State of the Union previewPresident Barack Obama’s fi nal State of the Union address tonight likely will attempt to frame

the campaign to replace him, contrasting an optimistic vision of the country’s future with what he sees as the pessimism that’s pervasive in the Republi-can primary. A2

TIF funds to help East Bluff residents upgrade homesThird District Peoria City Councilman Tim Riggenbach stood at City Hall on Monday to announce $250,000 in 50-50 matching grants from TIF funds to help residents of owner-oc-cupied homes on the East Bluff to make home repairs and improvements. Homeowners can apply for up to $15,000 in city grants. B1

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The Jackson triplets, Spencer, left, Sterling, middle, and Sedrick pose in front of their alma mater, Peoria High School. The three have added Southern Illinois University to their resumes after graduation last year.

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Peoria triplets carve out their own paths after successful run at Southern Illinois University

BY PAM ADAMSOF THE JOURNAL STAR

PEORIA — When Sedrick, Spencer and Sterling Jackson graduated from Peoria High School in 2011, they knew exactly where they were going.

The Jackson triplets were head-ed to Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, where Sedrick planned to major in mechanical

engineering, Spencer planned a course that would lead to becom-ing a sports agent, and Sterling planned to study civil engineering.

They graduated from SIU in December. They were among the top in their graduating class in col-lege as they were in high school. (Sterling was a co-valedictorian at Peoria High.)

Except for one change, they’re following the plans they laid out in high school.

The triplets were in Peoria last week, one of the last times they were together before going in sepa-rate directions.

Sedrick, the stylish one, accord-ing to his brothers, left Saturday for Rockford, where he begins work as an associate electrical en-gineer at UTC Aerospace Systems. He’s the one who made the biggest career-changing decision in college — switching from mechanical to electrical engineering.

Spencer, who all three agree is the quiet one, will return to SIU for law school, another step in his plan to become a sports agent after graduating magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in sports administration.

PARTING WAYS

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE PEORIA ZOO

A pair of female lion cubs play together in December at the Peoria Zoo. Four lion cubs, a male and three females were born Dec. 4 at the zoo, but the male died a few days later. The sisters are now called 1010, 1011 and 1012, but the public will be asked to help name them later.

Survivors of litter are being weaned off bottle milk,

taught socialization skills

BY SCOTT HILYARDOF THE JOURNAL STAR

PEORIA — For now, the three sisters are called 1010, 1011 and 1012. Born on Dec. 4, the lion cubs are the newest residents of the Peoria Zoo and are the fi rst

offspring of Arthur and Lizzie, the adult lion couple who have lived together in the zoo’s Africa exhibit since the end of 2008.

And now they are parents.“We’re really excited

about it,” said zoo director Yvonne Strode on Monday. “(The cubs) are adorable.”

Zoo offi cials thought Lizzie might be pregnant in early November be-cause she was gaining a

little weight and because of other anatomical develop-ments. They put a camera on her in the enclosed birth-ing area, and at 9 a.m. Dec. 4, two cubs were observed next to her.

“At fi rst she did a great job cleaning them and letting them nurse and it looked like we were on Easy Street, everything was just working out so well,” Strode

Th ree lion cub sisters settle in at Peoria Zoo

Governor counters union’sclaims, says workers’ reps

canceled two sessions

BY DOUG FINKEOF GATEHOUSE MEDIA ILLINOIS

SPRINGFIELD — Gov. Bruce Rauner said Monday that negotiations between his administration and the larg-est state employee union are “not in a great place.”

However, the Repub-lican gov-ernor said he wants to continue negotiating with the union and that admin-istration negotiators are assessing their options.

“Contrary to some re-ports, we have not declared impasse at all,” Rauner said during a short interview marking his fi rst year in offi ce. “The union very ada-mantly rejected our merit-pay discussions. They can-celed the two sessions for negotiations we had sched-uled for this week. I don’t know why.”

Council 31 of the Ameri-can Federation of State, County and Municipal Em-ployees, which represents about 36,000 state workers, said Friday that the Rauner administration had de-clared an impasse in their months-long talks to secure a new labor agreement to replace the pact that ex-pired June 30. The union

Rauner: AFSCME talks not

at impasse

BRUCE RAUNER

STATE WORKERS

STARMANRock legend David Bowie

dies at 69 after battle with cancer, days after new album released.

OBITUARIES, A9

Please see TRIPLETS, Page A10

David Bowie on stage in 1995. (AP)

Cardinals sign Korean closerThe St. Louis Cardinals have signed Korean pitcher Seung-Hwan Oh, who was an effec-tive closer for the Hanshin Tigers in

Japan last season, to a one-year contract with a club option for a second year. The 33-year-old Oh had 41 saves last year and has 357 career saves. He’s expected to be a setup man. B1

SPORTS

Please see CUBS, Page A10

Please see RAUNER, Page A11