Father Michael Pica tells his vocation story during a stop at St. Mary School in Pontiac as part of “Priests Pedaling for Prayers.” To raise prayers for and awareness of vocations, three young priests of the Diocese of Peoria rode their bikes more than 340 miles across central Illinois from April 24 to April 28. The Catholic Post/Jennifer Willems

STATE

Law could require hike in new teachers’ salaries

Illinois could require school districts to give some teachers a raise, according to a new plan on the table. However, the measure does not provide any funding. 

Starting teachers could benefit from the proposed law. The average teacher salary in Illinois is $64,516, according to the Illinois State Board of Education. Starting teacher salaries are often about half that. The proposed plan would require schools to start teachers at $40,000 a year. 

Proponents of the measure say the bill would end Illinois’ teacher shortage. 

Lawmakers are expecting local schools to come up with this money on their own. And, some local school district officials say this is another unfunded mandate, and they don’t have the money to raise starting salaries. 

The teacher pay plan is expected to go to the full Illinois House for a possible vote. 

Wrigley Field scores bicentennial honors

Wrigley Field has earned a place in the celebration of Illinois’ bicentennial by being chosen as the state’s best building over the past 200 years. Illinois is putting together a Top 200 list of the best people, places and things in the state’s history. 

So far, voters have chosen the best movie, “The Blues Brothers;” best business, Archer Daniels Midland; and best invention and innovation, the steel plow.

Wrigley has been open for nearly half of the state’s life. Second place best-building honors went to the Dana Thomas House in Springfield. The Baha’i House of Worship in Wilmette came in as No. 3; the Willis Tower (former Sears Tower), No. 4; and the Roby House in Springfield, No. 5.

Voters now are choosing the best historic spots in the state, from 19 varied choices that include Route 66, Ronald Reagan’s boyhood home and Lincoln’s New Salem.

People can vote and see the winners at IllinoisTop200.com.

CENTRAL ILLINOIS

Students to pit robots in international competition

Central Illinois will be well represented when dozens of Peoria-area high school students join students from around the globe this coming weekend for the FIRST Robotics Competition world championship. The area students are part of four regional teams that qualified for the international event.

More than 400 teams will convene in Detroit in the coming days to pit machines designed and built over a six-week period against each other and in alliance with one another to score points by maneuvering milk-crate-sized cubes.

For the Tremont High School team, the voyage to Detroit amounts to a return trip. Tremont is already a world champion, having won the international event in 2016. The Roboteers this year are entering the global competition with three regional wins and a chairman’s award — the highest distinction for any team and a first for the team from Tremont.

Three other teams from the region also qualified and will attend the championship: Robot Casserole Team 1736, with members from Elmwood, Peoria, Brimfield and Chillicothe; Icarus Team 2018, with members from Metamora, Princeville and Peoria Notre Dame High School; and Argos Team 1756, with students from Limestone Community High School.

FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) released competition requirements and objectives in January, giving teams six weeks to strategize and design robots for a six-week competition season.

PEORIA

Airport continues to break records

March 2017 was the busiest month for passenger travel at Gen. Wayne A. Downing Peoria International Airport (PIA) until March 2018. Last month, 62,645 passengers used PIA, surpassing the 61,199 travelers who went through gates there a year earlier.

The high numbers can be attributed to travel related to spring break, which traditionally occurs during March.

Allegiant saw its traffic to its six destinations rise more than 15 percent over March 2017. Allegiant flies to four Florida cities — Destin, Orlando, Punta Gorda and Tampa/St. Petersburg — as well as to Las Vegas and Phoenix.

With leisure travel already growing by double digits, airport officials hope to increase the number of business travelers by encouraging businesspeople to make a conscious choice to use their hometown airport.

Neighborhoods gear up for April 28 cleanup

Eighteen neighborhood associations will host cleanup events during the 2018 Great American Cleanup April 28. Residents are encouraged to spend time picking up litter at their properties and across Peoria. Dumpsters will be in the neighborhoods from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. 

As part of the cleanup, Keep Peoria Beautiful will collect fax machines, copiers, telephones, batteries, keyboards, electronic mice, personal electronics, televisions and tires starting at 9 a.m. at Glen Oak Learning Center, 2100 N. Wisconsin Ave.

Residents can still volunteer to help by going to AppreciatePeoria.com or keeppeoriabeautiful.org. For more information, call Neighborhood Enhancement Coordinator Josiah Williams at 309-494.8636.

PeoriaCorps salutes its first graduates

The Department of Public Works honored the inaugural class of PeoriaCorps April 20, with an open house and graduation ceremony. The open house highlighted the successful completion of the first group and provided the public an opportunity to talk with PeoriaCorps members in their newly renovated space.

Launched in July 2017, the PeoriaCorps Program aims to provide a career track and opportunities for unemployed 18- to-24-year-olds. Corps members gained an opportunity to learn, through hands-on training, beautification skills, and how to apply green solutions, to develop and practice new skills. For six months, they worked on green infrastructure projects and earned credentials from the National Green Infrastructure Certification Program.

Mixer a network opportunity  for businesspeople

The Spring Startup Mixer hosted by Startup GP aims to connect local entrepreneurs, investors, mentors, service providers and others. Its objective is to engineer connectivity within the Greater Peoria startup community, in a social setting. The mixer will be held at 7-9 p.m. May 2 at GAR Hall, 416 Hamilton Blvd., Peoria. Register for the Startup Mixer at eventbrite.com/e/spring-startup-mixer-2018-tickets-45145858478. More than 100 people attended the last mixer.

–Peoria County News Briefs–