Includes Road Work in Rock Island and Whiteside Counties

SPRINGFIELD - Governor Pat Quinn today announced investments of more than $2 million for construction projects in the Quad Cities area. The road projects in Rock Island and Whiteside Counties are part of his $31 billion Illinois Jobs Now! capital construction program, and address critical infrastructure needs in central Illinois. The announcement is part of Governor Quinn's agenda to create jobs and drive Illinois' economy forward.

"I sought passage of the Illinois Jobs Now! program immediately after taking office in 2009 because the state had gone nearly ten years without major capital construction legislation to repair and maintain the state's infrastructure," Governor Quinn said. "With Illinois Jobs Now!, we've been able to put hundreds of thousands of people to work and helped to make places like the Quad Cities a better place to live and work."

The projects will be managed by the Illinois Department of Transportation.

Rock Island County

The Quad City International Airport will receive a new visual approach guidance system on Runway 9 and sign updates for $1,242,761 by Tri-City Electric Company of Davenport, the lowest of three bidders. The Illinois Department of Transportation, Division of Aeronautics will manage the projects, which includes federal, state and local funding.

"Avenue Of The Cities" will receive cold milling, pavement patching and HMA resurfacing from 1st Street to Kennedy Drive in East Moline for $488,351 by Valley Construction Co. of Rock Island, the lowest of three bidders.

Whiteside County

U.S. 30 will receive cold milling and HMA resurfacing between the ramps at the I-88 interchange east of Rock Falls for $397,777 by Twin City Construction Company of Sterling, the lowest of three bidders.

The projects are part of Governor Quinn's $31 billion Illinois Jobs Now! program, which will support more than 439,000 jobs over six years. Illinois Jobs Now! is the largest construction program in Illinois history, and is one of the largest construction programs in the nation.

WAVERLY, IA (11/20/2014)(readMedia)-- Paris White received the 2014 St. Elizabeth Award for Service for her commitment to service as part of the annual St. Elizabeth Week celebration at Wartburg College.

White, a senior from Muscatine, was one of three students chosen for the honor, which recognizes students who express a desire to live a life that embodies the college's mission.

White is president of the Suicide Awareness for Everyone organization, a resident assistant and involved with campus ministries.

Ashley Lahti and Tawanda Murinda also received the award.

St. Elizabeth Week honors the legacy of the 13th century German woman who built a hospital, fed the hungry and assisted the poor. After her death in 1231, Pope Gregory IX proclaimed her a saint.

Wartburg, a four-year liberal arts college internationally recognized for community engagement, enrolls about 1,700 students. Wartburg is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and named after the castle in Germany where Martin Luther took refuge disguised as a knight during the stormy days of the Reformation, while translating the Bible from Greek into German.

Military bases support 150,000 jobs; pump billions into Illinois' economy

SPRINGFIELD - Nov. 20, 2014. The military and defense industry supports 150,000 jobs and $13.3 billion in economic activity in Illinois, according to a new statewide economic impact study released today by the Lt. Governor Sheila Simon's Office and the Illinois Chamber of Commerce Foundation.

The figures include employment and spending related to four categories: active military installations, Department of Defense contracts, National Guard facilities and payments to military-linked retirees and school districts.

The largest impact stems from the installations at Scott Air Force Base near Belleville, the Rock Island Arsenal in the Quad Cities, and the Naval Station Great Lakes. Those bases alone support 85,000 jobs, and contribute a total of $9.1 billion the state's economy, the study shows. The study estimates the military and defense industry supports about 2 percent of the state's gross domestic product.

Lt. Governor Sheila Simon was joined by Illinois Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Todd Maisch to announce the study's findings. She said the new figures should help Illinois fight to retain and enhance military bases if Congress proceeds with sequestration or Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) in the next two years.

"We know that military installations are huge economic engines in their respective communities, but this study shows us exactly how crucial they are to our state's economy as a whole," said Simon. "I encourage all stakeholders to use this data as a foundation for efforts to preserve, promote and enhance our military assets going forward. Tens of thousands of jobs, billions in spending and our nation's security are at stake."

The study was commissioned by the Illinois Chamber of Commerce Foundation, in conjunction with the state's Interagency Military Base Support and Economic Development Committee (IMBSEDC), which Simon chairs. The impact study falls under the committee's statutory responsibilities regarding military base retention.

The analysis was conducted by the Center for Government Studies at Northern Illinois University. Researchers used a dynamic modeling tool to calculate the direct and indirect economic activity related to the military and defense industry and reported the figures by region, Congressional district and the state.

Researchers also conducted a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats or SWOT analysis that looked at quality of life factors, including a new law initiated by Simon that will ease military students' transitions into and out of Illinois' schools. The law also more closely aligns Illinois with similar laws in other states.

"This study is a first step toward educating Illinoisans about the importance of our military assets," Simon said. "We want all stakeholders to understand what we have, what we have to lose and what there is to gain."

The report outlines several areas that need further exploration and analysis, and recommends the following steps for the IMBSEDC going forward:

• Closely monitor military-related developments at the federal, regional, state and local levels for their potential economic impact to the state
• Look at strategic outreach, advocacy, and communications underway by other states that are promoting, preserving and enhancing their military and defense industry assets
• Encourage military installations and communities to identify and implement shared service partnerships with the public and private sectors
• Stress the importance of proactively engaging well in advance of another BRAC round

As chair of the IMBSEDC, Simon helped coordinate the state's activities and communications relating to current and former military bases in Illinois. The study is the final action taken during her service as chair.

To read the study in its entirety, please visit the Lt. Governor's website, or click here.

Camp Courageous has joined #GivingTuesday, a global effort to harness the collective power of charities, families, businesses, and individuals to transform how people participate in the giving season. Thanksgiving is for Giving Thanks, Black Friday is for Sales, Cyber Monday is for Getting Deals, and now there is Giving Tuesday. #Giving Tuesday will inspire people to take action to improve their local communities, give back in better, smarter ways to causes they support and help create a better world.

This year #GivingTuesday takes place on December 2, 2014 - the Tuesday after Thanksgiving.

Since #GivingTuesday was first celebrated in 2012, the number of organizations participating has increased substantially. Today more than 10,000 organizations have joined the movement, with the help of the United Nations Foundation. Together, these organizations are providing creative ways for people to embrace #GivingTuesday with meaningful results.

The mayors of Cedar Rapids, Monticello, Dyersville, Manchester, Hopkinton, and other communities have signed official proclamations declaring December 2nd "Giving Tuesday".

Camp Courageous has joined #GivingTuesday to help promote the spirit of giving to great causes. For 40 years Camp Courageous has provided recreational and respite opportunities for individuals with disabilities in a unique outdoor recreational setting. Camp Courageous would not exist without the giving spirit of thousands of volunteers and donors.

"Giving Tuesday is a reminder that the spirit of holiday giving is about community, " said Amatullah Richard, Communications Director with Camp Courageous. "The most meaningful gift we can give our children, loved ones, friends, and neighbors is to work together to make sure opportunities are extended to everyone."

To celebrate the spirit of giving, Camp Courageous will feature #UNselfies on the Camp Courageous Facebook page in the days leading up to #GivingTuesday and on December 2nd. #UNselfies are pictures of individuals who volunteer and/or donate holding a sign stating why they give to camp. A sample is attached. Individuals are encouraged to print out an #UNselfie sheet, customize it, and send their own #UNselfie to archard@campcourageous.org to be featured on the camp Facebook page.They can access this page by going to:   #GivingTuesday

Since #GivingTuesday was first celebrated in 2012, the number of organizations participating has increased substantially. Today more than 10,000 organizations have joined the movement. With the help of the United Nations Foundation, these organizations are providing creative ways for people to embrace #GivingTuesday with meaningful results.