CHICAGO – State Senator Emil Jones III (D-Chicago) is excited to announce that the 14th District will receive more than $4.5 million in grants for local libraries.

“Libraries are more than just a place to rent books – they are a resource for people to learn and build community engagement,” Jones said. “A library is often an extension of a classroom, and it is important for our communities to be thoroughly equipped with the resources necessary to teach our children.”

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Missing ISU student Jelani Day has been found, suspect still at large

CHICAGO — The Illinois Senate Black Caucus reacts to the finding of missing Illinois State University Student Jelani Day:

“To the family and friends of Jelani Day, our hearts ache to hear this news and we wish you peace and comfort as you grieve during this tragic time. It’s extremely devastating to see a family lose a loved one and our thoughts and prayers are with you.

While we’re all mourning the loss of Jelani we must turn our attention to the suspects who are still at large. We encourage the Bloomington Police Department to thoroughly continue the investigation to bring justice and peace to the Day family. We understand this is a very difficult job and investigations take time but we want to emphasize the lack of urgency in identifying missing people of color. The term for this is ‘missing white woman syndrome.’ We saw an example of this during the tragic death and missing case of Gabby Petito. Gabby’s story controlled the airways, while Jelani’s was covered by very few. As a caucus, we haven’t come this far in fighting for equity for black children and families for them to not receive it. Jelani and his family deserve justice and we want it now.”

CHICAGO – A new law supported and co-sponsored by State Senator Emil Jones III (D-Chicago) will help provide affordable and safe drinking water to more Illinoisans.

“Every person has the right to affordable and safe drinking water,” Jones said. “Cost should never be a barrier to obtaining basic needs.”

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Eligible local governments in Illinois are now able to claim over $742 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds.

With Illinois' non-entitlement unit allocations from ARPA, eligible NEUs may claim their allocation by completing submissions to the NEU Portal.  Per federal guidance, NEUs that do not submit information by September 30th, 2021 will forfeit their allocation.

Local non-entitlement units eligible for funding:

Blue Island city - $3,112,986.45 1

Calumet Park village - $1,033,447.88 2

Crestwood village - $1,455,418.71 1

Oak Forest city - $3,694,012.00 1

Robbins village - $739,264.61 1

Alsip village - $2,543,380.22 1

Funds may be used to cover revenue losses, the costs of responding to the COVID-19 public health emergency, and invest in certain infrastructure projects. A full list of eligible Illinois NEUs can be viewed here.

Visit the DCEO website to learn more.