The County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant and 12th Judicial Circuit Court Chief Judge Daniel Kennedy will implement their joint eviction-diversion program to help mitigate COVID-19 related housing impacts. The program, officially titled the Court-Based Housing Stabilization Program, was created to offer tenants facing eviction court one final opportunity to connect with state and local assistance. The initial pilot project was prepared ahead of the expiration of the Illinois eviction moratorium in October 2021.
Program
Posted inTimes Weekly News
New automated Vote-By-Mail system coming together for Clerk’s office
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.
Posted inTimes Weekly News
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.
Posted inTimes Weekly News
Community concerns opens low-income household water assistance program (LIHWAP)
The Will County Center for Community Concerns, as administrator of the Household Water Assistance Program in Will County is pleased to announce that funds are available to assist income-eligible households with their water and wastewater assistance.
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Rental assistance applications open on December 6th
TTW Will County residents and landlords will have another opportunity to apply for up to $25,000 in rental assistance through the Illinois Rental Payment Program (ILRPP), which will begin Monday, December 6, 2021, through January 9, 2022. “Over the past year, we have been able to provide over $23 million in rental assistance for Will County tenants and landlords who have been impacted by COVID-19,” said Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant. “I am pleased that we are able to open a new application window to help families who are still in need of assistance and provide landlords relief from past due rent.”
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USF joins State program to help recruit, retain teachers of color
There are 24 Illinois colleges and universities, including the University of St. Francis (USF) that have volunteered for a pilot program to develop plans to recruit and retain future teachers of color. According to The Illinois State Board of Education (SBE), the pilot will help establish best practices ahead of ISBE requiring all 54 Illinois educator preparation programs to develop plans next year. “The diversity of Illinois is one of our state’s greatest strengths – including in our classrooms,” said Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker. “By recruiting faculty of color who share their students’ lived experiences or expand their perspectives, our schools can empower more students to achieve their goals and pursue their passions. This pilot program is just the beginning of ISBE’s recruitment efforts, and I commend the leadership of the 24 colleges and universities who have volunteered to spearhead this initiative with us.” “I applaud the 24 colleges and universities that have volunteered to lead the way in breaking down barriers for people of color to join the teaching profession,” said State Superintendent of Education Dr. Carmen I. Ayala. “All students, and especially students of color, benefit from having diverse educators throughout their school experiences. My own mentors in my career have been people of color like me. When the role models and people in positions of authority in our lives look like us, that shapes our perception of our place in the world in a positive and powerful way.”
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Catholic Charities names 2021 Employee of the Year
Ryan Johnson has been named Catholic Charities’ Employee of the Year. He is the senior site supervisor at Felman Center in our Head Start Program. Ryan is a strong and compassionate leader who has been with Catholic Charities since 2008.
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County leaders spotlight priorities in 2022 annual budget
County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant joined County Board leadership in highlighting accomplishments in the Fiscal Year 2022 annual budget, which, they said, invests in key priorities while maintaining balanced spending. The $793 million package, which was passed unanimously today by the County Board, increases funding for public safety agencies, the Children’s Advocacy Center, and the Will-Ride transportation program.
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No more snow days off from school?
Students can now say goodbye to snow days in the Plainfield Community Consolidated School District 202, which serves students in Plainfield, Joliet, Romeoville and Bolingbrook, is doing away with snow days, thanks in part to the coronavirus pandemic. Associate Superintendent Dr. Glenn Wood said the “E-Learning Day” plan may be used when school is closed because of emergency or bad weather. He said District 202 had been slowly building its e-learning program before the pandemic shut down schools in March 2020. That work quickly accelerated in spring and summer 2020 as the district transitioned incrementally back to in-person learning in fall 2020 and winter and spring 2021. Now, e-learning is a normal part of the educational package, Wood said.
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Gov. JB Pritzker announces the $1.2 billion plan to overhaul Interstate 80 in 2019, surrounded by local state officials
State officials visited Will County on Monday to recommit to a six-year plan aimed at a complete overhaul of the Interstate 80 corridor. Gov. JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Transportation joined by local officials introduced the six-year plan to rebuild Interstate 80 in Will County. Made possible by the Governor’s, bipartisan Rebuild Illinois capital program, the $1.2 billion project will replace more than 50-year-old infrastructure on a condensed timeframe and create thousands of construction and permanent jobs while positioning the region for long-term economic opportunity. “We were excited to see Governor Pritzker, Lt. Governor Stratton, and IDOT Secretary Osman visit Will County to emphasize the critical need for completion of the I-80 project. Getting to the finish line on a project of this scale requires consistent leadership from state and local officials, and we are fortunate to have that support,” said Doug Pryor, vice president of economic development for the Will County Center for Economic Development.
