Illinois Business Journal Illinois Business Journal
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MidAmerica welcomes commercial airline tenant Great Plains
By KERRY L. SMITH

   MASCOUTAH - When the first Great Plains Airlines commercial turbo or jet to depart from MidAmerica St. Louis Airport takes to the skies on Oct. 7, a whole new era for the county-owned airport will begin.
   And for skeptics who question why this business plan will succeed when the Pan Am venture did not, one has only to look at the vast difference in strategies for the answer.
   Tulsa-based Great Plains Airlines is piloting two direct flights each weekday from MidAmerica to Dulles in Washington D.C., [continue]

MidAmerica St. Louis Airport Welcomes Great Plains Airlines
From left, airport director Tim Cantwell, St. Clair County Public Building Commission Chairman Rich Sauget, State Rep. Tom Holbrook, Leadership Council Southwestern Illinois executive director Jim Pennekamp and St. Clair County economic development director Terry Beach prepare to board Great Plains' 32-seat Fairchild Dornier 328 jet, one of two aircraft that will serve MidAmerica St. Louis Airport.
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Lindenwood University opens first Illinois campus
By KERRY L. SMITH
 
Lindenwood University opens Southwestern Illinois Campus
The former Belleville High School is now home to
St. Charles-based Lindenwood University's premier Illinois location. Evening classes for both undergraduate and graduate curriculums are being offered at the 360,000-square-foot, multiple-building campus.

   BELLEVILLE - The city of Belleville, Belleville Community School District 201 and Lindenwood University are in agreement: with growth comes tremendous opportunity.
   Tangible evidence of this is the university's move across the river to establish its first-ever Illinois campus.
   Lindenwood University President Dennis Spellmann says partnering [continue]

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Governor signs Several Liability Act into law
By KERRY L. SMITH

   SPRINGFIELD - Gov. Rod Blagojevich has signed into law a revised version of employers' liability legislation that opens the door to larger judgments in lawsuits against employers, manufacturers and other parties.
   Blagojevich received a resubmitted version of House Bill 2784 - also known as the Several Liability Act - sponsored by Chicago Democratic State Sen. John Cullerton.
   Illinois trial attorneys rewrote the legislation in the spring after the Illinois Supreme Court in November declared that the initial law was unconstitutional.
   Under the previous version of the act, defendants were liable based on their degree of responsibility. Under the revised act that Blagojevich signed into law June 4, defendants' fault is allocated based on their ability to pay.
   What this means to Illinois businesses:an employer can face 100 percent liability even if a court has ruled its fault in an accident is less than 25 percent.
   According to the Illinois Civil Justice League, the law can now hold any third party liable to any degree in lawsuits specific to construction, product liability [continue]

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Illinois plays major role in Lewis and Clark bicentennial commemoration

The Lewis and Clark Interpretive Mobile    The Lewis and Clark Interpretive Mobile Exhibit will be a moving representation of the Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery. The museum will travel to various event sites, representing Illinois' importance in the journey that 'opened up the West.'
   When completed, the vehicle's exterior will closely resemble this conceptual sketch with renderings of authentic paintings and photos. Designers for the project are AAIC Inc. and Craig Martin Simon Design, both of Collinsville. -- See related stories on pages 18 and 19 of the printed edition.