CHICAGO, Illinois, Aug. 30 -- Commonwealth Edison, a subsidiary of Exelon, issued the following news release: After two weeks of clearing seven acres of hard-to-reach brush under powerlines in Matthiessen State Park in LaSalle County, Ill., ComEd's four-legged employees are taking a Windy City Goat Tour to explore Chicago. Nearly a dozen goats will be driven around the goat-to spots in the city, while increasing awareness around ComEd's goat vegetation management program--one of many programs w  more

ST. LOUIS, Missouri, Aug. 29 -- First Mid Bank and Trust issued the following news release: First Mid Bank & Trust (First Mid) is proud to announce it has been selected as the Small Business Administration (SBA) Central/Southern Illinois Community Lender of the Year. This award is presented to the community bank with the best overall performance record for lending to small businesses in Central and Southern Illinois throughout 2022. This year marks the eighth time First Mid has received this a  more

CHICAGO, Illinois, Aug. 30 -- Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul issued the following news release: Attorney General Kwame Raoul led a coalition of 23 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief supporting the federal government's actions to increase the minimum wage to $15 per hour for certain federal contractors. The policy was first enacted by presidential executive order in April 2021, and then implemented by the U.S. Department of Labor in November 2021 in the final rule, "Increasing th  more

DECATUR, Illinois, Aug. 30 -- The Illinois Senate Democrats issued the following news: As strong advocates of Illinois' agriculture industry, State Senators Paul Faraci and Doris Turner joined state officials and agriculture leaders at the 2023 Farm Progress Show to support increasing across to mental health services for rural farmers and agriculture communities. "Mental health affects people from all professions -- especially farmers whose job, success and livelihood relies on many things out  more

PEORIA, Illinois, Aug. 29 -- Northeast Community College issued the following news release: Northeast Community College is partnering with USDA (United States Dept. of Agriculture) Rural Development through the Community College Alliance for Agriculture Advancement (C2A3) to strengthen the nation's rural workforce. Representatives of C2A3 and USDA Rural Development held a ceremony recently in Peoria, Ill., to formally sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to assist students across the Midwe  more

EVANSTON, Illinois, Aug. 30 (TNSres) -- Northwestern University issued the following news release: * * * * Polyurethane plastic found in everyday products from mattresses to shoes is not recyclable through conventional means * These plastics with crosslinked structures -- known as thermosets -- use catalysts to rearrange their bonds as they change shape * Process using newly identified nontoxic catalysts allows foam to be reused and repurposed * * * Polyurethane plastics are ubiquitous, us  more

WHEATON, Illinois, Aug. 29 -- Wheaton College issued the following news: Daniel Nayeri's Everything Sad Is Untrue (Levine Querido, 2020) is this year's Core Book selection, chosen for how it addresses timely issues facing the Christian church and broader society. Now in its seventh year, the Core Book program invites students, staff, faculty, alumni, prospective students, parents, donors, and the local community to engage in enduring questions together through interdisciplinary responses to li  more