Governor Pat Quinn today is praising Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31 members’ final ratification of a new union contract covering approximately 35,000 state employees. Negotiations took more than 15 months and the agreement received final ratification by AFSCME members in a vote that concluded yesterday. 

–“If you’re a young photographer looking to make your mark in the state of Illinois, then get your cameras ready for the Cream of the Crop Photo Contest,” said Illinois State Treasurer Dan Rutherford.  

Lt. Governor Sheila Simon today encouraged Southern and Central Illinois women to improve medical research and treatment by signing up for the Illinois Women’s Health Registry.

The registry is designed to help medical professionals understand why diseases effect women differently from men, but to date most of the women enrolled are from the Chicagoland area. This means downstate women’s health needs may be unrepresented, Simon said.

Simon’s message came as she proclaimed it Women’s Health Day alongside officials from the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), Northwestern University and the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in the Capitol rotunda.