Latest news with #EggsandIssues
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Nearly 180 new United States citizens naturalized in Peoria ceremony
PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — The United States gained around 180 new citizens on Friday through a ceremony across the street from the Federal courthouse at the downtown Peoria public library. In the auditorium situated in the lower level of the library, there sat around 90 people from Mexico, the Philippines, India and 30 other countries eagerly waiting to finally call themselves citizens. Marco Sanchez moved to the United States from Mexico in 1996, but the choice to become a citizen nearly 30 years later was simply a calling he felt. 'Your voice really counts,' Sanchez said. 'Especially for voting… It's time to help out, and maybe we can help with the future of the country.' Rosevita Muiruri moved to the U.S. in 2013 from Kenya, and to walk the stage after all of the hard work it took to get here, it's a proud moment for her. 'It was quite difficult. That's what I would say. But now and it's been a journey, quite a long journey, and now this is the end. This means I got it,' Muiruri said, waving a small American flag. Health care leaders featured at Eggs and Issues event In the back of the room, the families of those waiting to cross the stage sat, some with tears in their eyes. The mid-morning ceremony began with a loud hammering of the gavel from court clerk Shig Yasunaga. Yasunaga opened the ceremony by introducing the presiding Judge, the Honorable Ronald L. Hanna. A representative from the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration Services officer Samantha Brewer granted the motion to move forward and approve citizenship for everyone present. After this, everyone in the room stood up, placed their right hand over their heart and said the Pledge of Allegiance in unison. Judge Hanna introduced the guests to his right, took off his glasses and gazed upon the 90 soon-to-be citizens with honor. He gave a brief speech about what it means to be an American. He talked about the long, arduous process that a lot of these people endured to get to where they were. After his speech, Hannah had the representatives from each country stand until all 89 total people from 33 countries were standing, as one. With all 89 people standing side by side with American flags in hand, Judge Hanna asked them to raise their right hand, and repeat the oath of allegiance. Another ceremony was held in the afternoon, which brought the total of new citizens naturalized in Peoria today to nearly 180. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Health care leaders featured at Eggs and Issues event
EAST PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — More than 160 people gathered for the East Peoria Chamber of Commerce Eggs and Issues series on health care Friday morning at the Par-A-Dice Hotel Casino. Health care is the region's single largest jobs sector, employing more than 31,100 people in 715 facilities in 2023, according to the Greater Peoria Economic Development Council and JobsEQ. Those are the latest regional statistics broken down by sector. The featured speakers at the Eggs and Issues included Dr. Meenakshy Aiyer, the regional dean at University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria (UICOMP); OSF Healthcare President Michelle Conger and Carle Health Greater Peoria Regional President Dr. Keith Knepp. Medical professional recruitment, retention, research and creative revenue solutions in the changing funding landscape were some the topics each health care system leader detailed. Aiyer said UICOMP is one of the largest medical schools in the country, with about 660 students, residents and fellows at any one time. That means it functions as the pipeline for the region's next health care providers. Conger and Knepp spoke to the many ways the medical care continuum is advancing. The topic for this event in the Eggs and Issues series covered one of a trio of economic drivers in Greater Peoria. Those drivers include healthcare broadly, business and industry, ag and agribusiness. Those areas are in no particular order, as some economists suggest these sectors of the regional economy are too interdependent to be ranked. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
‘Donuts and Delegates' kicks off with discussions on AI and state funding
JOPLIN, Mo. — The Joplin Chamber of Commerce is launching a new legislative update series. 'You know, the ability now, for very little money to purchase an app or a program where you can create an image of someone that looks just like them, sounds just like them, saying whatever, and they didn't really say that,' said Mo. Rep. Ben Baker, (R). Artificial intelligence and the challenges it represents are top of mind for Missouri state Rep. Ben Baker. He's helping to kick off a new legislative update series in Joplin called 'Donuts and Delegates.' 'I think we're already behind, but if we don't keep up with it legislatively, it's going to be there's going to be a lot of repercussions of that, I think, in a negative way. So I think it's something that we're going to have to really be on top of as a legislature,' said Baker. Baker and state Representative Lane Roberts spoke about everything from government efficiency and taxing broadband grants to changes in state spending vs federal funding. 'There's so much happening at the federal level right now, and the consequences as such, might be good or bad. We just don't know yet. It'll probably be next year before we start to feel the impacts of those budget decisions,' said Mo. Rep. Lane Roberts, (R). He adds that they are trying to ease some of the unique workplace challenges that have developed in just the last few years. 'Life has changed in our country, particularly since COVID and the ability of people to work, the access to child care that facilitates their ability to work has been impacted by all that. So I think we're interested in doing things to make sure that we get as many barriers out of the way as we can,' said Roberts. The Donuts and Delegates series replaces the single Eggs and Issues event the Joplin Chamber has hosted in the past. They will hold three more sessions featuring other lawmakers in the next few weeks. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
08-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Joplin, Carthage chambers changing how they meet with state lawmakers
Eggs and Issues has been a traditional event for five area communities for decades, but chambers in Joplin and Carthage are changing things up this year. Joplin Travis Stephens, president of the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce, said Joplin chamber members told the organization that they thought the old format, at which several area lawmakers each talked for a few minutes, had become stale and that they wanted something different. 'In Joplin, what we wanted to do, there are six legislators we always have there, the five local state representatives and the senator," Stephens said. 'We wanted, instead of meeting with all of them together sharing an hour and a half of time, we wanted to really give them that quality engagement with our members.' Stephens said the Joplin chamber will host four events with two lawmakers at two of the events and one lawmaker at two of the events. All events will be held at the chamber office, 320 E. Fourth St. They are scheduled for 9:30 to 11 a.m. on four Fridays — March 7, March 14, April 4 and April 11. Stephens said which lawmaker will attend which meeting is still to be determined. People can get more information or register for the events at Carthage The Carthage Chamber of Commerce decided to meet with state Rep. Cathy Jo Loy, R-Carthage, and state Sen. Jill Carthage, R-Granby, in a more informal roundtable setting recently. Carthage's first event was Jan. 31, and it will hold a followup event sometime in June after the legislative session is over. About 60 to 70 people attended. Chamber President Julie Reams previously told the Globe that the new Carthage Stakeholder Legislative Review is Carthage's replacement for the traditional Eggs and Issues event. 'After many conversations with local chambers that partner on that for the months until May, it just wasn't becoming effective,' Reams told the Carthage City Council last month. 'We decided we're all doing our own thing in making that shift and focusing on our leaders that make those decisions for us in Jefferson City.' Webb City, Carl Junction Chambers in Webb City and Carl Junction are teaming up to hold a more traditional Eggs and Issues event at 10:30 a.m. Friday, March 28, at the Route 66 Event Center, 21 S. Webb St. Sydney Crider, membership and marketing director at the Webb City Chamber, said their members liked the Eggs and Issues format. 'So we got together with Carl Junction chamber, and we talked to them about what date would be good, and we got with some of the legislators and talked to them about dates,' Crider said. 'We're inviting all the legislators we would have invited, regularly including House Reps. Bob Bromley, Ben Baker, Lane Roberts, Ann Kelley and Sen. Jill Carter.' People will need to contact the chamber at to make reservations. Neosho Neosho is also sticking with the Eggs and Issues format with an event scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, May 20, at Crowder College. Chamber CEO Lauri Lyerla said the Neosho Eggs and Issues event is traditionally held in May after the legislative session wraps up. 'The one thing that's always a little different about ours, and that's why we are not changing it this year, because ours is always after the session is over. The lawmakers are really able to give an update about what was done and where they ended up," she said. Lyerla said the chamber will invite lawmakers from across the area to the event. To make a reservation closer to May 20, people can go to
