South Central Reporter

The Illinois Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability (COGFA) held public meetings last week regarding the proposed closure of Stateville Correctional Center in Crest Hill and Logan Correctional Center, a women’s prison located in Lincoln. In March, the Pritzker Administration announced plans to demolish and rebuild the Logan facility but did not commit to rebuilding the women’s prison, which employs approximately 500 people, in Lincoln. Residents of Central Illinois argue that permanently closing the facility would severely impact the local economy.

Amid uncertainty surrounding Logan Correctional Center’s future, members of the Senate Republican Caucus sent a letter to COGFA expressing their opposition to its closure ahead of last week’s hearings. In this letter, they acknowledged the need for renovations at the aging facility but insisted that relocating it would create unnecessary challenges for both staff and residents, many of whom are from Central and Southern Illinois. They argued that keeping this facility open in its current location would save local jobs and minimize disruptions for incarcerated women and their families. All Senate Republican members signed the letter urging COGFA to oppose relocation plans.

The Illinois Secretary of State’s Office is warning residents about a data breach that may have exposed personal data. Approximately 50,000 residents received letters concerning a “data security incident” that occurred in early April. An unidentified individual gained access to Lake County government’s computer system and sent a phishing email to Illinois Secretary of State employees. The breach potentially exposed names, driver’s licenses, and Social Security numbers.

In a statement shared by NBC Chicago, the Illinois Secretary of State’s Office said: “The office’s Department of Information Technology and cyber security teams acted within hours to contain and mitigate the phishing incident, and none of the agency’s databases, including those containing driver and vehicle records, were compromised.” The Office also noted plans to enhance cybersecurity measures against future attacks.

The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) has announced grant recipients for local projects aimed at improving safety and accessibility for children traveling to school through its Safe Routes to School program. This federal program managed by IDOT focuses on upgrading sidewalks, curbing speeding violations, implementing traffic measures, conducting public education initiatives, among others. The grants total $9.8 million across 47 communities in Illinois with recipients in the 55th District including Centralia, Flora, and Greenville.

Public infrastructure will receive support as well with $41 million awarded through Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) by the Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity (DCEO). These funds will support essential waterline replacements, storm sewer construction projects among other initiatives benefiting 32 communities across Illinois aiming at ensuring equitable access particularly in underserved areas.

Additionally more than 150 local chambers of commerce will share $5 million under state’s Back-to-Business Local Chambers program administered by DCEO providing aid still recovering from COVID-19 pandemic impacts targeting organizations having annual revenue below $1 million experiencing negative financial impact due pandemic lockdowns within various districts including those within Senator Plummer's constituency like Centralia Chamber Of Commerce among others.