Last fall Brooks ran for mayor and lost but still ended up with 48% of the vote.

"What I re-discovered is that as you get understanding and communicate there’s a lot more common ground than uncommon ground and I really enjoy finding that common ground with all peoples."

Brooks has worked as a family advocate for the King Center in Rock Island where he helps people find jobs, housing, and other resources. He also helped convince the city council to create the Rock Island Police Community Relations Commission.

Brooks is named for the famous civil rights lawyer and supreme court justice Thurgood Marshall.

"I do think it inspired me in some ways. To have interest in… I studied history and political science in school and so I do think my name has something to do with my interest in history and what we’re doing here now."

Last year he was named Rock Island Citizen of the Year.

The other two Democrats who are also running for the Illinois House are Jeff Deppe and Gregg Johnson. The primary will be held in June.

(The Center Square) – The Illinois House and Secondary Education Committee this week heard ideas on how to address staffing shortages at Illinois schools.

State Rep. Sue Scherer, D-Decatur, introduced multiple teacher reimbursement bills during the hearing, all of which seek to address the statewide teacher shortage Illinois schools are facing.

Scherer said not enough attention is being given to the problem.

“I just don’t have the feeling that people are completely aware of how very, very serious our teaching shortage is right now” Scherer said.

According to a survey by the Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools, 90% of Illinois schools are currently experiencing staffing shortages.

House Bill 4246, introduced last month, would reduce the renewal fee for substitute teachers’ licenses. The fee would be changed to $50 down from $500.

Scherer discussed the need for substitutes during this historic shortage.

“Currently there are over more than 2,000 positions either not filled, or filled by someone who is not qualified to teach there today,” Scherer said.

House Bill 4139 was also heard. The bill would set up a reimbursement grant for public school teachers.

Teachers who attended an Illinois public university could get a percentage of their tuition paid back by taxpayers over time.

State Rep. Avery Bourne, R-Morrisonville, said the bill would be an expensive way of trying to fix a problem the state is already working on.

“We already have programs that are targeting student debt,” Bourne said. “This may be a really expensive way of dealing with a problem that we might be able to get at in a more efficient way.”

Both of the bills were approved by the committee.

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ROCKFORD, Ill. (WIFR) – If you are looking for a new career path, here is your sign.

State Rep. Maurice A. West II (D-67), announced $400,000 in grant funding for the Education Design Development and Research Foundation Rockford on Friday.

The funds are part of the $9.6 million in statewide grants Governor Pritzker and DCEO announced this week under the Illinois Works Pre-Apprenticeship Training Program and will focus on diversifying the workforce of well-paying jobs in the construction industry and building trades.

“The trades offer people in our city an opportunity to develop skills and engage in a well-paying, lifelong career,” said West. “I am excited that these funds will not only help create a pipeline of talented workers that will keep our trades strong but will also work to break down barriers and provide services to ensure our trades workers are more representative of our community.”

According to a 2020 report from the Illinois Department of Labor, only 4% of Illinois apprentices are women and only 29% are people of color. This lack of diversity remains a crucial reason to invest in equity and inclusion programs that create a qualified talent in construction and the trades.

For more information about EDDR Foundation Rockford, their current programs, and future offerings, please reach out by phone at (312) 852-7331 or email learning@eddrcorp.com.

Copyright 2022 WIFR. All rights reserved.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) – An Illinois bill would look to help provide support for the family of a DCFS worker who is killed while on the job. 

Senate Bill 3197, filed by State Sen. Doris Turner (D-Springfield), would extend the Public Safety and Police Benefits Act, which as of today makes health insurance benefits available to the spouse and children under 18 of a law enforcement officer when they are killed in the line of duty. The extension would apply that assistance to DCFS workers, giving those benefits to their survivors. 

Turner’s office said the bill would make this change retroactive for one year to ensure the family of Deidre Silas, who was killed in a stabbing during a response to a Thayer home earlier in January, can receive the benefits.