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CALHOUN NEWSHERALD ,QGH[ &RUUHVSRQGHQFH. . . . . A4 1HZV . . . . . . . . . .A3, B3 2XU 7RZQ. . . . . . . . . . A4 5HDO (VWDWH . . . . . . B1-3 6RFLDO % 6SRUWV . . . . . . . . . . . . A6 Obituaries in this issue: Klemme, Schneider
HARDIN, ILLINOIS 62047
OCTOBER 30, 2019
VOLUME 146 - ISSUE 44
State provides $130 million to replace Joe Page Bridge By KRIS SCHEFFEL Calhoun News-Herald Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) announced last week that Calhoun and Greene counties will be receiving $130 million to replace the Joe Page Bridge. It is a part of a wider effort via the Rebuild Illinois plan to improve roads and bridges across the state. It was a move that many in the county including the group, Access Calhoun, saw as a step forward. Access Calhoun is local group frustrated with the lack of flood mitigation efforts, formed following this year’s flooding. They sought actions be taken to ensure the crippling flood events like the one this year and in ’93 would not be as devastating to the access of the county— the same actions proposed in ’93. “As a group, we did not ask for a new bridge, but our meetings were information-gathering, fact-finding meetings about several different options for better access,” Pam Long of Access Calhoun said. Among those options was a new bridge. “Access Calhoun was pleased to see the replacement of the Joe Page Bridge included in the recently released Illinois Multi-Year Plan,” she said.
Monday’s announcement represents a major success in the struggle to make sure Calhoun remains accessible during severe weather events as the Joe Page Bridge is the main means by which many cross the Illinois River every day. For Long and Access Calhoun, the congratulations will wait, though, until the project is more concrete. “Although this expresses the commitment of the state and federal agencies involved to work toward better access, we want to remain cautiously optimistic until we have more information and this project becomes a reality,” she said. According to a state press release, IDOT considered the condition, frequency of use and number of crashes and fatalities to determine which projects would receive funding. “In my nearly 30 years at this agency, today might be the most important day in our history,” Omer Osman, acting secretary of IDOT, said. “This multi-year plan gets us on the path to fixing our roads and bridges, putting policies into action that ensures our transportation system in Illinois is reliable, safe and provides economic opportunity for generations to come.” Approximately $4.99 billion of the $23.5 billion has been allocated for bridge replace-
Jarad Jarmon/Calhoun News-Herald
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ments and repairs under which the Joe Page Bridge falls. The project has been divided into several parts, the first of which involves several engineering contracts funded for 2020. Calhoun county engineer Kyle Godar said these early contracts are typically feasibility studies to determine the location of the project. “I can’t speak for IDOT,” he said. “I would have to think that the first engineering con-
tract would be to determine where the bridge would be located... It will involve all the environmental reviews and studies.” The project is listed as part of IDOT’s five-year plan from 2020 to 2025. After each year, the plans will be updated depending on revenue and evaluation metrics. “We are grateful for the consideration of this type of project in our area” Long said.
“We believe that this will bring about economic vitality and stability in our county.” The bridge is currently undergoing routine inspections by IDOT. The bridge has been reduced to one lane, according to the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office. Work was said to continue into this week with drivers being urged to give themselves more time to commute in case they are stopped at the bridge.
Calhoun moves forward with buyouts State looking By KRIS SCHEFFEL Calhoun News-Herald
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s the buyout process moves forward in Calhoun, Ron Davis, a representative of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR), spoke with residents about the next steps this past Tuesday, Oct. 22. The buyout program is part of a series of state level actions to help mitigate the damages of natural disasters. The program is completely voluntary and results in the demolition and rezoning of the land so that no one else would be able to build structures on it. Like any state or federal program, it is a long and tedious process. “You don’t have to take the buyout, and frankly, a lot of times it’s between a rock and a hard place,” Davis said. “OK, yeah, we don’t have to, but if we don’t take the buyout, we have to tear it down and pay to demolish it.” Davis continued to emphasis the
voluntary nature of the program, stating that individuals could drop out at any point in the process. This is, in part, a response to the state’s appeal of the Individual Assistance denial. “If you get a chance to get Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) assistance, go ahead and take it,” he said. “FEMA can do a lot more with their money.” If the appeal is granted, individuals can apply to alternative mitigation projects such as raising their homes rather than going ahead with a buyout. Another consideration is that FEMA’s program is 75 percent funded, unlike IDNR’s which is 100 percent funded. However, even if an individual opts to take part in the program, they must meet the eligibility requirements, the most basic of which is the amount of damage the home has sustained. The county has been in the process of assessing homes in order to put in applications for those that would potentially qualify for the program. The damage is determined by a number of factors
which include how high the water was in the home and the amount of structural, electrical or plumbing degradation. There are further eligibility standards that must be met before the state will approve a buyout. Properties must be free of environmental hazards and must not have been foreclosed on prior to beginning the buyout process. From there, the review process can begin. “The local jurisdiction tells us who they want to purchase, and we have to do an environmental review,” Davis said. “Frankly, that takes the longest amount of time. I submitted it about a month ago, and it’ll take roughly another month.” The review makes sure that there are no protected species or historic structures located on the property. The historical review, Davis said, takes the most amount of time. From the damage estimate, IDNR will then run a cost benefits analysis to ensure that buying out (See, BUYOUTS, A2)
to place cap on insulin costs
By KRIS SCHEFFEL Calhoun News-Herald An initiative to reign in the soaring cost of insulin for diabetes patients moved forward Tuesday.
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Andy Manar Democratic State Senator from Bunker Hill
Senate Bill 667, sponsored by State Sen. Andy Manar, D-Bunker Hill, would cap co-payments for insulin at $100 per month for all patients regardless of the supply they require. The cap would only apply to commercial insurance plans regulated by the (See, INSULIN, A3)
Legion folks get pie to the face ©2019
CALHOUN NEWS-HERALD All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
The American Legion held a contest where one could put money in pumpkins and whoever got the most money raised would get a pie in the face. Three men tied, so they all got the opportunity to get a pie in the face. Friday night, the organization took bids to see who got to launch the pies. The money raised went to fleece blankets for a veterans home.
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