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IHSA Switches From Conferences to Districts in 2021

CHICAGO (AP) — The Illinois High School Association says member schools have voted to move to district scheduling beginning in 2021 and abandoning current conferences.The I-H-S-A said Tuesday schools had voted 324-307-69 to move to the new format in which schools from each class will be placed into eight geographic groups and play a round-robin schedule. The top four teams in each of the eight groups qualify for the playoffs, based upon games played within each group. Districts will be in place for two years to allow for home-and-home scheduling for competing schools.Remaining games on the nine-game regular season schedule will be arranged by schools at their discretion.

 

 

(Champaign--jc)  -- Champaign County Crime Stoppers is seeking assistance regarding a theft at Dick's Sporting Goods at Dick's Sporting Goods that happened on December 12th.  Police say two suspects stole merchandise from Dick’s Sporting Goods located at 2000 N. Neil St. in Champaign. A male and female entered the store together and after selecting several items,  the male ran out of the store without paying. The stolen merchandise was valued at over $1000Anyone with information can contact Champaign County Crime Stoppers anonymously at 217-373-8477.

 

(Paxton--ab) The city of Paxton has 53 out of 58 store fronts filled. That’s good news for the local holiday economy.  Paxton Mayor Bill Ingold is excited about the economic development of Paxton…

 

 

Paxton Mayor Bill Ingold

 

(Springfield--jc)  -- Illinois State Police  have announced changes to the Child

Passenger Protection Act, which will become effective  next month. Effective January 1, all motorists traveling on Illinois roadways  will be required to secure children under the age of 2 years old in a rear facing child restraint system. State Police officials say the  are hopeful the change in law will reduce infant injuries and fatalities if they are involved in a traffic crash.

 

(Springfield--jc)  -- Republicans in the Illinois House say raising the gas tax in illinois is a bad idea. There’s been talk of increasing the state gas tax to help pay for road construction projects by as much as 30 cents per gallon. State Representative Allen Skillicorn of Crystal Lake says lawmakers should wait and see if an infrastructure program develops at the federal level first…

 

 

State Representative Allen Skillicorn of Crystal Lake.

 

 

CHICAGO (AP) — The largest Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton ever found is ready to go back on display at Chicago's Field Museum in a new exhibition space.

The skeleton named Sue, after her discoverer, Sue Hendrickson,  is now in a second-floor gallery near other dinosaurs. It opens to the public Friday.

 

 

(Gibson City--jc)  -- The 75th performance of “The Messiah” was performed in Gibson City earlier this month. The Gibson City Music Club helps with the annual performance. Group Spokesperson Cheri Friedman says this year’s director has a huge amount of experience…

 

 

Gibson City Music Club Spokesperson Cheri Friedman. You can hear a performance of The Messiah by those with the Gibson City based group at 6pm on Christmas Eve and again at 6pm on Christmas Day.


 

 

(Champaign--jc)  -- A Champaign County man who fired a gun into the air in downtown Champaign in June of last year has been sentenced to a year of probation. The News Gazette reports that 44 year old Malcom Comer pleaded guilty before Judge Roger Webber on Tuesday. With the guilty plea, several other weapons related charges were dropped against Comer.

 

 

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

 


 

(Springfield--jc)  --A new survey from two Illinois law enforcement groups provide anecdotal evidence that more teens are using marijuana as state lawmakers draft legislation to legalize recreational use of the drug for adults.An advocacy group has questioned the value of the law enforcement survey and pointed to statistics in other states that show teen cannabis use declined after recreational use became legal.The Illinois Sheriffs' Association and the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police surveyed 104 school resource officers and found 75 of them dealt with a pot issue in the past month, an increase from the year before. The survey also found more reports of teenagers vaping, which can be a delivery mechanism for nicotine, THC or other substances. THC is an active ingredient in marijuana that produces a high.

 

 

(Springfield--jc)  About 6,200 federal employees in Illinois could be affected by a partial government shutdown if some federal agencies aren’t funded by midnight Friday. It’s a situation that a central Illinois congressman said he'd like to avoid while talks on funding a border wall continue. Most of the federal government is funded. The Friday deadline to get a deal to fund the rest appeared to be contingent on funding for a southern border wall President Donald Trump wants, though he seemed to waiver some on his demands Tuesday.Some Republicans want to act now, and on the opposite side of the issue, some Democrats say the wall is a waste of money.

 

(Washington--jc)  -- Should you be dreaming of a white Christmas? Stephanie Ho has the details…

 

 

 

(Paxton--jc)  -- Wind farms will be the subject again on Thursday night in Paxton. The Ford County board is set to meet at 7pm at the courthouse in Paxton. Thursday nights meeting is the second for the board as they consider setbacks, heights and the positive economic benefits of wind farms in Ford County.

 

(Washington--jc)  -- A potential federal government shutdown  would not stop the process to certify U.S ag products for export. Administrator of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Kevin Shea says that ag exports would continue…

 

 

USDA Administrator of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Kevin Shea.

 

(Paxton--jc) As we close out 20-18 and look forward to a new year, city of Paxton officials  look to the future and a streetscape program for the Ford County city. Local leaders are looking to use just over 1 million 4 hundred thousand dollars to do improvements to the downtown area. The money comes from a fund that the city of Paxton returned to the state of Illinois from a revolving loan fund program that recently ended.

 

 

(Ottowa--jc)  -- Several area residents have been nominated for Military Academy admission. U-S Congressman Adam Kinzinger, Republican in the 16th Illinois district hosted a reception earlier this week. Among the nominees include Gibson City Melvin Sibley High School Senior Nathaniel Garard to West Point and Central Clifton High School Senior Nolan Ahlden of Ashkum to the Naval Academy.

 

 

(Springfield--jc)  --Democrats who soon will retake full control of Illinois government are expected to push for a sweeping overhaul of the state income tax, but if history is any guide prospects for success range from don’t-get-your-hopes-up to fat chance. Replacing the current single tax rate structure in Illinois with a menu of graduated rates that charge more to the wealthy would require a Constitutional amendment that to pass requires an extraordinary majority of voters. Similar proposals in other states have fared poorly at the ballot box.In November, voters in Colorado defeated a referendum that would have replaced that state’s Illinois-like flat tax with several new brackets for higher income wage earners The measure was rejected 55 percent to 45 percent.

 

 

(Springfield--jc)  A committee nominated a retired judge to handle complaints against state lawmakers after a number of high-profile harassment cases emerged while the post was vacant.The Illinois legislature has been hit over the past 14 months with allegations of harassment and intimidation toward employees, lobbyists and others who work under the dome in Springfield.The Legislative Inspector General’s Office, the body meant to field complaints against lawmakers, had been vacant for several years. Legislative Ethics Commission Chairwoman state Rep. Avery Bourne, R-Raymond, said after reviewing 20 applications, a selection committee winnowed the list of names down. A bipartisan panel of lawmakers is now recommending retired Judge Carol Pope to be the next Legislative Inspector General.

 

 

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