SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — The Democratic nominee for Illinois governor will repay the Cook County treasurer more than $330,000 worth of property-tax breaks he received in what an investigator called a "scheme to defraud" taxpayers. The Chicago Tribune reported Tuesday that campaign officials for J.B. Pritzker say the billionaire will repay the county by the end of next week. An investigator alleges that Pritzker family members and an associate misrepresented the condition of a family mansion for tax reductions.

 

 

(Roberts--ab) The Village of Roberts signed a resolution for adding a zoning perimeter of 1.5 miles to regulate the construction of Wind Farms. Village of Roberts mayor Rick Flessner said the town of Roberts wants some safegaurds from Ford County

 

Village of Roberts Mayor Rick Flessner

 

 

BELLEVILLE, Ill. (AP) — The Air Force is reprimanding a former commander at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois as part of a plea agreement over sexual misconduct accusations against him. The agreement comes after Col. John Howard was removed in December as commander of the 375th Air Mobility Wing. The reprimand states Howard sought a sexual relationship with a "very junior" female enlisted airman while serving in the United Kingdom in 2016-17.

 

 

NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon, which has faced political and economic pressure to raise pay for thousands of employees, is boosting its minimum wage for all U.S. workers to $15 per hour starting next month and said it will push for an increase in the federally mandated minimum wage, which now stands at $7.25 per hour.

The wage hike will go into effect as Amazon hires more than 100,000 holiday workers to pack and ship goods in its warehouses. Employers are facing the tightest job market in nearly two decades, making it more difficult to lure workers who have a lot more choices about taking a job than just a year ago. Amazon is building a shipping warehouse in Champaign, locally.

Champaign--jc)  -- Last month was the 12 warmest September on record in Illinois. The average temperature in September was 70 degrees. That’s nearly 4 degrees above normal says State Climatologist Jim Angel…

 

 

State Climatologist Jim Angel

As for October, Angel says we can look for above average temperatures and above average rainfall.

 

(Undated--jc)  -- A poisonous weed that prompted President Abe Lincoln's family to move to Illinois is putting livestock here at risk. Abe Lincoln’s mother was killed by milk from a cow that had eaten a poisonous plant. His family relocated to Illinois from Indiana for their safety.The dry, hot summer has created the perfect conditions for it to threaten livestock here in the Land of Lincoln.The white snakeroot was responsible for poisoning the milk that killed Nancy Hanks Lincoln, Abe’s mother, and many others in Indiana during the early 1800s when he was 9 years old.The active poison in the slender, white-flowered weed is fat soluble, meaning it will find its way into a lactating cow’s milk and poison a calf or person if they ingest enough.

 

(Central Illinois --jc)  -- Plaintiffs in a Central Illinois lawsuit to get non profit hospitals to pay property taxes say they’ll move forward with their case in light of a similar Supreme Court ruling.The Illinois Supreme Court upheld that a nonprofit hospital is still exempt from property taxes if the value of the free services it provides is greater than its annual bill from all the units of government that levy taxes on the property. In the majority opinion in the case, Oswald v. Hamer, the justices said the plaintiff, Constance Oswald failed to prove that the tax exemption for nonprofit hospitals was unconstitutional.Lawyer Mark Deaton with the Illinois Health and Hospital Association said communities will continue to receive the “benefit of the bargain,” offering tax exemption in exchange for their services.

 

 

(Undated--jc)  -- Illinois is celebrating its 200th anniversary as a state. Here is today’s Bicentennial Minute…

 

 

(Springfield--jc)-- The new Illinois  State police memorial park was dedicated Tuesday in downtown Springfield. The park has been years in the making and pays tribute to troopers killed in the line of duty. That includes sergeant Erin Hehl who was killed in a helicopter crash in 1997. Her husband Bob spoke at the ceremony on Tuesday…

 

 

Bob Hehl Husband of Fallen Trooper Erin Hehl

The park features a black granite memorial wall etched with the names of fallen troopers.

 

(Springfield--jc)  --Illinois is among the easiest states in the country in which to cast a ballot, according to a new study. The report, titled “Cost of Voting In American States,” created a “Cost of Voting Index” after examining 33 different factors, focusing on laws regarding registering to vote and actually casting a ballot. Differences in registration deadlines carried the most weight. Illinois finished twelfth among the 50 states thanks to a couple of recent laws. One was the early voting laws that have come into place and another is  same-day voter registration. The fall election is Tuesday November 6th.

 

 

(Undated--jc)  -- Few Illinois cities growing, according to a new analysis of the the nation's towns, which found Decatur to be the slowest-growing city in the United States. Consumer finance research website WalletHub put Decatur at the bottom. And a state lawmaker says it’s time to act. Of the 515 cities in the WalletHub 2018 Fastest-Growing Cities in America report, no Illinois city is above No. 343, where Champaign landed. Decatur was rock bottom at No. 515. Springfield wasn’t far behind at 507, the seventh slowest growing city.

 

(Rantoul--jc)  No new Village Administrator for Rantoul yet. Rantoul Village leaders learned that their candidate for the position wants some changes in the contract. The board met in their monthly study session last night and also met in executive session to discuss the hiring. The board is expected to make a decision on the Village Administrator position and move forward with an offer to their candidate over the next week.

 

 

(Roberts--ab) The Village of Roberts signed a resolution for adding a zoning perimeter of 1.5 miles to regulate the construction of Wind Farms. Village of Roberts mayor Rick Flessner has more.

 

Village of Roberts Mayor Rick Flessner

 

(Chicago--jc)  --Illinois’ manufacturing and farming communities are excited about the new trilateral trade agreement President Donald Trump announced between the U.S, Mexico and Canada. But the Illinois Manufacturing Association’s Mark Denzler says  Illinois must address its poor business climate. The consensus of farmers is that the U.S. must continue making deals with other countries in the face of a trade war with China. The new deal was struck between the U. S. and its neighbors this week. Denzler adds that the deal between the three countries is also good news for chemical, pharmaceutical and food manufacturers.

 

 

(Washington--jc)  -- Corn crop progress is proceeding ahead of average. Stephanie Ho has the numbers…

 

 

 

(Undated--jc)  -- The American Red Cross Central and Southern Illinois Region will offer a special Disaster Volunteer Boot Camp event in Champaign this week. The three day camp starts on Friday and runs through Sunday. The Disaster volunteer boot camp is a unique opportunity for people who would like to fast track in becoming a Red Cross disaster volunteer. Those interested may contact the Red Cross office in Bloomington. The Red Cross is set to host additional volunteer boot camps in Quincy, Peoria and Mt Vernon over the next month.

 

(Paxton--jc)  The Ford County Sheriff’s office received nearly 30 thousand dollars in boarding inmates income during September. In the monthly report released on Tuesday, the local sheriff’s department handed out 39 speeding tickets along with 39 other traffic violations and 44 warnings. To date, the Ford County Sheriff’s Department has received just over 454 thousand dollars in services and fees.

 

 

(Carlinville--jc)  -- Want to learn more about Route 66. Officials with the

Great Rivers and Routes Tourism Bureau is hosting  the 4th Annual Miles of Possibility Route 66 Conference in Carlinville from October 25 through the 28th. Speakers, banquets and bands also highlight the event. More information is found on-line with the Great Rivers and Routes Tourism Bureau.