Woodford County News Briefs

Chronicle Media
(left to right) Shannon Ramsay, Trees Forever’s CEO and founding president; Rhonda Ferree, University of Illinois Extension educator; Julia Pryor, Extension Master Gardener program coordinator; Debbie Fluegel, Trees Forever program manager. The Extension’s Fulton-Mason-Peoria-Tazewell Unit was given the Partner Award. (Photo courtesy University of Illinois Extension)

(left to right) Shannon Ramsay, Trees Forever’s CEO and founding president; Rhonda Ferree, University of Illinois Extension educator; Julia Pryor, Extension Master Gardener program coordinator; Debbie Fluegel, Trees Forever program manager. The Extension’s Fulton-Mason-Peoria-Tazewell Unit was given the Partner Award. (Photo courtesy University of Illinois Extension)

STATE

Unemployment down slightly from a year ago

The statewide jobless rate came in at 5.6 percent for May, down slightly from May 2015 according to the, compared to 5.7 percent in May 2015, according to the Illinois Department of Employment Security.        

The state as a whole gained 33.500 jobs in May, with a total employment of 6,035,400 in May compared to 6,001,900 in May 2015.

A breakdown of jobless rates by county were 5.8 percent DeWitt; 5.2 percent, McLean; 6.5 percent, Peoria; 6.3 percent, Tazewell; 5.2 percent, Woodford; 6.7 percent, LaSalle; 5.3 percent, Livingston; and 5.2 percent, Logan.

The Bloomington Metropolitan area, along with the Carbondale-Marion and the Quad Cities areas, saw losses for May·        

Illinois added jobs in the metropolitan areas of Lake-Kenosha, Rockford, Elgin, among others.

Most of the new jobs were created in education and health services, retail trade, leisure and hospitality, and transportation, warehousing and utilities, according to the state.

Major road projects saved from shut down

Construction jobs and projects in the Peoria area are set to receive nearly $5 million in state funding as a result of the General Assembly passing a stop-gap budget on June 30.

The legislation comes as the Illinois Department of Transportation recently announced it would be forced to cease all road construction due to the lack of state funding.

“Maintaining Illinois Infrastructure is vital to the people and the economy of Illinois,” said State Senator Dave Koehler (D-Peoria).  “We voted to keep our road crews on the job and to keep drivers safe on Illinois roads.”  .

Without the budget, the reconstruction of Interstate 474/Interstate 155 near Morton and the resurfacing of Interstate 474 in Tazewell County would have been suspended. Additional local projects would halt without the funding as well.

Senate Bill 2047 includes $2.4 million for Peoria County, $2 million for Tazewell County and $546,000 for Fulton County collected from taxes local motorists pay at the pump.

Spoon River College, located in Canton, will also receive $7 million to construct a multi-purpose building on campus.

The measure, Senate Bill 2047, passed 54-0 but must be signed by the governor to become law.

PEKIN     

Swimmer sets the pace for summer season

A 10-year-old swimmer made a big splash June 11 in the Eureka Invitational at Eureka College when he received first place overall in each of his individual events against seven swim teams. Jackson Campbell, swimming for the Pekin Park District Water Dragons, won by swimming a 30.27 in the 50 freestyle, a 15.13 in the 25 butterfly, and 1:16.58 in his 100 IM. 

The event was the team’s first meet, and Jackson’s accomplishments kicked off the Water Dragons’ summer season. 

For more information regarding swimming registration or Pekin Park District programs, call (309) 347-7275 or visit www.pekinparkdistrict.org or www.facebook.com/ppdrecreation.

MORTON

Super Cruise gets into gear July 9

The Morton Downtown Super Cruise will be held at 4 p.m. July 9. Since 2004, the village of Morton has been the location for the one-day Vintage Car Cruise.

More than 500 cars manufactured from 1930 to 2013 converge upon the village for the six-hour event, which draws about 1,200 visitors annually. Music from the 1950s fills the streets and great all-American food is served in the local restaurants. There are no entry fee for cars and no admission fee for the public.

METAMORA

Summer concert at Park on the Square

The Aristocrats will perform a free concert 7:30 p.m. July 8 at the bandstand in the Park on the Square, Metamora. The Metamora Community Band will perform July 15.

The concert, and all other summer concerts, is sponsored by the village of Metamora. The public is invited to attend and bring their own lawn chairs, although bleacher-type seating is available. An ice cream social is held with each concert.

REGIONAL

U of I Extension honored for its commitment to trees

University of Illinois Extension, Fulton-Mason-Peoria-Tazewell Unit’s interest in trees netted the Extension staff a Partner Award winners at Trees Forever’s annual celebration and awards dinner.

Trees Forever Program Manager Debbie Fluegel nominated the group because of its willingness to do whatever is needed to foster the use and health of trees.

Rhonda Ferree and Julia Pryor accepted the award for the group June 16 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Ferree and Pryor, along with fellow Extension staffers Christine Belless and Jason Haupt, have assisted with and recruited their Extension Master Naturalists and Master Gardeners to help with a tree inventory and several tree plantings following the 2013 tornado in Washington, Ill. They also partnered with Trees Forever, Alliance for Community Trees and CSX Transportation on a riparian buffer to replant Riverfront Park in Havana, Ill.

Trees Forever is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to planting trees, encouraging volunteer and youth involvement and environmental stewardship. In Illinois for more than 15 years, Trees Forever and its partners have planted 926,000 trees and shrubs, with nearly 4,500 acres of buffers.

Rules of the Road classes for senior citizens

Illinois Department of Transportation figures show that senior citizens 65 and older accounted for 3.2 percent of serious injury car crashes statewide in 2014, according to the most recent numbers available. Because of this situation, the Secretary of State’s office offers several driver refresher courses for older drivers.

Upcoming courses in Tazewell County will be conducted 1:30 p.m. July 15 at the East Peoria Civic Complex, adjacent to Fondulac District Library, 400 Richland St., East Peoria, and July 20 at the Miller Senior Citizens’ Center, 551 S. 14th St., Pekin. Call (309) 346-5210 for class times and other details. 

In Illinois, at age 75 and older, seniors must take a road exam each time they renew their licenses. At age 81 and older, they must come to a driver services facility every two years to retest. At age 87 and older, they must come in every year and retest. Last year 4,852 seniors attended 794 Rules of the Road classes offered by the Secretary of State.

–Woodford County News Briefs–