Changes at the Board of Election Commissioners

The chief judge of the Tenth Judicial Circuit is the appointing authority for the five commissioners serving on the Peoria County Board of Election Commissioners (PCBEC), which was formed in 2015.

The change comes from a county wide referendum in which voters approved of creating a more efficient and economical manner of conducting elections throughout Peoria County.

The result of the referendum merged functions previously performed by the City of Peoria Election Commission and the Peoria County Clerk.

The chief judge’s office wishes to announce the following changes to the PCBEC:

1. David B. Collins has resigned his position as commissioner due to a change in employment that will prevent him from being able to serve further. Collins has served with distinction as a charter member of the commission and as its chairman for the past three years and leaves in excellent standing.

He has led the commission through the nuances of numerous election cycles with aplomb. He will be missed.

2. James J. Manning, a local attorney with Heyl Royster, has been chosen by chief judge Paul P. Gilfillan to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Collins. Manning is a Peoria native with 27 years of legal experience. He has also served on various non-profit boards and charitable organizations in the Peoria community as well as a member of the Medina Township Plan Commission. Manning will contribute to the continuing good work of the PCBEC.

Other commissioners currently serving on the PCBEC are Matt Bartolo, LaColis Reed, Mark Ketterer, and Sandra Burke.

Animal Services encouraging residents to foster animals

Every time a litter of babies, a pregnant or nursing mama, or a recovering animal is placed in a Peoria County Animal Protection Services Foster home, it allows us to utilize our shelter space for a healthy adult animal to be adopted.

While PCAPS Fosters provide extra love and plenty of recovery time in their homes, healthy animals can be taken in and adopted through our shelter — in a much shorter time frame.

In addition, animals that are recovering from an illness or procedure are often too vulnerable to be around the sounds, sights, smells, germs, or general stimulation of the shelter during their recovery.

PCAPS Fosters help to take care of these animals until they are well enough to be put up for adoption — and sometimes a little extra TLC is exactly what they need.

Anyone interested in learning more about becoming a PCAPS foster parent should contact Meghan at mcowser@peoriacounty.org.

Riverfront Museum presents Deep Space Nine concert

Percussionist Cory Flanigan and visual artist Bubba Ayoub team up to create a entheogenic light show.

Flanigan plays two 32-inch Paiste gongs to create meditative sound waves which are then processed and modulated by Ayoub through analog synthesizers that visually represents the sound waves via a laser.

Immediately following the light show, local synth engineer and sound artist Suit & Tie Guy will wow the audience with his ambient house music played through analog synthesizers he has built and engineered himself.

The concert will be held at the Peoria Riverfront Dome Planetarium on Saturday, June 29 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15, $10 for museum members.

Deep Space is a unique music performance unlike anything else in Central Illinois. This is an all-ages show with limited seating, pre-purchasing tickets is encouraged. Concessions and drinks are available for purchase with legal ID.

Go to peoriariverfrontmuseum.org for more information.

Air National Guard to hold groundbreaking

The Peoria-based Air National Guard unit will host a ground-breaking ceremony on Monday, July 22, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., to kick off construction of the $7.8 million fire crash and rescue station.

The facility will be on the base at 2416 South Falcon Blvd., Peoria, off Smithville Road. It will support both the Air National Guard base and the General Wayne A. Downing Peoria International Airport.

The facility will be approximately 17,800 square feet and will host both fulltime and traditional Air National Guard firefighters that provide fire-rescue support to the Peoria Air National Guard and Peoria International Airport.  The facility will continue to host fire-rescue functions, but will provide more adequate square footage and improve unit training and readiness.

Construction is slated to begin this month and it is anticipated to be complete in July 2020.

ICC has openings in select apprenticeships

Illinois Central College is seeking interested individuals to fill select career and technical programs with openings for summer and fall enrollment.

Programs with openings for additional students include the Industrial Maintenance and Computer Numerical Control (CNC) Machining apprenticeship programs, as well as a Pre-Apprenticeship/Workforce Ready Program.

Potential students who are currently unemployed or under-employed are encouraged to apply.

ICC’s apprenticeship programs provide a mix of 300 to 450 hours of coursework per year, in addition to on-the-job training with local companies, to train for a specific career.

The partnering companies hire the apprentices and pay their tuition/fees and books plus a salary while they learn.

Successful students can complete the apprenticeship program with an associate degree debt-free and commit to work an additional two years for the sponsoring company.  Candidates first apply to ICC and then are screened and pre-qualified prior to company interviews.

Openings also are available for the Pre-Apprenticeship/Workforce Ready Program, which helps prepare students with the Math, English and other essential skills to become college-ready apprentices.

All participants are paid while attending training. This eight-week program has immediate openings for June/July and August/September.

ICC is aligning its programs and partnering with businesses to fill regional skills gaps reported in the areas of manufacturing, information technology and health care, while providing individuals a credential leading to jobs with a living wage.

To apply or for more information, contact the ICC Workforce Development Division at 309-690-6863 or visit icc.edu/earnandlearn.

Officials caution of blue-green algae on waterways

As temperatures begin to rise, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Public Health are reminding residents to be cautious if they are planning activities on Illinois lakes and rivers, now and throughout the summer.

Water conditions are ideal for blue-green algae growth. Blue-green algae (also known as cyanobacteria) are microscopic organisms that naturally occur in lakes and streams. Rapid growth of algae is referred to as a “bloom.”

While most blue-green algae are harmless, some can produce toxic chemicals that cause sickness or other health effects in people and pets, depending on the amount and type of exposure.

Sensitive individuals, including young children, the elderly, and people with compromised immune systems are most at risk to adverse health effects attributable to algal toxins. Individuals are most often exposed to algal toxins while swimming or participating in other recreational activities in and on the water.

The most common routes of exposure are direct skin contact, accidental ingestion of contaminated water, or accidental inhalation of water droplets in the air.