Illinois Valley Times

A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was sent to Bureau County on October 7, 2024. The request, made by Illinois Valley Times, sought detailed logs of all FOIA requests made to the county between January 1 and October 7, 2024.

The specific details requested include the name and organization of each requester, the content of their request, the date the request was made and completed, and the status of each FOIA request. This comprehensive list will provide a clear overview of the types of information being sought under the Freedom of Information Act within Bureau County.

As members of Illinois Valley Times, we believe access to these public records is essential for our role in gathering and reporting news to the public. Our responsibilities include holding public institutions accountable and providing transparency to our readership. Given our role in disseminating information, we have also requested a fee waiver as media professionals.

In other news related to Illinois' public infrastructure, The Illinois Department of Transportation announced in July 2023 an extensive multi-year program named Rebuild Illinois. This initiative aims at improving and repairing all modes of transportation across the state. Governor JB Pritzker expressed his enthusiasm for this ambitious project stating "Over the next six years, we're investing over $40 billion to improve all modes of transportation across our great state. That means better roads and bridges, modernized transit and aviation, and expanded and faster passenger rail service."

Rebuild Illinois has already outlined plans for ten major projects in Chicago alone with an investment summing up to $396 million aimed at improving safety and mobility on Illinois's roads and bridges. Three out of these ten projects are scheduled for completion in 2024 while seven others are projected for completion between 2025 through 2030. Additionally, Kane County and central Cook County are also beneficiaries of this program with $107 million and $220 million investments respectively for various infrastructure projects.