Edgar County Native, Country Music Superstar’s First Performance on Grandstand Stage

SPRINGFIELD, IL -A native of Paris, Illinois, Brett Eldredge, will headline the Illinois State Fair Grandstand on Friday, August 17.  His Illinois roots run deep as his second album is titled Illinois and he has videos set in his hometown and Wrigley Field.  This powerhouse country star is sure to entertain concertgoers with his fun-loving, hilarious, yet sensitive personality.

“The Illinois State Fair is eager to host Brett Eldredge,” says Luke Sailer, Acting State Fair Manager. “We are proud to have an Illinois native on the grandstand stage, especially in 2018, Illinois’ bicentennial year.”

His current album, aptly self-titled, Brett Eldredge shows the different sides of Eldredge and reflects where he is in life right now.  The album includes upbeat songs such as “Somethin’ I’m Good At,” and “Superhero,” to meaningful ballads including, “The Long Way,” and “Brother,” all of which Eldredge is a co-writer.

This album is sure to follow the success of his first two albums, Bring You Back and Illinois, which combined to give him six #1 singles in row. Those include “Don’t Ya,” Lose My Mind,” and “Wanna Be That Song.” Building on the success of his 2014 win for CMA New Artist of the Year, Eldredge has been nominated for various other awards and co-hosted ABC’s CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night to Rock and was featured on “Forever Country,” a medley performed by a group of 30 different country artists.

An opening act for Brett Eldredge will be announced at a later date.  Tickets will go on sale later this spring.

Mark your calendars for the 2018 Illinois State Fair, August 9th – 19th, in Springfield, IL.

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SPRINGFIELD – Individuals looking for tax liens filed by the Illinois Department of Revenue (IDOR) now have a searchable database at their disposal.  A new online Statewide Tax Lien Registry (Lien Registry) provides a single-source to locate all active liens and releases filed by IDOR.

The Lien Registry is designed to improve efficiencies and incorporate technology into current work systems. It will lead to more timely information on lien filings, while reducing state filing costs.

“We filed more than 39,000 liens in all 102 counties across the state last year. That cost the Department $700,000 in fees and labor,” said IDOR Director Connie Beard. “Transitioning to an electronic registry will help drive those costs down and accelerate tax receipts going to state and local tax funds.”

The Lien Registry now serves as the only source for obtaining tax lien information. There is no cost and no sign-up required to search the registry, which can be accessed through the “Quick Links” tab on the IDOR webpage at tax.illinois.gov.

A tutorial video on the Registry may be found on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DITvksZs2JU. Questions regarding Lien Registry may be emailed to rev.lien@illinois.gov.

SWANSEA, IL – The U.S. Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) has approved a nearly $1.9 million Abandoned Mine Land (AML) project to protect more than 450 middle school children in Swansea.

The award comes five months after the ground beneath Wolf Branch Middle School dropped nearly 25 inches when the old underground mine workings collapsed, resulting in extensive structural damage to the school building.  The building is temporarily shut down and the 450 children have been moved to a nearby school until the situation can be mitigated.

Federal and state mining officials and the Wolf Branch School District have combined their resources and are working together to stabilize the hollow ground beneath the school and to restore it so the site can once again provide a safe environment for the community’s children to learn and grow. Work will be managed by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) AML Emergency Program.

Project Background
Built in 2002 at a cost of $16 million, the Wolf Branch Middle School has a current enrollment of 450 students.

While the Wolf Branch Middle School building has been closed for safety reasons, the IDNR AML Emergency Program, with assistance from OSMRE’s Alton Field Division, has been conducting a drilling program to determine subsurface mine conditions in order to develop stabilization plans. The AML Phase I Emergency drilling project was completed earlier this year at a cost of $288,374.  Structural engineers were also called upon to inspect the structure and identify additional safety concerns to the contorted building.

AML Backfill Project and School Rebuilding
Historical data and research on the area shows that the Wolf Branch Middle School property overlies the abandoned Summit Coal Mine, which operated from 1894 to 1940.  The depth to the coal seam is 185 feet, and the mined-out thickness is 6 feet. The AML Phase II Emergency backfilling project to be conducted on the school site will protect the undamaged portion of the building by preventing the mine beneath it from collapsing.  In addition, it will stop the active ground movements that are continuing to cause damage to the east half of the school.

It is anticipated that the pumping of grouting material into the abandoned mine will start in mid-April and be completed early this summer at a cost of $1.9 million. Once the IDNR AML Emergency Program can stop the subsidence through grouting, the site can be used safely.
The Wolf Branch School District plans to rebuild the damaged portions of the building using school district funds. The heavily damaged portion of the building will be removed in a cost sharing venture between the IDNR AML Program and school district and addressed as a mine land reclamation project.

“The Illinois Department of Natural Resources is proud to be working with our federal partners at the OSMRE and the Wolf Branch School District on this important public safety project,” said Tom Benner, director of the IDNR Office of Mines and Minerals.  “The effective coordination among state, federal and the local authorities is paramount to the success of this project. The efficient leveraging of available funds will allow the school building to reopen and, most importantly, to ensure a safe place for the children to learn.”

“The school district is extremely appreciative of the resources provided by the IDNR and the OSMRE,” said Wolf Branch School District superintendent Scott Harres.  “The onsite expertise and funding assistance made possible through the AML Program have been vital in allowing the district to take the necessary steps to safely house our grades 5 through 8 students at the Wolf Branch Middle School as soon as possible.”

The Impacts Caused by AML Subsidence in Illinois
The AML Program was created by the U.S. Congress in 1977 as part of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA) in order to both protect the public and to restore environmentally damaged lands associated with legacy coal mining activities. Of particular importance in Illinois are the abandoned underground coal mines that cause subsidence. In the 53 coal-producing counties of Illinois, there are 252 public schools that are undermined and at risk of subsidence. To date, at least 16 Illinois schools have been damaged by unplanned coal mine subsidence events over abandoned room and pillar mines.

In addition to schools, the IDNR AML program has documented subsidence related damages to more than 2,000 homes, as well as numerous commercial buildings and bridges, since the creation of the AML Program under SMCRA.  Many of the subsidence cases have caused life-threatening damages requiring extensive structural shoring and adjustable bracing systems – projects which had to be implemented swiftly to keep portions of the structures safe for occupancy.

The AML Program is funded by fees levied on current coal mine operations that are used to keep the public and environment safe from past coal mining activities. OSMRE approves each AML Emergency Project and its funding. Funding for the AML program is scheduled to end in 2021, unless extended by the U.S. Congress.

SPRINGFIELD – A couple of measures filed in the Illinois House are meant to address the lack of policies in place for allegations of harassment within political organizations to get heard. And a state senator is raising issue with the two hats the one man at the center of the most recent controversy wears.

In the wake of alleged wrongdoing by at least two political operatives in Speaker Michael Madigan’s political organization, state Sen. Heather Steans, D-Chicago, is calling into question Madigan’s dual role as Democratic Party chairman and speaker of the Illinois House.

With the exception of a few years in the 1990s, Madigan has been speaker since 1983. He’s been the chairman of the state Democratic party since 1998. Steans said it’s best practice to separate the two roles.

Please click on the link to read the full story from Greg Bishop of Illinois News Network.

https://www.ilnews.org/news/state_politics/state-senator-calls-into-question-madigan-s-dual-role-as/article_5a29879a-174f-11e8-8bd3-db97fe9e2178.html

CHICAGO – The Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity’s Office of Trade and Investment announced today that nominations are open for the 2018 Governor’s Export Awards. The Governor’s Export Awards are Illinois’ highest recognition for export achievement, honoring Illinois companies that have grown their exporting operations, as well as organizations that provide export assistance.

Award nominations are being accepted for the following categories:

• Exporter of the Year: awarded to Illinois companies that have grown exports and made exporting a cornerstone of their business
• New Exporter: awarded to Illinois companies that have begun exporting products or services within the last three years
• Service Exporter: awarded to Illinois companies that are successfully exporting services
• Agricultural Exporter: awarded for outstanding export achievement in the field of agricultural products, services and technology
• Export Awareness and Development: awarded to Illinois-based not-for-profit organizations involved in promoting Illinois

Trade and investment play a vital role in the Illinois economy. In 2017, Illinois exports totaled $64.9 billion, an 8.6% increase from the previous year. Gains continue to be seen as Illinois companies look to diversify and spread their goods and services across the world. Illinois remains the largest exporting state in the Midwest, and the fifth largest exporting state in the country. Illinois’ top four export industries all increased between 11%-14% in 2017, outperforming the nation’s increase in exports by 30.5%. By recognizing export achievements by Illinois companies, the Department hopes to highlight the benefits of trade and help more companies find success in foreign markets.

The deadline for nominations is Friday, April 20th, 2018 at 4pm. Nomination forms can be found on the Department’s website. The awards ceremony will be held in the Spring.

For more information, please contact Godfrey Angara at Godfrey.Angara@illinois.gov.