Tres Rojas Wines have won awards, but so far has not scored a new home to sell its wine. Having lost a zoning fight in East Peoria, the owners of the winery are considering locating to land in Tazewell County near Goodfield or to an old warehouse in Peoria Heights.

STATE

State to hire conservation police

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) is seeking applicants for the position of Conservation Police Officer Trainee. The department is beginning the selection process with the written exam to be administered through Aug. 30, with the intent to hire up to 20 officers in 2019.

Interested applicants should complete a CMS100 employment application from the Illinois Department of Central Management Services (CMS), which can be found online through this link, illinois.gov/sites/work/Pages/CMS100_help.aspx.

Applicants should also review the hiring information contained on the IDNR Law Enforcement webpage dnr.illinois.gov/LawEnforcement/Pages/ConservationPoliceOfficerCareerOpportunities.aspx

For more information about the hiring process, review the detailed information available on the IDNR website at dnr.illinois.gov/LawEnforcement/Pages/ConservationPoliceOfficerCareerOpportunities.aspx or call Lt. Curt Lewis, IDNR Office of Law Enforcement, at 217-785-8407 or e-mail him at curt.lewis@Illinois.gov.

MORTON

Swedish company buys local firm working on driverless cars

Morton-based autonomous vehicle startup AutonomouStuff has been acquired by Hexagon, a Swedish company that is a global leader in digital solutions and autonomous systems. The team at AStuff has been working for eight years to become a leading supplier of integrated autonomous vehicle solutions, building and positioning a business in an emerging market and maintaining a strong focus on customer success.  Founder and CEO is Bobby Hambrick, a Peoria-area native.

Founded in 2010, AutonomouStuff, 306 Erie Ave., pioneered turn-key platforms for autonomous vehicle development, robotics and data intelligence innovation. Its turn-key platforms, which utilize a robust portfolio of technologies, are deployed in pilot programs worldwide – representing more than 2,500 customers in the automotive and technology sectors across Silicon Valley, America, Europe and Asia.

EAST PEORIA

Winery meets public opposition in search for a new home

A winery, which has won awards for its wine, failed to win a zoning fight for a new home to sell its wine.

Tres Rojas Wines has been denied a recommendation by the East Peoria zoning board to move and expand its wine-making business to a 20-acre parcel off of Bloomington Road. At a recent hearing, area residents convinced the zoning board a winery was not a good fit near the residential area.

Owners now are considering locating to land in Tazewell County near Goodfield, or to an old warehouse in Peoria Heights.

The winery’s Roth’s Countryside Strawberry Wine, made with homegrown Roth Farms strawberries, recently won the top award for wines from any appellation category from the Illinois Grape Growers and Vintners Alliance. The winery also received a second gold medal and two silver medals for its other wines.

The winery is pursuing three possible options: locating to a 20-acre parcel five miles south of the Interstate 74 Goodfield exit on a country road about 20 minutes from Morton; to an unspecified warehouse building in Peoria Heights with tall ceilings and lots of windows; or, a combination of both locations.

Both sites would have room for private parties, outdoor seating and wine sales. With the third option, the winery would grow and process grapes in Goodfield and market and sell them in Peoria Heights.

The purchase of the Goodfield land is contingent on approval of a special use for a winery by the Tazewell County planning board.

PEKIN

Medical staff raising money for humanitarian trip

Some of the staff at UnityPoint Health — Pekin will head to Puerto Rico this fall to help those stricken by Hurricane Maria in September 2017. To finance the trip, the staff is holding a fundraiser July 13.

Dash at Dusk will be held starting at 6:30 p.m., on the 13th Street side of the hospital complex. The kids’ run will begin at 6:30 p.m., and the 5K walk run will kick off at 7 p.m. When the races end, an after party will be held from 7:30 to 9 p.m. There will be a kids play area where children can play games. The cost for adult runners is $35, and $20 for children. For more information or to register, go to dashatdusk.com.

A team of 31 doctors, nurses and support staff will be in Puerto Rico from Oct. 4-13.

This is the sixth year for the UnityPoint Health Medical Mission Trip, which goes to different parts of the world. The staff holds fundraisers each year to fund the trip and needed medications.  UnityPoint also does an annual campaign drive that gives employees the option to support the mission trip, the United Way of Pekin, a staff member in need or other charitable ideas.

Nicaragua, Guatemala, the Philippines, the Dominican Republic and Liberia have been the locations of past trips.

–Tazewell County News Briefs–