News Progress

•March 22, 2023•
By Cheri Burcham
Family Life Educator

Now that we are all getting back out and attending events again, we need to find a happy medium with balancing “down time” with activities – especially with our children. This article was written by Extension Educator Susan Sloop and is a good reminder to allow children breaks. Susan says: Is your child forgetful, crabby, or constantly tired? He may be “overscheduled.” Would you be surprised to find your child’s day is as hectic as your own? People who study young children say that youngsters need time for unstructured activity—what adults sometimes call “free time” or “down time.”
Why is free time good for children?
· Health. A child’s body and brain need relief from demands and expectations. Rest and recreation help keep a child healthy and ready to learn! Read More

•March 22, 2023•
Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) have announced that the state is launching a $29.6 million program to distribute more than 60,000 HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) purifiers to Illinois schools to help reduce the transmission of respiratory viruses, including COVID-19.
IDPH is coordinating the program with the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE). The program is funded by the CDC through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 and is targeted for school districts that serve lower income communities and counties that have elevated air pollution counts. IDPH estimates almost 3,000 schools will be eligible for the program, covering 68 percent of school districts in the state. It will cover schools throughout the state, including Cook County, with the exception of Chicago, which has received a separate federal grant. Read More

•March 22, 2023•
Western Governors University (WGU) today announced the return of its “Fund My Classroom” initiative, issuing a call for K-12 teachers across the state to nominate their proposed classroom projects for the opportunity to receive full or partial funding. The fully online, nonprofit university is pledging up to $100,000 in grant money across four states for K-12 teachers who have innovative ideas that will further engage their students but need funding to help bring these ideas to life. Teachers can submit their proposed projects online at wgu.edu/fundmyclassroom through April 14. Selected classroom projects will be announced during Teacher Appreciation Week, which runs May 8-12. Read More

•March 22, 2023•
By Jerry Nowicki
Capitol News Illinois
jnowicki @ capitolnewsillinois.com

With two months to go before the legislature adjourns and current-year revenues continuing to smash expectations, Gov. JB Pritzker said he and legislative leaders are considering tax cuts.
His comments came one week after the legislature’s nonpartisan Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability, or COGFA, increased its revenue estimates by about $1 billion for the current and upcoming budget years combined.
“I would like to see – as we feel comfortable with these new revenues coming in and their stability; and I think we’re seeing a few years in a row now of the stability of that revenue – that we should be talking about whether there are tax cuts that we can implement,” he said at an unrelated news conference at a Springfield community college. Read More

•March 22, 2023•
The Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal (OSFM) has announced the recipients of the 2023 Small Equipment Grant Program. A total of $1.5 million was awarded to 64 fire departments/districts and EMS providers across the state. The program was established to provide grants of up to $26,000 each for the purchase of small firefighting and ambulance equipment.
Lovington Community Ambulance is a recipient of a grant in the amount of $26,000.
This program is an innovative approach to a problem that has long caused difficulties for fire departments and not-for profit ambulance services in Illinois, particularly those that have hardships in generating the necessary revenue for small equipment. The purpose is to allow eligible applicants the opportunity to purchase small equipment that they may otherwise not be able to purchase. The OSFM received 296 applications, requesting around $4.5 million in funding for this grant period. Read More