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The Forest Preserves of Cook County is working on a Trail Master Plan draft, and seeks public input.  Please tell the Forest Preserve of Cook County what you think in this survey.  Visit here for more details.

Please share this with you communities: Residents and businesses who sustained flooding damage between April 6 and May 5, 2013 have until July 9, 2013 to apply for federal funding assistance. There are four Cook County Disaster Recovery Centers where residents can meet with a Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, representative to complete an application: 1486 Miner Street, Des Plaines; Royal Savings Bank, 9226 S. Commercial Ave, Chicago; North Park Village Administration Building, 5801 N. Pulaski, Chicago; and Forest View Fire Department, 7010 West 46th Street, Forest View, IL. Individuals may also apply by calling 800-621-FEMA (3362) or 800-462-7585 (TTY for hearing and speech impaired). Registration can also be done online at http://www.disasterassistance.gov or by smartphone at m.fema.org. Assistance may take the form of grants or low-interest Small Business Administration loans. Funds may be used to help with temporary housing, home repairs or replacement and other disaster-related expenses.

The 2013 Guide for Newly-Elected Officials, approximately 80 pages in length, describes the variety of local governmental bodies in Illinois and contains articles on a large number of topics which should be of interest to newly-elected officials and those existing officials who are looking to brush up on this subject. The Guide is available for free downloading on the Ancel Glink website in the library section or here. The firm has also updated the ten pamphlets in the Ancel Glink Library, which is also available for downloading. Two of the pamphlets that may be of most interest to newly-elected officials are: “Municipal Questions 4 Answers “285 Questions that Have Actual Answers” and “10 Things You Need To Know About 14 Local Governmental Issues.”

The meetings will be an open house format, and interested persons may attend anytime between 5:00 and 8:00 p.m. There will be a continuous PowerPoint presentation, and attendees will have the opportunity to provide comments, view exhibits and speak with IDOT, INDOT and study team representatives on a one-on-one basis. A question and answer forum will be held at 6:00 p.m. each day. The Illiana Corridor will not only have a positive effect on freight and other interstate travel throughout the country, as this region is one of the busiest intermodal hubs, but it will also allow for improved accessibility on local and arterial roads, to improve economic opportunities. The Public Meetings will be held: INDIANA Monday, June 17, 2013 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. Lowell Middle School 19250 Cline Avenue Lowell, IN 46356 ILLINOIS Tuesday, June 18, 2013 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. Peotone High School 605 West North Avenue Peotone, IL 60468 * The meeting will be accessible to handicapped individuals. Anyone needing specific assistance should contact Sarah Copeland of Images, Inc. at (630) 510-3944. Persons planning to attend who will need a sign language interpreter or other similar accommodations should notify the TTY/TTD number (800) 526-0844/ or 711; TTY users (Spanish) (800) 501-0864/or 711; and for Telebraille dial (877) 526-6670 at least five days prior to the meeting. All correspondence regarding this project should be sent to: Illinois Department of Transportation-District 1 Attn: Katie Kukielka, P.E. 201 West Center Court Schaumburg, IL 60196 847-705-4126 Indiana Department of Transportation Attn: Jim Pinkerton 315 East Boyd Blvd. LaPorte, IN 46350 219-325-7455

The Illinois Department of Transportation invites you to attend the second open house public meeting concerning the improvement of Wood Street/Ashland Avenue from south of U.S. Route 6 (159th Street) to 138th Street in Cook County.  The purpose of the meeting is to: Present the project purpose and need Display proposed alternatives Solicit public input Public Meeting #2 June 19, 2013 4:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Note: You may stop by anytime between these hours. Maya Angelo Elementary School 15748 Page Ave. Harvey, IL 60426 For additional information, please visit http://www.woodstreetstudy.org or contact: Illinois Department of Transportation 201 West Center Court Schaumburg, IL 60196 Attn: Bureau of Programming, Scott Czaplicki 847-705-4084 woodstreet@cemcon.com

Richton Park Village President Rick Reinbold, at left, and MWRD President Kathleen Meany welcome area residents to the household hazardous waste collection event . Press release from MWRD Public Affairs: Illinois residents filled their vehicles with 10,000 pounds of aerosols, flammable liquids, antifreeze, paint and other household hazardous waste and brought the products to a special collection held at Rich South High School in Richton Park, IL recently. The materials were collected during a special event coordinated by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association, Village of Richton Park, and the Rich Township High School District 227. The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) provided general assistance and staff support before and during the event. MWRD President Kathleen Meany and Commissioner Kari Steele and Richton Park Village President Rick Reinbold were onsite to survey participants. The data collected is used to assess and quantify the impact of the event. “Household hazardous waste products are routinely used to clean, maintain vehicles, and gardens, but they are harmful to the environment,” said Pres. Meany. “It’s a good practice to only purchase the amount needed so less materials need to be stored or disposed.” “By taking advantage of household hazardous waste events and disposing of materials in an environmentally-responsible way, we are growing earth healthy practices,” said Pres. Reinbold. IEPA‘s household hazardous waste contractor is Heritage Environmental Services (HES). According to Steve Elkhatib, HES manager, other types of hazardous materials collected included used oil, solid and liquid pesticides, acids, bases, oxidizers and fluorescent lamps. “Illinois residents are highly encouraged to take advantage of these types of events because it benefits them and the environment,” said Elkhatib. “Residents can be assured that the products are being properly disposed of by reclamation, recycling, energy recovery or incineration at permitted facilities.” Additional information about local household hazardous waste collections can be found by visiting http://www.epa.state.il.us/land/hazardous-waste/household-haz-waste/hhwc-schedule.html.

press release from the Office of Cook County Commissioner Joan Patricia Murphy: Apply for NO COST Health Insurance part of the Affordable Care Act and through a brand new Illinois Medicaid program called CountyCare. Cook County Commissioner Joan Patricia Murphy is hosting, CountyCare Resource Fairs on June 26th and June 27th. CountyCare applications will be taken on site. If you live in Cook County and are uninsured or underinsured, you may be eligible to receive no cost health insurance through CountyCare. Once enrolled into the program County Care members will receive primary care service, hospitalization, prescription drugs, labs, X-rays, mammograms , mental health and substance abuse programs plus many more healthcare services. Quality services will be available at all Cook County Health and Hospital sites plus local participating hospitals and Federal Qualified Health Care Centers. To qualify you must live in Cook County, are 19- 64 years old, have a Social Security number and be a legal immigrant for 5 years of more. Yearly Income guidelines must be below $15,282 for an individual or $20,628 per couple. Must not be receiving or eligible for Medicaid, Medicare or CHIP. To enroll bring proof of Identity, proof of Citizenship, proof of Cook County Residency, Proof of income for the last 30 days. Commissioner Murphy “encourages all qualified residents to attend the Enrollment Fairs and start an active plan for increased health and wellness.” CountyCare Resource Fairs will be hosted at convenient area locations. Wednesday, June 26th from 10am to 2pm at Moraine Valley Community College. Located at 9000 W. College Parkway, Building M in Palos Hills. Thursday June 27th from 10am to 2pm at Prairie State College, Conference Center, Room #1315, located at 202 S. Halsted St. Chicago Heights. For more information call the Office of Cook County Board Commissioner Joan Patricia Murphy, (6th District) at 708.389.2125.  Visit the website www.cookcountygov.com  or www.CountyCare.com for healthcare program details

…Sears has a new strategy to convert some shuttered underperforming stores into data centers. The prospects for adaptive reuse warrants further investigation in the south suburbs. In the case of Sears in Calumet City or Kmart in Homewood, it could mean transitioning from retail to data storage facilities. The Southland is positioning itself with a proactive joint venture involving Illinois, Cook County, South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association and its client communities. Together, they have formed the Chicago Southland Fiber Network, using a state Jobs First grant building about 70 miles of fiber optic infrastructure along the Interstate 57 corridor to serve Chicago Southland communities. According to project coordinator, Rusty Winchell, SSMMA has placed more than 27 miles of 144 strand fiber, duct and supporting structures parallel to I-57 between 95th Street in Chicago and Offner Road, south of Monee, since receiving the grant in February 2012. That required right of way access and construction authorization from 15 different municipal, county and federal agencies and approval from five separate railroad entities…. Please click here to read the full editorial in the Times.

But the 85-year-old is not quite retiring. Until earlier this month, Sherman was the village president of Steger, a position he held for 10 four-year terms. That falls short of the 51 years served by Donald Stephens as village president of Rosemont until his death in 2007, or the 50 years already served — with two years remaining on his current term — by Bob Butler, the mayor of Marion in southern Illinois. Edward Paesel, of the South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association, said Sherman’s stint is a record for the region, with only Gerald Bennett, of Palos Hills, and Edward J. Zabrocki, of Tinley Park, both first elected in 1981, coming close. Please click here to read the rest of  Gregory Tejeda’s story in the Times.

Press release from the RTA: The Regional Transportation Authority (RTA)  released a draft of the Regional Transit Strategic Plan and is seeking public input. The plan, which establishes a common vision for transit in our region and sets priorities, will assist the RTA in how best to improve our region over the next five years. Survey will be accepted through July 1, 2013. “The plan lays out recommendations that will address the most important issues facing transit in the coming years,” said Leanne Redden, Senior Deputy Executive Director, Planning and Market Development, citing that the plan addresses a myriad issues from insufficient funding to improving customer experience through a more modernized system. The strategic plan identifies the vision of the regional transit system as “a world-class regional public transportation system providing a foundation to the region’s prosperity, livability, and vitality.” Public input will assist in collectively guiding the plan implementation and provide a safe, reliable and affordable transit system that meets the needs of our region. The RTA values public input of how to better the region’s transit system. We are seeking the public’s input and have provided several options: Take a survey or provide your comments by visiting http://tinyurl.com/SurveyRTA. Strategic Plan Public Hearing Schedule June 19thFlossmoor Village Hall, Village Board Room 2800 Flossmoor Road, Flossmoor, IL 4 p.m. – 6 p.m. June 25 Will County New Lenox Village Hall, Council Chambers 1 Veterans Parkway, New Lenox, IL 4 p.m. – 6 p.m.

The Illinois Department of Transportation is moving quickly on two giant Will County projects — the south suburban airport and the Illiana Expressway, which combined could cost about $2 billion. State Transportation Secretary Ann Schneider announced an aggressive schedule for both projects during a Joliet Chamber of Commerce luncheon on Tuesday at the Holiday Inn. She called Joliet and Will County the “hub” of the state’s vast transportation network. Please click here to read Cindy Wojdyla Cain’s story in the Herald-News.

Outing Includes: • A Breakfast Buffet • Greens Fee and Cart • Lunch at Halfway House • Golf Prizes • Table and Door Prizes • Beverages on Course • Cocktail Hour – 3:00 p.m. • Dinner – 4:00 p.m. Breakfast Buffet (opens at 7:00 a.m.) All Golfers Must Check In At Lincolnshire Check-in begins at 7:00 a.m. Lincolnshire Country Club 390 E. Richton Road, Crete, IL 708-672-5411 Lincoln Oaks Golf Course is directly across Richton Road