Salem Mayor Concerned 300 Qualified Applicants Can Be Found For Proposed Industrial Expansion

Salem Mayor John Raymer says one of Salem's industries is interested in adding 300 employees in the next year, but there is a concern if they can find that many qualified workers. Raymer brought up the concern at the Kaskaskia College Salem Education Advisory Committee meeting held on Friday."I'm a little concerned about a war breaking outbetween our two major manufacturers over the same pool of people. I think that will really lead in the direction of some cooperative efforts between the city, the college, and between these people because if we have the ability to grow by 30 percentat one of our manufactures I don't see any way in these economic times we can step away from it," Raymer said. Raymer did not namethe manufacturer looking at a possible expansion. He addedanother industry has already had problems filling new jobs at its Salem facility. Raymercongratulated Kaskaskia College for both the new extension center in Salem and the incubator program that is helping establish three new businesses in the community. Raymer feels Kaskaskia College can be the economic engine to drive the area out of the recession. Kaskaskia College President Dr. Jim Underwood agrees. He notes good jobs are out there, but a high school diploma is no longer enough to get them. "We're now in a concerted effort to reachindividuals in junior high, high school and elementary school with this notion that post secondary education is going to be important for you to have a good paying job and you need to start looking at career options. That is a generational change that is sizable. You can no longer goright to workafter high school orif you're ahigh school drop out," Underwood explained. He addedmanufacturing, railroad, and coal mining jobs have all become more technical and require a higher degree of training than in the past. Underwoodnotes the college is working hard to help those who dropped out of high school get a GED. Underwood says ten years ago 44 percent of those living in the Kaskaskia College district did not have a high school diploma. That has now dropped to 29-percent. Underwood says that's great progress, but the number is still too high. Underwoodnotes the college is going a step further and providing a two year scholarship to each GED graduate to allow them to continue into higher education courses. Underwood says before the scholarship program began, those obtaining GED's would disappear after completing the course work. Now he reports more than 300 a year are moving into college classes. Underwood says those students will be great applicants for the manufacturing expansion jobs. Vice President of Instructional Services Greg Labyak added the college is available to provide specific courses to upgrade the skills of current employees of area businesses. - http://goo.gl/Adznv

Arbitrator Rules Governor Cannot Layoff More Than 1,900 State Employees And Close Seven State Facilities

The state's largest employees union says an independent third-party arbitrator has ruled that the State of Illinois would violate the terms of a collective bargaining agreement by laying off more than 1,900 state employees and closing seven state facilities. The opinion is binding and AFSCME Council 31 Executive Director Henry Bayer says the order is unequivocal and Governor Quinn should rescind all threatened layoffs and closures. Bayer says failure to comply will not only harm the vital public services state employees provide, it will expose the state to significant damages for lost wages, benefits and other costs incurred as a result of the Governor's irresponsible actions. Arbitrator Edwin Benn says there are no provisions in any of the agreements involved in this case which make an economic contract commitment by the state in any way contingent on the passing of a budget by the General Assembly sufficient to pay for those economic commitments. He notes the state made contractual promises to not lay off employees represented by the union and to not close facilities prior to July first of next year. Benn says the state simply must keep those contractual promises. He found a party is not excused from previous contractual obligations by claiming that it presently can no longer afford to meet its obligations. Benn emphasized that the integrity of the collective bargaining process itself is at stake in this case. He says if the state is correct in its statutory and Constitutional arguments, the multi-year collective bargaining agreement is, for all purposes, probably dead. Quinn is likely to appeal. He is already fighting a similar ruling over canceling union raises. The Governor has proposed closing three psychiatric hospitals, two developmental centers, a prison and a juvenile detention center in order to cut 1,900 state jobs as a result of the state's budget crisis. - http://goo.gl/01EV3

Arizona Man Sentenced For Transporting Thousands Of Pounds of Marijuana To Illinois And Three Other States

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. (AP) - An Arizona man has been sentenced in Illinois to 4 1/2 years in federal prison for his role in a scheme that involved transporting thousands of pounds of marijuana to at least four states. Thirty-five-year-old Anthony Duvernay of Tucson, Ariz., was sentenced Friday in East St. Louis. He pleaded guilty in April to a drug-conspiracy count. Duvernay is among 17 defendants who've been convicted of transporting large quantities of marijuana from Tucson to East St. Louis, St. Louis, Atlanta, and Lima, Ohio, between 2000 and 2007. Authorities say much of the marijuana shipped to East St. Louis consisted of 200- to 300-pound loads concealed in bathtubs and water heaters. Federal agents and Tucson police seized more than $300,000 in cash from participants in the operation. - http://goo.gl/St9c8

East St. Louis Businessman Charged With Unemployment Fraud

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. (AP) - An East St. Louis businessman earning what investigators call "significant income" is accused of using jobless benefits to pay tabs in Costa Rica at a Hooters restaurant and a hotel. James Quirin of Manchester, Mo., was charged Friday in federal court in East St. Louis with theft of government money through his misuse of a debit card given to people collecting unemployment benefits. Authorities say Quirin charged his Hooters tab and hundreds of dollars in hotel expenses to the debit card in March 2010. The criminal complaint alleges Quirin was working for an excavating firm and fraudulently got more than $44,000 in federally subsidized unemployment benefits. Quirin couldn't be reached for comment Monday. He doesn't have a listed telephone number, and court records don't list an attorney for him. - http://goo.gl/LLjmS