New Multi-Year Plan Will Improve 1,845 Miles of Highway, Replace or Rehabilitate 384 Bridges and Make Major Investments in Public Transit

SPRINGFIELD - Days after receiving positive feedback from bond rating agencies regarding his fiscal year 2015 budget plan, Governor Pat Quinn today unveiled a six-year, $8.6 billion construction program that will improve roads and bridges throughout Illinois while making major investments in public transportation. The projects are part of Governor Quinn's agenda to create jobs and build a 21st century infrastructure that will drive Illinois' economy forward.

"This comprehensive plan for our highways, public transit, rail and airport projects will make critical repairs and major improvements across Illinois," Governor Quinn said. "A booming economy requires a 21st century infrastructure. Our infrastructure plan will create thousands of construction jobs now while paving the way for more jobs and economic development in the future."

The fiscal years 2015-2020 highway improvement program will improve 1,845 miles of highway and replace or rehabilitate 384 bridges across Illinois. Among hundreds of projects across the state, the plan includes:

• $308.6 million for construction of a new I-74/US 6 bridge in Moline
• $107.9 million for bridge replacements on the Stevenson Expressway in Chicago
• $110 million for the Alton-Godfrey Expressway
• $204.4 million for US 150 improvements including a bridge replacement in Peoria
• $76.4 million for bridge replacements along I-80 in Will County
• $71 million for a new I-64 bridge over the Wabash River in White County
• $29 million to reconstruct IL Rt. 2/North Main in Rockford
• $52 million for work on I-74 near Champaign and Danville
• $65.2 million for work on IL Rt. 47 in Kendall County
• $27.8 million for resurfacing and bridge work on I-72/US 51 in Decatur
• $27.7 million for improvements to I-72 between New Berlin and Chatham Road in Sangamon County
• $73.9 million for I-70 resurfacing and bridge repair in the Effingham area
• $36.2 million for I-57 road and bridge work around Kankakee
• $65 million for improvements to Route 104 in Morgan and Pike Counties

The improvement program also includes $1.85 billion for public transportation and $800 million for airports with $161 million for fiscal year 2015. Highlights include :

• $60 million to re-establish passenger rail service, which includes a new station in South Elgin for the Chicago-Rockford-Dubuque Corridor in Cook, DuPage and Kane Counties
• $585.1 million to purchase up to 160 Electric Highliner Metra Commuter Cars
• $222 million to provide new intercity passenger rail service between Chicago and Moline for the Chicago-Quad Cities-Iowa City Corridor in Cook and DuPage Counties
• $132.6 million for the Englewood Flyover to reduce Amtrak, Metra and freight passenger rail congestion
• Funding to continue land acquisition and pursue final approval of the South Suburban Airport with the Federal Aviation Administration
• $2.45 million to purchase four 35-foot diesel buses, three super medium duty diesel buses, eight medium duty diesel buses and one minivan for replacement for the Southeastern Illinois RIDES Mass Transit District

"We have made tremendous progress the past few years toward improving the state's transportation infrastructure," Illinois Transportation Secretary Ann Schneider said. "However, with federal revenue sources dwindling and the end in sight for Governor Quinn's Illinois Jobs Now! program, I look forward to supporting the Governor's call for a bipartisan working group to find ways to continue this progress."

"Replacing the functionally obsolete I-74 bridge across the Mississippi River will not only increase safety but it will create jobs and economic growth across our region," Congresswoman Cheri Bustos said. "I am encouraged that Governor Quinn has included this important project in this construction plan and I will continue to work with local, state and federal leaders to ensure it remains prioritized and continues to move forward."

For fiscal year 2015, which begins July 1, 2014, the program has allocated $1.88 billion for road projects, $1.85 billion for public transportation, $2.7 million for rail and $161 million for airport improvements. For the six years of the plan, a total of $5.82 billion is targeted to state highway system improvements with $2.77 billion going toward local transportation needs.

The plan includes $6.99 billion in anticipated federal funds, $1.16 billion in state funds and the remaining $450 million from local and other sources. The $158 million remaining for road and bridge projects from Governor Quinn's Illinois Jobs Now! capital construction program is also included in this multi-year program.

Projects that are part of the fiscal years 2015-2020 program will begin after July 1 of this year. Of those projects, IDOT is offering contractors a reimbursement rate of $15 an hour for hiring graduates of the Highway Construction Careers Training Program, an IDOT-sponsored initiative to encourage women and minorities to pursue careers in the transportation construction industry.

The Governor is also asking the Illinois General Assembly to form a bipartisan working group to establish the next capital bill to ensure our roads, rail, transit and airports receive additional funding to ensure they are reliable and efficient for the future. Thanks to the Illinois Jobs Now capital bill more than $15.12 billion has been invested in the state's highways system alone from January 2009 through March 2013, improving more than 7,700 miles of roadways and more than 1,330 bridges.

Today's announcement follows news yesterday that Standard and Poor's has joined the other two bond rating agencies in noting Illinois' progress in addressing its budget challenges. The agencies recognized the hard work the state has done to cut costs, pay down old bills and pass a comprehensive pension reform plan. Standard & Poor's, Moody's and Fitch agreed that Governor Quinn's proposed fiscal year 2015 Budget could bring long-term fiscal stability to Illinois.

The multi-year transportation program builds upon the success of Governor Quinn's $31 billion Illinois Jobs Now! program, which is supporting more than 400,000 jobs over six years. It is the largest construction program in Illinois history, and is one of the largest construction programs in the nation. Prior to its passage by the Illinois General Assembly in 2009, Illinois had gone nearly a decade without a major program to address its critical infrastructure needs.

Plan highlights can be found at dot.il.gov.

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ROCK ISLAND, IL (04/09/2014)(readMedia)-- Twelve Augustana seniors majoring in art will display their work at the Augustana Teaching Museum of Art (3703 7th Ave., Rock Island, Ill.), as part of New Departures: Senior Art Show. The exhibition opens Tuesday, April 29, and runs through Sunday, May 25. The museum is open from noon to 4 p.m., Tuesdays through Saturdays, and closed for final exams May 19-22.

The show exhibits work by studio art and graphic design majors who graduate this year. Displaying artwork in a variety of media, from painting and photography to quilting and video, the exhibition is the culmination of the students' Senior Inquiry process and overall academic experience. As the capstone project for every graduating Augustana student, Senior Inquiry encourages seniors to demonstrate the critical thinking and communication skills they've developed in their major and throughout their liberal arts education, and to reflect on the value of their work for their future profession and for the common good.

Each student has been guided by a faculty mentor and has worked countless hours to create and professionally display his or her original, completed work and progress during the past four years. The exhibiting artists will discuss their work in the Augustana Teaching Museum of Art's Centennial Hall gallery during a gallery talk at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, May 7. The public also is invited to the graduation day reception for the exhibition from 12:45-2 p.m. on Sunday, May 25.

Projects by students from our area featured in the exhibition include :

Monica Hill of Carbon Cliff and Rajinder Kaur of Silvis

Founded in 1860, Augustana College is a selective four-year residential college of the liberal arts and sciences. The college is recognized for the innovative program Augie Choice, which provides each student up to $2,000 to pursue a high-impact learning experience such as study abroad, an internship or research with a professor. Current students and alumni include 149 Academic All-Americans, a Nobel laureate, 13 college presidents and other distinguished leaders. The college enrolls 2,500 students and is located along one of the world's most important waterways, the Mississippi River, in a community that reflects the diversity of the United States.

Churches United of the Quad City Area is extremely proud and thankful to announce the award of the following grants:

The Mary Iva Gittens Knouse Trust, $1,754.00 for Winnie's Place

The Mary Iva Gittens Knouse Trust, $1,754.00 for our Hunger Ministry

The TJX Foundation, Inc., $5,000.00 for Winnie's Place

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, $3,000.00 for our Hunger Ministry

Winnies's Place has served our community as a shelter for women, homeless or victims of domestic violence, since 2006. Winnie's Place stands for Women In Need - Nurtured Into Excellence.

Our Hunger Ministry supports 25 food pantries and 3 hot meal sites in the Quad City Area.

We thank these donors for supporting our ministries to help those in need in our communities.

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Republican Gov. Branstad Leads in Bid for Reelection to 6th Term

For U.S. Senate, Democrat Braley Leads Field, as Ernst Rallies in GOP Primary

BOSTON - With the January 2016 Iowa presidential caucuses on the horizon, Hillary Clinton is the far-and-away favorite among self-described Democratic caucus-goers, according to a Suffolk University statewide Iowa poll. And while some Republicans have begun visiting the Hawkeye State, the survey shows no favorites among prospective GOP presidential candidates.

Meanwhile, the Suffolk University poll of likely general-election Iowa voters shows Republican Gov. Terry Branstad with a strong advantage heading into the June 3 Republican gubernatorial primary, and he leads the sole Democrat in the race, State Sen. Jack Hatch, by 10 points in a general-election match-up. Branstad, the longest serving governor in U.S. history, is seeking his sixth four-year term.

In the race for U.S. Senate, Democratic Congressman Bruce Braley leads all five potential Republican opponents by between 6 and 13 points.

2016 presidential caucuses

A subset of self-described Iowa caucus goers were asked their first choice for their party's nomination for president, 63 percent of Democrats indicated former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, 12 percent chose Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and 10 percent favored Vice President Joe Biden.

The picture was much cloudier on the Republican side, with former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee at 11 percent, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (10 percent each), Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and medical professor emeritus Ben Carson (9 percent each), and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (7 percent). Six others had 6 percent each: Congressman and 2012 vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.), former Alaska Gov. and 2008 vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), former Sen. Rick Santorum, and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker.

Gubernatorial race

Branstad led Republican Tom Hoefling 71 percent to 8 percent with 19 percent undecided in the primary race. A general-election matchup shows him ahead of Hatch 42 percent to 32 percent, with 24 percent undecided.

"Although his ballot test number is under fifty percent, Republican Governor Terry Branstad's overwhelming support in the northwest counties as well as his comfortable lead among independents statewide is significant," said David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center in Boston. "However, over a third of independents are undecided, so the race is fluid."

Republicans aren't faring as well in the U.S. Senate race, though the race is much closer. Braley's lead over his Republican opponents is buoyed by wide positive margins in his home northeast area as well as in the central counties, including Polk.

In the smaller subset of June Republican Primary voters, State Sen. Joni Ernst, who has been tagged the "castration candidate" due to her TV ad that includes a matter-of-fact reference to growing up on an Iowa hog farm, is leading businessman Mark Jacobs 25 percent to 23 percent. Radio show host Sam Clovis (7 percent), former U.S. Attorney Matt Whitaker (4 percent), and Navy veteran Scott Schaben (1 percent) trail the front-runners, while 40 percent of primary voters remain undecided. Although within the statistical margin of error, this is the first public poll showing Ernst leading in the GOP Primary.

President's approval ratings and Obamacare

Slightly more voters viewed President Barack Obama unfavorably (49 percent) than favorably (45 percent), and his job disapproval rating widened to 50 percent, with 40 percent approving. When likely voters were asked about the Affordable Care Act, 48 percent said it is generally bad for Iowa, and 38 percent said it is generally good.

Upbeat on Iowa economy

Nearly 43 percent of voters polled said that the Iowa economy has improved over the past two years, while 14 percent said it has gotten worse, and 39 percent said it has stayed the same.

"Voters are clearly saying that the worst is over when it comes to the Iowa economy. That's an opportunity for Democrats as they try to fight through the negative poll numbers of Obama and Obamacare."

Methodology

The statewide Suffolk University survey used a split sample of landline and cell phone numbers and a screen to filter out low voter intensity.  The field of 800 likely voters was conducted Thursday, April 3, through Tuesday, April 8. The margin of error is +/-3.5 percent at a 95 percent level of confidence. The subset of 224 likely Republican primary voters carries an error rate of +/-6.55 percent. The margin of error is +/-8.7 percent for the 127 GOP caucus-goers and +/-8.4% for the 135 Democratic caucus-goers surveyed.

Results are posted on the Suffolk University Political Research Center website. For more information, contact David Paleologos at 781-290-9310, dpaleologos@suffolk.edu.

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Suffolk University, located in historic downtown Boston, with an international campus in Madrid, is a student-centered institution distinguished by excellence in education and scholarship. Suffolk University offers a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs in more than 90 areas of study. Its mission is to empower graduates to be successful locally, regionally, and globally.