ARLINGTON HEIGHTS — Five local chambers of commerce have been awarded grants to help businesses bounce back from the negative economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, thanks to support from State Senator Mark Walker.

“Small businesses drive job creation throughout our state, but many continue to face challenges in adapting to changing consumer habits in the wake of the pandemic,” said Walker (D-Arlington Heights). “These grants will give our chambers of commerce the tools they need to foster a strong economic environment where residents and local businesses can succeed.”

Administered by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, grants through the Back to Business Local Chambers program will be used by chambers to market and develop localities, provide small businesses with professional development and support small businesses and entrepreneurs while bolstering economic development.

SPRINGFIELD — Taking a significant step toward correcting a historic wrong, legislation that would return ancestral lands to the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation cleared the Senate on Sunday. The initiative, led by State Senator Mark Walker, would transfer state-owned lands comprising Shabbona Lake and State Park in DeKalb County to the tribe.

“This is an opportunity to right a past injustice and honor the sovereignty of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation,” said Walker (D-Arlington Heights). “By supporting the creation of the tribe’s reservation, we are making strides toward reconciliation while fostering a partnership with Indigenous communities.”

Senate Bill 867 would authorize the state to transfer approximately 1,500 acres of land that is now Shabbona Lake and State Park to the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources would enter into a land-management agreement with the Potawatomi regarding how the park would be managed in the future.