McHenry Times

More than 150 local chambers of commerce, including several in the 32nd Senate District, will be awarded a share of $5 million in grant funding through the state’s Back to Business (B2B) Local Chambers program.

The state’s B2B Local Chambers program, administered by the Illinois Department of Economic Opportunity, aims to support local chambers of commerce still recovering from the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Governor’s lockdowns. Eligible chambers include organizations dedicated to improving economic and business development within their communities that experienced financial setbacks from the pandemic and have annual revenues of $1 million or less.

A full list of grant recipients is available online.

Senator Craig Wilcox has announced upcoming events in the 32nd Senate District. He thanked attendees for participating in recent traveling office hours events in Fox Lake. Similar events are scheduled this week for Tuesday and Thursday in Cary.

“My staff members are experts in constituent services, so I would encourage anyone who is having issues with state agencies to stop by and receive assistance,” Wilcox said. This includes those facing issues with unemployment, FOID cards and CCL licenses, professional licensing, among others.

Additional outreach events include:

- July 17: I-CASH Unclaimed Property Day, Crystal Lake

- August 3: Youth Fishing Derby, McHenry

- August 17: Legislative Office Open House, Woodstock

- September 19: Barks & Brews Pet Adoption Event, Woodstock

- October 15: Senior Fair, Crystal Lake

Further details about these events will be shared as dates approach. More information can also be found on Senator Wilcox's website.

In other news, the Illinois Secretary of State’s Office has issued a notice regarding a data breach that may have exposed personal data of residents. Approximately 50,000 residents received letters concerning a “data security incident” that occurred in early April when an unidentified individual accessed Lake County government’s computer system and sent phishing emails to Illinois Secretary of State employees.

The letter noted potential exposure of names, driver’s licenses, and Social Security numbers. The Illinois Secretary of State’s Office stated via NBC Chicago that its Department of Information Technology and cybersecurity teams acted swiftly to contain and mitigate the incident. "None of the agency’s databases, including those containing driver and vehicle records were compromised," it said.

The office plans to enhance cybersecurity measures to reinforce protections against future attacks.

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