By Verna Slate, Williamson County Bureau
MARION — Veterans Airport of Southern Illinois has been awarded a million-dollar Federal Aviation Administration grant to update essential safety equipment, the Southern Illinoisan reports, with the funding earmarked for a fire truck.
Airport fire and rescue equipment isn't glamorous, but it's the difference between a close call and a tragedy on the tarmac. For a regional airport serving Williamson County and the surrounding area, federal dollars for hard infrastructure like this rarely make headlines — until the day the truck is needed and it's there.
The grant adds to a string of federal investment finding its way into the county this year, a reminder that even in a place that has learned to be skeptical of promises from Washington, some of the money does show up.
— Compiled from reporting by the Southern Illinoisan.
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