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Watch who you hire or
accept as volunteers
7 percent of
Santa Claus applicants are criminals
[NOV. 9, 2002]
A recent study of
approximately a thousand applicants applying for positions as "mall
Santas" or "Santa’s helpers" revealed some alarming statistics.
Seven percent of the applicants had misdemeanor or felony
convictions in the past seven years. Convictions included indecent
exposure, harassment, assault, assault on a female, soliciting
prostitution, battery and contributing to the delinquency of a
minor.
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A partial listing of convictions found
on Santa Claus or Santa’s helper applicants, including names and
sentencing information of the applicants, can be found by clicking
here:
http://www.pre-employ.
com/homeweb/newsroom/newsroom/stats8.asp.
"It’s a fact that criminals re-offend —
roughly 53%," says
Robert Mather, president and CEO of Pre-employ.com, Inc., a company
that specializes in worldwide criminal background checks.
"These people will be close to children
for hours during the holiday season. This is one area where
employers and parents should be vigilant."
Background
• Pre-employ.com receives
between 2,000 and 3,000 requests each day for employment-based
background checks.
• Hospitals, retail
chains, staffing firms, and hotels and restaurants are the majority
of employers requesting background checks on potential applicants.
[to top of second column in this
article] |
Based on the most recent Pre-employ.com
study:
• 9.6 percent of all
applicants have criminal records.
• 9.4 percent of
applicants lie about their employment history.
• 1,162 applicants gave
false Social Security numbers.
• Nearly 50 percent of
convicted rapists re-offend within five years of being released from
prison.
• Child molesters
re-offend — 32 percent within 25 years.
•
More than two-thirds of registered sex
offenders committed crimes against children.
[Press release] |
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Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library ceremonial opening
[NOV. 9, 2002]
The ceremonial opening of
the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library on Nov. 18 will certainly
be a historic occasion, drawing visitors to Springfield from around
the nation. To celebrate, the Illinois capital will literally
transform itself into an authentic pioneer village on the weekend of
Nov. 16 and 17, offering an abundance of events and entertainment
which will allow visitors to immerse themselves in Lincoln’s
Illinois.
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During the
"Looking for Lincoln" weekend, Springfield’s historic sites,
attractions and neighborhoods will celebrate in Lincoln-era style.
Downtown Springfield will transform into a period village, as
hundreds of costumed volunteers and interpreters from Lincoln
historic sites throughout Illinois fill the streets. Impersonating
the settlers and villagers who lived in the area at the time of the
16th president, these actors and actresses will perform a variety of
activities that were typical for Illinoisans in the late 1800s, from
housework and hard-toiling labor to crafts, games and musical
performances.
[Illinois
Government News Network
press release] |
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"One of the primary goals of Illinois
FIRST has been to upgrade the quality of life for the people of our
state," Ryan said. "This grant will heighten the experience of
students and families who are learning about nature and the animal
kingdom at Brookfield Zoo."
The scope of the work includes the
repair and improvement of existing exhibits and public spaces, as
well as a host of behind-the-scenes mechanical repairs and upgrades.
The grant also will pay for automated door openers, ramps and
exhibit viewing windows required by the federal Americans with
Disabilities Act.
[to top of second column in
this article] |
The majority of the repairs and
improvements will be done in the Reptile House, Australia House, the
Pachyderm House, the "Roar Store," the Tropical World Exhibit and
the Dolphinarium.
Illinois
FIRST funds for the construction of this project are generated
through the sale of state bonds. By law, proceeds from the sale of
bonds cannot be used for general state operations.
[Illinois
Government News Network
press release] |
