'Memphis' will rock as Corn Stock season finale

Music transcended race in the 1950s, a time when people enjoyed what they heard on the radio without caring about who was playing, said Bryan Blanks. He hopes that message gets through in the musical “Memphis,” which opens Friday at Corn Stock Theatre.

“When you think about that, you have to wonder why we can’t do that now. This show takes place in the 50s, but what it says to the audience is just as important now,” said Blanks, who is directing the show that will close Corn Stock’s summer season under the tent in upper Bradley Park.

“Memphis” show is making its regional community theatre premiere. A winner of four Tony Awards in 2010, including Best Musical, a professional company of the show played the Peoria Civic Center in October 2013.

Blanks was unable to see that performance and knew little about Memphis when it was suggested he take a look at it and submit it for consideration for Corn Stock. “When I first heard the music, I fell in love with it and I didn’t want anybody else to direct it before I could. So I said I wanted to do it when it was submitted,” he said.

Now, after a year of studying the show, including reading the script and listening to the music, “I
feel even stronger about this show. When I first heard it I remember that a couple songs really stayed with me. Now they all do,” Blanks said.

“Memphis,” written by David Bryan and Joe DiPietro, tells the story of Memphis disc jockey Huey Calhoun, who becomes enamored with a black singer named Felicia at the underground nightclub Delray’s. He wants to help get her on the radio and in so doing, falls in love with her. Interracial love was taboo in that time period. The show is said to be based on Dewey Phillips, who was one of the first white DJs to play black music.

Songs from the show include “The Music of My Soul,” “That’s Not Possible,” ”Everybody Wants to Be Black on a Saturday Night,” “Radio,” “Love Will stand when All Else Fails,” “Change Don’t Come Easy,” and “Steal Your Rock and Roll.”

Leading the cast of more than 30 people are Deric Kimler, who portrays Huey, and LaTaisha Howell as Felicia. Their story of forbidden love resonates through the show, Blanks said. “They are the heart and soul of this production,” he said.

Other performers include Anthony Hendricks as Delray, Brandon Chandler as Gator and Sally Hodge as Gladys Calhoun, Huey’s mother. All are known in community theatre circles, with Hodge returning to the stage for the first time in more than three years. “Sally brings a real natural quality to the role. I think audiences will embrace her each night,” Blank said.

Another actor he cited is Ronnie Hudson, who portrays the janitor at the club in making his community theatre debut. “You would never guess this is his first show,” Blanks said.

“A lot of these people were vocalists, but they connect so well to their characters and to this show they are wonderful. The script, for the most part, could stand on its own without the music and our cast could do it just as well,” he said.

The show, though, is music and dance heavy and Blanks turned to Holly Haines to direct the music and the nine-piece orchestra. She also plays with the group, which includes the three well-known local musicians of the Sloter family – Molly, Maggie and Dana.

“I have to admit that the band was one of the things I was most nervous about, but my jaw dropped the first time I heard them play this music. They are outstanding,” Blanks said.

The bulk of the choreography was designed by Sarah Wilcoxen and other choreography was by Blanks, Lise Higgins and Dedra Kaiser.

Blanks said he hopes the audiences embrace all the characters in the show and recognize that race is still an issue today as it was in the 1950s. “I hope people kind of realize that they only think we are further along (in race issues) than we really are. I hope they embrace our characters, black and white, and keep moving forward,” he said.

“Memphis” runs nightly through Sept. 3, starting at 7:30 p.m. each night. Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for students and can be ordered online at www.cornstocktheatre.com or by calling (309) 676-2196.

State universities’ financial woes burden students, taxpayers

 
By Vimbai Chikomoa
for ILLINOIS NEWS NETWORK

(First of four parts)

As college students across Illinois’ nine public universities make their way to their respective campuses in the days ahead, few may realize just how little of their tuition is going directly toward instructional spending for the 2016-17 academic year.
 
A 2014 analysis of higher education funding by the Illinois Department of Insurance revealed significant amounts of the state funds public universities receive are directed toward funding university retiree pensions.
 
The report went on to state that $6.9 billion in tax-based funding has subsidized university pensions over the past decade, with $1.51 billion spent in 2014 alone. Because state universities received $1.24 billion in general state aid that year, student tuition payments covered the $270 million pension subsidy shortfall.
 
Equally alarming is the fact state universities’ administrative costs have skyrocketed.
 
State Rep. Dan Brady, R-Bloomington, said one of the driving forces behind this increase is state universities trying to be competitive in the higher education field to retain faculty and staff, which has become difficult to do given the state’s well-documented financial troubles.
 
Nonetheless, the board of trustees at each state university has a responsibility to taxpayers, he said.
 
“It’s the fiduciary responsibility of trustees to speak for the taxpayers when it comes to the operations of the university, salaries and staff,” said Brady, who sits on the House Appropriations-Higher Education Committee.
 
According to the 2015 Senate Democratic Caucus Investigative Report on Executive Compensation at Illinois Higher Education Institutions, the number of employees hired by state colleges and universities to manage or administer people, programs and regulations, “has continued unabated in recent years, increasing 50 percent faster than the number of instructors between 2001 and 2011,” based on data collected by the U.S. Department of Education.
 
To pay salaries and provide benefits for all administrators, universities have raised tuition rates, forcing students to dig even deeper into their pockets to absorb the costs. This, in turn, increases pressure for some students to take on student loans and service that debt as they begin their careers.
 
According to the report, the growth in revenue from increased tuition rates, “has been used to support an increasingly larger bureaucracy and excessive administrative salaries,” evidenced by the need for increased state contributions to cover the pension and health care costs of administrative growth.
 
“But as colleges and universities have had more money to spend, spending for instructional resources – that is, paying faculty – has not kept pace with the dramatic increase in spending on administrative and staff resources,” according to the report.
 
Highlighted in the Senate report was a comprehensive study by the Delta Cost Project in 2010 that found that, between 1998 and 2008, spending on administration and staff support in the nation’s higher education institutions increased by almost 36 percent, while instructional spending increased only 22 percent.
 
Trying to maintain that level of spending has landed some universities in financial quicksand.
 
The Chicago Tribune recently reported that, since the beginning of the year, Chicago State University has laid off nearly 400 employees and paid $2.2 million in severance pay, because of a long-standing school policy mandating one year's notice before termination of an employee or a payout for the time.
 
Although required, the amount is considered generous when compared to severance packages the majority of schools provide in other states.
 
When taxpayer dollars aren’t enough to cover universities’ spending, the financial responsibility shifts to students.
 
Between 2005 and 2015, tuition increased 71 percent at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus, partially due to decreased state-government funding. The University of Illinois system saw a $36 million (5.2 percent) reduction in state funding during that time period.
 
According to the Senate report, in 2011, the University of Illinois employed 4,301 full-time faculty and 2,549 administrators – the most among Illinois’ public universities.
 
By 2015, a university brochure placed the number of University of Illinois faculty at 6,068, and administrative staff and academic professionals at 7,632 – three times higher than the number of administrative staff four years earlier.
 
“We’ve combatted (tuition hikes) by having, for two years in a row, tuition freezes for in-state residents,” said Tom Hardy, executive director of the University of Illinois' Office for University Relations. “And (University of Illinois President Timothy Killeen) recently talked about doing that again next year.”
 
University of Illinois' tuition and fees in 2015-16 for Illinois residents were $15,630 to $20,634, according to the university's website.
 
“The time is upon us to have discussions of consolidation in higher education much like has occurred over the years in K-12,” Brady said.

Tomorrow: Competitive neighboring states poach Illinois college students

UnityPoint agrees to acquire Pekin Hospital, ProHealth Medical Group

UnityPoint Health–Peoria plans to acquire Pekin Hospital and other affiliates of Progressive Health Systems, according to a news release from the two parties.

The release said UnityPoint and Progressive Health Systems have signed a letter of intent to negotiate an agreement to make the latter and its Pekin Hospital and ProHealth Medical Group Inc. affiliates of UnityPoint-Peoria.

If a final agreement is reached, UnityPoint Health-Peoria will own three of the Peoria area’s largest hospitals, including UnityPoint-Methodist and UnityPoint Proctor, both in Peoria.

The release said the agreement was sought by Progressive Health Systems’ board of directors.

“This decision reflects the board’s desire to position Pekin Hospital for long-term success and maintain its status as a vital community health care provider and a major employer in our community,” said Ronald H. Miller, chairman of Progressive Health Systems. “In a challenging health care landscape, becoming part of a strong regional health system like UnityPoint Health-Peoria, which shares our values and invests in community hospitals like ours will help further enhance and ensure the long-term viability of quality health care services for people in Pekin and throughout Tazewell, Woodford and Peoria counties.”

The release said the PHS board’s search centered on finding a partner with a shared recognition of the value of health care being delivered at the local level. Aside from Methodist and Proctor hospitals, UnityPoint-Peoria owns more than 40 clinics in central Illinois and UnityPoint Health is one of the nation’s most integrated health systems with hospitals and affiliated health organizations in Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin.

“We are excited to partner with Progressive Health Systems and its physicians and have a great deal of respect for the long tradition of care they have in the community,” said Debbie Simon, president and CEO of UnityPoint Health-Peoria.

“An affiliation between Progressive Health Systems and UnityPoint Health-Peoria will be positive for the entire region,” added Jamie Stevenson, chairman of the board for UnityPoint Health-Peoria.

While final terms are to be negotiated, the release said the agreement will bring together the physician networks of both parties and provide greater access to primary and specialty care.  Also, it said the agreement will build on Pekin Hospital’s legacy and “preserve a key role for the local boards in the leadership and governance of Pekin Hospital and ProHealth Medical Group Inc.”

The release said it is anticipated the agreement, which is subject to regulatory approvals, will be finalized later this year.

Governor signs caretaker leave bill into law

Employees in Illinois now can take up to six months of earned sick leave to care for loved ones, under new legislation that Gov. Bruce Rauner has signed into law.

AARP Illinois stands behind the legislation that provides countless Illinois family caregivers with much needed relief and peace of mind as they struggle to balance the pressures of providing unpaid care for a loved one while meeting the demands of their jobs.

The law takes effect Jan. 1, 2017.

"Too often family caregivers are balancing a full-time job and trying to care for their loved one, from an elderly parent needing in-home care after surgery or transportation to and from chemotherapy treatments," said AARP Illinois State Director Bob Gallo.  "The new law is a common sense and compassionate approach allowing family caregivers use of accrued sick leave benefits for caregiving responsibilities."

"When a loved one becomes ill, it is often difficult for someone to take the time off of work to care for them," said State Representative Andrew Skoog (D-Peru), who sponsored the bill in the House. "This new law will provide working people throughout the state with the ability to take care of their families without the threat of potentially losing their job if they have the sick time available; however, it is not a mandate on small businesses. I appreciate the bi-partisan effort that went into the development of this law, and I look forward to championing other legislation that protects the middle-class families of Illinois."

"We know too many families in our state are struggling to become and remain employed, stay in their homes, put food on the table and care for one another," said State Senator Jacqueline Y. Collins (D-Chicago), who sponsored the legislation in the Senate. "By expanding the flexibility of sick time use for workers already entitled to those hours, we are easing the pressure on workers without burdening businesses – and we're helping employers retain healthy employees with healthy families."

 The key provisions of House Bill 6162 include:

• Defines family member broadly to reflect the reality of the caregiving situation, to include child, spouse, sibling, grandchild, in-law, grandparent or stepparent, and;
• Allows employees to use six months of accrued sick leave benefits for a family member's illness, injury or medical appointment, and;
• Provides that all of an employer's conditions and policies around sick leave benefits continue to apply, and;
• Provides that this flexibility does not change employee rights under FMLA, state family leave law, or employer's disability plan.

AARP State Director Gallo continued, "For businesses, the new law will improve employee morale by fostering a business climate of support and flexibility for valued employees.  A working caregiver will find greater balance as they continue to contribute to their workplace without the stress of reducing hours or even quitting their job to care for a loved one."