More Construction Announced For Interstate 80

Over a million dollars of construction work was approved this week for the Illinois Valley.

The state approved a 69 thousand dollar bid from Kinney Contractors in Raymond to do patching work at the Route 251 and Interstate 39 interchange.  Also in La Salle County, H.J. Eppel & Co. of Pontiac was given an 86 thousand dollar job for box culvert repairs carrying Route 6 over a stream near Route 170 in Seneca.

In Bureau County, Stark Excavating of Bloomington got the state job to replace bridges over Lime Creek and West Bureau Creek south of Ohio for 491 thousand dollars.  Nearly 10 miles of roadwork on Interstate 80 from Route 40 in Bureau County west to the Henry County line will be done by Complete Asphalt of Pittsfield for 120 thousand dollars.  And in Putnam County, All States Painting out of Alexander is getting a 351 thousand dollar job to fix up a bridge carrying Interstate 180 over the Illinois River.

More work is also planned this summer on Interstate 80 between the Ladd exit and turnoff to Route 251 in Peru.  Complete Asphalt of Pittsfield will do sealing and crack work on the interstate for 81 thousand dollars.

The projects are part of Governor Pat Quinn’s “Illinois Jobs Now!” initiative.

Hiring Initiative Paying Dividends For La Salle County

“Just Hire One” is the slogan of an economic development campaign in La Salle County.  And at least 11 area companies have done their part according to Pam Furlan with Best, Inc.

The campaign began early this year and included a job fair in Ottawa featuring 30 local businesses and companies.  Since then 11 companies have added 157 new hires.

Furlan says that for every 500 new hires, the unemployment rate in LaSalle County would go down by one percent.

State Republicans Circle The Wagons

TINLEY PARK, Ill. (AP) – Illinois Republicans are unveiling an analysis of what went wrong in the 2012 election and what it will take to do better at the polls in the future. The preliminary findings are expected to be released Saturday during a meeting in Tinley Park of the State Central committee.

The GOP fared poorly in the November election. Democrats won veto-proof majorities in both the Illinois House and Senate and picked up seats in Congress.

The analysis is expected to mirror a report released by the Republican National Committee last month. That report concluded the party needs to be more open-minded and inclusive.

The analysis comes as the party’s more socially conservative members are trying to oust Chairman Pat Brady, in part because of his support of gay marriage.