(Springfield--ba) --Buying things in the capital city just got more expensive. Monday marked the beginning of an additional one percent added onto sales taxes in Sangamon County. Springfield schools will get an estimated $10 million in new revenue for facilities. Additional revenue raised will be used for school facilities throughout the county. Voters approved the increase last November. That would bring the sales tax for Springfield’s South Central Business District, where Legacy Point is, to 10 percent.
(Washington--ba) U-S-D-A had some surprises for the corn markets in its acreage and stocks reports. USDA’s Gary Crawford has that story.
(Springfield--ba) Gov. J.B. Pritzker's office ordered flags in Illinois to be flown at half-staff over the weekend in honor and remembrance of Deputy Troy Chisum of the Fulton County Sheriff’s Department from sunrise Saturday until sunset Monday. Chisum was killed in an armed standoff last week in Avon, Illinois.
(Springfield--ba) --Illinois is sending an additional $375 million in state funds to public schools as part of an overhaul of the state funding formula. Some have said school districts should invest some of that into shoring up security measures, but one regional official said schools have to be safe without resembling a prison. A number of school officials from across the state gathered in Wrigleyville last week to hear Nicholas Demchenko, vice president of Chicago-based EncompassAV and his associates pitch cloud-based security cameras from startup Verkada for their schools.
(Gibson City--jc) - Its time for visiting the area as lawmakers have completed their task of getting a new budget. 106th District State Representative Tom Bennett of Gibson City says during the entire month of June he has been busy talking with constituents in the area…
106th District State Representative Tom Bennett of Gibson City
(Rantoul--jc) -- The Rantoul Freedom Celebration starts on Wednesday at 4 on the grounds near the Hap Parker Aquatic Center. The event kicks off with the Sundowners Anything on Wheels Car Show. The aquatic center will have a free swim from 4pm to 9pm. Music, kids games and volleyball also hilite the event on Wednesday. Rantoul based Hall Brothers will also offer monster truck rides. Fireworks take place at dusk.
(Springfield-ba)-Illinois congressmen from both parties are looking to bring back a flying mission to the 183rd Wing of the Air National Guard in Springfield. Republican U.S. Reps. Rodney Davis, Mike Bost and Darin LaHood, along with Democratic U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos and Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth signed a letter looking for an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act to make that happen.
ROCKFORD, Ill. (AP) — Power has been restored to more than 139,000 utility customers following a severe thunderstorm that moved across northeastern Illinois.
ComEd says about 9,800 of its customers remained without service Monday afternoon. The utility says the Sunday storm included wind gusts up to 74 mph, lightning and heavy rain.Communities impacted by the storm included Rockford and Momence. Closer to home, a tornado touched down near Gilman in Iroquois County. Hail, heavy rain also caused some damage throughout the area over the weekend. Also, a plane was flipped at the Rantoul Village Airport
(Springfield-jc) --The head of a free-market think tank in Illinois and a New York-based hedge fund claim Illinois officials went afoul of the state constitution when they issued debt, according to a lawsuit seeking to invalidate $14.3 billion in state bonds.The petition brought by Illinois Policy Institute CEO John Tillman, in his capacity as a taxpayer, and Warlander Asset Management, a fund that owns $25 million in Illinois bonds bought in multiple offerings, aims to enjoin the state from paying the more than $14 billion in debt service left on two bond offerings. Tillman also is the chairman of the board of the Franklin News Foundation, which publishes The Center Square.The petition, filed in Sangamon County Circuit Court on Monday, claims Illinois’ Constitution requires bonds go to a specific purpose, roads for instance, instead of financing deficits as they allege the state did in 2003 and 2017.
(Loda--jc) -- The annual Loda Good Old Days are set from Friday July 26 and running through Sunday July 28th. A Family night in the Pavilion start the 3 day festival. A 10am Saturday parade, Childrens Games, a mud volleyball tournament, talent show with open-mic night and fireworks hilite Saturday. On Sunday its the annual Loda Good Ole Days Truck and Tractor Pull at noon.
(Rantoul--jc) -- In anticipation of the heat index reaching near 100 degrees this week, the Village of Rantoul has opened a cooling shelter at the Forum, located at 200 West Flessner Avenue. The Forum is open from 5am to 9pm, and anyone needing a place to keep cool is welcome to go to that building where accommodations will be made. If you need a cooling shelter outside of those hours, please call Rantoul Police and the shelter will be opened.
Chicago – Attorney General Kwame Raoul led a multistate group of 16 attorneys general in urging the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to rescind its proposal that would prevent transgender and gender nonconforming individuals from having equal access to safe homeless shelters.In a letter sent Monday to HUD Secretary Ben Carson, Raoul and the attorneys general argue that HUD’s proposal to repeal a 2016 amendment to the Equal Access Rule will compromise the safety of transgender and gender nonconforming individuals staying in homeless shelters. HUD adopted the 2016 amendment after four years of research into transgender and gender nonconforming people’s access to shelters and considered the disproportionately high rates of homelessness experienced by transgender youth.
(Bloomington--jc) One local State Senator says the 4th of July, just like Memorial Day and Veterans Day is a time to enjoy a cookout to fireworks, but also a time to remember our heritage and those who fought for our freedom. 53rd District State Senator Jason Barickman of Bloomington says take some time to remember...
53rd District State Senator Jason Barickman of Bloomington
(Monticello--jc) -- The Monticello Freedom Festival is set for tomorrow from 4 until 11 pm. Food, kids games, DJ Big Daddy Mac, pony rides raffles and fireworks hilite the day. There are also train rides from the Monticello Railway Museum to Lodge Park for the fireworks.
(Undated--jc) Real Estate taxes remain a question for several area counties and another is now past due on the first installment. Ford County Tax payers continue to wait on the process as do tax payers in Iroquois County. The first installment of taxes in Champaign County were due on Monday
