McLean County Times

The 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris are underway, with 27 Olympic athletes and nine Paralympic athletes from Illinois representing the United States.

The Caucus Blog of the Illinois House Republicans: Celebrating Illinois’ Olympic and Paralympic Athletes

In other news, Illinois continues to face economic challenges. Recent data from the IRS shows that 262,000 people left Illinois in one year. “We have all the tools to make Illinois a more attractive place to live but we have to reverse the bad public policies that drive people away. We must lower tax burdens on residents, grow new opportunities, and improve public safety across our great state.”

A report by CGFA highlights Illinois' poor economic performance compared to other states. “There’s no reason our state should be lagging the nation in any of these metrics. We have the power to change the trajectory of our state by reversing the bad public policies that drive people and job creators away from Illinois.”

As summer is peak road construction season in Illinois, it is crucial for drivers to obey posted construction zone speed limits, regardless of whether workers are present. "Are construction zone speed limits enforced in Missouri and Illinois when workers aren’t there?" (wgntv.com). Additionally, it is important for all road users—whether driving cars, trucks, motorcycles or bicycles—to avoid distractions and stay attentive. "Troubling increase in motor vehicle-vs.-bicycle crashes emphasizes basics of driving safety," Shaw Local reports.

For those dealing with severe weather damage, there are tips available for navigating insurance claims effectively.

This fall will see ten Household Hazardous Waste one-day collection events across Illinois for safe disposal of unused household chemicals and hazardous products.

The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) has announced two competitive Notice of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs) aimed at supporting regional site readiness efforts. The Regional Site Readiness Program seeks to prepare sites for industrial development throughout DCEO’s ten Economic Development Regions. This initiative builds upon DCEO’s Megasites Investment Program and complements Intersect Illinois’ Vetted Sites Program.

Grantees will be selected through two NOFOs: Planning activities such as environmental due diligence and preliminary engineering costs; and Capital Ready activities including capital improvements to road or utility infrastructure. Applications are due by October 21, 2024.

For further details on NOFOs or technical assistance sessions scheduled over the next month, visit DCEO's website or contact CEO.Sites@Illinois.gov.