Tazewell County News Briefs

Chronicle Media

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. 

CENTRAL ILLINOIS

Airport continues to break records

March 2017 was the busiest month for passenger travel at Gen. Wayne A. Downing Peoria International Airport 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.

TREMONT

Students to pit robots in international competition

Tremont High School students will be looking for another world title when they and other Central Illinois 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 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.

EAST PEORIA

City selling garbage cans for future recycling program

East Peoria is gearing up for an enhanced recycling program that will begin next year with the purchase of more than 3,000 wheeled garbage carts.

The $166,044 bill for the 3,120 96-gallon carts will be paid by residents who purchase a container for $60 each.

The city now picks up recyclable materials that are placed at the curb in 18-gallon bins every week. The new program, which will begin July 2019, adds glass to the list of approved recyclable materials. Collection will be every other week. Residents won’t be required to recycle, but all recycling will be done using only the new, blue-lidded containers. Residents may purchase containers privately if they prefer, or retrofit a garbage container they already own by painting the lid blue.

Each new container will be stamped with an East Peoria logo and be equipped with a radio frequency chip that will enable the city to collect data about recycling participation.

About 320 residents have already ordered a recycling container. Residents can place orders online at the city’s website, cityofeastpeoria.com, or in person at the public works department.

Recycling materials will continue to be picked up every week in the bins until the new program starts next year.

The council also has approved the purchase of a garbage truck equipped to pick up the new containers.

WASHINGTON

City has farm land it wants to sell

Washington is selling farm land it owns, and is accepting bids on the sale. Bid specifications packets and bid forms may be obtained at the City Clerk’s office, Washington City Hall, 301 Walnut St., or by calling the city administrator at 309-444-1123.

Bids must be submitted on an authorized bid form and must be delivered to City Hall. Potential buyers are urged to submit bids as soon as possible.

Bids will be opened and considered immediately upon receipt by the city clerk. Bids shall remain valid for 30 days from the date the bid is submitted. The city reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bids.

 

–Tazewell County News Briefs–