PEORIA – Peoria County is set to receive over $1 million in funding for construction projects over the next three years, State Senator Dave Koehler (D-Peoria) announced today.

“The Peoria area will see jobs for the next few years and reliable infrastructure long into the future as a result of this funding,” said Koehler. “Good infrastructure is the foundation we build the future on.”

The funds are being distributed as part of the 2019 Rebuild Illinois construction plan and will be distributed in six installments over the three-year period. Road and bridge improvements, new sidewalks and bike paths, or upgraded traffic signals are just a few of the changes that the Peoria area may see as a result of this funding.

Projects will be decided upon and managed at a local level, and will be overseen by the Illinois Department of Transportation.

As we celebrate Black History Month, I want to recognize and remember people whose influence on me was personal and memorable. Certainly, there are many other significant African Americans with Peoria connections to mention, but I wanted to focus on those who are no longer with us and those whose impact I can testify to first-hand. I’ve had the privilege of serving alongside and building relationships with numerous African-American leaders who called our city home, namely Dr. Romeo Garrett, John Gwynn Jr., Annie Jo Gordon (mother of Rep. Jehan Gordon Booth) and Frank Campbell. During the course of my work as a young community organizer and staff person for Peoria Friendship House on the Near Northside, I had the opportunity to work alongside each of these individuals on numerous occasions. They not only inspired the community with their dedication to making life better for all Peorians, but they inspired me to get involved and to try and make a difference. Though they have passed on, their contributions to the rich history of our community, state, and country continue to endure.

Additionally, I want to highlight a man whose contributions to the Civil Rights Movement have, in my opinion, been underappreciated. A. Phillip Randolph is known for being the leader of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters Union, but he was also one of the most significant leaders of the 1963 March on Washington. Randolph and the NALC (Negro American Labor Council), which he led, were the initiators of the famous event that featured Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his “I Have a Dream” speech. His work inspired me, and though I was too young to attend the 1963 March, I jumped at the chance to attend the 20^th Anniversary March in 1983 where I felt the presence of Randolph, Dr. King, and all of those who had sacrificed so much in the fight for racial justice. The experience served as a sobering reminder that while we had come so far in the decades prior, there was still work to be done and progress to be made. This sentiment was conveyed beautifully by a wonderful young reporter from the Peoria Journal Star named Pam Adams, who sent daily reports back home, giving all Peorians the opportunity to keep tabs on history in the making.

My attendance of the 20^th Anniversary March followed a transformational period in my life. After graduating from Yankton College in my home state of South Dakota, I enrolled for my first year of seminary school at Payne Theological Seminary in Wilberforce, Ohio. Payne is an AME (African Methodist Episcopal) seminary, which meant I would be joining a majority African American student body. I was invited to the seminary by Dean Handley Hickey, who I encountered for the first time at a Consultation on Church Union meeting that took place in 1970, or thereabout. I was a youth delegate for my denomination, the United Church of Christ and while we sat together for numerous small group discussions, a valuable friendship was forged. My experience as the only white student at the school proved to be pivotal in the development of my outlook on the world. I will fondly carry the stories I heard, the things I learned, and the people I met with me for the rest of my life.

While the names above represent just a few of the remarkable African American leaders that touched my life in a significant way, this month is about placing a focus on the stories of all African Americans that are too often overlooked. I hope you will join me in celebrating history made, as well as history still in the making.

Happy Black History Month!

Dave Koehler

State Senator | 46th District

SPRINGFIELD – Following Gov. JB Pritzker’s annual budget address, State Senator Dave Koehler (D-Peoria) offered praise for the administration’s priorities. He released the following statement:

“Overall, I’m pleased with where the governor is proposing we focus our attention fiscally. “By prioritizing these initiatives, we are meeting our mandate to provide quality services people can rely on: cleaning up coal ash waste and creating a program to provide access to training for careers in infrastructure and trade industry.

Though this is certainly only the beginning of what promises to be a complex negotiation process, I look forward to working with the Pritzker administration to continue improving the lives of Central Illinoisans.”

PEKIN – Hundreds of residents were able to clear their homes of obsolete computers, dusty old televisions, broken video game systems and small appliances that went kaput long ago thanks to an electronics recycling event hosted by State Senator Dave Koehler Saturday.

Some people waited upward of an hour and a half to responsibly dispose of unwanted electronics during the free annual event.

“This is a good thing to do. We came all the way from Washington (Illinois) to do this,” one participant said. “It’s worth the wait.”

The event took place at Area Recycling in Pekin with the help of Kuusakoski Recycling, an e-waste recycler with a site in Peoria. Numerous employees of the companies were on hand to unload pickup trucks, trailers and car trunks of electronics waste and haul it away in the eight semi-tractor trailers that were made available for the event.

Koehler said it’s quite an effort and complimented the crews for keeping the popular event running like clockwork.

“It’s really important to not only the environment, but we hear from our township supervisors a lot. What happens is, if people don’t have somewhere to store their TVs they throw them in a ditch. So the townships are constantly sending crews out to pick up TVs, and that costs taxpayer dollars,” Koehler said.

“So this is a nice way of disposing of TVs and knowing that they’re going to be recycled, and I think people appreciate it.”

Koehler said he intends to continue hosting the event – which always takes place the first Saturday in October – as long as there is a need.

“Every year – until there are no more TVs to be thrown out,” he said.