MARYVILLE – To highlight individual social-distancing efforts and give business owners an opportunity to voice concerns, State Senator Rachelle Crowe (D-Glen Carbon) has completed the first round of her small business tour, visiting nine locally-owned businesses within the Metro East region.

“From visiting retail employees to optometrists, every business owner I had the pleasure of meeting with is taking the pandemic seriously and imposing mask requirements, social distancing and deep sanitizing,” Crowe said. “My goal with this tour was to highlight their efforts, while also offering a casual conversation in order to have a better understanding of the effects of the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.”

To invite different perspectives from business owners and employees in all industries affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, Crowe visited:

• Kloss Furniture in Edwardsville,
• Aphrodite Skin Care in Maryville,
• Financial Adviser Dustin Jumper’s Edward Jones office in Maryville,
• Escape Salon & Spa in Edwardsville,
• Behavioral Health Alternatives in Wood River,
• Leiber Vision Center in Alton,
• St. Peter’s Hardware & Rental in Alton,
• Advanced Outsource Solutions in Alton and
• Cleveland Heath in Edwardsville.

“Several of the businesses I visited were approved for PPP loans, which has relieved some financial stress from payroll and other operating costs,” Crowe said. “To ensure our small businesses aren’t held personally liable, I’m now working to facilitate the loan forgiveness portion.”

Every business will be featured with more information from each visit on Sen. Crowe’s Facebook page. Business owners interested in inviting Sen. Crowe to tour are encouraged to apply at www.SenatorCrowe.com/SmallBusinessTours.

MARYVILLE – To help keep Illinois’ senior residents from waiting in line at the DMV, State Senator Rachelle Crowe (D-Glen Carbon) alerted drivers age 75 and older that their driver’s license expiration dates have been extended by one year.

“With long wait times at the DMV, usually requiring patrons to wait outside, the one-year extension for senior drivers is the latest action to help seniors avoid or delay a visit during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Crowe said. “This extension will give our elder population the option to plan a visit when they are comfortable, with no penalty.”

To qualify for the extension, drivers must be 75 years of age or older and have a valid license—drivers whose licenses have been suspended or revoked do not qualify for the one-year extension. Eligible drivers should soon receive a letter from the secretary of state as proof that they qualify.

For drivers under age 75, expiration dates for driver’s licenses, ID cards and license plate stickers have been extended until Nov. 1, 2020. Customers who choose to visit a facility must wear a face mask. In addition, customers are asked to be patient due to heavy volume and to be prepared to wait outside in various types of weather.

“Within our community, I’ve heard from veterans and other seniors, including my own sweet grandmother, concerned with waiting in line at the DMV, because they are unable to access the online services,” Crowe said. “I hope this extension can offer them all some peace of mind in this difficult time.”

Crowe continues to encourage drivers to visit www.cyberdriveillinois.com to avoid waiting in line and take advantage of online services, including replacements and renewals of registrations, driver’s licenses and ID cards.

GRANITE CITY – In an effort to help teachers adapt to a school year that will rely heavily on e-learning, State Senator Rachelle Crowe (D-Glen Carbon) coordinated with officials at Granite City Community Unit School District #9 to ensure 3,000 Chromebooks were ready for students to begin class next week.

“Spending the day unboxing Chromebooks is not how I think anybody expected to be spending their time leading up to school this year, but teachers have stepped up to the task of teaching students while also keeping them and their community safe,” Crowe said. “By offering this service, we’re doing our part to provide a safe environment for students in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, and I thank Senate President Don Harmon for agreeing to this partnership.”

MARYVILLE – To offer support to small business owners facing economic hardship as a result of the pandemic, State Senator Rachelle Crowe (D-Glen Carbon) announced 25 local businesses will receive funds through the Business Interruption Grant program.

“Our local businesses fell victim to unprecedented revenue loss from the COVID-19 pandemic," Crowe said. “It’s reassuring to see investments going directly into our small business community, and I hope this funding can offer a boost during these tough times.”

The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity awarded a total of $46 million to 2,655 small businesses in the first round of BIG funding. The BIG program offers grants to Illinois restaurants and bars, barbershops and salons, and fitness centers that have suffered pandemic-related losses, with a focus on businesses in the hardest-hit areas of the state.

First round grants range from $10,000 to $20,000 and may be used to help businesses with working capital expenses, including payroll costs, rent and utilities. The funds may also be used to cover pandemic-related expenses, such as PPE, training and new technology.

“To ensure safety for workers and consumers, the BIG program will allow businesses to prioritize safety while adjusting to new social distancing guidelines,” Crowe said. “While it’s encouraging to see businesses getting assistance, I know our work is just starting to ensure our community fully recovers from this crisis.”

The BIG program is the largest state-run economic support program formed in response to the COVID-19 economic downturn. The full list of grant recipients is available here.

MARYVILLE – To ensure quality education resources for students in the Metro East, State Senator Rachelle Crowe (D-Glen Carbon) is announcing a state grant for the Mississippi Valley Library Grant to aid in mentoring programs.

“This grant will provide an opportunity for students needing extra support, especially in the unprecedented times we’re experiencing,” Crowe said. “I commend the state for investing in our youth.”

The Mississippi Valley Library District received a $27,463 grant to support Project Next Generation efforts, a mentoring program for students to develop technological skills, achieve success through project-based learning and gain life skills such as effective communication, goal-setting and conflict resolution.

The Secretary of State awarded $559,358 in 2021 PNG grants to 28 public libraries statewide, based on districts serving culturally diverse, low-income and underserved populations.

Projects were awarded grants from the Illinois State Library using federal Library Services and Technology Act funds provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

MARYVILLE – With construction slated to begin in the next year, State Senator Rachelle Crowe (D-Glen Carbon) is announcing more than $6 million in state investments for road projects within her district.

“By investing in our local infrastructure, our state is committing to the transportation needs of Metro East residents,” Crowe said. “Ensuring reliable transportation for seniors, working families and students while creating construction jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic is a start to getting our local economies back on track.”

Totaling more than $6.4 million, 10 major projects are scheduled to begin on local highways in Crowe’s district by next summer. The projects are listed by county below:

Madison County

• Replace bridge on Albers Lane over Rocky Branch Creek in Bethalto
• Restore 0.14 miles of North Prairie Street from Corbin Street to Williams Street in Bethalto
• Reconstruct intersection of Sugar Loaf Road and Illinois Route 157 in Collinsville
• Restore 0.34 miles of pavement on North Buchanan Street from East Union Street to Hillsboro Avenue in Edwardsville
• Restore 0.34 miles of pavement on Keebler Road from Illinois Route 162 to Old Keebler Road in Glen Carbon
• Restore 0.2 miles of pavement on Johnson Road from Terrace Lane to Nameoki Road in Granite City
• Restore 0.47 miles of Wood River Avenue from Eckhard Avenue to Ferguson Avenue in Wood River

St. Clair County

• Restore 0.18 miles of pavement and repair sidewalks on Morris Street from Illinois Route 157 to 2nd Street in Caseyville
• Improve intersection of Hartman Lane and Central Park Drive in O’Fallon
• Restore 0.32 miles of pavement on Venita Drive from Taylor Road to the entrance of the O’Fallon Sports Park

The Illinois Department of Transportation’s Multi-Year Plan will invest $21.3 billion to improve the state’s infrastructure over the next six years. Projects included in the program were selected based on objective criteria, such as pavement conditions, traffic volumes and crash history.

MARYVILLE – Those who haven't applied for unemployment benefits but receive a debit card claiming to provide them could be the target of a scam, State Senator Rachelle Crowe (D-Glen Carbon) warned residents.

“It’s beyond disappointing scammers are targeting vulnerable residents and their unemployment benefits during this time of economic crisis,” Crowe said. “In an effort to bring scammers to justice, IDES is aggressively cracking down on fraudsters filing false claims.”

Last week, reports surfaced of individuals receiving KeyBank debit cards and unemployment letters in the mail, despite never having applied for benefits. According to IDES, people who received these erroneous mailings may be targets of fraud.  

After receiving these reports, IDES launched an investigation into what appears to be a nationwide fraud scheme targeting applicants to the federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program. IDES said ambiguous federal guidelines—developed hastily to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic—leave PUA claimants open to attack. IDES maintains this scheme is not connected to the PUA program access issue experienced in May.

A dedicated team of staffers is now working directly with individuals whose identities are being used or have possibly been stolen. The department is also working with local and federal law enforcement authorities to pursue and prosecute those committing fraud.

Individuals who have received debit cards in the mail without applying for benefits should not activate them, and are urged to call IDES immediately at 1-800-814-0513 to report identity theft. 

Victims of fraud should also check their credit reports for possible suspicious activity, post a fraud alert and visit the Federal Trade Commission’s website for helpful tips on recognizing and reporting identity theft.

COLLINSVILLE –State Senator Rachelle Crowe (D-Glen Carbon) joined area legislators and officials with the Illinois Department of Transportation in Collinsville Tuesday to announce funding for the Metro East’s next projects as part of the state’s ongoing multi-year construction plan.

“Although Illinois is experiencing vast economic issues during the COVID-19 pandemic, this announcement comes at a time when residents need good-paying, labor jobs as well as reliable transportation,” Crowe said. “By investing in our state’s infrastructure, we’re committing to both of these necessary expectations.”

In total, the governor announced the state’s $21.3 billion plan to improve Illinois roads and bridges over the next six years. The program will create hundreds of thousands of job opportunities for residents across the state.

Earlier this year, construction began on multiple projects within the Rebuild Illinois plan, including the ongoing $67 million Interstate 255 rehabilitation project in St. Clair and Madison counties. The project is expected to be completed on time.

Passed in 2019, IDOT’s complete Multi-Year Plan can be found here.