Details of Stellantis plan closure develop
One week after Stellantis announced Belvidere’s assembly plant would go idle for at least six months, more details are coming to light about how close the state thought it was to a deal with the company. Union leaders met with Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Friday, where he announced that he had a conference call to close the deal that would bring electric vehicles to the Belvidere plant. Instead, Stellantis announced that the plant would go idle in February. Pritzker says the announcement was unexpected, but doubled down on pursuing a future electric vehicle deal with the company for Belvidere.
Energy transition grants
The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity has launched the Energy Transition Community Grant Program, an initiative under the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act that provides funding to communities undergoing a significant energy transition. Twenty-two areas around the state have been identified as eligible to apply for the funding through the program. The program funds are designed to meet the needs of individual localities to address the economic and social impacts of plant closures.
Safe driving campaign begins
With the holidays in full swing, Illinois Conservation Police are partnering with the Illinois Department of Transportation to remind motorists about the dangers of impaired driving. Now through Jan. 2, law enforcement across Illinois will step up enforcement efforts with a high-visibility “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” and “Drive High, Get a DUI” traffic safety campaign. More than 10,000 people were killed each year from 2016 to 2020, with one person killed in an alcohol-related crash every 45 minutes in 2020.
