Jackie Joyner-Kersee speaks during the dedication ceremony for new SIUE Head Start/Early Head Start center named in her honor. (Photo courtesy SIU Edwardsville)

SIUE opens new Jackie Joyner-Kersee Head Start Center

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) opened its new Jackie Joyner-Kersee Head Start/Early Head Start May 25 in the SIUE East St. Louis Center. Joyner-Kersee, an Olympic gold medal winner and East St. Louis native, joined about 150 local dignitaries for a ribbon cutting and open house.

The SIUE East St. Louis Center was established by the university to help improve the lives of families and individuals – from preschool through adult – in the Metro East. In addition to the Head Start/Early Head Start program, the center is home to a charter high school and a comprehensive array of programs, services and training in the areas of education, health, social services and the arts.

Among those on hand for the dedication was four-year-old Vertruoz Young and her mother, Valerie Elizabeth Young, the 2016 Illinois and Region V Parent of the Year.

Amazon to open two Metro-East distribution centers with 1,000 workers  

Spokespersons for online retailing giant Amazon confirmed June 1 the company plans to open, not one but two, order fulfillment centers in Edwardsville.

The two new distribution centers will have a total of more than 1,000 full-time employees.

The fulfillment centers are planned for the Gateway Commerce Center and nearby Lakeview Commerce Center, both of which are located along Illinois 111, northwest of the intersection of I-255 and I-270.

Both fulfillment centers will span more than 700,000 square feet, according to a company statement.

One of the buildings will specialize in handling larger items like big-screen televisions, sports equipment or kayaks. The other building will handle smaller items such as books, toys and electronics, the company said.

Amazon did not release the projected cost of the two new distribution centers. The company also did not indicate when development of the two new distribution centers might begin or when they will open.

However, Gov. Bruce Rauner, in the statement, called Amazon’s investment in the Edwardsville centers “a commitment to the future of our state. Amazon brings more than a thousand great paying jobs to Madison County and strengthens Illinois’ position as a national hub for distribution and logistics.”

Prairie Farms confirms move to Edwardsville

Executives with Prairie Farms Dairy, Inc., confirmed May 31 they plan to relocate their corporate offices from Carlinville to Edwardsville. The company plans to construct a 30,000-square-foot, three-story office building on the west side of the Hortica Insurance & Employee Benefits headquarters, off Interstate 55. Hortica, a major provider of specialized insurance for the floral industry, is attempting to develop its campus as one of three major industrial parks in the Edwardsville area.

The new Prairie Farms headquarters is expected to have 80 to 100 full- time employees. The dairy cooperative, led by CEO Edward Mullins, is one of the region’s largest privately held companies, reporting $2.76 billion in revenue for 2015.

$3 million workforce training center to be built in Godfrey

Lewis and Clark Community College plans to break ground on a new workforce development building at its Godfrey campus later this year, thanks to a nearly $3.25 million gift from the estate of local resident Ed Weber.

The new Weber Workforce Center will not only allow the college the opportunity to expand its workforce training programming, but also immediately provide much needed space for one of its largest workforce programs – welding technology.

Weber’s gift allows the college to match a federal Title III endowment challenge gift that creates a $500,000 building endowment. The endowment will annually provide interest funds for operations and maintenance; keeping the new building off the college’s operating budget and the shoulders of district taxpayers, according to college President Dale Chapman.

Weber’s gift is the largest received to date received by the college’s foundation. Architects are completing the final design, with an expected construction start time in the fall of 2016. The center is slated to open by fall 2017.

VA town hall meeting set for Madison County

The U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs has scheduled a town hall meeting for military veterans, active duty military, National Guard, reservists and family members, June 14, 5 p.m. at the Madison County Courthouse, 157 N. Main St., in Edwardsville.

The town hall is free open to the public; no registration is required.

The VA will hold a concurrent resource fair with staff on-site to answer questions about healthcare eligibility, and the application process for benefits, as well as information on mental health services, burial benefits and more.

Congressional stakeholders, veterans service groups, non-government organizations and community groups are also expected to attend.

For more information on the town hall meeting, see the VA t. Louis Facebook page (www.facebook.com/VAStLouis).

East St. Louis taxes increase up to 400 percent

Property owners in East St. Louis and surrounding low-income communities have now find themselves paying bigger property tax bills than those in prosperous nearby communities such as Fairview Heights and O’Fallon, according to the East St. Louis Landlords Association.  

Property tax bills have in some cases increased 200 to 400 percent, association members said during a June 2 new conference. The organization of commercial and residential property owners fears many landlords may be driven out of business and forced to abandon properties.

Wade Wicks, vice president of the group, reports taxes on some of his buildings have increased from $2,400 to $9,400.  Association member Nathaniel Jeffries said taxes on one of two buildings he owns on State Street increased from $840 to $3,500.  

Taxes on the other jumped $3,500 in 2012 to nearly $7,000 this year, he said.

The group blames inappropriate property valuations by the St. Clair County Assessor and is trying arrange a meeting with county officials.

Rising property tax rates have often been cited as a factor in property abandonment, arson, and overall decline in the East St. Louis area.

–Metro East Area News Briefs–