Latest news with #Belvidere
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
3 hours? How about 25 minutes. Meet Freddy, the robot painting Byron's athletic fields
BYRON, Ill. (WTVO) — Long before a touchdown pass or a pitcher's perfect curveball, the athletic fields at the Joe Parks Athletic Complex must be ready to go. Athletic director Jeff Milburn said he had a high-tech helper for the last two years: Freddy, the turf tank, a line-marking, number-painting automated robot. 'For keeping these grounds up. We got a lot of land here in Byron, a lot of ball fields and a lot of grass area,' Milburn said. 'Basically, when our guys let this thing go, they set it up and let it go paint it the fields and they can be doing something else while it's painting the fields.' The turf tank, named after a retired custodian, is about the size of a medium-sized suitcase, and is satellite guided by the global positioning system (GPS). 'It is going to cut down labor and most importantly, time,' said grounds manager Nick Sapoznik. The turf tank can paint the lines on a soccer field in about 25 minutes, much faster than the 3 hours it would take a 3 person human team. Milburn says the machine has been a game changer, and has been in use now for two full seasons. However, it's not inexpensive, but Milburn said it is worth every penny. 'It's about $10,000 a year take keep the license. It does more than just our fields. It does the logos and that sort of thing, too,' he said. Other northern Illinois schools, including Rockford, Belvidere, and South Beloit, also use the automated paint robot for their athletic fields. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
On the market: This Rockford area home has an original curved wood staircase and built-ins
Address: 1004 Pearl St., Belvidere Property description: This four-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom home in the heart of town was built in 1900. It has 2,472 square feet of living space and a detached two-car garage. It has the original wood staircase that curves to the upper level with a balcony and built-in bookcases. The open living room has a gas fireplace and opens to a screened sun porch. The kitchen has Corian countertops and a breakfast nook. Outside is a fenced, landscaped yard, a paver patio with a built-in gas grill, and a garden trellis. The laundry area is in the full, unfinished basement. Asking price: $299,900 Listing agent: Jane Eurek, Dickerson Nieman, 815-988-7596 Each week, we feature a unique property for sale in the area. Have a property you'd like to see featured? Email news@ and put "on the market" in the subject line. Kathi Edwards is a freelance contributor to the Rockford Register Star. This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: On the market: This Rockford area home is on the market for $299,900
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
UAW: Stellantis has scrapped plans for battery plant, parts hub in Belvidere
BELVIDERE, Ill. (WTVO) — Stellantis has scrapped plans for an EV battery plant and parts distribution hub in Belvidere, according to the United Auto Workers union Vice President Kevin Gotinsky. On Tuesday, Gotinksy told that the battery plant and parts hub were no longer part of Stellantis' plan for the Belvidere Assembly Plant. The plant has sat idle since 2023. That fall, Stellantis announced it would invest nearly $5 billion in the factory, including an electric vehicle battery plant and a parts distribution hub. The project was in federal funding announced by the Biden administration to help Stellantis convert the Belvidere plant to build electric vehicles. Stellantis said the state had purchased 170 acres of land next to the plant for the factory, which was to be a joint venture with an unannounced business partner. It was expected to launch in 2028. The company cited 'market conditions' for its delay in reopening the plant, as demand for EVs slowed. In January, UAW President Shawn Fain announced the plant would reopen in 2027, putting 1,500 union members back to work. In March, United Auto Workers Local 1268 President Matt Frantzen said the Belvidere Assembly Plant would operate in two shifts once it comes back online, with the company looking to recall Skilled Trades workers in the 1st quarter of 2026, Team Leaders in the 4th quarter, and Team Members in the 1st or 2nd quarter of 2027. In a letter to union members in March, Frantzen said the promised Mopar Mega Hub and battery plant, part of the original union contract, were not included at that stage. In April, Stellantis said it was the Belvidere Assembly Plant in 2027, with production of a midsize pickup truck, but it is unknown whether its drive train would be electric or internal combustion. When asked for a statement on Gotinksy's comments, a Stellantis spokesperson replied, 'Stellantis has no updates to share at this time on the MegaHub or the battery plant.' Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares announced his exit in December, with the embattled executive handing the reins to chairman John Elkann while efforts were undertaken to find his replacement. Antonio Filosa, the company's chief operating officer for the Americas, has emerged as a. News of the battery plant cancellation comes as a setback in Illinois' objectives to become an electric vehicle manufacturing and supply hub. Gov. JB Pritzker of having 1 million EVs on Illinois roads by 2030, and introduced a Reimagining Electric Vehicles Act (later renamed the Reimagining Energy and Vehicles Act), which incentivized manufacturers to move to the state. Lion Electric, which opened a plant in Joliet to build electric school buses, recently . The state recently pledged $16 million to help EV maker Rivian open a near its headquarters in Normal. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
08-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
‘Overtime' Friday, February 7
ROCKFORD, Illinois-Drew Collins and Scott Leber bring you all the action from high school basketball in the Rockford area with 'Overtime.'Highlights form key games between Rock Falls and Rockford Christian. Also, Byron and Dixon battling in an overtime boys' thriller and many more also hear our interview with Byron boys' head coach Matt Huels. You see our Spotlight story on Belvidere's Emma Pierson, and we'll reveal our Athlete of the view this episode, watch the media player above. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
No Canadian jobs transferred as Stellantis plans US plant reopening
"Stellantis, the owner of the Chrysler, Jeep, and Dodge auto brands, has announced that it is moving 1,500 jobs from Canada back to Illinois," claims a January 22, 2025 X post from Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, who has previously spread misleading claims fact-checked by AFP. The post appears to include a Bloomberg report (archived here) on Stellantis reopening its Belvidere Assembly Plant and opening up 1,500 jobs in Illinois, where one of the hosts says the company is "pulling their production down from Canada into the U.S." Other users on Facebook and X spread the claim that the announcement from the automaker meant that positions were being transferred to the United States out of Canada -- often alleging jobs in Windsor, Ontario would specifically be threatened. The posts come after Trump told global business leaders he wants manufacturers to make their products in the United States or face hefty tariffs if they sell to Americans. The North American auto industry relies on production from both sides of the Canada-US border and manufacturers and the Canadian government are bracing for how Trump's proposed tariffs on the northern country's exports could impact the sector. Stellantis, which is headquartered in the Netherlands and owns Fiat, Peugeot and other nameplates, operates three assembly plants in Canada in the Ontario towns of Windsor, Brampton and Etobioke (archived here). However, claims that Stellantis would be diverting production from Canada to the United States are "completely false," Stellantis Canada spokeswoman LouAnn Gosselin said. "All of the investments Stellantis has made in Canada are on track," she told AFP in a January 28 email. "Nothing has changed for Canada." Some claimed the Belvidere announcement also would mean a halt on construction of a new battery plant in Windsor, but Gosselin said it would not impact the facility, which started production last year. AFP could not locate the original clip on Bloomberg's website where one of the hosts appeared to say production would be pulled down from Canada. However, video archives for the Bloomberg show "Open Interest" reveal reporters clarified on January 24 that the announcement about the Belvidere plant would not be affecting current Canadian manufacturing work or jobs (archived here). At the end of 2024, there was speculation that the Dodge Durango would be phased out and its replacement model could be built in Windsor, according to local media. The uncertainty about the vehicle's production in the United States prompted a rift between Stellantis and the United Auto Workers (UAW). The union representing American autoworkers alleged the company was neglecting its commitments under its 2023 contract which made promises about Durango production in the United States and the reopening of the Belvidere plant (archived here). In a January 22, 2025 press release, the UAW said the Belvidere plant would reopen in 2027 and the next generation Durango would be produced in Detroit (archived here). Unifor, the union representing Canadian Stellantis workers, told AFP there had been no change in plans for Stellantis facilities in Canada as a result of the US announcements. Unifor's national president, Lana Payne, said it was still expecting a third shift at the Windsor assembly plant to arrive on schedule in the year's final quarter. "Of course, Unifor remains concerned about what a threatened 25 percent tariff would mean for the auto industry, including Canadian jobs and future investment," Payne said in a January 28, 2025 email. Read more of AFP's reporting on misinformation in Canada here.
