Thanks to the generosity of a growing business in the Hilltop Campus Village district, the office of the district has settled into a new home. It is now at 122 East 15th Street, in space provided by the Ascentra Credit Union - which is itself moving soon to their new facility on the SW corner of Brady and Locust Streets, currently under construction and scheduled to open in July 2015. The HCV offices were formerly located at 601 Brady Street.

"We were frankly surprised by the terrific success of our "Studio Suites" project in the Priester Building. Seven new businesses have located there in less than a year and we began thinking at year's end that we may have worked ourselves out of an office space.", said HCV Board President Robert Lee, "So our Board instructed the HCV Director to begin making discreet inquiries as to what might be available. We were extremely pleased to find an option like the space available at Ascentra's present location."

"On the one hand, it is challenging to keep moving our offices; nobody enjoys that process" said Director Scott Tunnicliff. "On the other, since our mission is to encourage reinvestment and revitalization in the area, it is a practical price to pay for success. The space we have been accorded allows us a chance to continue to work to improve and promote the opportunities here."

Dale Owen, CEO of Ascentra Credit Union, was pleased to respond to the inquiry. "After meeting with Scott and later with Robert Lee, it became apparent that there was some synergy between our plans and their needs, both for the short and long-term. We look on this as the first of many ways we can take a leadership role in helping good things happen in the Hilltop Campus Village and vicinity." 

Christopher Meyer, board member and Chair of the Promotions Work Group, was one of those in charge of making the move. "Our board made a very deliberative decision and once made, everything seemed to come together. I continue to be impressed by the level of commitment shown by commercial property owners in our area. We had an outpouring of volunteers helping to make the move so we didn't miss a beat with respect to work continuing."

Kelly Young, Board Vice-chair and head of the Organization Work Group noted that this is just a part of the progress being made. "Ascentra has made us very welcome. Scott has received a warm welcome from Ascentra staff and we will look forward to working closely. There are a lot of very good things happening in the Hilltop area right now, and this is just one of them." 
Further inquiries may be directed to Scott Tunnicliff (563 370 2098) or Dale Owen (563 459-6910).

Chicago, Illinois (March 6, 2015) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is responding to the derailment of a BNSF freight train that occurred near Galena, Illinois on March 5th.  EPA is conducting air monitoring, taking water samples, assessing environmental damage and setting up booms to protect nearby waterways from oil leaking from the rail cars. So far, air monitors have detected airborne particles typically associated with fires but no chemicals.

EPA has established a command post near the scene of the incident and is serving as the Federal On Scene Coordinator for federal agencies involved in the emergency response and coordinating work with state and local agencies.

Updates on the EPA response will be posted on at: http://www2.epa.gov/il/galena-train-derailment

Comptroller's tax return insert will shine light on government spending

CHICAGO - As her office began issuing state income tax refunds this week, Comptroller Leslie Geissler Munger urged taxpayers Thursday to register online to check the status of their returns and sign up for text message and email payment notifications.

The easy-to-use Tax Refund Alert System allows taxpayers to visit illinoiscomptroller.com and enter their name and Social Security Number to see if the Comptroller's Office has processed their refund. Taxpayers also can enter an email address and phone number to receive a payment notification.

In addition, Munger announced her office will include inserts with all tax returns detailing where the State of Illinois spent $36.7 billion in 2014, information on the state's bill backlog, and other tools to help taxpayers learn about state and local finances. Those who receive their tax refunds through Direct Deposit may view the tax insert digitally if they register for the Tax Refund Alert System.

"Our team at the Comptroller's office is dedicated to making state government more helpful for taxpayers. Our tax refund alert system and tax return insert will make it easier for them to track their refunds and monitor government spending," Munger said. "We will continue to focus on making government more efficient, transparent, and accessible while offering taxpayer-friendly tools to help our citizens follow the money."

Specifically, the tax return insert provides a spending breakdown by stage agency on everything from Education and Medicaid to Human Services and Corrections. It further provides snapshots of the state's unpaid bills over time, documenting the backlog at the end of the fiscal year and six months later at the end of the calendar year. Finally, it refers residents to the Comptroller's transparency websites, the Ledger and the Warehouse, for more detail on state and local finances.

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