Tazewell County

A Tazewell County Board committee heard from a Logan County official this week about that county's quest to create a data center rules and regulations ordinance.

Pekin has put the brakes on renewing its annual contract with CityLink until several questions are answered. The city council and CityLink representatives will talk at the council's July 27 meeting.

Thirty-year-old chairs in the James Carius Community Room at the Tazewell County Justice Center will be replaced. The county board, which meets in the room, approved the purchase of 91 new chairs.

After a vigorous debate Wednesday, Watts Copy Systems of Springfield won out over NCI Business Systems of Morton for a five-year contract to supply and service Tazewell County's 56 copiers.

Animals and humans alike will benefit from a new Tazewell County Animal Control facility that has opened on the county's Tremont campus. The old facility, built in the 1990s, was described as a "dungeon."

The Tazewell County Board voted Wednesday to freeze County Clerk John Ackerman's salary at $101,069 for the next four years, rejecting a 3% annual raise in a meeting that became a prolonged public airing of grievances.

An estimated $2.5 million project to replace the "outdated" Furrow Road Bridge has received a $500,000 shot in the arm from the federal government. Congressman Darin LaHood announced the funding Tuesday.

Tazewell County's downtown Pekin campus is getting a makeover. In a project that county officials said is long overdue, improvements will be made to the grounds at the buildings.

A monument and a new flag pole will soon grace the grounds of the Tazewell County Courthouse. The monument honors the county's Medal of Honor recipients: John Ayers, Thomas Murphy and William Reed.

Thirteen open seats on the 21-member Tazewell County Board need to be filled this year. Candidates running for 11 of those seats cleared the first hurdle when they won races in the Republican primary.