Public meetings scheduled for FEMA natural hazards planning

Imagine this- a powerful storm has knocked out electricity to a number of communities and toppled several cell phone towers making communicating difficult. People are injured and many others are trying to find their loved ones.  

You might not be prepared for such a disaster but local emergency responders are. Every five years regional county officials update a Federal Emergency Management Agency Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan.  You can learn more about this process by attending one of several public meetings.

North Central Illinois Council of Governments is hosting a meeting at 6pm Tuesday at the Marshall County Courthouse in Lacon. Another meeting is at 6pm Wednesday at the Utica Village Hall.

Fast food workers plan next steps in wage campaign

VILLA PARK, Ill. (AP) – Fast food workers from across the country are in suburban Chicago to make plans to ramp up their campaign for higher wages and union representation.

The national convention is being held in Villa Park, where about 1,300 workers on Saturday will pledge to do whatever it takes to win $15-an-hour wages and a union.

They say they can’t provide for their families on minimum wage and want paid sick days and other benefits.

Industry officials say a $15-an-hour wage would hurt job creation, and that the solution is more education and job training.

The effort is supported by the Service Employees International Union.

Organizers say higher-profile protests are coming that may include civil disobedience. Most protests have included one-day strikes and a protest outside this year’s McDonald’s Corp. shareholder meeting.

Streator police investigate car burglaries

Don’t leave something in your car you wouldn’t want stolen. A few people in Streator woke up Thursday morning to find that someone had broken into their car. One car had a purse, wallet and cigarettes stolen out of it. Another car had a bankcard and cash stolen.

Nobody has been arrested.