Capitol Briefs: State announces energy assistance, violence prevention grants, EV rebates
By JERRY NOWICKI
Capitol News Illinois
jnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com
SPRINGFIELD – Beginning Thursday, low-income families in Illinois can begin applying for state assistance on their natural gas, propane and electricity bills.
The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP, has $300 million available. Families can apply by visiting helpillinoisfamilies.com or by calling 1-833-711-0374. Information on other state assistance programs can be found on that website as well.
A list of local agencies can be searched by county here.
LIHEAP provides one-time payments directly to energy service providers on behalf of recipients.
Families who earn up to two times the federal poverty level are eligible for LIHEAP. That works out to a 30-day gross income below $2,265 for a one-person household, $3,052 for a 2-person home, $3,838 for a three-person home, $4,625 for four people, $5,412 for five people and $6,198 for six people.
The level of assistance received is needs-based, and last year’s LIHEAP recipients received an average of $1,330 per household, according to the governor’s office.
EV REBATES: A state rebate program for the purchase of an electric vehicle remains open through Sept. 30, and the state announced this week a new rebate application window will open on Nov. 1.
The current round of funding opened on July 1, offering a $4,000 rebate for individuals purchasing an all-electric vehicle and a $1,500 rebate for an all-electric motorcycle. Applications for the first round of funding must be postmarked by Sept. 30 and submitted within 90 days of the vehicle’s purchase.
The next round will open on Nov. 1 and run through January 2023.
The rebates don’t apply to hybrids or vehicles not licensed for Illinois roads. It also doesn’t apply to rented or leased vehicles.
The purchaser must reside in Illinois on the date of the vehicle purchase and it must be purchased at a state-licenses dealer. Documentation requirements include a copy of purchase invoice, proof of purchase, vehicle registration, and IRS W-9 or W-8 forms. The purchaser must also own the vehicle for 12 months.
As of July 1, the fund paying out the rebates had a balance of $17.9 million, and rebates were subject to funding availability.
The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, which administers the rebates, gives priority to low-income applicants whose income doesn’t exceed 80 percent of the state median income and expedites grants to those individuals. Thus far, as of Aug. 25, according to IEPA, the state has received 72 low-income applications and approved 22 of them. It had received 898 that didn’t meet the low-income threshold.
More information can be found here https://www2.illinois.gov/epa/topics/ceja/Pages/Electric-Vehicle-Rebates.aspx.
ANTI-VIOLENCE FUNDING: Gov. JB Pritzker’s office announced grant opportunities are available for $100 million in funding made available through the state’s Reimagine Public Safety Act.
The RPSA, an effort to drive violence-prevention funds to the state’s most dangerous areas, was approved in 2021 and received $250 million in the state’s current-year budget from federal American Rescue Plan Act funding.
The funding announced this week will support nonprofit community-based organizations and local governments in 16 municipal areas outside of Chicago, according to the governor’s office.
The state also made $113 million available in May, for which the application window is still open.
The state’s Office of Firearm Violence Prevention, or OFVP, convened local advisory councils in the 16 non-Chicago communities eligible for funding, which include Aurora, Belleville and East St. Louis area, Berwyn-Cicero area, Calumet City area, Chicago Heights area, Danville, Decatur, Joliet, Kankakee, Maywood-Bellwood areas, Peoria, Rock Island, Rockford, Springfield, Urbana-Champaign area and Waukegan-North Chicago area.
The OFVP will award grants through the program to eligible nonprofits that focus on violence intervention programs, mental and behavioral health programs designed to help victims of trauma, and for youth mentoring programs.
Information about the grant program can be found at http://www.dhs.illinois.gov/rpsa, and resources for interested organizations can be found at http://www.DHS.illinois.gov/Grants.
ETHANOL PRODUCTION: The state announced this week that it and surrounding states have been granted a federal emergency waiver by the U.S. EPA that allows for high volatility gasoline to be sold through Sept. 15.
The governor’s office said it will reduce fuel disruptions following an Aug. 24 fire which broke out at a BP facility in Whiting, Ind., which produces 430,000 barrels of oil per day.
Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin also requested and were granted the waiver which, the Pritzker administration noted, would boost the use of ethanol produced by Illinois corn farmers.
“After learning of the electrical fire at the BP facility in Whiting, our administration has taken proactive steps to increase gas supply and reduce barriers so all Illinoisans have access to the fuel they need,” Pritzker said in a news release. “This coordinated effort with our neighboring states will reduce the chance of disruptions and keep the people and businesses of Illinois moving.”
Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service covering state government that is distributed to more than 400 newspapers statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
Local News
Victress Women’s Wellness Center sets goals for 2022
Spread the loveBy Kelly White Empowering women in the new year is Victress, a wellness center for women, in Palos Heights. The center opened in October at 7120 W. 127th St. and welcomed in the new year with a goal-setting seminar open to women in the local community called, Achieve 2022: This year set goals,…
Broadcast news — Palos Heights’ Channel 4 has big 2021
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva The first Palos Heights city council meeting of 2022 featured a few minutes of bragging about Channel 4’s success in 2021. The local cable channel had a record-breaking year and Alderman Jerry McGovern was more than happy to run down the happy totals at Tuesday’s board meeting at City Hall.…
Experienced bakers buy The Great American Bagel in Palos Heights
Spread the loveNew owners nearly double the menu for breakfast, lunch By Cosmo Hadac When The Great American Bagel’s shop in Palos Heights changed hands late last year, the new owners who walked in the door weren’t exactly new. Manny Rios Sr. and his wife, Silvia, have nearly 50 years of combined experience in…
New owner will keep Palmer Place name and burgers Copy
Spread the loveBy Steve Metsch Palmer Place Restaurant and Biergarten, a mainstay in downtown La Grange for nearly 40 years, will soon have new owners. But not much else will change. The name on 56 S. La Grange Road will still read Palmer Place. The employees now there will still have their jobs. And the…
Palos Park could be making its decision on gaming on Monday
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Will Palos Park make its decision on bringing in gaming machines to the village on Monday? The world will have to wait until Monday to find out. The village council will meet for the first time in 2022 on Monday after its Jan. 10 meeting was cancelled because of a…
Pekau takes Rubin and Foxx to task over mandate punishments
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Orland Park has Cook’s County’s attention. The village’s decision to vote against enforcing Cook County COVID-19 mandates at a special meeting Dec. 28 has been a hot topic. The village’s position is that businesses need not require proof of vaccination for patrons to enter. Some businesses are taking the board…
‘These bruises won’t heal’
Spread the loveCPS kids back in school, but bitterness remains By Tim Hadac Teachers who walked off the job in the new year returned last week after the Chicago Teachers Union rank and file voted to accept Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s offer of increased safety measures at schools. But it was a divided vote, with just…
Smooch from a pooch
Spread the loveMutts of the Midway volunteer John Shaker smiles as he gets a smooch from Burt, a 5-year-old American Pit Bull/Boston Terrier mix. Shaker works as a transporter, driving dogs to and from veterinarian appointments. The 37-pound Burt was rescued by the non-profit Mutts of the Midway from a shelter in Texas. For several…
Here’s a sure sign of spring
Spread the loveBy Joan Hadac Your correspondent in Clearing and Garfield Ridge (708) 496-0265 • joan.hadac@gmail.com Hi everyone. How have you been surviving January? This is one month I always hope flies by. If the sun is out, the temperatures are, or feel like they are in the subzero range. If it’s cloudy, which is most…
Neighbors
Robbers hitting Chicago Lawn
Spread the love. From staff reports Police are warning the public about a robbery crew working the south end of Chicago Lawn. Crimes scenes include: 2500 block of West 73rd Street at 10:50 p.m. Monday, April 29. 7400 block of South Rockwell at 5:30 a.m. Tuesday, May 7. 7100 block of South Mozart at 6…
Moving scammers out there, BBB warns
Spread the love. By Better Business Bureau staff . Moving is always a stressful project. Throw in the threat of a moving scam, and things get even worse. Before hiring a moving company, careful research is necessary to avoid falling victim to a moving scam. These scams run the gamut from missing items, massive price…
Burglars hitting local businesses
Spread the love. From staff reports Police are alerting the public to what appears to be a crew of burglars hitting businesses across the city. A CPD alert noted 10 separate crimes. Three were committed against Southwest Side businesses on Friday, May 17: 7800 block of South Western at 12:11 a.m. 3300 block of West…
Rainbow Cone adds 4 new flavors
Spread the loveBy Bob Bong Chicago’s iconic Original Rainbow Cone has been evolving over the past few years. First, it joined forces with the folks at Buono Beef and expanded its presence from its original location in Beverly to offer cones at Buono Beef locations and a few stand-alone stores as well as food trucks.…
Park Lawn opens day program in Palos Heights
Spread the loveBy Kelly White Promoting inclusion and individuality, Park Lawn provides services that promote choice and access to community living for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The mission behind the organization focuses on encouraging people with disabilities to discover their passion, to take pride in their accomplishments, to live more independently and to…
EPCHS adds Emmy-winning actor Gary Sievers to Hall of Fame
Spread the loveEvergreen Park Community High School has added a name to its list of Hall of Famers. Gary Sievers, a 1968 EPCHS graduate who became well-known for his acting, public speaking, work in radio and television, community service, civic leadership and teaching, was posthumously inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame during the Honors…
Worth vehicle sticker applications ‘lost’ in the mail
Spread the loveBy Joe Boyle Worth Village Clerk Bonnie Price said that even though application forms for village vehicle stickers were sent out to the post office last month residents were still waiting to receive those applications. “We have been doing this for 15 years,” Price said during the Worth Village Board meeting May 7. “This…
Hunt killer in ‘drifting’ slaying
Spread the love. Police seek witnesses, video of 59/Western . By Tim Hadac Police are appealing to the public to help find those responsible for the slaying of a 20-year-old West Englewood man during a takeover of the intersection at 59th and Western at 3:21 a.m. Sunday, May 5. The victim–identified as Guillermo “Memito” Caballero…
Mom gets 20 years in babies’ murder
Spread the love. Stuffed her newborn twin boys in an alley garbage cart . By Tim Hadac The books closed this month on a double murder that shocked and sickened many in the Garfield Ridge area more than 20 years ago. Antoinette Briley, 44, pled guilty on May 7 to murdering her twin baby boys…