New fire station now operational in Machesney Park

Rather than a ribbon-cutting, North Park Fire Protection District held a "hose uncoupling" Thursday to celebrate completion of its new fire station on Harlem Road, which replaces three old stations from the 1950s and 1960s that were too small house modern firefighting equipment and that became poorly located as district boundaries changed over the decades.
Senator Stadelman designated $50,000 in state funding to help pay construction costs.

$440,000 in state funds enroute to Rockford for job training: Stadelman

State Senator Steve Stadelman announced the release of $440,000 in state funds to help create pathways to good-paying jobs in construction and expand opportunities in the skilled trades in the Rockford area.
Education Design Development and Research Corp. is receiving an Illinois Works grant to provide pre-apprenticeships and registered apprenticeships to local students, opening the door for them to build lifelong careers in the construction trades.

“We are still experiencing a shortage of skilled trade workers,” Stadelman said this week. “To fill these positions and give residents a chance at a good-paying job, programs like Illinois Works are essential.”

To see a full list of organizations receiving grant funding across the state, click here.

Stadelman bill to defend Illinois news media advances to House 

Legislation introduced by State Senator Steve Stadelman in response to an Illinois Supreme Court decision that weakens protections for journalists has advanced to the House of Representatives for consideration.

Senate Bill 1181 expands the existing Citizens Participation Act to shield the working press from lawsuits intended to silence or intimidate them, known as a Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation or SLAPP.  In a decision late last year, the state's Supreme Court ruled that Illinois' anti-SLAPP law applies only to private citizens, not news organizations or individual journalists.
SLAPP is a legal tactic used to burden critics with costly and time-consuming litigation, usually targeting individuals or organizations who speak out on issues of public interest.
"I'm confident my colleagues in the House also will recognize the need to protect news reporters and the valuable service they provide on a daily basis,” Stadelman said. “Illinois must stand up for freedom of the press and free speech."

Stadelman travels with Midwest delegation to meet Canadian legislators

State Senator Steve Stadelman traveled this week with a delegation from the Council of State Governments Midwest to Edmonton, Canada, to discuss trade and other current issues with their counterparts in the Alberta Legislative Assembly. Illinois is Alberta's second largest trading partner.