Will County Clerk Lauren Staley Ferry earlier this week accepted the first major piece of equipment to automate the Vote By Mail program in Will County. The high-speed, state-of-the-art EvoluJet Printer from BlueCrest has the capability of printing 2,200 ballots per hour. Specialists from BlueCrest and the manufacturer, Kyocera, were on hand to assemble the EvoluJet’s components and make the necessary adjustments to begin printing test ballots on location at the Will County Clerk’s Office. The EvoluJet Printer will be joined by two other major pieces of equipment: The high-speed Relia-Vote MSE Inserter will automate the assembly of Vote By Mail packets, and the Relia-Vote Vantage Sorter will streamline the sorting of Vote By Mail packets for outbound mailing and for organizing return ballots. These three machines will improve efficiency and accuracy across the entire Vote By Mail program. They also will save Will County taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars each election compared to the cost of assembling and processing Vote By Mail Ballots manually. Staley Ferry announced back in August that the Will County Board had unanimously approved $1.9 million in funding to purchase equipment to automate her office’s growing Vote By Mail program.
Major
First major piece of equipment for vote by mail counting system arrives in Will County
Will County Clerk Lauren Staley Ferry announce recently that the Will County Board has unanimously approved $1.9 million in funding to purchase equipment to automate her office’s growing Vote By Mail program.
COVID-19 scams target Blacks, other people of color FTC report reveals new and continuing financial fraud
Just as the annual holiday season of shopping and celebrating nears, a major federal financial regulator released new research detailing how communities of color not only are targeted by well-known types of predatory lenders, but new forms of fraud seek to exploit consumers in the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic. Published by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Serving Communities of Color summarizes the agency’s five-year effort focused on the financial ills imposed upon communities of color. Since 2016, FTC filed more than 25 actions alleging conduct that either targeted or disproportionately impacted communities of color. Cases challenged unlawful practices by auto sellers, for-profit schools, money-making opportunities, student debt relief schemes, and more.
Silver Cross ups the ante in employee compensation
Employees of Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox will soon be seeing more money in their paychecks. Hospital officials announced last week major enhancements to its employee compensation and Total Rewards program that impact nearly every Silver Cross employee.
Life vs. Liquor: The average Illinoisan would give up three years of their life to keep drinking alcohol, survey reveals
• One-third would give up caffeine for life, if they can continue drinking alcohol.
• 30% admit they ignore studies warning about alcohol health risks.
TTW Press room
Science and Sobriety: There are many behaviors and habits we’ve developed and continue despite studies having proven that they have adverse health complications – from smoking cigarettes and drinking too much coffee, to the overconsumption of processed food and skimping on exercise. A recent major study found that drinking any amount of alcohol has a negative impact on the brain and is linked to increased risk of developing more cancers than previously thought. However, many people continue to drink despite knowing that it could take years off their lives as evidenced by a recent 3,700-person survey conducted by Alcohol.org a leading provider of alcohol addiction treatment resources.
Schumacher Family Farm exhibit on display at Joliet Historical Museum
Hundreds of people visited the Iron Bridge Trailhead at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie over Labor Day weekend, and two of those visitors grew up at the historic site. Alvin (“Al”) and Robert (“Bob”) Schumacher brought together four generations of their extended families to what is now the Iron Bridge Trailhead on Sept. 4 to share their stories of growing up on the Schumacher family farm – “Fairview Farm.” For some of the children, it was the first visit to Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie to hear family stories about farm life in Illinois in the 1930s.
Joliet officially on its way to getting Lake Michigan Water
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) this past Wednesday, Sept. 1st, issued an order granting the City of Joliet a Lake Michigan Water Allocation Permit. This permit allows Joliet to begin using Lake Michigan water as its source of supply in 2030 and establishes annual allocation amounts through the year 2050.
Rialto Square Theatre awarded $1,426,183 Shuttered Venue Operator's Grant
The Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) program was established to assist eligible organizations; local, regional, and national venues, promoters and producers in the effort to reopen after an unprecedented closure due to the pandemic. SVOG is administered by the SBA’s Office of Disaster Assistance, which includes over $16 billion in grants to shuttered venues.
“The WCMEAA Board would like to thank the City of Joliet for their continued financial support of the Rialto Square Theatre’s operating budget in addition to S.T.A.R. Memberships and patrons. Their support positions us to utilize available funds to address long overdue theatre repair and maintenance as well as one-time capital improvement projects,” said Robert Filotto, WCMEAA Board President.
SVOG funds will be allocated to payroll, utility, insurance, repairs and maintenance, and other operating costs incurred during the pandemic while virtually no event revenues materialized. The Rialto Square Theatre is also facing several long overdue major capital improvement projects, which include:
