Peoria County News Briefs

Chronicle Media

Anton Treuer, Bradley’s 2018 Armstrong speaker, will speak on Native Americans and their view of history and current issues on Nov. 28 at Westlake Hall, Room 116.

PEORIA

Sears hopes to keep local store open as it seeks buyer

Sears Holdings has identified a Sears store in Peoria as one of 11 in Illinois it seeks to keep open as it seeks a new buyer to continue operating a scaled down company.

The company identified the stories in a Bankruptcy Court filing last week, according to published reports.

The Sears store is located at Northwoods Mall. Other Sears stores that could remain open including downstate outlets in Fairview Heights and Cherry Valley, plus Chicago suburban  stores in Bloomingdale, Chicago Ridge, North Riverside, Oak Brook, Schaumburg and West Dundee plus Kmarts in suburban Bridgeview and Des Plaines.

Sears Holdings filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last month and offered a plan to sell its best-performing stores and keep them open. Separately, the company is in the process of liquidating a Sears in Joliet and Kmarts in Moline, Quincy and Norridge.

PEORIA

Entrepreneurial conference on Nov. 29 at Bradley

An  Entrepreneurial Ecosystem & Convergence Conference on Thursday, Nov. 29 at Bradley University will provide the community an opportunity to learn about getting involved in the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the Greater Peoria Area.

Developed by the Turner School of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Bradley, attendees will learn about the ecosystem, resources, investors, red tape, pitfalls, and how we can better work together in the region.

Three nationally known entrepreneurs and subject matter experts will talk about building that community ecosystem, the obstacles they overcame in achieving their successful ventures, and why it is vital to cross boundaries and disciplines.

The event is open to the public and free of charge, seating will be limited, and RSVP’s are required.

Sessions are scheduled from 9 a.m.-1:30 p.m. in the Peplow Pavilion of the Hayden-Clark Alumni Center. Lunch will be provided.

Visit https://www.bradley.edu/eecc for more information.

REGION

LaHood, Davis reveal funding for lock and dam work

U.S. Reps. Darin LaHood (R-Ill.) and Rodney Davis (R-Ill.) last week announced that the Trump administration will provide the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers with $57.5 million to continue major rehabilitation work at the LaGrange Lock and Dam in Versailles, located on the Illinois River south of Beardstown.

Earlier this year, LaHood and Davis announced the initial $10 million allocated for FY 2018 to begin this project.

“Our lock and dam systems on the Illinois River are critically important in getting our products to market and rehabilitation projects like this are much needed to ensure products can move effectively and efficiently around the world,” LaHood said in a statement. “Inland waterway systems are vital to our agriculture economy in central and west-central Illinois and I was pleased to work alongside my friend Rodney Davis to ensure the $57.5 million was included for the La Grange Lock in the FY 2019 Work plan.”

The LaGrange Lock is the southernmost lock on the Illinois River and accommodates a heavy amount of barge traffic, the majority of which includes agricultural commodities. It was placed into service in 1939 and currently requires major rehabilitation of concrete, electrical, and mechanical systems.

The lock last underwent major rehabilitation work in 1988. More than 60 percent of all U.S. grain exports move through locks on the Upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers including LaGrange, but due to their age, reliability has become a significant issue in recent years.

ILLINOIS

Unemployment rates increase in most regions

Unemployment rates increased over-the-year in October in 12 of Illinois’s metropolitan areas — including Peoria — and decreased in two, according to preliminary data released recently by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES).

Data also show non-farm jobs increased in 10 of the metropolitan areas.

“The unemployment rate increased over the year in most metro areas across the state,” said IDES Director Jeff Mays. “The increases were mostly due to more people reentering the job market and not immediately securing a job.”

Illinois businesses added jobs in ten metro areas, with the largest increases in: Kankakee (+5.7 percent, +2,700), the Quad Cities (+2.0 percent, + 3,700), and Lake (+1.8 percent, +7,400). Total non-farm jobs in the Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights Metro Division increased (+0.8 percent or +29,400). Illinois businesses lost jobs in three metro areas: Carbondale- Marion (-0.7 percent, -400), Springfield (-0.4 percent, -400), and Peoria (-0.1 percent, -100). Bloomington was unchanged.

The industry sectors recording job growth in the majority of metro areas included Manufacturing (11 of 14), Professional and Business Services (11 of 14), Transportation, Warehousing and Utilities (9 of 14), Education and Health Services (9 of 14), Mining and Construction (8 of 14), and Wholesale Trade (8 of 14). 

Not seasonally adjusted data compares October 2018 with October 2017. The not seasonally adjusted Illinois rate was 4.2 percent in October 2018 and stood at 12.2 percent at its peak in this economic cycle in January 2010. Nationally, the not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 3.5 percent in October 2018 and 10.6 percent in January 2010 at its peak.

The unemployment rate identifies those who are out of work and looking for work and is not tied to collecting unemployment insurance benefits.

PEORIA

Children’s hospital set annual toy drop off

Even just one toy can bring a smile to a sick child. A new game, an action figure, blanket or stuffed animal often means the difference between a good day in the hospital and a bad one, especially during the holidays when children miss so much and many families struggle financially.

OSF HealthCare Children’s Hospital of Illinois’ annual toy donation drop-off day on Dec. 1 will help ensure a child has a gift to lift their spirits at Christmas and throughout the year. Toys of all kinds will be accepted along with books, school supplies, blankets and craft supplies.

Gift drop-off is available from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. in the lobby of OSF HealthCare Children’s Hospital of Illinois.

Visitors can call  holiday music, hot chocolate and cookies, make a craft and see Santa Claus.

For more information call the OSF HealthCare Foundation office at (309) 566-5666.

PEORIA

2018 Armstrong Speaker to talk on Native Americans

In this politically correct era, many people want to learn more about Native Americans and their view of history and current issues but are afraid to ask. Anton Treuer, Bradley’s 2018 Armstrong speaker, seeks to change that.

A member of the Ojibwe nation from Leech Lake Reservation in northern Minnesota and professor of Ojibwe at Bemidji State University in Minnesota, Treuer will speak on the topic of his 2012 publication, Everything You Wanted to Know About Indians But Were Afraid to Ask. Treuer promises a thoughtful conversation on the political and cultural issues important to Native American communities.

The lecture will take place in Westlake Hall, Room 116 at 7 p.m. on Nov. 28.

PEORIA

ICC hosts Health Career Exploration day Dec. 3

Illinois Central College will host a Health Careers Exploration Fair for potential students to explore its state-of-the-art facilities and career program options on Mon., Dec. 3 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm at the ICC Peoria Campus, located at 5407 N. University St., Peoria. Registration begins at 5 pm in Cedar Hall. The event is free and open to the public.

High school students and their parents, as well as anyone who is interested in learning more about health careers, are encouraged to attend. Participants will have the opportunity to hear from faculty and program directors from ICC Health Careers disciplines, including dental hygienist, emergency medical technician, licensed practical nurse, massage therapist, medical assistant, medical coder, medical lab technician, medical office administrative assistant, nursing assistant, occupational therapist assistant, paramedic, phlebotomist, physical therapist assistant, radiographer, registered nurse, respiratory therapist, and surgical technologist. Tours of classrooms and state-of-the-art lab spaces also will be available.

Advanced registration is requested. Visit icc.edu/calendar/event/health-careers-exploration/#register to register.

 

 

–Peoria County News Briefs–