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· Server Problems

On Wednesday, January 25th, our computer server had a system malfunction. As a result, we lost several days' worth of information from our website. If you have sent Congressman Shimkus an email through our website anytime from Friday, Jan. 20th through Tuesday, Jan. 24th, we are sorry, but we no longer have access to that email. The system is now working properly and we are asking anyone who sent an email during this time to please send it again.

We deeply regret this inconvenience and hope you will continue to access our website as an immediate line of communication to Congressman Shimkus.

Constituent Corner

USDA Funding

This week, I accepted a ceremonial check on behalf of the people of the 19th Congressional District from the USDA Rural Development at South Pointe Bank in Marion. This ceremonial check for $86.7 million represented the funding that my Congressional District received last year from the USDA Rural Development. Pictured with me is Bill Graff, Director of the Illinois Farm Service Agency.

The services provided for by this funding are incredibly valuable to the people of the 19th District. I encourage communities in need of water or sewer lines, community buildings, economic development and more to contact my office or Rural Development to find out about available assistance.

For more information on USDA Rural Development programs, please visit www.rurdev.usda.gov/il.

· Postal Processing Centers

My colleague, Congressman Costello, and I have recently sent a joint letter to the United States Postal Service (USPS) with regards to the possible “consolidation” of the Centralia and Carbondale mail processing centers into the St. Louis distribution center.

In this letter, we state, “After discussing a possible consolidation, we have determined that such a proposal would have a negative impact on southern Illinois.”

“Further, it is our view that this current proposal would create more hardships for southern Illinois by decreasing the number of postal employees in our area while also slowing the overall delivery time of mail designated for towns in our districts.”

In summary, “…we strongly oppose any consolidation proposal that would cut postal jobs and provide less efficient services to our communities and constituents.”

The USPS has not indicated when they will make a final determination.

· HUD Grant

I am please to announce funding through the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to the United Methodist Children’s Home (UMCH) in Mt. Vernon.

UMCH will receive $400,000 through the Youthbuild program. Youthbuild enables young adults age 16 to 24 to complete their high school education while receiving training in job construction skills. This experience allows young people to build and renovate homes and apartments for low-income families, while learning a trade for their future.

UMCH also offers residential treatment, transitional living, adoption services, teen parenting programs, and other community based programs.

For more information on these grants, please visit www.hud.gov. For more information on UMCH, please visit http://umchome.org/.

· Firefighter Grant Seminars

The Illinois Fire Service Institute, the Illinois Association of Fire Protection Districts, and the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will be hosting the Assistance to Firefighter Grant Seminars.

Five seminars will be offered in or near my Congressional District, at the following times and locations:

Thursday, January 26, 7:00 p.m.: Salem Fire Protection District, 201 S. Broadway, Salem;

Wednesday, February 15, 6:30 p.m.: Office of the State Fire Marshal, 1035 Stevenson Drive, Springfield;

Thursday, February 16, 7:00 p.m.: Effingham Fired Station #1, 505 W. Lafayette, Effingham;

Thursday, February 16, 7:00 p.m.: New Collinsville Fire Station, 130 S. Clinton St., Collinsville;

Tuesday, February 7, 1:00 p.m. (Noon CST): Vincennes Twp. FPD, 1265 Hart Street Rd., Vincennes, IN.

Last year was the fifth year of the first federally funded grants offered directly to firefighters. While our Congressional District received many grants from this program, many good requests did not make the final cut.

I urge all to apply. For more information, please contact Rodney Davis in my Springfield District Office at (217)492-5090.

· National Endowment for the Arts

The National Endowment for the Arts is a federal agency that supports the arts for all Americans. They provide grants that amount to more than $100 million in matching money to non-profit organizations.

The National Endowment for the Arts has recently announced the guidelines for FY2007 grants. These grants are given to non-profits with projects in the following fields: Dance, Design, Folk & Traditional Arts, Literature, Media Arts (Film, Radio, Television), Museums, Music, Musical Theater, Opera, Presenting, Theater and Visual Arts. Grants are also available to State Arts Agencies and Regional Arts Organizations.

For more information, please visit www.arts.gov. For applications, please visit www.arts.gov/grants/apply.

· Tax Preparation

The Center for Progress is offering free electronic tax preparation for families of 2 or more with income of $38,000 and under, and individuals with income under $15,000.

They are offering many opportunities for help, one which will be on February 5, 2006, 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. at the Shawnee Development Council, Inc. They are located at 530 W. Washington Street (State Route 169), Karnak, IL, (618)634-2201.

Be sure to bring all of your W-2s and 1099s (if any), Social Security Cards or Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITIN) for all family members, a copy of your 2004 tax return, Bank Account Number and Routing Number, and a Valid Picture ID.

For more information on tax locations, please visit their website at www.centerforprogress.org, or call (888)827-8511.

· Education Funding Opportunity

In 2003, Best Buy started the Best Buy te@ch program in order to recognize schools that creatively use interactive technology to engage their students.

In the past two years, Best Buy has awarded over $6 million to schools nationwide. This year they have received many applications and plan to give out more than $3.7 million in funds to schools across the nation.

I am happy to notify you that many schools in the 19th District have been included in these awards. Congratulations to St. Jacob Elementary School, Trinity Lutheran School in Edwardsville, Casey Middle School in Mt. Vernon, J.L. Buford Internediate Education Center in Mt. Vernon, and Mount Vernon Primary Center.

For more information on these educational awards, please visit www.bestbuy.com/te@ch.

Anticipated Action on the House Floor Next Week

· The House of Representatives will be back in session next Tuesday, January 31, 2006 through Thursday, February 2, 2006.

· Keep an eye on the Office of the Clerk’s web site for upcoming legislation: http://clerk.house.gov/legisAct/index.html. This site provides up-to-date information on House legislative schedules.

Did You Know?

· Challenger

This Saturday, January 28th, 2006, marks the 20th anniversary of the lift off of the space shuttle Challenger. This would mark the first civilian space traveler, high school social studies teacher Christa McAuliffe. Unfortunately, 73 seconds after lift off, the shuttle exploded. This marked one of two accidents during a space mission.

Please take a moment this Saturday to remember those who lost their lives and their families. For more information, please visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Challenger.

Thank you for the interest in my newsletter! Remember to tell your friends about it as well--they can sign up on my web page at http://www.house.gov/shimkus.

Sincerely,

Congressman John Shimkus

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