Don't forget to get out and shop Highland for the Holidays to get in on our passport promotion! Grab a passport, visit all the stores listed for a stamp, and get entered to win fabulous prizes!

Some of the prizes include:
$50 Gift card to Glik's
$25 off a yard card from It's Party Time
Alex & Ani bracelet from Becker Jewelers
Beautiful Winter Wreath from Highland Health Care Center
Men's Watch from Lee's Fine Jewelery, Loans and More
(2) Basket from Highland Arts & Crafts including a gift certificate, large pain set, set of 40 brushes and canvases. 
Spa gift basket from Bank of Hillsboro
$400 "cash" prize donated in part by Bradford National Bank, Tina Frank, and the Chamber

Pick up a passport and get shopping at any of these stops:
Rural King Supply
RED BARN FARM Meats, LLC
Lee's Fine Jewelry, Loans & More
Highland Arts & Crafts LLC
The GreenHouse of Highland
The Chocolate Affair
Heart & Soul Yoga
Swiss Gift Shop
IT'S PARTY TIME!
Becker Jewelers
JusTeazin' Salon and Boutique
Aristocrats on Main
The Lory Theater
Woodcrest Small Engine
Finley Flooring LLC
Glik's
Rick's Ace of Highland
The Mail Box Store (Highland)
Luitjohan Flooring America
The Giving Tree

 

Update: DCEO is continuing to review the applications that have been received to date. The grant application period closes at 5pm on Tuesday, December 15th. Please note that this is a rolling program and grants will be awarded until the funding is depleted. All applicants should receive a confirmation email after their application has been submitted. If you did not receive an email after a couple days of submitting the application, please check your spam/junk email folder. We have found that sometimes the email is being directed to a spam/junk folder. Please monitor the email address that was submitted as part of the application process. Communication will be sent to that email address. Information on the Business Interruption Grant (BIG) program can be found on DCEO's website here. A list of grant recipients from this round as of December 10, 2020 can be found here. 

So far in the Metro East Region, over 260 businesses have received over $9,150,000 in grants.

November Bonus Dividend, Loan Interest Rebate Are Benefits of Membership with Local Financial Institution
 
A decades-long tradition continues: just in time for the holidays, Scott Credit Union’s active members have once again received the gift of extra money in their accounts.
 
The credit union’s board of directors approved a bonus dividend and loan interest rebate in November, giving back approximately $700,000 to members. The money was directly deposited recently into Scott Credit Union members’ accounts.
 

HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital Highland recently honored colleagues for their years of service to the hospital and Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS).  
 
Human Resources Director Jed Driemeyer shared, “We are honored by the commitment of all our  colleagues who serve at our hospital. We are proud to recognize how crucial each and every one of them are in delivering excellent care to our patients and our community.” 
 
Twenty-four colleagues received service awards in recognition of their years of dedicated service to St. Joseph’s and HSHS, from 5 to 35 years. The following colleagues received awards for their service:
 

This is a friendly reminder that to be in compliance with Public Act 101-0221,  Illinois employers need to provide annual sexual harassment prevention training by December 31, 2020 and annually thereafter; restaurants and bars have some additional training requirements. 

Please click on the resources button below for additional information!

 

Last Chance to Register 

• 12/14 Property Tax Appeals for Commercial Property Owners (Webinar)
• 12/16 The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Affirmative Action (Webinar) 

Upcoming Events 

• 1/12 MANAGING THE REMOTE WORKFORCE (Webinar) NEW EVENT​
• 1/13 The COVID-19 Rebuttable Presumption for Workers Compensation (Webinar) NEW EVENT

Training will also provide focus on challenges posed by COVID-19

The Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL) is hosting a free webinar Wednesday, December 16 that will provide a comprehensive overview of Illinois OSHA along with other important topics related to the COVID-19 and the Occupational Safety and Health Act. All state and local government employers are encouraged to take part in this training.

The training will take place from 9 a.m. to noon on Wednesday, December 16. There is no charge for the training, but registration is required to participate in the webinar. You can register here: 

The presentation – IL OSHA 101 – will provide not only an overview of Illinois OSHA’s jurisdiction and responsibilities but also will cover reporting and recordkeeping requirements and how to handle required annual training and certifications in the face of complications posed by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Illinois OSHA enforcement officers will present the training and be available to answer questions from participants. A video of the training will be available on IDOL’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUyfZrT33dHM_RDXnkZc6rw
for those unable to attend the webinar.

At its December meeting, the Bradford National Bank Board of Directors announced four staff promotions, according to bank president, Michael Ennen.
 

• Michelle Brown was promoted to Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.  Brown joined the bank in 2011 and manages the day-to-day financial operations and serves as the secretary to the Board of Directors.
• Highland lending officer Joanie Willis was promoted to Vice President.  Willis joined Bradford National Bank in 2011 and has nearly 30 years of experience in the retail banking environment.
• Lauren Hagan was promoted to Asst. Vice President.  Hagan will graduate from the Illinois Bankers Association Future Leaders Alliance (FLA) in March.
• Asst. Vice President Kelsey Kendall received an additional title as the banks BSA Officer.  She is a graduate of the Illinois Bankers Association FLA program.

Ennen said, “These four individuals have shown exceptional growth and responsibility at Bradford National Bank.  Their knowledge of the banking world and its applications at the community bank level are outstanding.”
Founded in 1867, Bradford National Bank is the 10^th oldest bank in Illinois. 
 

The inpatient unit at HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital Highland recently collected new and used blankets from hospital colleagues in support of the Grantfork Area Jaycees blanket drive. The Grantfork Jaycees donated the used blankets to the Metro East Humane Society and Clinton County Humane Society for dogs and cats, while new blankets are being shipped to Chicago to help the homeless this winter.
 
Pictured with some of the donated blankets are hospital colleagues (left to right) Donna Schuster, Toni Wylde, Caitlin Kuper, Tasha Rickman and Nikki Flamm.