The Fairfield City Council met last night with all council members present. Wayne White CEO Chris Hopfinger appeared before the council to provide an update on the electrical distribution and maintenance since Wayne White took over the utility. Hopfinger said the transition had gone very smoothly and adding the former city employees to Wayne White has been very beneficial. He said the one disappointment he had over the past year was the delay in installing the Automatic Read Meters. They are expected to be delivered in May. Mayor Moore addressed the effort to bring businesses to the community. He said that efforts are ongoing to lure businesses and secure property for potential businesses. Moore said that bringing businesses and jobs to Fairfield is a priority and robust efforts will continue.
January is a time of renewal and recommitment for many. A group of legislators and
advocates say it’s the right time to focus on cervical health. State Rep. Anna Moeller and
several female colleagues in the Legislature joined together Tuesday at a Statehouse news conference to discuss new legislation declaring January 2023 as Cervical Health Awareness Month in Illinois. When the new 103rd General Assembly is sworn in today, they will officially file a House resolution calling for the special designation in January across the state.
Governor Pritzker is laying out his plans for his second term in office. After being sworn in yesterday in Springfield, Pritzker promoted preschool for every child, making college more affordable, widespread health care, and permanent tax relief. The governor also demanded immediate action to address gun violence. Pritzker then celebrated the start of his second term with a big party, which included a performance by Grammy winner Bruno Mars.
The Illinois Senate is signing off on an assault weapons ban. The Senate last night passed its version of the proposed measure, which makes a modification from the bill the Illinois House approved last week. The bill now goes back to the House for consideration. The legislation comes in response to the deadly July 4th shooting in Highland Park last year.
A trial date is set for next year for former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan. Madigan and longtime confidant, Michael McClain, are scheduled to go on trial on racketeering charges on April 1st, 2024. Both were indicted last March for conspiring to participate in an array of bribery and extortion schemes from 2011 to 2019.
A pair of dorms at Illinois Wesleyan University will be receiving major renovations. The
University Board of Trustees approved the upgrades to Munsell and Ferguson Halls. Funding for the 16-million-dollar project is being donated by the Ames family. Renovations to Munsell are expected to be completed by next fall, while the Ferguson renovations will be finished by the summer of 2024.
The Illinois Department of Corrections is partnering with the Women’s Justice Institute to launch an online Indicator Tool for IDOC’s prison and parole population data. The tool will have a data dashboard focused solely on women in custody and on supervised release. IDOC has posted population data sets and other reports on its website for years. Now, users of the website will see a variety of new visualizations and key metrics that will make interpretation and exploration much easier.
Governor Pritzker is signing off on pay raises for state lawmakers. The governor announced yesterday that he signed a bill that provides salary increases for Illinois legislative and executive branch members. The raises go into effect this week. State senators passed the measure Sunday after it was approved by the Illinois House last Friday.