Quinn to sign Dream Act today
Ill. Gov. Pat Quinn is set to sign a bill that gives illegal immigrants access to private scholarships for college and lets them enroll in state college savings programs. Quinn will visit Benito Juarez Community Academy in Chicago on Monday to sign the Illinois Dream Act.
Students must have at least one immigrant parent - in the country either legally or illegally - and the student must have attended school in Illinois for at least three years to qualify for scholarship money. The legislation creates a panel to raise private money for college scholarships.
The measure has been wrongly confused with a federal measure of a similar name that would provide a path to citizenship for some illegal immigrants. The Illinois law would have no impact on someone's immigration status.
Mo. officials report drowning fatalities on state waterways
With Missouri remaining in the grip of a summer heat wave, state officials are urging the public to stay safe while cooling off on lakes and rivers.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol - which now includes the Water Patrol - reports 14 fatalities on the state's waterways from July 1 through Friday. That includes nine drownings in one seven-day stretch alone.
Highway Patrol Superintendent Ron Replogle says many of the cases involved limited ability to swim and failure to wear life jackets. Replogle says using lifejackets and other safety devices should be a regular part of being on the water.
ZMD hires accounting firm to review St. Louis Center's finances
The nine highest paid executives at the St. Louis Science Center in 2010 collectively received more than $2 million in compensation, which includes salary, retirement packages and other benefits.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that made up 19 percent of what the science center paid for its entire staff, which includes 184 full-time employees and 410 part-timers. The commission that oversees the science center is scheduled to meet Tuesday to discuss a proposal to restructure the staff. The review comes as the board of the Zoo-Museum District has hired an accounting firm to review the science center's finances.
Doug King, who stepped down as the center's president Dec. 31, said senior executives at the St. Louis Science Center deserve their pay. If anything, he said, "they all deserve an increase."
