By State Senator Mike Halpin

One of the privileges of representing Western Illinois is having opportunities to recognize the people and principles that have shaped our communities. September gave me two very different occasions to do that — one honoring the sacrifice of a fallen soldier and another reflecting on the constitutional freedoms he served to protect.

In Galesburg, I joined the family of Sergeant First Class Kyle Wehrly, veterans, members of the Illinois National Guard and community leaders to dedicate a portion of U.S. Route 150 as the SFC Kyle Wehrly Memorial Highway.

Kyle was a Galesburg native, husband, father and respected leader in the 123rd Field Artillery Regiment who was killed in Iraq in 2005 at just 28 years old. His father, Peter, described Kyle simply: “He did what he thought he needed to do.”

Those words remind us that behind every name on a memorial is a person and a family that carries that loss forever. I was proud to carry the highway designation resolution in the Senate, and I hope everyone who passes Kyle’s sign remembers not only his sacrifice but that of every service member who never came home.

A few weeks later, I had the honor of speaking at Western Illinois University for Constitution Day. My remarks focused on the oath I took as a senator to support the U.S. and Illinois constitutions and what that promise means when we encounter ideas with which we disagree.

Our freedoms of speech, press, assembly and petition are not abstract concepts. They allow citizens to organize, journalists to ask difficult questions, students to debate ideas and people to tell their government when they believe it is wrong. As I told the audience at Western, constitutional rights are not spectator rights. They require all of us to participate while respecting those same freedoms for people whose views differ from our own.

That principle also guided legislation I sponsored this year protecting free expression, peaceful protest and academic freedom at Illinois colleges and universities. A university should be a place where ideas can be tested and debated, and students should be able to learn, speak and exchange ideas without fear of retaliation.

While those events provided opportunities for reflection, we also continued working on practical issues affecting families throughout the 36th District.

I recently encouraged local organizations to pursue the newest round of Illinois Works Pre-Apprenticeship Program funding. Since 2021, Illinois Works has provided more than $70 million to community organizations and served more than 7,000 residents. Participants receive training without tuition costs, along with stipends and other support, helping prepare them for registered apprenticeships and long-term careers in the building trades.

We are also working to protect something even more fundamental: access to food. Illinois has announced $26 million through the Illinois Grocery Initiative to establish grocery stores in food deserts, help existing stores purchase equipment and assist communities in reopening recently closed stores. Since 2024, the initiative has already distributed $19 million, including nearly $17 million toward eight new grocery stores.

There was other welcome progress around the district as well. Aledo once again has a local DMV after its previous facility closed last year. The new location restores convenient access to driver’s licenses, REAL IDs, vehicle registrations and other essential services for Mercer County residents.

And our work continues to help the families affected by the Tyson closure in Joslin. Illinois has mobilized workforce assistance, hosted a rapid-response event connecting more than 1,000 affected workers with employers and services, and made economic development resources available to help attract a potential buyer for the facility.

Whether we are honoring a fallen soldier, defending constitutional freedoms, preparing someone for a career or helping a community through economic uncertainty, the responsibility is the same: turn our values into action.

As always, my offices in Rock Island and Galesburg remain available to help residents with state programs, agencies and constituent services. Thank you for the continued privilege of serving Western Illinois in the Illinois Senate.