Dear Friend,
There are several stories to catch up on from this past week. I’ve got an update on Illinois’ efforts to deal with the spring and summer flood disaster, information on upcoming opportunities to support the Illinois State Fair, and pictures and notes from my travels throughout the 117th district.
District Office Open House REMINDER – On Tuesday, August 13th from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., I will host an open house at my district office in Marion. You can meet my new legislative aide Lorrie Snider, and connect with myself and staff regarding any legislative or constituent issues that you might have. I hope to see you there!
Support County and State Fairs!
As the summer winds to a close, there are still plenty of opportunities to support Illinois’ agricultural community by vising a county or State Fair in your area.
I want to express my thanks and appreciation to the many dedicated public servants and volunteers that make the Fair season in Southern Illinois what it is. Untold and uncounted hours of planning, preparation, and execution go in to putting on a successful county fair. I also want to recognize the hard work of the 4H as agricultural products, art projects, and animal presentations are placed on display and auction for fairgoers.
Here’s a look at some upcoming opportunities for you to support your local, county, and State Fairs.
ONE MORE DAY – WILLIAMSON COUNTY FAIR!
You can still check out the WIlliamson County Fair tonight and tomorrow for the tractor pull and the demolition derby. The longest running County Fair in Illinois wraps up on Saturday August 10th
Click the link below for more information:
https://www.facebook.com/WilliamsonCountyIllinoisFair/
State Fair Springfield – August 8th – August 19th –
Visit https://www2.illinois.gov/statefair/Pages/default.aspxwww2.illinois.gov/statefair/Pages/default.aspx for more information.
DuQuoin State Fair – August 23rd – September 2nd –
Visit: https://www2.illinois.gov/sites/dsf/Pages/default.aspx
You can find the entire Illinois County Fair schedule here: https://www2.illinois.gov/sites/agr/Fairs/CountyFairs/Pages/County-Fair-Schedule.aspx
USDA Declares All 102 Counties in Illinois Flood Disaster Areas
This week, the United States Department of Agriculture declared all 102 Counties in Illinois as disaster areas due to flooding that occurred during the spring and early summer. The declaration will allow Illinois farmers to apply for low-interest FSA loans to help them get through these tough times.
According to the USDA’s website: “Low-interest FSA emergency loans may be used to restore or replace essential property, cover production costs, pay essential family living expenses, reorganize the family farming operation or refinance certain non-real estate operating debts.”
You can read more about the disaster declaration here:
https://farmweeknow.com/story-usda-declares-agriculture-disaster-throughout-illinois-0-193183
Informational resources for farmers seeking federal assistance can be found here: https://www.fsa.usda.gov/programs-and-services/farm-loan-programs/emergency-farm-loans/index
Illinois begins Long Term State Park Maintenance
Capitol infrastructure at Illinois state parks, including heavily-used, sensitive resources such as swimming pools and family-picnic kiosks, have been neglected due to recent budget stalemates and cuts in funding.
Appropriation moneys, enacted by the General Assembly in the FY20 budget, are starting to move towards essential Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) projects. Visitors to state parks are starting to see work crews repairing weary, concrete-cracked parking lots and replacing splintered picnic tables.
Southern Illinois Wins Colt League World Series at Rent One Park
Congratulations to Team Southern Illinois for their awesome achievement in winning the Colt League World Series!
In late June, tryouts were held to make up the two teams. Since then, the teams have had workouts several times a week, and have been playing games all of July. This past weekend, the two teams were combined to compete in five games in preparation for the World Series. The picture above shows the combined team.
Todd Poe, owner of Future Swings an indoor hitting facility, was the coach of the Southern Illinois team.
First Financial Bank in Benton to Host Document Shred Day
The First Financial Bank of Benton will host a document shredding event at their Benton location on the square on September 7th from 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. Individuals are allowed to bring up to 5 boxes of paper to be shredded. Bring your old, sensitive documents to be shredded free of charge!
Stay Connected!
My office in Marion is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. You can call any time at 618-440-5090 or email me at Severin@ILHouseGOP.org.