5-30-2008

 

AREA PROJECTS LISTED IN IDOT'S $45 MILLION SIX-YEAR PLAN

 

The Department of Transportation recently unveiled details of its six-year road construction plan, which includes $45 million in road and bridge projects in the 51st District, according to State Senator Frank Watson.  Local projects include construction and engineering for a new bridge to carry the Andrews Drive extension over U.S. Route 40 and the CSX Railroad tracks east of Route 127 in Greenville.   The projects combined total $4.4 million.

 

Other area projects in the plan are bridge replacements on Route 140/127 over Little Shoal Creek.  Watson says that the projects aren't dependent upon obtaining financing through bonding or borrowing, as the state should be able to afford it.  However, that will all be determined by the next state budget, which has yet to be set.

 

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MISSOURI WOMEN TO BE ARRAIGNED IN MYSPACE CASE

A St. Charles County woman will be arraigned on June 16th in Los Angeles for her alleged role in an online hoax that led to the suicide of a 13-year-old girl.  Lori Drew is charged with one count of alleged conspiracy and three counts of alleged accessing protected computers without authorization to obtain information.  Prosecutors say Drew helped create a fake MySpace page, that was used to send mean-spirited messages to Megan Meier in 2006.  Meier committed suicide after allegedly receiving one of those messages.  Drew faces a maximum of 20-years in prison if convicted.

ILLINOIS STATE MAP LOOKING FOR SPONSORS

 

The State of Illinois is for sale, at least on paper.  Illinois transportation officials are looking for title sponsors for the new Illinois highway map.  The plan is to let companies put their name on the millions of maps given out every year.  Best Western Hotels have sponsored the map for the past four years. IDOT says that's brought in over $200,000 to the state.  Now officials want to sell more pieces of the map that includes several marketing opportunities on the cover, back panel and inside border.  Companies can find out more at IDOT's web site.  Illinois has pushed for a number of sponsorships or public-private partnerships under the Blagojevich administration.