Latest news with #RockValleyCollege
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
New program aims to address shortage of mental health providers in Winnebago Co.
ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — Rockford area colleges joined forces to create a new program for college graduates looking to become social workers in the Rockford area. The program is being funded by a $2 million grant. The grant is being fulfilled through a half-cent sales tax. The University of Illinois College of Medicine, Rock Valley College, Rockford University, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign School of Social Work, Rockford Public Schools 205 and the Boone-Winnebago County Regional Office of Education #4 all have played a part in getting the Social Worker Opportunity Tracks (SWOT) program underway. 'Winnebago County has a shortage of mental health providers, often having 150 or more positions for social workers open,' says Alex Stagnaro-Green, Dean of the University of Illinois College of Medicine Rockford and the principal investigator on the grant. 'SWOT will train individuals committed to becoming social workers in Winnebago County and build opportunities for area students to train and work in the area for years to come.' SWOT provides multiple pathways for students to get into the world of social work, such as: Graduates of Rock Valley College with an associate degree are eligible to apply to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign School of Social Work online programs or Rockford University programs to complete a bachelor's in social work while receiving scholarships and other financial and educational support. Rockford University graduates are eligible to receive financial support and assistance to complete the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign online master's of social work degree. Winnebago County high school students interested in pursuing a social work degree can enroll in the SWOT Pipeline Track. Following successful completion of the high school component, each student has the option to enroll in either the associate degree program in human services at Rock Valley College or the bachelor's in social work program at Rockford University. Rock Valley College graduates could either transfer to Rockford University to complete their BSW in person or enroll in the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign online bachelor's in social work. Upon completion of the BSW from either Rockford University or the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the student could then enroll in the online MSW program at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The SWOT Immediate Track allows staff presently employed by Winnebago County schools with an associate degree to earn a bachelor's degree in social work through the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's existing online program or a soon-to-be-developed bachelor's completion program at Rockford University. Those who have a bachelor's degree can complete the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign online master's degree program. Participants can receive tuition reimbursement from their school and continue to work as they earn their social work degree. Winnebago County Community Mental Health Board (WCCMHB) had the half-cent sales tax that is helping fund the program approved by Winnebago County residents in March 2020. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Rockford proclaims ‘Summit on Racism Day,' advocates meet to find common ground
ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara issued a proclamation declaring Thursday, May 8th, as a 'Summit on Racism, Embracing Difference for a Change Day.' Leaders and community advocates gathered for the 2025 Summit on Racism at the UW Sports Factory, at 305 S. Madison Street. Organizers said the goal of the summit was to get the opinion of residents about how the city can become'a more inclusive and equitable community.' Rock Valley College president Dr. Howard Spearman talked about a new RVC campus coming to the West side, and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) spoke about fighting food insecurity, including plans for a mobile grocery store. 'Just by uniting together for the cause, and coming together just to answer questions and see what we can do to make this world a better place for you and I,' said George Scott, the president of the Rockford Branch of the NAACP. 'We just want everybody to be treated equal. Concentration is obviously on the West side, because they don't have a lot of things that the East side has. But today's topics are about the whole city of Rockford and making improvements.' Leaders said that by the end of the summit, they expect to have both short- and long-term goals on how to unite the city. 'We see there's a lot going on in the world right now. We see there's a lot of divisive thought, and we're trying to really combat that. Make sure people know here in town that they are welcome. That this is a place where you belong. Where you can contribute. Where you can work together,' said Shelton Kay, executive director of the Rockford Regional Health Council. 'So much of Rockford is West Side versus East Side, when it should just be one community. We should see that there's a value to living anywhere in this town, because there really is,' he continued. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Yahoo
Ex-Rock Valley College officer awarded settlement for discrimination case
ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — A former Rock Valley College police officer has reached a settlement with the school over claims that the college discriminated and retaliated against him for military leave. Vincent Lara was in 2018 after Rock Valley College's Police Department suspected that he was lying on his time sheets while serving as a U.S. Army master sergeant. The charges against him were dropped in 2019, and his record was expunged. Lara sued the college in 2022, alleging violations of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act and arguing that he was the subject of harassment that led to a loss of career opportunities and constructive discharge from the military. Lara is a veteran of the Iraq War and a former military police officer who served with both the Rockford and Winnebago County police departments. 'No service member should face discrimination for answering the call to duty,' Lara said in a press release. Lara was represented by Maher Legal Services, headed by retired Lt. Col. John Maher. Under the terms of the settlement, which remain confidential, Rock Valley did not admit to any wrongdoing. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
AAR Corp. expands in Rockford, employs hundreds for airline repair services
ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — A company that continues to grow in Rockford has reached a workforce in the hundreds as they continue cementing their status as a global leader in airline repairs, many of which are made in the Stateline. AAR CORP runs the Airframe MRO Rockford facility. MRO stands for Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul. Troy Primus is general manager of AAR Airframe MRO in Rockford. There they provide maintenance, repairs, and overhaul services to aircraft for companies like major airliners. He says it's a joy working for a company that is growing in the Stateline. 'It's a joy to come here and work at AAR,' Primus said. 'A great company to work for, great leaders. It's coming to work doing something different every day, right. It's never the same manufacturing type environment, which we kind of do that in a sense, but not. We do more the repair side, but having a different challenge, a different dynamic, and working with different people every day has always been a joy for me to work here.' AAR is the largest independent MRO provider in north America. They fix and maintain things in or on the wings, the landing gear, luggage bay and inside the fuselage. Something needs fixing in the cockpit, AAR can get it done. They work on the entire aircraft, even painting. AAR CORP has roughly 6,000 team members across the globe. Headquartered in the northwest Chicago suburb of Wood Dale, AAR maintained, repaired, and overhauled 778 aircraft in the fiscal year 2024. Rockford is one of six Airframe MRO facilities the company runs. 'Rockford is a unique one because we kind of built this facility from the ground up from scratch,' Primus said. 'We started off with 35 to 40 people. Now we have grown to 400. The workforce, people from different locations, people are local. People from Rock Valley College that we brought in from students locally as well.' One of those Rock Valley College graduates is Kyle Cooper. These days he's a production supervisor. He says he's glad to have grown with AAR. 'It's pretty cool,' Cooper said. 'It helped me go to school. I was able to support my family while doing it and here I am moving up the ranks.' Cooper says the company continues to adjust to new technology. What was a paper heavy industry is turning more digital friendly. In 2023, the company acquired Trax, an aviation software company. Aviation, by nature, it's very documentation heavy,' Cooper said. 'We have individual cards for every job that we complete on these aircraft. But our company has been working on a proprietary tool to digitize this entire process. We've been working to streamline this process through a paperless approach. We piloted it here in Rockford, and it's now used across many of our facilities in our network.' The work in Rockford is meticulous. Everything in the hangers is done with precision. 'We're like surgeons,' Primus said. 'We're the guys that may be the last line of defense and making sure the aircraft are airworthy, making sure things are done right. So, our job is rather critical. We take it very seriously.' Sydney Adkisson is program manager at AAR. She says her tea, doesn't rush their work. They take all the time needed to get things perfect. 'C checks are typically around 30 days and D checks are around 62 days, currently,' Adkisson said. 'They'll pull everything apart and they do certain inspections to see if there's any corrosion or damage like dents. And when that happens, they'll go to engineering, and we'll come up with repairs in order to correct it. I would say that it's super vital for everyone to work in unison for everyone's safety, ensuring that everything's done properly, and everyone has to work as a team so that we can get the checks done on time.' Primus says the team is proud of what AAR has built in Rockford. They look forward to continued growth as the years go on. 'In 2025, we're celebrating our 70 years of service as a company and that goes into our continued growth. We're looking to continue to grow well internationally and nationwide,' Primus said. 'That's great to be a part of the company and continue to grow and you know present a lot of opportunities for growth internally and hopefully for me too, in the future.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ready for Election Day? Here's what you need to know about voting across the Rockford area
Election Day is April 1, and in the Rockford area it means everything from races for mayor and village president to school boards, library boards and township offices. Here's what you need to know about casting your vote in the April 1 Consolidated Election across the Rockford region. There are several contested races across region from Rockford and Belvidere mayor to Machesney Park and Pecatonica village president, Rockford, Harlem, Durand, Hononegah and Kinnikinnick school boards, Roscoe and Rockton trustee, offices in Harlem, Laona, Pecatonica, Rockford, Rockton, Roscoe and Winnebago townships, Rockford Park District, North Suburban and Talcott Free library districts and Rock Valley College. Residents can check to see if they're registered to vote online at You can find your polling place online at or in Rockford at You can cast your vote between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. April 1. To register to vote in Illinois, you must be a U.S. citizen. General election voters must be at least 18 years old, though 17-year-olds may vote in primaries if they will be 18 by the next general election. You may not vote in Illinois if you also claim the right to vote somewhere else. Residents who are currently incarcerated may not vote, but voting rights are restored after completing a sentence. You must have lived in your current precinct for at least 30 days before the election. If you moved shortly before the election, you may be able to vote in your old polling place by completing an affidavit, or you may be able to transfer your registration using grace period registration and voting. If you changed your name since you last updated your registration, you must re-register to vote. If you are a registered voter, nothing. You are not required to show proof of residency or a photo ID. You will be asked to sign in and your signature will be checked against the one on file. But if the signatures do not match, you may be asked to provide identification. If you live in Rockford, contact the Rockford Board of Elections by visiting their website at or by calling 815-987-5750. If you live in Winnebago County, outside of the city of Rockford, contact the Winnebago County Clerk's office at or call 815-319-4444. The Winnebago County Clerk's office is located inside the Winnebago County Administration Building at 404 Elm St. in Rockford. The Rockford Board of Elections office is located at 301 S. Sixth St. in Rockford. This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Heading to the polls in Rockford today? Here's what you need to know
