(Springfield-jm) --  One week before a presidential primary election, Secretary of State Jesse White’s office sent a letter to the State Board of Elections acknowledging a third “programming error” that, left undetected, could have created confusion at polling places and could have denied valid voters from casting their ballots. In a letter to county clerks, the State Board of Elections said White’s office, “had identified a batch of records for REAL ID applicants which were erroneously categorized as having opted out of registration, due to a programming error. The records that were identified should have been categorized as valid AVR applications.”

 

(Springfield-jm) -- Governor J-B Pritzker says there are eight new cases of COVID-19 in Illinois, bringing the current total to 19. For the first time, two of the new cases are from outside of the Chicago-Cook County area and are likely the result of community transmission, says Governor Pritzker…

 

Illinois Governor J-B Pritzker. Officials continue to stress the need to help stop spread of the virus by frequently washing hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and water or using an alcohol based hand sanitizer.

 

 

(Springfield-jm) -- Officials with the Illinois State Board of Elections are in the process of putting together recommendations designed to prevent the spread of COVID-19 at polling places ahead of the March 17 primary. Illinois State Board of Elections spokesman Matt Dietrich says the agency is seeking specific recommendations from state public health officials for polling places. He said he expected it to be similar to what had already been recommended.

 

 

(Springfield-jm) -- This was the ninth warmest winter on record in Illinois. State Climatologist Trent Ford says it’s been a very moderate winter, which in this case includes the months of December, January and February…

 

 

State Climatologist Trent Ford. This winter tied for the 21st wettest on record with a statewide average of eight point one inches of precipitation. January was the wettest and totals varied across the state.

 

 

(Piper City-jm) -- One area nursing home is putting visitor restrictions over COVID-19 concerns. Piper City Rehab and Living Center announced the restrictions yesterday. Facility administrators say the move is strictly precautionary and there are no illnesses at the facility.

 

 

(Paxton-jm) -- Could Paxton Buckley Loda athletics join another conference? That’s the question up for debate at the PBL School Board meeting tonight. School board members will be asked to consider possibly joining the Illini Prairie Conference. School board members will also consider selling the former Eastlawn school lot, consider renewing their audit agreement with Russell Leigh and Associates. The PBL School Board meeting gets underway at 6pm.

 

 

(Washington-jm) -- Although the Agriculture Department's March crop production and global supply and demand estimates were mostly quiet from a change perspective, there were some notable adjustments from prior reports. Rod Bain reports…

 

 

 

(Watseka-jm) -- Iroquois County is reaching out for a federal grant to fight youth drug use. The funding to the Iroquois County Juvenile Justice Council would be through the Drug Free Communities Grant from the White House. The grant would go towards awareness and prevention of youths about using alcohol and vaping products.

 

 

(Buckley-cf)-- The annual Pork Chop lunch at Christ Lutheran Highschool in Buckley will take place on Sunday April 5. Executive Director Sandy Spitz tells us what will be on the menu… 

 

 

Christ Lutheran High School Executive Director Sandy Spitz

 

 

(Springfield-jm) -- Efforts are now underway to make Illinois the first state to ban electronic monitoring. House Bill 1115, It would eliminate the use of electronic monitoring for people who have completed their prison sentence in the Illinois Department of Corrections, except for the people who have statutorily required it to be on.  

 

The National Weather Service will hold spotter training at the Crescent City community center tonight at 6:30 pm.

 

(Springfield-jm) -- A prison watchdog said the Illinois Department of Corrections needs to make its plans for addressing COVID-19 public. The statement included data from a poll done by the John Howard Association from those who are in state custody and of 12,780 people who responded from 21 facilities between April 2018 and May 2019, 65 percent expressed dissatisfaction with medical care and 78 percent were dissatisfied with IDOC’s provisions of hygiene items such as soap and hand sanitizer. 

 

 

(Springfield-jm) -- Sheriffs suing the state in federal court said they want to clarify who would be liable if an illegal immigrant released under the constraints of the Illinois Trust Act hurts someone. The Trust Act prohibits police from holding a person solely based on immigration status. Kankakee County Sheriff Mike Downey said the state’s Trust Act, enacted in 2017, has tied the hands of law enforcement officers at county jails. Downey said several of the sheriffs have been sued and they expect more lawsuits. Kankakee joined McHenry, Ogle and Stephenson counties in a federal lawsuit this week that seeks to have the Trust Act declared unconstitutional. Both Kankakee County and McHenry County have multi-million dollar contracts with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to house and transport people with ICE detainers.

 

 

(Springfield-jm) -- Thursday is the last day you can request to vote in the primary election by mail. Voting by mail is a good option if you want to avoid the crowds on election day Tuesday says Illinois State Board of Elections Spokesperson Matt Dietrich. He says it’s becoming more popular…

 

 

State Board of Elections Spokesperson Matt Dietrich. You must request a mail in ballot by Thursday and send it back on or before election day on the 17th. Visit elections dot il dot gov to find the application form for your area.

 

 

(Watseka-jm) -- Iroquois County Clerk Lisa Fancher is seeking election judges for the March primary. Fancher says there is a need for Republican and Democrat judges in all parts of the county. Election judges will be paid $120 per day plus training. Those interested can call 815-432-6960.

 

 

(Loda-jm) -- Loda village leaders are expected to continue discussions on their water tower project at tonight’s village board meeting. In addition, trustees will discuss cannabis zoning as well as ordinance violations. The Loda village board meeting gets underway at 7pm.

 

 

(Springfield-cf)-- 53rd District State Senator Jason Barickman of Bloomington talks about the new budget unveiled by Gov. JB Pritzker. Sen. Barrickman says the governor fell short of business or organizations who rely on the state’s budget…. 

 

 

53rd District State Senator Jason Barrickman of Bloomington

 

 

(Gibson City-jm) -- An area hospital has generated a large impact to the area and state economy. According to the hospital in conjunction with the Illinois Health and Hospital Association, the Gibson City based Gibson Area Hospital and Health Services contributed $237.7 million to the state's economy. $147 million of that comes from their payroll.

 

(Washington-jm) -- There are many potential markets for US agricultural products. Stephanie Ho reports…

 

 

 

(Springfield-jm) --  The Better Business Bureau is warning people to be wary of scams involving the spread of a novel coronavirus at the center of a global outbreak. Steve Barnas, CEO of the Better Business Bureau of Chicago and Northern Illinois, warned that scammers are already finding ways to exploit the coronavirus outbreak. Barnas said that scammers will often pose as representatives of legitimate health organizations, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but he reminded the public that government agencies rarely contact people by email and never ask for money.