SPRINGFIELD – Today, State Senator Doris Turner (D- Springfield) congratulated Young Leaders in Action (YLIA), a Macon County youth service and leadership group, for winning the first Illinois Governor's Cup Award.

“This is a major win not only for the students involved in YLIA but for the entire community,” said Turner. “This award recognizes all of our students' hard work and dedication and I couldn’t be happier about the governor selecting them for this great achievement.”

The Governor’s Cup is the top honor given in a field of 24 community projects in the state. YLIA accepted the award from Gov. Pritzker in a virtual ceremony held Tuesday.

YLIA, an initiative of The Community Foundation of Macon County, aims to enhance its members' leadership, communication, social and analytical skills through service projects.

The organization's members include more than 100 sophomore, junior and senior high school students from each of the 11 Macon County high schools, along with homeschooled students.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Doris Turner’s (D-Springfield) released the following statement following the guilty verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin:

“For days the words of the prosecution “He didn’t let up; he didn’t get up.” have played through my head and brought tears to my eyes.

And, while I am pleased at the decision made by the jury, we still have a long way to go in ensuring our system of justice is fair and equitable for everyone.

The killing of George Floyd caused much unrest across the nation as many of us witnessed the horror of George Floyd's final moments.

I hope this verdict brings a sense of peace to Mr. Floyd’s family, friends and community.

I also hope we continue the dialogue on how to better develop police-community relations across not only our state but entire country.

Let us use this moment to work together to get to a place of true equity and justice for not just a privileged few but for everyone.”

SPRINGFIELD – Designs set to begin on the reconstruction of the long-in-disuse State Armory Building at Monroe and 2nd Street in Springfield, State Senator Doris Turner said the eventual return of the facility could be transformative for the capital.

“My hometown is full of historic moments, and I believe the speech Martin Luther King, Jr. gave at the Armory during the AFL-CIO convention in 1965 is one that definitely deserves this recognition,” said Turner. “This facility is not just a part of history, but also holds tremendous potential for the future of downtown Springfield, and I eagerly await its future reuse.”

Late last month, Senator Robert Peters and Turner introduced a Senate Resolution to commemorate King’s 1965 speech, in which he spoke about justice, democracy, and organizational progress at the AFL-CIO convention Senate Joint Resolution 3 seeks to capture the essence of the building's impressive history by placing a bronze plaque at the renovated facility with words from Dr. King’s speech.

On Tuesday, the Illinois Capital Development Board (CDB) announced its selection of Tilton, Kelly + Bell, as the preferred architectural design firm for the renovation of the State Armory Building in Springfield. CDB will oversee the $122 million project’s design and construction. The administration has already released $12.2 million to begin the design and stabilization of the building which has sat abandoned since 2008.

The first phase of reconstructing the Illinois State Armory will include inspections and assessing its existing condition.

SJR 3 passed the Senate 53-0.

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) announced Monday that $7 million in local infrastructure funding will be distributed to local governments as part of the Rebuild Illinois program, and State Senator Doris Turner (D-Springfield) is pleased to announce that Montgomery and Macoupin counties will receive a portion of those funds.

“Truck drivers have so much to consider like truck size, weight and type of cargo they are carrying,” said Turner. “It’s important to recognize not all vehicles are able to travel the same routes to get to their destination safely and on time. Creating a designated truck route in these communities will help manage traffic and provide an overall safer driving experience for everyone.”

This grant is made possible through IDOT’s Truck Access Route Program, which allows counties, municipalities and townships to apply for assistance in upgrading roads to accommodate 80,000-pound trucks and become designated truck routes. IDOT will be providing funding to Litchfield and Carlinville:

•Old Route 66 (located at Illinois 16 County Road 170 E) $76,500
•Shipman Road (located at Shipman Road Illinois 108 Loveless Parkway) $94,000

“This funding will also boost jobs, which we so desperately need right now,” Turner said. “I am proud of the work being done to ensure our community has the necessary resources to grow while improving road safety for residents.”

A complete list of projects can be viewed here.