(Undated-jm) -- Statewide fewer parents are deciding to vaccinate their children due to religious exemptions. Last year, there were roughly 4,000 more religious exemptions statewide for vaccines. Doctors call this a disturbing trend. If this trend continues, doctors warn we could see outbreaks and even epidemics.

 

 

(Springfield-jm) -- Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White plans to extend the hours of some driver service facilities to accommodate the high demand for REAL IDs. The demand for federally compliant REAL ID driver’s license and identification cards has been high. Since the Secretary of State's office began offering the federally compliant driver licenses and ID cards this spring, it has processed about 500,000 REAL ID cards across the state. The cards are modified versions of the regular state-issued driver’s licenses and identification cards. Starting in October 2020, the REAL ID cards will be required for all airline travel, including domestic flights. The federally compliant ID cards will also be required to get into federal buildings and military bases.

 

(Springfield-jm) -- 2020 will be a big and important year politically not just in the United States but also in Illinois. When Illinois voters go to the polls in November, not only will they be casting ballots for the President of the United States but also for a constitutional amendment to change the state’s tax system to a graduated income tax says 53rd District State Senator Jason Barickman of Bloomington…

 

 

53rd District State Senator Jason Barickman of Bloomington.

 

(Peoria-jm) -- After OSF HealthCare recently announced a notice of termination to Meridian, OSF is now claiming Meridian owes them millions of dollars for outstanding claims. Meridian owes OSF millions of dollars for outstanding claims for services provided over the past five years. OSF has been accepting Meridian for many years and the termination is set to take effect December 15.

 

 

(Paxton-jm) -- Yesterday was Giving Tuesday and one area group reached their fundraising goal. The Paxton-Buckley-Loda Education Foundation was looking to raise $3,000 to provide books to Clara Peterson Elementary students. The group reached their goal meaning every student would receive a new book each month through the end of the school year.

 

 

(Rantoul-jm) -- Property owners in the Rantoul Township High School district will see some relief on their tax bills. The districts property tax rate has declined to $2.62 per $100 assessed value. That’s down from a high of $2.95 per $100 in 2017 and $2.68 per $100 last year. That means a person with a $150,000 home will pay about $33 less. The district says increased equalized assessed value and an increase in funding from the new funding formula allowed the district to lower the tax levy.

 

 

(Paxton-jm) -- Hudson Drug and Hallmark in downtown Paxton is our Business of the Day today. For those looking or the perfect gift this Christmas, Andy Hudson says they have a wide variety of gifts for you to choose from…

 

 

Andy Hudson with Hudson Drug and Hallmark in downtown Paxton. 

 

 

(Undated-jm) -- Police want to help you keep your purchases from being stolen. The National Retail Federation expects holiday spending to go up by about four percent. Officers say there are steps you should take to make sure you do not fall victim to a crime. They say to lock your doors and keep gifts out of sight. If you are getting something delivered to your home, try to be home when it gets there.

 

 

NEW YORK (AP) — This year, holiday stress may take on a whole new meaning for online retailers. Amazon, Walmart and others have promised to deliver more of their orders within 24 hours of customers clicking on “Buy.” The coming weeks will be the first test of whether they can make that happen during the busy holiday shopping season, when onslaughts of orders and bad weather can lay waste to even the best delivery plans. 

 

 

(Undated-jm) -- A new report out shows more young people are using marijuana, especially college students. The study published in the American Academy of Pediatrics says 2 out of 5 people between the ages of 18 and 22 had smoked pot. The study was conducted between 2002 and 2016.

 

(Undated-jm) -- A total of 202,465 firearm background checks were run through the National Instant Criminal Background Check system on Black Friday, making it the second-highest single-day for these checks, according to data from the FBI. The number of background checks this year increased 11% versus 2018 but 2017's Black Friday had a slightly higher total of 203,086. The FBI emphasized that the data does not represent the number of firearms sold but rather the number of firearm background checks initiated, and a one-to-one correlation cannot be made between a firearm background check and a firearm sale. Small Arms Analytics and Forecasting estimates that November 2019 firearm sales "may come in at about 1.5 million units, and December 2019 sales as high as 1.7 to 1.8 million," according to its own algorithm for calculating sales. The firm predicts the 2019 total gun sales will be higher than 2018, but lower than 2016 and 2017.

 

 

(Undated-jm) -- French fries could soon be harder to come by due to a poor potato crop, experts said. Cold, wet weather in the United States and Canada has damaged potato crops. Potato processors are struggling to keep up with the french fry demand in North America, Bloomberg reports. The damage to the crops has also means smaller potatoes. French fry processors usually want longer potatoes. That could translate into pricier fries or restaurants serving smaller portions.

 

 

(Paxton-jm) -- Property tax owners in the Paxton-Buckley-Loda School District should expect to pay less next year. Superintendent Cliff McClure says the tax levy has decreased again this year…

 

 

Paxton-Buckley-Loda Schools Superintendent Cliff McClure.

 

 

(Gibson City-jm) -- A local internet service provider is looking to expand their services to other parts of the county. Metro Communications is looking to provide service to Gibson City and Elliott. A representative of the company spoke to Gibson City officials recently. Currently, Gibson Area Hospital and their clinics use Metro Communications services. Metro Communications took over Conxxus after they filed for bankruptcy.

 

 

(Paxton-jm) -- The Paxton-Buckley-Loda High School GIVE Club will hold a Toys for Tots benefit concert this Saturday. The concert will take place at noon at the Hope Vineyard Church in downtown Paxton. Those attending are asked to bring either a new toy or make a monetary donation.

 

 

(Paxton-jm) -- Our Business of the Day today is Hudson Drug and Hallmark in downtown Paxton. This Sunday, Hudson Drug and Hallmark will hold their customer appreciation day says owner Andy Hudson…

 

 

Hudson Drug and Hallmark Owner Andy Hudson.

 

 

NEW YORK (AP) — There’s a powerful new player watching what you buy so it can tailor product offerings for you: the bank behind your credit or debit card. For years, Google and Facebook have been showing ads based on your online behavior. Retailers from Amazon to Walgreens also regularly suction up your transaction history to steer future spending and hold your loyalty. Now banks, too, want to turn data they already have on your spending habits into extra revenue by identifying likely customers for retailers. Banks are increasingly aware that they could be sitting on a gold mine of information that can be used to predict or sway  where you spend. Historically, such data has been used mostly for fraud protection.

 

 

(Undated-jm) -- Giving women with very dense breasts an MRI scan in addition to a mammogram led to fewer missed cancers but also to a lot of false alarms and treatments that might not have been needed, a large study found. The results give a clearer picture of the tradeoffs involved in such testing, but they can’t answer the biggest question, whether it saves lives. For women with dense breasts trying to decide on screening, “the dilemma remains,” Dr. Dan Longo of the New England Journal of Medicine wrote in an editorial published with the study. About half of women over 40 have dense breasts and about 10% have very dense ones. That raises their risk of developing cancer and makes it harder to spot on mammograms if they do. U.S. regulators are making rules to require that women get breast density information when they have mammograms, and many places provide it now. But what to do if you have dense breasts is unclear  it’s not known if more or different types of screening such as MRIs or ultrasounds help.

 

 

(Undated-jm) -- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a new report warning that superbugs that resist antibiotics have killed nearly twice as many people as previously thought. C. difficile caused nearly a quarter of a million hospitalizations and at least 12,800 deaths in 2017. It's one of five antibiotic-resistant urgent threats identified in the report. Two of them were newly added since 2013. One, the fungus Candida auris, wasn't even on the CDC's radar five years ago. But there's some good news in the report. Since 2013, there has been an 18% drop in deaths from all types of antibiotic-resistant infections.