Pekin Area Chamber of Commerce

To:          Fellow Chamber Members Re:         COVID Vaccine From:    Morningside of Pekin Date:     December 17, 2020 Greetings!  There is a lot of information on the news and in the community about the COVID-19 vaccine.  As we are a Five Star Community, we have access to a team of professional advisors who have been sending us updated information throughout the process of the development and now the distribution of the vaccine! We are going to be able to offer our residents the vaccine this month as part of the first wave of inoculations. We would like to share with you some of the Q&A questions that our professional team has been asked.   Please feel free to view this link:  https://www.fivestarseniorliving.com/covid-19-vaccine-faqs to access some general information.   We would be happy to provide you with updates as we receive them...

Hanson Professional Services Inc. received an Honor Award from the American Council of Engineering Companies of Illinois (ACEC-IL) for its work on the emergency repair of Norfolk Southern Corp.’s collapsed bridge over the Grand River near Brunswick, Missouri.  Hanson, led by its Peoria, Illinois, office, worked with Norfolk Southern Corp. and Massman Construction Co. to help Norfolk Southern quickly rebuild the 103-year-old bridge. The flooded river and a buildup of tree limbs had been pushing on the bridge, leading Norfolk Southern to cut the rails Oct. 1, 2019, to relieve pressure and prevent further damage to its rail line. A portion of the bridge was wiped out within minutes. Four spans and three piers — about 267 feet of the 1,110-foot-long bridge — were swept away. The repair work was finished in 27 days — several weeks ahead of the originally estimated 56-day schedule. Hanson will be recognized April 8 during ACEC-IL’s virtual awards ceremony. ACEC is a professional orga...

P EORIA, IL – The Peoria Symphony Orchestra is excited to announce PSO Play . For the first time in the PSO’s history, concerts will be available to view online . Starting at just $1 , viewers can pay what they like to see the first three concerts of the PSO’s 123 rd season: The Four Seasons with Charles Yang, violin; Merry Pranks with Pei-yeh Tsai, piano, and Sarah Carrillo, trumpet; and A Season of Hope , featuring festive music and messages of hope from area faith leaders. Regarding the launch of PSO Play, Maestro Stelluto comments: “The streaming releases of our first three concerts this season is a first for the PSO. I’m very happy we can all share these experiences again. Plus, they are great opportunities to have your young ones enjoy and learn about music.” The concerts are now available to purchase and view an unlimited number of times until January 25, 2021 . Concert passes must be purchased by January 24, 2021. Each concert has additional online streaming content,...

Federal Government Passes Another Round of Assistance Yesterday Congress passed another round of COVID related stimulus.  The package was just shy of $1 trillion. In addition to $600 to individuals, the bill also included some relief for businesses.  U.S. Chamber executive vice president and chief policy officer Neil Bradley will be giving a Pandemic Relief Small Business Update TODAY, December 22, 2020 at 2:00 p.m. ET to share more about what the bill will mean for the small business community. If you have not done so already, please click here to register now. NPR provides this cheat sheet :  Small-business help PPP loans: The agreement includes some $284 billion for Paycheck Protection Program loans. Democrats say they expanded eligibility for the loans to include nonprofits and local newspapers, along with TV and radio stations. Also, $15 billion would be reserved for live venues, independent movie theaters and cultural institu...

SPRINGFIELD – Illinoisans will ring in the New Year with an additional increase in the minimum wage to $11 an hour, and the Illinois Department of Labor is encouraging employees to watch their paychecks to ensure that time worked in 2021 is paid at the new rate. Governor JB Pritzker signed legislation into law in 2019 providing a path to a $15 minimum wage by 2025. Minimum wage earners received two increases in 2020 to $9.25 an hour on January 1 followed by an increase to $10 an hour on July 1. The minimum wage will continue to increase an additional $1 an hour each January 1 until it reaches $15 an hour in 2025. “We want to make sure that workers earning minimum wage are aware that the $1 increase should be reflected in their pay checks for any time they work after the first of the year,” said Michael Kleinik, director of the Illinois Department of Labor. “While we fully expect employers will pay the new wage, we also want workers to be aware of the change.” Prior to the 2020 in...

Peoria, IL –Delta service from Peoria has become a casualty of the Covid-19 pandemic.  Delta petitioned the US DOT in May to suspend service to all of its destinations from Peoria, which took effect in June.  Delta just recently informed the Metropolitan Airport Authority of Peoria that as of last week, they were changing the suspension into a termination.  This change does not have much impact from a practical standpoint, since Delta had already discontinued flying.  It does mean that the Airport Authority will have to work even harder with the community to get them to come back to Peoria. Recently, PIA had experienced a record setting year in 2019 with 689,416 passengers traveling to and from PIA.  January and February began strong in 2020 with record-setting passenger totals until travel took a hit in mid-March, which saw totals of about half of the previous year’s number.  Traffic dropped 96% for a total of 2,928 travelers in April 2020 (April 2019 –...

  SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – The Illinois Jaycees is currently accepting nominations for 2021 class of  The Outstanding Young People. Each year, The Outstanding Young People awards program recognizes up to ten individuals between the ages of 18 and 40 who exemplify the best attributes of young people from across Illinois.   Honorees reflect the vast diversity of young people that are making a difference in their community – whether they get involved through business, nonprofit and community organizations, or government service. Nominations are accepted in one of the ten categories including: business, economic, and/or entrepreneurial accomplishment; political, legal, and/or governmental affairs; academic leadership and/or accomplishment; cultural achievement; moral and/or environmental leadership; contribution to children, world peace, and/or human rights; humanitarian and/or voluntary leadership; scientific and/or technological development; personal improvement and/or ...

Peoria, IL – A $30 million Extraordinary Dividend was approved by CEFCU’s Board of Directors and distributed to the Credit Union’s member/owners.  The amount each member received was determined by dividends earned and interest paid during the first 11 months of the year.  On December 1, funds were deposited to members’ Savings accounts. Over the last 21 years, CEFCU has returned $350 million in Extraordinary Dividends to members.  CEFCU Board Chairman, Matt Jolliff, stated, “CEFCU’s strong financial results and continued member loyalty have made another Extraordinary Dividend available for members.” Mark Spenny, CEFCU President/CEO, added, “This year, more than ever, CEFCU continues to live up to the credit union’s philosophy of “people helping people.” Thank you to members for your continued support, and to CEFCU staff for providing outstanding member service while maintaining operational efficiencies.” Members can learn more about this year’s Extraordinary Dividend at c...