Public hearing to probe unclaimed life insurance benefits

State Sen. Steve Stadelman will participate this week on a task force conducting statewide hearings to better understand how insurance companies avoid paying death benefits and how families can prevent themselves from being victimized after the death of a loved one.

Insurance companies have failed to pay more than $550 million in death benefits to grieving families in Illinois since 2011, according to State Treasurer Michael Frerichs who formed the Task Force on Unclaimed Life Insurance Policies. The task force, which conducted its first hearing last month in Normal, convenes next in Rockford:

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 14

11 am - 1 pm

Zeke Giorgi Center - 3rd Floor Legislative Conference Room

200 S. Wyman St.

HoopStars another slam dunk in its 4th year

New charity drive nets 160 pairs of gently used athletic shoes

State Senator Steve Stadelman's youth basketball tournament scored another victory Labor Day, offering a free 3-on-3 competition for 300 players under a sunny skies at Davis Park. The event drew hundreds more cheering spectators, who also donated boxes full of slightly worn gym shoes for young athletes from low-income families.

Players in third through eighth grades competed for first-place medals in games that began at the conclusion of the Labor Day parade and took place alongside the annual Rockford United Labor picnic. All players received commemorative event T-shirts and gift bags.

"The goal of this tournament has always been to provide kids, especially those from inner-city neighbors, with a positive activity on a holiday that also represents the unofficial end of summer," Stadelman said. "Part of what's appealing about the day is the way the event brings together a diverse group of players and families who love the game."

Rauner's inaction jeopardizing Rosecrance triage: Stadelman

State Senator Steve Stadelman last week called for public pressure on Governor Bruce Rauner for refusing to fund the Rosecrance Mulberry Center, which provides medical triage for people with mental illnesses. Stadelman focused on the Rauner administration after Rosecrance announced that further delays in state funding would cause Rosecrance to close its triage program.  

"It's a good facility, a good program, it saves the state and community money, and it needs to continue," Stadelman said. "The state needs to keep its funding commitment to this facility."

Stadelman said funding for the triage center was included in the stopgap budget approved in June, but Rauner has chosen not to release the money. In fiscal years 2013, 2014 and 2015, following the closure of Singer Mental Health Center, previous administrations used Eligibility and Disposition Assessment grant money to pay for triage, according to Stadelman.

HoopStars adds shoe drive to tourney

ROCKFORD – State Senator Steve Stadelman is expanding his popular Labor Day basketball tournament to include a drive to collect gently used athletic shoes for needy young sports enthusiasts.

Now in its fourth year, the free 3-on-3 competition also is adding two more courts to accommodate an anticipated increase in players over the 400 who participated in 2015. Boys and girls in 3rd through 8th grades will face off on 10 courts in Davis Park during Senator Stadelman’s HoopStars 2016.

Registration is open until Aug. 31 at www.senatorstadelman.com/hoopstars.

Stadelman announced at a Sunday news conference that HoopStars has teamed up with Sole Ballers to supply “legit kicks” to kids from low-income families. Christian Life High School sophomore Treye Tucker has collected and distributed 500 pairs of athletic shoes since he founded Sole Ballers as a 7th-grader.