HARRISBURG, IL – State Sen. Dale Fowler (R-Harrisburg), a longtime proponent of agricultural education, has been appointed to the newly created Agriculture Education Shortage Task Force which aims to address the ongoing teacher shortages in agriculture education.

“In 2016, high schools in Illinois had 85 openings for agriculture teachers, but universities in Illinois graduated only 21 agriculture education majors. Of those, only 14 went on to teach,” said Fowler. “Agriculture is a vital industry in Illinois. We have to do what we can to encourage students to go into this field.”

The Agriculture Education Shortage Task Force has been charged with studying various aspects of this shortage including the current number of licensed agriculture teachers and the number of graduates from an agriculture education program in recent years. The members have also been asked to come up with recommendations for teacher recruitment and reforming licensure barriers, as well as participation in federal programs aimed at recruitment and retention.

The Task Force will be composed of legislators, current secondary and higher education agriculture educators, as well as various other agricultural stakeholders. A report of the Task Force’s findings is due to the General Assembly by January 1, 2019.

“I want to thank Senate Republican Leader Bill Brady for appointing me to this Task Force so we can get to the root of the problem,” said Fowler. “I look forward to digging further into this issue to ensure that agriculture education in Illinois continues to be available to future generations.”

The Following Preliminary Information is Being Released by Illinois State Police District 13

WHAT: Eight Vehicle Personal Injury Traffic Crash

WHERE: I57 South Bound at Mile Post 92, Jefferson County

WHEN: Friday, October 20, 2017 at 11:48 A.M.

VEHICLES: 2006 Kenworth in 5 axle combination, 2005 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, 2015 Freightliner in 5 axle combination, 2010 Nissan Altima, 2000 Honda Odyssey, 2015 Jeep Wrangler, 2016 Freightliner in 5 axle combination, and a 2008 Pontiac Solstice

DRIVERS: Kenworth – Eulalio Alvarez, a 61 year old male of Edcouch, TX –Uninjured.
Chevrolet – Billy R. Olden, a 73 year old male of Kinmundy, IL – Uninjured.
2015 Freightliner – Zekeria A. Hassan, a 25 year old male of Nashville, TN – Uninjured.
Nissan – Lavondra D. Smith, a 49 year old female of Horn Lake, MS – Minor injuries – Transported via ambulance to a local hospital.
Honda – Martin Ramirez Torres, a 33 year old male of Kirkland, WA – Uninjured.
Jeep – Greg M. Culp, a 50 year old male of Mattoon, IL – Uninjured.
2016 Freightliner – John P. Quaintance, a 62 year old male of Owatanna, MN – Uninjured.
Pontiac – Connie L. Browning, a 55 year old female of Lake Saint Louis, MO – Uninjured.

PASSENGERS: Honda – Bertha Mungia, a 32 year old female of Joliet, IL – Minor injuries – Transported via ambulance to a local hospital.
Honda – Iridian G. Gonzalez, a 19 year old female of Cicero, IL – Uninjured.
Honda – Graciela Hernandez, a 57 year old female of Joliet, IL – Uninjured.
Honda – a 5 year old female of Joliet, IL – Uninjured.
Honda – a 9 year old female of Joliet, IL – Uninjured.
Jeep – Jackie L. Culp, a 51 year old female of Mattoon, IL – Uninjured.
Pontiac – Sandra M. Wagner, a 50 year old female of Dardenne Prairie, MO – Uninjured.

PRELIMINARY: Preliminary investigative details indicate all vehicles were south bound on I57 at mile post 92. All vehicles except for the Kenworth were either slowed to a near stop or were completely stopped due to a traffic back up from the bridge construction project located at mile post 89. The 2015 Freightliner was in the center of the three lanes. The Chevrolet was in the right lane of the three. The Kenworth was in the center lane and it’s driver failed to perceive the stopped traffic in time. He swerved to the right avoid striking the rear of the 2015 Freightliner and struck the rear of the Chevrolet. The hood of the Kenworth, which sustained heavy damage in the collision, flew upward blocking the Kenworth’s driver’s view. Disoriented, he then swerved left and struck the right front corner of the 2015 Freightliner. After passing the 2015 Freightliner, the Kenworth continued on, collecting the Nissan, Honda, Jeep, 2016 Freightliner and Pontiac in a chain reaction style crash as it proceeded down the lane marker between the center and right lanes.

All vehicles except for the Jeep and the Pontiac were towed from the scene due to damage. The roadway was closed for approximately 2.5 hours for crash investigation and scene clean up. During the clean-up, all south bound traffic was diverted off of the interstate at the I57 South bound Exit 95 – Illinois Route 15.

CHARGES: Eulalio Alvarez was charged with Failure to Reduce Speed to Avoid a Crash.

All subjects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Marion, IL – State Representative Dave Severin (R-Benton) met with members of his Tourism advisory committee on Thursday to discuss some of the biggest issues facing local tourism.

Among the issues discussed were the plans for reopening both Rend Lake Resort and the Tourism Information Center which has been closed down due to construction on the north and south bound rest stops on I-57.

“It has been frustrating having both the Rend Lake Resort, and the Tourism Information Centers closed for as long as they have,” Severin said. “That being said we are working closely with state agencies on both of these issues and keeping an open dialogue with the committee and others involved in tourism that have been impacted by the closures.”

Shannon Johnson, CEO of visitSI, heads up the advisory committee and has enjoyed the improved communication the committee has helped provide for tourism throughout the district.

“Southern Illinois as a whole has so much to offer as a tourist destination,” Shannon said. “We have to be using all our resources though and make sure they are complimenting each other. I think the committee has done a good job of opening lines of communication between groups that otherwise would not be working together as they are now.”

The group meets on a quarterly basis with the most recent meeting held at Walkers Bluff. Their next meeting will be in January.