New Facility Will Care for 200 of the Nation's Heroes

CHICAGO - Governor Pat Quinn today broke ground on the $70.5 million Illinois Veterans Home at Chicago. The 200-bed facility will be the fifth veterans' home in the state and the first in Chicago. Today's action is part of Governor Quinn's longstanding commitment to honor and support the men and women who have served our nation.

"All of us on the homefront have a duty to take care of those who have borne the battle," Governor Quinn said. "More than half of Illinois' veterans live in the Chicago area, and this new facility will greatly benefit these heroes and their families. Our new veterans' home in Chicago will provide care and support for 200 of our nation's heroes and create hundreds of jobs for hardworking Illinois residents."

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has approved federal reimbursement for up to 65 percent of the eligible construction costs on the project. This means as much as $45.8 million of the construction cost could be covered by the federal government.

The five-story home will feature single occupancy rooms with private bathrooms and common areas for dining and meeting with visitors. The facility will be built to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) silver standards, a testament to its energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly design. The construction project will be managed by the Illinois Capital Development Board.

Construction will begin by early October on 7.8 acres of land at the southwest corner of Forest Preserve Drive and Oak Park Avenue. The location was selected because of its proximity to the Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital and its accessibility to public transportation. Units will provide special long-term care for veterans with Alzheimer's disease and dementia. Construction is scheduled for completion in mid 2016.

"The start of construction on the Illinois Veterans Home at Chicago is a great step forward," Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs (IDVA) Acting Director Rodrigo Garcia said. "Thanks to Governor Quinn's leadership and commitment to serving those who have served, Chicago-area veterans will have a chance to access the great quality of care and the caring, patriotic environment we offer at our four existing Homes."

"There is no more important building being constructed in the state of Illinois than this one," Capital Development Board Executive Director Jim Underwood said. "We are honored to oversee the construction of this home that will care for heroes who answered the call to serve."

The Illinois Veterans Home at Chicago will be operated by IDVA, which also supervises veterans' homes in Anna, LaSalle, Manteno and Quincy. IDVA also operates the Prince Home, a 15-bed permanent supportive housing facility for homeless and disabled veterans at Manteno. When completed and after recognition of the Illinois Veterans Home at Chicago, the Department will be able to receive USDVA per diem payments that will provide over one quarter of the annual operating budget of the home.

Modern Woodmen will present the award at the Race to Knock Out Hunger

On Saturday, Sept. 20, Angie DeHamer, Sherrard, Ill., received Modern Woodmen of America's Hometown Hero Award. DeHamer was recognized for countless hours of service to the community. The recognition took place in a pre-race ceremony for Modern Woodmen's Race to Knock Out Hunger.

President Kenny Massey presented DeHamer with the Hometown Hero award and a $100 grant, to be presented to the charitable organization of her choice. DeHamer was recognized for her devotion and involvement with the Viager Family of Sherrard.

In 2013, the Sherrard community member lost his wife, daughter, two nieces, a friend and his home in an early morning fire. DeHamer made it her mission to help. She worked with countless others to have a new home built at minimal costs.

"The Hometown Hero program allows us to thank those who give back to the community and encourage others to volunteer," says Kenny Massey, President and CEO of Modern Woodmen.

Coordinated by local Modern Woodmen members, chapters provide opportunities to take part in social activities and community service projects to meet local needs.

As a tax-exempt fraternal benefit society, Modern Woodmen sells life insurance, annuity and investment* products not to benefit stockholders but to improve quality of life for our members, their families and their communities. This is accomplished through social, charitable and volunteer activities. In 2013, Modern Woodmen and its members provide more than $20 million and more than 507,600 volunteer hours for community projects nationwide.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 19, 2014 - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced the reappointment of four individuals to serve on the National Genetic Resources Advisory Council (NGRAC), a subcommittee of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics (NAREEE) Advisory Board. The newly appointed and returning members of the NGRAC will meet from Sept. 23 through Sept. 25 in Ames, Iowa.

The NGRAC is made up of nine voting members and eight ex-officio members. Two-thirds of voting members are selected from the scientific community and one-third from the general public. The following members have been reappointed to a 3-year term effective October 1, 2014:

Scientific Members

• Dr. Jane Dever, Professor of Plant Breeding at Texas A&M AgriLife Research.
• Dr. Karen Moldenhauer, Professor and Rice Industry Chair for Variety Development, University of Arkansas, Division of Agriculture.
• Dr. Mulumebet Worku, Animal Scientist/Professor/Biotechnologist, Department of Animal Sciences, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.

General Public Members

• Matthew Dillon, Senior Manager Agricultural Programs and Director of Seed Matters, Clif Bar & Company.

Originally established by Congress in 1992, the NGRAC was re-activated in 2012 as a subcommittee under the NAREEE Advisory Board to formulate recommendations on actions and policies for the collection, maintenance, and utilization of genetic resources; to make recommendations for coordination of genetic resources plans; and to advise the Secretary of Agriculture and the National Genetic Resources Program (NGRP) Director of new and innovative approaches to genetic resources conservation. More recently, the NGRAC was charged with advising USDA on ways to ensure that the NGRP serves the needs of all farmers for high-quality and diverse seed for their particular farming operations and how the department can develop a broad strategy for maintaining plant biodiversity available to agriculture, and strengthening public sector plant breeding capacities.

The Council operates under the auspices of the NAREEE Advisory Board and the USDA Research, Education, and Economics (REE) Mission Area.

The NGRAC is holding a publicly open meeting beginning on the afternoon of September 23 through the afternoon of September 25, 2014 at the Seed Science Center, Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. The NGRAC will focus the meeting on further formulation and development of advice and recommendations to help ensure that the USDA serves the needs of all farmers by making sure that high-quality and diverse seed is available for farming operations of all types.

The meeting's agenda includes featured experts in genetic sciences within food and agriculture. Among those invited to speak are: Dr. Catherine Woteki, USDA Chief Scientist and Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics (REE); Dr. Michael Schechtman, Biotechnology Coordinator and Executive Secretary Advisory Committee on Biotechnology and 21st Century Agriculture (AC21); Dr. Charles Brown, Chair, Organic Seed Committee, American Seed Trade Association; and Leslie Wheelock, Director, USDA Office of Tribal Relations.

Meeting Location:

Seed Science Center

191 Seed Science Building

Ames, Iowa 50011

All NGRAC meetings are open to the public.

You must register as an attendee by contacting Shirley Morgan-Jordan at shirley.morgan@ars.usda.gov or calling (202) 720-3684. A draft agenda will be sent upon request. At the end of each meeting day, the floor will be open for public comment, or interested individuals may provide written comment for the public record postmarked by Oct. 9, 2014.

For additional information, please contact Michele Esch, Executive Director, REE Advisory Board Office, Room 332A, Whitten Building, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-0321, Telephone: 202-720-3684, Fax: 202-720-6199, or e-mail: michele.esch@usda.gov.

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Washington, D.C. - Today, Representatives Dave Loebsack (IA-02) and Earl Blumenauer (OR-03), along with 16 other members of Congress, introduced H.R. 5559, the Bridge to a Clean Energy Future Act of 2014. The bill would extend critical incentives to provide market certainty and to strengthen investment in clean energy such as extending Production Tax Credit for wind energy through 2016, offering parity with the Investment Tax Credit enjoyed by solar energy investments, and granting the solar industry the same access to credits at the start of a project's construction that the wind industry has. For additional information, click here.

Wind and solar energy are clean, renewable, and American.  Creating a tax landscape for renewables that allows them to compete fairly in the market with other energy sources benefits the country by creating a healthier environment and thousands of jobs. It also puts renewable energy on an equal footing with traditional fossil fuels, giving consumers real choice about how they want to power their homes and their lives.

"The Production Tax Credit has helped the still-growing U.S. wind energy industry employ 80,000 Americans, including thousands of Iowans," said Loebsack. "Like all businesses, the wind energy sector needs stability and predictability so long term investments and business decisions can be made. The continued expiration of the PTC causes slow-downs at manufacturing facilities and could lead to additional lay-offs. For our nation to move towards energy independence and continued job growth, we need to prioritize clean energy like wind and act immediately to pass this extension of the PTC."

"I'm eager to push this across the finish line this Congress," said Blumenauer. "My state of Oregon is a leader in renewable energy technologies, and Dave's state of Iowa is the second largest wind energy producer in the nation, so we understand the importance of stability and security in the clean energy sector. His help will be important in advancing this legislation. Making sure these energy sources are on an even playing field with the fossil fuel industry is essential to lowering carbon emissions, creating a cleaner environment, and creating good, non-exportable American jobs."

In addition to developing domestic sources of clean energy, strengthening the finance environment for the construction and development of renewable energy installations strengthens the US economy by employing American workers, and supporting American manufacturers. From a strong base at home, American clean energy firms are also able to export this technology around the world, creating new markets for American expertise.