Government’s proposed change in ‘professional’ could limit opportunities for vital fields

The word “professional” has different meanings. If you perform a task with no compensation, you’re an amateur; if you’re paid, the act is professional. Typically, “professional” also referred to careers for which an additional degree is needed and a higher standard of skill and quality is achieved. Finally, the traditional perspective is a professional can hang a sign in a workplace – a doctor’s office, law firm, Certified Public Accountant service – and transact business. (If course, physicians, attorneys and accountants working for a company and paid wages can unionize, too.)

For some people seeking to learn post-graduate skills, “professional” also has meant eligibility for some government loans.

Now, however, the U.S. Department of Education is trying to carve out some post-graduates in certain careers to limit government assistance many need to continue their training. That could make it more difficult to pursue those career goals unless their families are wealthy, they get a significant scholarships to defray the costs, or they borrow financial aid from private (and more expensive) lenders, increasing debt burdens.

The change, drafted last month, is supposedly part of an overhaul of the federal student loan system, but it could severely curtail entry into affected careers, especially those in disadvantaged circumstances. Under the new arrangement, a Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP) would replace the current Grad PLUS program, which was set up to help graduate and professional students cover educational expenses, and Parent PLUS loans for parents of dependent undergraduate students, will be limited. So students learning for some degrees may no longer receive the financial assistance or reimbursement for their costs. There are a number of what many see as "professional" degrees missing from the new list. (See below for who’s “demoted” from professional status, and who’s not.)

Critics of the scheme say the proposal is wrongheaded, and it does seem ridiculous – so ridiculous that The Onion satirical news site published a story headlined “White House reclassifies nursing as hobby,” and noting the practice as a “fun little side project.”

Indeed, if enacted, RAP will see annual loans for new borrowers capped for graduate students at less than half what still-“professional” students can get. Therefore, those working on costly degrees, who may no longer receive the same amount since their degrees may not be "professional," could financially struggle to cover the costs, and that could deter students from choosing to pursue those high-demand careers.

Peter Lake, a law professor and director of the Center for Excellence in Higher Education Law and Policy at Stenson Law in Florida, told Newsweek, “There are a variety of what I have come to know as ‘learned professions’ under other legal standards that the current administration does not consider to be professions for extended loan opportunities, notably a variety in the health-care field such as nursing.

“A learned profession features specialized higher education training and skills, licensure requirements and accelerated accountability by the profession itself and/or legal consequences for malpractice under professional standards of care. The federal administration in my view should track more commonly held views of what qualifies as a profession under the law."

Affected would be advanced practice nurses and other specialties with substantially more training, such as Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists, Doctors of Nursing Practices (DNPs) or Nurse Practitioners.

Amy McGrath, a Marine combat pilot running as a Democratic candidate for a U.S. Senate seat in Kentucky, wrote,: "Can someone explain how a theologian is considered more ‘professional’ than a nurse practitioner? As part of the ‘Big Beautiful Bill,’ the Department of Education just proposed a reclassification of a ‘professional degree,’ and it means fewer students will qualify for the higher loan limits they need for grad school.

“Programs being excluded include many fields dominated by women like health care, counseling, and social work. This isn’t a coincidence,” she continued. “This is a way to quietly push women out of professional careers. Limiting who can pursue advanced degrees in critical professions will only deepen the workforce shortages we’re already facing.”

The Department of Education’s Office of Communications and Outreach issued a statement saying, “President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill placed common-sense limits on federal student loans for graduate degrees.”

The Education Department claims it’s not disparaging particular careers, but just limiting what can be borrowed in affected fields.

The Department of Education added that it “has not published a proposed or final rule defining professional student yet. The Department is required to publish the agreed-upon language in its proposed rule. But the Department has not prejudged the rulemaking process and may make changes in response to public comments.”

For now, concerns include failing to lower the costs of masters, doctoral or other advanced degrees, according to Inside Higher Education, which said, “It will force more students – particularly low-income, first-generation students,  and students of color – to depend on the private loan market.”

The consequence of discouraging the pursuit of careers, some of which already have staffing shortages worry schools and the medical community because this could reduce the number of nurses across the country if fewer students enter the profession over financial concerns. (Already, the American Nurses Association is petitioning the Education Dept. to reconsider the change.)

“The recent decision by President Trump and his administration to no longer classify nursing as a ‘professional degree’ is so deeply troubling,” said John Hoffman, a Democratic-Farmer-Labor State Senator in Minnesota. “Stripping that designation is not just a technical change — it diminishes the expertise nurses bring to their work and threatens the support and resources future nurses need to advance their education.

“Let me be clear: no federal definition can erase the reality of what nurses do,” continued Hoffman, who last month had follow-up surgery on his abdomen for wounds suffered in a June assassination attempt.

“Nursing is — and has always been — a professional degree. A pride degree,”: he added. “It’s built on rigorous education, advanced skill, and the courage to face life-and-death situations every single day. To suggest otherwise is insulting to the men and women who hold lives in their hands.”

The proposal is expected to be formally posted on the Federal Register of pending government changes next month, presumably when public comments can be made, with a possible implementation in July.

 

Which professions are in – and out, under Dept. of Education plan

IN

Pharmacy

Dentistry doctorate

Veterinary medicine

Chiropractic

Law

Medicine

Optometry

Osteopathic medicine

Podiatry

Theology

Clinical psychology =

 

 

OUT

Nursing

Physician Assistants

Physical Therapists

Audiologists

Public Health

Architecture

Accounting

Social Work

Educators

Comments from the opposition

The proposed change to exclude some fields from professional status as far as limiting eligibility for government loans for advanced degrees has created a united front of critics, from students and workers, to medical figures and patients, to institutions and politicians.

 

“Nurse practitioners (NPs) currently provide much-needed primary care, particularly in rural and underserved areas. If this rule went into effect, it could have a major impact on nurses’ access to graduate nursing programs. In addition, this proposed rule change would make it more difficult to find nursing faculty with advanced degrees to teach in nursing programs. Shutting down nurses’ access to resources to seek higher education will only further contribute to forces driving nurses away from the bedside.

-- National Nurses United, the country’s largest union of registered nurses,

 

“The Department of Education’s Reimagining and Improving Student Education Committee reached preliminary consensus on a proposed definition of ‘professional degree programs’ under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. We are deeply concerned and profoundly disappointed that the proposal excludes public-health programs as well as several other health professions. This exclusion sends an alarming signal about the understanding of the public-health workforce and risks undermining the nation’s ability to prepare practitioners who protect and promote the health of all populations.”

-- Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health

 

“When the government suddenly decides this work is ‘not professional,’ we need to call it what it is: not clerical, not bureaucratic, not neutral -- but a deliberate devaluation of the labor women provide every single day. They’ve taken a step that exposes the strategy completely: stripping entire women-led professions of their status as professional – professions that keep families upright, keep children safe, keep elders cared for, and keep schools functioning.”

-- photographer, artist and Substack writer Kelli Klymenko

 

“This is not an accident. It is part retaliation against a profession that stood up to Trump’s COVID disinformation, and part cynical cost-cutting in a system that already squeezes caregivers to the breaking point.”

-- Brett Meiselas, co-founder of MeidasTouch, a “pro-democracy” online network

 

“Despite broad recognition of the complexity, rigor and necessity of post-baccalaureate nursing education, the Department’s proposal defines professional programs so narrowly that nursing, the nation’s largest health-care profession, remains excluded. Should this proposal be finalized, the impact on our already-challenged nursing workforce would be devastating.”

-- The American Association of Colleges of Nursing

 

“There is no question nurses represent a professional specialty.”

-- Dr. Von Gupta, public-health physician, pulmonologist and commentator

 

“Reclassifying nursing, public health, social work, PA, OT, counseling, and other life-saving professions as anything less than ‘professional’ is an attack on our health-care workforce and the communities we serve. It will choke off the pipeline of future clinicians, weaken patient care, and punish those who choose service over profit.”

-- Dr. Saud Anwat, a physician and Connecticut State Senator

 

Children’s author and cartoonist had a pro-labor past

Like celebrated children’s author Dr. Seuss (Theodor Geisel), Syd Hoff had an earlier artistic life.

Just as Seuss/Geisel had a stint as an editorial cartoonist for New York’s liberal daily “P.M.,” Hoff – best known as the award-winning illustrator and author of HarperCollins’ “I Can Read” series (featuring Danny the Dinosaur, Sammy the Seal and other characters) – drew topical cartoons for The New Yorker, Esquire and Look, plus progressive titles including New Masses, March of Labor and the Daily Worker.

Born in the Bronx, Hoff also wrote the Daily comic strip “Tuffy” from 1939-1950, syndicated to some 800 newspapers. Designated an “essential” effort during World War II, it didn’t keep Hoff from working for the U.S. Office of War Information, drawing Allied propaganda pieces dropped behind Nazi lines.

Also the writers/illustrator of the “Henrietta” series of kids nooks by the Champaign, Ill., Garrard Publishing Co., Hoff drew praise for portraying everyday working-class people.

That was especially noteworthy in a series of editorial cartoons in leftist and labor publications – so much more so that he penned them under a pseudonym, “A. Redfield,” recently collected in a 2023 trade paperback, “The Ruling Clawss,” his first book.

The decade of the 1930s obviously was a different time, but troubling social issues – especially labor’s struggles – are still familiar.

There’s something frustrating yet reassuring to see the same battles now as workers dealt with 90 years ago.

 

'Affordability' is no joke, but more than prices

The topic of affordability reminds me of a favorite doo-wop song from the 1950s: “It Ain’t the Meat (It’s The Motion).”

As for as the current subject, “it ain’t the affordability, it’s the income.”

The affordability debate has focused on prices, but affordability also depends on wages. Today’s affordability crisis actually stems from the long-term suppression of workers’ pay – especially when comparing the growth in workers’ income to the growth in productivity (and therefore profitability).

President Trump isn’t having it. At a Cabinet meeting this month, he dismissed the concern, saying, “The word ‘affordability’ is a con job by the Democrats. The word ‘affordability’ is a Democrat scam. [The word] doesn’t mean anything to anybody.”

He told a different story during the 2024 campaign when he promised to end inflation and make housing, energy and consumer goods more affordable. But thanks to tariffs, Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) cuts, reckless spending and sheer incompetence, the regime has exploded the national debt and budget deficit, inflation has gone up since he took office in January, unemployment has increased, consumers are seeing higher prices at food stores, small businesses are seeing increased costs of operating, and more Americans believe Trump has been worse for the economy.

This month will see another result: holiday shopping. A Price Waterhouse Cooper survey shows that U.S. consumers plan to spend about 5% less in seasonal spending compared to last year – the biggest decline in five years, and the global accounting firm of Deloitte forecast that overall holiday shopping will grow between 2.9% and 3.4% compared to 2024’s increase of 4.2%.

Those aren’t outliers. The Conference Board reported that its Consumer Confidence Index declined to 88.7 in November from 95.5 in October – a 7.1% drop. Over the last five years, according to Gallup’s Economic Confidence Index. Americans’ confidence in the economy has fallen from a positive of 40 to a negative 30.

A Fox News Poll on Americans’ views on affordability shows public perceptions of what has “increased a lot” – 24% of us think that of gas, 60% say that of groceries, and 42% think housing costs have increased a lot.

That’s logical since in the last 10 years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the price of gas has increased 33%, groceries (“food at home”) is up 66%, and housing (for existing homes) is up 44%.

Moreover, economics journalist G. Elliott Morris of the news site “Strength in Numbers” this month reported that Americans’ concerns about affordability go beyond just price, as people worry about fairness, the possibility of getting ahead, and economic inequality.

It’s not new either.

“For more than four decades, employers have been actively suppressing the wages of working people, so that corporate managers and owners can claim an ever-larger share of the income generated by what workers produce,” says Heidi Shierholz of the Economic Policy Institute. “Government policies facilitated these efforts.

“Policymakers allowed labor standards such as the minimum wage to erode (and reduced enforcement of the standards we do have), blocked adequate protections for workers’ right to organize and promoted macroeconomic policy that allowed unemployment to remain too high for long periods, undermining workers’ leverage.”

There are areas where government could enact affordability policies:

*  stronger labor laws,

* a higher minimum wage,

* macroeconomic policy that keeps unemployment low,

* a stable social safety net that keeps families out of poverty when they lose a job or get sick, and

* (although setting prices results from several factors) enforcing existing anti-monopoly regulations could help discourage price-gouging.

 

Improvements in these areas are popular, too. For instance, unions are as popular as they’ve been in decades, and Americans overwhelmingly back higher minimum wages.

“What policy can do is ensure that the labor market delivers rising incomes, through better labor standards and collective bargaining rights, through macroeconomic policy that helps ensure a full-employment economy and boosts workers’ leverage, and through social policies that fill the gaps the market leaves behind,” Shierholz says. “As lawmakers grapple with the cost of living, they need to remind Americans – again and again – that pay is a policy choice. Making life more affordable means not just lowering prices where possible and necessary, but raising wages. True affordability comes when working people earn enough to cover the costs of living with dignity and security.”

For Christmas Eve: This union founder was renowned columnist AND an avid Christmas enthusiast

Heywood Broun is remembered as the founder and first president of The Newspaper Guild union, but he was also a celebrated columnist, author, playwright and Socialist known for his progressive views and his passionate interests – from sports and books to poker and, especially, Christmas.

He even had a slight tie to Central Illinois.

Bishop Fulton J. Sheen – a graduate of Peoria’s Spalding Institute ordained in Peoria and a pastor at the old St. Patrick’s parish before transferring to Washington, D.C., to teach at the Catholic University of America – became a popular national broadcaster in the 1930s. As a Monsignor, Sheen arranged Broun’s conversion to Catholicism seven months before the columnist’s untimely 1939 death at the age of 51.

Broun’s short life was one of enthusiasms.

The son of a Scottish immigrant printer, Broun became editor of his high school newspaper before enrolling at Harvard, where classmates ranged from future radical journalists John Reed and Walter Lippman to poets T.S. Eliot and Alan Seeger. After Harvard (where he was prevented from earning a degree by failing French), he joined the staff of the New York Morning Telegraph, working alongside the young gossip columnist Louella Parsons and the old ex-gunfighter Bat Masterson, who was its sports editor.

Fired after a year for asking for a $2 raise, Broun freelanced for the New York Sun before getting a job at the conservative New York Tribune, where he worked as a copy editor, sportswriter, drama critic and columnist for more than a decade.

His Tribune tenure was interrupted by World War I, where Broun became a war correspondent in 1918, and upon his return he published his first book, “The A.E. F.: With General Pershing and the American Forces,” and became a member of the “Algonquin Round Table,” a group of writers who gathered almost daily at the Algonquin Hotel, where he socialized with regulars including Robert Benchley, Alexander Woollcott, George S. Kaufman, Dorothy Parker, Harpo Marx, Edna Ferber and Harold Ross.

In 1921 Broun was hired by Joseph Pulitzer’s more liberal New York World and continued writing for liberal magazines such as The Nation and The New Republic.

But Broun was more than a journalist.

“There were many more Brouns than just Heywood the phrase-maker,” wrote Philadelphia Guildsman Saul Schraga. “There were Broun the humanitarian, Broun the angry fore of special privilege, Broun the devoted father, Broun the thoughtful son and husband, and, of course, Heywood the soft touch, who sprinkled dimes and $20 bills with the same abandon to men standing in bread lines.”

Indeed, i the 1920s, Broun’s column advocated for various social causes, from the Scottsboro Boys to the Sacco and Vanzetti case, the latter of which ultimately led to Pulitzer firing him in 1928. Then Scripps-Howard hired him for its New York Telegram and syndicated his column, which reached more than a million readers. After unsuccessfully running for Congress as a Socialist in 1930, Broun continued his column for the Telegram and World when the dailies merged in 1931.

In 1933, he founded the Guild, which affiliated with the AFL in 1937, then moved to the then-more radical CIO a year later.

By 1939, Broun’s pay was deemed too steep for the cost-cutting World-Telegram, so his contract wasn’t renewed, and he moved to the New York Post, but he wrote just one column there before dying.

At a New York memorial, dignitaries remembering Broun ranged from United Mine Workers president John L. Lewis to Hollywood actor Edward G. Robinson.

Author Lewis Gannett said, “It was precisely because Heywood played the races, visited the bread lines, produced a Broadway play, ran for Congress, walked picket lines, organized the Guild, and joined a church that he and his column stayed young.”

Inducted into both the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., and the International Labor Hall of Fame in Detroit, Broun was eulogized as a determined free spirit by Sheen.

“Heywood Broun lived a full life and leaves a noble heritage,” the priest said at Broun’s funeral. “Some of his friends who were loudest in shouting for freedom were the loudest in protesting against him because he acted freely.”

If Broun’s own words serve as an epitaph of sorts, one passage might be a comment he made in 1938, when he said the Guild “is the only important work I ever did in my life. The Guild did for me what Harvard could not do.”

Another may be his enduring Christmas columns, often printed independently from the newspapers and even read by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on a Christmas Eve radio broadcast in 1938.

For Christmas Day: 'The Hand of Herod'

Weeks before his 1939 death, with World War II starting after Nazi Germany invaded Poland, Broun wrote about defying fascist regimes and the threats they posed to free peoples – even during Christmastime.

Inducted into both the International Labor Hall of Fame in Detroit and the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., Broun was eulogized by Mine Workers head John L. Lewis, Bishop Fulton J. Sheen, actor Edgar G, Robinson, and author Lewis Gannett, who said, “It was precisely because Heywood played the races, visited the bread lines, produced a Broadway play, ran for Congress, walked picket lines, organized the Guild, and joined a church that he and his column stayed young.”

Also ageless are his many Christmas columns, such as the following piece published decades ago in the New York World-Telegram. It’s called “The Hand of Herod.”

 A news dispatch from Paris says that the authorities have decided that midnight Masses may not be celebrated in any of the churches of the city during the Christmas season. It is explained that it would be impossible to keep the light from filtering out through the great stained glass windows of a cathedral. A candle by a shrine sheds a beam which is too broad for the warring world in which we live. If the figure of the Christ child were illuminated it might serve as a beacon for the way of wise flying men from out of the East. And their gifts would not be gold and frankincense and myrrh.

Once again the hand of Herod is raised for the slaughter of the innocents. But those things which were, are with us now. I have seen men and women moved by devotion into such a mood that they felt themselves not only followers but contemporaries in the life of Jesus. To them His death was a present tragedy and Easter morning marked a literal triumph. And to those who are like-minded there lies reassurance in the revelation of the past. Herod was a ruler who for a little time had might and power vested in himself. His word was absolute and his will was cruel. As captain over thousands he commanded his messengers to find and kill the newborn king. An army was set in motion against an infant in a manger.

But though the hand of Herod fell heavily upon Bethlehem and all the coasts thereof, Joseph, the young child and his mother escaped into Egypt. "In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation and weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be consoled, because they are not."

The blood of the young was spilled upon the ground even as it is being shed today. And it may well have seemed, some two thousand years ago, that there was no force which could stay the ravages of the monarch and his minions.

Around the child there stood on guard only Joseph and Mary, three wise men and shepherds from the field who had followed the course set for them by a bright star. Death came to Herod, and the bright star was a portent of the perfect light which was to save the world from darkness. The light of the world was not extinguished then, and it lives today and will again transfix the eyes of men with its brilliance.

In the dark streets of Paris on Christmas Eve, even as in the little town of Bethlehem, a star will animate the' gloom. The call comes once more to kings and shepherds to journey to the manger and worship at the shrine of the Prince of Peace. Quite truly the civil authorities of Paris have said that it is impossible to blackout the light which shines from the altar.

And if I were in France I would go at midnight to the little island on the Seine and stand before Notre Dame de Paris. At first the towers of that great Gothic structure might seem to be lost in the blackness of the night. And it has been ruled that no congregation shall raise its voice to welcome the tidings of great joy. But then I think all the windows will take on magnificence, and that the air will resound with the message which has been given to the sons of men and will be offered again to the fellowship of all mankind. "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good will toward men." And that choral cry will rise above the hum of Herod's grim messengers. It will be much louder than the crash of guns and the roar of cannon. No hymn of hate can prevail if we will only heed the eternal cadence of the Christmas carol.

 

For Dec. 26: A Broun Christmas lesson: ‘Even to Judas’

Heywood Broun is remembered as a celebrated columnist, author and playwright, a socialist and founder and first president of The Newspaper Guild labor union. Besides his progressive views, his passions ranged from sports and books to poker and, especially, Christmas.

In his career Broun worked as a sportswriter, critic, war correspondent and columnist for the likes of ex-gunfighter and sports editor Bat Masterson at the New York Morning Telegraph, for the conservative New York Tribune and Pulitzer’s liberal New York World, plus Scripps-Howard’s Telegram, which syndicated his column, and the Post, which printed one of his pieces before he unexpectedly died at the age of 51.

Inducted into both the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., and the International Labor Hall of Fame in Detroit, Broun was eulogized by Mine Workers head John L. Lewis, Bishop Fulton J. Sheen, actor Edgar G, Robinson, and author Lewis Gannett, who said, “It was precisely because Heywood played the races, visited the bread lines, produced a Broadway play, ran for Congress, walked picket lines, organized the Guild, and joined a church that he and his column stayed young.”

Also ageless are his Christmas columns, often printed independently in addition to newspapers, such as the following excerpt published many  years ago in the New York World-Telegram on Christmas Eve, when President Roosevelt also read it live on the radio. 

We were sitting in a high room above the chapel and although it was Christmas Eve my friend the pastor seemed troubled. That was strange, for he was a man extremely sensitive to the festivities of his faith.

The joys and sorrows of Jesus were not to him events of a remote past, but more current than headlines in the newspapers. At Christmas he seems actually to hear the voice of the herald angels.

He is an old man, but this was the first time the Nativity failed to rouse him to ecstasy. Something was wrong.

“Tomorrow,” he said, “I must go down into that chapel and preach a Christmas sermon. I must speak of peace and good will toward men. I know that our world is one of war and hate. Others keep insisting that before there can be brotherhood there must be the bashing of heads. You are all for good will to men, but you want to note very many exceptions.  I am still hoping and praying that in the great love of God, the final seal of interdiction must not be put on even one. You may laugh, but right now I am wondering about how Christmas came to Judas Iscariot.”   

It is the habit of my friend, when he is troubled by doubts, to reach for the Book, and he did so. He said, “Will you assist me in a little experiment? I’ll close my eyes and you hold out the Bible to me. I will open it at random and run my fingers down a page. You read me the text which I blindly select.”

I did as he told me and he happened on the 26th chapter of St. Matthew and the 24th verse. I felt sorry for him, for this was not part of the story of the Birth of Christ, but instead an account of the great betrayal.

“Read what it says,” asked the clergyman.

I did: “Then Judas, which betrayed Him, answered and said, ‘Master, is it I?’ He said unto him, ‘Thou hast said’.”

My friend frowned. Then he looked at me -- in triumph.

“My hand is not as steady as it used to be,” he said. “You should have taken the lower part of my finger and not the top. Read the 27th verse. It is not an eighth of an inch away. Read what it says.

And I read, “And He took the cup and gave thanks and gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink ye, all of it’.”

“Mark that!” cried the old man exultantly. “Not even to Judas, the betrayer, was the wine of life denied. I can preach my Christmas sermon now, and my text will be ‘Drink ye all of it.’ Good will toward men means good will to every last one of us.

“Peace on Earth means peace to Pilate, peace to the thieves on the cross, and peace to poor Iscariot.”

I was glad, for he had found Christmas, and I saw by his face that once more he heard the voice of the herald angels.

 

In and around Peoria courthouse and public media

Lawsuit against ex-WTVP execs off - and on

Peoria Judge Timothy J. Cusack on Nov. 5 granted a motion to dismiss a lawsuit against former WTVP Director of Finance and Human Resources Linda McLaughin and the estate of the late WTVP CEO Lesley Matuszak because the Cincinnati Insurance Company’s claim “lacked specificity.”

Cusack also gave the company 30 days to amend its complaint.

The Cincinnati Insurance Company (CIC) is suing McLaughlin and Matuszak’s estate for $250,000 plus lawyers’ fees and costs tied to its settlement payment for WTVP’s financial losses stemming from an alleged misuse of funds, which Peoria police said was embezzlement.

“As WTVP’s head of the Finance Office, [McLaughlin] directly owed the duty to honestly perform her job,” CIC’s suit says. “In her capacity as head of the HR Department and the Finance Office, she is the person who made misrepresentations to the Board. McLaughlin knowingly presented false financial information to the Board, provided misleading financial statements during board meetings, and falsely certified the accuracy of board meeting minutes and financial documents when in fact said document concealed her fraudulent misappropriation of company funds.”

Filed in March, the suit also states, “As part of the conspiracy, defendant McLaughlin knowingly and intentionally participated in, facilitated, and directed the fraudulent actions carried out by defendant Matuszak. This conspiracy was aimed at deceiving WTVP’s board of directors, ultimately leading to the approval and reimbursement of fraudulent and unauthorized expenses.”

After board members eventually questioned spending, Matuszak committed suicide and McLaughlin resigned, and the station cut about 30% of its budget and laid off nine employees. Most members of the board of directors also quit, and an audited financial statement for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023, showed an overall loss of more than $870,000.

The Peoria Police Department later found probable cause to charge Matuszak, but declined to file charges since she was dead. Although implicated, McLaughlin never faced charges and “probable cause has not been reached for her arrest, unless she is able to be communicated with,” according to the report from police, who declined to comment further.

However, McLaughlin’s lawyer, Philip O’Donnell of Peoria, said CIC’s claim is “seriously lacking in identified, concrete, factual allegations,” and last month noted a sheer absence of details, saying, “They haven’t said how she [McLaughlin] was enriched.”

O’Donnell also implied that the insurer must have done its own investigation, saying, “$250,000? Insurers don’t pay for no reason.”

Appearing on behalf of CIC, Christopher Hack, an associate with the Chicago law firm of Thompson, Brody and Kaplan, commented, ”We need discovery to get specifics.”

Two days later, The insurer’s lawyers issued a subpoena commanding the Peoria Police Dept. produce its investigation report, “any and all interviews and witness statements, as well as financial records” and other records related to the investigation of the alleged embezzlement of funds at WTVP.

Cusack scheduled a March 13 Case Management Conference on the case.

 

New development director starts at WTVP public TV

Audrey Kamm is the new chief development officer at WTVP.

The former regional adviser for development for the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Kamm started on Nov. 10.

Her experience includes stints at the Midwest Food Bank and the Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce.

At WTVP, Kamm will lead fundraising efforts.\

 

Peoria County ordered to pay attorney for ex-Auditor $124,000 in fees and costs

Peoria Judge Stewart Umholtz on Oct. 16 directed Peoria County to pay attorney Justin Penn of the Hinshaw and Culbertson law firm an additional $124,531.41 in fees and costs stemming from his representation of former County Auditor Jessica Thomas.

Almost two years ago, Thomas’ case against the County was largely resolved after the 4^th District of the Illinois Appellate Court ruled that Thomas had no right to finish her term after some 70% of voters eliminated the office in a 2022 referendum.

Left unresolved, however, was the amount of payment due to Penn, who’d been appointed as a special prosecutor in Thomas’ lawsuit against the County, filed in October of 2021.

In February of last year, Umholtz dissolved Thomas’ motion for a preliminary injunction and awarded some of Penn’s requested fees, but he denied other fees for his work on two counts in an amended complaint. Penn appealed Umholtz ruling, and the Illinois Appellate Court for the 4th District in September filed a decision that reversed that part of Umholtz’ 2024 ruling.

Heartland Health Services weathering the storms from Washington

Since the country's first Community Health Centers opened in the 1960s, the non-profit, community-based clinics have grown to about 1,500 federally funded centers serving millions of low-income people.

Such community health centers (CHCs) provide primary care and other services free or at reduced rates –34 million patients coast to coast, according to the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC).

In Peoria, Heartland Health Services provides care for about 22,000 patients a year at its 10 locations in the metro area. That translates to about 260 patient visits each day.

Nationwide, recent changes at the federal level mean some centers could face cuts, difficulties in recruiting and retaining staff, or even closing – leaving patients in need to do without or to turn to hospital emergency rooms for critical care. One change stems from Congressional Republicans voting to not renew the tax credits that help U.S. citizens pay for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act – the reason behind Democrats’ filibuster to block all funding until a compromise on the issue could be reached leading to the 43-day government shutdown.

“Upcoming changes to Medicaid and ACA subsidies may affect both our funding and the patients we serve,” says a Heartland Health Systems spokesperson. “When there are coverage or reimbursement changes at the federal level, it can create real challenges for families seeking care. While many of these policy shifts are still taking shape, we’re closely monitoring their progress and preparing to respond in ways that keep care accessible and affordable for our patients.”

But cutbacks or staffing issues aren’t foreseen at Heartland Health Services (HHS), the spokesperson says.

“Every challenge is serious when it impacts people’s health and stability, but we are resilient,” Heartland says. “Heartland Health Services continues to operate daily with a clear mission: to provide high-quality, affordable health services and remove inequities to improve the lives of all. No matter what changes come, our focus will always remain on serving our patients and our community with compassion and consistency.”

For CHCs, federal funds come in two ways: some reimbursements for patients helped by Medicaid and similar assistance, and grants from the federal Community Health Center Fund. Congress has approved that funding in small doses. This spring, lawmakers extended CHC funding until Sept. 30, but that ended with the government shutdown, when the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) also was delayed.

The first government action affecting CHCs was an Executive Order issued by President Trump in January, when he froze domestic funding. The next was the GOP’s tax and spending measure dubbed its “Big Beautiful Bill” passing restriction on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and cutting some SNAP costs to shift payments to states.

“Roughly 60% of our patients rely on SNAP benefits to feed their families, and with those benefits halted as of November 1, it will be a very difficult time for many in our community,” Heartland says. “Our Community Health Workers have been preparing to help connect patients to available local food resources, though those resources are limited. This is a time when our mission to support the most vulnerable becomes even more critical.”

The Big Beautiful Bill also was where Congress failed to extend ACA tax credits. The consequences is monthly ACA costs expected to increase by a median (or midpoint) of 18% based on proposed rates by private insurers, KFF health news says. However, the amount many individuals pay could go much higher – even doubling if the current tax credits expire as scheduled this month. Without the credits, premiums for those receiving the largest subsidies could increase by more than 70%. For example, enrollees in their 50s and early 60s – who already pay a lot for coverage – will probably have to pay much more, according to Cynthia Cox, KFF’s director of the Program on the ACA, who said an older couple making $85,000 a year could see their premiums skyrocket by more than $20,000 a year.

Such an increase could lead to major sacrifices for many people, from cutting back on other necessities, to just giving up health-insurance coverage.

In addition to that, the “Big Beautiful Bill” is cutting Medicaid by more than $880 billion, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Office, which estimated that that alone “will increase the number of people without health insurance by 7.5 million in 2034.” In 2023, Medicaid reimbursements meant 43% of CHC’s $46,7 billion in revenue, according to KFF – about $20 billion.

Outside of Washington, D.C., health care is the most important matter for Americans, according to a new poll from Reuters/Ipsos, which shows that, when asked “Which everyday expense do you want Congress to prioritize,” 31% of U.S. adults named health care. (Food and housing were next, both at 22%.)

Last year, the United States’ CHCs together got $4.4 billion in federal grants (The NACHC recommends $5.8 billion in yearly grants.) Long-term funding would give CHCs financial stability, and options could include state or local help.

“We’re not aware of specific state-level funding assistance, but we actively seek philanthropic and private donations to support our mission,” Heartland says. “Anyone interested in helping can visit our website to learn more about how to donate or partner with us to strengthen access to care.”

Some states, including Illinois, are trying to fill the gap. In June, Gov. JB Pritzker signed the state’s FY26 budget, which approved $40 million in General Revenue Funds for an increase in its Medicaid Prospective Payment System. This funding should help CHCs continue tp provide care for individuals who may lose health coverage or face other barriers to access.

Also, some centers are looking for other stakeholders such as physicians, clinics and insurers to support their mission.

Meanwhile, federal changes could mean directly or inadvertently throwing people off health coverage.

“Emergency rooms should not be the front line for primary care,” Heartland says, “but when people lose coverage or can’t afford to see a doctor, they often have no other choice.

“We never turn anyone away based on their ability to pay,” Heartland adds. “We will continue working to ensure patients have access to affordable, quality care and that we help reduce unnecessary ER visits whenever possible.”

Peoria Public Radio looking OK, plans to be sounding better

It’s been five months since Congress cancelled $1.1 billion in funding for public broadcasting at the request of the Trump administration – funding Congress previously approved. About 1,000 local stations have been negatively affected, according to media analyst Bob Sillick.

In central Illinois, WCBU-FM 89.9 is losing approximately $125,000 annually in federal funds (about 15% of its annual budget), and WTVP-TV 47 is losing some $1 million a year (about 30% of its annual budget).

At WCBU, its fundraising drive Sept. 29-Oct. 8 exceeded the National Public Radio affiliate’s goals of $50,000.

“The community showed up to support WCBU,” says R.C. McBride, the Executive Director and General Manager at WCBU and WGLT-FM 89.1.

“The community has been very supportive since rescission, and of course we will need that to continue.  Fundraising has gone well, but long-term viability will require a lot of ongoing effort and support.”

Challenges remain – as do opportunities.

“Stations shouldn’t count on being able to fundraise next year like they are now,” commented Alex Curley, a former public media producer and analyst. “Losing federal funding is a permanent condition. There are plenty of stations that may be financially stable today but not in three years. That’s why layoffs have started at stations that generate plenty of revenue. Stations aren’t just reacting to the immediate funding situation, but what will happen in the next four or five years.”

Nationally, some stations are trimming staff. WCBU has not laid off anyone but also hasn’t filled vacancies.

McBride, who’s also on NPR’s Board of Directors, says, “I’m cautiously optimistic we could add a full-time journalist position next fiscal year, but there’s just too much uncertainty to promise that.”

Other stations are cutting programming and a few are joining forces with other broadcasters, partnering in regional systems.

“In Illinois, all of our public radio and TV stations have been meeting regularly and have established a couple of project working groups,” McBride says. “We’re aligned on the end goal – reduce overhead so that individual stations can maintain, and eventually grow, service to their local communities.”

Meanwhile, work is underway to improve WCBU’s reception, in the next several months replacing its Studio-Transmitter Link, which sends studio sound to its transmitter.

“It should result in a noticeable improvement in audio quality on 89.9 as well as 89.9 HD-1 and 89.9 HD-2 (classical music),” McBride says. “It will also allow for us to place programming information – the title of the NPR news story that’s running, or the title and artist of the song that’s playing – onto car radio screens.”

Finally, stations in vulnerable communities, where the loss of funding can exceed 50%, hope to see some stability from a one-time $36.5 million commitment to public media from a group of charitable donors: the Ford Foundation, the Knight Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation, Pivotal Ventures, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundations and the Schmidt Family Foundation.