Rend Lake – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Rend Lake is announcing that the Rend Lake Dam Road will be closed to all through traffic from April 16 through mid-morning on April 23, 2018 so that contractors may safely repave and restripe the road.

The area affected begins at the intersection of the Dam Road and Rend City Road and ends on the east side of the Spillway Bridge, including River Road.  Access to the South Marcum Boat Ramp, Spillway Recreation Area, Spillway Dedication Lot, and the Rend Lake Bike Trail will remain open during the closure. Watch for closure signs at Sugar Creek parking lot and the west entrance to the Rend Lake Dam Road. The staff of the Corps of Engineers at Rend Lake reminds you to exercise caution when near these areas as construction will be taking place.

Updated information on this project will be posted on the Rend Lake Project Office/Visitor Center Facebook page.  For further information, contact the Rend Lake Project Office and Visitor Center at 618-724-2493.

Discusses legislative agenda at Illinois Chamber of Commerce Luncheon

SPRINGFIELD — At the Illinois Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Annual Luncheon on April 11, Gov. Bruce Rauner reiterated his call for the legislature to pass a balanced budget without new taxes.  He said that restoring the fiscal integrity is a critical first step in revitalizing the state’s economy and delivering more jobs.

“I’ve asked the four legislative leaders to meet with me to agree that we need a full year plan that is based on certified revenue projections and a pledge to spend within our means,” Rauner said. “If we can pair a balanced budget with tax relief, a new era of business, job and personal income growth is sure to begin.”

In February, the governor presented a balanced, 12-month budget plan to the legislature. His plan halts deficit spending and puts the state on path to fiscal accountability and tax reductions in the years ahead. He also told Chamber members that passing a comprehensive pension reform package could produce up to a $1 billion tax roll back in FY19.

Rauner said that the goal of his economic development measures is to entice business investment and attract growth companies to Illinois. He said economic growth was the only way to reverse the outmigration of people and businesses from the state. Illinois was the only state in the Midwest to suffer population declines last year.

Illinois Chamber of Commerce President Todd Maisch echoed the need for a fiscally healthier climate in the state. 

“Our members want to keep and grow their businesses in Illinois, but this legislative session they need to see that Illinois is heading down a better fiscal track,” IL Chamber President Todd Maisch said. “Unbalanced budgets create uncertainty, which drives away valuable long-term business investment and job opportunities. Sound tax and fiscal policy resulting from this session would do wonders for the Illinois business community.”

The governor also thanked the ICC for its role in honoring the state’s milestone 200^th year. The Illinois Chamber Foundation intakes and disburses Bicentennial funds and provides administrative support for related functions.

On April 10, 2018 Benton Police responded to a report of a suspicious vehicle in the 1200 block of North Main Street.  Upon investigating and a subsequent search of the vehicle, police arrested Brandon M. Rasch, age 28, of Centralia for possession of a firearm without a valid FOID card.  Rasch was charged and transported to the Franklin County Jail for further processing.

A Republican lawmaker who wants to eliminate Algonquin Township in McHenry County is one step closer. 

Here’s a link to the story at Illinois News Network.

Illinois lawmakers are once again going to debate whether to let schools post public notices online rather than in the local newspaper. 

Here’s the link to the story at Illinois News Network.

SPRINGFIELD (April 9, 2018) —Gov. Bruce Rauner has appointed Tom Britton, a retired Southern Illinois University (SIU) Vice Chancellor, to SIU’s Board of Trustees. 

“Tom has dedicated his life to public higher education and Southern Illinois University,” Rauner said. “His connection to university staff, students and alumni, along with his proven track record in the advancement of higher education, make him uniquely qualified for this important position.”

Britton began his life-long relationship with SIU as a student, earning his B.A., M.S.Ed, and J.D. at the university in Carbondale before entering the administration. He was named to his first Vice Chancellor/Vice President post at age thirty-six and spent seventeen years in the University’s central administration, serving as Administrative Counsel to the SIU Board of Trustees, Executive Assistant to the President, Vice Chancellor/President for Administration, and Vice Chancellor for Institutional Advancement.

In 1992 he became the first SIU Law graduate to be named Associate Dean at the School of Law where he went on to serve as Acting Dean, Associate Professor, Director of Graduate Studies and Director of Development before retiring to private practice in 2016.

He has served as a senior consultant to the Illinois State Board of Education and trained administrative law judges on cases involving special need students.

“I earned three degrees at SIU and spent approximately forty years as an administrator and a teacher with the university. I am honored to serve on the Board of Trustees at a time when clearly-focused, intentional leadership at the policy level is so needed,” Britton said.

The Governor’s nomination was officially filed with the Secretary of State on April 9, 2018, and is expected to go before the Senate for approval this spring.

CHICAGO– Governor Bruce Rauner today framed his legislative agenda for the upcoming session of the IllinoisGeneral Assembly around two key imperatives: a truly balanced, full-year FY19 budget. To start the process, Rauner asked House and Senate leaders to meet with him to agree on budget basics like certifying FY19 revenues and spending within the state’s means.

“Our administration presented a balanced 12-month budget plan to the legislature in February,” Rauner said. “It calls for an end to deficit spending and legislation to grow our economy and create new jobs. It is a solid plan that puts us on a path toward fiscal accountability and the prospect of tax reductions in the years ahead.”

The Governor said that the legislature could cut the income tax by as much as a billion dollars if it has the courage to enact comprehensive pension reform using Senate President John Cullerton’s consideration model, which won bipartisan support in the Senate last year but stalled in the House.

“Pension expenses take up 25% of our budget and the costs are rising at unsustainable rates,” Rauner said. “As a result, we have fewer dollars for education, human services, public safety, and infrastructure.”

Rauner, who laid out his agenda at a press conference this morning, also wants legislators to address the state’s crushing property tax burden. Illinoisans pay the highest rates in the Midwest.

“The system traps people in their homes, vaporizes their equity, drives mortgages under water, and in some cases, pushes people out of our state. We have to fix it,” he said.

The Governor favors a property tax freeze along with citizens empowerment legislation that encourages consolidation of units of local government and gives local governments the tools needed to control and lower costs.

Ready to work with the General Assembly

Rauner, flanked by Lt. Governor Evelyn Sanguinetti and Senate Republican Leader Bill Brady, made it clear that he is willing to work with both sides of the aisle to bring the state’s 12-month spending in line with annual state revenue.

“Recognizing that Illinois wage earners are taxed out, we are open to any approach that will help resolve the state’s precarious financial condition provided tax increases are not part of the plan,” he said. “We’ve already gone down that path, and it doesn’t work.”

Brady agreed. “We must avoid the mistakes of the past,” he said. “The Governor has presented a balanced budget proposal. It’s a start, and we are open to working on other budget proposals as long as they don’t include another tax increase on the backs of Illinois families and is balanced.”

House Republican Leader Jim Durkin added, “It is our constitutional duty as members of the General Assembly to come up with a revenue estimate as we begin the budgeting process. Without this, we will continue to spend outside our means which will result in more tax increases for Illinois taxpayers. This is unacceptable and we must do better.”

Rauner cited the state’s dismal economic performance and unprecedented outmigration of businesses and income producers as evidence that the status quo is not an acceptable solution. He said that the template for growth in jobs and personal income exists in the states on Illinois borders.

“Low taxes, business friendly economic policies, and constraints on the growth of government spending are their competitive advantages,” he said. “It is time for Illinois lawmakers to take notice and pass legislation that gets us back in the game. The people of Illinois deserve a better economic shake.”

Public safety strategy

Along with his balanced budget, tax reduction, and economic development priorities, the Governor highlighted the need for a comprehensive public safety strategy to ensure the security of all Illinois citizens. He noted that a bipartisan legislative working group met at his urging last week to begin discussions on critical issues of school safety, gun trafficking, mental health and crime prevention.

“Keeping people safe is a mission we can all agree on,” he said. “Based on reports from the first working group meeting, I am optimistic that we can agree on a set of responses to many of the core concerns and root causes of violence in our state.”

Rauner also wants to see legislative action on the opioid epidemic. He and Sanguinetti, who leads the Governor’s Opioid Task Force, want the General Assembly to pass legislation to enhance the state’s war against the proliferation of opioids and opioid addictions and deaths.

“Opioid abuse is causing thousands of deaths in Illinois each year and costing us millions of dollars in healthcare and emergency services,” said Sanguinetti. “We’re focused on saving lives, but we need legislation so we can responsibly limit opioid prescriptions, restrict access to addictive drugs, and address treatment protocols.”

House Republican Leader Jim Durkin is supportive. “The legislature must continue to be tough on crime but smart on crime as well,” Durkin said. “Opioid abuse is a national health crisis. It affects every region and demographic in our state. We must do our part in Illinois.”

Restoring public trust in government

Restoring trust is a top administration priority. “Term limits will help eliminate the corruption and abuses of power that tarnish state government,” Rauner said. “That’s why we intend to introduce term limit legislation … again. It is what a vast majority of people want, and it is time for legislators to put it on the ballot and let voters decide.

“Our Administration has begun the work of rooting out corruption in state government, but there is still plenty of work to be done,” the Governor said.

Senate Republican Leader Brady has sponsored legislation calling for an independent legislative inspector general to deal with sexual harassment and hostile workplace issues affecting the General Assembly.

Similar bills have been introduced in the House with the support of House Leader Durkin. In addition, Durkin filed legislation to create a sexual harassment hotline for all Illinois residents to provide victims with the necessary tools to safely and proactively report instances of harassment in the workplace.

Rauner and the Republican leaders will introduce additional legislative measures this week to address budget, tax reduction and other reforms.

(BENTON-ILLINOIS)

On Thursday, April 19,  from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Rend Lake Visitor Center there will be a Franklin County Community Event to discuss how substance and opioid misuse issues are affecting the community.  This free event will include a screening of ‘The Anonymous People’, a documentary film about recovery; a community discussion led by Moderator Bradley Bullock of TASC and a panel of local experts; free Narcan training conducted by April Scales of  Egyptian Health Department; and the Hidden in Plain Sight Display hosted by Michelle Bertinetti of the Gateway Foundation.

Light snacks and beverages will be provided at the event as well as information about community resources available to address substance misuse and treatment options in the region.  The goal of this event is to not only provide information for citizens of Franklin County about resources available in the area, but also to facilitate a conversation about substance misuse issues in order to help reduce the stigma surrounding this issue. This event has been organized by a group of concerned citizens, organizations, and law enforcement in Franklin County with help from the SIU School of Medicine’s Center for Rural Health and Social Service Development.  The documentary film has been provided by Southern Illinois Healthcare’s (SIH) Community Benefits Department.  The Rend Lake Visitor Center is located at 11981 Rend City Road, Benton, IL