ESSEX – Eighteen local school districts will be receiving around $22,000 in grants from the Illinois secretary of state’s School Library Grant program, Senator Patrick Joyce announced today.

The purpose of the grants awarded by the Illinois State Library are to help public schools expand the collection of library books and materials for students.

“Reading is an essential part of education. I’m happy knowing so many excellent schools in the South Suburbs, Kankakee and surrounding communities will benefit from these grants,” Joyce said. “The support brought by the School Library Grant program will help our children and grandchildren have more access to books now and in the future.”

Schools receiving school library grants include:

• Kankakee SD #111 – $3430.50
• Flossmoor Elementary School District #161 – $1675.50
• Manhattan Elementary School District #114 – $1099.50
• Bradley Elementary School District #61 – $951.75
• Peotone CUSD #207U – $1,017.00
• Herscher CUSD #2 – $1,215.00
• Coal City CUSD #1 – $1571.25
• Wilmington CUSD #209U – $906.00

ESSEX – Beginning in 2020, child-care providers who participate in the Child Care Assistance Program will see reimbursement rates go up 20% in rural counties, Gov. JB Pritzker announced this week. Child-care providers in Grundy County will be included in the program.

“Early childhood development is an essential part of every family’s life,” State Senator Patrick Joyce (D-Essex) said. “It’s important that everyone has access to affordable day cares across the state."

Access to day cares is a difficult issue, especially for low-income and single parents. Residents of rural communities often struggle find child-care providers for their children.

ESSEX – State Senator Joyce (D-Essex) announced that the Illinois Department of Transportation’s five-year Highway Improvement Program will include much needed-updates to roads and bridges, including major improvements on I-55 and I-57.

To protect public safety, IDOT is making major road and bridge repairs on I-55, worth $22 million.  The construction area will stretch roughly from Gardner to Braidwood.

“Illinois is the crossroads of the nation, and it’s absolutely vital to our safety and economy that we maintain our network of highways,” Joyce said. “These repairs will also create good-paying construction jobs for people throughout the region.”

The 40th Legislative District contains portions of the southland as well as a majority of Kankakee County, an eastern portion of Will County and southeastern Grundy County.

County Government:

Cook
Grundy
Kankakee
Will 

City, Town & Village Government: