CHICAGO (AP) — At least three of 16 Illinois residents who cast ballots after being mistakenly registered to vote are U.S. citizens after all, election officials said Wednesday in assessing the damage caused by an error in the state’s automatic voter registration system. Secretary of State Jesse White’s office, a key player in the system because it oversees driver’s licenses, said the data of 574 people who self-identified as noncitizens was mistakenly forwarded to elections officials to be registered to vote. Election officials said 545 of them were registered and 16 voted in 2018 and 2019 elections. State Senator Dan Brady of Bloomington joined other House Republicans Wednesday demanding action to preserve the integrity of the March election…

 

 

State Senator Dan Brady of Bloomington.

 

 

(Springfield-jm) -- Although funding ratios for three of the state’s five public sector pension funds increased, a public finance watchdog said Illinois taxpayers still face a debt crisis. The Auditor General released financial audits of the State Employees, Judges and General Assembly retirement systems. The audits showed the total liability for two of the funds increased while the total liability for GARS decreased. All three funds had marginal improvement in unfunded ratios. For the State Employees Retirement System, the total liability grew $1.4 billion to $51.9 billion in the year that ended June 30, 2019. The funded ratio increased from 34.57 percent of the total liability in the bank in 2018 to 35.64 percent in 2019. Administrative costs decreased slightly for SERS, but the total number of members increased by nearly 2,000. The Judges Retirement System's total liability increased by $66.6 million to $2.9 billion.  The General Assembly Retirement System, the worst-funded of all the pension funds managed by the state, reported its total liability decreased $1.3 million from the year before, to a total of $321.8 million.

 

 

(Springfield-jm) -- A new state law will give Illinois students time to vote during the school day. Governor J-B Pritzker says he supports any initiative that makes it easier for Illinoisans to cast a ballot. He signed the bill in front of Thornton Fractional High School students who came up with the idea…

 

 

Illinois Governor J-B Pritzker. The law allows for two hours off of school to vote in any election including primaries and general elections.

 

 

(Rantoul-jm) -- Rantoul Township High School district has received a payment from the county. The district received $51,051 from Champaign County as part of the county’s one percent school facility tax.

 

 

(Washington-jm) -- The overall total of planted acreage in the country dropped significantly from last year. Stephanie Ho has the details…

 

(Paxton--jc)  Arguments in a pre-trial motion are set for February in Ford County court concerning a case involving a Ford County funeral home employee accused of taking money from the business. One issue is whether officials with Lamb-Young Funeral Home will disclose some wanted financial records including tax returns. 51 year old Michelle Rosenbaum is accused by Lamb Young of taking 60 thousand dollars from the business. Rosenbaum has plead not guilty. The pre trial motions are set for February 19 in Ford County court. 

 

 

(Paxton-jm) -- A Paxton intersection will receive new stop signs. The city council approved adding stop signs at the intersection of Holmes and Elm. The move comes after several residents in the area complained about speeding vehicles.

 

 

(Rantoul-jm) -- The Rantoul City School District will be searching for a new superintendent. Michelle Ramage will be leaving the district at the end of the year. The school board approved a two year extension for Ramage, which includes one year for her to assist with the transition of a new superintendent.

 

 

 

(Springfield-jm) -- A bill filed in Springfield could allow local libraries to get a cut of the taxes on recreational cannabis sales, but it would come at the potential expense of county-level taxes.  House Bill 4135 would allow the state’s more than 600 libraries to impose a 1 percent tax on recreational cannabis sales in their jurisdictions.  In exchange for the 1 percent tax, the county that the library is in would be limited to taxing cannabis sales in the library district at up to 2 percent. Under existing law, counties can tax local recreational cannabis sales up to 3 percent.

 

(Paxton--jc)  Details remain sketchy on a collision near Paxton along Interstate57 earlier this morning. Local emergency crews were called to a two semi vehicle accident just after 1 this morning at mile marker 262. Reports say the two semis collided head-on. No official word has been given on injuries or damages to the vehicles.WPXN news will update this story as more officials news becomes available. 

 

DANVILLE, Ill. (AP) — Police say an eastern Illinois homeowner shot and killed an intruder during a home invasion. A Danville man told police that at least two people armed with handguns and wearing ski masks kicked in his door and attempted to rob him Sunday night, Commander Josh Webb said. The homeowner, armed with a handgun, fired multiple shots at the intruders, Webb said. Officers located a man inside the home suffering from multiple gunshot wounds who later died at a hospital. Vermilion County Coroner Jane McFadden identified the man as Jordan Parrish, 29. The homeowner told police that at least one other intruder fled the scene when shots were fired.

 

 

(Springfield-jm) -- Illinois lawmakers have filed a number of bills they hope will give the public more information about potential conflicts of interest in the General Assembly. Two pieces of legislation, Senate Bill 2318 and House Bill 3895, would put restrictions on lawmakers’ ability to earn money from gambling interests.  Should it become law, House Bill 3998 would require lawmakers to disclose more information on the firms that they work with in their businesses and require more information about how their spouse makes money. 

 

(Springfield-jm) -- Governor J-B Pritzker hopes to expand the state’s home visiting program to all eligible families in Illinois by 2025. 500 additional children will be served this year, with thousands visited over the next five years says Governor Pritzker. He says it’s vital to reach families during those early years…

 

 

Illinois Governor J-B Pritzker. The Governor says the state has recently secured millions of dollars in federal funding to improve early childhood programs across Illinois. That includes the early childhood workforce and raising salaries to improve retention rates.

 

 

(Ludlow-jm) -- The Ludlow Grade School District is seeking a four point nine nine percent increase to their tax levy. The increase would bring in an additional $463,791 to the district. District leaders say the increase is due to a climb in the total equalized assessed valuation in the district from $17,4771,640 to $17,908,431.

 

 

(Paxton-)- The 32nd PBL FFA Toy show will be held on Saturday Feb. 1 from 9am to 2:30pm. There will be a silent auction, door prizes, a pedal tractor pull at 12pm, and a concession stand will be open the entire time, as well as lunch at 12pm. PBL FFA Member Christina White has the details.

 

PBL FFA Member Christina White

 

 

(Gilman-jm) -- Police are investigating the theft of at least two vehicles and the break in of several more in one Iroquois County community. The city of Gilman has had at least two vehicles stolen and several more broken into with items inside taken over the past few weeks. Police remind residents to keep their vehicles locked.

 

 

(Thomasboro-jm) -- The Champaign County village of Thomasboro is seeking candidates to fill a vacancy on the village board. Trustee Trent Sage resigned in December because he is moving. Those interested can reach out to the village office manager Deanne Wattjes.

 

 

(Undated-jm) -- Some Illinois college students are part of a growing movement to raise awareness of the $23 trillion national debt and brainstorm solutions. Mary Scheurman reports…

 

 

 

(Springfield-jm) -- The Illinois Supreme court could decide if police officers can use the smell of marijuana as probable cause to search a vehicle during a traffic stop. The state’s high court heard arguments in a case from Decatur. In that case, police pulled over a man after they thought they saw a fugitive in the vehicle. An officer said there was no fugitive, but reported smelling “raw” cannabis, which prompted a search. That search turned up crack cocaine. The defendant sought to suppress the crack cocaine evidence claiming the smell of cannabis in 2017 shouldn't be considered probable cause. The man wasn’t charged with cannabis possession. The trial court suppressed the evidence, but an appellate court overturned that suppression. The defendant then appealed the case to the Illinois Supreme Court. Illinois law in 2017 allowed for possession of up to 10 grams of cannabis to be considered a civil violation, the equivalent to getting a traffic citation. Police were still allowed to seize the drug. Possession of more than 10 grams was a criminal offense until Jan. 1 when the state legalized recreational cannabis for adult use.