Garden Faire and Plant Sale planned for Utica

Growing a beautiful garden takes the right plants and some creativity.  See some of the public gardens in Utica and pick up a few plants during the Garden Faire and Plant Sale in Utica Saturday and Sunday.

It’s sponsored by the Utica Garden Club.  A variety of flowers, vegetables, and herbs will be on sale along with crafts and garden items.  You’ll also be able to see some of the gardens that are blooming in downtown Utica.

It runs from 9am-4pm Saturday and from 9am-3pm Sunday.

New Contracts Approved For Peter Miller Community Technology Center

Over four million dollars worth of work has been approved for the next phase of Illinois Valley Community College’s Peter Miller Community Technology Center.

Vissering Construction of Streator will get 2.9 million to be general contractor for Phase 2.  The trustees also approved over 1.7 million dollars in contracts for electrical, plumbing, ventilation and sprinklers.  J.B. Contracting of La Salle is doing the plumbing for 437 thousand dollars.

Phase 2 includes demolishing east campus buildings and building a new maintenance building.  This will start in the fall.

Chicago Teachers Want 24 Percent Pay Raise

CHICAGO (AP) – Chicago Public School teachers will head to the polls to vote on whether or not they want to authorize a strike.

Today’s vote won’t mean that the city’s 25,500 public school teachers will walk off the job, but union leaders say it will give them more leverage in the ongoing contract negotiations. They say it raises the real possibility of a strike if talks break down.

The CPS board has offered a guaranteed 2 percent raise over the course of a 5-year deal as well as establishing a form of merit pay. The union has proposed a 2-year deal that calls for a 24 percent raise the first year and a 5 percent raise the second.

Pay Freeze For Ottawa Firefighters

With an unsteady economy, firefighters in Ottawa won’t get a pay raise.

The Ottawa City Council and firefighter’s union have tentatively agreed on a one-year contract that includes a pay freeze.  Nearly 30 firefighters are union members.

In April, the council agreed on a one-year contract extension with public works and telecommunications employees covered by AFSCME.  They also agreed to a pay free.

The council still needs to work out a collective bargaining agreement with the police union.  The sides are working with a mediator.

City Close To Buying Condemned School In Ottawa

The flooded out Central School property in Ottawa could officially have a buyer in the next few days.

The city of Ottawa has agreed to buy the school and property around it for 3.9 million dollars.  The sale is dependent on the city getting a 5.5 million dollar federal grant.  Mayor Bob Eschbach says a press release could come any day that will be “good news” involving the Central School sale.

If the sale goes through, the city will also have money to demolish the building, remove asbestos and begin planning for what to do with the property.  Eschbach has said before he sees the riverfront property becoming a park.