©2011 Galesburg Broadcasting Co.
| Transportation Secretary Gives Federal Money to Galesburg |
Congressional earmarks may be dirty words, but one that had been promised before a ban on them took effect will be coming to Galesburg after all.
Former Peoria Congressman and U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood spoke to a dinner hosted by the Galesburg-Area Chamber of Commerce Friday night, and said that a three-million dollar earmark for Galesburg's three proposed rail crossing grade separations will come to the city.
LaHood says the money originally secured by Senator Dick Durbin just had to be maneuvered a little.
"We've been trying to figure out what to do about this three-plus million dollars that was earmarked for your program," LaHood said. "We figured it out [Friday] in anticipation of me being here [Friday] night. We've transferred the money to that project, because that's what it was intended for. We figured out administratively; We could take the three-plus million dollars, and transfer it to this project. And that's what we've done today."
City officials applauded the move.
LaHood spent most of his speech praising Galesburg, and how it's been able to recover from the days of the Maytag plant closure to now. He says he knows the economy still isn't good, but he'd love to see Galesburg's success work on a national level.
(State Representative Norine Hammond of Macomb, foreground, and State Representative Don Moffitt, background, listen to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood speak Friday at Knox College.)
(Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood vists with Mark and Karrie Heartlein Friday at Knox College. WGIL News Story and Photos by Will Stevenson.) |
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