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2013 October Issue

Wesclin Senior High School, Trenton/Clinton County, Holland Construction Services Inc.

By KATE GENO    Holland Construction Services is building a new $22.6 million senior high school for Wesclin Community Unit School District 3 in Clinton County.   The current junior/senior high school does not have capacity for the existing student population and the district has been renting classroom space around the community. The future 120,000-square-foot school…

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Area home sales remain strong despite rising interest rates

   Home sales continued to top 2012 numbers in late summer as prospective buyers began to acclimate themselves to higher mortgage interest rates.   Statewide, home sales in August were up 17.3 percent compared to August 2012, and median prices were 13.6 percent higher, according to MLS data reported to the Illinois Association of Realtors. August…

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SIUE targeting science, technology, engineering and math

    Southern Illinois University Edwardsville has landed a five-year, $1.2 million grant from the National Science Foundation for a program aimed at improving the teaching of science, technology, engineering and mathematics in the middle schools and high schools of Southwestern Illinois.   The grant will help the university recruit outstanding students studying science, technology, engineering or…

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Madison County introduces new prescription drug discount program

   At the end of August, every household in Madison County received a prescription drug discount card. It was not a scam. The program was approved by the Madison County Board at its August meeting and the cards were sent out by ProAct Inc., a Syracuse, N.Y.-based pharmacy benefit management company.    The Madison County…

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COUNTERPOINT: RAISING BASE FAST FOOD WAGE TO $15/HR

Raising the minimum wage would hurt the people it’s supposed to help    The argument in favor of raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour comes down to this: It’s hard to raise a family on $7.25 an hour, which, of course, is the federal minimum wage. One of the slogans of striking workers…

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IRS fishing for underreported income from small business

   Small businesses across the country have been receiving Notice of Underreported Income letters from the Internal Revenue Service over the summer in an effort to reduce the “tax gap.”   The IRS estimates the difference between the amount of taxes owed and the amount paid is about 17 percent.     While the so-called CP2000 notice…

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Dems propose gun-tax hike; GOP says target mental illness

   A bill proposed by two U.S. House Democrats — one from Illinois — would substantially increase taxes on guns and ammo sales in the name of gun control.   Republicans say they will staunchly oppose the measure, HR 3018, introduced Aug. 2 by U.S. Reps. Danny Davis, D-Ill., and Bill Pascrell, D-N.J., as the Gun…

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Businesses here tap into burgeoning wine market

   Consumption of wine is rising quickly in the United States, and what is happening in Southwestern Illinois is mirroring the trend.    The Wine Institute, an organization of more than 1,000 California wineries and affiliated businesses, reports a 36 percent increase in wine consumption in the U.S. since 2000.   “The U.S. is the largest…

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‘Spike’ in cig tax revenues shows inventories returning after tax hike

   Although the numbers show that Illinois’ cigarette tax revenue more than doubled in July compared to the same period last year, details behind the stats actually reflect inventories returning to normal.   According to the Illinois Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability, what initially appears as a hefty spike in revenues for the state was…

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