New LPHS tennis courts to be used Tuesday

Love it or hate it, LP High School has built a sports complex and the tennis courts will be ready for Senior Night Tuesday.

The school announced Thursday that the girls’ tennis team will have their Senior Night matches against Dixon High School, The match will start at 4:30 p.m.  If you’re going to the match, bring a lawn chair because the complex is still under construction.  The track and soccer field still need work.

The school plans to hold a grand opening when the complex is completed.

Bureau County Historical Society is offering Princeton walking tours

You have visited Princeton before but do you know its story?  Hear the stories about the business and buildings during a walking tour of Main Street Saturday. 

It’s presented by the Bureau County Historical Society.  Tours of the south end begin at 10a.m. at the corner of Main and Park Avenue while tours of the north end will begin at 1p.m. at Annie’s Little Pots.

Before you can go on the walk, you’ll need to reserve a spot by calling the museum at (815) 875-2184.  Tickets are $15 for each tour.  Only a few tickets are left.

Judge: Quinn has to pay lawmakers

     CHICAGO (AP) – A Cook County judge has ruled that Gov. Pat Quinn’s decision to halt lawmaker pay over the pension crisis is unconstitutional and has ordered Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka to pay them immediately.

      Judge Neil Cohen made the ruling Thursday.

      He says the state Constitution makes it clear that lawmakers’ pay can’t be changed while serving they’re serving their terms.

      Quinn used his line-item veto to cut money for legislators’ salaries from the state budget because they hadn’t fixed Illinois’ nearly $100 billion pension crisis.

      House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton sued, saying Quinn’s actions were unconstitutional and violated the state’s separation of powers. They asked a judge to order paychecks be issued.

State Pitches In More Cash For IVCC’s Newest Building

Teaching someone how to fix a wind turbine is going to cost more than explaining how to solve a polynomial.  That’s why Illinois Valley Community College is trying to raise $2.1 million to put new equipment and teaching tools in the Peter Miller Community Technology Center.

President Jerry Corcoran says the money for the tech center and classes is the college responding to a need in the community.

The college is $200,000 closer to reaching their goal thanks to a state appropriation that was announced Thursday.  The campaign has received thousands of dollars from local people and businesses, including the Miller Group Charitable Trust.  It’s also received a U.S.D.A. grant for the wind energy classes.

You can attend the building’s grand opening November 1^st.

 

WAJK Morning Man Listed Among Top Young Professionals

When you picture an industry leader does someone with gray hair and a suit come to mind?  Perhaps, but the Illinois Small Business Development Center at Illinois Valley Community College is acknowledging younger workers who are influential in their field.

The third annual “40 Under Forty” Class of 2013 is being honored tonight with a celebration at Lock 16 in La Salle. Included in the “40 Under Forty” class is 99.3 WAJK morning man Jonathon Shapiro.

Shap and others were nominated according to organizers because they’re innovators, dealmakers, and people who excel in their companies and industries and show leadership in their communities all the while being under 40 years old.

L-P Looking At Unbalanced Budget

More students, higher healthcare costs and decreased state funding has the budget for LP High School off balance.

The school board plans to spend nearly $16 million before the school year ends. Most of that money will come out of the education fund.

The school is receiving less money from the state and property taxes. But Superintendent Steve Wrobleski says they have cut costs by $500,000 from last year’s budget.  The budget was approved Wedneday.

Illinois Senator Taking Energy Drink Companies To Task

CHICAGO (AP) – Do you let your kids use energy drinks? U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin and other Democrats are asking energy drink companies not to market to children and to stop making products available in schools.

Durbin and three of his colleagues sent letters Wednesday to 17 energy drink companies asking them to voluntarily list the amount of caffeine in a product on its label and to report adverse events associated with drinking the drinks to the Food and Drug Administration.

Durbin says the companies insist they don’t market to children. But he says the drinks are promoted through social media and often handed out in places frequented by young people, like concerts and parks.