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High Winds over the Weekend Caused Some Damage

(Undated--jc)  -- The high winds over the weekend caused some damage. On Sunday afternoon,  A sign at a Shell gas station in Bradley was knocked to the ground by the winds. Winds also caused a semi rollover on Route 34 in Henry County.  Trees and limbs were blown over throughout the area.

 

ROCKFORD, Ill. (AP) — Colleges and universities in Illinois are struggling to combat declining enrollment that was spurred by low unemployment rates, a shrinking population, unstable funding sources and increased out-of-state competition.Data show that the state's community colleges and state universities suffered a decline of nearly 100,000 students from 2008 to 2018 .Chicago State University has seen enrollment drop by 57 percent. Shawnee, Kennedy-King and Rend Lake community colleges all have seen enrollment numbers cut in half.The bulk of the losses were seen at the community college level, which lost 75,000 students. But despite the decline in overall enrollment, more students have been graduating from community colleges in the state. Almost 57,000 students graduated in 2010, compared to about 66,000 in 2017.The University of Illinois System has seen some success over the past decade. The system's Chicago campus has seen a 23 percent growth in enrollment. The Chicago and Urbana-Champaign campuses are each up nearly 6,000 students.

 

 

(Gibson City--jc)  -- Gibson City leaders will look at granting an easement for a property on 9th street when they meet on tonight. Local leaders will also consider the city’s participation in the Fall Harvest Fest event for 2019 and look to establish a Tax Increment Financing District hearing. The board will hear about a project from the Gibson Rotary club  concerning a project at North Park in the city The Gibson City Council meets at 7.


 

(Springfield--ab)  --The Illinois Department of Transportation says the state needs to extend a capital bill to pay for much needed road and bridge repairs. Testifying at a senate hearing…I-DOT acting secretary Matt Magalis said the state’s transportation infrastructure is deteriorating faster than it can be maintained.

 

I-Dot Acting Secretary Matt Magalis.

Lawmakers and Governor Pritzker are hoping to put together a capital plan to help pay for these needs and other projects. the question will be how to pay for it.

 

 

(Rantoul--jc)  -- Rantoul Police department officials say applications are available for new and experienced officers. They describe the village as a diverse and emerging community of around 13 thousand people. More information for those interested in becoming a Rantoul Police officer is found on line or by calling the office.

 

(Bloomington--jc) — The state's charges against the former assistant manager of finance at the city-owned arena are outside the state's statute of limitations and should be dismissed. The lawyer for Kelly W. Klein made the case for dismissal last week. Klein is among the 5 officials of the former U S Cellular Coliseum accused of mishandling finances at the business over a 10 year period. She is facing money laundering and theft charges.

 

 

(Washington--jc)  -- The farm economy is weakening, but still relatively strong, according to USDA analysts.  Gary Crawford reports.

 


 

(Mahomet--jc) Mahomet Seymour High School has a new football coach. School officials announced on Friday the hiring of Jon Adkins. The Mahomet Seymour School board is expected to approve the hire at their next meeting. Adkins would replace Keith Pogue, who was head coach of the Bulldogs before stepping down after the 20-18 season.

 

 

Champaign, Ill. (AP) — A lawmaker from central Illinois stressed the importance of efforts to legalize recreational marijuana during a community forum, saying the industry could drive economic growth.  Democratic Representative. Carol Ammons of Urbana spoke about legalizing recreational cannabis. Ammons has studied the regulation and taxation of marijuana since 2004. She says revenue from taxing marijuana could be reinvested and used to improve communities.

(Gilman--jc)  -- The decision would be put to the voters in one area school district concerning a new building for its high school. The process to choose a site for a potential new building was approved this month by Iroquois West school board members. A referendum to build a new building on the west side of Gilman, just west of the Interstate 57 exchange would be the area for the building. School leaders will continue to pursue plans and then put that issue before voters in the school district. WPXN news will continue to follow this story as it develops.

 

(Champaign--jc)  -- An alleged threat at a local movie theatre on Sunday, prompted officials at the theatre to shut down for a short time. The incident occurred at the A-M-C Theatre on Prospect in Champaign. The theatre was evacuated. Channel 3 reported that  police said the threat was not credible. Those attending the theatre were given a refund on their tickets.

 

 

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — An update on the big slide that sits on property at the Illinois State fairgrounds in Springfield.  Officials say an out-of-state buyer has purchased the giant yellow slide that's been a visitor favorite at the Illinois State Fair for more than a half-century. The Minnesota company will continue to operate the slide at the fair. No price tag on the sale was given and the sale is not expected to close until early April. The slide has been at the Illinois State Fair since 1968.

 

 

(Springfield--jc)  -- Experts and credit rating agencies have raised concerns about Governor J.B. Pritzker’s proposal to give state-owned assets such as real estates to Illinois' pension systems in lieu of paying more or making other changes. To improve funding levels for the state's pension systems, Pritzker is proposing to transfer state assets directly into those retirement funds. Pritzker’s budget proposal said a recently-created task force will “identify what assets from among the billions of dollars in state real estate and infrastructure could be directed to enhance the value of the state’s pension funds.”For some, the strategy is preferred over another tax increase, but it could end up hurting the state’s credit rating, which would make borrowing money more expensive.

 

 

(Urbana--jc)  -- A popular report that said 95 percent of the stink bug population died due to extremely cold temperatures in Illinois and surrounding states when the polar vortex gripped much of the Midwest was misleading, according to a local expert. The report, released by the National Pest Management Association, said an estimated 95 percent of stink bugs unable find a place to hide during the polar vortex may have been killed. Nick Seiter, a research assistant professor from the University of Illinois who specializes in field crop entomology, said the death rate of 95 percent is circumstantial.

 

 

(Urbana--jc)  As we close out the final days of February, the weather for the month has been around normal temperatures and precipitation. Illinois Water Survey in Champaign Spokesperson Brian Kerscher say its, February as usual…

 


Illinois Water Survey in Champaign Spokesperson Brian Kerschner.

 

(Kempton--jc)  -- Tri Point School board members are expected to approve a fuel contract extension and look at next year’s school calendar when they meet tonight in monthly session. Also at tonight’s board meeting, school leaders will discuss the upgrade of the food to farm kitchen. The Tri Point school board meets at 7 tonight in Kempton.

 

 

(Washington--jc)  -- The 20-19 crops will be planted soon this Spring. One economist with the United States Department of Agriculture takes a look at the 20-19 crop..  U-S-D-A Chief Economist Rob Johansson has the numbers…

 


U-S-D-A Chief Economist Rob Johansson

 

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