Lightford hosts RALI CARES education trailer to combat opioid abuse

HILLSIDE – To continue efforts in combating the opioid crisis, Senate Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford (D-Maywood) partnered with the Rx Abuse Leadership Initiative and the Code 3 Association to bring the RALI CARES educational trailer to Hillside last week.

In 2016, there were 1,947 overdose deaths due to opioids in Illinois, according to the Department of Public Health. From 1999 to 2016, opioid related overdose deaths in the state nearly quadrupled.

“The statistics on overdose deaths are glaring and they call for action against the opioid crisis that is currently affecting every part of our state,” Lightford said. “The RALI CARES trailer is a tool to help parents and guardians identify signs of drug usage, which will help save lives.”

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35.8 Million for New Health Facility at South Suburban Community College

SPRINGFIELD – South Suburban Community College is receiving $35.8 million from the Rebuild Illinois statewide construction plan to build a new allied health facility.

The new four-story facility will be approximately 130,000 square feet. It will provide the college with a cutting-edge teaching facility to train students for health care careers. The estimated cost for the project is roughly $70 million, with nearly $17 million in state funding already released and the remaining funding being provided locally.

“I’m thrilled to see Illinois investing into a state-of-the-art teaching facility in the south suburbs,” said State Senator Napoleon Harris (D-Harvey). “This new facility will provide better job opportunities and bring more resources to students who want a career in the medical industry.”

Read more: 35.8 Million for New Health Facility at South Suburban Community College

Bennett receives Taiwanese soybean delegation ahead of multi-billion-dollar soybean and corn agreements

CHAMPAIGN – Senate Agriculture Chairman Scott Bennett hosted a Taiwanese delegation at his family farm on Sept. 24 in Ford County to celebrate the $2.2 billion commitment to purchase Illinois soybeans and corn over the next two years.

“Illinois is a leading producer of soybeans and corn,” Bennett said. “Earlier this summer, I met with Taiwan government officials and agricultural business leaders to talk about why they should purchase soybeans and corn from Illinois.”

Bennett said he wanted to personally introduce the delegation to Illinois agriculture. Illinois and Taiwanese associations signed two $1.1 billion agreements to purchase Illinois crops between 2020 and 2021.

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Bennett promotes S.T.A.R. Program to support Illinois farmers

CHAMPAIGN – Illinois farmers should take advantage of an innovative program to help protect their farmland and our environment, said Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Scott Bennett.

The S.T.A.R. program (Saving Tomorrow’s Agriculture Resources), provides free instruction on how to ensure Illinois feeds the world while reducing their environmental footprint.

“This program helps farmers lose less to runoff, earn more from their land, and preserve the state’s natural resources for the next generation,” said Bennett (D-Champaign).

The S.T.A.R. program ranks a farmer’s field according to how well it practices conservation, all with the foal of safeguarding local waterways and maximizing productivity per acre. Participants determine their S.T.A.R. ranking by completing a field form, which is scored by a local reviewer on a five-star scale.

Read more: Bennett promotes S.T.A.R. Program to support Illinois farmers