Illinois
Officials celebrate completion of $73 million project to preserve shoreline at Illinois Beach State Park near Zion
The governor along with state and local officials celebrated the completion of a $73 million project to preserve the rapidly eroding shoreline at the Illinois Beach State Park near Zion.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and local and state officials gathered on Monday to celebrate the completion of the Illinois Beach State Park Shoreline Stabilization Project.
The $73 million investment provided for the preservation of several miles of natural Lake Michigan shoreline in three areas of the park.
Pritzker said the state park is “one of the many natural beauties that make our state special,” with dunes and swales, sprawling marshes, forests of oak and vast arrays of animal life and vegetation — including the last remaining natural shoreline in Illinois.
“And I am so proud and grateful that we could come together to protect it,” Pritzker said.
“Thanks to all those who tirelessly worked to execute this project – Illinoisans will continue to visit the lakefront here for generations to come, and we’ll keep this habitat and the local economy flourishing,” he added.
Officials say Illinois Beach State Park required immediate intervention to restore the natural lakefront, which was eroding at more than 100 feet per year and putting rare habitats at risk.
The new offshore stone breakwater structures shelter the Lake Michigan shoreline from wave energy and preserve the surrounding ecosystems.
The breakwaters assist in retaining the newly placed sand, slowing down the littoral process, and enhancing public access to the beach.
“Illinois Beach State Park is a natural treasure, and this project ensures its beauty and ecosystem are preserved for future generations,” said Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton. “Protecting our environment is not just about today but about creating a legacy of stewardship that will benefit our communities for years to come.”
Illinois Department of Natural Resources Director Natalie Phelps Finnie said it was a “very real possibility” prior to the project that the shoreline and the landscape beyond it would “vanish forever.”
“By working together, we were able to preserve precious natural shoreline and irreplaceable habitat,” Finnie said.
“In addition to the ecological benefits, this restoration is already attracting more visitors and special events to Illinois Beach State Park, to the Illinois Beach Hotel, and to the surrounding communities, driving more tourism dollars into this region,” she said.
The park remained open to the public throughout the construction of the breakwaters, which led to careful coordination with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to ensure safety and accessibility as 35,000 truckloads of sand were hauled within the park.
The general contractor, Michels Construction, collaborated with landscape architecture firm Living Habitats to install various habitat features at the park, including 10 tern nests, limestone ledges, 36 vegetated ecoblocks, 15 pieces of driftwood habitat salvaged from the area, five rock spurs, custom 3D-printed ecoblocks and 4,000 tons of cobblestone.
Beach Park Mayor John Hucker said the beachfront at the state park has always been a great place to visit for kids of all ages. “It is great to see the improvements completed so future generations can enjoy the beach and all that park has to offer.”
The Illinois Beach State Park Shoreline Stabilization Project marks the first project in the Midwest to achieve Waterfront Edge Design Guidelines (WEDG) Verification.
The WEDG Verification is a national rating system that recognizes resilient, ecological and accessible waterfront projects.
The project was also selected for the 2024 Best Restored Beach award through the American Shore and Beach Preservation Association (ASBPA).
State Senator Mary Edly-Allen, D-Grayslake, called the state park “one of our community’s greatest assets.”
“Over the years I have witnessed the landscape change and evolve, so to now see it revitalized to this magnitude gives me great joy. As a member of both the Senate Environment and Conservation Committee and the Appropriations Public Safety & Infrastructure Committee, this project highlights the investment in assets that cannot be replaced – our environment. I hope the one million annual visitors to the park can see how committed Illinois is to preserving and protecting our environment,” Edly-Allen said.
“Illinois Beach State Park is situated within a larger 4,500-acre complex of globally significant habitat,” Lake County Chair Sandy Hart said.
“Along with other public landowners such as the Lake County Forest Preserves, the Village of Winthrop Harbor, and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and in partnership with private landowners, a bi-state public-private partnership is caring for this rare dune and swale habitat, which has been designated a Wetland of International Importance. The State’s investment in Illinois Beach State Park will accelerate the protection of this critical landscape,” Hart said.
Illinois
Rep. Eric Sorensen faces GOP challenger Joe McGraw in Illinois’ 17th Congressional District
CHICAGO (CBS) – Voters in Illinois’ 17th Congressional District will decide Tuesday whether Democratic Rep. Eric Sorensen will keep his seat, or challenger Joe McGraw will return the seat to Republicans for the first time since 2012.
The 17th District does not include any part of the Chicago area, but does snake around to include Rockford, the Quad Cities, Galesburg, Peoria, and Bloomington-Normal. Sorensen is in his first term representing the district, which has been in Democratic hands since 2013.
Sorensen, a meteorologist for more than 20 years before he was elected to the 17th District in 2022, is facing a challenge from McGraw, a retired judge who spent 15 years on the bench in the 17th Judicial Circuit, which includes Winnebago and Boone counties before he retired in 2017.
Sorensen has touted his limited experience as an elected official as an advantage in seeking bipartisan solutions in Congress.
“I’m one of the very few people that doesn’t have a background in politics,” Sorensen said recently. “So I can work with Republicans and Democrats to get the job done.”
McGraw, meantime, has touted his experience as a judge, as well as a trained mediator and arbitrator.
“I’ve used those skills to do reality testing with parties that are very adverse to try to figure out, what are the facts?” McGraw said recently.
This race, which could help tilt the balance of power in Congress, is focused on the same issues as numerous others. They include the issues of abortion, the economy, and immigration.
Where do Sorensen and McGraw stand on abortion?
Sorensen supports codifying Roe v. Wade into federal law, and permanently restoring a woman’s right to choose. Meantime, he also wants to protect women’s right to travel across state lines to seek safe reproductive care in Illinois.
McGraw has said he supported the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, arguing abortion is an issue that states should decide, not the federal government. He has said he would oppose a national abortion ban if it were to come up for a vote in Congress.
Where do Sorensen and McGraw stand on the economy?
Sorensen supports legislation to increase Social Security benefits for seniors, and wants to expand Medicare’s power to negotiate prescription drug prices to lower medication costs for working families and seniors. He also supports creating more “green jobs” to help address climate change, such as through increased electric vehicle production at the Rivian plant in Normal, Illinois.
McGraw has said he wants to cut taxes on American factories to create more jobs, and eliminate the federal estate tax. He also wants to reduce federal spending by restricting immigration, arguing migrants have become a drain on social services, health care, and schools.
Where do Sorensen and McGraw stand on immigration?
Sorensen has proposed legislation to add 500 new U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at entry points on the southern border, as well as a bill to provide increased funding, technology and staffing for U.S. Customs and Border Protection to stop the spread of fentanyl.
Likewise, McGraw also wants to expand the border patrol and crack down on fentanyl, but also supports expanding the border wall between the U.S. and Mexico. He also backs a return to the “Remain in Mexico” policy, which would require asylum seekers arriving at the southern border to stay in Mexico until an immigration court rules on their asylum claims.
Illinois
Election workers punched in Orland Park, Illinois
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Illinois
Illinois man arrested after punching election judge at polling location
A man in Illinois punched an election judge at a polling location and was arrested on Sunday, two days before the climax of the US presidential race, according to authorities.
The man, identified as 24-year-old Daniel Schmidt, was charged with two counts of aggravated battery to a victim over 60, two counts of aggravated battery in a public place, and five misdemeanor counts of resisting arrest and one count of disorderly conduct.
His case follows numerous attacks on the voting process and threats of violence, the purpose of which often is to create fear and distrust around voting, according to extremist experts.
Election officials across the US say voting is safe, and voters should not be deterred from casting their ballots in Tuesday’s presidential race.
In Schmidt’s case, police say they responded to reports of a man causing a disturbance in the voting line at the township office of Orland Park, Illinois.
Officers arrested Schmidt after learning that he had allegedly entered the building and attempted to cut in front of other voters in line for early voting.
An election judge at the entrance instructed Schmidt to go to the back of the line and wait his turn. But authorities say that Schmidt refused.
At that point, another election judge was called to assist, police said – and Schmidt was again instructed to go to the back of the line.
According to the police, Schmidt then attempted to push past that election judge who stopped him from entering alongside several other staff members.
Schmidt then reportedly began yelling profanities and punched the election judge in the face, knocking the official’s glasses off. At that point, several other patrons jumped in and restrained Schmidt until the officers arrived.
Authorities added that, while being arrested, Schmidt also resisted Orland Park officers.
Schmidt was held overnight on Sunday and transported to Bridgeview courthouse for a detention hearing on Monday morning.
Ahead of this year’s election, election offices around the country have strengthened their security measures in anticipation of potential violence at the polls, in part in response to a rise in threats and harassment directed at election workers after the 2020 election that Donald Trump lost to Joe Biden.
Trump is running in Tuesday’s election against Kamala Harris.
Many offices have also trained their workers on de-escalation techniques and conducted drills for active shooters as well as other kinds of attacks.
In the last week alone, the US has already experienced multiple attacks on the voting process, threats of violence and extremism, including bomb threats, ballots being burned and more.
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