgue and medical examiner's office. Jones took heat in January after news broke that the county morgue was "double-stacking bodies" to cope with overcrowding and a lack of state funding, according to Jones.

Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.) on Tuesday unveiled a new push to enact a national voter ID law ahead of the 2012 elections. His proposed Federal Elections Integrity Act would require voters to present a government-issued photo ID in order to vote in federal elections.  “Current federal law requires those voting in federal elections to be American citizens,” Walsh said in a press release.  "We have seen plenty of examples of people lying about who they are, and convicted felons, dead people, and illegal immigrants voting. This bill is just common sense," he added. "The American people understand that it makes no sense that a photo ID is required to get a library card or board an airplane, but not required to do something as sacred as voting."

The Tails of Hope founder had heard that a family in the community was trying to get an organization to get their cats out of their garage so they could renovate it.  is a no-kill animal rescue and adoption nonprofit based in Highland Park, so Moyer naturally felt compelled to offer her help. What she saw in the garage shocked her -- and, as she told Patch, she's seen a lot.

Arlington Heights was named among Chicagoland’s 10 most infidelity-friendly neighborhoods according to a new membership survey conducted by extramarital affairs site AshleyMadison.com. Topping the list was Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood.