A Message From Jim McConoughey  Recently a group of public elected officials from the tri-county area got together to address the issue of the recent state income tax hike. Representatives from Peoria, Woodford and Tazewell county boards as well as area mayors and economic development professionals were in attendance. The focus was on how to continue successful economic development in the wake of this huge tax increase. This big change just happened and we already have our regional public elected officials working together and focusing on the issue to represent their constituents, this is a big step in the right direction. |
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2011 Economic Forecast What changes are likely ahead for our government? The first big change people want is for the government to slow down. The second thing to watch for is the call for efficiency. To see what else Jim McConoughey has to say watch his forecast video by clicking the video icon to the left. |
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Peoria MSA Unemployment Drops Again  Peoria MSA unemployment numbers have dropped again. Unemployment for December 2010 is 8.8% down from 9.3% in November 2010. |
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2011 State of the City  Nearly 600 people were on hand to hear Peoria Mayor Jim Ardis' assessment of the city, particularly from a financial standpoint and the challenges ahead for 2011. He touched on the city's crime problem, the budget deficit, and ways to streamline city services including the potential merging of the sheriff and city police departments. He encouraged people to volunteer and get involved in making changes in our community. Many in attendance said Mayor Ardis’ State of the City Address, was right on the mark. |
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Meet the Chairmen  Over the past two months we have been introducing you to the chairmen of the various boards of directors for The Heartland Partnership Family of Companies. This week we highlight Dave Parkinson for his role with the Central Illinois Angels. |
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Project Pack the Place Returns and Expands  “Project Pack the Place” is back for 2011 and it's expanding! Project Pack the Place is an initiative to increase community vibrancy and boost the regional economy by generating enthusiasm for the great entertainment venues. The project is expanding this year in hopes of packing local restaurants and other businesses across Central Illinois. visit www.packtheplace.org to get all the details. The first main event is March 12 with the Peoria Ballet so get your tickets now! |
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PACVB Keeps Busy  In 2010, the Peoria Area Convention and Visitors Bureau brought in 192,000 people for sporting events and conventions. Leisure tourism, like the Festival of Lights, Red White and Boom, and Spoon River Valley Scenic Drive draw around 200,000 every year. It's estimated that each traveler in Illinois spends $130 per day which means the economic impact in 2010 was somewhere around 26 million dollars.
click here for text version of the interview. |
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Article Heading  The current Mood-O-Meter is about the recent Blizzard of 2011. It will only take a couple minutes to tell us how satisfied were you with snow removal in your community, did you do anything fun during your snowday(s), and how long did it take you to clear your driveway/sidewalks? |
