Governor's monthly newsletter for October

[November 12, 2012]  The following items are from an electronic newsletter distributed by the Illinois governor's office.

Breakfast Challenge

On Oct. 12, Gov. Pat Quinn visited Irving Elementary School to promote the 2012-2013 Illinois School Breakfast Challenge. Studies show that children who attend school hungry have trouble focusing in class and experience problems completing schoolwork. Studies also reveal that schools that serve breakfast have decreased or eliminated child hunger, helping students succeed in classrooms. The Illinois School Breakfast Challenge encourages schools to help prevent children from attending school hungry, in order to improve student performance and outcomes. To promote the challenge, schools with the largest increases in breakfast participation will receive awards. For more information, visit http://il.nokidhungry.org/school-breakfast/.

Foreclosure Prevention Network

On Oct. 13, Quinn met with homeowners seeking help to prevent foreclosure and outlined the progress of his Illinois Foreclosure Prevention Network. The network has helped thousands of families across the state to stay in their homes. By contacting the IFPN, Illinois homeowners struggling with their mortgage payments get the support and information they need to avoid foreclosure. Most important, the network offers homeowners a safe and trusted source for assistance so they are not deceived by mortgage rescue scams.

Illinois residents who are having trouble paying their mortgage, facing foreclosure or know someone who is, should call the IFPN hotline at 855-KEEP-411 (855-5337-411) or visit www.keepyourhomeillinois.org.

Protecting pets in disasters

The Illinois Emergency Management Agency included pet preparedness as part of its 2012 Preparedness Campaign. IEMA encourages pet owners to take additional steps when planning for disasters to ensure the safety of their animals. The agency suggests a pet preparedness kit with a three-day supply of food and water, extra pet medicines, pet photos, along with toys or treats to lessen the pets' stress. For more information about planning for emergencies and natural disasters, visit www.ready.illinois.gov.

College Illinois

On Oct. 1, the Illinois Student Assistance Commission reopened the College Illinois! 529 Prepaid Tuition plan, a way for families to avoid tuition inflation and increasing student loan debt by prepaying for college. The program will offer Illinois families contracts at 2011 rates until Dec. 31. This extension is a result of the governor's action on House Bill 3923, which requires transparency in ISAC investment decision-making. For more information about the prepaid tuition program, visit www.529prepaidtuition.org or call 877-877-3724.

TV productions

Illinois' film industry produced a record number of TV series in 2012. This positions Illinois as an attractive alternative to Hollywood and spurs job growth. Four TV drama series were filmed in Illinois this past year: NBC's "Chicago Fire," Fox's "Mob Doctor," Starz's "Boss" and MTV's "Underemployed." USA Network's "Sirens" was scheduled to begin shooting in late October. Cinespace Chicago Film Studios, which houses "Chicago Fire," "Underemployment," "Boss" and "Sirens," opened in 2011 and was supported by $5 million in capital construction funding through the Illinois Jobs Now program.

Specialty crops

On Oct. 2, the Illinois Department of Agriculture received nearly $634,000 through the United States Department of Agriculture's Specialty Crop Block Grant Program. IDOA will split the funds among 12 projects intended to expand the availability of fresh, locally grown produce. Some of Illinois' top specialty crops are pumpkins, horseradish, asparagus, cauliflower, green peas and lima beans. Illinois is home to more than 117,000 acres of farmland growing specialty crops, which produce nearly $137 million in sales for Illinois farmers. For more information, visit www.agr.state.il.us.

Open Technology Challenge

On Oct. 20, Quinn announced the Illinois Open Technology Challenge, a major accountability and transparency initiative to help local governments expand the amount of data available to the public. This pilot initiative will make Illinois' open data platform available to municipal governments statewide. It will promote the availability of public data and encourage the use of technology to address government challenges through innovation and entrepreneurship. For more information on the Illinois Open Technology Challenge, including competition rules, submission requirements and ways to engage, visit www.illinoisopentech.org.

[Text from file received from the Illinois governor's office]