Illinois quick hits: Congress members file MINES Act; conservation police applications sought

Congressmembers file MINES Act

A bipartisan proposal has been brought forth by some Illinois members of Congress to unveil the federal government’s efforts toward preventing coal mine collapses.

The Monitoring, Investigating, Navigating and Explaining Subsidence Act was brought forth by U.S. Reps. Nikki Budzinski, D-Springfield, and Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro. It would require the U.S. Department of the Interior's Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement to provide a report to Congress on the steps they’ve taken to prevent coal mining sites from caving in.

Conservation police applications sought

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources Office of Law Enforcement is seeking applicants for the position of conservation police officer trainee.

Conservation police are vested with full state-wide police authority and are trained to the highest standards for law enforcement professionals in Illinois. The hiring process will consist of an application submission, physical fitness and swimming proficiency tests, which will take place in August in Jacksonville, Carbondale, Barrington and Huntley.

Lincoln photos online

A new “Picturing Lincoln” initiative by the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum means more than 1,000 high-resolution photos, many of which have never been online before, are now available.

Thousands more pictures, posters and paintings related to President Lincoln will be added in coming months. A news release from the library said the project was made possible by a $100,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, funded through the Illinois State Library.