IDOT workers authorize strike
Workers at the Illinois Department of Transportation could soon be going on strike.
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters announced that its over 3,800 members overwhelmingly voted to authorize a strike, with 95% voting in favor.
A Teamsters spokesperson said the primary roadblock to getting a new contract is that the state wants to switch workers to a different healthcare plan, something they are opposed to.
Refinery outage could lead to gas price hike
An oil industry analyst said the temporary BP oil refinery shutdown in Northwest Indiana will impact prices even at non-BP gas stations.
The BP refinery in Whiting, one of the largest in the country, suffered a power outage last week and it appears that it will be off-line for at least two weeks.
Patrick DeHaan from GasBuddy.com said given the loss of hundreds of millions of gallons of gasoline from the downtime, pricing impacts could spread around the Great Lakes region.
Museum announces new exhibit
The Illinois State Museum announced its newest exhibition, Presidential Illinois, is now on view at its Springfield museum. The exhibition displays artifacts highlighting the four U.S. presidents who have called Illinois home, including Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, Ronald Reagan, and Barack Obama. Visitors can expect to see items such as Lincoln’s inkwell that he used in his Springfield law office, and a signed copy of Obama’s speech in Springfield when he declared Joseph Biden his running mate.
