(Springfield--jc)  Pension costs and potential “insolvency” are now becoming a hot topic in Springfield. 104th District State Representative Mike Marron, Republican from Fithian, says that state leaders need to do something now, not in two years as others have proposed in the state capitol…

 

 

104th District State Representative Mike Marron of Fithian

 

(Gilman--jc)  -- Voters go to the polls one week from today to elect village trustees, city councilmen, school board members to library board members. Those in the Iroquois West School district have a school building and land acquisition project. The project would issue bonds for the 25 million dollar project. Several of the buildings in the Iroquois West school district are beyond aging and need upgrades. The Spring election is set for Tuesday April 2nd. Polls will open at 6am next Tuesday.

 

(Washington--jc)   Rural organizations are using an app to collect data that they hope will provide a more accurate picture of internet access in rural areas. Stephanie Ho has the story…

 

 

(Champaign--jc)  -- The phrase you can’t get there from here is appropriate for some road construction being done in Champaign and Savoy Road work along Prospect Avenue at Windsor, began on Monday.  Several intersections along Prospect Avenue are effected. They include at Windsor, Ken Drive, Burwash Avenue and Bloomfield Court. Prospect Avenue is getting some upgrades to lane traffic. The project has a price tag of just over 5 point 3 million dollars.

 

 

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — A state audit released Monday contradicted former Gov. Bruce Rauner's claim that his administration had done everything federal experts recommended to remedy a deadly 2015 Legionnaires' disease crisis at an Illinois veterans' home.Auditor General Frank Mautino reported that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had recommended in December 2015 that filters be put on every water spigot. Despite Rauner's claim, the audit found that only shower and bathtub heads were outfitted with filters before 2018. The audit sharply criticized the Department of Public Health and Veteran’s Affairs for delays in taking action and notifying nursing staff and the public in August 2015

 

 

(Washington--jc)  -- When flood waters come in contact with grain storage bins, is that grain a total loss? Gary Crawford reports…

 

 

(Bloomington--jc)  -- State Senate Minority Leader Bill Brady of Bloomington, is pushing a bill that would require high schools to offer an early college program. High school students already have the option to earn college credits, but only a small number of students choose that path. Brady’s Senate Bill 20-46 would make it a requirement for high schools to offer college credit.  State officials say it’s a plan that can work, but it depends on the individual resources of the high school districts.

 

 

(Springfield--ba)-Just for voting in the Illinois General Election, one Illinois lawmaker is proposing a $25 tax credit for voters. WPXN’s Braedon Arnett has the story.

 

 

(Springfield--jc) --The stewards of Illinois’ teacher retirement fund are criticizing Governor. J.B. Pritzker’s proposal to pay less into the pension system than is suggested by actuaries, and mentioned the term “insolvency” in doing so. In a statement, the entire board of the Teachers Retirement System of Illinois, which manages the retirement funds for all public teachers except those in Chicago, condemned Pritzker's proposal to short the accounts by hundreds of millions of dollars in the coming fiscal year. The statement says that after 80 years of short funding, the growing risk of insolvency in the event of an economic downturn will happen State Representative. Steve Reick, Republican from Woodstock, told lawmakers on the House Floor that they’re ignoring the problem and need to begin examining where state money is sent in lieu of properly funding pensions. Reick told state leaders that before we raise one dime in taxes, we owe the people of Illinois the privilege of knowing how we spend their money currently the Teachers Retirement system, serves 417,000 members and is 76 Billion dollars underfunded.

 

 

(Springfield--ba)-14 Illinois State Police officers have been stuck in roadside crashes this year, which has caused our Governor to respond. WPXN’s Braedon Arnett has the story.

 

 

 

(Rantoul--jc)  -- 6 Rantoul City school district residents are vying for 3 positions on the Rantoul City Schools Board one week from today. The candidates include incumbents Joan Fitzgerald, John Brotherton, and Andy Graham. New to the race for the Rantoul City School Board are Jack Anderson, Edwin Every, and Joe Robinson. Voters go to the polls one week from today to vote for village trustees, school board to library board positions. Polls will open next Tuesday at 6am..

(Springfield--ba)-If you’re struggling to pay home heating bills…the state’s “LIHEAP” program may be able to help.  The low-income home energy assistance program, or LIHEAP , provides qualifying households some relief says spokesperson Bob Gough...

 

 

To find out if your eligible and find a local office to apply…visit the website: LIHEAP Illinois dot com or call 1-877-411-warm.

 

(Undated--jc)  -- Illinois officials have been put on the clock to fix a longstanding problem with their slow distribution of food assistance or they’ll lose millions of dollars in federal funding, putting a hole in the state’s budget. The U.S. Department of Agriculture sent the Illinois Department of Human Services what they called their “formal warning”, saying state officials have until April 21 to either improve their timeliness rate of food stamp delivery over 95 percent or to give USDA a game-plan on how they’ll get compliant. If the state fails to meet the requirements,

The U-S-D-A could withhold over 18 million dollars in federal funding.

 

 

(Paxton-jc) Not all races have contested races with some seeing the exact amount of people on the ballot to fill the same amount of positions. One local school board race has two listed candidates and a write in for the third position. That is the case for a 4 year term on the Paxton Buckley Loda School board. Listed as candidates are Steve Pacey and  Dana Bergandine. The third position will most likely be decided by write-ins. The Spring election day is next Tuesday April Second.

 

(Undated--jc)  -- A proposed policy change that would allow the state to capture more revenue is being called “theft of services” by retailers. The idea is favored by Illinois Governor. J.B. Pritzker.  The money could be used to help balance the state budget. The governor hopes to get an additional $170 million from recreational pot licenses for his budget that starts this summer. He’s also banking on $212 million from sports betting licenses. Both ideas have yet to advance at the statehouse. Then there’s the “retailers discount” the governor hopes to change to bring in $75 million. Retailers get to keep 1.75 percent of the overall state sales tax they collect for the state for acting as the state’s sales tax collector. Illinois Retail Merchants Association’s Rob Karr said that doesn't even cover the processing fees for electronic transactions.

 

 

(Paxton--jc) --  A May Business after Hours for the Paxton Area Chamber of Commerce has been set. The May 9th event takes place from 5pm to 7pm  at Accolade Healthcare Senior Living on Fulton Street in Paxton. The event is part of the Paxton Area Chamber of Commerce efforts to focus on local businesses.

 

(Rantoul--jc)  -- The Forum Fitness Center in Rantoul is the location for basketball players starting on the first Saturday in April. Open gym on Saturdays for those ages 16 to 18 from 6pm to 8pm and from 8pm to 10pm for those ages between 19 and 24. More information about the open gyms is found by contacting the Rantoul Recreation Department.