In this issue:
- Drive safely during harvest season
- Audit finds data missing for $6 million in unemployment claims
- Visit to CrossRoads Community Center
- LIHEAP energy assistance now available
Drive safely during harvest season
With harvest here for some and quickly approaching for others, I wanted to share a few tips to stay safe this harvest season.
- Pay attention and do not drive distracted.
- Slow down when you encounter slow moving vehicles. The flashing amber lights mean CAUTION!
- Pass with extreme caution.
- It is illegal to pass in a no passing zone or within 100 feet of an intersection.
- BE PATIENT. A farmer cannot always move over to let motorists pass.
- If you cannot see the driver, the driver cannot see you.
- Always remember it’s somebody’s family member.
- Slow and steady will win the race!
Be safe this harvest season! We are hoping for a bountiful harvest for all!
Audit finds data missing for $6 million in unemployment claims
The system Illinois used to distribute unemployment claims during the pandemic was plagued with problems from the start, and a recent audit suggests that some of those problems still exist.
Auditors were unable to find data to ensure that $6 million in pandemic unemployment funds actually made it to the people who should have received it. Businesses were shut down and hundreds of thousands of Illinoisans became unemployed due to Governor Pritzker’s lockdown orders during the pandemic. The Auditor General’s office says that the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) failed to “maintain accurate and complete” data for nearly 3000 people who received over $6.2 million in assistance during the fiscal year which ended last June.
The report comes on the heels of an audit last year which found that IDES paid more than $5 billion in unemployment claims during 2020-2022 which were either fraudulent or excessive. These payments included money that went to people who were dead or in prison.
Visit to CrossRoads Community Center
I stopped in at the CrossRoads Youth Center a few days ago and was able to visit with some of the seniors playing Bingo and the youth that came after school.
What an incredible place for those in the Milford area to gather!
Thanks for the opportunity to stop by and for the great conversation!
LIHEAP energy assistance now available
The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) is available for income-qualified households. This energy bill assistance program can assist with natural gas, propane, electricity bills and furnace assistance. Applications are open now through August 15, 2025, or until funds are exhausted.
Visit helpillinoisfamilies.com to get started.
Our current bill backlog
When a vendor provides the state with goods and services, they submit the bill to the Illinois Comptroller for payment. The Comptroller processes the paperwork and pays the bill when funds are available in the state’s checking account. Currently the total amount of unpaid bills is $1,693,158,206. This figure changes daily. Last year at this time the state had $1.4 billion in bills awaiting payment. This only includes bills submitted to the Comptroller for payment, not unfunded debts like the state’s pension liability, which is well over $100 billion.
Illinois headlines
In its 40th year, Paxton radio station maintains a steady presence in the area
Agritourism presents opportunities, challenges for Illinois farmers
Nominate a deserving teacher for the Golden Owl Award
Illinois residents set to receive $13.2M in unclaimed property