BARBARA ZAHAbjzaha@prodigy.net 630.584.6074 630.251.1538 www.linkedin.com/in/barbarazaha/

(Feature Article Sample)

Shining Hope Transforms Kenyan Slums & Lives

Founded in 2009 by Executive Director Kennedy Odede and Managing Director Jessica Posner,Shining Hope for Communities, a social enterprise, was named one of sixteen Fellows announced by Echoing Green for 2010, receiving seed funding, leadership development and technical assistance, as well as mentoring from 500 alumni fellows. More of a coalition than an organization, Shining Hope is comprised of extremely diverse academic, business and community entities united to combat gender inequality and severe poverty.

“Hope” being a multifaceted concept, in Kiberia, located in Nairobi, Kenya with the distressing distinction of being the largest slum on the African continent, hope can be as basic as survival. A shocking 66% of Kiberia’s young girls who reach the age of 16 routinely trade sex for food, provided they are not the one in five children who do not live to see their fifth birthday. In a blighted region where only 8% of those girls will ever even have an opportunity to go to school, what Shining Hope has accomplished is truly transformational, not only for these young girls but the entire community.

To combat intergenerational cycles of poverty and deep-rooted gender inequality, Shining Hope links tuition-free public schools for these challenged girls to essential health, economic and social services to demonstrate how elevating girls community-wide can cultivate a holistic, community-driven approach to breaking the cycles of poverty and abuse. This intertwined link between education and services, the school being adjacent to the community center, redefines the roles and futures for these girls, empowering them and their community to view gender inequality in a new perspective.

Odede has not only made a life-changing impact on countless lives through Shining Hope, he recognized opportunities formerly unprecedented in Kiberia. Raised in abject poverty himself, Odede witnessed the devastating toll of gender inequality and extreme poverty inflicted on his mother and sisters.

“In developing a social enterprise it is important to focus on the good you can bring to the life of one person, and then find a way to multiply that impact. Also, you must never give up. Many times I was sure that I would die, that there was no hope for me but I never allowed myself to be daunted by the great odds I faced,” Odede told Echoing Green staff during the 2010 Fellows selection process.

According to Posner, Shining Hope offers an innovative curriculum which not only educates but inculcates a foundation of self-esteem and motivation to facilitate the transcendence of incomprehensible challenges the students face daily. “I believe strongly in always cultivating awareness of the challenges in your path. Then, I believe in moving forward not in spite of, but because of these great challenges,” Posner counsels. Good advice for any social enterprise worth undertaking.

(Insert Sample)

CITY OF BATAVIA NEWSLETTER BLURB FOR REUSEIT CENTER

Batavia’s very own ReUseIt Center is your one-stop shop for phenomenally low-priced new and gently used building materials. Located at 1530 Hubbard Avenue, ReUseIt has every imaginable component for your next remodeling project whether you’re an environmentally conscious homeowner or a cost-efficient property manager!

ReUseIt has more than 8,000-square feet of doors galore, wonderful windows, complete kitchen cabinet sets, vanities that put a little wow in

your décor, fabulous lighting, and tantalizing tiles! As stock changes daily, be sure to shop often because ReUseIt is good for the environment, good for your community, good for your budget, and GOOD FOR YOU!

For additional information on this innovative building materials resource, call 630 761-4240 or check out the web site at www.reuseitcenter.org.

Thinking about sprucing up the place before the holidays??? Keep in mind the special low-rate Home Improvement Loans offered to low and moderate income homeowners in Batavia, Geneva, and St. Charles through Mid-Valley Neighborhood Improvement Association, Inc. Besides great fixed-rate home improvement loans, MVNIA will be more than happy to provide technical and resource assistance for your next home improvement project.

As the temperatures are already falling and the holidays are just around the corner, be sure to call MVNIA today at 630 584-1996! Or better yet, visit the MVNIA office, located at 213 Walnut Street in St. Charles or a virtual visit at www.mvnia.org!

(Blog Posts) DonorPath Bloghttp://blog.donorpath.org/---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------In May 2013, the AP reported the daily mean concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere measured at Mauna Loa, Hawaii, surpassed 400 ppm. An alarming level and the highest ever recorded since measurements began in 1958. Viewing the Keeling Curve as a significant indicator of climate variability, I have been noting the response global, business, and scientific leaders have had or failed to have since the 400 ppm level was recorded and reported. More than a year has passed since this alarming threshold has been reached, yet our political and corporate systems have barely acknowledged it let alone made any significant efforts to make the critical changes necessary to halt or reverse it.

In my previous position at Beta Analytic, I spoke with some of the researchers at the Mauna Loa Observatory. Their insights and pragmatic solutions have much to offer a planet so adversely impacted by the industrial revolution and mankind’s limited understanding and respect for the urgent need to create a sustainable future.

Recognizing that there will not be any second chances, environmental issues are extremely important to me. Clearly the impact will economically, socially, politically, and personally affect millions of current and future generations so I feel it is imperative to use science-based data to immediately address this critical issue on all levels.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Doing it All! Doing Chicago! by Barbara Zaha

Moonbeams compete with city's nighttime skyline. Chicago offers an abundance of leisurely or active urban adventures, shopping, dining, theater, parks, gardens, zoos and so much more. The array of delights available covers every facet of the fun spectrum to suit all tastes from the most particular palette to the laid-back and spontaneous types. Best of all, these spectacular options have Lake Michigan and the stunning Chicago sky-line as the backdrop, providing unparalleled ambiance and breathtaking views.

For anyone who loves to do it all, Chicago is the only place to be!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dallas-donnell/mr-president-chicago-gun-violence_b_2649326.html

Beyond the devastating statistics generated by gun deaths plaguing Chicago communities are the unimaginable losses endured by individuals and families with each new victim. Their inconceivable loss and suffering endures long after the evening news and horrific headlines fade from memory. If the crisis of gun violence were limited to Chicago it would be an incalculable tragedy, however, across our nation, the frequency and magnitude of senseless gun violence and mass shootings have numbed our collective senses.

In 2013 alone, 11,419 people in the US died from gunfire, stealing an estimated 502,025 years of precious human life. Those directly impacted by these deaths exponentially elevate the number of actual “victims.” And the cost of life and human potential must be measured from both ends of the gun as the lives of the shooters and their familes are forever altered through more loss and suffering. This epidemic cannot continue to ravage our country. The roar of NRA lobbyists and gun enthusiasts must be hushed by a strategic multi-tiered approach to enact and enforce sensible gun laws that serve everyone while cultivating a more compassionate society.

An overwhelming majority of Americans, including gun owners and law enforcement agencies, support universal background checks for gun purchases; a ban on assault weapons, including a limit on high capacity magazines; stricter laws against gun trafficking; prosecution of felons attempting to purchase guns illegally; and greater focus on identifying and effectively treating mental illness. These reasonable measures paired with age-appropriate conflict management and mindfulness training throughout the public school system could transform our neighborhoods, city, and nation.

Yet nothing is done.

But these statistics will not decrease, the suffering will not diminish, until we unite to demand new policies and laws that empower communities to disengage from the systemic violence. We must use our true power to insist lawmakers promote laws that protect us rather than amplify the violence. We must use our unrelenting presence to build communities sustained by shared values and opportunity rather than divided by trivial differences.

I urge you to call on your local and national leaders, engage you school districts and civic organizations, and talk with your neighbors to create positive change, refusing to tolerate complacency about the staggering cost of gun violence before another precious life is lost to it forever.

(E-blast Sample)

Change the Debate Change the Future

Will Iran be any safer with an Obama Administration? How will events unfolding in the Middle East now affect Iran? What can people of conscience do to impact the future?

These are complex issues, requiring diverse perspectives and deserving of our serious consideration if real and lasting solutions are to be realized.

IRAN (is not the problem) cordially invites your organization, its board, staff, members and supporters, to actively engage in an incredible journey pursuing and promoting the facts regarding Iran -- its role in the Middle East as well its historic relations with the United States. This pivotal nation, which has been manipulatively used by policy-makers and the media alike to advance predetermined agendas and careers, may hold the key to the possibilities of peace in the Middle East. If the truth is going to set future U.S. foreign policy, then it’s up to us to vigorously promote that truth.

Aaron Newman’s compelling documentary, IRAN (is not the problem), is a must see for people of conscience who want to demystify the political spin constructed around this central nation. Now more than ever, this 79-minute compilation of facts must be seriously considered as vital organizations attempt to create real change and promote lasting peace.

"IRAN (is not the problem) is the single best resource our movement has to promote accurate historical and political information on the United States' threats on the sovereign country of Iran." explained Debra Sweet, Director of World Can't Wait.

Here’s what you and your organization can do to create a new reality:

Host a Screening or Fundraiser Featuring IRAN (is not the problem) The truth has little power unless it is unleashed broadly. A screening or fundraiser will attract new people to your organization and reinvigorate current members with the potential of raising crucial dollars to advance your organization’s mission and goals. Screenings can be coordinated at the national and/or local chapter level to suit specific needs and goals.

24      O   26 

    29   B    

I R  A N     M   43 

 G A  Z  A    

Offer IRAN (is not the problem) broadlyWhether through your e-list, on your web site or at your organization’s events and meetings, providing this compelling DVD will spread truth, change the dialogue and generate creative responses to untenable policy, while advancing our shared values and goals. To ensure the cost-effectiveness, reduced rates are available for bulk orders.

Use this DVD as an Influential Fundraising PremiumAs not-for-profit organizations feel the impact of economic and politic trends, offering copies of IRAN (is not the problem) to donors is a cost-effective and meaningful way to attract crucial funding for your organization.

Endorse this Acclaimed Film Take a stand for truth. After viewing IRAN (is not the problem), express your views by submitting a written review of this film and the need for everyone to understand the facts before making presumptions, blindly supporting or enacting future foreign policy.

Add an IRAN (is not the problem) Link to Your Web SiteProvide your supporters and members with an invaluable resource by adding www.iranisnottheproblem.org to your web site.

Create an Effective Campaign around IRAN (is not the problem)Whether it’s a fundraising effort, call to action, pledge or petition drive, or letter-to-the-editor campaign, use this powerful DVD as the core ingredient for your organization’s next successful campaign.

Spread the Word About IRAN (is not the problem)Simply forward this e-mail to other organizations and people of conscience you know. The truth will only have as much power as we impart to it by spreading it broadly!

For a free consultation on how your organization can maximize the benefits of incorporating this compelling DVD into a winning 2009 strategy, please contact our Director of Marketing Barbara Zaha at 630 251-1538 or via e-mail at barbara@iranisnottheproblem.org for a customized plan.

Thank you for all you do to advance truth and peace to achieve a new global reality centered on human rights and social/economic justice.

Serving Special Housing Needs

Sheltersfor Healthy Environments, IncorporatedTM · 234SedgewickCircle · SaintCharlesIL 60174· Tel: 630.444.1787· Fax: 630.587.6482· www.sheinc.org

EQUAL HOUSINGOPPORTUNIT Y

(Logo)

eoplerograms

ropertiesSo We ALL Can Reach

roducts & services Our Highest

OTENTIAL

(Press Release)

Elgin Women’s Groups Host 20th Annual Women’s History Month Celebration

All are invited to enjoy a special brunch featuring an inspiring presentation on American Artist Mary Cassatt at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, March 10 at Randall Oaks Country Club, located at 1401 Binnie Road in Dundee. Lynn Rymarz will portray Mary Cassatt (1844-1926), a talented, passionate woman who was determined to make art her career. Now recognized as one of the foremost American painters and printmakers of the 19th century, Cassatt was the only American to exhibit with the original French Impressionists. She also played a critical role in securing many of their works for American museums.

Ms. Rymarz is a story-teller, children’s author and actress. Since 2005, she has thrilled audiences by bringing history alive through her authentic portrayals of dynamic women of the past such as Mary Todd Lincoln, Martha Washington, and Susan B. Anthony. She enjoys sharing little-known historical stories and insights with her audiences, which have been published in the popular children’s magazines Highlights and Cricket. Tickets for this event are $15.00 each and include a brunch buffet.

This is the 20th consecutive year that women’s organizations from Elgin have hosted a special event to honor Women’s History Month, a concept initially introduced as a week-long event by the Education Task Force of the Sonoma County (California) Commission in 1978 to coincide with International Women’s Day, March 8. Then in 1981, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Rep. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) co-sponsored the first Joint Congressional Resolution proclaiming a national “Women’s History Week.” The National Women’s History Project petitioned Congress in 1987 to expand the celebration to the entire month of March. Since then, the National Women’s History Month Resolution has been approved every year with bipartisan support in both the House and Senate.

This year’s local event celebrating Women’s History Month is sponsored by Altrusa International Club of Elgin; Elgin Area AAUW; Elgin Community College; Elgin Junior Service Board; Elgin Symphony League; Fideliter Club of Elgin; Fox Valley Beaux Arts Women’s Club; the League of Women Voters of the Elgin Area; and the YWCA Elgin.

To make reservations or for additional information, please contact the YWCA Elgin at 847.742.7930; visit www.elgin.ywca.org/WomenInHistory; or send name(s) of attendee(s) and check payable to YWCA Elgin to YWCA, 220 E. Chicago Street, Elgin, IL 60120, by February 28.

(B2B Copy)

Hello Kevin,

So appreciate you taking the time to speak with me this afternoon about your biobased products. At Beta, we take your biobased products as seriously as you do, delivering accurate, precise biobased content analysis in 5 business days or less. Our ISO 17025 accreditation ensures our passion for quality results will be matched by seamless processes and attentive customer service. 

Carbon-14 analysis, standardized as ASTM D6866, is the most accurate method to quantify the biogenic fraction fuel such as biomass, RDF, SRF, tires, animal waste, ink/paper sludge. Any CO2 gas, biofuels, and liquid or solid waste can be analyzed appropriately in 5 business days or less. Attached is an example of how ASTM D6866 is reported. To ensure the accuracy of this analysis, enabling your company to prove a higher value of biobased content of your products, the reports are prepared through an offsite lab analysis and NOT generated by hardware or software.

You are wise to leverage the biobased content of your product line. The recent price reduction of ASTM 6866 testing to $390 per sample provides a cost-effective means to capture an even greater market share in both the private and public sectors. Clearly, the demand for eco-friendly and environmentally sustainable products is, and will continue to be, driven by private businesses and consumers. Your clients are already using and promoting biobased products. ASTM testing ensures those biobased products will include yours!

For your convenience, a brochure explaining the ASTM 6866 in greater detail along with the previously mentioned sample biobased content report have been attached. As always, should you have any questions, you are welcome to contact me directly or visit our web site at http://www.betalabservices.com/biobased.html for additional information.

If you are interested in having your products certified through the USDA Voluntary Labeling Program, please use this link for additional details http://www.betalabservices.com/biobased/usda-biopreferred.html

On behalf of the entire Beta Analytic team, we truly look forward to partnering with you to provide precise, accurate biobased content analysis!

Best regards,

Barbara

(Full-Length Article Sample)

KANE COUNTY JAIL: OUR OWN ABU GHRAIB

Justice is conscience, not a personal conscience but the conscience of the whole of humanity. Those who clearly recognize the voice of their own conscience usually recognize also the voice of justice.

--ALEXANDER SOLZHENITSYN

On September 6, 2003, Michael Williams of Carpentersville made an impassioned appeal before the full Kane County Board requesting an immediate, full investigation of numerous allegations of abuse, inhumane treatment, and rights violations at the Kane County Jail.

Not one Board Member responded with so much as a blink.

Equally deafening as their silence was the absence of any defense of the day-to-day operations at the correction facility.

Williams is the father of Cayce Williams, who has been charged with the 1997 murder of his 20-month-old stepdaughter Quortney Clay. Williams has been in custody since his arrest seven years ago.

The majority of the inmates incarcerated at Kane County Jail, including Cayce Williams, are there on the presumption of innocence, still awaiting trial. They have yet to be convicted of a crime.

“The indifference that is shown by Sheriff Ramsey is unbelievable. He allows physical, emotional, and mental abuse to occur on a daily basis. This is a travesty against justice.” Williams told the Board, citing numerous instances of inmates being physically and mentally tormented by guards as well as officers at the Kane County Jail.

“It is an abomination.” added the senior Williams.

Kane County Sheriff Ken Ramsey repeatedly refused to comment on Williams’ allegations. His refusals were made in person, on the phone, and via e-mail over a period of several months subsequent to the senior Williams’ appearance before the County Board.

Commander of the Kane County Jail, Todd Exline, also refused to comment further on the allegations made by the elder Williams. Of the seven grievances Cayce Williams had filed within the jail, Exline said, “He’s put a couple of grievances in, but as far as the Sheriff’s office is concerned, they have all been resolved.”

Exline refused to comment further on the specifics of Williams’ grievances. “You’re beating a dead horse, and it’s been beaten to death already.” commented Exline.

Both Caycee and his father contend that there has been no response whatsoever to the grievances Caycee has submitted internally at the Kane County Jail.

Neither Ramsey nor Exline would release information nor substantiate data on the total number of complaints filed by inmates at the facility during the previous year.

Although there are others, including former-inmates, a literacy volunteer, and a deputy sheriff, who corroborate the Williams’ claims, some of whom have made similar allegations themselves, former-Board Chairman Mike McCoy, Kane County Board Chairman Karen McConnaughay, Kane County Board Member, nor the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office have called for a special investigation.

Part of the problem is systemic.

Typically, inmates have a higher occurrence of illiteracy than the general population. Of those that can write, few know specifically where to file a complaint outside of the jail itself or how to file a complaint compelling enough to warrant a proper investigation of the facility.

Complaints against the county jail can be filed at the jail itself, with the State’s Attorney’s Office, the Department of Corrections Bureau of Operations Jail and Detention Standards Unit, the State Police, the Governor’s office, and/or the FBI. Compounding the confusion of inmates and their families, lawsuits against the jail can be filed with the Circuit Court or Federal Court.

Consequently, there is no single source to collect data on the number and types of allegations made against any particular corrections facility within the state.

In 2003, there were 11 such complaints against Kane County Jail filed with the Illinois Department of Corrections Jail and Detention Standards Unit.

Mike Talkington, Manager of the Unit, said, “Our records don’t accurately reflect what’s going on at Kane County Jail. Not only are our records dependent on people knowing how to write, but also that they know who to write to.” “Former-Governor George Ryan had a ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy regarding the operations of county jails.” admitted Talkington, who said that policy has continued despite a change in state leadership. There are no routine inspections of county jails conducted by the state’s Department of Corrections. According to Talkington, inspections of county jails are only done if requested by the local county sheriff.

Kane County Assistant State’s Attorney Mike Coghlan substantiated the lack of available statistics on the actual number of grievances and complaints filed against the Kane County Jail.

“Complaints and grievances against the jail are not centralized. There is a high volume of such complaints, most of which are kept in-house at the jail itself for processing and record keeping. Others are handled by the State Police. The FBI has authority to investigate these, but it is unlikely that they will ever do so.” said Coghlan, who admits that the State’s Attorneys Office has the right to pick and choose whether or not to do an internal investigation of the jail based on in-coming complaints.

Of the complaints and grievances filed within the jail itself, Coghlan said, “They never see the light of day.”

In the event of a lawsuit being filed against a county jail, it is, in fact, the respective State’s Attorney’s Office that provides legal defense and representation for the Sheriff. By state statute, the State’s Attorney’s Office is obligated to safeguard and defend the Sheriff’s Department, including the jail,

making it highly unlikely that the very same State’s Attorney’s Office would be truly effective advocates of anyone litigiously attacking the very jail it serves.

Former-Kane County Board Chairman Mike McCoy also acknowledged that there are numerous such complaints against the jail. McCoy and other Board Members have repeatedly asserted the Sheriff has sole jurisdiction over the operations at the jail and that the County Board only oversees the funding of the facility.

Kane County Board Member and Judicial Committee Chairman James Mitchell said, “We have no statutory responsibility; the jail is the Sheriff’s jurisdiction, as far as operations are concerned.”

Equally troubling as the systemic problems which prohibit accurate data collection on grievances are the types of abuses alleged to have been conducted by guards and officers of Kane County Jail.

A former-inmate, who requested anonymity due to an extraordinary fear of retaliation from the Sheriff’s office, claimed that the conditions at the facility are deplorable.

“There’s lot’s of bugs everywhere. People get bit by spiders all the time, everyone goes around with red lumps and marks. They wake you up at 5:00 a.m. and we have to sit all day in this cold space, really cold. No blankets or anything. Sit and do nothing. Cold and uncomfortable. It’s a strange situation. You have to see it to believe it.” the former trustee said.

“They have 16 beds, and 32 [female] inmates. People are sleeping on the floors on mats between the other beds in the dorm. People are on the floors and they have flies, gnats, and bugs. The showers are molded. The conditions are so bad, even though they are criminals and did a crime, the conditions they are living under is wrong. ” said former-inmate Gloria Martin of her one and only stay at Kane County Jail for seven days in June of 2003.

“There’s a problem with them not paying attention. If somebody needed something, they pretty much neglect them. They [inmates] bang and bang on the bars, but nobody comes.” stated Martin.

Cayce Williams also testified to having witnessed this type of neglect. According to Williams, a guard had even ignored an inmate who had attempted to commit suicide by hanging himself. Another inmate and Williams suspended the would-be suicide victim as the guard overlooked the situation entirely. They continued to hold him up until another guard finally responded.

In addition, Williams and the former-inmates all cited numerous instances in which guards actually provoke fights among inmates.

“I’ve seen it here before. They’ll take one gang member and put him in a cell with 20 to 25 members from a rival gang on purpose. The last guy they beat unconscious until he defecated.” said Williams.

“They’re [guards] real dirty. They deliberately do things they know will provoke you. They tried to provoke me lots.” claimed a former-inmate trustee, adding “I’ve seen plenty of abuse.”

More ostensible acts reported included a guard “back-elbowing an inmate in the face” when the inmate had been completely restrained in a chair with both hands and feet secured. There have been numerous lawsuits filed on behalf of inmates and former-inmates which corroborate the frequent occurrence of this type of behavior by the guards at Kane County Jail.

What makes Williams and the former-inmates’ account credible are the striking similarities between the details of guards abusing, endangering, and/or neglecting inmates regularly, despite the fact the none of these three individuals were ever aware of what the others had independently reported.

In addition, despite being incarcerated at other facilities, including the arresting police departments, none of them had any accounts of neglect or abuse at these other facilities or agencies. All admit that jail is not a desirable place, but none of them had a single, derogatory statement to say about any of the local police departments, DuPage County Jail, or even Cook County Jail.

Shirley Worst, who has served as a literacy volunteer at the Kane County Jail for more than 17 years, also reported numerous instances of abuse under Sheriff Ramsey’s watch.

Of the conditions, Worst explained, “There were things they [female inmates] needed at certain times of the month. Guards refused to give them anything. For weeks, sometimes months, these women would be forced to lie on bloody sheets. Filthy.”

“Once there was a very sick woman. The women in the dorm tried to get help for her, but nobody would respond.” stated Worst as she detailed several distinct instances of neglect by guards and corrections officers. As for abuse of the inmates, physical and otherwise, Worst’s observations support those of Williams and the other former inmates. “I knew the officers were doing things, inmates were being mistreated.” said Worst.

“I’ve seen them turn people into animals by the way they [guards] treat them. I’m not a naïve person; I had some very bad things happen in the jail. I tried to notify staff of things, but I didn’t get listened to.” she added.

“The staff is extremely rude to the people in my classroom. They’re always trying to provoke them so they could take them away to their cells.” recalled Worst.

Worst also stated that Sheriff Ramsey completely dismantled the inmates’ library, which had been stocked by a local charitable faith-based ministry. “There were lots of books and a huge law library. Under Ramsey, they completely dismantled that.” said Worst.

Without the law library, there is no free access for the inmates as prescribed by the Sixth Amendment of the United States Constitution and supported by the Supreme Court, leaving inmates with a total lack of any ability to be involved in the defense of the their own case.

In addition, she described instances where inmates were forced to sign papers and documents that their illiteracy prevented them from knowing what they were signing. Other instances Worst cited include inmates that were regularly overcharged for commissary items; an interesting issue for a jail which is planning to implement a “pay as you stay” program in the very near future.

Worst even detailed a situation in which a female inmate had already served her 30-day sentence, but was detained by jail staff for an additional 30 days despite Worst herself drawing staff’s attention to the discrepancy.

There is a litany of abusive, negligent, inhumane scenarios Worst recalls, including frequent references by staff of inmates being “animals.”

Worst reported an incident of embezzlement by an office person in 1994. “It never came out, they kept that quiet, too.” she said.

A provocative circumstance considering the Sheriff’s department has consistently come in over budget. During FY 2003, Sheriff Ramsey spent almost $1 million over budget.

Worst alleged that Sheriff Ramsey used the inmates telephone fund to purchase additional squad cars, regularly authorized questionable promotions and demotions of staff, allowed male guards to supervise female inmates’ showering, and provided pornographic films to male inmates.

Even members of Ramsey’s staff report cases of gross mismanagement and misappropriation of funds and other resources. For fear of losing his job or defying union orders, the staff member did not want to be named.

“The Sheriff’s deputies on patrol had always been assigned company cars, namely their squad cars. After Ramsey was re-elected, he started issuing company cars to commanders and political hires who worked inside the jail. In the summer of 2003, one of these ‘company cars’ was used to go to a Sox game. The tickets were supplied to Sheriff Ramsey from one of the jail’s vendor, Aramack. (As a vendor of the facility, Aramack also made illegal campaign contributions to Sheriff Ramsey’s re-election campaign, but that’s a whole other story.) On the way home from the Sox game, the Sheriff’s employee, a commander at the jail, was involved in a car accident, westbound on I-88. The commander was clearly under the influence, although no charges were made against the driver. The vehicle, a ’95 or ’96 Chevy Caprice, was taken to Black Auto Rebuilders in Geneva to be repaired.” said the deputy sheriff.

“As a vendor to the jail, Aramack frequently violates the rules and regulations regarding gifts to jail personnel and staff. They also made a campaign contribution in excess of $1,000 to Sheriff Ramsey’s re-election campaign in 2002.” he continued.

Incidentally, in March of 2004, the Kane County Board unanimously approved the extension of Aramack’s contract with the jail for four one-year increments solely based on Commander Exline’s recommendations. Commander Exline did not procure any competing bids for the contract.

On February 11, Mr. Black of Black’s Auto Rebuilders verbally acknowledged that the Sheriff’s Department had brought in a ’95 or ’96 Chevy Caprice to be repaired during the summer of 2003. “That was a near total.” Mr. Black recalled.

Both the senior Williams and a family friend of the Williams’ claim former-Board Chairman McCoy had previously criticized the managerial skills of both Sheriff Ramsey and Commander Exline. The two assert that McCoy had privately said “ ‘Sheriff Ramsey was just as much a criminal as the convicted men there at the jail, and that Chief Exline was grossly incompetent for his job and title.’”

Former-Kane County Board Member Doug Weigand, R-Batavia, has also been privy to instances of abuse at the jail of which McCoy not only had full knowledge of, but intervened with the young male inmates family to avert their filing a lawsuit against the jail.

According to Weigand, a young St. Charles male landed in Kane County Jail for charges related to youthful, inappropriate behavior. When the young man verbally insulted guards at the jail, the guards stripped him of his clothing and paraded him throughout the cell to entice sexual predators.

It is general knowledge among Kane County Board Members that Sheriff Ramsey extended preferential treatment to the son of County Board Chairwoman Karen McConnaughay, when the youth landed himself in the jail for illegal activities. Likewise, Board Chairwoman McConnaughay called in some judicial favors on behalf of Sheriff Ramsey’s son, when the latter, too, found himself in legal troubles. All records of Sheriff Ramsey’s son being incarcerated at the Kane County Jail have been dubiously deleted from the computer system. Commander Exline vigorously defends his staff in response to accusations of abuse, preferential or prejudicial treatment of inmates. “We offer a safe, humane environment. The officers do a tremendous job, treating everyone the same. They are trained to treat everyone the same, regardless of the charges.” said Exline.

When asked why there were so many lawsuits filed against Kane County Jail, Commander Exline noted, “It’s a litigious society that we live in. Most are frivolous, like there’s not enough salt in the food or medical malpractice because we failed to treat an ear infection.”

Both Sheriff Ramsey and Commander Exline contend any deficiencies that exist at the jail would be solved by building a new facility.

To that end, in 2003, the Kane County Board authorized a $77,000 feasibility study by a Colorado-based firm, Voorhis Roberston Justice System Consultants. The findings of this study serendipitously seemed to corroborate Sheriff Ramsey and Commander Exline’s contention that the County would be best served in the long run by building a new, expandable facility adjacent to the Kane County Judicial Center.

Hundreds of thousands of dollars later, County officials now believe it may be necessary to have two jail facilities despite the fact a multi-million-dollar new jail project was approved by the Board as the cost, $17 million, to make the existing facility inhabitable was exorbitant. Despite the cost, time, and effort this extensive study expended, no review of the jail’s management or operations were ever conducted. As for the Kane County Board Members, the reality of the Kane County Jail is a lot like sex in the third grade. Everybody seems to know about it, but nobody is talking.