“We should have billions of dollars every year as part of our budget process … (to) maintain and expand our infrastructure,” Bruce Rauner said last week, according to the Chicago Tribune. Rauner has been doing his best to woo the road builders all year, and he was speaking to the Illinois Farm Bureau, which has […]
infrastructure
Posted inNews
Ready to work
ILLUSTRATION BY KIRK LYTTLE/MCT With about $4 billion in transportation and other projects planned for Springfield in the coming years, groups in Springfield are already working to ensure a fair share of the jobs generated go to minorities. The Faith Coalition for the Common Good and Bridging the Gap, both based in Springfield, are helping […]
Posted inOpinion
Near collapse
Steve Benen commented on the May 23 collapse of that interstate highway in Washington state so I wouldn’t have to again. (See my Daring to imagine the future from 2010.) Benen was reacting to a post at Business Insider by Joel Weisenthal pointing out that public construction spending in the U.S. has reached a 20-year […]
Posted inNews
Gambling could pay for road repairs
Springfield could raise money for infrastructure improvements from video gambling if the city council approves a measure introduced last week. Springfield mayor Michael Houston introduced a proposal to allow video gambling in Springfield, incorporating a 2009 state law that legalizes video gambling terminals in bars, hotels, banquet halls and other facilities. The state law and […]
Posted inNews
Plan? What plan?
Springfield Mayor Mike Houston, who once said that he expected to have a plan to fix crumbling infrastructure without raising taxes within two months of his 2011 election, plans to present the city council with a plan for fixing streets and sewers by year’s end, Springfield public works director Mark Mahoney told the Citizens Club […]
Posted inNews
Farmer sells produce online
Summertime farmers markets have helped Chad Wallace of Oak Tree Organics prove the worth of small-scale, organic farming. But they’ve also taught him that packing up the produce and putting on the sometimes thrice-weekly show takes about as much effort as minding the land, plants and free-range hens that surround his Ashland home. “Everybody’s got […]
Posted inNews
Legalized video gambling stalled
A gambling expansion that is supposed to raise $300 million a year and help pay for statewide infrastructure improvements has yet to be implemented, more than a year after it became law. Gene O’Shea, spokesman for the Illinois Gaming Board, which regulates video gaming, says the board has no timeline for implementing the system. The […]
