CHAMPAIGN – Area fire departments will benefit from a portion of $3.3 million in equipment grants awarded to Illinois communities, State Senator Scott Bennett (D-Champaign) announced Tuesday.

“First responders put their lives on the line every day to keep our communities safe,” Bennett said. “These equipment grants come at a critical time for local fire departments and will allow them to replace outdated gear that no longer meets current standards.”

The Small Equipment Grant Program was established by the Office of the State Fire Marshal to provide grants of up to $26,000 to support small firefighting and ambulance equipment purchases. A total of $3.3 million was awarded to 149 fire departments and EMS providers across the state through the program.

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 CHAMPAIGN – Rantoul, Savoy and Champaign will see a combined $1.7 million investment in bike paths and sidewalks, State Senator Scott Bennett (D-Champaign) announced Wednesday.

“Investing in our infrastructure is the best way to ensure we are ready for the future,” Bennett said. “By making our bike infrastructure safer and more connected, it gives residents and visitors another mode of transportation and encourages people to incorporate physical activity in their daily lives.”

Residents of Champaign and Vermilion Counties will see improvements to a number of area trails for pedestrians and bicyclists, including:

• Maplewood multi-use path in Village of Rantoul,
• First Street shared use path in Village of Savoy, and
• North Champaign Trail Extension in Champaign Park District.

These projects are part of the Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program, for which the Illinois Department of Transportation has selected 99 projects totaling $105.7 million. Projects receiving funding in this round of investment include biking and walking paths, trails, streetscape beautification, and other projects designed to encourage safe travel across the various modes of transportation at the local level.

“Infrastructure must reflect residents’ needs and how they live,” Bennett said. “These improvements will offer more much-needed opportunities for outdoor recreation and enhance quality of life across our community.”

CHAMPAIGN — To prevent the “summer slide,” State Senator Scott Bennett (D-Champaign is launching a Summer Reading Club for children and young people who live in the 52nd State Senate District.
 
Bennett is launching the club to counteract summer learning loss, which occurs when students “turn off their brains” during the summer months.

“Children of all ages can greatly benefit from a summer reading program,” Bennett said. “In fact, keeping kids engaged in books while they’re young will boost lifelong learning and ensure they are prepared for the next school year.” 

Studies indicate that 2 months of reading skills and 2 ½ months of math skills are lost over a single summer.

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 CHAMPAIGN – The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) is expanding access to no-cost and low-cost COVID-19 testing to elementary schools across Illinois, and State Senator Scott Bennett (D-Champaign) is confident that the initiative will allow schools to more safely resume in-person learning.

“Making testing widely available gives our schools another way to keep students and educators safe,” said Bennett. “The saliva collection is non-invasive and will be especially beneficial for children as we continue to move forward from the pandemic.” 

Schools can choose to utilize the saliva-based covidSHIELD test developed by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, which can quickly detect the virus that causes COVID-19 and its variants, including among people who do not have symptoms.

Schools and IDPH will receive test results within 24 hours of specimens reaching a SHIELD Illinois lab.

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