AURORA – State Senator Linda Holmes is joining a group of area legislators to host a Love Purse donation drive to support domestic violence survivors now through Oct. 31.

“We’ve taken part in this drive for several years; this year we’re boosting our efforts by merging our drives into a single campaign,” said Holmes (D-Aurora). “My colleagues and I are showing our support for women in need and survivors of domestic violence through the Love Purse movement.”

Under the leadership of Senator Suzy Glowiak Hilton, this campaign will provide donation locations for area residents to drop off new purses full of necessities, notes of encouragement, and an intention to help survivors feel loved, valued and respected.

AURORA – Alongside Governor JB Pritzker, the CyrusOne team and other local elected officials, State Senator Linda Holmes celebrated the groundbreaking of the new CyrusOne data center in Aurora on Wednesday.

“CyrusOne is a global leader in data center development and has once again chosen Aurora to be its home for this expansion project,” said Holmes (D-Aurora). “This new data center brings critical investments to our community, including hundreds of new jobs and millions in tax contributions over time.”

The new $350 million data center is CyrusOne’s second campus in Aurora. The expansion project includes the creation of two new buildings with a total of 446,000 square feet. The new data center will provide advanced digital infrastructure services to local communities and national networks. 

AURORA — State Senator Linda Holmes announced today that a total of $100,050 has been granted to two Adult Volunteer Literacy Programs in the 42^nd District.

The grants were awarded by Illinois Secretary of State and State Librarian Alexi Giannoulias, who has awarded nearly $22 million for library services and $6 million for literacy programs throughout the state.

“Literacy is very important to residents wanting to become proficient with English,” said Holmes (D-Aurora). “Investing in our libraries with programs for new residents aids them in engaging in our area’s activities, workplaces, schools and businesses. This is a great gift we can give back to the community.”

AURORA — State Senator Linda Holmes announced that five school districts across the area will receive over $4 million in additional funding to help address the financial challenges of recent years.

“This is a commitment to our children to ensure a comprehensive learning environment,” said Holmes (D-Aurora). “We’re continuing to prioritize evidence-based funding for the schools that need it most, whatever your ZIP code may be.”

The funding comes from the 2017 Illinois Senate Democrat-backed evidence-based funding formula — an overhaul of the way the state funds K-12 education. The law made school funding more equitable by calculating the needs of individual school districts and basing its state revenue on those needs. The formula takes into account a district’s total enrollment, poverty rate and number of special education or English language learners, among other factors.

Local schools set to receive funding through the formula: