PEOPLE

Edited by Rodd Whelpley


White supremacist Mart Hale has been barred from the bar over the issue of "character."

White supremacist finds fame in rejection
Matt Hale's use of what most would consider venomous language stood in the way of his admission to the Illinois bar. What that rejection has won him is a national stage for his white supremacist ideology.

Hale, a 27-year-old East Peoria resident, obtained a law degree from South-em Illinois University in May 1998. Subsequently, he passed the state bar exam. But in December; a three-member character and fitness committee (one of five that works under the auspices of the state Supreme Court) voted 2-1 to reject Hale on the basis of his racist views.

Hale is leader of the World Church of the Creator, an organization distinguished by its white supremacist doctrine spelled out in the group's "White Man's Bible."

Hale, who has appeared on several national news programs, is appealing the decision


SHIFTS AT THE TOP
  • Robert Healey of Homewood was tapped by Gov.George Ryan to be director of the Illinois Department of Labor. Healey has been a member of the State Labor Relations Board since 1994. He also has been president of the Chicago Federation of Labor and Industrial Union Council, the Chicago Teacher Union and the Illinois Federation of Teachers. Healy began his duties on March 1, replacing outgoing director Shinae Chun.
  • Thomas W. Ortciger of Springfield was reappointed director of the Department of Nuclear Safety.
  • Porter McNeil was named press secretary for comptroller Dan Hynes. McNeil spent the last year as a consultant with Axelrod & Associates. Before that, he worked for House Speaker Michael Madigan.
    Police could face scrutiny
    Ford Heights four awarded $36 million
    In what may be the nation's largest settlement in a police misconduct case, Cook County agreed last month to pay $36 million to four men wrongly convicted of a 1978 double murder.

    The men - known collectively as the Ford Heights Four - were released in 1996 after evidence was uncovered exonerating them. Sheriff's deputies were accused in the suit of hiding evidence and failing to track down evidence. Two of the men - Dennis Williams and Verneal Jimerson - had been on Death Row. The other two, Willie Raines and Kenny Adams, faced life in prison.

    "We intend to ask that a special prosecutor be assigned," says Mark Ter Molen, an attorney for Jimerson. "The magnitude of the settlement reflects on the misconduct that was uncovered."

    QUOTABLE
    "The most important thing is for Lee Daniels to take back the House. That is a very full-time job."

    State Senate President James "Pate" Philip as quoted in The State Journal-Register of Springfield, responding to news that Gov. George Ryan was pushing House Minority Leader Lee Daniels for state GOP Party chair As chairman of the DuPage County Republicans, Philip would have had to give his blessings to the promotion. Daniels withdrew his name from consideration, and that could be the end of the story It could also be an early indication of strain between the new Republican governor and the longtime GOP Senate leader.

    HONORS

    The University of Illinois named former U.S. Senator Paul Simon winner of the 1999 Paul H. Douglas Ethics in Government Award in a ceremony held last month in the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C.

    Simon, now the director of Southern Illinois University's Public Policy Institute, served in the U.S. Senate from 1985 to 1997. He vigorously supported the National Literacy Act and the School-to-Work Opportunities Act, and he was the chief Democratic sponsor of the balanced budget amendment.

    His political career includes service in the Illinois General Assembly, a term as lieutenant governor and 10 years in the U.S. House of Representatives.

    He is the author of 18 books, including one about Abraham Lincoln. The award is named for the late Paul Douglas, a U.S. senator from Illinois from 1949 to 1967.

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