ANNA TO MEET ON PRISON DRIVE

ANNA, Ill. -- Plans for a local petition drive to support a new state super-maximum-security prison for the area will be discussed during an 8 a.m. meeting here Wednesday.

"We have been in contact with the Illinois Task Force on Crime and Corrections," said Jerry L. Reppert, head of a recently-formed Union County Economic Development Corporation. "One of the things that the task force is looking at is a super-maximum facility. We want to be in the running for that facility."

The meeting will be held at Dino's Too Restaurant, 145 W. Vienna.

Union County's Economic Development Corporation was founded following the announcement of two plant closings at Anna.

"The closings a shoe factory and Bunny Bread Bakery resulted in the loss of hundreds of jobs," said Reppert. "The new corporation is looking into options for luring new jobs to the area."

Reppert said the group had talked with some other "promising contacts. Many of these contacts are confidential at this time," he said.

Reppert said he learned of the state's potential prison facility during a visit to Springfield.

"We've been looking into everything," he said. "We've talked with the governor's office, the Department of Corrections, and others."

The proposed medium-security prison plans call for a $68 million facility," said Reppert. "It would also call for a $17 million budget a year to operate."