Towne Tops La Salle County Earners

Want to get a high paying county job?  Become a lawyer.

Six out of the 10 highest paid La Salle County employees are lawyers with five in the State’s Attorney’s Office and the other being Public Defender Tim Cappellini.  According to the La Salle County Board’s “Compensation Report”, State’s Attorney Brian Towne is the highest paid county employee at 160 thousand dollars a year.  Co-workers Greg Sticka and Brian Vescogni also are being paid over 100 thousand dollars.

County Engineer Larry Kinzer is the second overall highest paid county worker making 119 thousand dollars a year.  For his election win, new Circuit Clerk Andy Skoog will earn 60 thousand dollars a year.

Some Unemployment Benefits Ending

CHICAGO (AP) – A federal program that provided unemployment insurance beyond the state’s initial 25-week coverage expires Dec. 29.

The Emergency Unemployment Compensation program was extended earlier this year by Congress. But the extension included a provision to end the program later this month.

The program has provided long-term unemployed people with benefits for 20 weeks beyond the state program financed by Illinois businesses. The program had been in effect under both President Barack Obama and President George Bush in response to high unemployment driven by the recession and economic slowdown of several years ago.

Electric Aggregation Not Dead In Rural La Salle County

If at first you don’t succeed, try again.

The referendum question of electric aggregation in La Salle County will be put back on an upcoming election ballot after 54 percent of rural voters said no to the idea last month.  Members of the La Salle County Development Committee approved bringing the electric aggregation back up for vote thinking some people voted against it last month because they thought it was aligned with the controversial Rock Island Clean Line power line proposal.

Cities like La Salle and Ottawa have approved electric aggregation.  It gives the county the ability to negotiate for cheaper electric rates.