Mr. Joschko comes to Bradley from Marquette University where he currently serves as a senior lieutenant with oversight of the communications division, budgeting, special projects, facility security and strategic planning. He has more than 12 years experience with the Marquette Department of Public Safety, a degree in criminology and law studies from the university, and a strong background in university policing.

“I look forward to working with Chief Joschko to enhance our safe campus environment and initiate a variety of strategic investments to further deploy technology in our operations, and fully activate a community policing initiative,” said Bradley President Joanne Glasser. “Chief Joschko has the passion and vision to lead the Bradley Police Department while continuing and expanding our cooperation with other central Illinois law enforcement agencies.”

Mr. Joschko was responsible for a significant upgrade in the safety technology on the Marquette campus. The Marquette Department of Public Safety operates a state-of-the-art closed circuit television monitoring system that has more than 560 cameras, 1,000 card readers and more than 2,000 emergency alarms throughout the Milwaukee campus.

“My experience has prepared me for this important leadership role in the Bradley community,” Mr. Joschko said. “This is a tremendous opportunity because of Bradley’s national reputation for academic excellence and the personal commitment made by President Glasser to the strategic importance of a safe learning and living environment.”

Mr. Joschko will begin his new duties on June 27, overseeing a department consisting of 20 commissioned police officers that serve the 85-acre campus and contiguous neighborhood. He was appointed after a nationwide search and a series of interviews. Lt. Troy Eeten, a 21-year veteran of the Bradley force, has provided interim leadership of the department since the retirement last fall of Dave Baer, who served as chief for 37 years. Headquarters for the department are located in the Campustown Shopping Center, immediately adjacent to the campus.

CAPtions, in partnership with Peoria Public Schools District 150, will air the 3rd edition of “Remarkable Times” next week on Comcast Cable 22.

“Remarkable Times”, a 30-minute segment, is hosted by Superintendent Dr. Grenita Lathan. This edition will feature her recent “State of the Schools” Address at the Pere Marquette Hotel

The 2nd half-hour of CAPtions will include footage from the Head Start Parent Recognition Banquet, which honors those parents who have achieved goals such as education degrees, employment, or attaining self-sufficiency while their children were enrolled in Head Start.

CAPtions will air on Sunday, June 5 at 5:00 p.m., and Wednesday, June 8th at 7:00 p.m., and later that night at Midnight on Comcast Cable 22.

It will also be available on YouTube and FaceBook by June 8th.

CAPtions is produced by the Peoria Citizens Committee for Economic Opportunity, Inc. Media Services Department. It is funded in part by a grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.

At 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 11 the Peoria Public Library Board of Trustees and Administration will cut the ribbon and open the doors of the Peoria Public Library Main Library. While the building has remained partially open during construction, the public will be able to fully enjoy the services at the flagship facility, located at 107 N.E. Monroe, as well as a variety of special events to celebrate the reopening of Peoria’s Main Library.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, Representative David Leitch and other dignitaries will be present as the Peoria Public Library Main Library at last opens all four floors and a new parking lot. The celebration will continue with a day of family storytelling and songs by Kay Price and visits by book characters Frog and Toad. Visitors will also have the opportunity to register to win a stack of books or one of three Nooks. All prizes and entertainment are paid for by Friends of Peoria Public Library, who will also be onsite at their new book store on Lower Level Two.
At 1:00 p.m. on Lower Level Two the Peoria Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union will dedicate a display case to its former president Jack ( J.D.) Wheeler.
Speakers for the Wheeler dedication will include C. Paul Miller, Peoria ACLU Chapter President; Tom Pugh, Wheeler’s friend, Peoria ACLU Board member and former associate editor at Peoria Journal Star; and Mike Bailey, editor, Peoria Journal Star.

The Peoria County Genealogical Society will be on hand in the new Local History and Genealogy Room and will sponsor a prize drawing as well. An art show featuring works from a variety of Peoria-area artists will be on display in the new 2,000 square foot gallery.

Main Library will remain open until 6:00 p.m. It will reopen Monday with new regular hours. Regular hours are Monday through Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. These hours are year-round. In addition, the Local History and Genealogy Room, which has been open a limited number of hours during construction, will be open the same hours as the rest of the building. Parking is free on Saturdays.

Ground was broken for Peoria Public Library Main Library on October 10, 2009 and the construction has finished on schedule and on budget. The more than 93,000 square foot building was remodeled for just over 8 million dollars, and includes a new skylight, themed storytime room, art gallery, auditorium, lounge with drink machines, quiet reading room with spectacular view, computer lab, study rooms, two large meeting rooms, 36 public computers, a variety of reading and study areas with power for laptops and other devices, wifi throughout the building, a Friends of Peoria Public Library Bookstore and much more. The remodeling made a former closed floor into an additional floor for public use. The art gallery and local history and genealogy are located on this floor.

Visitors who have used the library during the construction have been amazed at the changes made to the building and enthusiastic about the many functional changes as well as the attractive décor that make Main Library an exciting new destination.
Visitors who may not already have a library card are encouraged to apply for one by bringing a photo ID with correct address to the Grand Opening or applying at any open library location right now.

A library card will open the door to the Peoria Public Library 24/7 virtual branch at www.peoriapubliclibrary.org. The Peoria Public Library Main Branch can be reached at 309.497.2000.

PCCEO’s Shwari Chengo program, which includes the “Men of Valor” component, is hosting a bus tour for Manual Middle High School students to various Peoria locations of African-American businesses, history & influence.

This tour includes a breakfast at 8:30 a.m. at the PCCEO Board Training Room, 711 W. McBean. Many local African-American leaders have been invited to participate.

Places included in the tour are African American Hall of Fame Museum; Clarence Faucett Field Baseball Park; Romeo B. Garrett Cultural Center; Valeska Hinton Early Childhood Education Center; Ward Chapel A.M.E. Church; Federal & County Courthouse, where African-American judges preside; Underground Railroad Sculpture at Civic Center; Optik Boutique Attorney Floyd Dailey; Caterpillar Company Vice-President Bozeman Hick’ry Stick Restaurant.

Guests invited to the breakfast include: State Representative Jehan Gordon; City Councilmen Clyde Gulley and Eric Turner; County Board Members: Bonnie Hester, Lynn Pearson, Racheal Parker, William Watkins, Junior; School Board Members Linda Butler, Martha Ross, Lynn Costic; Dist. 150 Superintendent Dr. Grenita Lathan; Park Trustees: Jackie Petty and Robert Johnson. Laraine Bryson; Joanne Thomas; Donald Jackson, Bashir Ali; Mary McDade, Glen Collier, Al Purham.

Media opportunities for B-roll and interviews are suggested between 9:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. The tour participants will board the bus at 10:00 a.m.

The Shwari Chengo program is funded in part by a grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. It provides counseling, mentoring, and conflict-resolution to students in the Manual Middle High School area.

The Peoria Cities Readiness Initiative (CRI) Metropolitan Statistical Area member organizations are coordinating a planned emergency response drill June 8 and 9, 2011. This exercise will include health departments, government agencies, and organizations in Peoria, Tazewell, Woodford, Marshall, and Stark Counties. This emergency response exercise is part of a federal grant to help communities prepare for public health emergencies. The purpose of the drill is to enhance collaborative planning and response efforts during emergency events.

Peoria and Marshall Counties- Plans include a drill in conjunction with United States Postal Service Peoria PD&F employees on June 8 to test response of a positive alert of the Biological Detection System including decontamination protocols, Public Health mass dispensing of antibiotics, as well as joint information among counties and agencies affected by this exercise event. The event will begin June 8 at 3:00 p.m. at the Peoria PD&F located on State St, Peoria.

Tazewell County – Just In Time Training (JITT) will focus on Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) drop site operations for acceptance of federal assets for mass dispensing of antibiotics related to a public health emergency. Participating CRI members from all counties will also valuate the JITT training and materials. JITT will be June 9 in Tazewell County.

Woodford County – Interagency communications and SNS drop site procedures will be tested, including pick-up from a designated drop location. Testing will be June 8.

Stark County – Testing the Incident Command System’s capabilities in developing incident action plans began in May and will be included in the final CRI report.

Each County is coordinating public health exercise activities among local agencies and organizations to simulate a real world event. Participating agencies include government, fire, hospitals, police, and media.

Note that this is a drill and all releases pertaining to this exercise will be noted as such.

Illinois MENTOR offers our “Share your Heart and Home” informational session every Thursday at 11:00 a.m. at our office, 4507 N. Sterling Ave, Ste 401, Peoria, IL 61615. Meetings are open to the public. We provide information on providing care to an adult with a developmental disability in your home. For more info and to register, call Tracy at (309) 676-6131 x2157.

In response to the nuclear catastrophe in Japan, State Senator Dave Koehler (D-Peoria) has introduced and passed legislation that will improve State oversight at Illinois’ six active nuclear power plants.

“The tsunami that struck Japan earlier this year was a terrible tragedy,” said Koehler, Vice-Chair of the Senate Energy Committee. “But, the crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant was in many ways worse because it’s possible that it could have been prevented. Illinois has six nuclear power plants with eleven nuclear reactors. We have to
make sure we are ready if a catastrophic natural disaster strikes our state.”

Though land-locked Illinois is safe from tsunamis, the state lies near a major fault line and is under constant threat of tornadoes. Though it has been inactive for many years, the New Madrid Fault -so named because it lies near the Missouri community of New Madrid – was the site of one of the worst earthquakes in American history. Fortunately, all of Illinois’ nuclear plants are in the northern part of the state and are unlikely to be near the epicenter of a New Madrid quake.

“In order to protect the citizens of this state, we need to make sure that our nuclear facilities can withstand natural disasters,” Koehler said. “Their defenses and backup systems need to be in good repair and use the best technology available. It’s the State of Illinois’ job to make sure the plants’ owners are up to standard.”

To enable the State to inspect nuclear plants and protect Illinois residents, the owners of each plant pay a fee to cover the cost of inspections. That fee has not increased since 2003. Because the fee has not kept pace with inflation and the State is facing budget reductions in almost every area, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) is concerned that it does not have the resources it needs to oversee nuclear safety. House Bill 1723 increases the fee and should result in an additional $8 million for IEMA. Exelon, which owns all of the plants (directly or indirectly), has agreed to the bill because it understands the importance of nuclear safety.

“I want to thank Exelon for working with the State on this important issue,” Koehler said. “We need to be sure everyone who lives near one of these nuclear facilities is as safe as possible in the event of an earthquake, strong tornado, or other disaster.”

HB 1723 has passed both chambers of the General Assembly and now goes to the governor, who has expressed his support for the bill.

Lawmaker Tackles Budget and Education Reforms, Revitalizing Peoria’s Riverfront

In a year highlighted by a new budget negotiating process and landmark education reforms, state Rep. Jehan Gordon (D-Peoria) is looking back on the accomplishments of the spring legislation session while continuing to look for ways to empower taxpayers and make a more transparent state government.

“At the start of the legislative session in January, I pledged to work hard to rein in spending and promote policies that employ our citizens while creating an environment friendly to job growth,” Gordon said. “I believe we have taken some great strides forward to ensure that we are being responsible stewards of taxpayers’ dollars. While we still need to keep working, we have set up the tools for performance-based budgeting and crafted a budget making process that brings all parties to the table to ensure we do not spend more than what is available.”

Gordon co-sponsored a resolution that set a very conservative revenue estimate of just over $33 billion dollars, and upon passage of the resolution went to work with her colleagues in the House to craft and pass legislation to fund the current pension obligations and a workable budget.

To make sure that the state did not start spending more if more revenue came in than estimated, Gordon backed a resolution that puts any revenue that comes in over the House’s revenue estimates toward paying down the state’s debt. Gordon has also taken furlough days and voted to cut her own pay because it is necessary for everyone to cut back in light of the state’s financial problems.

On the local front, Gordon championed legislation that would help to create over 1,400 jobs in the City of Peoria by adding Peoria to the River Edge Redevelopment Zone program, which provides economic development tools, such as tax credits, to riverfront properties in Illinois. Gordon’s measure creates a Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit for historic properties in River Edge zones, a move that will help in efforts to create a thriving economic engine in Peoria’s Warehouse District.

Pending economic development projects along the Peoria riverfront are expected to leverage over $100 million dollars from the private sector and position the area for further job growth. The Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce, City of Peoria, Caterpillar, Illinois AFL-CIO and IBEW all support Gordon’s proposal.

“I remain committed to helping create new economic opportunities for our citizens,” Gordon said. “The Warehouse District has received substantial federal, state, local and private investments and provides a great deal of hope for economic development in downtown Peoria.”

The Peoria lawmaker also played a leading role in historic efforts to dramatically reform Illinois’ education system. Under Senate Bill 7, teacher performance, rather than seniority, would be a primary factor in the dismissal of teachers, teacher certification, the hiring process, and teacher tenure.

“I appreciate the bold stance Representative Gordon has taken in support of our children and the idea that we should always strive to provide the best opportunities for learning,” Dr. Bill Collier, Education Liaison for the mayor of the City of Peoria, said. “Money alone will not turn our educational system around. We have to provide an environment for our children that gives them the best opportunity to produce the results we need and expect. These monumental reforms will go a long way to ensuring our kids have the best opportunity to succeed in the classroom and in life.”

In the wake of Governor Pat Quinn’s decision to drop Humana and Health Alliance as state health insurance providers, Gordon backed legislation to reverse the governor’s order and preserve access to healthcare for thousands of current and retired public employees in Central Illinois. Her office had received calls, letters and e-mails from hundreds of local residents who would be affected by the sudden change in health insurance providers.

To strengthen Illinois’ sex offender laws and bring compliance with the federal Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act, Gordon supported legislation that increases the length of time sex offenders must maintain their registration with the Illinois Sex Offender Registry. Under current law, misdemeanor and felony offenders must maintain registration for 10 years or life, depending on the severity of the crime. Senate Bill 1040 lengthens registration for misdemeanor offenses to 15 years and felony offenses to 25 years, while the state’s most dangerous offenders would still be subjected to lifetime registration. This legislation awaits further action in the Senate.

At the request of the County of Peoria, Gordon passed House Bill 1909, to help expeditiously address habitual building code violators in a cost effective manner. The bill permits a notice to appear to suffice as initial process in enforcing ordinance violations and specifically allows the initial process in building code violations and property maintenance code violations to be served by code enforcement officers, rather than through court-ordered summons or warrants.

“This session was certainly eventful as the Legislature tackled major issues such as budget and education reforms, but there remains much work to do,” Gordon said. “As I always have, I will be aggressive about communicating with my constituents and getting their feedback on the spring legislative session so that I can most effectively prepare for our return to the State Capitol during the November veto session.”

For more information on legislation, summer community events or any state program, please contact Rep. Gordon’s office at (309) 681-1992 or email her at repjehangordon@gmail.com.

The annual Summertime Gospelfest concert on Thursday, June 16th will be an even more special event this year as members of the legendary Speer Family come to central Illinois to celebrate their 90th Anniversary. The concert begins at 7:00 p.m. at the Caterpillar Performing Arts Center at Five Points Washington. Doors open at 6:15 p.m.
The Speer Family is a Southern Gospel group started in 1921 that is credited with the creation of many southern gospel classic tunes and later, family members played a key role in the famous Gaither Homecoming Series. The group had humble beginnings when G.T. Speer and his wife Lena started singing with their sister and brother-in-law throughout the southern states for churches, revivals and singing schools. G.T. and Lena had four children, each of whom eventually joined the group.

The youngest surviving sibling is Ben, now age 80, who is coming to central Illinois to perform with Allison Durham Speer, the daughter-in-law of his late brother Brock.
The Speers will join Shawn Degenhart and the Gospelfest Singers and Choir for this extraordinary concert. The Gospelfest Singers are a small group of approximately eight singers from the Peoria area who join their talents to create dynamic Southern Gospel concerts several times every year. They will be supported by the Gospelfest Choir which consists of close to 60 singers from a variety of denominations throughout central Illinois.

During their long career, the Speer Family toured around the globe keeping a rigorous touring schedule while also hosting numerous radio and television shows. G.T. Speer was a prolific songwriter who is credited with writing over 800 southern gospel convention songs and the Summertime Gospelfest concert will feature many of these classics including “Heaven’s Jubilee,” “O the Glory Did Roll,” “I Shall Never Forget the Day” and “Sweeter Each Day.”

As the decades passed, non-family members were eventually added to the singing group and many of those members went on to have successful careers in Southern Gospel music in their own right. It was not until 1998 that the Speer family retired from touring, but the musical mission of this talented family continues.

Ben Speer has been the music director for the famous Gaither Homecoming videos since they began in the early nineties. The Gaither Homecoming is a series of videos and concerts led by the legendary Bill Gaither who gathered well-known artists with celebrated careers in Southern Gospel music along with younger, aspiring artists he was mentoring. The video of that initial concert was wildly popular and spawned more concerts, videos, television programs and more recently, performances on cruise ships. Ben Speer plays an instrumental role in the project and continues his participation with Gaither even today.

Allison Durham Speer has had an impressive career in her own right as a soloist for the past 25 years. She has toured with the Gaither Homecoming and been featured on their videos as well. Durham Speer is also a teacher of performance training and how to build a successful music ministry.

Currently, Ben is active as the director of the Stamps-Baxter School of Music which is held every summer in Nashville, Tennessee. Shawn Degenhart works with him regularly as a member of the faculty since 2004. So it was not surprising when Degenhart published a songbook in 2008 of the songs of G.T. Speer which included photos and remembrances provided by the surviving members of the Speer Family.

The Summertime Gospelfest concert will celebrate the wonderful legacy of the Speer Family with songs and tales of the early days of this ground-breaking musical group. The concert is sponsored by Hoerr’s Berean Bookstores.

Tickets are $15 in advance and $18 at the door. Children 10 and under are free. There are special group rates: $12 per ticket for a group of 10 to 24 people and $10 for groups of 25 or more. Tickets can be purchased at Hoerr’s Berean Bookstores, Five Points Washington, the office at Grace Church in Morton or online at www.gospelfestradio.com.

For more information, call Shawn at 309-472-0027.

The Peoria County Farm Bureau is hosting a Summer Market Outlook meeting on Tuesday, June 21, at the Farm Bureau Park south of Kickapoo. Raber Packing of Peoria will serve a porkchop sandwich meal at 6:30 p.m.

The market analysts for the evening will be Luke Hickey and Brian Basting of Advance Trading. Luke was raised on a central Illinois dairy farm. After graduating from Illinois State University in 1981, he farmed until starting his career in the country elevator business in 1987. He worked as an originator and merchandiser for the elevator.

For the past 16 years, Luke has worked in Bloomington for Advance Trading focusing on producer and end-user risk management programs for both country elevator customers and Advance Trading branch offices throughout the US and Canada.

Brian Basting was born and raised near Bloomington on a grain and livestock farm. He earned both a bachelors and masters degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of Illinois. Prior to joining Advance, he worked for a farmer advisory service based in Wisconsin. He currently is a commodity research analyst responsible for wheat market fundamentals and domestic grain consumption trends assisting in feed grains and soybean analysis.

Brian has also been a featured guest on a number of national media television outlets. These include U.S. Farm Report, Ag Day and This Week In Agribusiness. He has also participated in press briefings at the Chicago Board of Trade following the release of monthly USDA supply/demand reports.

The cost to attend the Market Outlook is $5 for Farm Bureau members. Tickets can be purchased from a Board Director, Marketing Committee Member, or at the Farm Bureau office.

For more information call the Farm Bureau office at 309-686-7070.