May 3, 2021
NORMAL, Ill. (AP) – Illinois will spend $15 million on two academies that will train hundreds of workers in advanced manufacturing skills, with the first students enrolling later this year. Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s office said the advanced manufacturing academies will be located at Heartland Community College in the central Illinois community of Normal and at Southwestern Illinois College in Belleville, near St. Louis. The $15 million comes from Illinois’ capital plan. Other funding will come from regional partners and employers such as Rivian, which has an electronic vehicle assembly plant in Normal.
Wayne County Crime Stoppers is offering a reward for the person or persons who stole a black 2 week old angus calf from Christopher Gill. The calf was taken from property he rents. Call or text crime stoppers at 842-9777. An Indiana woman has pleaded guilty to staging her own kidnapping. Gibson County Judge this week ordered 24-year-old Hannah Potts to complete 120 hours of community service after she pleaded guilty to false informing. Judge Jeffrey F. Meade also sentenced Potts to 360 days in jail, but that was suspended to probation. Joshua Thomas, 45, and Maria Hopper, 35, also previously pleaded guilty and received probation. An Illinois Manufacturers Association initiative to create advanced training academies has come to fruition after two years. The new training facilities will be established at Heartland Community College in Normal, and Southwestern Illinois College in Metro East. State funds will be met with $4.95 million in matching commitments for capital projects, as well a
Staff report
Central Illinois Veterans Commission
The Central Illinois Veterans Commission seeks support to match $30,000 pledged by two anonymous donors who want to help Central Illinois veterans.
Any sized gift made to the CIVC - from $5 to $5,000 or more, will be matched up to a total of $30,000. Funds raised will support the CIVC’s efforts to construct “tiny houses” in Lincoln, IL designed to provide transitional and/or permanent housing to homeless veterans.
If the matching challenge is successful, $60,000 will be available to construct the first two proposed tiny houses on the corner of 6th and College Streets in Lincoln. The CIVC tiny house initiative is modeled after the Veterans Community Project located in St. Louis [https://tinyurl.com/yydnfsz2], which features a mix of single-occupancy, 240-square foot and 320-square foot, fully furnished homes.
An Illinois Manufacturers Association initiative to create advanced training academies has come to fruition after two years.
A $15 million investment through the Rebuild Illi
The governor’s office unveiled a 900-page energy overhaul bill Wednesday, accelerating a yearslong process which advocates hope will end in a comprehensive clean energy platform as the session nears its final month.
The stated goal of the bill is to drive Illinois to 100 percent “clean” energy by 2050. That, Deputy Gov. Christian Mitchell said in an interview Wednesday, would include nuclear power as a major contributor. Another goal is to bring Illinois to 40 percent of its utility scale energy produced by renewables, such as wind and solar, by 2030. Right now, that number is around 8 percent.
The bill contains some of the provisions put forth in other legislation, raising the rate cap on ratepayer bills for renewable projects from about 2 percent to 3.75 percent; ending formulaic rate increases for utilities immediately; and prohibiting natural gas companies from assessing a surcharge on bills starting January 2022.