by BRIAN NADIG As a child nearly 30 years ago Ryan Glowacz was warned by his older brother that Taft High School was the last place he should ever attend. Today Glowacz was named...
The post Ryan Glowacz enrolled at Taft HS 22 years ago; now he’s been named its next principal appeared first on Nadig Newspapers - Northwest Side Local Newspapers.
Steve Launius retired from the Washington County Farm Bureau Board in January after 38 years of service. He was presented with a quartz clock in honor of his retirement at the Washington County Farm Bureau’s annual meeting in January. He was the Washington County Farm Bureau director for Covington Township. He served as the vice president of the board and also served as secretary.
“It’s quite an honor (to receive the clock). I’m appreciative of it. 38 years is a long time,” he said. “When there’s a retiring director, sometimes they give something to you.”
Launius was the chairman of the committee that started the scholarship program for the Washington County Farm Bureau. He was the first foundation chairman.
“If you look at all the students that have gotten scholarships through the Farm Bureau, we started that. That’s probably the most memorable thing. The other thing would be community impact grants that we do where people write grants and put it together and we give money out in the community to help the community,” he said.
CENTRAL ILLINOIS (WCIA) -- People who drive on Interstate 74 between Champaign and the border with Indiana will now drive on the Senator Scott M. Bennett Memorial Highway.
The 50-mile stretch of highway in Champaign and Vermilion Counties was formally dedicated in the late senator's honor on Thursday. Paul Faraci, Bennett's successor in the Illinois State Senate, unveiled the sign that now marks I-74 in Bennett's honor.
People who knew Bennett said he traveled on I-74 frequently. They said it was a trip that showed his dedication to the wide and diverse district he represented.
"They were like trying to decide where they would do it," said Bennett's wife Stacy. "There was no other option really, because he did this drive so much and just truly loved it."
Stacy said the late senator would've wanted people to smile when they see the new signs.
"I want everyone to celebrate him and not memorialize him," she said. "Because that's not who he was. He would not want people to be sad."
Friends, family and politicians showed up to the dedication in Oakwood, proof of Bennett's ability to bridge philosophical gaps.
"He cared about that portion of the district. That was very important to me," said Mike Marron, former state representative and current CEO of Vermilion Advantage. "That's my home, even though it wasn't probably the easiest part of the district for him to represent."
Marron said Bennett didn't have to travel to Danville to visit constituents as often as he did. He even made inroads with some in the non-voting population.
Danville High School student Isaiah Easton said before he met the senator, he was a little intimidated. But he pulled a U-turn after meeting Bennett.
"He inspired us to get into the community and do that community work, because that's really that's what like his biggest passion that I saw as a student," Easton said.
The 50-mile stretch of highway connecting so many people might just be the perfect memorial for a man who tried his best to do the same.
"He just wanted to listen and was there to listen and try to bring people together," Stacy said. "And oftentimes that would mean everyone was mad at him because he was compromising. But that's what he felt was the best way to represent."
The State Senate passed Senate Joint Resolution 32 designating that the highway in Bennett's honor. Drivers going east can see one of the signs near route 45 in Urbana. The other is by the Indiana state line for drivers going west.
image/png Scott-Bennett-Highway-Sign.png?w=900The teachers from Hinsdale South and Hinsdale Central high schools said the community, the students and the staff deserve better.
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The city of Springfield has targeted May 6 as the start of work for converting traffic on a 1.6-mile stretch of Fourth Street from one-way to two-way traffic.
That will include the setup of temporary barricades to close one lane of Fourth Street from South Grand Avenue to Dodge Street, said T.J. Heavisides, the city's chief traffic engineer.
Traffic signals have already been in place, he said.
The prep work will also include restriping the street with new yellow lines, minor striping at intersections and changes in signage.
Adams Street from Sixth Street to Ninth Street will also be converted to two-way.
The work schedule is dependent on the weather, Heavisides said.
It is set to wrap up May 10, but he added that the city won't remove barriers until the signals are operative and the signage is complete.
Another change on Adams Street is that there will be reverse angle parking only on the south side of the street.
More:Mastermind of Kayport Package Express in Springfield found dead in New York City
More:One way or another: Major changes could be coming to Fourth, Adams streets
That means, Heavisides said, vehicles' doors and trunks will open to the sidewalks.
It is also designed to increase parking efficiency and reduce the risk of accidents when entering and exiting parking spaces.
The cost of the project is $4.6 million and is being coordinated by Egizii Electric. The funding comes from Rebuild Illinois through the increase of the state motor fuel tax.
Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788; sspearie@sj-r.com; X, twitter.com /@StevenSpearie.
