Traveling on East St. Louis Street, it's hard to miss the large green state signs staking the claim that it is "Putting America to work" through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
West Frankfort Street Commissioner Frank Browning indicated that E.T. Simonds Construction Company won a bid from the state of Illinois to complete the work that is tentatively scheduled to begin Monday.
Local school officials are painfully aware of the financial woes faced at every level of education and are working to combat them. On Monday night, the board eliminated two teaching positions and approved annual reduction-in-force resolutions that could impact further jobs prior to the start of next school year. The two teaching positions — part-time home economics and part-time business at FCHS — are projected to save the district more than $70,000, according to a report on their meeting.