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October 1, 2012


Greetings ~

 

Granite City figures prominently in this edition of NewsLink, with stories recapping significant infrastructure investments underway there, accolades for the city's medical center and news about future funds that will be available to support the continued redevelopment of the downtown area. SIUE and SWIC are also back in the news, this time for grant funding received to support their nursing and technical education training programs as they continue to play a leading role in educating the workforce of the future. Read on for links to these stories and more. 

 

Have a great week!

 

Ellen 

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Cleaner and greener Illinois American Water invests $12 million to update Granite City plant (The Belleville News-Democrat, September 24, 2012)

 

The Belleville News-Democrat reports that Illinois American Water Co., the metro-east area's largest water provider has broken ground on a new 2.5 million gallon clear well at its Granite City plant. The $12 million project in Granite City is part of a reinvestment in the utility company's metro-east water  service operations that will also include new technology and health standards, such as variable frequency drive motors, and high-service pumps. These new devices operate on an as-needed basis instead of running at a constant speed continuously, saving energy and money. Illinois American Water has recently re-invested approximately $42.9 million in its Interurban District that serves the metro-east area and includes both the Granite City and East St. Louis Water treatment plants.  

(Read More) 

 

Six St. Louis area hospitals named Top Performers (The St. Louis Business Journal, September 20, 2012)

 

According to the St. Louis Business Journal, six St. Louis-area hospitals made the Joint Commission's annual list of top performers, including Gateway Regional Medical Center in Granite City, Ill., and St. Anthony's Health Center in Alton. The Joint Commission is a not-for-profit organization that accredits and certifies over 19,000 health care organizations and programs in the U.S. The six area hospitals join the prestigious list with 614 other hospitals this year. They must conform to rigorous standards in order to be recognized as a top performer. Other hospitals in the area that made this year's list include SSM Cardinal Glennon Children's Medical Center, SSM St. Mary's Health Center, SSM St. Joseph Hospital West Lake Saint Louis and Hawthorn Children's Psychiatric Hospital. (Read More

 

Education matters: SWIC Gets $609,000 grant for technical ed program (The Belleville News-Democrat, September 25, 2012)

 

Southwestern Illinois College (SWIC) has received a $609,000 Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training grant from the  federal government. According to the Belleville News-Democrat, the funds will be used to expand training facilities for people interested in the field of manufacturing technology. SWIC had previously received $1.4 million from the same program last year. The funds are part of a larger $12.9 million grant received by the Harper College of Chicago, a 21-member consortium which SWIC is a part of. (Read More

 

  

Bond refinancing frees money for Granite City downtown development (Suburban Journals, September 26, 2012)

The Suburban Journals is reporting that the Granite City Council recently unanimously approved refinancing of bonds issued when the economy was in recession in 2008. The goal of the refinancing is to free up more tax increment financing money to continue downtown improvement projects. It's estimated that as much as $250,000 a year could be made available for TIF-funded projects over the next 10 years. (Read More

 

SIU Nursing School awarded grant (Belleville News-Democrat, September 27, 2012)

 

According to the Belleville News-Democrat, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville has been awarded a $349,920 Department of Health and Human Services grant for its nurse training program. The grant  is part of the Department of Health and Human Services' Health Resources and Services Administration Advanced Education Nursing Traineeship program designed to address the national nurse shortage. The program aims to increase the number of advanced education nurses qualified to act as primary care providers or nursing faculty. The grant is intended to help out with tuition, fees, books and housing for students. (Read More

 

 

 

 

In Other News

 

 

Reps seek streamlined levee process (The Alton Telegraph, September 20, 2012)

 

A new bill introduced by U.S. Congressman Jerry Costello of Belleville and U.S. Congressman John Shimkus of Collinsville would expedite the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' approval process for levee improvements. The Alton Telegraph reports that the proposed bill would recognize the need to give local jurisdictions greater ability to plan and execute levee improvements, which they say is critical given federal budget constraints. In addition to allowing local entities to lead a project, it would also establish firm deadlines for the Corps review processes. If approved, the measure will enable the Southwestern Illinois Flood Prevention District Council to plan ahead with greater certainty as the Council continues its efforts to upgrade the levees to the new 100-year standard. (Read More

   

Contact Information

Ellen Krohne

 Executive Director

Leadership Council Southwestern Illinois

618-692-9745


 

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