Illinois EPA to recognize environmental projects by Illinois youth
Agency accepting project applications from Illinois students

Classrooms or individual students currently enrolled in K – 12 school, scouts, 4-H or others, and who have participated in an environmental project started no earlier than 2008 are eligible for the award.

The project must involve one or more of the following categories: waste reduction; prevention/reduction of pollution in the air (climate change/global warming), land or water; restoration, preservation or enhancement of natural areas; and energy or water efficiency.

An application and additional information about the program are available from the Illinois EPA web site at: http://www.epa.state.il.us/green-youth/index.html, or by calling Deirdre McQuillen at 217-558-0073 or email Deirdre.McQuillen@illinois.gov. The deadline for applications is Friday, March 19, 2010.

From Progress Illinois: Will State Lawmakers Take On TIF This Year?

Concerned about the pressure that TIF districts are putting on taxpayers who are forced to pick up the slack for the billions that are siphoned off the tax rolls across Illinois each year, the legislative Property Tax Reform & Relief Task Force is recommending that the General Assembly finally review the state’s TIF statutes in an effort to rein in the billions that are diverted off the tax rolls each year.

I’d say it is past time to address TIF issues.

IL State of the State Address LIVE @noon. WUIS

WUIS will air live coverage of Governor Pat Quinn’s State of the State address today at noon. Governor Quinn will deliver his message before a joint session of the Illinois legislature, followed by reaction and analysis from WUIS State Week in Review moderator Bill Wheelhouse and WUIS News Director Sean Crawford along with State Senator Michael Frerichs (D-District 52, Champaign) and State Representative Jim Durkin (R-District 82, Western Springs).

hat tip Progress IL

IllinoisOpenGov.org gives Illinois citizens a clear look into how Illinois government spends their hard-earned tax dollars, down to the agency, person and penny.

Spotlight on Government Spending

From IllinoisOpenGov tweets:

The IL Dept of Employment Security bought $3,000 worth of staplers from an Office Depot….in Ohio.

and

IL Dept of Commerce spent $2,822 on hot sauce. That really burns me up! What else are they doing?