Economy Roundup: DPI and Airport Concerns

Governor Rauner's awkward apology tour with local officials may have grabbed the most headlines and social media posts of him looking even more awkward on a bus... but a serious economic issue having to do with concerns over the future Discovery Partners Institute may have gone overlooked in the madness. From Sunday's News-Gazette:

Tom Kacich | Gov. Rauner's words bolster nagging fears about DPI
...
But there was more to worry about in Rauner's remarks, that nagging concern that local leaders have about the proposed Discovery Partners Institute in Chicago's South Loop, where the UI is supposed to lead a multi-university research institute. They worry that the talent, leadership and money at the Urbana campus might be shifted to Chicago. Rauner's comments didn't help.

"We can start some companies there" in Champaign-Urbana, Rauner said, "but what we need to do is help the University of Illinois expand in Chicago, expand into Rockford and Peoria, that have large economic systems and great, great companies already ... and a diverse, large workforce and then use their innovation and technology and ability, get their students integrated in the local economy, and we can boom. If we get the U of I to open a campus here down on Roosevelt Road, which is what we're striving to do and get them to partner with UC, Northwestern, Tel Aviv and Technion in Israel, their new partners for this, we can have some of the great innovation and some of the fastest-growing companies right here in the state of Illinois."

Rauner's talk of a campus on Roosevelt Road flies in the face of assurances from others that this would not become another UI campus. And it worries others, like Fox, who think the Urbana campus and community need to be more aggressive in fighting for state support.

More at the full article here. If that wasn't concerning enough, United Airlines broke the bad news this week that they won't continue service here. From Tuesday's News-Gazette:

United cancels service at Willard; pilot shortage cited
Barely a year after Willard Airport added flights from United Airlines, the carrier is canceling service at the University of Illinois-owned facility.

Willard Executive Director Gene Cossey confirmed the cancellation Monday.

“September 4 will be their last day of service for a while,” he said. “At this point, we don’t know what their plans will be after that.”

He blamed a nationwide pilot shortage...

Just last week, area officials touted a 10-year record in enplanements and adding service from United at Willard in countering Gov. Bruce Rauner’s remarks in a radio interview about Champaign-Urbana not being able to retain tech businesses because it had “no convenient transportation” and other perceived issues. (Rauner apologized to C-U officials and is set to visit three area businesses Tuesday.)

The United service appeared to be doing well, adding customers without taking away from American...

In May, Cossey said there’s plenty of demand for new flights and airlines.

“There’s a million people a year who want to fly in and out of our area, and we only have about 300,000 seats,” Cossey said in May.

Full article on that here.