A new biodiesel plant opened in Danville, Ill., this month, creating some new Illinois science jobs.

The plant, operated by Blackhawk Biofuels, has created 27 new jobs. The company recently created its first biodiesel, which is stored in holding tanks at the site, according to an article by the Commercial News. Renewable Energy Group contracted with Blackhawk to purchase animal fat feed stock to be used in combination with soybean from Bunge to create the biodiesel.

The state provided about $20 million to supplement a $75 million private investment for the plant. The Illinois Finance Authority also provided almost $5 million in Opportunity Returns grants through the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and the Illinois Department of Transportation.

Read the rest of this entry »

Some Illinois healthcare jobs will soon be lost as a major institution cuts jobs.

The University of Illinois Medical Center at Chicago recently announced its plan to eliminate 200 positions during the next eight months, according to an article by WBEZ. The job cuts, which will include mostly non-clinical positions, are expected to save the hospital more than $25 million next year.

Hospital officials say the job cuts are necessary as the hospital has to reduce its budget because of the poor economy. And while some government reimbursement is hoped for, it won’t make up for the rising cost of healthcare.

“At this point we don’t expect at all that it will impact the quality of healthcare or patient safety here,” Spokesperson Sherri McGinnes Gonzalez said in the article. “This is something that we are taking thoughtful and deliberate actions now to hopefully avoid tougher decisions later.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Some workers were lucky enough to secure Illinois law enforcement jobs, but state residents are complaining their posts are unnecessary.

The State of Illinois recently announced that 208 prison guards had been hired, a move that is putting some people in an uproar after the state decided to cut other positions because of budget complications. According to an article by The Associated Press, the Department of Corrections hired the employees to work at the Thomson Correctional Center at a cost of $10.8 million for the first year of work.

The workers were tapped to provide security at the prison, which is located in northwestern Illinois, for inmates being transferred from Pontiac Prison. Pontiac Prison is slated to close in an effort to save $4 million per year. However, the prison is currently still open because of a lawsuit filed by union officials.

Read the rest of this entry »

Those seeking labor jobs in Illinois will soon have some help.

Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich recently announced that skilled trade workers would be able to participate in the Illinois Home Weatherization Assistance Program. This program is part of the government’s effort to help connect Illinois workers with services improve their skills and find jobs in the current suffering economy. It is expected the program will provide training for more than 700 trades workers, create jobs and stimulate the local economy.

“Across the nation, people are having a tough time finding jobs and in response to that here in Illinois I am urging workers in the skilled trades to apply for the Illinois Home Weatherization Assistance Program,” Blagojevich said in a press release. “During the current economic situation this program can help connect people with work to see them and their families through this difficult time.”

Read the rest of this entry »

The construction of an ethanol plant could create many Illinois construction jobs, as well as some other permanent jobs.

The State of Illinois recently announced that Illinois River Energy, LLC has received a $4 million Renewable Fuels Development grant through the state’s Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to help build a new ethanol production facility in Northern Illinois. The company, which is based in Ogle County, estimates the facility will cost more than $120 million to build and will create 120 construction jobs and 40 permanent jobs, as well as support the state’s drive for energy independence.

“By investing in ethanol and other renewable fuels, we are increasing our energy independence, creating jobs and helping to secure Illinois’ future,” Governor Rod R. Blagojevich said in a press release. “This new ethanol plant represents the next generation of ethanol production in Illinois – using less energy while producing less carbon emissions – and will be one of the cleanest and most efficient facilities in the country.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Hundreds of Illinois law enforcement jobs are in question as a union and the State of Illinois are at legal odds with one another.

The Illinois Department of Corrections is planning to close the Pontiac Correctional Center by the end of the year, a move that could eliminate 570 jobs and save $4 million per year. However, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees recently filed a lawsuit against the IDOC to stop it from closing the facility and cutting jobs. According to an article by the Fort Mill Times, the prison is the town’s second-largest employer.

The state plans to move inmates from Pontiac, which is a maximum-security prison, to smaller prisons not built to handle maximum-security prisoners. Many of Pontiac’s 1,600 prisoners have been reclassified from medium-security to minimum-security and transfered to minimum-security prisons such as the Vienna Correctional Center in Johnson County and other prisons in Moline and Taylorville. Half of the inmates will be moved to a prison in Thomson.

Read the rest of this entry »

A recent plan to relocate Illinois construction jobs has found itself in court.

Opponents of a plan to relocate 150 construction jobs with the Illinois Department of Transportation from Springfield to southern Illinois will be in court next week in an effort to prevent the state from spending excess money on the move. Springfield Attorney Don Craven is asking the court to issue a preliminary injunction that would temporarily prevent Illinois Comptroller Dan Hynes or Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias from allocating any money in connection with the jobs move.

According to an article by the Journal Star, the prohibition would remain in place until Attorney General Lisa Madigan acts on the administration’s plan to buy half of a former Wal-Mart building in Harrisburg to house the Illinois Department of Transportation Division of Traffic Safety. Madigan must sign off on the purchase before it can take place.

Read the rest of this entry »

One of the world’s largest makers of automobile exhaust systems is cutting Illinois manufacturing jobs.

Tenneco Inc. has announced its plans to cut 1,100 jobs and close four North American plants and an engineering center in Australia to reduce costs. The moves are expected to save about $64 million annually per year, according to an article by Bloomberg. This announcement comes despite a state plan to increase manufacturing jobs.

The company plans to have charges of as much as $60 million, $25 million of which will be posted this quarter. Tenneco said it eliminated 760 jobs in North America and 365 in Europe earlier this year, as jobs in the state as a whole have been declining.

Read the rest of this entry »

A new plan could help create Illinois manufacturing jobs.

Illinois House Republicans recently met with the owners of Dial Machine, a manufacturing company based in Rochford, Ill., to discuss a state capital plan. As manufacturing jobs in the state have been decreasing, the plan would support small businesses and create high-paying jobs to help revitalize the area, according to an article by WREX.

“We would create between 500 and 700 thousand new jobs and these would be high paying jobs because we need to repair our bridges our roads, our schools,” Ron Wait, (R) District 69 State Rep. Incumbent, said in the article.

Read the rest of this entry »

Illinois banking jobs, as well as other small business jobs, could be protected by a new proposal to invest money into state banks.

Illinois State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias recently introduced a plan to invest $1 billion in Illinois state banks, which would provide needed cash for borrowers to help avoid a credit crisis, help level the state during the current financial crisis and make sure jobs stay local.

According to an article by The Associated Press, the money will be made available to interest-bearing bank accounts by shifting it from lower-yielding investments. Making money available to state banks will help keep bank workers employed, as well as help keep those who have taken out loans for their own businesses employed.

Read the rest of this entry »