(Urbana--jc) -- Champaign County Coroner Duane Northrup has released the name of a second Watseka man, who has died from complications related to traumatic injuries sustained in a three vehicle crash in Iroquois County on Saturday night. 56 year old Michael Strong of Watseka was reportedly a passenger in a vehicle driven by Howard Kissack that was struck head on by another vehicle. He was pronounced dead at Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana late Saturday night. No autopsy will be performed however an inquest may be held at a later date. This death is being investigated by the Champaign County Coroner’s Office and the Illinois State Police.
(Springfield--jc) -- As crews continue clean-up from recent snowfall, the Illinois Department of Transportation is launching is annual “winter-weather...get it together” campaign. The best advice is when roads are bad to stay home if you can says I-DOT Spokesperson Jessie Decker…
I-DOT Spokesperson Jessie Decker.
Please give snow plows plenty of room to do their job too.
URBANA, Ill. (AP) — University of Illinois officials are looking for a 16 percent state funding increase to make up for stalled faculty hiring while its enrollment has grown during the state's two-year budget impasse. Administrators say the Urbana-Champaign campus is now last among its 10-member national peer group with a student-faculty ratio of 18-to-1. The campus ranked sixth in 2008. Officials say the school is losing competitiveness because of larger class sizes.
(Mahomet--jc) Mahomet Seymour School District board members are expected to approve the name of its weight room when they meet tonight in monthly session.
A look at some new courses to be offered, renewing the health and dental insurance, and adoption of the 20-18 tax levy also are agenda items. The Mahomet Seymour school board meeting comes to order at 7 tonight in the middletown prairie conference room.
(Champaign--jc) --A Federal Graduation Rate report released by the NCAA shows good news on graduation at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus.. The Fighting Illini earned an overall score of 91 percent, a new University of Illinois record during the 14-year history of the report. Data reports a 6 year period that began in 20-12.The eight Illini programs that posted perfect GSR scores of 100 were baseball, men's golf, women's basketball, women's gymnastics, softball, soccer, swimming and diving and women's tennis.
(Urbana--jc) Champaign County Coroner Duane Northrup has released the name of an Urbana man who has died after being involved in a motor vehicle versus garbage truck crash near Thomasboro on Friday afternoon. 23 year old Johnterrieon Carter, died later at the Carle Foundation Hospital Emergency Department as a result of traumatic injuries he received from the incident. Carter was driving southbound on US Route 45 with 3 other passengers when his vehicle crossed the median. He entered the northbound lanes of US Route 45 and collided head-on with a Mack Garbage truck. Mr. Carter and his passengers were reportedly ejected from the vehicle.
(Paxton--jc) -- The city of Paxton’s annual Christmas Tree Lighting in downtown Paxton is set for 7 on Friday night. The event is sponsored by Pride in Paxton. . Hot cocoa and cookies and story time will be provided by Vineyard Church immediately following the tree lighting. The public is invited to attend the annual event.
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — High school and home school students and their families can learn more about an early college program that could reduce the time it takes to earn an associate's degree or bachelor's degree after high school. An informational session on the Early Transfer Academy has been set for Monday, December 3rd from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Parkland College's Student Union, Room U140. College faculty and administrators will be on hand to discuss the academy, its benefits to students, and the eligibility requirements for participation.
(Undated--jc)-- The busiest travel day of the year is coming later this month as we head toward the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend. Companies Hopper and Insure-My-Trip have some tips on what airports and flights to avoid. The busy travel days are Wednesday November 21st and Sunday November 25th around Thanksgiving. Chicago O’Hare Airport will be busiest at 6pm on Wednesday the 21st and the 3rd busiest airports are L-A-X in Los Angeles and Atlanta. Those traveling over the upcoming holiday are asked to be prepared for long lines and long waits at all airport. Over a million travelers will be flying out of the airport over the Thanksgiving holiday period.
(Undated--jc) -- Illinois is celebrating its 200th anniversary as a state. Here is today’s Bicentennial Minute…
CHICAGO (AP) — Attorneys for Illinois Gov.-elect J.B. Pritzker's campaign have asked a judge to toss out a racial discrimination lawsuit filed a few weeks before the November general election by 10 campaign workers. A motion to dismiss the lawsuit was filed Friday in U.S. District Court. The current and former campaign staffers are African-American and Latino. They said in the lawsuit that they were harassed and discriminated against because of their race.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Documents provided to The Associated Press show that the death of an inmate following an "altercation with correctional staff" at Western Illinois Correctional Center in May has been ruled a homicide. Sixty-five-year-old Larry Earvin died from blunt trauma to the chest and abdomen. The death certificate was issued by Clinton County in southern Illinois. The FBI is investigating the May 17 incident at the prison in Mount Sterling. Corrections officials will not release details.
(Springfield--jc) -- The Illinois Fire Marshal is warning about the dangers of deep fryers and smokers this Thanksgiving. If you are cooking your turkey in a fryer or smoker outside, the best thing to do is make sure it’s away from the house and that you keep a close eye on it says Illinois Fire Marshal Matt Perez…
Illinois Fire Marshal Matt Perez
Perez adds to keep children and pets away from the cooker and have a fire extinguisher close.
(Fisher--jc) --The 9th Annual Fisher Christmas Parade will be Saturday December 1st at 5pm. Line up starts at 4pm at the Fairgrounds. Decorated floats and golf carts, antique cars and tractors are needed. The Fisher National Bank will hold an event after the parade at the Fisher Community center.
PEORIA, Ill. (AP) — Two public defenders from Peoria County say requiring permits to carry firearms outside the home is unconstitutional. The Peoria Journal Star reports that defense attorneys Chandra Justice and Mark Rose have filed motions in several cases in which defendants are charged with felony aggravated unlawful use of a weapon. Illinois allows carrying concealed firearms with a permit. Justice and Rose argue requiring a permit violates the Second Amendment right to bear arms.
ANTIOCH, Ill. (AP) — A woman doing landscaping on her suburban Chicago property unearthed the bones of a man who died more than 800 years ago. The Lake County News-Sun reports that the woman was digging in Antioch Township near Fox Lake in September when she unearthed some bones. She called authorities when she found a human jaw. Crime scene investigators, anthropologists and other experts secured the area and recovered 75 percent of the skeleton of a man of about 20 to 30 years old who died at least 800 years ago.
CARBONDALE, Ill. (AP) — A Southern Illinois University official says one of the Carbondale campus's iconic 17-story towers will reopen to students next fall. The Southern Illinoisan reports that the university has decided to close University Hall and reopen Neely Hall. Neely Hall was one of three high rise dorms that were closed for the 2018-2019 school year after an enrollment decline left the university unable to fill them.
(Springfield--jc) -- The new exhibit called ‘Holidays at the White House’ is now open at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential museum in Springfield. The exhibit features ornaments, decorations, clothing and more from Christmas celebrations with Presidents Johnson through Bush says museum director Alan Lowe…
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum Director Alan Lowe
(Cissna Park--jc) -- The Cissna Park News office was the center for gathering shoeboxes for the past month. Operation Christmas Child is another huge success in Iroquois County. Members of Trinity Lutheran Church as well as hundreds of donors filling shoeboxes with items for needy children around the world. The local effort is part of Operation Christmas Child, an evangelical Christian relief effort. In the Cissna Park and Iroquois County area more than 1 thousand 500 shoeboxes are being delivered from the Cissna Park News office to the regional drop off area to then be distributed to needy kids. Other areas that had drop off sites included the Meadowbrook Community Church in Champaign, Danville Alliance Church, First Baptist Church in Rantoul, Calvary Baptist Church Monticello and Gibson City Bible Church. Officials say thanks to all who helped and donated this year
